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December 16, 2014

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS

Vol. XLVII No. 57

The House met at 1:30 p.m.

MR. SPEAKER (Verge):

Order, please!

Admit strangers.

Statements by Members

MR. SPEAKER:

Today we have members' statements from the Member for

the District of Torngat Mountains; the Member for the District of Humber

East; the Member for the District of Grand Falls-Windsor Green Bay South;

the Member for the District of Baie Verte Springdale; the Member for the

District of Conception Bay South; and, with leave, the Member for the

District of Gander.

The hon. the Member for Torngat Mountains.

MR. EDMUNDS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise in this hon. House today to congratulate

Joey Angnatok of Nain on winning the first ever National Inuit Recognition

Award at the Arctic Change 2014 Conference in Ottawa.

Joey was recognized for his outstanding work and

support for science research in the North.

As a member of the research team representing the community of Nain

on the ArcticNet project, Understanding and Responding to the Effects of

Climate Change and Modernization in Nunatsiavut, Joey has excelled in his

research skills and knowledge.

Joey is an avid fisherman and hunter, owning his own

crab fishing vessel and enterprise.

He was also a hometown favourite as a contender in the Cain's Quest

Snowmobile Race 2014. Joey has

served as a board member for the Torngat Joint Fisheries Board, and the

Torngat Wildlife and Plants Co-Management Board.

He was elected to the Nain Inuit Community Government in November,

Through his hunting and fishing skills and his love for

the environment, Joey has become a role model for his community.

He is dedicated to improving the social fabric of his community and

its people.

I ask all hon. members to join me in congratulating

Joey Angnatok on winning this prestigious award.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for the District of Humber East.

MR. FLYNN:

Mr. Speaker, I rise in this House today to recognize and congratulate the

organizing committee for the Forget Me Not Cenotaph Campaign in Corner

Brook. This project, which began

in March 2011, was designed to revitalize Remembrance Square, which is

adjacent to the Corner Brook City Hall.

The project, which has full support of the Royal

Canadian Legion, involved erecting a bronze caribou to be placed at the top

of the existing Cenotaph; a pair of life-sized soldiers in bronze, one

representing a First World War-era soldier and the other in the image of a

current-day soldier. A plaque

honouring women's contributions to military heritage and another noting

various types of military involvement have also been included as a part of

the new memorial.

The committee is to be congratulated for their

foresight and incredible dedication in raising approximately $425,000 to see

this phase of the project completed.

It is a fitting tribute to honour all those who have paid the

ultimate sacrifice, as well as our veterans and our soldiers who continue to

serve today.

I ask all members to join me in congratulating Chair

Dave Higdon, and Co-Chair Gudrid Hutchings, and their dedicated team of

volunteers and supporters in this wonderful and thoughtful campaign.

Lest we forget.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for the District of Grand Falls-Windsor Green Bay

South.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. HUNTER:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in this hon. House to

highlight the academic achievements of three outstanding high school

graduates from the District of Grand Falls-Windsor Green Bay South.

Each year, provincial scholarships are awarded to the three high

school graduates who achieve the highest Department of Education scholarship

score.

This year, Mr. Speaker, the three proud recipients from

the District of Grand Falls-Windsor Green Bay South were Emily Williams

and Quinn Snook from Dorset Collegiate on Pilley's Island, and Thomas Taylor

from Exploits Valley High in Grand Falls-Windsor.

This is an outstanding personal achievement which reflects a high

level of commitment and hard work by these young individuals.

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

with me in congratulating Emily, Quinn, and Thomas for their achievements

and to wish them much success as they pursue the next phase of their

education.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Baie Verte Springdale.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. POLLARD:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise in this hon. House today to congratulate the

Town of Springdale upon capturing the Torngat Mountain Excellence in

Governance award. Accepting the

award, with beaming smiles, on behalf of the town were CAO Rick Ledrew and

Councillor Philip Burton. It was

presented to them at the MNL closing banquet in Corner Brook on Saturday,

October 18.

With a population slightly over 2,900, Springdale is

experiencing steady, manageable growth, serving as a vibrant hub for the

Green Bay region. Sound

planning, responsible fiscal management, and a visionary approach have been

the hallmark of the town which continues to propel the community forward,

offering strong, sustainable programs and services for its residents.

Mayor Harvey Tizzard, council members, and staff are to

be commended for their hard work and dedication as they continue to serve

the community. The town

courageously undertook an operational review a few years ago and implemented

its recommendations, which resulted in more effective governance and

utilization of its resources.

I ask all colleagues in this hon. House today to join

me in applauding Mayor Tizzard and the Town of Springdale for achieving such

a prestigious award.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Conception Bay South.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. HILLIER:

Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to congratulate the organizers of the 2 nd

Annual Giv'er on the River. The

organizers of the three-kilometre fun run in my district have done a

phenomenal job in growing the event in just two short years.

Over 250 participants of all ages got all warmed up

with some Zumba and then giv'er on the Manuels River Trail system.

The event brought together residents for a morning of fitness, while

building on the tremendous Conception Bay South community spirit.

While promoting healthy living, the event also raised funds to

continue improvements to the trail system.

The organization committee was chaired by Shelley

Moores and included: Paige Austin, Joan Butler, Janna Cleary, Gord Farrell,

Andrea Gosse, Michelle Hawco and Michael Mooney.

In Conception Bay South we are very proud of our

beautiful trail system and the ongoing promotion of active living for all

ages. I encourage all members to

join me in Conception Bay South next year to 'Giv'er on the River'.

It is a great cause with lots of fun, and a little exercise will

never hurt anyone.

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

congratulating Shelley Moores and her committee, and all participants for a

successful second annual Giv'er on the River in Conception Bay South.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for the District of Gander with leave.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Leave.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. O'BRIEN:

Mr. Speaker, I would first like to thank both Opposition parties for

granting of leave.

Mr. Speaker, it is a great pleasure to rise in this

hon. House today to congratulate a former member, Ms Hazel Newhook of

Gander, who will celebrate her 100th birthday on December 24.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. O'BRIEN:

Hazel was born in Grand Falls in 1914 and moved to Gander with her husband,

Harry, in 1947 where she embarked on a trailblazing entrepreneurial career.

First she purchased a taxi company and then later opened other

businesses including a bus company, service station and an auto parts store

called Newhook Auto Supplies.

Mr. Speaker, it is very well-known in Gander and

surrounding areas that when you went to Newhook Auto Supplies, Hazel would

be on the front counter serving her customers, and very rarely did she have

to look up a part number in the books she knew them by heart.

Mr. Speaker, I consider Hazel a friend, mentor and an

inspiration. She successfully

ran for municipal council in Gander in 1975 and became one of the first

women in the Province to become mayor.

She entered provincial politics in 1979 to represent the District of

Gander, and was one of two women, who were the first females in Newfoundland

and Labrador politics to be appointed to Cabinet.

The hon. Ms Newhook retired from politics in 1985 but

that did not slow her down. She

became a full-time volunteer and dedicated her time to giving back to the

Town of Gander. She focused on

issues affecting women and youth and became treasurer of the Gander Status

of Women Council, helped create the Cara Transition House and served as a

board member. Ms Newhook was

also a member of the Alternative Members Organization, the Goodwill Centre

and the Outreach Social Action Committee.

Ms Newhook was inducted into the Atlantic Hall of Fame

for Women Entrepreneurs in 1993 and was invested into the Order of

Newfoundland and Labrador in 2009.

She has set the bar high for everyone in this Province

and is a role model for women.

In every career she has taken on during her life, each has been aimed at

giving back to people and providing for those who need it most.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all members of the House to please

join me in wishing Ms Hazel Newhook of Gander a wonderful 100th birthday

this Christmas Eve.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Statements by Ministers.

Statements by Ministers

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Natural Resources.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. DALLEY:

Mr. Speaker, I rise in this hon. House today to highlight today's

announcement by the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum

Board that reserves for the Hibernia field have increased to an estimated

1,644 million barrels of oil.

This is a substantial increase from the 1,395 million

barrels of oil last updated in 2010 and may extend the productive life of

the field by seven years.

This news is evidence that Newfoundland and Labrador

will remain a major player in the offshore oil sector for decades to come.

It demonstrates the sustainability of the Province's mature producing

basins and the longevity of the Hibernia field.

Mr. Speaker, Hibernia was our Province's first major

pioneer offshore oil project and has returned substantial benefits to the

people of the Province and Canada.

Sales from the additional 249 million barrels of production will

generate a significant increase in value to the Province.

Using PIRA's latest long-term oil price outlook for Brent crude from

2015 onward, this increase in Hibernia reserves is estimated to generate an

incremental $12 billion in royalty, tax and equity for the Province.

Newfoundland and Labrador is home to three producing

offshore projects Hibernia, Terra Nova, and White Rose.

The Province is positioned for growth with the Hebron development and

the advancement of the White Rose Extension Project.

Today's reserve update joins a growing list of

strategic developments in the offshore industry, including the discovery of

oil at Bay du Nord, the new scheduled land tenure system, and the recent

success of the Calls for Bids which resulted in a $559 million commitment to

exploration in the Flemish Pass Basin.

The provincial government's continued leadership in the

offshore petroleum industry will ensure the continuity of offshore

production, employment and business activity for the long term.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I want to thank the minister for the advance copy of

his statement. Certainly all of us on

this side of the House are encouraged by the announcement in the increase in

the reverse from 1,395 million to 1,644 million barrels.

Of course, it is a significant improvement.

It is hard to believe that this oil field goes back to

1979. It first produced oil in

November, 1997. When it was

first discovered, interesting to note, the estimated reserves at the time

were 520 million barrels of recoverable oil in two separate reservoirs,

Hibernia and Avalon. Basically,

through more exploration and the commitment that we see from the companies

to stay involved in this very difficult environment, we have now seen this

estimate triple over the years.

We all know how important oil is to our provincial economy.

Before I finish, I want to thank the leadership we have

seen in the petroleum companies as they continue to develop offshore; but,

most importantly, I want to recognize the men and women who work in such a

very difficult environment. Of

course through their commitment, we see many of the benefits that

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians enjoy on a daily basis.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the Third Party.

MS MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

I too thank the minister for the advance copy of his

statement. Yes, this is good

news, 250 million barrels more of oil from the Hibernia field is a good news

announcement but they are still estimated.

It is good to know that it is there.

Hopefully, we will be able to get at it.

It is not an overly surprising announcement.

The technology is continually changing with a greater ability to

produce oil out of dwindling reserves, and I guess we are going to see more

of it.

I notice the minister says he is using PIRA's latest

long-term report for 2015. We

certainly hope the numbers are more practical than the ones used for Budget

2014-2015, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you very much.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

Further statements by ministers?

The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

MR. KENT:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for your patience and understanding as always,

gracious Speaker.

