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March 30, 2015 HOUSE

OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS

Vol. XLVII No. 69

The

House met at 1:30 p.m.

MR. SPEAKER (Verge):

Order, please!

Admit strangers.

Today we have a number of people in the gallery I would like to recognize;

first of all, Jessica Summers, and her mother, Norma.

Jessica will be the subject of a member's statement in a little

while.

would also like to welcome Newfoundland and Labrador Construction

Associations' President and COO, Rhonda Neary, Board Chair, Ed Legrow, Past

Chair, Kirk Saunders, and recipient of the CCA Trade Contractors Award of

Recognition, Kevin McEvoy.

would also like to recognize Mr. Keith Andrews from Bishop's Falls.

Mr. Andrews is a cancer survivor and a representative of Daffodil

Place.

Welcome to the House of Assembly.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

Statements by

Members

MR. SPEAKER:

Today we will hear

members' statements from the Members for the District of St. John's North,

the District of St. John's South, the District of Bonavista South, the

District of Labrador West, the District of Signal Hill Quidi Vidi, and the

District of Bonavista North.

The

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

MR. KIRBY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am

pleased today to recognize my constituent Mrs. Bridie Maher who recently

celebrated her ninetieth birthday.

native of Ferryland, Mrs. Maher married Alfred Maher of Aquaforte in 1944.

She gave birth to fourteen children and today has a large extended

family of twenty-one grandchildren and fifteen great-grandchildren.

Mr.

and Mrs. Maher worked hard all their lives to support their family.

Mrs. Maher went to work for a wage at the young age of fourteen.

After she got married, kept a garden, milked cows, made fish, made

hay, and alongside her husband taught their children to do the same.

She and her husband also ran a store and often took boarders into

their home.

Mrs.

Maher loves travelling almost as much as she likes politics.

She is not a person who has ever been afraid to express her opinion

either. She has been an avid

volunteer all of her life and has never shied away from helping out wherever

she could. At her apartment

building, she always helps with organizing events like parties and

celebrations for other residents.

ask all hon. members to join me in extending birthday greetings to Mrs.

Bridie Maher. She is an amazing

ninety-years young and deserves to be celebrated.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

the District of St. John's South.

MR. OSBORNE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Members' statements are restricted to 200 words.

It is impossible to do justice to somebody who has done so much in so

few words.

Yesterday, the City of St. John's, and in particular the community of Shea

Heights, lost a citizen who was well-recognized as a person who cared deeply

for Shea Heights.

Harold Druken was a passionate advocate for the people and the needs of his

community; whether it was organizing the building of a new home for a family

who were affected by fire, organizing the Shea Heights Folk Festival, the

Santa Claus parade, advocating for a community War Memorial, or fighting for

building lots which would allow the community to grown.

In fact, Harold's contributions were too numerous to mention all of

them.

While Harold had a great love for his community and everyone knew it his

love for his family was even stronger.

It was easy to see the love that Harold had for Linda, Marion, Harold

Jr., and of course his grandchildren.

is not often that we have an opportunity to meet somebody like Harold; I had

the privilege to meet him and to work with him for the benefit of the

community.

was honoured to nominate Harold for the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador.

He received the Queen's Jubilee medal for his volunteer work, he was

awarded Citizen of the Year, but the real recognition lies in the respectful

way his neighbours, family, and friends praise him.

Harold's legacy will be the lasting contributions that he has made to

his community and will continue to live on.

Rest

in Peace, Harold.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

the District of Bonavista South.

MR. LITTLE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Honourable colleagues, I rise in this House today to commemorate the

Memorial United Church in Bonavista on celebrating its 200 th

anniversary in 2014. The church

first opened its doors in 1814 and was formed by missionaries who came to

Bonavista. After the

missionaries left, it was then up to the community to keep the church

viable.

The

theme of the celebrations was This far by faith.

The celebrations began with a meet and greet and were a combination

of both church and community activities.

Some of the events that the church hosted were a garden party, a

formal banquet, a traditional kitchen party, and ended with a worship

service.

The

cornerstone of the new church was laid on October 31, 1918 by master

builder, Ronald Strathie. At the

time of its consecration, the church was considered to be the largest wooden

church east of Montreal. Today,

it is one of the largest United Churches in the country.

Mr.

Speaker, members of the House, please join me in congratulating Reverend

Amanda Barnes, the organizing committee, the board of directors, and members

of the Memorial United Church of Bonavista in celebrating its 200 years of

anniversary.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Labrador West.

MR. MCGRATH:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

stand in this hon. House today to recognize the fortieth Great Labrador

Loppet. Over 100 excited

participants gathered at the start line on Saturday in Labrador West.

Skiers and snowshoers chose between three levels of events: ten-kilometre

run, twenty-eight kilometre run, or the fifty-kilometre run.

One individual ran the complete

twenty-eight kilometres on snowshoes.

Besides local participants, we hosted participants from British Columbia,

Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, Happy Valley-Goose Bay, as well as

the Island portion of the Province.

With

conditions under clear blue skies and perfectly groomed trails, thanks to

the Menihek's Nordic Ski Club as well as the White Wolf Snowmobile Club,

skiers chose between classic or free technique.

Volunteers along the way provided food and drink to all participants;

community volunteers and local organizations provided security and

communications along the full length of the route, guaranteeing the safety

of all participants.

the afternoon, the youth presentations were awarded at the White Wolf

Snowmobile Club and Saturday evening at the Smokey Mountain Ski Club, the

adult presentations took place during an excellent steak dinner.

ask all members to join me in congratulating all of the volunteers and

sponsors on another successful Labrador Loppet.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

the District of Signal Hill Quidi Vidi.

MS MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

Many

of us have seen quite enough snow this year, but one of my constituents has

been making the most of the snow and it has given her the opportunity to

shine.

Jessica Summers won two silver medals in snowshoeing at the Special Olympics

Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Winter Games held in Corner Brook in

February. She has also been

invited to attend the selection camp for the 2016 Canada Winter Games which

are being held in Corner Brook next year.

Jessica has been involved with Special Olympics for seven years, and she is

a shining example of the important work of this non-profit organization,

which serves more than 600 people with intellectual disabilities across the

Province. They have fourteen

active clubs, serving eighty-two communities and are constantly expanding to

add new programs in every part of the Province.

With

a handful of staff and an army of tireless volunteers, Special Olympics

helps build, through sport, a world where every person is celebrated and

accepted.

ask all hon. members to join me in thanking Special Olympics Newfoundland

and Labrador and congratulating double medal winner Jessica Summers and I

would like to add her volunteer mother, Norma, as well.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

the District of Bonavista North.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. CROSS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

When

you welcome a new child into the world, you get no guarantee of what the

future holds. When you are

entrusted with the life of a special child, you must step up to the plate

and brace for the challenges that definitely are to come.

Jeremy George Watkins Cross, our son, did not look at cerebral palsy as an

affliction it would not and could not hold him back.

He had personal strengths, a super memory, a desire to enjoy life,

and a love for adventure. His

wheelchair was not a burden; it was liberating.

He lacked the ability to speak, but his communication was more than

effective. He lived life large

and left a mark on many.

High

school graduation was a challenge conquered; post-secondary conquered;

obtaining gainful employment conquered; living with independence assisted

by wonderful caregivers conquered.

He experienced ski slopes, the Tely 10, moose hunting, climbing

walls, and the list goes on.

Jeremy, you were taken prematurely, but we are a better community because of

your inspiration. I respect all

hon. colleagues for your condolences and messages.

I thank you all for sharing in our family's grief.

Jeremy, who lives on in our hearts, will never truly die.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

[Applause.]

MR. SPEAKER:

Statements by Ministers.

Statements by

Ministers

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Advanced Education and Skills.

MR. JACKMAN:

Mr. Speaker, I rise today

to highlight Skills Canada Newfoundland and Labrador's annual skilled Career

Day held last Friday at College of the North Atlantic Prince Phillip Drive

campus in St. John's. I want to

thank event sponsors from industry and academia and congratulate all

participants, in particular the forty-eight gold medal winners from the

annual competition who will now represent Newfoundland and Labrador at the

national skills competition in Saskatoon in late May.

Over

350 junior high, high school, and post-secondary students, as well as

registered local apprentices, participated in the annual competition.

These individuals had the opportunity to showcase their tremendous

abilities, and compete against some of the finest from around the Province

of Newfoundland and Labrador in their respective programs.

Mr.

Speaker, competitors travelled to St. John's from across the Province and

represented several educational institutions.

All competitors displayed incredible knowledge in their field of

study and enhanced their skill level over the course of the competition.

addition to the provincial competition, other featured activities for

students and apprentices during skilled Career Day included interactive

Try-a-Trade demonstrations, employment sessions, a career showcase, a skills

work for women conference, and campus tours.

Mr.

Speaker, as a government, we are committed to ensuring students and

apprentices have access to high-quality training programs in Newfoundland

and Labrador and can benefit from the opportunity to work directly with

employers and businesses that support the many industries here in the

Province.

have been a long-standing supporter of interactive and engaging experiences

for students and apprentices to help them get the hands-on experience they

need to start in on their career path and contribute to the local workforce

and provincial economy.

Best

of luck to the forty-eight gold medal winners from the annual competition as

you prepare for the national skills competition.

I know you will represent your communities and Newfoundland and

Labrador well and make us proud.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Cartwright L'Anse au Clair.

MS DEMPSTER:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

thank the minister for an advance copy of his statement.

Bringing people together for these competitions provides valuable

experience, allowing students to learn from one another and from industry.

Congratulations to the forty-eight gold medal winners who will move

on to the national skills competition.

We certainly wish them the best.

Mr.

Speaker, government has been working without up-to-date labour market

information for two years I would be remiss if I did not mention that

again. Encouraging young people

to try the trades without any concrete forecast of labour market needs is

irresponsible.

believe that career development should be a key focus for students.

Having more co-operative program opportunities for high school

students not just in the trades, but in other sectors would help young

people better prepare for their careers.

Mr.

Speaker, we cannot stress enough the need for comprehensive labour market

information so that we are guiding students to pursue careers that will give

them wonderful opportunities at the end, right here in Newfoundland and

Labrador.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Signal Hill Quidi Vidi.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MS MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

too, thank the minister for an advance copy of his statement.

I congratulate the medalists and wish them every success at the

upcoming national competition.

Skills Canada provide a great opportunity every year for students and

apprentices to compete and to learn what it is like to work at different

trades.

Many

women have benefited from the Skills Work for Women conference which is a

valuable part of this event. So

I urge government to carry out the recommendations of the Federation of

Labour report and help apprentices progress through the programs all the way

to journeypersons and a bright future right here in this Province we hope,

Mr. Speaker.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Transportation and Works.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. BRAZIL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am

pleased to rise in this hon. House to congratulate members of the

Newfoundland and Labrador Construction Association on being recognized for

outstanding achievement in the national construction industry.

