PDF Version

March 12, 2018

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS

Vol. XLVIII No. 52

The

House met at 1:30 p.m.

MR. SPEAKER (Trimper):

Order, please!

Admit

strangers.

If I

may, I would like to – and on behalf of the House of Assembly – congratulate our

law clerk, Ms. Kim Hawley-George, who has been appointed to Queen's Counsel as

of last week.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

If anyone has ever worked

with Ms. Hawley-George they'll know she's extremely competent. We're very happy

to have her amongst our team.

In the

Speaker's gallery today, I am very pleased to welcome guests from the Salvation

Army. They will be referenced in a Member's statement today.

Firstly,

we have Oliver Langdon, who's no stranger to this House, a former MHA. Welcome

to you, Sir. He is now the Major Gifts Representative in the Public Relations

Department of the Newfoundland and Labrador Division.

Also

with him are Major Rene Loveless, Divisional Secretary for Public Relations and

Development NL Division, and Stephen White, Major Gifts Officer, Public

Relations Department NL Division.

Welcome

to all three of you, and welcome back Mr. Langdon.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

In the public gallery, I

would like to recognize Ms. Glenda Power. She is the Executive Director of the

Pharmacists Association of Newfoundland and Labrador, and she will be mentioned

in a Ministerial Statement today.

Welcome

to you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

Statements by

Members

MR. SPEAKER:

Today, we will hear

statements from the hon. Members for the Districts of Fortune Bay - Cape La

Hune, Conception Bay South, Labrador West and St. John's Centre.

The hon.

the Member for Fortune Bay - Cape La Hune.

MS. PERRY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise

in this hon. House today to congratulate and pay tribute to Colleen Dollimont

for publishing her first book, A Dreamer's

Life: Love, Loss and Winning the Lotto!

Born and

raised in rural St. Alban's, with a long career as a provincial government

statistician for over 25 years, Colleen has captured the hearts of readers, who,

like me, were thoroughly captivated by her intimate memoir, her frank recounting

of her struggles and heartbreak; as well as the importance of believing in

yourself and relying on your own inner strength.

particularly want to celebrate Colleen's achievement at this time as many

Women's Day celebrations are still underway and to shine a bright spotlight on

this brave and tremendously resilient woman for her steadfast determination to

pursue her goals. No spoilers for those of you who have not yet read

A Dreamer's Life , but you will be as

proud as my district's residents are of Colleen who clearly demonstrates that

hard work, determination and a strong belief in yourself does ensure that dreams

can come true. Perhaps not the lotto for most of us, but we will be inspired by

women like Colleen and commit to press for progress for all women to follow and

achieve their dreams.

I ask

all hon. Members to join me in celebrating Colleen's wonderful achievement and

talent. We look forward to reading more of her heartfelt stories.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Conception Bay South.

MR. PETTEN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, the Town of Conception Bay South is home to many of this province's

finest athletes.

On March

8, I had the pleasure of attending the 2017 Athlete/Coach of the Year and Sports

Hall of Fame Awards Ceremony at the Manuels River Hibernia

Interpretation

Centre.

During

the evening, their achievements were highlighted and it was noted the important

role sport has played in the development of youth and adults alike within our

great town. Mr. Speaker, all nominees for the five award categories were

honoured and the following athletes were the recipients of the 2017 awards:

Coach of

the Year, Mr. Robin Brown; Junior Male Athlete of the Year, Cameron Brewer;

Junior Female Athlete of the Year, Hayley Dalton; Senior Male Athlete of the

Year, Nathan Lake; and Senior Female Athlete of the Year, Jessica Davis.

Mr.

Speaker, I would like to also congratulate the Sports Hall of Fame inductees:

Peter Duff, Holy Spirit School Minor Hockey Association, Rita Kennedy, Neville

Hackett, Don Bishop and Tony Cronin who have all contributed tremendously to our

sporting community.

Mr.

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

recipients and nominees of the 2017 Conception Bay South Athletic Awards.

Thank

you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Labrador West.

MR.

LETTO:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thirty-two hundred kilometres across the ice and snow

of Labrador in 118 hours and 28 minutes on snowmobile. That's the time it took

Team Maine to repeat as winners of Cain's Quest 2018, followed an hour later by

Team Innu Hawks and Team Southern Sno Racing.

Despite a broken hip, broken foot, sprained muscles and

many damaged sleds, 17 of the 41 teams registered officially finished the race,

a race that saw local, provincial, national and international participants. This

year also saw a record number of indigenous racers from the Innu Nation,

Nunatsiavut and NunatuKavut.