I am pleased to rise today in this hon. House to speak

to the continued success of the Operation Tooth program.

Again this year, Operation Tooth is bringing vital dental services to

children in rural areas who require specialist dental surgery.

It is impressive that members opposite are so

enthusiastic by what I am saying here today.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. KENT:

I urge members opposite to contain your enthusiasm until I at least finish

my statement.

Mr. Speaker, thank you.

Launched in 2008 by the Department of Health and

Community Services, Operation Tooth has brought specialized dental care

closer to home for residents in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Gander and Burin,

and has helped a great deal in relieving barriers associated with accessing

this care in rural Newfoundland and Labrador.

Mr. Speaker, by bringing the dentist to the patient,

the program has helped more than 800 children to date who were wait-listed

at the Janeway Children's Health and Rehabilitation Centre.

Since it was created, seventeen sessions have taken place in Happy

Valley-Goose Bay, four in Gander, and seven in Burin.

Mr. Speaker, the success of Operation Tooth depends

greatly on the collaborative efforts of a variety of health professionals

across the Province. It is a

team effort amongst regional health authorities and many professionals,

including pediatric surgical dentists, resident surgeons, anesthesiologists,

nurses and support staff. All

exhibit an outstanding level of dedication and professionalism to this

initiative. We owe them a great

deal of thanks for their contributions.

The provincial government is very proud of the success

of this program, and we commend the Labrador-Grenfell Regional Health

Authority in particular for providing the very first clinic.

As well, an especially generous thank you is owed to pediatric

dentist Dr. Geoff Smith, who has tirelessly conducted Operation Tooth

clinics since its inception in 2008.

In fact, it was Dr. Smith himself who coined the phrase Operation

Tooth.

I ask that all hon. members join me in thanking those

responsible for the success of Operation Tooth.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Burgeo La Poile.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank the minister for an advance copy of his

statement. I am certainly glad

he could swing on in today to make this very important announcement here.

Us living in rural and remote areas of the Province can

face very great challenges in accessing health care.

While we do have a public health care system, access to the full

spectrum is often dependent on income and geography.

Operation Tooth is a much needed program, and I certainly commend the

health care professionals visiting communities to provide the specialized

dental care.

The importance of dental care is often underestimated

and we certainly know the links between poor oral health, diabetes,

cardiovascular, Alzheimer's, amongst others.

Ensuring children have access to this program is essential and we are

glad to see it.

Again, we talk about income it is good to see that

the Province has success with this dental plan because certainly the adult

dental plan has had its challenges in the last number of years.

We commend the professionals and commend the department for making

this happen.

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.

I thank the minister for an advance copy of his

statement. Operation Tooth is a

wonderful example of team work, collaboration at its best.

Thank you, Dr. Geoff Smith, tooth fairy extraordinaire.

Also, bravo to the whole team, both at the Janeway, Grenfell, and

across the Province who make it possible to deliver these really needed

clinics.

Two years ago government took the teeth right out of

the Adult Dental Program. I

encourage government to revisit that decision and restore the program to

levels that meets the needs of the people.

I am sure dental specialists can advise the minister how important it

is to entire health.

Thank you again, team Operation Tooth, and bravo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Further statements by ministers?

The hon. the Minister of Education and Early Childhood

Development.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MS SULLIVAN:

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to extend congratulations to the students of

Newfoundland and Labrador on the impressive results they are achieving

across a broad range of subject areas.

Their determination to learn, their understanding and use of

information, and their willingness to engage have earned them above average

scores on two recent national and international assessments: the

Pan-Canadian Assessment Program and the International Computer and

Information Literacy Study.

The Pan-Canadian Assessment Program tests Grade 8

students every three years in science, math and reading, and the results for

2013 demonstrate the highest ranking achieved by Newfoundland and Labrador

since the program began in 2007.

The primary subject area for assessment changes year to year, and last year

it was science. I am proud to

note that our students ranked first in Atlantic Canada and fourth in the

country in science with 94 per cent achieving at or above the accepted level

of performance.

They also showed excellent results in reading, placing

first in Atlantic Canada and fifth in Canada.

In mathematics, our students placed third in Atlantic Canada, and

eighth in the country. While the

Province's national ranking in mathematics did not change, only three other

provinces finished significantly higher than Newfoundland and Labrador.

Math scores have improved, Mr. Speaker, by fifteen points since the

2010 assessment, indicating that students are achieving at a higher rate

with the renewed mathematics curriculum and the Excellence in Mathematics

Strategy.

Newfoundland and Labrador students are also excelling

in the fields of information and communication technology, as shown through

the recently released results of the 2013 International Computer and

Information Literacy Study. The

study was administered to Grade 8 students in twenty countries, including

1,556 students from 118 schools in this Province.

I am thrilled to say our students finished above the international

average, placing seventh overall internationally, with the girls

outperforming the boys.

Mr. Speaker, the results of these two national and

international assessments are concrete proof that our government's

investments in teaching resources, learning resources and technology are

positively impacting students and the education system overall.

The total education budget has increased by 48 per cent since 2003,

and we continue to have the best pupil-teacher ratio of any province in

Canada.

We continue to focus on helping the students of

Newfoundland and Labrador achieve their best and show the world what they

can do. Yesterday I had a

productive meeting with the President and Executive Director of the

Federation of School Councils and we discussed the tremendous achievements

of our students and they agreed with me that we need to celebrate our

students and express our pride in their accomplishments.

So I ask all hon. members to join us in applauding our students for

their continued impressive achievements.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St. John's North.

MR. KIRBY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

My thanks to the minister for the advance copy of her

statement. If I do not have

another opportunity in this session, I would like to extend my sincere

gratitude to Newfoundland and Labrador's teachers and school staff for all

of their hard work and dedication.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. KIRBY:

I would like to wish them and all of the Province's students a very merry

and safe Christmas. There is no

doubt our teachers are working very hard, but some of what the minister has

just said is very troubling. She

just said that our students' math scores are third in Atlantic Canada and

eighth in Canada third in Atlantic Canada and eighth in Canada.

That is a profoundly worrying result, Mr. Speaker.

It is not just me, Mr. Speaker, or our members because

we hear it from parents all of the time.

We are all worried about mathematics achievement in this Province,

not just in this House of Assembly in this Province under this government.

We have repeatedly called on the Minister of Education to order a

curriculum review and they have simply just dismissed that.

Instead of just pretending there is nothing wrong, we

ask once again for the government to finally do the right thing and order a

review of the curriculum that they chose for our students, Mr. Speaker.

The bottom line is this government is failing our students.

They need educational reform right now to fix these problems.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the Third Party.

MS MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

I thank the minister for the advance copy of her

statement. It is good news that

our Grade 8 students did so well in the Pan-Canadian science assessment.

I congratulate them and their teachers.

I hope there will be continued improvement in math and reading in the

future however.

I was glad to hear that students placed above average

in computer and information literacy, as these are vital skills for the

digital age. Students should

have the opportunity to take a full slate of computer science courses to

develop the computational and critical thinking skills they will need in our

future economy; but we are not keeping up with other provinces in computer

science in the schools, and I urge the department and the minister to begin

providing more of these courses.

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.

Well, this morning government finally provided the

mid-year financial update, predicting a $916 million deficit this year, net

debt increasing to $10.3 billion.

In the press conference today, the minister said that the Province's

sustainability plan will help secure our future.

So I ask the Premier: Are you still committed to the

sustainability plan that your government announced just over a year ago?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is a very important matter for people of the

Province, and us as a government as well. As

members opposite are quite aware, and not only people in Newfoundland and

Labrador, people in Canada and around the world are very much aware of what

is happening with oil prices, global oil prices in the last several months.

Because what has happened, nobody nobody has predicted.

What is going to happen in the future is very difficult to predict as

well. That is one of the reasons

why we have delayed doing this announcement, this mid-year update today, is

because we are still watching the volatility of oil prices.

Mr. Speaker, the actions and the steps that we take as

a government, we have to be very careful and very measured.

We have an economy that is strong and vibrant in Newfoundland and

Labrador. While we know the oil

prices have a significant impact on us as a government, we have to take our

steps very carefully.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

My question was about the sustainability plan that was

announced just one year ago when it was this government who then made the

announcement on the 10-Year Sustainability Plan, recognizing that it is a

very volatile environment. My

question was about are you still committed to that.

Well, in a similar situation, we have the Provinces of

Alberta and Saskatchewan who are also facing Budget pressure as a result of

oil prices. In response, the

Premier of Alberta said planning in 2015 is not budgeting as usual, and he

went ahead and formed a Budget 2015 committee with six senior Cabinet

ministers, himself included.

So I ask the Premier: Have you considered a similar

measure for Newfoundland and Labrador for Budget 2015?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I can say yes, absolutely.

We have considered a similar type of format, and we are considering

other types of processes as well.

Because it is important that we do our work very carefully.

We have to be careful in how we plan for the future, but it is

important that we do that. Not

only that we plan for the next few months, Mr. Speaker, but for the next

fiscal year and the fiscal year after that and the fiscal year after that.

One of the volatilities and we all recognize here in

the House of Assembly, and I know the hon. Leader of the Opposition

recognizes as well the difficulties in predicting those oil prices.

Currently, in our environment today, in our Province, we rely very

heavily on oil for our Budget and for the work that we do throughout

Newfoundland and Labrador, but we have to look at the future.

We have to look at the best information.

The minister has spent a considerable amount of his

time in capturing what information is available, what advice is available,

by the highest and best experts in Canada and throughout the world.

We will continue to do our work, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Minister of Finance said in his update that

government would be going to the markets in mid-January to borrow money.

I ask the Premier: How much money will we be looking to

borrow to cover this year's deficit?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Minister of Finance and President of Treasury

Board.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. WISEMAN:

Mr. Speaker, when the Budget came down back in March of this year, the

Minister of Finance, at that time, indicated that we would be borrowing

somewhere in the order of $1 billion in this year.

Thus far, we have been able to raise some short-term financing

through T bills.

Sometime in January I said this morning mid-January,

but around sometime in mid-to-late January, we will go to the market again.

Depending on our cash flow requirements to take us to the end of

March, whether it will be exactly $1 billion, I am not sure we will get to

that full number, but we will be somewhere in the range of maybe $700

million or $800 million that we will have to borrow in total to take us to

the end of the year.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Premier mentioned a few minutes ago the importance

of long-term planning as we try to gauge the economy within the Province.

The minister just mentioned about borrowing between $700 million and

$800 million.

In this long-term planning, I ask the minister or the

Premier: How much money will you be planning to borrow for next year's

Budget?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. WISEMAN:

Mr. Speaker, one of the things, in the operative part of the member's

question, is planning. I said

this morning we had announced the results of where we think we will be at

the end of March 2015. We are

already full stride in developing next year's Budget.

When we develop next year's Budget, we will then do

some forecasting about what cash we will need.