The association received the Gold Seal Association Award at the

ninety-seventh annual national conference last week.

also extend congratulations to Mr. Kevin McEvoy of Guildfords Incorporated

on receiving the Canadian Construction Association Trade Contractors Award

of Recognition. He has been

honoured for his commitment and dedication to the Canadian construction

industry and to the trade contractors sector of the industry.

The

provincial government has invested close to $7 billion in infrastructure

throughout the Province, resulting in new economic development

opportunities, improvements in transportation, as well as new schools and

health care facilities. To

achieve this success, we have had strong partnerships with industry

partners, such as the Newfoundland and Labrador Construction Association.

Our

government is taking a team approach to working with stakeholders in the

industry in our Province. I

recently had the pleasure of meeting with the Newfoundland and Labrador

Construction Association to hear their thoughts on the construction

industry. We discussed its

strengths and challenges, where they believe the industry is headed, and

what the provincial government can do to support the construction industry

and its workers in the coming years.

Mr.

Speaker, those who work in the construction industry represent an extremely

important role in our economy.

They work in partnership with the provincial government and with other

stakeholders, and they have played a strong role in the economic success of

our Province.

Once

again, I ask all hon. members to join me in congratulating Mr. Kevin McEvoy

and the entire Newfoundland and Labrador Construction Association on

receiving national awards and for their hard work and dedication to the

provincial construction industry.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Further statements by

ministers?

The

hon. the Member for St. John's South.

MR. OSBORNE:

I am sorry, Mr. Speaker,

I was distracted for a moment.

wanted to thank the minister for the advance copy of his statement.

We, as well, would like to congratulate the Newfoundland and Labrador

Construction Association for receiving the Gold Seal Award.

We also would like to congratulate Mr. Kevin McEvoy for receiving the

Canadian Construction Association Trade Contractors Award of Recognition.

The

Newfoundland and Labrador Construction Association is a very important

organization in our Province.

Government needs to work closely with them to ensure a robust construction

industry. Early tendering and

multi-year tendering is important to ensure that the industry can plan and

budget properly, not only for improvements in transportation, but also for

schools, hospitals, long-term care centres, and so on.

need to improve the apprenticeship program to ensure that it is easier for

apprentices to get involved in the construction industry, whether it is

through logbooks or block training.

The construction industry will continue to be an important entity in

our Province and government needs to maintain a strong partnership with

them.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

St. John's East.

MR. MURPHY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

thank the minister for the advance copy of his statement here today.

Congratulations as well from our caucus to both Mr. McEvoy and the

Newfoundland and Labrador Construction Association on their achievements.

No doubt that long-term planning was essential and is essential, Mr.

Speaker, to their success.

Long-term planning can work for roads, buildings, bridges, and ferry

replacement as well. I urge

government to consider a long-term five-year plan would probably suffice

as well for municipalities.

of yet, Mr. Speaker, government still does not believe that a long-term plan

is essential to everybody's success including this Province's.

How can this government succeed, Mr. Speaker, without long-term

planning? That is the question.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Labrador and Aboriginal Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. RUSSELL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

rise in this hon. House to announce the Government of Newfoundland and

Labrador will begin to officially fly the Labrador flag at the two gateways

at the Labrador and Quebec borders.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. RUSSELL:

In the coming months,

flagpoles will be erected in both border-crossing locations and official

ceremonies will be conducted to commemorate these at that time.

This

is an important day for all of Labrador and as Minister of Labrador and

Aboriginal Affairs, I am very proud to be part of an Administration that

listens to what the residents of Labrador are saying.

Flying the Labrador flag is an important milestone for this symbol

which is recognized by all Labradorians.

The

Labrador flag has been flying unofficially in Labrador for over forty years.

It was first designed by former MHA Michael S. Martin in 1973 to

commemorate Newfoundland and Labrador's twenty-fifth anniversary of joining

Canada. Since its inception, the

Labrador flag has become an iconic symbol of the Big Land.

The flag is flown by many families and individuals residing in and

outside of the Province.

Mr.

Speaker, Newfoundland and Labrador is considered a unique and distinct place

in our country and we add to the tapestry that makes up Canada.

Likewise, Labrador is a very, very special part of our Province.

The

provincial government is committed to ensuring the special circumstances and

needs of Labradorians are considered in government programs and policies.

The Labrador flag is an important piece of Labrador's history and it

is something that unites Labradorians and that makes it part of the entire

Province's history.

Mr.

Speaker, Labrador is my home. It

is where my ancestors lie and it is where my children are growing up.

I can say with pride that this is the greatest Province in Canada and

I believe we have cause for great celebration in Labrador.

Labrador's long legacy and vital place within this Province has made

this new policy a reality.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Torngat Mountains.

MR. EDMUNDS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

thank the minister for an advance copy of his statement.

Mr.

Speaker, finally, after forty years in existence, government is now going to

fly the Labrador flag at the border crossings, in the Labrador Straits and

Lab West. I would like to remind

the minister that last year residents took matters into their own hands and

erected the Labrador flag at both locations after requests from this

government were denied. Our

morning was actually held on September 6.

The

Labrador flag is flying proud and strong and will continue to fly, Mr.

Speaker. Residents came out in

full support of the move and felt very proud in doing so.

Tomorrow, March 31, is the official Labrador flag day and we should all take

time and recognize what Labrador contributes to our Province.

The flag is an important part of Labrador history that unites the

many different cultures and the peoples who live there.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Signal Hill Quidi Vidi.

MS MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

too, thank the minister for the advance copy of his statement.

I am

glad the minister is listening to something the residents of Labrador are

saying. I know this announcement

is a happy moment for them. I

have heard them speak many times about having the Labrador flag flown

officially, but the Aboriginal groups of Labrador would be even happier if

government had listened to them and honoured its written commitment to

consult in decisions that affect their lives more directly than even do

their symbols.

The

raising of the flag will not undo the insult that has been paid the

Nunatsiavut Government and the other Aboriginal groups by extension when

they were not involved in consultation regarding changes to the Voisey's Bay

Development Agreement.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Oral Questions.

Oral Questions

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of

the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The

Premier has said that he is waiting until after the federal budget to bring

down the provincial Budget. He

said he expected the federal budget in the first or the second week of

April. We know there is not a

lot of conversation going on between our Province and the feds, but the

federal minister has said that the budget may not be introduced until May of

this year.

ask the Premier: How long are you willing to make Newfoundlanders and

Labradorians wait before they get their Budget 2015?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

When

we developed our plans earlier this year around the Budget, our intention

was to wait until after the federal government had delivered their budget.

We heard some weeks ago that their budget would not be delivered

before early April.

have developed a plan that we are following through on that would have our

Budget brought down around the end of April.

Regardless of what the federal government does at this point in time,

we cannot move beyond that date.

We are not willing to move beyond that date.

We are targeting the end of April for the delivery of the Budget.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of

the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Most

plans that people put in place would have a date in mind.

ask the Premier: At least will you tell the people of Newfoundland and

Labrador the date of Budget 2015?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

As I

said, we are targeting the end of April; the last number of days in April.

We will make a specific date known in the coming days and weeks as

that day gets closer, but I can tell you now, it will be very close to the

end of April, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of

the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Nalcor has promoted the benefits to the construction of a dome over Muskrat

Falls. They actually called it

positive mitigation against weather risk.

Astaldi has admitted they did not achieve their target date of

December to have the dome completely finished.

ask the Premier: Can you confirm if this dome is now completed?

If not, when will it be finished?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Natural Resources.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. DALLEY:

Mr. Speaker, there was a

plan by Astaldi to help mitigate against some of the weather conditions in

Muskrat Falls with the erection of a dome.

There are four phases to it.

I understand that two has been completed.

The plan now is to not do number three and four.

I think you will add additional capacity there to do some of the

cement work in the summer season so that they can try to maintain their

schedule.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of

the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

the beginning, the four areas to be covered were seen as something that

would help the efficiency and help workers on that project.

ask the minister: Why is it that you allowed Astaldi to back away from

covering all four areas?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Natural Resources.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. DALLEY:

Mr. Speaker, this was a

decision, I guess, between Astaldi and Nalcor as to finding best ways to

mitigate against the severe weather conditions in the region.

Certainly, we all recognize that.

During the process of this work and recognizing the schedules and

schedule

pressures and so on, a decision was made to deal with just the two domes.

Then the switch in the decision to add capacity to address some of

those issues where we can get the work completed in the summer months versus

having to deal with the adverse weather conditions.

That was the decisions made, Mr. Speaker.

There is no long-term impact on the project, and no cost on the

project, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of

the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well, the cost on the project was actually picked up, as the minister knows,

as part of the announcement that was made by the CEO of Nalcor.

ask the minister: The savings now on not erecting the two pieces your part

of the oversight committee that looks at this project will the people of

Newfoundland and Labrador get the savings it deserves by not having this

dome completed?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Natural Resources.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. DALLEY:

Mr. Speaker, I think the

hon. member would probably know, but any time we are in big project and

certainly we have some megaprojects in this Province there are many

aspects of the projects where there are gives-and-takes, puts-and-takes,

where you may find that some work can get done quicker than others.

You may find that some costs more or less than others.

Certainly through the scope of the project the numbers have been released

on the project there are

schedule pressures, as has been acknowledged as

well, but any of the savings will go back into the project.

That will occur on a number of aspects of the project while other

aspects of the project, no doubt, will probably cost more, and that is the

very nature of these large projects, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of

the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

In the past, government

has relied on the PIRA Energy forecast to help set the budget price for oil.

In 2012, they even went as far to publish PIRA's forecast methodology

and assessment of the future oil price trends.

That document says that the low case for Brent crude is at $58 a

barrel between 2012 and 2025.

ask the Premier: You are on record as saying that nobody could have seen the

drop in oil prices, but your own report in 2012 by PIRA saw the potential

for this to happen, so why did you ignore this important information and

fail to plan for this difficult situation?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. WISEMAN:

Mr. Speaker, that

question sounds very similar to the one asked last week, so let me give a

similar answer that I gave last week to the same question.

When

we do our Budget forecast each year, we rely on a variety of sources of

information. There are many

people who are providing services for a fee to do forecasting for

governments and investors of private companies.

There are many people who do it and publish their information.

reach into the market to provide access to as many sources of information as

possible and if you look at the last couple of Budgets and our strategy for

sustainability, that ten-year plan, we published then other sources that

provided a broad perspective of forecasting.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

The

hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

say to the minister, you paid for this information back prior to 2012.