From Labrador West to Nain to L'Anse au Clair and all

checkpoints in between, over 400 people volunteered their services to make the

race a tremendous success. The Cain's Quest committee under Chairperson Glenn

Emberley has worked tirelessly to make Cain's Quest the premier snowmobile race

in the world.

Cain's Quest Snowmobile Endurance Race has been

described as the ultimate in extreme racing, a true northern adventure that

gives racers the experience of a lifetime.

I ask all hon. Members to join me in congratulating the

racers, the support teams, organizers and volunteers in making Cain's Quest 2018

a great success. See you in 2020.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

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

MS.

ROGERS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Salvation Army has reached a significant milestone

and broke ground for construction of their new Centre of Hope, on Springdale

Street in St. John's Centre. The centre will provide 20 affordable, supported

housing units, a health clinic, food bank, mental health services and drug

addiction programs for some of the most marginalized members of society.

At the ceremony, Major Rene Loveless said, “Some might

have thought that this day would never come, but here we are, and it's a

wonderful day. Today our hearts are bursting with gratitude as we reflect on the

hard work, dreams and perseverance of our organization, our partners and

stakeholders that will now transform the Centre of Hope from a concept into a

reality.”

Congratulations Oliver Langdon; Divisional Commander, Lt.

Colonel Eddie Vincent; Major Hedley Bungay, director of the centre; and social

worker extraordinaire, Denise Miller, and their whole team. Their work is the

epitome of love and hope.

Thank you for this gift to the people of Newfoundland and

Labrador.

Bravo!

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Statements by Ministers.

Statements by Ministers

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

PREMIER BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise to acknowledge and remember a somber day in the

history of our province. It was nine years ago, on March 12, 2009, that Cougar

Flight 491 crashed into the cold North Atlantic, resulting in the loss of two

crew members and 15 passengers.

All of those lost that day were simply doing what so many

other people in this province continue to do on a daily basis – travelling to

their worksites off our coast.

Events such as this serve as a stark reminder of the

importance of a strong safety culture for those who make a living, both on and

around our waters. We must encourage vigilance and work co-operatively with all

of those who are involved in our offshore including other levels of government,

regulators and companies, to prevent future tragedies from happening.

We must never take health and safety for granted.

Mr. Speaker, we honour and remember the lives of those lost

that day and I offer my deepest sympathies to their families, their friends and

co-workers. Our thoughts are with them.

I will be attending a memorial service later today at St.

Mary the Virgin Anglican Church on Craigmillar Avenue here in St. John's. It's a

public event which begins at 7 p.m. I encourage all Members of the House of

Assembly to join us there this evening.

Thank you.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

First of

all, I would like to thank the Premier for an advance copy of his statement

today. Mr. Speaker, we join with the Premier, all Members of this House of

Assembly, in fact, all Newfoundlanders and Labradorian everywhere, in

remembering the tragic helicopter crash of Cougar Flight 491 nine years ago

today.

I, as

many do, remember this tragic incident. I clearly remember the very moment that

I learned of it and how I felt, the shock of hearing what was taking place.

We as

well extend our thoughts to families, friends and co-workers who have been

impacted by this tragedy – this terrible, terrible tragedy.

I would

also like to take a moment to think about the brave men and women who make a

living in our offshore, in our fishery, in transportation on and around our

waters. We must, as the Premier referenced, continue to keep safety of those

people offshore top of mind at all occasions.

Mr.

Speaker, we share in a moment today, together as Members of this House of

Assembly, and I know we share our thoughts and prayers to all people impacted by

this tragedy.

Thank

you.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Third Party.

MS. MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

I do

thank the Premier for the advance copy of his statement. We all remember where

we were when we heard the tragic news of Cougar Flight 491, and the agonizing

wait for news which just got worse and worse. Nine years later though, we also

remember that Judge Robert Wells, who led the offshore safety inquiry, said his

most important recommendation was the need for a separate offshore safety

authority.

In light

of the recent Husky near miss, in the memory of those who died on the Cougar

flight, we once again ask government to honour this essential recommendation.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

Further statements by

ministers?

The hon.

the Minister of Health and Community Services.

MR. HAGGIE:

Thank you.

There

are more than 700 practising pharmacists in Newfoundland and Labrador today, and

with March being Pharmacist Awareness Month, it's the perfect time to say thank

you. These people are highly trained, capable professionals who provide

front-line services every day to the general public.

Mr.