We will do some forecasting about what we will need in the year

beyond that.

As the Premier just said, the Budget cycle is twelve

months, but our planning cycle is much longer.

We now need to adjust that sustainability plan that was referenced a

moment ago because that was a 10-Year Sustainability Plan that we said, at

that time, was a living document.

That will be adjusted as we move forward in the next couple of

months.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well, the minister this morning in his mid-year update

gave an indication of where we are in the economy this year and painted a

picture that is very different than what we saw in the Budget documents that

were released early in the spring.

In the spring it forecasted decreases in our labour force employment,

housing starts, capital investment, as well as an increase in the Consumer

Price Index.

I ask the Premier: Since the deficit we can add now

we know it is getting larger in this Budget how have you changed and can

you produce a document that will now show us where you see the economy, the

economic indicators past 2015?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. WISEMAN:

Mr. Speaker, one of the things I want to make a distinction I did this

this morning as well. I want to

make a distinction in how we describe the strength of Newfoundland and

Labrador's economy versus how we describe the fiscal position that the

Province finds ourselves in.

Newfoundland and Labrador still has a bright future.

It still has a strong economy today.

It still has tremendous opportunity for new investment.

It still has the confidence of the people of

Newfoundland and Labrador, consumer confidence.

Just look at the retail sales increase that we are experiencing this

year because it is confidence that people have in the future of Newfoundland

and Labrador. Look at public

sector investment, Mr. Speaker; never before in our history have we had

capital investment as strong and as healthy as we are today, and that is a

reflection of the confidence people have in the future economic prosperity

of this Province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

The hon. the Member for Virginia Waters.

MS C. BENNETT:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I would remind the Minister of Finance that we have

seen declining housing prices, declining GDP and declining employment, and

those numbers are continuing to forecast to be negative in the next number

of years, based on his own numbers.

Today I sat a press conference that the minister hosted

around the fiscal update. We

have been asking for the fiscal update for weeks and we received no

technical briefing, yet government just announced a $960 million deficit, a

70 per cent increase in the forecasted deficit.

I ask the minister: Is this the standard this

government sets for important fiscal discussions; and why wasn't the

briefing provided on such a serious provincial fiscal matter?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. WISEMAN:

Unless you have been hiding under a rock, unless you have not been listening

to any news, unless you have not read a piece of paper in the last four or

five months, you would fully understand that we were in for a bit of a

change in our forecast, Mr. Speaker.

We have seen oil prices plummet in the last two months.

Everybody understands fully that we forecasted $105 as

the price of oil. We understand

fully and we have seen witness since the middle of summer those prices

dropped. So unless you have been

hiding under a rock and just had blinders on, you would have recognized that

we were going to have a significant change in our forecasted deficit for

this year.

I have been saying it in the House and I have been

saying it in the public, we were not going to meet our targets for this

year, so it should not be any big surprise this morning.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Virginia Waters.

MS C. BENNETT:

Mr. Speaker, it certainly was not a surprise.

That is why we have been asking the question for a number of weeks.

The AG has previously identified a lack of fiscal

responsibility with this government.

He released another report yesterday and identified areas where the

procedures that were supposed to exist to control the spending were not in

place.

I ask the minister: Why are you not ensuring that

management systems are in place to make sure that taxpayers' money and

public money is spent in a responsible way?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. WISEMAN:

Mr. Speaker, as the member would know from her vast business experience,

that accountants come in at the end of a year and do audits.

They provide management letters if you are in the private sector

where they make recommendations as to how you may improve internal controls,

how you may make some changes to improve your fiscal position.

The Auditor General, together with the Comptroller General, does the

exact same thing when they review the performance of government departments

and how we account for our money and how we track it.

We rely heavily on the Comptroller General who looks at

internal controls and provides feedback to departments.

We rely heavily on the Auditor General who comes in from the outside,

independent of the operation of government, to provide recommendations as to

how we might improve fiscal performance.

We respect the comments that he makes and we respond to them by

implementing the changes.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

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

MR. OSBORNE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The 2003 review of government's light vehicle fleet

produced eighty-two recommendations, another twelve were added in the 2006

review. In his 2011 annual

report, the Auditor General noted that only a few of those recommendations

had been implemented. The same

concerns raised in those reports are raised again in this year's report.

I ask the minister: How many of the 2003

recommendations are still not addressed?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Transportation and Works.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. BRAZIL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We respect the work of the Auditor General, and in this

case we welcome it. I have

reviewed the Auditor General's report.

We have looked at the issues here and the issues around managing the

fleet, keeping in mind that we have 1,600 light vehicles that we manage as

part of TW, but they are in partnership with a number of other departments.

We have started an exercise of looking at how we better

manage the fleet itself. We have

engaged other line departments to have those conversations about how we best

look at fuel consumption, how we best look at replacing the vehicles

themselves, how we best manage the documentation around where the vehicles

are at any given time.

We have started that process, Mr. Speaker, and I am

very confident over the next number of months we will work closely with the

Auditor General, but particularly those line departments, to find a solution

that is in the best interest of our department and the taxpayers of this

Province.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

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

MR. OSBORNE:

That is funny, Mr. Speaker. They

have been almost fifteen years looking at eighty-two recommendations.

Mr. Speaker, in 2006 it was determined that eighteen

vehicles were underutilized and government had agreed to reduce the fleet by

eighteen. However, by 2010 the

fleet had grown by ninety-one vehicles to 1,033; 217 of those were deemed

underutilized. Yesterday's

report shows a fleet of 1,136 vehicles, Mr. Speaker.

I ask the minister: How many of those 1,136 vehicles

are deemed underutilized?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Transportation and Works.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. BRAZIL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

None of our fleet vehicles are underutilized, Mr.

Speaker. They may not be used

twenty-four seven, seven days a week.

It does not work that way.

They are put in place so our employees have access to vehicles so

that they can better do their job, they can better mobilize the resources

they need, and they can be at a moment's notice on the spot to do the job

that they were hired to do. We

are still monitoring the best way that we implement those processes, the

best way we manage the fleet itself, and the best way we utilize our

employees to use that asset to the benefit of the people of this Province.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

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

MR. OSBORNE:

This guy says he respects the work of the AG, Mr. Speaker.

In 2010 there were vehicles with less than 5,000 kilometres on them.

That is underutilized.

Mr. Speaker, in 2006 it was determined that approval of

usage of government vehicles to employee residences was a benefit to the

employee, not the department, and in many cases led to after hour personal

use.

I ask the minister: Despite the recommendation of over

several years to reduce and monitor this practice, why hasn't the issue been

addressed yet?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Transportation and Works.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. BRAZIL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I first should note, though, there are many vehicles

out there that are being used by the general public out there and the public

itself that have less than 1,000 kilometres on them.

Fire vehicles itself, emergency vehicles are being part of it.

What I might note here is that no employee personally

gains from the use of a government vehicle.

They are used for the better interest of the people in this Province.

They are parked sometimes at their place of origin, their homes, so

they can better be utilized if they have to respond to an emergency right

after, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. BRAZIL:

That was the intent. We have

assessed exactly where they are.

We are going to address if there are needs that we can remobilize them in

other areas. The intent here is

to make sure that our staff have the asset necessary so they can respond to

the needs of the people of this Province, Mr. Speaker.

That is what we have done.

That is what we are looking at in the Auditor General's report.

That is what we are doing with the line departments to make sure it

is more effective.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

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

MR. OSBORNE:

The 217 vehicles underutilized are not fire equipment or emergency vehicles,

Mr. Speaker, they are highway vehicles operated by government.

If the logbooks were kept up to date, they would know how many were

underutilized this year.

Mr. Speaker, every report since 2003 determined that

there were a number of vehicles in all departments not even accounted for.

In yesterday's report, the AG determined that there were sixty-one

vehicles missing from inventory.

I ask the minister: Why is your department failing to

maintain an accurate and up-to-date inventory of government vehicles?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Transportation and Works.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. BRAZIL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

As I said earlier, we have a vast fleet of vehicles

that we use out there, and our employees do due diligence here when they

operate those pieces of equipment for the people of this Province.

They do a very integral piece of work for the people in this Province

around safety, about road safety.

They maintain our roads so that people can travel in a safe manner.

The integrity of our employees

is second to none, Mr. Speaker, and we do maintain our

fleets in the proper manner. We

work very closely with our employees, our management, and the line

departments to make sure the best use of those vehicles are not put in place

for the employees themselves, Mr. Speaker, but for the people of this

Province.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

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

MR. OSBORNE:

Mr. Speaker, fuel purchase has been flagged as a major concern by the AG.

Purchases for fuel amounts exceeding the tank size in vehicles.

Purchases for diesel fuel for a vehicle with a gasoline engine.

I ask the minister: How do you explain these unusual

and unaccounted fuel purchases?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Transportation and Works.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. BRAZIL:

Mr. Speaker, while we have nearly 1,500 vehicles in the fleet, there are a

number of other things that we are responsible for and our employees when it

goes to fueling. We have

chainsaws, we have generators, and we have all-terrain vehicles.

It is not as simple as saying, let's pull up with your pickup truck.

That is one part of the asset that is needed to get to a specific job

site or to deal with an emergency here.

So, the gas on a tank of a vehicle may not be necessary

with the four or five jerry cans that are in the back because they have to

go in the wilderness or something to deal with a situation that best serves

the people of this Province.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Trinity Bay de Verde.

MR. CROCKER:

Mr. Speaker, Minister Manning announced yesterday a two-month delay in 911

services. Apparently further

time is needed to allow for additional testing and training.

I ask the minister: Isn't it a little late to make this

announcement? Why are you only

now realizing that we need more time?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Government House Leader.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. KING:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I welcome the member to the House.

If he had been here two weeks ago, he would be aware

that we shared information in this House very clearly that we would update

the people of the Province before Christmas on the status of the

implementation of the 911 system.

As the minister has outlined very clearly, we want to make sure we

get things ready and that are done right.

We have some technology things to iron out.

We have the geographical information system that we have to make sure

is working properly, and the 911 software before things are ready.

Mr. Speaker, our anticipated start date now will be two

months into the calendar year of 2015.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Trinity Bay de Verde.

MR. CROCKER:

That is done here in the House.

Mr. Speaker, the former Minister of Fire and Emergency

Services was adamant that the new 911 service would be up and running by the

beginning of 2015.

I ask the minister: Can you assure the people of the

Province that this delay will not mean extra cost to the taxpayers of

Newfoundland and Labrador?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Government House Leader.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. KING:

Mr. Speaker, there is no cost associated with this delay.

As I just said to the member a few moments ago, this delay is about

making sure we get things done right for the people of the Province.

There is a need to make sure the technology works; there is a need to

make sure the software works.

We have done what we committed to do.

What the Member for Bay of Islands asked us to do was to make sure

this House was updated before Christmas as to the status of the

implementation of 911. The

minister has done that, Mr. Speaker.