As a matter of fact, your own Energy Plan in 2007 said something very

similar, between sixty and seventy.

Why

did you ignore all the information that you already had paid for, I say to

the minister? You saw this

coming; why did you not plan for it?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. WISEMAN:

Mr. Speaker, forecasting

is always a challenge. When you

sit in

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. WISEMAN:

When you sit in 2015 and

start talking about what someone might have said in 2012, you also need to

consider what has happened since about 2010.

If you look at a period from about 2010 up to about July of last

year, the forecasting the people were doing was suggesting that oil was

going to be remaining at $100-plus for a period of time.

When

people do forecasts, they take a snapshot of what knowledge they have at

that point in time and forecast into the future.

As circumstances change, they revise those forecasts.

Anybody who would have forecasted in 2012 will probably have revised

it after that date.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

The

hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

There is no doubt the minister said that forecasting is a challenge.

According to this government, planning is also a challenge.

say to the Minister of Finance: Why did you sanction this project based on

the information that you had in 2012 if you did not trust those numbers at

that time?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Natural Resources.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. DALLEY:

Mr. Speaker, the member

opposite obviously does not support the Muskrat Falls Project, and does not

support the 2,000 jobs that are down there.

He is not supporting the fact that we need a new power system in this

Province. We do not have enough

power in the Province.

need to find more reliability.

We need to deal with the environmental issues in hydro, Mr. Speaker.

We need to find new ways to invest our non-renewable profits from our

resources into renewable. We

need to find a way to move from our isolated to interconnected so we can

improve the reliability. That is

what the Nalcor project is all about.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. DALLEY:

The difference of the

day, Mr. Speaker, that recognizes that this was the least-cost option, the

best for the people of the Province; that still stands today.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of

the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Since the Minister of Finance did not answer the question, maybe I will ask

the Minister of Natural Resources.

He seems to have the information.

Why

are you ignoring the prices that PIRA predicted in 2012?

Why are you ignoring the 2007 Energy Plan with those prices, I say

that to the Minister of Natural Resources?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Natural Resources.

MR. DALLEY:

Mr. Speaker, I am not

sure if he wants a Finance answer or if he wants something about the project

in Muskrat Falls, which is going to be one of the greatest projects

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. DALLEY:

in the history of our

Province, and this government is going to take credit for it.

can tell you the member on the other side, even though the Leader of the

Opposition does not support it, I am quite sure sitting at his left hand

there, Mr. Speaker, is certainly in favour of it when she sat on the Nalcor

board and helped make these decisions.

So we do not want to lose sight of that, Mr. Speaker; but, what I

will say in the decision to build the project, the decision was made, Mr.

Speaker, but it was not made on a weekly forecast or a daily forecast, it is

a fifty-year project that is going to reap the benefits for Newfoundlanders

and Labradors for generations.

we look at the long-term forecast for oil prices, I can tell you that this

project will still be the least cost and the best project for the people of

Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Bay of Islands.

MR. JOYCE:

Mr. Speaker, there is

continued confusion across the Province over the 911 emergency phone system,

especially as it relates to dispatch services.

The ability to send the appropriate first responder should be

priority one. Just answering a

911 call will not be good enough.

Former Minister Judy Manning said that local fire departments can receive

dispatch services from both PSAP centres if they request it.

Can

the minister confirm that this is still the case?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Health and Community Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. KENT:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

behalf of Fire and Emergency Services Newfoundland and Labrador, I am

pleased to report that Basic 911 service is up and running.

We have our public safety answering points up and running in St.

John's and Corner Brook, and the system is indeed functioning as it should.

is up to fire departments and other emergency responders to choose how they

wish to handle dispatch, Mr. Speaker.

Nothing has changed in that regard, but I am pleased to say that

Basic 911 service is in place across the Province.

It has been a long time coming, and it is certainly an important

first step in further expanding 911 services as we move to advance to Next

Generation.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Bay of Islands.

MR. JOYCE:

Mr. Speaker, non-answers

like that, I am starting to wish Judy Manning was back here.

Mr.

Speaker, a check with two fire departments in Corner Brook and St. John's

show completely different arrangements for providing dispatch.

Corner Brook will charge their neighbours $2,500 per year for the

service. That seems excessive,

given the low volume of calls from places like York Harbour and Lark

Harbour. They had just two 911

calls last year for fire. That

equates to $1,125 per call. St.

John's is proposing to charge towns a percentage based on calls dispatched.

ask the minister: Why is there no consistent program in place making

dispatch available and affordable to all those who want it?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Health and Community Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. KENT:

Mr. Speaker, if there are

certain communities or certain fire departments across the Province that

have specific concerns then they are welcome to contact Fire and Emergency

Services. There are officials

involved with our 911 bureau as well who will be happy to try and work with

those communities and address those concerns.

Dispatch is handled by the local emergency providers and by fire

departments. So it does vary

across the Province. They could

carry out the functions themselves.

They could go to a regionalization model, which is something we would

certainly encourage. They could

share services with other emergency providers and fire departments.

All of those options are available to our communities it is up to

those communities. Mr. Speaker,

they can choose themselves how they handle things within their respective

jurisdictions.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

The Straits White Bay North.

MR. MITCHELMORE:

Mr. Speaker, when

asked for a hazardous assessment and cost of cleanup at the Abitibi mill

property, the minister deferred.

He instead touted the historical nature of the property and that it was a

$100 million asset which grossly exaggerates the value.

ask the minister: How can you peg the value of the mill property at $100

million when you are unable to let the taxpayers know just how much you are

on the hook in environmental liabilities?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Transportation and Works.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. BRAZIL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

need to clarify my comment from last week.

What I was referring to was that the integrity of what that

represented to the people of Central Newfoundland was very important to us.

So we wanted to make sure that as we dismantle the mill, we take it

down in a respectful manner.

What

I also went on to further reiterate was the fact that we will be working

very closely with stakeholders the municipalities around that area, other

stakeholders there to determine exactly what that piece of property will

be used for. Part of that

process when we look at the remediation will then be looking at the costing

relevant to that.

Mr.

Speaker, we have not identified what the usage for that piece of property

will be. We are going to

identify that after we talk with the stakeholders, after we take down the

piece of property. Then we will

be able to determine what kind of investment we need to make from the people

of Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

The

hon. the Member for The Straits White Bay North.

MR. MITCHELMORE:

Mr. Speaker, years

after a botched expropriation and the feds paying $130 million under NAFTA,

there is still no clear indication as to what the cost of remediation is.

Given this is not the first unnecessary environmental liability this

Province has undertaken, I ask the minister: Will you make public the

hazardous assessments and the cost to remediate the Abitibi properties, as

well as the additional sites and their liabilities?

Don't you think the public has a right to know?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Transportation and Works.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. BRAZIL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I do

want to also acknowledge the fact that we received timber rights here; we

have received hydro rights that will equate to hundreds of millions of

dollars for the taxpayers of this Province, Mr. Speaker.

So this was not a botched expropriation here.

This was about ensuring that we had a piece of property that was

owned by the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, and we continue to do

that.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. BRAZIL:

As I noted, as we remove

the mill itself, we will then assess exactly what that piece of property

will be used for. Then, in

co-operation with my colleague and the officials in the Department of

Environment, we will assess what kind of remediation will be necessary and

what costing that will be, Mr. Speaker.

We will then report that to the people of this Province and we will

make that happen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

The Straits White Bay North.

MR. MITCHELMORE:

Mr. Speaker, I find

it offensive that the minister does not call that a botched expropriation.

order to meet the required accounting standards by financial year-end 2015,

the Auditor General recommends that government complete the required

environmental assessments and re-evaluate how it records the liabilities.

In 2013, the environmental liabilities for the fifteen sites were

listed at a mere $28.3 million.

ask the minister: Why are you failing to do your due diligence and continue

to grossly discount the environmental liabilities on the taxpayers' balance

sheet?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Environment and Conservation.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. CRUMMELL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

certainly take the Auditor General's comments very seriously.

In fact, we have been working with the Auditor General to put

together a sites liability assessment program, Mr. Speaker.

we are at a place right now where we have 145 out of 176 sites in the

Province that we have done an assessment on.

We are 80 per cent complete in our assessments and we will be done on

time in the spring of the year just like the Auditor General asked.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Trinity Bay de Verde.

MR. CROCKER:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

has been six days since the minister committed to tabling a list of over $40

million in write offs by government's Business Investment Corporation.

ask the minister once again: When will you table the list?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Child, Youth and Family Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. S. COLLINS:

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

As I

noted before, information is being gathered.

Once I have that I will put it forward.

Again, Mr. Speaker, I will reiterate the fact that a lot of these loans that

were written off, as the member had raised, were made during the previous

Administration.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. S. COLLINS:

So we are going back

if I could finish, please.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. S. COLLINS:

What we have here,

Mr. Speaker, is a large piece of work.

It is not over the last couple of years but it is this

Administration, and more importantly the vast majority laid

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. S. COLLINS:

with the previous Administration.

As I had said, the information is being compiled by officials and it

will be tabled in due course.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Virginia Waters.

MS C. BENNETT:

Mr. Speaker, the

Auditor General identified that there are a lack of internal audit processes

in place at Eastern Health which has a budget of over a billion dollars.

He recommended implementation of an internal audit committee and

internal audit processes.

Why

has this not been done?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Health and Community Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. KENT:

Mr. Speaker, within our

regional health authorities, within our department, and within all

government departments we take the recommendations from the Auditor General

very seriously. Some take longer

than others to implement, but if the Auditor General has made

recommendations, we do endeavour to follow them.

That is a matter I will certainly pursue with Eastern Health which is

the largest regional health authority in our Province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Virginia Waters.

MS C. BENNETT:

Mr. Speaker, in

addition to not being able to forecast oil despite PIRA recommendations and

the advice of their own Crown corporation, the Auditor General has continued

to identify lack of strong financial oversight by this government, leading

to a waste of taxpayers' money.

Since 2008, there are 286 recommendations to improve financial

accountability that remain not fully implemented.

Why

are you not expeditiously acting on the AG's recommendations?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. WISEMAN:

Another recycled question

from last week, Mr. Speaker not much creativity on the other side.

say, Mr. Speaker

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. WISEMAN:

Thank you for the

protection, Mr. Speaker.

Obviously, they must be anxiously awaiting Easter or something over there

today.

Clearly, as my colleague just indicated, we respect the Auditor General.

We appreciate the tremendous work that he does on behalf of the

people of Newfoundland and Labrador.

When recommendations are made, we take them seriously and put in

place an action plan to have them implemented to improve on internal

controls, in some cases, improve on how we spend our money, but always with

a view of improving programs and services for the people of Newfoundland and

Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

St. John's North.