We are fully prepared to discuss this issue but this is not about a

cost to the taxpayers, Mr. Speaker, it is about getting it done and getting

it done right.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Mount Pearl South.

MR. LANE:

Mr. Speaker, employees of the IOC mine in Lab West have been experiencing

ongoing concerns regarding silica dust which has resulted in numerous cases

of silicosis by current and former employees.

I ask the Minister of Service NL: What are you doing to

ensure the protection of workers at this facility?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Service Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. CORNECT:

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member across the way for his concerns.

Do you know what, hon. member?

We share those concerns as well.

That is why we asked for a medical audit.

I understand officials from Service NL, OHS, and Horizons

Occupational Health Solutions the project consultants were in Lab City

just last week to meet with workers there.

The company and union representatives were also in attendance, and we

are looking for some progress report very soon.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Mount Pearl South.

MR. LANE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I say to the minister, I believe that study was

supposed to be done three or four years ago.

Mr. Speaker, the number of provincial OHS officers in

Lab West has gone from three permanent positions to periodically flying an

officer in and out every couple of months.

I ask the minister: How do you expect to get a handle

on safety concerns at IOC as well as at other locations in Lab West without

the permanent presence of OHS officers?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Service Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. CORNECT:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Again, the concern that the Opposition member expresses

is our concern as well. Every

concern of the people of the Province is our concern, Mr. Speaker.

I have to say, Mr. Speaker, since the position was open

for the OHS officer for Labrador, five public competitions have been held.

No qualified candidate accepted the position in Labrador.

Mr. Speaker, what we are doing now, we are redoing the

work. We have people on the

Island who go to Labrador on a shift system, or rotation system, Mr.

Speaker. So, we do have OHS

officers in Labrador to take care of the business.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St. Barbe.

MR. J. BENNETT:

Mr. Speaker, Access to Information requests by the media have revealed

thirty-five deaths and forty-three critical incidents involving children and

youth receiving services from government since 2009.

I ask the minister: Of the thirty-five children who

died while receiving services since 2009, were any of these children

involved in the forty-three critical incidents just reported?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Child, Youth and Family Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. S. COLLINS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

My understanding is no, they were not included.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St. Barbe.

MR. J. BENNET:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Minister, that means we have seventy-eight children;

forty-three and thirty-five.

Mr. Speaker, last week the Child and Youth Advocate met

with Cabinet to discuss legislating mandatory reporting of deaths and

critical incidents involving child and youth receiving services.

One month ago our private member's motion for this legislation passed

unanimously in this House.

I ask the minister: Did you commit to the Advocate, as

you did in this House, that mandatory reporting of deaths and critical

incidents will be legislated?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Child, Youth and Family Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. S. COLLINS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

While there isn't any requirement for CYFS to report

critical incidents and deaths to the Advocate, we went against, obviously,

the opinions and wishes of the Opposition when we asked for consultation

with the Advocate.

I will echo the words of the Advocate from just a

couple of days ago when she came in and met with Cabinet.

We had a very fruitful discussion.

She had said it was a great meeting.

I am following up now with staff tomorrow.

I am going to visit with the Advocate again.

We are looking to have a collaborative approach on this.

It is not an easy answer, as has been proven by other jurisdictions

in the country.

What is important here, Mr. Speaker, is we are working

towards a solution, and we are working with the Advocate to find those

solutions.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Burgeo La Poile.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Mr. Speaker, yesterday we asked the minister about an internal laboratory

medicine audit that was carried out at the Health Sciences, but he was not

aware of the contents of the report.

There were fifty-one concerns raised around seven main areas of

concern, including staffing shortages, lack of succession planning,

communication and leadership issues, and the list goes on.

I ask the minister: Now that your department has had a

chance to review this month old report, are you concerned with the findings

of the audit?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. KENT:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am obviously concerned with any audit report and any

findings that shed light on how we can continue to improve our health

system. I think it is important

to note that this internal audit, which was a one-day audit conducted by two

staff people, is one piece of an ongoing quality assurance system.

The system is working because if there are issues where we can make

improvements, that is the whole purpose of doing quality assurance audits.

In this particular case, I met with the CEO and the

vice-president of medical services of Eastern Health this morning to fully

review the report. A lot of

action has been taken since November 12.

I am confident that Eastern Health is taking the steps necessary to

ensure that issues are addressed.

I can also assure you that there are no issues with quality or

patient safety that have arisen as a result of this work.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Burgeo La Poile has time for a quick question.

MR. A. PARSONS:

I ask the minister: Will you ensure that you exercise your duty to ensure

proper oversight? Will you

formally re-examine Eastern Health's compliance to all the Cameron

recommendations as was recommended in this audit?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services for a quick reply.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. KENT:

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to report to the House that since November 12,

since this internal report was received by Eastern Health, a full review by

senior management of Eastern Health has been done of compliance with Cameron

recommendations. There were some

minor issues, low-risk issues that were identified, and action has been

taken on every single one of them.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the Third Party.

MS MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

Government's fall fiscal update paints a dismal fiscal

picture as predicted recently by the Premier when he announced general

spending restraint.

I ask the Premier: What specifically are the major

government projects that are earmarked to be put on hold next year?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The hon. member is aware, and as she just referenced,

the Minister of Finance did an update today not only for Members of the

House of Assembly but for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador on the

fiscal challenges that we face as a result of the global oil prices and the

falling global oil prices that are impacting, not only Newfoundland and

Labrador, but Canadians from coast to coast and countries around the world,

Mr. Speaker. As I mentioned

earlier, Mr. Speaker, we have some very serious concerns that we have to

make decisions very serious decisions that we have to make as we move

forward.

We have taken some steps now to curb spending,

discretionary spending, and also on the hiring and staffing actions within

government. We are setting out a

plan, Mr. Speaker. It will be

part of our Budget process for this year and years to come.

As we get to the point in time that we evolve and develop and

announce our Budget, we will be

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the Third Party.

MS MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

For the past eleven years this government has only

reacted to fiscal crises.

I ask the Premier: When is he going to develop

long-term planning for economic diversity and sustainability, especially for

the rural communities?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, we have developed plans.

We have been quite clear on the plans that we have developed for this

Province. We did.

We have developed plans.

As the minister referenced already, earlier in Question

Period here today, those plans are, as he defined them, living documents.

Mr. Speaker, they are there that way because there are factors that

we cannot control as a government.

As new factors come to have an impact on us as a government, then we

have to take corrective action.

We have to move, Mr. Speaker, we have to make corrections, and we have to

respond to the factors that we face as a government.

Mr. Speaker, I will tell you one thing, we are prepared

as a government to make those very difficult and hard decisions that the

people of Newfoundland and Labrador expect us to make on their behalf.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the Third Party.

MS MICHAEL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Therefore, I ask the Premier: Is he prepared to reverse

corporate tax cuts of the past so corporations contribute a fairer share to

our revenues?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I can tell the member opposite that any decisions we

make, we do not take lightly. We

are not about in the House of Assembly, based on a question by a member

opposite, to get up and say oh yes, we are going to this or we are not going

to do that. That is part of a

very comprehensive process that we will undertake in the coming months.

It is underway right now, I say to the hon. member opposite.

It will continue, Mr. Speaker, and it will formulate the Budget that

we bring forward for 2015.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St. John's East.

MR. MURPHY:

Mr. Speaker, after extensive consultations, as government would put it,

government used the advice of PIRA to project revenues based on $105 US a

barrel.

I ask the government: Will government be using PIRA's

advice again this coming Budget year?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER DAVIS:

Mr. Speaker, we use a variety of advice from a variety of sources, and we

will continue to receive advice from those people who are knowledgeable in

the different areas of finance and also in the areas of pricing of oil.

Mr. Speaker, I say to the member opposite, with all due

respect, nobody predicted what was going to happen with the world oil prices

as we are experiencing today. It

is having significant impact on us as a government, it is having a

significant impact on other governments in the country, and, as I said

earlier, in countries around the world.

We will seek advice from people who can give their best

advice and best knowledge, those who know these things, know these matters

best, Mr. Speaker. We will reach

out to them and then we will reach our conclusions based on those

consultations.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St. John's East, for a quick question.

MR. MURPHY:

Mr. Speaker, the PIRA report of 2012, October 26, warned of the possibility

that prices could fall to $58 US a barrel.

They cannot say that this scenario was not there.

Why did government ignore the warnings and go with the

high-end scenario rather than the low?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER DAVIS:

Mr. Speaker, with all due respect to the member opposite, we cannot

cherry-pick a particular factor or piece of advice.

As I have said here today, we take advice from a variety of sources.

We receive advice from sources throughout not only Canada, but in

other countries as well.

So, Mr. Speaker, it is a combination of those advices

that we receive that causes us to make our decisions.

Nobody saw what was going to happen with the oil prices around the

world. We have no control over

global oil prices, but we have to be serious about it, we have to reflect

upon it, and we have to plan and we have to govern based on the facts that

we face today.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The time for Question Period has expired.

Presenting Reports by Standing and Select Committees.

Presenting Reports by Standing and Select Committees

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St. Barbe.

MR. J. BENNETT:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It gives me pleasure to rise today and present the

third report of the Standing Committee of Public Accounts to the

forty-seventh General Assembly of the House of Assembly.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. J. BENNETT:

Mr. Speaker, in

summary of what we are reporting this year, this report is

being presented a little earlier than usual in the fall session because we

have actually completed the work that was found in the first

section of the

Auditor General's report which was delivered back in the spring.

Over the past twelve months, this year, we have had

seven in camera meetings, six public hearings into six departments and

agencies where we heard from thirty-six witnesses.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. J. BENNETT:

Also, Mr. Speaker, this year we were pleased to host the annual conference

of the Public Accounts committees of all the provinces and the federal

committees, the Auditor Generals, and the Clerks of the provinces'

Legislatures as well.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table this report.

MR. SPEAKER:

Tabling of Documents.

Tabling of Documents

MR. SPEAKER:

I am pleased to table the Citizens' Representative Annual Digest for

2013-2014.

Notices of Motion.

Answers to Questions for which Notice has been Given.

Petitions.

Petitions

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Mount Pearl South.

MR. LANE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

To the hon. House of Assembly of the Province of

Newfoundland and Labrador in Parliament assembled, the petition of the

undersigned residents humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS the Edinburgh Group Limited has been granted

permission to proceed with the development of 110 recreational cottage lots

at Ocean Pond near Whitbourne; and

WHEREAS the roadway accessing the new development was

built by and maintained by cottage owners for the past thirty-five years;

and

WHEREAS the existing Ocean Pond road cannot possibly

withstand the heavy construction equipment and traffic of a 110 lot

development; and

WHEREAS there have been questionable transactions

making this piece of property a Crown grant to which no answers have been

provided; and

WHEREAS there was access given to this property through

Crown land as well as a change in the boundary of the original land licence

shortly before the purchase by Edinburgh Group but after the grant was

finalized; and

WHEREAS the project was released on September 29, 2014

with no apparent justification or concern for the substantial public

response to the original requested undertaking and based on Environment and

Conservation's guidelines;

WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly

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

Newfoundland and Labrador to stop the current development by Edinburgh Group

and hold a meeting with the Ocean Pond group to outline government's plans

for the area and allow existing residents to have input into decisions made

in their cottage area.

Mr. Speaker, I guess this will be the last opportunity

to raise this now this session of the House.

I have several signatures here from cottage owners and livyers

in the Ocean Pond area.

As has been indicated, they have many concerns about how this development

came to fruition, the lack of public input, and the lack of disclosure to

the public and to the residents about this development.

There are concerns over the fact that as cottage owners there has

been a land freeze there for thirty-plus years.

Nobody has been able to further develop their properties or anyone

could not put in a new property, yet we can have a 110 lot development go up

there all of a sudden without any environmental assessment process, roads

put through to it and so on.

There are many concerns about this that have been

raised with me. I have been

asked to bring this forward and I am certainly glad to do so.

I do call upon the Minister of Environment and Conservation to have a

meeting with these people and give them an opportunity to ask questions and,

more importantly, get answers as to how this could have occurred.

At the very least, even if it is going ahead now, give them the

opportunity to have their say and perhaps, as it develops, have the

opportunity to make improvements as it relates to what is currently being

proposed and how it is being proposed and so on.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Cartwright L'Anse au Clair.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MS DEMPSTER:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

To the hon. House of Assembly of the Province of

Newfoundland and Labrador in Parliament assembled, the petition of the

undersigned humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS the community of Cartwright will be a gateway

to the upcoming Mealy Mountains National Park Reserve; and

WHEREAS the establishment of a national park reserve, a

tourism demand generator, will significantly increase the potential for

tourism development in all communities of Southeastern Labrador; and

WHEREAS developing tourism in Southeastern Labrador

will contribute to the economic, social and cultural well-being of the

communities and people throughout the region;

WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly

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

Newfoundland and Labrador to finalize the land transfer agreement with Parks

Canada so as to allow for the establishment of the national park in the

Mealy Mountains of Labrador to occur before the 2015 tourism season.

As in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr. Speaker, the Mealy Mountains National Park is a

file that has been ongoing for far too long I think 2007, maybe.

There has been significant work that has been done around that.

The only portion of that, to my understanding, that it is held up

with this land transfer agreement with the Province, which I find very sad.

Mr. Speaker, over 450,000 people visited national parks

in our Province last year 450,000.

If I could quote from the Premier, Mr. Speaker, it was the Premier

who said tourism is a top priority for rural development.

Outside the City of St. John's, national parks in this Province are

the biggest tourism demand generators.

According to Destination Labrador research, Mr.

Speaker, Labrador will experience unprecedented growth in the tourism

industry over the next five to ten years, and a catalyst for this, I

believe, would be the Mealy Mountains National Park.

We have organizations like NCC that are ready to sign agreements with

Parks Canada which will provide significant capacity for rural tourism, but

the money, Mr. Speaker, sadly, is being held up until the land transfer

agreement is complete.

Every day in this House I talk about issues in my

district and I talk about financial struggles, yet when we have an

opportunity to bring something forward, to see something positive happen, it

takes years and years and years.

Sometimes if it is a deal that they want to go through fast, or money to be

released like we talked about last week, deals are made in hours, but here

we have a case where a community is waiting.

This will breathe life into the community of Cartwright.

It will breathe life into the southeast, and it would generate

revenue, Mr. Speaker, so that small communities will have a chance not to be

so reliant on government services.

It will probably be my only time this fall, Mr.

Speaker, to stand on my feet for this, but I will be up many times in the

spring, and I urge the minister to look at this file.

Thank you.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St. John's Centre.

MS ROGERS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

To the hon. House of Assembly of the Province of

Newfoundland and Labrador in Parliament assembled, the petitioned of the

undersigned residents humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS mental health programs and services are crucial

to the health of individuals, families, and communities; and

WHEREAS despite mental health services being delivered

by government, community-based organizations and informally by families and

friends, there are still large gaps in services and programs in the

Province; and

WHEREAS despite these efforts, stigma remains a

significant barrier for people needing to access mental health services and

participate in society; and

WHEREAS new directions and priorities are needed for

mental health programs and service delivery, especially for unique groups

such youth, Aboriginal people, immigrants and refugees; and

WHEREAS deep fiscal cuts in the last budget have placed

a great strain on organizations delivering mental health services in the

Province;

WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly

pray and call upon the House of Assembly to urge government to immediately

strike an all-party committee on mental health which, through extensive

public consultation, will review the current state of provincial mental

health services, receive expert testimony on best practices and mental

health delivery, and report their findings with the intent to provide

guidance and oversight in redesigning mental health programs and services to

better serve the needs of all the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.

As in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr. Speaker, I am very happy once again to stand and

present this petition. It must

be noted that there have been thousands and thousands of signatures on this

petition all across the Province.

This petition came from a collaborative group of experts in the area,

individuals working in the area on mental health.

I must say, Mr. Speaker, tomorrow I have already

moved my private member's motion that carries forth the main intention of

this petition, to ask government to immediately strike an all-party

committee on mental health.

The reason this Community Coalition 4 Mental Health,

and the thousands of people who have signed this petition, are asking for

that is because they know that is the best way to look at and to thoroughly

take a comprehensive look at the huge gaps in services in our mental health

system, what is working, what is not working.

Also, to get a real handle on what is the need, because we cannot

develop a good strategic plan on addressing mental health needs unless we

have a really good, evidence-based assessment of what the needs are in the

Province. That is what these

people are asking for.

Mr. Speaker, I fully, fully support this.

I look forward to debating my private member's motion in the House

tomorrow.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Carbonear Harbour Grace.

MR. SLADE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

To the hon. House of Assembly of the Province of

Newfoundland and Labrador in Parliament assembled, the petition of the

undersigned humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS the speed limit is 100 kilometres an hour on

the Veterans Memorial Highway; and

WHEREAS traffic entering and exiting Veterans Memorial

Highway is often heavy at Jamie's Way intersection; and

WHEREAS because of heavy traffic turning left into

Jamie's Way having to cross traffic that is travelling at 100 kilometres and

higher, creating potential for a serious accident;

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 Veterans Memorial

Highway in the area of Jaime's Way to seventy kilometres an hour.

As in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr. Speaker, I did take note this morning on the way

in, down towards the Carbonear way they do have the speed limit dropped back

to seventy kilometres an hour but up on the other side it is not.

If the Department of Transportation would have a look at this and see

if it is possible a mile on each side of that intersection to reduce the

speed there, I am sure the people in that area would be very happy because

it certainly, certainly creates a dangerous intersection there where it is

four ways of traffic coming, two going back and forth, one going north and

south.

Mr. Speaker, the Department of Transportation should

have a look at it and see if that can be reduced down just in case there

ever is an accident there. I do

know one woman was T-boned there not long ago.

That is where this petition is spawning from.

I would like to just pass that along to you, Mr. Speaker, and

hopefully the Department of Transportation will have a look at it.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for The Straits White Bay North.

MR. MITCHELMORE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We the citizens serviced by Curtis Hospital located in

St. Anthony, Newfoundland and Labrador petition the Government of

Newfoundland and Labrador and Labrador Grenfell Health to retain the

midwives and allow them to continue to perform all their duties at Curtis

Hospital. Our midwives offer

services that cannot be duplicated and which cannot be replaced.

The level of care they offer and the knowledge and training they have

in the area of obstetrics is immense.

It will be a great disservice to the people of this area if our

midwives are no longer available to care for the people here.

Privatizing midwifery or waiting five to seven years

for regulation as stated by government is unacceptable.

We have an operational model of midwifery here in St. Anthony that

has been delivering outstanding care for over ninety years.

We implore the House of Assembly to urge the Government

of Newfoundland and Labrador and Labrador Grenfell Health to preserve our

midwifery services at Curtis Hospital.

Mr. Speaker, I have received these petitions from

Southern Labrador, I have also received petitions from the lower North Shore

of Quebec that are unable to be presented in the House, as well as various

communities I represent on the Great Northern Peninsula.

With the current round tables that are happening on primary health

care, I did not want it to go unnoticed.

This is a petition that I have been presenting several

times on midwifery and how we can look at delivering primary health care

better in terms of a service that worked extremely well and where can that

grow in other areas such as maybe on the North Coast in Nain where you could

have more midwives, and in other areas like in Stephenville, the Kippens

area, where we have to take an ambulance and go to Corner Brook to deliver a

baby. There are mechanisms in

place of which we can do health care more efficiently and find ways where we

are utilizing the full scope, the full team, as in other provinces.

I think there is a mechanism and way to move forward.

I presented petitions in this House of Assembly on the

nurse practitioner and implementing regular nurse practitioner clinics at

the Strait of Belle Isle Health Centre.

Seeing that put in place is certainly going to lead to a more

efficient system and a better delivery of health care.

When we look at primary health care, midwifery can play

a role. The Province of Ontario

sees the value in this and Newfoundland and Labrador should as well.

It was working for over ninety years.

It can work well into the next century.

Mr. Speaker, I present this petition on behalf of my constituents and

hope that this will play a role leading forward when we are looking at the

outcomes of primary health care in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Thank you.

MR. SPEAKER:

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

MR. REID:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I have another petition to present today on the health

care situation in the Heatherton to Highlands area.

To the hon. House of Assembly of the Province of

Newfoundland and Labrador in Parliament assembled, the petition of the

undersigned humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS there has not been a permanent doctor in the

clinic at Jeffrey's for almost a year; and

WHEREAS the absence of a permanent doctor is seriously

compromising the health care of people who live in the Heatherton to

Highlands area and causing them undue hardship; and

WHEREAS the absence of a doctor or nurse practitioner

in the area leaves seniors without a consistency and quality of care which

is necessary for their continued good health;

WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly

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

Newfoundland and Labrador to take actions which will result in a permanent

doctor or other arrangements to improve health care services in the

Heatherton to Highlands area.

Mr. Speaker, I continue to receive these petitions from

people of the area. It is a

situation that is continuing to cause people in the area a lot of concern.

This is the issue that I receive most concerns about through e-mails

and through telephone calls.

People have contacted me to tell me their particular situations and how this

absence of a doctor at the clinic in Jeffrey's is causing them and their

families problems.

Also, the situation in the area, in terms of health

care, is getting worse, rather than better.

St. George's is losing their doctor this week.

So it is another community that is going to be left without a doctor,

people not able to get the medical care they need.