MR. KIRBY:

Mr. Speaker, the minister

can learn a lot about putting all your eggs in one basket.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. KIRBY:

The Newfoundland and

Labrador Coalition for Better Child Care held a public meeting on the

weekend which exposed government's real lack of progress on child care.

The coalition wants to meet with the Minister of Education and Early

Childhood Development but, so far, they cannot get the minister to respond

to their email.

light of this government's failure to consult in the past, I will ask the

minister: Will you now commit to meeting with the coalition?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

is interesting to watch as members opposite, the Liberal Opposition

opposite, continue to bring questions to us that pertain to the work that is

done by hard-working employees of the Government of Newfoundland and

Labrador, Mr. Speaker. Today

they talked about employees from Business

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

PREMIER DAVIS:

You have gone after

employees from Business, Tourism, Culture and Rural Development.

You have talked about health authorities, what they have done;

Transportation and Works; Environment; and now we are going to talk about

the people who work in early education, Mr. Speaker.

have a ten-year plan, Mr. Speaker, because we recognize we need to improve

early childhood education in this Province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

PREMIER DAVIS:

We have tackled

quality, Mr. Speaker. We have

tackled being able to provide opportunities for people who work in child

care to have better education for themselves.

We assist them with that so they can provide better services.

We have increased the number of spaces significantly.

We are also tackling the cost of child care to families in

Newfoundland and Labrador, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

St. John's North.

MR. KIRBY:

Mr. Speaker, I said the

minister would not respond to their emails.

So we are not disputing the competence of early childhood educators;

we are disputing your competence Mr. Premier.

part of its child care strategy, this government promised to deliver a

centralized child care registry and a revised inclusion supports program by

the end of last year, 2014. Like

a lot of other commitments, they failed to deliver on this as well, Mr.

Speaker.

ask the minister: When will the registry and the inclusion supports program

changes be delivered? Are you

giving up on your 10-Year Child Care Strategy after just two years?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Education and Early Childhood Development.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MS SULLIVAN:

Mr. Speaker, we will

never give up on the children of Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MS SULLIVAN:

Mr. Speaker, as for his

question around meeting with the coalition, the newly formed coalition, we

actually are waiting on dates back from them so that meeting can be set up.

I have been in touch people in my department, rather, have been in

touch to try to set up that meeting, and we are awaiting dates from the

coalition itself so that we can in fact have that meeting.

Mr.

Speaker, we are concerned about meeting the needs of all children in the

Province, of our child care operators as well, and of the people who work

with them unlike some of the information that has been put out here around

one particular study, which is totally erroneous and totally inaccurate.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Torngat Mountains.

MR. EDMUNDS:

Mr. Speaker, the

situation in Hopedale with their drinking water supply continues to worsen.

As of this morning, the whole community is without water.

ask the Minister Responsible for Fire and Emergency Services:

How are you addressing the no water situation in Hopedale today?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Labrador and Aboriginal Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. RUSSELL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

When

we first heard about this situation, that very morning I had been on the

phone with the AngajukKak from the Inuit Community Government.

Likewise, Mr. Speaker, we have had representation from Fire and

Emergency Services; we have had Municipal Affairs involved.

As a matter of fact, officials from those two departments are in

Hopedale this week. The water

situation this morning where they had zero water pressure has now been

corrected and they are doing much better.

just got off the phone before we came into the House here with the

AngajukKak again to make sure that everything that we are doing for the

people of Hopedale is the right thing to be doing at this time and that they

are being served, and he is very happy with the co-ordination efforts up to

this point.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Torngat Mountains has time for a quick question.

MR. EDMUNDS:

Mr. Speaker, after four

Municipal Affairs Ministers in three years, why hasn't a long-term solution

for Hopedale's water supply been implemented?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Labrador and Aboriginal Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. RUSSELL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Just

quickly, I would like to reiterate that when the situation arose, we were

immediate in our response with bottled water being co-ordinated, pumps for

back-up systems to be put in place, Mr. Speaker.

Right now, we are making sure that a short-term fix is being implemented in

a correct fashion. As well, we

are fully committed to an assessment of the long-term needs of the community

of Hopedale.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Signal Hill Quidi Vidi.

MS MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

The

issue of silence around sexual harassment of women is ongoing and unresolved

everywhere in our society, including inside the walls of government.

ask the Premier: How is he fixing the discrepancy between what he has said

publicly about giving women a safe place to step up and disclose and the

actual situation inside the public service?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER DAVIS:

Mr. Speaker, I have

said time and time again and have clearly articulated the importance I put

on a respectful workplace and the assurance that our employees are protected

in their workplace, and that we follow up when there are concerns between

employees and matters of importance in the workplace.

have seen the articles that were published in

The Telegram, Mr. Speaker.

I can tell you that even the reporter himself indicates he had 150

pages of information. I can

assure the member opposite that the

article does not reflect the entire

information, the facts of the matter, and the timeline that took place to

these processes, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Signal Hill Quidi Vidi.

MS MICHAEL:

Mr. Speaker, protection

of men who harass is endemic; the silence can be deafening.

What

will the Premier do to make sure that women who are harassed in the public

service feel secure that disclosure of harassment will be safe and bring

positive results without jeopardizing their careers?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER DAVIS:

It is a good question

by the member opposite. I can

tell you our respectful workplace policies have been evolving and have

continued to be updated over recent years.

As recently as 2012, our policies were updated, Mr. Speaker.

can tell you before coming to the House today, I met with the Clerk of the

Executive Council, I met with the Deputy Minister of the Human Resource

Secretariat, and I want to make sure that our policies are as up to date as

they can be, that they are effective, that they meet the needs of our

employees throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.

have asked the Clerk to engage with an external consultant to review our

policies, to make recommendations to us on how we can make improvements so

we can have the best policies and responses to our public employees that we

can possibly have, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

St. John's Centre.

MS ROGERS:

Thanks, Mr. Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, in many parts of the Province women centres are the only places

that help women deal with sexual assault, sexual harassment, and domestic

violence. They support women and

their children with housing, employment, mental health, food, and clothing.

The

funding cycle ends tomorrow tomorrow yet no one from government has

assured them of their core funding.

Some do not know how they will pay their rent or their staff come

Wednesday.

ask the Premier: Will he immediately guarantee the women's centres their

core funding, and that it will not be reduced this year?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

can tell you that we fully, and I personally, fully respect and appreciate

the valuable work in partnership they do with government, with stakeholders,

and people who are in need of supports and assistance throughout

Newfoundland and Labrador, Mr. Speaker.

we are going through this Budget process, and as you are well aware, we

talked about earlier that we anticipate that by late April we will have our

Budget introduced to the House, Mr. Speaker; but I want to confirm for the

member opposite that the core funding for such organizations will be kept

intact for this coming year.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

St. John's Centre.

MS ROGERS:

Mr. Speaker, I ask the

Premier, then: Is he guaranteeing that their core funding will not be

reduced this year?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

That

is exactly what I just said, Mr. Speaker.

The core funding will be maintained for this coming year.

value the important work they do throughout Newfoundland and Labrador, Mr.

Speaker. They provide invaluable

assistance and supports to people in the Province who are in need of these

supports and assistance. I have

seen it firsthand, Mr. Speaker, the types of projects and programs they

provide to people who find themselves in need and need those assistances and

supports. We feel, and our

government feels, that it is important that we keep their core funding

intact for the coming year. Mr.

Speaker, we are committed to it.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

St. John's Centre has time for a quick question.

MS ROGERS:

Mr. Speaker, many

community groups are in the same boat.

ask the Premier: Can he guarantee their funding?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER DAVIS:

Mr. Speaker, I have

said and what I have said was very broadly, because there are a number of

organizations throughout the Province that provide services that are

important to us, important to us as a government, and are important to the

people of Newfoundland and Labrador.

As I have said, our intention is to keep core funding intact for such

organizations and similar organizations as she has mentioned.

There are a broad range of organizations in our Province that provide

numerous services, Mr. Speaker.

What

the hon. member is referring to is very important to Newfoundlanders and

Labradorians, is very important to us as a government, and as I have said,

their core funding will be maintained.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

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

Child, Youth and Family Services.

MR. S. COLLINS:

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

I am

pleased to rise today to table the strategic plan for the Department of

Child, Youth and Family Services for the time period of 2014-2017.

MR. SPEAKER:

Further tabling of

documents?

The

hon. the Minister of Environment and Conservation.

MR. CRUMMELL:

Mr. Speaker, in

accordance with the Transparency and Accountability Act it is my pleasure to

table the 2014-2017 activity plan for the Wilderness and Ecological Reserves

Advisory Committee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

Further tabling of

documents?

Notices of Motion.

Answers to Questions for which Notice has been Given.

Petitions.

Petitions

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

St. John's North.

MR. KIRBY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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 Eastern School District is considering a one-and-a-half year

plan to bus Kindergarten to Grade 6 students to the Newfoundland and

Labrador School for the Deaf; and

WHEREAS parents have expressed concern that long bus rides to school face

dangers such as congested streets and busy intersections, especially during

winter weather conditions; and

WHEREAS review of the Holy Family school system to recommend the Department

of Education consider an alternative to having children attend the

Newfoundland School for the Deaf; and

WHEREAS some parents suggest having Grades 5-6 attend Villanova Junior High

to alleviate some congestion at Holy Family; and

WHEREAS parents are continuing to demand more flexible policies to meet the

current needs of school children;

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

House of Assembly to urge government to change the proposal transferring

children from Holy Family school to the former Newfoundland School for the

Deaf building.

in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr.

Speaker, this is, I guess, all of the petitions that I have received, save

the ones that I have presented on two separate occasions regarding the plan

or proposed options for Holy Family Elementary school in Paradise.

District board is meeting this evening to consider both of those options, to

pick one.

have spoken to a good number of parents who are in favour of this option and

I have spoken to a good number of parents who are in favour of the other

option. That is the four

additional portables at the existing school versus busing the kids

forty-five minutes to school. I

do not consider either of those options to be acceptable.

It is sad. It is

unfortunate that we have arrived at this situation.

All

those parents were expecting that their kids would be accommodated at an

elementary school in Paradise, but unfortunately have come to a place where

schools are overflowing in Paradise and there is no room.

The earliest we hope government will be able to provide school

facilities for those kids as per the law is September 2016.

We cannot even really get a serious commitment as to whether or not

that is going to happen.

have about five, or maybe even six schools now that have been promised for

September 2016. It is a tall

order, and all of that work has been more or less thrown there because

government has failed to plan for the growing population in Northeast

Avalon, despite the fact that year over year over year over year we had all

sorts of reports, projections around population, either internally or

externally within the Province, across the Atlantic provinces and

nationally.

is unfortunate we have come to this place, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

St. John's East.