So it is going to add to the problem; it is going to add to the

waiting times at the hospital in Stephenville, where people often now have

to wait a whole day just to get a prescription filled.

So it is important to note as well this is not a new position the

people who signed this petition are asking for.

It is a position that has been budgeted for and that has existed for

a number of years, and people want the position to be filled.

I have talked with officials at the Western Health Care

Board, and they are aware of the situation here.

I have talked to the Minister of Health.

He is aware of the situation.

I am hopeful that by bringing forward petitions like this that people

in the area have signed, that it will add to the awareness of the situation

and, hopefully, result in a doctor being found for the area.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Burgeo La Poile.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Mr. Speaker, I 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 the residents of Burgeo, Ramea, Grey River, and

Franois of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador must use Route 480 on

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

WHEREAS Route 480 is in deplorable condition such that

the shoulders of the road continuously wash away and there are huge potholes

in the road; and

WHEREAS the condition of Route 480 poses a safety

hazard to residents and visitors to Burgeo, Ramea, Grey River, and Franois;

and

WHEREAS the Department of Transportation and Works is

responsible for the maintenance and repairs in the Province of Newfoundland

and Labrador; and

WHEREAS the local division of the Department of

Transportation does make periodic repairs, but they are only temporary, and

the road needs to be resurfaced;

WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly

pray and call upon the House to urge the government to support the users of

Route 480.

Now, Mr. Speaker, the reason I am standing here today

is to talk about the specific situation that is occurring on Route 480.

Again, this petition is one thing, but this is giving me an

opportunity to speak about the road and what is going on.

The first thing I want to do is I want to pass my

appreciation and my gratitude on to the members of the Department of

Transportation and Works for everything that they have done over the last

three days to deal with this situation which arose, and which nobody wanted

to see certainly none of my constituents.

I do not want to see it, nobody who has to use the road wants to see

it, and nobody in the department wants to see it.

So I appreciate the fact that since this incident occurred on Sunday

morning, they have gone out of their way to try to make accommodations, and

to make this work. We have a

very difficult situation, and I appreciate that.

The fact is right now, just to provide an update, there

is a helicopter that is ferrying people back and forth.

There has been a bus put in place.

Again, I appreciate that the department has done what they can to

make this happen. I appreciate

the fact that people have been inconvenienced and it is very difficult time

for this, but people are making due.

We recognize that there are people needing to get back and forth for

medical and for work reasons, and everybody who can is trying to take the

steps necessary to make this happen.

I do realize that we have a difficult fiscal situation

and I do realize that down the road, I think the road is going to need work

because we have a serious issue.

This is very scary when a man drives out the road 5:30 in the morning and

therefore, but the grace of God, did not die.

We are very lucky that he is in a hospital right now with just broken

bones and that he is alive.

I think it is incumbent on us to make sure this work

gets done because the stability of the road may be an issue.

Dealing with the issue at hand right now, I appreciate the work that

the minister has done, the deputy minister.

I appreciate the work that the people in Burgeo and Ramea and

everywhere have done to make this difficult situation a little bit easier,

given the time of the year.

I want to put this out there and say a thank you to

everybody who has expressed patience with this situation, and hopefully we

can have it resolved and the route will be open again on Friday in time for

Christmas.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Bay of Islands.

MR. JOYCE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I will stand with the last petition for this year on

the hospital in Corner Brook.

WHEREAS we wish to raise concerns regarding the recent

delays of the construction of the new hospital in Corner Brook;

WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly

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

Newfoundland and Labrador to commit to planning and construction of the new

hospital in Corner Brook as previously committed to and in a timely manner

as originally announced without further delay or changes.

Mr. Speaker, once again, I stand in this House and

present a petition. I was

astonished yesterday when the Member for Humber East stood up and asked a

question about the hospital in Corner Brook, when he asked the minister

about the ultrasound units. As

we know, we have been told, all the people out in Corner Brook, Western

Newfoundland and Labrador have been told that the functional plan is not

complete, yet we know that there are going to be cuts in obstetrics out in

the Corner Brook area.

AN HON. MEMBER:

Shameful.

MR. JOYCE:

Mr. Speaker, shameful is right.

You talk about a growth strategy, how we are going to improve for the growth

of Western Newfoundland, yet we will cut maternity wards out in the new

hospital.

Mr. Speaker, when the Member for Humber East during

the by-election, it was constantly brought up about the hospital asked the

minister about the cuts to the ultrasound, the minister said: I do not know;

I will get back to you. It went

a full day, Mr. Speaker. I

waited today for the minister to stand on his feet and do the honorable

thing and say here is the answer to the question from the Member for Humber

East, and we never got it, Mr. Speaker.

That is the lack of respect the people of Western

Newfoundland and Labrador have been getting from this government.

When the minister said, in the previous question, if you ask me a

question, I will answer it. The

Member for Humber East stood up on behalf of the constituents where he just

won in a by-election and he is representing, and it is a major concern out

there especially for women women out in Western Newfoundland and Labrador

with ultrasounds. The Member for

Humber East could not get an answer.

I waited the full day for the minister to do that

honourable thing, as he said in this House: I will get back to you.

This is the last day of the House of Assembly, Mr. Speaker.

Here is an opportunity for the minister to stand on his feet and

fulfill the commitment that you made to the Member for Humber East, for

standing up for the people in Corner Brook and Western Newfoundland, because

they are asking us. They are

asking me from the District of Bay of Islands, the Member for Humber East,

and the Member for Humber Valley, Mr. Speaker.

I am just saying they are asking us to get answers.

We do not hear anything from the Member for Humber

West, Mr. Speaker, so we asked that question yesterday, he did not answer

it. The Member for Humber East

has made a commitment, he will not give up until he gets answers, Mr.

Speaker, that is what he was elected to do and I am sure he is going to do

it.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. JOYCE:

I ask the Minister of Health, if you have the answer, stand up and do the

honourable thing and tell the people of Western Newfoundland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

The hon. the Government House Leader.

MR. KING:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I move, seconded by the Minister of Health and

Community Services, we move to Orders of the Day.

MR. SPEAKER:

The motion is that we move to Orders of the Day.

All those in favour, 'aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

MR. SPEAKER:

All those against, 'nay'.

Carried.

Orders of the Day

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Government House Leader.

MR. KING:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

This time, I would like to move to Order 2, third

reading of a bill,

An Act To Amend The Social Workers Act, Bill 38.

It is so moved by me, seconded by the Minister of

Health and Community Services, that the said bill be now read a third time.

MR. SPEAKER:

It is moved and seconded that Bill 38 be read a third time.

All those in favour, 'aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

MR. SPEAKER:

All those against, 'nay'.

Carried.

CLERK:

A bill,

An Act To Amend The Social Workers Act.

(Bill 38)

MR. SPEAKER:

This bill has now been read a third time.

It is ordered that that bill do pass and its title be as on the Order

Paper.

On motion, a bill,

An Act To Amend The Social Workers

Act, read a third time, ordered passed and its title be as on the Order

Paper. (Bill 38)

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Government House Leader.

MR. KING:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

This time, I move, seconded by the Minister of

Municipal and Intergovernmental Affairs, the House do resolve itself into

Committee of the Whole to consider Bill 41,

An Act To Amend The

Municipalities Act, 1999.

MR. SPEAKER:

It has been moved that the House do resolve itself into a Committee of the

Whole to consider Bill 41.

All those in favour, 'aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

MR. SPEAKER:

All those against, 'nay'.

Carried.

On motion, that the House resolve itself into a

Committee of the Whole, Mr. Speaker left the Chair.

Committee of the Whole

CHAIR (Littlejohn):

Order, please!

We are now considering Bill 41,

An Act To Amend The

Municipalities Act, 1999.

A bill,

An Act To Amend The Municipalities Act, 1999.

(Bill 41)

CLERK:

Clause 1.

CHAIR:

Shall clause 1 carry?

The hon. the Member for Bay of Islands.

MR. JOYCE:

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I am just going to stand and have a few minutes on Bill

41, on clause 1 about the market value of personal property less than $500.

Mr. Chair, as we discussed in this House this whole bill was adopted

at an MNL convention. I just

want to mention also that the government did act on this and it is a great

initiative to act because it is going to help a lot of municipalities in the

Province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Mr. Chair, just to all of the volunteers, to all the

towns in the whole of Newfoundland and Labrador it is a great time and I am

sure the minister will also wish them all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New

Year. They put a lot of time and

energy into this type of work.

The work that they are doing here is reflected in the government, and I know

the minister would also like to congratulate a lot of the councils over this

whole bill.

It is 99 per cent of what they wanted.

I know the minister is going to explain about the rationale behind

the less than $500. I know the

minister is going to do that.

Mr. Chair, I will just sit down.

I just wanted to recognize the work that the councils all across

Newfoundland and Labrador do on a volunteer basis to keep our towns running,

to keep them safe, and this is one good step that the government to all of

the members in the House of Assembly, have a safe and joyous Christmas.

We know we are all going back to the district and we are going to see

a lot of these councillors, and it is time now to relax with family and

friends and to appreciate the work that a lot of these volunteers do.

Mr. Chair, to the minister on this, it is a great job

bringing this forward. This is

the way that this government should work and this is the way the Opposition

should work with government.

When there is a positive move, we have to recognize it.

Every time we make something positive in this House, it is going to

benefit all the residents of Newfoundland and Labrador.

This is a prime example.

Congratulations to the minister, to the government, and

to all the volunteers out there with town councils.

It is a great job. Thank

you for keeping our towns running.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

CHAIR:

Shall clause 1 carry?

All those in favour, 'aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

CHAIR:

All those against, 'nay'.

Carried.

On motion, clause 1 carried.

CLERK:

Clauses 2 and 3.

CHAIR:

Shall clauses 2 and 3 carry?

All those in favour, 'aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

CHAIR:

All those against, 'nay'.

Carried.

On motion, clauses 2 and 3 carried.

CLERK:

Be it enacted by the Lieutenant-Governor and House of Assembly in

Legislative Session convened, as follows.

CHAIR:

Shall the enacting clause carry?

All those in favour, 'aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

CHAIR:

All those against, 'nay'.

Carried.

On motion, enacting clause carried.

CLERK:

An Act To Amend The Municipalities Act, 1999.

CHAIR:

Shall the title carry?

All those in favour, 'aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

CHAIR:

All those against, 'nay'.

Carried.

On motion, title carried.

CHAIR:

Shall I report the bill without amendment?

All those in favour, 'aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

CHAIR:

All those against, 'nay'.

Carried.

Motion, that the Committee report having passed the

bill without amendment, carried.

CHAIR:

The hon. the Government House Leader.

MR. KING:

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I move that the Committee rise and report on Bill 41,

An Act To Amend The Municipalities Act, 1999.

CHAIR:

The motion is that the Committee rise and report Bill 41.

All those in favour, 'aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

CHAIR:

All those against, 'nay'.

Carried.

On motion, that the Committee rise, report progress and

ask leave to sit again, Mr. Speaker returned to the Chair.

MR. SPEAKER (Cross):

Order, please!

The hon. the Member for Port de Grave, Chair of the

Committee of the Whole.

MR. LITTLEJOHN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Committee of the Whole have considered the matters

to them referred and have directed me to report Bill 41 without amendment.

MR. SPEAKER:

The Chair of the Committee of the Whole reports that the Committee have

considered the matters to them referred and have directed him to report Bill

41 without amendment.

When shall the said report be received?

MR. KING:

Now.

MR. SPEAKER:

Now.

On motion, report received and adopted.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Government House Leader.

MR. KING:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I move, seconded by the Minister of Municipal and

Intergovernmental Affairs, that Bill 41,

An Act To Amend The Municipalities

Act, 1999, be now read the third time.

MR. SPEAKER:

It is moved and seconded that the said bill be now read a third time.

Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion

that Bill 41 be read a third time?

All those in favour, 'aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

MR. SPEAKER:

All those against, 'nay'.

Carried.

CLERK:

A bill,

An Act To Amend The Municipalities Act, 1999.

(Bill 41)

MR. SPEAKER:

This bill is now read a third time and it is ordered that the bill do pass

and its title be as on the Order Paper.

On motion, a bill,

An Act To Amend The Municipalities

Act, 1999, read a third time, ordered passed and its title be as on the

Order Paper. (Bill 41)

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Government House Leader.

MR. KING:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

At this time I would like to call Order 1, Address in

Reply.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Humber East.

MR. FLYNN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is with a great sense of pride and humility that

today I rise in this hon. House to address the Assembly.

I want to begin by expressing my deep gratitude to the people of

Humber East who have placed their trust and confidence in me to represent

them as their member. I pledge

that I will work hard to do my best to bring forth the issues that are

relevant and important to all of the constituents of Humber East.

I want to take the opportunity to acknowledge the

support of my family, my wife, Betty, my sons, Reg and Martin, as well as

the excellent team of supporters and volunteers, without whom this election

victory would not have been possible.

My campaign for this office began back in August when I

decided to seek the Liberal nomination.

At that time the leaves were green and still on the trees.

When the final ballots were cast on November 25, those leaves were

long gone and early winter had already begun to sink in.

Now some time between all of that they did turn red, which was nice.

While the campaign for the nomination and for the

district was long and arduous, it was very fulfilling to meet so many

residents of Humber East and to have the opportunity to listen to their

concerns for this beautiful area of the Province.

Part of my plan was to speak to as many residents as possible and

knock on every door in the district.

My goal was to listen to as many concerns as I could during the

campaign. It was also a great

fitness motivator as I was able to lose about twenty pounds during the

campaign which is attributed to walking down, probably Humber Road and up

and down over the hills.

Mr. Speaker, with regard to myself and my background, I

was born in Forteau, Labrador; one of eight children, to the late Wilfred

Flynn and Isabella Barney. In

the years before he was married, my father, and his father, spent winters on

the West Coast of the Island; actually adjacent to the District of Humber

East, in the area behind Mount Moriah, woodcutting for Bowater's Pulp and

Paper Mill in Corner Brook.

After marrying my mother and returning to Forteau, he spent the greater part

of his working life operating and managing the general store in Forteau that

served the residents of the area.

My mother, as was the custom of the day for most women, remained home

and I feel did a great job bringing us up.

After graduating from Mountain Field Central High

School in the early 1970s, I attended the College of Trades and Technology

here in St. John's, in a program commercial cooking.

When I was nineteen I returned to Forteau and started my first

venture into the business world, operating a food service establishment in

1975. Over the years, this small

establishment had grown to a much larger enterprise that included a

restaurant and lounge, bakery, housekeeping units, two grocery stores and a

manufacturing plant for preserving the sale of wild native berries from this

Province.

Mr. Speaker, during that time, I was fortunate to meet

my wife, Betty. In 1977 she had

moved to Forteau as a public health nurse.

We married and built a home in Forteau, where we raised our family.

We later on expanded with my family and our business interests to

Corner Brook and the Steady Brook area.

It was not long after that, that we chose to make a permanent move to

the West Coast in the District of Humber East.

Mr. Speaker, from the early days I can remember, I had

always believed in being part of the community.

It means just more than filling up a space in that community.

As Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, we have always exhibited a

generous spirit when it comes to assisting our neighbours and doing what we

can to make our communities a better place to live.

It is this belief that helped me make a conscious decision to become

involved and offer whatever talents I could to contribute not only to my

community, but to the Province as a whole.

Over the years I have been blessed to serve in a number

of capacities covering a broad range of interests.

Mr. Speaker, some of these would include, but not necessarily limited

to, I served for thirty years as President of the Labrador South Home Care

Board, which was a volunteer board serving roughly 100 clients with

twenty-five employees. I served

six years as Mayor of my community of Forteau.

I chaired for twenty years, the Labrador Straits Historical

Development Corporation, building on our culture as a tourism product in The

Straits.

I was a member of the provincial committee for the Gulf

ferry forum report: On Deck and Below, back in, I think 2000.

I was Chair of the first Regional Economic Development Board.

I was a member of the Labrador Institute of Northern Studies, which

was an arm of the university that did research in Labrador.

I served as President of the Cruise Association of

Newfoundland and Labrador for five years.

Mr. Speaker, at the helm of the Cruise Association of Newfoundland

and Labrador, I had an opportunity to work with many groups around our

Province on a clear objective to increase our tourism potential.

The wealth of experience and insight I gathered during my time with

the Cruise Association helped me to understand the value of looking outside

of the box and eliminating how things are done wrong, but taking what was

right from other jurisdictions around the world.

Everyone knows the old saying: if it isn't broke

don't fix it. Our cruise ship

industry has grown in leaps and bounds over these five years, almost 300 per

cent. Newfoundland and Labrador

is now a key destination for cruise ships from around the world, even though

we are way out into the mid-Atlantic.

We have lots of room to grow.

Visitors are excited to learn about our culture and our unique

heritage, whether they land in the port of Corner Brook, along the Labrador

Coast, or here in the capital City of St. John's.

I had the privilege of working with Mayor Dennis O'Keefe over these

years and we have become really good friends.

Mr. Speaker, I also had the privilege to serve a

two-year term of the President of Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador,

much as my colleague across the way.

It is a great pleasure to work with so many service providers in our

provincial tourism industry. The

association advocates strongly on behalf of all stakeholders for a vibrant

and diverse tourism sector.

During my tenure as president, we worked aggressively

to grow the membership of the association.

I am very proud of the success Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador

has made over the years. Today,

the association is working with its members to adapt innovative technology

and further educate the Province, the country, and the world about all the

benefits that we have to offer here in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Mr. Speaker, these organizations and others similar to

these play a vital role in the development of our Province.

They give a voice to the people at the local level and provide for

input for those who might otherwise not be heard.

One of my goals, as Member for Humber East, is to connect with

organizations in the district to hear their concerns and to bring their

issues forward in this Legislature.

Mr. Speaker, the District of Humber East, located on

the West Coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, as all of you would know, takes

in a portion of the City of Corner Brook, the Town of Massey Drive and

Steady Brook, Humber Village, Humber Valley Resort, Little Rapids, and a

portion of the Town of Pasadena.

On the western side, it also takes in the community of Pinchgut Lake.

The district encompasses elements of both rural and

urban makeup, and from an aesthetic perspective, it is absolutely the most

beautiful part of our Province.

Over the course of time, both before and after Confederation with Canada,

this area has been a dynamic and a contributing partner to our Province and

its economy.

From the beginning of construction in 1923 to present

day, the Corner Brook Pulp and Paper mill has been the lifeblood of the

local economy. With its

associated industries in forestry, transportation, saw milling and so on, it

remains an integral part of the West Coast economy.

As the paper industry moves forward, we need to do all we can to

ensure that Corner Brook Pulp and Paper is able to survive and continue as a

viable entity.

Mr. Speaker, the Humber River has long been a

destination for tourists seeking sporting adventures; and right from my own

front door I can actually do salmon fishing, if I so had the patience,

canoeing or rafting, hiking, and other associated activities.

Have we tapped the full potential that this river and Deer Lake

itself can bring to the area?

Likely not, and we must be innovative in creating an environment where other

businesses can begin, grow, and flourish in this area.

Mr. Speaker, in the winter of 2016, Corner Brook and

the surrounding communities will host the Canadian Special Olympics.

It will be an exceptional opportunity to host athletes, coaches, and

people from all across our country.

Residents from all over our Province will gather in Corner Brook that

winter to take in the games, which include alpine skiing, cross-country

skiing, curling, figure skating, floor hockey, speed skating, and

snowshoeing and probably a little snow shovelling as well.

This will be the first time the winter games for the Special Olympics

will be held in our Province. I

am looking forward to showing the rest of Canada just how much the West

Coast has to offer.

Mr. Speaker, sitting in the heart of the District of

Humber East is one of the finest ski hills in Canada.

On any day during the winter, Marble Mountain can attract anywhere

from 900 to 1,000 visitors, which could mean up to 90,000 visits during the

ski season. Marble Mountain is

an important contributor to the economy of the district.

During the winter months it not only provides jobs, but it also

creates an increased use in our restaurants, accommodations, retail stores

that might otherwise experience a slow economic time for many of these

businesses.

I believe the potential of Marble Mountain extends

beyond the winter season, and in looking at similar ventures across Canada,

many of those have developed into three- or four-season businesses.

I believe that by creating the right growth environment and

encouraging business development, Marble Mountain can continue to grow and

expand, bringing in more jobs and more tourism to the district and, indeed,

the entire Province.

Mr. Speaker, the cultural identity of our Province can

be a catalyst for advancing development.

As I reflect on my own experience in the development of the tourism

industry, I know that people enjoy coming to this Province and spending time

here. Yet, I am not satisfied

that we are doing all that we can in this area.

Whether it is improving our many attractions or even lobbying for

our part to make Newfoundland and Labrador a choice destination across the

country and around the world.

Mr. Speaker, another wonderful asset to the District of

Humber East is the port of Corner Brook.

The port itself is a sheltered, deepwater port that is strategically

located, allowing for easy shipping to and from destinations in North

America such as ports along the St. Lawrence Seaway and in the Atlantic

Provinces and, in reality, anywhere in the world.

The port is readily accessible on a year-round basis.

A tremendous amount of infrastructure has already been established to

support commercial and industrial activity at the port.

The port of Corner Brook has a tremendous amount of potential and it

is imperative for all the stakeholders and all the potential partners to

work together to find a way to maximize this potential.

We are fortunate on the West Coast and specifically

within Corner Brook to be the home of Sir Wilfred Grenfell College and the

College of the North Atlantic.