MR. MURPHY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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 Tordon 101 contains the chemicals 2,4-D and picloram; and

WHEREAS the chemical picloram is a known cancer-causing carcinogen; and

WHEREAS the provincial government has banned the cosmetic use of the

pesticide 2,4-D; and

WHEREAS safer alternatives are available to the provincial government for

brushing clearance such as manual labour, alternative competitive seeding

methods, and/or the mechanical removal of brush; and

WHEREAS the provincial government is responsible for ensuring the safety and

well-being of its citizens;

WHERUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the

House of Assembly to urge government to cease the use of chemicals covered

under its own cosmetic pesticide ban and begin using safer methods of brush

clearance that will not place its citizens in harm's way.

in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr.

Speaker, I have stood in this House a number of times talking to this

petition and talking about the dangers of chemicals.

I will not be long and I will not belabour it, but the simple fact of

the matter is that the people have a right to know about these chemicals

that are going into their environment.

The workers themselves who are applying these chemicals are also

being exposed to these chemicals as they are being sprayed around in our

environment.

Mr.

Speaker, I have to note, earlier the Minister of Transportation stood up and

was talking about the awards to the Construction Association of Newfoundland

and Labrador, and I talked about the simple point that there is a need here

for long-term planning. Well,

any long-term plan of course has to address several concerns and a concern

of health around these chemicals. I

think it is on everybody's mind, including the Members of the House of

Assembly here whenever we are talking about roadside brush clearing

whatever it is being used for, for the clearing of roadside brush for

vehicle safety obviously is a concern and moose.

Government may have a valid reason for clearing the brush but they do

not have to do it by the use of these particular chemicals.

Mr.

Speaker, again, I will table this petition.

Hopefully, government in its long-term planning of health will

consider the usage of chemicals here and cease and desist the use of these

chemicals in roadside brush clearing and probably go to a mechanical means

that may end up in some green jobs, too, at the same time.

Mr.

Speaker, I will leave this for the House of Assembly's consideration again.

Thank you very much.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Cartwright L'Anse au Clair.

MS DEMPSTER:

To the hon. House of

Assembly of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in Parliament

assembled, the petition of the undersigned humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS most communities in the District of Cartwright L'Anse au Clair do

not have cellphone coverage; and

WHEREAS residents of coastal Labrador require cell coverage to ensure their

safety and communications abilities; and

WHEREAS the opening of the Trans-Labrador Highway has increased their

dependency on mobile communications;

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

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

work with the appropriate agencies to provide cellphone coverage along the

Trans-Labrador Highway and to all communities in coastal Labrador.

in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr.

Speaker, this is a petition that if we were to meet the need of everything

that it is asking for there I recognize it would be very, very costly.

Of the seventeen or eighteen communities in my district, Mr. Speaker,

I would say there are probably only two that get cell coverage well enough

to use.

addition to that, we have a 600 or 700 kilometre stretch of probably the

most desolate remote road. Once

you leave L'Anse au Loup, all the way to Goose Bay, there is nothing.

I recognize that if you put in cellphone towers, that only covers

maybe a five to ten kilometre radius; but, Mr. Speaker, I believe there is a

responsibility here at some point for there to be a plan that we see

cellphone coverage somewhere in that stretch so when things happen people

are able to make a call out.

Mr.

Speaker, we do not even have anything like Wi-Fi repeaters on towers,

something of that nature which would be cheaper for people to make contact

in the event of an emergency.

Just recently we had a serious accident where a life was lost.

They were hours and hours waiting for help, a very difficult

situation.

had this petition last week, and it is ironic that since last week, up to

now, I spent most of Thursday night myself on a stretch of road outside

Goose Bay because I encountered a very stubborn moose that refused to get

off and I was held up until I was rescued at 4:00 a.m. in the morning.

I share that, Mr. Speaker, just as an example.

That you are on the road, it is the middle of the night and things

happen, and you have no contact.

will continue to petition on behalf of the residents of Labrador.

I hope there is a plan that we will see in certain areas at least,

Mr. Speaker, where you will have pockets of space where you will be able to

make a call, especially when something happens.

Thank you.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

The Straits White Bay North.

MR. MITCHELMORE:

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

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 Route 434 Conche Road is 17.6 kilometres of unpaved road; and

WHEREAS the current road conditions are deplorable; and

WHEREAS the Canadian Automobile Association ranked Route 434 the seventh

worst road in Atlantic Canada; and

WHEREAS it is government's obligation to provide basic infrastructure to all

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians; and

WHEREAS an improved paved road would enhance local business, fish processing

operations, and tourism, which is vital to the health of the communities

affected;

We,

the undersigned, petition the House of Assembly to urge the government to

allocate funds in the provincial roads program to pave Route 434.

in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr.

Speaker, the petition is signed by residents of Roddickton, Bide Arm,

Englee, and Conche. This road

has been around for nearly fifty years waiting for pavement.

I recognize that the government of the day invested in rebuilding,

realigning this road, spending about $6 million, but stopped short of

actually putting on the blacktop to pave the road.

There needs to be some form of plan to do that here for Conche.

Currently, the CAA has its worst roads in Atlantic Canada ongoing and Conche

is up there right again. It was

in sixth place. The last time I

checked it was at seventh.

Mr.

Speaker, they have a strong economy here.

A multi-year plan to pave would make a lot of sense when you have a

fish plant hiring people from the region with hundreds and hundreds of

commercial trucks going in and out.

They have a strong tourism economy with the French Shore and the

Tapestry.

This

was aired actually on NTV News yesterday about the deplorable conditions of

the road. When you look at that,

I think there is opportunity to look at your priorities and find out and let

the people of Conche know and in the region where this road actually ranks

on the government's agenda. It

is something that the people in the community feel certainly forgotten.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

St. John's Centre.

MS ROGERS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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 Family Violence Intervention Court provided a comprehensive

approach to domestic violence in a court setting that fully understood and

dealt with the complex issues of domestic violence; and

WHEREAS domestic violence continues to be one of the most serious issues

facing our Province today, and the cost of the impact of domestic violence

is great both economically and in human suffering; and

WHEREAS the Family Violence Intervention Court was welcomed and endorsed by

all aspects of the justice system including the police, the courts,

prosecutors, defence counsel, Child, Youth and Family Services, as well as

victims, offenders, community agencies and women's groups; and

WHEREAS the recidivism rate for offenders going through the court was 10 per

cent compared to 40 per cent for those who did not; and

WHEREAS the budget for the court was only 0.2 per cent of the entire budget

of the Department of Justice;

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

House of Assembly to urge government to reinstate the Family Violence

Intervention Court.

And

as in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr.

Speaker, I have given this petition so often that I almost know it by heart.

I believe many members of this House of Assembly here probably almost

know it by heart. Many people in

the House of Assembly would probably members would probably think, here

she goes again. We know exactly

what she is going to say.

The

odd thing, Mr. Speaker, is that the Family Violence Intervention Court made

sense. It did what it was

supposed to do. As a matter of

fact, there are courts in this country that are modeled on our Family

Violence Intervention Court. It

worked. It reduced recidivism.

It kept families together who want to be kept together.

It lessened violence. It

kept women and children safer.

It kept women safer, it kept children safer.

It offered the possibility of training and rehabilitation for

offenders. It made sense.

also made economic sense, because it cut down on recidivism rates.

It also made economic sense because it cut down on court time.

Mr. Speaker, there is no good reason not to do this.

As a matter of fact, it is an economic solution as well.

Why

this is not moving forward, the Premier has stated in his mandate letter to

the former Minister of Justice and I assume that mandate letter also is

directed towards the current Minister of Justice that this is what

government should do.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

The

hon. the Member for St. George's Stephenville East.

MR. REID:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

have a petition today related to reducing the highway speed limit in the

South Branch and Coal Brook area.

The

petition reads: To the hon. House of Assembly of the Province of

Newfoundland and Labrador, in Parliament assembled, the petition of the

undersigned humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS the speed limit is reduced along the Trans-Canada Highway in many

areas where residents live near the highway; and

WHEREAS the current speed limit presents a danger in the South Branch and

Coal Brook area; and

WHEREAS there is a significant danger specifically related to children

getting on and off the school bus in the area;

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

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

reduce the speed limit for the highway in the South Branch-Coal Brook area.

Mr.

Speaker, if anyone has travelled through this area, they will know that the

Trans-Canada Highway in the South Branch-Coal Brook area travels right

through the community. There are

houses on both sides of the road there.

It presents a danger to people who live in that area to have the

speed limits as high as they are.

It is especially a danger in terms of the school bus stopping letting

off children in that area.

Sometimes they cross the road and things like that.

The

petitioners are asking that the Minister of Transportation look at possible

ways of reducing this danger to children in the area.

They would like the speed limit reduced, but I would also say they

would be happy if the minister and the department were to look at innovative

ways they could accomplish the same thing, such as having a side road where

the bus could go off and let the children off, or some sort of underpass

that goes underneath the highway or something like that.

It might provide a solution to this area.

Mr.

Speaker, that is the issue. It

is a danger on the Trans-Canada Highway for children, especially when they

get on and off the school bus. I

would ask the minister and the department to look at possible solutions to

this problem.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Burgeo La Poile.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

have a petition 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 hundreds of residents of the South Coast of the

Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, including residents of the

communities of Burgeo, Ramea, Grey River, and Franois use Route 480 on a

regular basis for work, medical, educational, and social reasons; and

WHEREAS there is no cellphone coverage on Route 480;

and

WHEREAS residents and users of Route 480 require

cellphone coverage to ensure their safety and communication abilities; and

WHEREAS the Department of Innovation, Business and

Rural Development recently announced significant funding to improve

broadband services in rural Newfoundland and Labrador; and

WHEREAS the residents and users of Route 480 feel that

the Department of Innovation, Business and Rural Development should also

invest in cellphone coverage for rural Newfoundland and Labrador;

WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly

pray and call upon the House of Assembly to urge the Government of

Newfoundland and Labrador to support the users of Route 480 in

their request to obtain

cellphone coverage along Route 480.

in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr.

Speaker, again, this is a number of times I have entered this petition.

This one is a bit older.

The name of the department has changed.

Sometimes that happens a lot.

The names of departments change more frequently than the petitions,

which we have seen a lot of that, but the substance of the petition stays

the same. The substance is that

right now there is no cellphone coverage along Route 480, along Route 470,

and I am sure if we talked to a lot of members in this House, a number of

other roadways in this Province.

Now,

it is funny actually there is an

article in

The Gulf News today, which is the

paper that covers the Southwest Coast, and it specifically talks about

cellphone coverage along Route 480, where we had two cars stuck on the road

for up to twenty-four hours, in the middle of winter, road closed, and no

equipment there. They talk about

how we need this; it is a safety issue.

is funny because when they wrote the department, there was an email back and

the email talked about broadband.

The email did not talk about cellphone coverage.

What they did, they said we will continue to lobby private companies.

Basically, the department admitted to doing what they have done for

the last four years, which is nothing.

They have done nothing except slough it off and say let's hope that

Bell Aliant or some other private group will do something, but that does not

work.

You

see, at some point, this government has to take responsibility and even

admit that this is a priority. I

would love to see some members from the other side stand up and say do you

know what, you are right; we should get on this.

It affects more, I would imagine, on the other side than it affects

here; but it is an issue that affects a lot of people in this entire

Province, and we need to do something about it.

would suggest to the department and the minister when you get an

opportunity, please have a look at this issue because right now sending

statements to papers saying we are not going to do anything is just not

cutting it. If we do not do

anything, we are going to have the same winter next year, where vehicles are

stuck on roads and they cannot call anyone because there is no cellphone

coverage but we all know there is lots of good work being done for

broadband

AN HON. MEMBER:

Hear, hear!

MR. A. PARSONS:

I say good for you

and it is time to work on the cellphone coverage because right now it is not

cutting it. Again, I hear the

minister saying hear, hear. I

say, we look forward to seeing that document that you were supposed to table

six, seven days ago.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Carbonear Harbour Grace.

MR. SLADE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS the speed limit is 100 kilometres an hour on the Veteran's Memorial

Highway; and

WHEREAS traffic entering the existing Veteran's Memorial Highway is often

heavy at Jamie's Way intersection; and

WHEREAS because of heavy traffic turning left onto Jamie's Way, having to

cross traffic that is travelling 100 kilometres an hour and higher is

creating potential for serious accidents;

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

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

reduce the speed limit on the Veteran's Memorial Highway in the area of

Jamie's Way to seventy kilometres an hour.

in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr.

Speaker, I have signatures on this from Kingston, Carbonear, Salmon Cove,

Victoria, and on and on it goes.

It is actually a little bit confusing there now I would say to the Minister

of Transportation and Works because as you head towards Carbonear, after you

pass Jamie's Way, the speed limit is actually seventy; but if you are coming

up on the other side, coming up towards Harbour Grace, it is 100.

So when you are making the approach to Jamie's Way, it is quite

concerning and there is such a mixed message there.

would call upon the Minister of Transportation to have a serious look at

this indeed. Any time that you

have to go across three or four roads of traffic it is always concerning,

especially where there are no lights there.

I just call upon the minister and ask him, in a very respectful way,

to have a look at that and just see what we can get done with it.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Humber East.

MR. FLYNN:

To the hon. House of

Assembly of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in Parliament

assembled, the petition of the undersigned humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS the 2009 Throne Speech clearly states that government has provided

free textbooks to students; and

WHEREAS this is an investment in education; and

WHEREAS unfortunately, all students attending independently funded schools

have been deprived of equal access to this assistance; and

WHEREAS the Department of Education is perceived to show discrimination

towards our parents who exercise a choice of schooling for their child; and

WHEREAS all schools operate under the guidelines of the Schools Act.

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

House of Assembly to urge the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador,

beginning immediately, ask the Department of Education to provide free

textbooks to all students who attend any school that follows the

requirements of the Schools Act, 1997 (amended)

Chapter S-12.2.

in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Dated February 20, 2015.

This

is the fifth petition that I have entered in the House on this matter.

The Minister of Education knows full well that children who are home

schooled get their books free.

We are calling upon the Minister of Education to look at this matter very

seriously, stop the discrimination against children in independently funded

schools; they are following the same curriculum as every other child in this

Province.

I am

asking the minister to intervene as the previous Premier promised the

parents attending these independently-funded schools said they would.

I ask the minister to get on the ball immediately and rectify this

situation.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

Orders of the Day.

The

hon. the

MS DEMPSTER:

A point of order, Mr.

Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

The

hon. the Member for Cartwright L'Anse au Clair on a point of order.

MS DEMPSTER:

Last week, Mr. Speaker, I

made comments in this House, information that was given to me in what I

thought was good faith. It was

later brought to my attention they were incorrect.

Upon further checking, I confirm they do appear to be erroneous.

called the chief of the Quebec Innu and apologized.

I followed up with a letter of the same.

It is my understanding that as a private member I am unable to table

a document here in the House, but I have copies of that letter if there are

any members in the House who would like to review the same.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

There is no point of order.

Orders of the Day

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Natural Resources and Acting Government House Leader.

MR. DALLEY:

Yes, Mr. Speaker, I call

from the Order Paper, Order 3, second reading of Bill 43.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order 3.

The

hon. the Attorney General.

MR. F. COLLINS:

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, I move, seconded by the Minister of Child, Youth and Family

Services, that Bill 43,

An Act To Amend The Provincial Court Act, 1991, be

moved to second reading.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

is moved and seconded that Bill 43 be now read a second time.

Motion, second reading of a bill,

An Act To Amend The Provincial Court Act,

1991. (Bill 43)

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Attorney

General.

MR. F. COLLINS:

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, Provincial Court judges' salaries and benefits are set by a

tribunal. That is the

requirement of the Supreme Court of Canada and also a requirement of the

Provincial Court Act, 1991.

Mr.

Speaker, the act requires the reports from this tribunal within four years

of the last report. The last

tribunal brought down its report on September 30, 2010.

That means that the current report was due under the act by September

30, 2014. That brings us to this

amendment today.

This

bill will amend subsection 28.2(1.2) of the Provincial Court Act, 1991 to

extend the deadline for filing of the next report of a tribunal on the

salaries and benefits of Provincial Court judges to December 31, 2015.

Mr.

Speaker, all of the work of a tribunal is prefaced on the principle of

judicial independence. It is for

that reason that the tribunal has been established.

order to set the context for the tribunal, for those people in the House who

might not be familiar with it and for those watching, I want to say a few

words about the principle of judicial independence because it is one of the

cornerstones of our democracy and it permeates all the work of the tribunal.

Mr.

Speaker, as I mentioned, judicial independence is a cornerstone of our

democratic system of government.

It is based on common law. It is

also based on our Canadian Constitution.

Section 11(

d) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees that

any person charged with an offence has a right to be presumed innocent

until proven guilty according to law in a fair and public hearing by an

independent and impartial tribunal.

Now,

Mr. Speaker, we are not talking about the tribunal to set compensation

benefits here. When we speak

about an independent impartial tribunal in this context, we are talking

about the court.

Mr.

Speaker, there are two dimensions to judicial independence.

There is an individual dimension and there is an institutional

dimension.

The

individual dimension relates to the independence of a particular judge who

is responsible for his own court and conducting affairs of his own court in

his own independent manner without interference or influence.

The institutional dimension relates to the independence of a court in

general that the judge sits in.

So there are two dimensions, an individual one and an institutional one.

Any

litigants who engage our judicial system, there should be no doubt that when

they are before a judge, that judge is independent and motivated only by a

search for the truth and a search for a just and principle result.

Judges must not only be independent, Mr. Speaker, but they must be seen to

be independent. This

independence is so important and so necessary because of the judiciary's

role as protector of the constitution and all the principles and fundamental

values that are embodied in that constitution.

Including the rule of law, fundamental justice, equality and the

preservation of the democratic process.

The

Supreme Court of Canada, in a case called Valente v. The Queen, determined

that there are three essential conditions for judicial independence.

I go into these because they lead up to what this amendment comes

from today. Three essential

conditions for judicial independence: one is security of tenure; also

administrative independence, the second condition; and financial security is

the third essential condition.

If I

could look at each one for a minute.

The essentials of security of tenure are that a judge can only be

removed for cause can only be removed for cause only and that cause has

to be subject to an independent review and determination by a process to

which the judge affected has a full opportunity to be heard.

is tenure, Mr. Speaker, it could be for until the age of retirement, it

could be for a fixed term, or it could be for just a specific adjudicative

task. Whatever the tenure is,

Mr. Speaker, it has to be guarded against interference by the executive

branch of government. The

executive branch in government cannot in a discretionary or arboratory

manner in any way interfere with the judicial system.

Mr.

Speaker with respect to administrative independence, we alluded to it

briefly earlier, judges have to have control over such matters the chief

judge will have control over such matters of the assignment of a judge to

various courts, have independence over the sittings of a court when they

sit, court lists, and so on.

These are essential for the administrative independence of judges.

They have to be in control of their own courts.

Mr.

Speaker, the third essential component is the essence of financial security.

A judges right to salary and pension should be established by law and

not be subject to arbitrary interference.

Again, by the executive or government in a manner that could affect

the judicial independence.

Governments cannot negotiate judges' salaries, like they could with unions,

for example. That will be seen

to be an arbitrary interference that would affect judicial independence.

fact, Mr. Speaker, the Supreme Court of Canada has held that in order to

ensure the financial security of the judiciary, judicial salaries can be

maintained or changed only by an independent commission and that no

negotiations are permitted between the judiciary and the government.

The Supreme Court of Canada also held that salaries must not fall

below a minimum level.

Mr.

Speaker, that brings us to where we are in terms of an independent tribunal

making decisions with respect to the salary and compensation package of

judges. We are talking

Provincial Court judges here, just so people may not be confused with

Supreme Court judges. The

Province has no jurisdiction over Supreme Court judges; these are federal

We talk about Provincial Court judges only.

The

independent commission then, Mr. Speaker, intended to remove the judges

remuneration from the political sphere and to avoid confrontation between

governments and the judiciary.

It is a constitutional requirement that such commissions themselves be

independent, be objective, be effective.

The

Supreme Court also ruled that these commission members serve for a fixed

term. So it is not just a two-

or three-month term to set the recommendations, but they serve for the whole

term in which these recommendations are in effect, usually for a four-year

term.

Appointments to the commission are not entrusted exclusively to either one

of the parties. The appointment

process has to be flexible and has to be representative of the parties.

that end, Mr. Speaker,

section 28 of the Provincial Court Act requires the

Lieutenant Governor in Council to appoint a tribunal consisting of three

persons: one person appointed by the judges the chief judge or the judges

appoints one individual; the government appoints a second individual; and,

jointly, they select a chairman.

The

current tribunal was appointed on December 4, 2014.

The members are Bradford Wicks, QC, as the Chairperson; John R.

Whalen is another member of the tribunal; and J. David Eaton, QC, is the

other member. As I mentioned

before, the legislation provides that the appointments are for four years

and, as a result, these appointments will expire on December 3, 2018.

Mr.