Both of these have been great assets to the district as economic drivers and

also institutions of learning.

Colleges in similar situations often serve to generate ideas which

contribute to the growth of communities and indeed a society as a whole.

Partnerships with educational institutions are often tied to new

ideas around business development, research and tourism, just to name a few,

Mr. Speaker. I believe there are

opportunities here that would benefit not just Humber East, but indeed the

entire Province.

Mr. Speaker, throughout the years since Confederation

in 1949, our Province has relied heavily on the development of our natural

resources, the fishery, forestry, mining, hydro power, and most recently oil

and gas. Thankfully, we have

been blessed with many of these and they have been instrumental in

sustaining our provincial economy and providing for our people.

Over the past decade or so, there seems to have been an overreliance

on oil and gas as a mainstay for our economy, to the point where sometimes

we are held hostage by the volatility of prices within these markets.

Obviously, the current drop in oil prices is a testament to that

fact.

More than ever, it is important that we begin to work

hard to examine viable other options to diversify our economy and introduce

other revenue streams to complement our reliance on natural resources.

One of these things we have to do is to enhance the environment which

business and small business, in particular, can grow and flourish.

As an example, we need to find ways to assist small business in the

marketing of our products in getting to the world markets.

We have come to realize how important marketing is in the fishing

industry, and I would think as we try to expand that industry, it is so

important that we market our products.

Mr. Speaker, time does not permit me to speak to all

the interests I heard from residents while campaigning in the district.

One of the issues that was paramount on the minds of the constituents

as I travelled throughout the district was health care, no exception.

The delays in the construction of the proposed West Coast hospital

and the lack of some primary medical services in the district were important

concerns for the area residents.

Residents of Humber East are anxious to see the

construction of the hospital to begin.

I look forward to working with my colleagues from both sides of the

House to ensure that happens quicker rather than later.

They want to see the establishment of a health care facility that not

only addresses their current needs, but also their needs for the years and

decades ahead.

In conclusion, Mr. Speaker, I am very happy to stand in

this hon. House to represent the people of Humber East.

I look forward to working with every member of the Liberal caucus,

and indeed, all members of this House on important issues that not only

affects the district but the Province.

I am very thankful and humbled by the opportunity that they have

given me.

Thank you very much.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Grand Falls-Windsor Green Bay South.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. HUNTER:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, it gives me a great privilege just to have

a few minutes to get on my feet and have a few words to say, and to

congratulate the members on the other side for their new introduction to a

different lifestyle, but to congratulate you for a job well done to get

here.

Mr. Speaker, after being here sixteen years almost now,

I have seen a lot of changes. My

district is such a great district, Grand Falls-Windsor Green Bay South.

It used to be Windsor Springdale.

I have seen a lot of things happen in my district over the years that

made me proud to be a Member of the House of Assembly to represent these

people.

Over the years, Mr. Speaker, I have seen a lot of

Premiers come and go. I have

seen a lot of Speakers come and go, five Speakers since I have been here;

different Lieutenant Governors and Leaders of the Opposition.

It is a learning experience every day that I come into the House of

Assembly. I listen to all the

people who have to get up and speak and say a few words about their

districts, about policy and about legislation.

When we are debating legislation, Mr. Speaker, we see

the views of the Members of the House of Assembly who are representing the

people who elected them to come here to do that.

It is a great honour for everybody to represent the full Province of

Newfoundland and Labrador.

Mr. Speaker, in my district over the years I am no

different than any other member in the House of Assembly.

We get in here and we fight, behind the scenes, behind closed doors,

and sometimes in the House of Assembly.

Sometimes it gets a little bit exciting and a little bit contentious

on both sides, but we learn to deal with that.

We learn to accept each other's opinions and each other's ways of

representing our districts.

I have to say, going back to 1999 when I first came in,

we did not have cameras in the House for the first two or three or four

years. Back then, things were a

lot different than they are now.

I would not say it publicly of some of the things I heard or seen, but some

of the members here know what I am talking about.

I know one member knows over on that side and one member on this side

knows two on that side actually.

Me being the second longest member in the House of

Assembly right now, along with my colleague on this side, it gives us a view

of different things because we can relate back to years ago when I sat in

Opposition for four and a half years and having to deal with issues in my

district and trying to get ministers on this side to co-operate and try to

get things for my district. I

have to say, it was a pretty good time.

We always worked out things.

I think that is the key to surviving in the House of

Assembly, is working out things.

No matter where you sit to, you can sit on the Third Party side, or the

Opposition side, the Liberal side, or on this side, we always have to

compromise. We have to sit down

and talk out the issues that we need corrected, because it goes far beyond

just here, and we cannot take it.

We always cannot take this with us day and night, twenty-four hours a

day, seven days a week, because if you did you would never get anything

done. So we do our best to try

to convince ministers, convince government and the bureaucrats, that this is

what I need.

My biggest challenge over the last number of years, I

have to say, was the roadwork in my district.

The roadwork for a number of years was terrible.

For several years we did not get any roadwork at all.

I did not get one cent, one kilometre of road for many years; but,

when the money was available, I have to say, even in Opposition, when the

time came that I could get something, I got something.

In 2003, I remember too before we took over

government in 2003, we were in Stephenville one time.

We had a caucus meeting in Stephenville.

I know former Premier Williams was at the caucus meeting and we were

discussing, what will we do when we take over government?

What are we going to do?

We do not know how much money is there.

We cannot see the books.

The government would not show us the books, so we did not know.

We were developing our Blue Book at the time.

We were coming up with all these policies on what we would like to

see being done in the next ten years.

Our Blue Book was not just a one year picture of what

we wanted to do the first year we got in.

We had to plan it for longer than that.

So we were looking at a ten-year span or more.

I remember our leader putting his head down and saying, boy, I do not

know how we are going to do it.

We have all these promises in our Blue Book, but there is no money.

There is absolutely no money to do anything.

We could not prove it because we did not have the ability to get at

the books at the time, but from what was being done from budget after budget

when the Liberals were in power, we could tell there was not enough money to

do the things we needed done that were falling behind for years and years.

Roadwork was one of them.

Education was another big area that we were falling behind in, and health

care.

I can remember when we had a very small caucus and we

had this caucus meeting in Stephenville.

We had some of our potential candidates sit in on the caucus meeting

just to get a feel for what they could be into if they were lucky enough to

get elected. The priority with

our leader at the time was to make sure that when we promised that we were

going to do something and we were going to put it in our Blue Book, then we

were going to do it. We are

going to make sure that if we promise it, we will do it.

If we cannot do it, we do not promise it.

I have to say Premier Williams worked very, very hard

to make sure that all the things we promised since 2003 or 2002 when he came

in, he had a vision of where he wanted to go for ten years.

We, as a small caucus, had a vision.

We had a vision where we could say that we are going to take over

government, and 2003 was the most likely time that we could do it because

things were falling in place.

Not unlike today. It is the same

thing. People are saying it is

time for a change. Maybe it is,

maybe it is not.

We recognized at that time it was a time for a change

so we had to be ready. We were

starting to develop policy and a plan for ten years where that if we got in

and came over here, we would be ready.

I remember very well in the 2003 election it was a joyous time.

We worked hard and it was a very small caucus.

We started out with nine and ended up with I think it was twelve

before 2003. We worked very hard

to take over this side.

The hardest thing I had to deal with back other than

the roads issues, but one particular item I went to the Premier about was

the cancer clinic in Grand Falls-Windsor.

I did not say much publicly.

A lot of people do not know what you do most of the time because you

are doing a lot of stuff behind closed doors.

The day when we took over and the Minister of Finance

said we have to postpone the cancer clinic in Grand Falls-Windsor, to me

that was unbelievable. It was

just like my whole career was finished, gone.

The interest that I had, if we are going to cancel this cancer

clinic, then I do not know how I could survive in the House of Assembly.

To be here, knowing very well what we had to go through in Central

Newfoundland and what people were going through.

Unfortunately, I did take a stand.

I am not saying unfortunately because I took the stand, but because I

had to go against my leader and I had to go against the Premier to take that

stand in favour of the cancer clinic, but it did happen.

He did promise to me that when the money can be found and that is

why I understood. I understood

exactly what we were going through.

I understood exactly where the government was coming from.

We had to postpone several things because we did not have the money,

the money was not there.

After a while when the money started coming in from the

oil resources and things were looking up, then I received a firm commitment

that that cancer clinic would be done.

Mr. Speaker, it was done.

We have a beautiful centre in there now, delivering a very, very, very good

service to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.

That is only one instance of by being an MHA, you have to do a lot of

things sometimes that you feel like you should not have to do.

Circumstances control what we do.

Right now we are in a circumstance of financial problems again with

the oil prices so low. We may

have to go back to some things being postponed; and I do not mean cancelled

because if the thing is a good idea and people buy into it and want to do

it, then you do not cancel it you would have to postpone it for a while

until the money becomes available.

Unfortunately because of the oil prices, we are in a

position where we have to look at every dollar that we spend, because it is

the people's money. It is not

the Liberal's money. It is not

the NDP's money. It is not the

PC's money. It is not my money.

It is the people of the Province.

We have to get the best bang for the buck, do the most we can do, and

services are paramount to everybody in the Province.

Everybody wants good roads, everybody wants good hospitals, they want

the best of all services that you can get, but they all come with a price.

Not unlike what it was back when I was in the

Opposition, when there were many, many times that I sat in on meetings

wondering where the dollars were coming from.

At that time there were no dollars.

There was no big dollars to do two kilometres or three kilometres of

roads. There were no dollars to

give out a $5,000 grant or a $10,000 grant or a $1,000 grant.

It was just tight times.

After sixteen years of being here and comparing today, last year, the year

before, and times when there was lots of money, there was money flowing

everywhere, but we still had to do the right thing with that money.

We had to make sure the services that we give to the people of the

Province were services that they needed.

It was not always the services that they wanted, but the services

that they needed, and that was important.

It was important for the future.

It was important to the people of the Province.

We have a lot of respect for our youth in the Province.

So, we have to put money into education.

We have to put money into recreation.

We have to be respectful to the seniors of our Province.

So, we have to put money into health care and drug costs, and all of

these things that seniors depend on.

We are trying to help seniors stay in their own homes and trying to

help them to buy groceries and pay the light bill too.

That is all things that we do as a government.

We do it, not because you want to do it to get that other vote, we do

it because we have to do it. We

have to take care of the people of the Province who put us here, to make the

best decisions that we can. It

does not matter if you are in Opposition or in government.

We are still fighting for the same cause.

We are still fighting to make sure the right thing is done.

Opposition's role, lots of times, is to keep the

government on their toes, keep their feet to the fire, to make sure that we

make the right decisions. I do

not see anything wrong with that.

I can accept that. I can

accept, on our side, when some of our members might get a little bit upset

sometimes with ministers and government and b