Speaker, the tribunal's mandate will be to make recommendations for the

years, picking up from the previous tribunal, every four years of the

tribunal and a set of recommendations and this new tribunal that is

appointed now will pick up where the other tribunal left off.

Now,

because of delays over the years, there is a lag in the process that is why

we are here today. The previous

tribunal made recommendations to cover up to the 2012-2013 fiscal years,

appointed in 2009, and it made recommendations on a compensation package to

cover up to 2012-2013. Now as a

result, this tribunal we are talking about today will report, if this

provision is passed, on December 31, 2015; they will make recommendations to

retroactively cover 2013, 2014-2015 and part of 2015-2016.

It will also cover 2016-2017.

The

tribunal's report, according to the act, Mr. Speaker, together with the

recommendations and the reasons for the recommendations, must be provided to

the Minister of Justice and Public Safety not later than four years from the

date of the last tribunal report.

This is important four years from the date of the last tribunal

report.

Mr.

Speaker, the last tribunal was appointed in 2009 and reported to the

minister in 2010. So the last

tribunal report was September 2010.

The legislation says that the report must be given four years from

the date of the last report.

Obviously, we are beyond that date.

That

tribunal that was chaired by Mr. Lewis B. Andrews, QC, with John Clarke and

David Norris as members, made a number of recommendations that were ratified

by this House, including a salary increase of 11.5 per cent for Provincial

Court judges at the time, effective April 1, 2009, with additional increases

of 3 per cent effective on April 1 of each of the following years.

Mr.

Speaker, the tribunal also made recommendations respecting interest on

retroactive salary payments. It

made a recommendation on the indexing of pensions.

It made a recommendation on vacation entitlements and salary

differentials for a chief judge and associate chief judge.

It made recommendations on maternity and parental leave.

It made recommendations on a judicial indemnity policy and sick

leave. All these recommendations

of the 2010 tribunal were accepted and adopted by the House of Assembly in a

resolution on the government May 19, 2011.

Mr.

Speaker, while the recommendations are not binding on government, they are

almost always accepted and ratified.

They will be ratified here in the House of Assembly so that, in

effect, the benefits and compensation package for judges are set by law.

Subsequent to that, Mr. Speaker, the next report on salaries and benefits

was required to have been presented to the minister by September 30, 2014.

Throughout the fall of 2014, however, government was engaged in

ongoing negotiations related to the reform of the Public Service Pension

Plan. As we all know, government

and unions negotiated a pension agreement at that time that addressed a huge

financial problem that we had with the unfunded pension plans.

It took a lot of work, a lot of negotiation, and was heralded when it

was announced.

Mr.

Speaker, given that judges' pensions are also part of the tribunal's

considerations, it was prudent to have those pension discussions and

agreements out of the way before we commenced the review of the judges'

benefits because pensions will be a part of the review as well.

addition to that, we had problems finding willing nominees for the board.

It resulted in the tribunal not being appointed as of September 30,

2014 and, as such, an amendment is now necessary to extend the deadline for

the tribunal's report.

order to ensure that the tribunal has sufficient time to receive written

submissions, at the tribunal the government will make submissions on

salaries and benefits

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER (Littlejohn):

Order, please!

MR. F. COLLINS:

the judges

themselves will make submissions, and the tribunal will make recommendations

based on those submissions. This

bill then, Mr. Speaker, hopefully will be amended to extend the deadline for

the tribunal's report to no later than December 31, 2015.

the current legislative deadline for submitting the report, which was

September 2014, has passed, the salary and benefits tribunal is currently in

contravention of the act. The

proposed amendment will include a commencement clause to bring the amendment

into force retroactively on September 29, 2014.

This is necessary to ensure that the legislation is deemed to have

been amended prior to the time that the contravention began.

Mr.

Speaker, a similar amendment was made in this House in June 2010.

After a change of counsel on behalf of government, we had to extend

the government's deadline for filing its brief and that delayed the

commencement of the tribunal's hearing.

At that time, the agreement was amended that the next tribunal would

report on September 30.

Mr.

Speaker, the amendment now sets the deadline for the report of the tribunal,

December 31, 2015. It needs to

be retroactive to September 29, 2014 to remove any issue of legitimacy with

the panel's late appointment, and the report will retroactively cover salary

and benefits issues for judges for 2013 up to 2017.

Mr.

Speaker, that is the purpose of this amendment, and I welcome the comments

of other speakers in the House.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Burgeo La Poile.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

I am

happy to stand and speak to this very I guess it is obviously very

important, but it is very minor in terms of the size and how much actual

printing is here. We have one

section we are amending here, the Provincial Court Act, 1991.

As the Attorney General has stated, we are changing a law to keep

this government from continuing to be in contravention, or from breaking the

law that they amended the last time.

get the purpose of it, and I know the minister has done a very good job of

explaining, giving some background on the judiciary.

I took the time, actually, to read what he had to say in 2010,

because this same situation happened back in 2010.

We had the same debate about how we could not get this done on time.

Again, the minister did a good job back then, or the Attorney

General. He was the Minister of

Justice. He gave a good backdrop

of the judiciary and the Executive Branch.

It was the same issue back then, that they had to amend the

Provincial Court Act, 1991 because the tribunal was late and therefore in

contravention.

will not belabour this. I am

just going to take my time and ask a few questions here.

Maybe the Attorney General will have an opportunity to respond to

them when he closes, or he can do it in the Committee stage.

If I do not get an answer, I will continue to ask those questions.

The

question I have is we went through this back in 2010.

We had a debate here. The

Minister stood up, I am pleased today to introduce Bill 4,

An Act To Amend

The Provincial Court Act. So we

went through the same thing then.

We are doing the same thing now.

We are amending a bill because we could not get it done on time.

So the question is, why?

Why could it not be done on time?

Why are we here?

The

funny thing is, this is the only bill, besides Interim Supply, that we have

seen since the House was reopened.

This is the only bill, Bill 43, one paragraph long.

All the important issues, and we have one bill and this is one that

they had to redo from five years ago because they did the same thing then.

Again, I do not doubt the importance, and I do not doubt the need that we

need to do this. We have to do

it, because they are in contravention right now with the previous one.

So, I put it out, a very simple question.

Do you know what? There

may be a very simple answer. I

know we have three individuals appointed, and I reference the individuals

named by the Attorney General.

Again, I do not know much about Mr. Whalen, but I am sure he is well

qualified. I have no doubt that

he is going to do a wonderful job.

have had the opportunity to meet or deal with people like Mr. Eaton and Mr.

Wicks professionally. They are

very qualified and competent.

They are going to do a fine job representing the client they have, whether

it is the government or being the Chair.

There are no doubts about any of that.

I am just wondering, is this something we will be back in four years

having to deal with again because the fact is we are already behind the

eight ball here?

The

topic is pensions. I know we

have had to deal with pensions, whether it is public service, whether it is

MHAs. There is a bit of a hole

on government's end, so we have to address everybody's pension.

Everybody who is on the public payroll you have to reassess it.

noticed then that the figures referenced by the Attorney General, the raises

given then are pretty substantial.

I am not saying they were not needed.

I understand that years ago when this was first brought in there were

a lot of rackets. I do not think

government actually implemented the figures that came back from the

tribunal. They certainly could

not be forced to do it because it is a case of how do we pay for it.

It was tough times back then.

Then

we went through a period when this was done in 2010-2011.

This was a period when, to use the former Premier's words, we were

flush with cash. Those are not

times we find ourselves in now.

There is no doubt it is important.

There is no doubt it has to be done.

I am wondering why we are at the stage again, why we have to pass

retroactive law.

That

brings me on to another question.

I find this

part interesting and I am sure that other members may

bring it up if they get an opportunity.

The second clause here, This Act is considered to have come into

force on September 29, 2014.

This is retroactive law we are passing here.

MR. LANE:

We could not do that with

whistle-blower.

MR. A. PARSONS:

That is the question

I have. We stood here last

session and debated whistle-blower, but no, no, no, you could not have

retroactivity then. That is not

good. Now, when government finds

itself in a bind, please, please give us retroactivity.

Please give us we need the retroactivity because we cannot follow

the law that we put in place.

the Attorney General wants to stand up and tell us why whistle-blower could

not be retroactive, because that is an issue that we brought up.

They had years and years and years when it was part of their Blue

Books and their platforms. Well,

stand up and tell us why you could not make it retroactive.

I am

looking at this. I am probably

going to have some questions during the Committee stage.

I find it interesting that we were called back into this House and

we are happy to be here and we are happy to get up every day.

As an Opposition we get to make our member's statements and recognize

worthy individuals and groups.

We get to ask our questions, which we love.

Sometimes we do not always agree with the answers or the lack

thereof, but that is part of it.

We get to have that. Then we get

to stand up and do petitions, but the other part that we get to do is we get

to debate legislation, and there is an embarrassing lack thereof thus far.

What

I can say is, no doubt, we are going to do second reading in Committee on

this today. There is no doubt it

is going to get passed. Then I

cannot wait I know this House will adjourn at some point for Easter, as it

traditionally does, and I look forward to the legislation this government is

going to bring after.

know the Budget is coming and we know we had Interim Supply.

That is it. That is

absolutely sorry, we know another one, ATIPPA.

That is coming too, but that was written for him.

They did not even have to write that bill.

That was done for him.

Thank you Clyde Wells and committee.

Again, I look forward to seeing what other legislation this government can

come forward with. I know the

minister referenced patient safety legislation, which is six years in the

making. Now, that is not coming

until the fall. That is coming

in the fall. It is not coming in

this session. We will see when

that happens.

find it interesting that of all the issues we have, this is the only one we

could get done right now. The

reason is they are late in doing it.

They need to do it, and it is two paragraphs long.

I look forward to having an opportunity to question the Attorney

General on this during the Committee stage and finding out why we continue

to be late.

have to amend the Provincial Court Act in four years' time if we are going

to be late then, but other than that judges have pensions.

I am not going to get into that.

The AG does a fabulous job explaining the independence of judges.

Great, but I am not going to take my time to discuss that.

I am

going to listen to the Attorney General as he closes out, as he explains why

this government is late, and making sure that this is done for the people of

the Province.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Baie Verte Springdale.

MR. POLLARD:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

is certainly a privilege and an honour again to stand in this House to

represent the District of Baie Verte Springdale.

It is always an honour to speak on Bill 43.

Before I do, I just want to thank Justice and Public Safety

department officials for their briefing today.

Thank you for your patience.

also want to allude to my colleague, the Member for Bonavista North, for his

inspirational, very moving moment today in paying tribute to his dear son.

We welcome him back to the House of Assembly.

We really appreciate his attendance here today.

He has been a tower of strength to all of us.

Mr.

Speaker, this bill, Bill 43, will amend subsection 28.2(1.2) of the

Provincial Court Act, 1991 to extend the deadline for the filing of the next

report of the tribunal on the salaries and benefits of Provincial Court

judges to December 31, 2015.

In a

nutshell, that is what this bill is all about, Mr. Speaker.

Like any democratic system in the word, the principle of judicial

independence is very, very important.

It is a cornerstone to any democratic institution.

The

Supreme Court of Canada determined that there are three essential conditions

for judicial independence and the Attorney General pointed out them earlier

if case some people missed it, I will repeat them.

One, security of a tenure; two, administrative independence; and,

number three, financial security.

I will just briefly give a sentence on each on, Mr. Speaker.

The

essentials of security of tenure are that a judge be removable only for

cause, and that cause be subject to independent review and determination by

a process at which the judge affected is afforded a full opportunity to be

heard.

Number two, with respect to administrative independence, judicial control

over such matters as assignment of judges, sittings of the court, and the

court list have been considered the very minimal requirement for

institutional independence.

Number three, the essence of financial security, is that judges right to

salary and pension should be established by law and not be subject to

arbitrary interference by the executive in a manner that could affect

judicial independence.

The

Supreme Court of Canada held that in order to ensure the financial security

of the judiciary, judicial salaries can be maintained or changed only by

recourse through an independent commission and that no negotiations are

permitted between the judiciary and government.

Salaries must also not fall below a certain minimum level.

Independent commissions are intended to remove the amount of judges'

remuneration from the political sphere and to avoid confrontation between

governments and the judiciary.

It is a constitutional requirement that such commissions be independent,

objective, and effective.

That

brings us to this end,

section 28(1) of the Provincial Court Act, 1991,

requires the Lieutenant Governor in Council to appoint a tribunal consisting

of three persons to prepare periodically a report containing recommendations

on the salaries and benefits of judges and the chief judge.

Now,

Mr. Speaker, the act provides the tribunal with three people: one selected

by government; one selected the judges; and then one Chair, which is jointly

selected. The tribunal receives

formal submissions from the government and the judges to have hearings in

which each side will present their case, argue their case, put forward their

submissions, and then there will be a ruling on the salary and benefits that

are presented. That ruling is

not binding on government, but it is usually accepted.

It is accepted by being presented to and ratified by this House of

Assembly.

The

act requires the report within four years of the last one to be submitted,

Mr. Speaker. The last tribunal

brought down its report September 30, 2010, as alluded to by the Attorney

General. It means that the

current report was due under the act by September 30, 2014.

Now the legislation provides that the tribunal appointments be made

very four years.

Yes,

there are a number of delays in getting the tribunal appointed in 2014 for

various reasons, and obviously there was a lag in that particular process

and the process had to be effective and in depth.

Government wanted to include the pension issue, so they had to wait

until the Public Service Pension Plan issues were all sorted out.

The

current panel was appointed on December 4, 2014.

The Province originally asked for the report to be done by March 31,

2015 but the panel has asked for, as we all know, extra time, given the

issues at hand. They want a

thorough dialogue particularly around pension issues being raised, which

will require experts and will require much more in-depth dialogue, study,

and debate.

The

amendment sets this deadline December 31, 2015 for the report to be

submitted. Now, the amendment

needs to be retroactive, as was pointed out earlier, to September 29, 2014

to remove any issue of the legitimacy with either the panel's late

appointment or the timing of their report, Mr. Speaker.

The

report will retroactively cover salary and benefits issues for judges for

2013, 2014 and 2015, and will also cover 2015-2016 and 2016-2017.

Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, as the current legislative deadline for

submitting a report has passed, the salary and benefits tribunal, yes, is

currently in contravention of the act.

So the proposed amendment, what we have on the floor in this House of

Assembly today, includes a commencement clause to bring the amendment into

force retroactively on September 29, 2014.

This is necessary to ensure that the legislation is deemed to have

been amended prior to that time and that the contravention began.

Mr.

Speaker, that concludes my remarks on Bill 43.

I look forward to other comments made by my colleagues in this House

of Assembly this afternoon.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

St. Barbe.

MR. J. BENNETT:

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

spite of the nice speeches given by the government members, the minister,

and the Member for Baie Verte Springdale, this bill is a lot simpler than

this. It almost seems as if they

are casting a smokescreen to obscure the fact that this is just pure

incompetence that we need to do this at this time.

When

you get a little tiny bill like we have, just a couple of paragraphs, and we

need to pass it, we need to backdate it to last September 29 why do we

have to pass a piece of legislation which is such a simple piece of

legislation and backdate it for seven or eight months or whatever it is?

That tends to make somebody experienced with legal matters want to go

back and figure out well, what is really going on here?

The

basic underlying act was introduced and it is the Provincial Court Act,

1991. It was passed by the Wells

government. Premier Wells'

government passed this act. We

are dealing with

section

Section 28 says the appointment of a tribunal.

Mr.

Speaker, there are two or three items to keep in mind.

One is that the tribunal is appointed for all the reasons that the

hon. member said, the tribunal really determines judicial salaries and

benefits. The term of the

tribunal is four years, but

section 28 starts out by saying, The

Lieutenant-Governor in Council shall appoint a tribunal consisting of 3

persons to prepare periodically a report containing recommendations on the

salaries and benefits of judges and the chief judge.

When

you hear Lieutenant Governor in Council that means the government, so the

government shall appoint a tribunal of three people who are supposed to

carry out this study and make a recommendation.

The term of the tribunal is four years.

That is pretty straightforward.

Four years is four years.

goes on to say that The Lieutenant-Governor in Council shall appoint a

member to fill a vacancy on the tribunal and that person shall serve for the

balance of the term of the member he or she is replacing.

So if somebody dies or moves away or becomes incapacitated, they

reappoint somebody to fill up and do the rest of the term.

Now,

section 28.1(1) says, The minister may, at any time, refer a matter

respecting salaries or benefits of judges to the tribunal for its review and

recommendations. So the

minister does not need to wait four years.

At any time that the minister sees fit, the minister may appoint a

tribunal.

the minister appoints a tribunal, the next subsection says, The tribunal

shall submit a report on a matter referred to under subsection (1) to the

minister within 6 months following the date the matter is referred to

them. So if the minister says to

the tribunal, I need a report on this.

That means by legislation they have six months to do it.

According to the Wells legislation from 1991, there will be a tribunal at

least every four years, more frequently if the minister decides it is

necessary. Six months after

appointment, they deliver a report.

They shall deliver the report and then Cabinet reviews it,

legislation is introduced, or regulations change.

This

copy of the act says, The next report required under subsection (1) the

part we are looking is after April 30, 2007 shall be presented to the

minister not later than September 30, 2010.

So that made me go back and look to the annual statutes not the

consolidation that we have at the end, the annual statutes.

How do we get to the point where we are jumping around and we are not

going four years anymore?

By a

bill that was assented to on December 12, 2006,

An Act To Amend The

Provincial Court Act, 1991 which is exactly what we are dealing with

today. This little bill is the

same as the one that government seeks to have passed, and I am certain

everybody will support because it is necessary to do so.

December 12, 2006 it says: this act shall be considered to have come

into force on April 1, 2006.

This

government, in 2006, was backdating legislation from December till April in

order to be complaint with the law.

The law that was passed in 1991, rather than amend the whole act

they were not getting around to governing is the problem.

They have demonstrated that they cannot govern.

This is clear, positive proof they were not getting around to

governing in 2006 because they had to backdate legislation.

They could comply with legislation that appears to have worked

perfectly well from 1991 until after this government was elected every

four years. There was no

complaint. It seems to have

worked.

Well, to get us up to where we are today,

An Act to Amend the Provincial

Court Act, 1991. Mr. Speaker, I

am looking at one which is in 2006, and I am looking at one in it is

almost like Groundhog Day all over

again. We have to keep coming

back to fix the same problem. It

is like asking for an extension on your assignment if you are in high

school, but it is the same assignment.

They keep asking for the same extension and the same backdating.

This

one, Mr. Speaker, was assented to on June 24, 2010.

This one says that the next report after April 30, 2007 shall be

presented to the minister not later than September 30, 2010.

So, by statutes in effect, if you are given four years from September

30, 2010, that means the last day to comply was September 29, 2014.

So for four years we waited in four years nothing happened.

Even

though the minister says it is still about the tribunal being in compliance,

in fact, it is so the government would be in compliance because the

government appoints the tribunal.

The government can appoint the tribunal.

They had four years from September 30, 2010 until September 29, 2014

to get this done, and it was not done.

Not only was it not done then, the legislation was not introduced

last spring, the legislation was not introduced last fall, and now the

legislation is being introduced and we are being asked to backdate it.

We are being asked to backdate this legislation so the tribunal will

be able to comply with the law and provide a report on judges' benefits and

salaries.

Well, the legislation says the minister could appoint a tribunal right away.

If the minister appointed the tribunal right away, then the tribunal

could go to work. We appointed a

commission for the boundaries.

Why couldn't we have a tribunal appointed on a relatively short notice of

three people? Those three people

then would be required to produce their report within a minimum of six

months, or such shorter time as the minister says.

What

this piece of legislation now says: Oh no, not only do we want to backdate

this legislation to September 29 because they missed the four-year

deadline from 2010 to 2014. Now

they say they want the report to amend the law again so that the report will

be presented to the minister not later than December 31, 2015.

Now they want to backdate to last September, and then they want to go

forward to the end of December, 2015.

This

is simply to arrange for this government to be in compliance with its own

legislation. Yes, it is

relatively routine legislation.

Yes, it is important legislation.

It is pure incompetence on the part of any one of a number of

ministers who have not been able to bring forth the bill, have not been able

to get the job down over the last if not the last four years, certainly

over the last year or two.

So,

although I have no reluctance to support the bill, I can see why people

would have great reservations about supporting this government.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Cape St. Francis.

MR. K. PARSONS:

Thank you very much,

Mr. Speaker.

is indeed a pleasure to get up here again today, as I always say, to

represent the beautiful District of Cape St. Francis and the constituents

down there. Today was a little

bit of a special day here today.

It has nothing to do with the bill, and I hope you will give me a little bit

of leniency.

don't know how the hon. Member for Bonavista North did it today.

I know he had a bit of strength in his back pocket today, and looking

down on him, to get him to do what he did.

I know Jeremy was here with you.

It is unbelievable how you did that today.

I do not think I would ever be able to do it myself.

I want to applaud you for that.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. K. PARSONS:

Mr. Speaker, I am

going to stand up here today and talk on this bill and bring it into

laymen's terms. We have a couple

of lawyers and every time I get in contact with a lawyer who is getting up

to speak, it kind of confuses me.

So I am going to try to do it my way and