Speaker, we often hear stories of the great work that pharmacists do in their

communities and the helping hand they lend to people and their families, to

seniors and to patients. They provide advice, information, education and support

in encouraging people to manage their own health.

The

Premier and I attended the Pharmacists' Association of Newfoundland and

Labrador's opening reception for Pharmacist Awareness Month last week. It was a

wonderful evening and an opportunity for us to reiterate our continued support

for pharmacists. We want to make sure pharmacists have the ability to work to

their full scope of practice and will increase their role in the delivery of

primary health care. By expanding areas of scopes of practice, we are ensuring

that people have greater access to primary care.

encourage everyone to reach out to their local pharmacist this month. Have a

conversation with them to learn more about the services they provide. I also

want to acknowledge some other partners for their

part in our health care system

including the Newfoundland and Labrador Pharmacy Board, faculty and staff with

Memorial University's School of Pharmacy and pharmacy technicians across the

province.

Mr.

Speaker, I'd also like to mention that the Executive Director of the

Pharmacists' Association of Newfoundland and Labrador will be moving on from her

position at the end of the month. It's been a pleasure working with Ms. Power. I

wish her all the best in her future endeavours.

Thank

you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Conception Bay East - Bell Island.

MR. BRAZIL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank

the minister for an advance copy of his statement. This side of the House also

wishes to show our appreciation to the pharmacists in our province and to

acknowledge the vital role they play in delivery of health care to

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

We would

also like to acknowledge the efforts of Ms. Power as the executive director of

the Pharmacy Association of Newfoundland and Labrador. We're more than confident

that she will continue to be successful as her career progresses.

Pharmacy

is not an easy occupation, Mr. Speaker, but those who choose this path do so for

the right reasons. The Official Opposition wishes to send a collective thank you

for the great level of care and expertise that our over 700 pharmacists provide

to the families of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St.

John's East - Quidi Vidi.

MS. MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

I, too,

thank the minister for the advance copy. I join the minister in thanking the

pharmacists, teaching faculty, staff and pharmacy technicians for their

excellent work in this province.

We need

pharmacare to become fully a part of the universal accessible health care system

in this country. I hope the province will be strong in arguing for this,

especially in light of the watered-down version being talked about by the

federal Liberal government.

Thank

you very much, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

Further statements by

ministers?

The hon.

the Minister of Children, Seniors and Social Development.

MS. DEMPSTER:

Thank you.

Mr.

Speaker, the Newfoundland and Labrador sporting community is celebrating again.

Last night, Team Gushue won their second consecutive Tim Hortons Brier, the

first team to do so since 2008-09. The final was electrifying coming down to the

final stone.

Team

Gushue has proven they are at the top of the curling world with strong

performances from lead Geoff Walker, second Brett Gallant, third Mark Nichols

and skip Brad Gushue. At this year's Brier, Brad also achieved the most wins as

skip in Brier history. I know I speak for all of us in this hon. House when I

say we are so proud of this team and all they have accomplished.

This

back-to-back win puts Team Gushue in elite company. Since 1927, only eight skips

have achieved this accomplishment, including greats such as Kevin Martin and

Randy Ferbey. I think it is safe to say, Mr. Speaker, that Team Gushue will go

down in curling history also as one of the greats.

Team

Gushue will once again proudly wear the maple leaf as Team Canada at the World

Curling Championships in Las Vegas starting on March 31. At the event, they will

defend their world championship title from 2017.

Mr.

Speaker, on behalf of all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, I congratulate Team

Gushue on their success. I also congratulate Team Newfoundland and Labrador, who

captured the hearts of many at the 2018 Tim Horton's Brier and as a result skip

Greg Smith was awarded the Ross Hartstone Sportsmanship Award.

Thank

you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. Member for the

District of Fortune Bay - Cape La Hune.

MS. PERRY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank

the minister for an advance copy of her statement. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the

Official Opposition, I would also like to extend heartfelt congratulations to

Team Gushue on their second consecutive Tim Horton's Brier win last evening.

Like

many Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, I was very proud to watch Geoff Walker,

Brett Gallant, Mark Nichols and Brad Gushue compete throughout the Brier and

wish them all the best at the World Curling Championships in just a couple of

weeks.

I am

optimistic that the entire curling community from this country will join us in

this province as we cheer them on while they compete in Las Vegas to defend

their world championship title.

Mr.

Speaker, I would also like to take a moment to congratulate Team Newfoundland

and Labrador and skip Greg Smith on their first appearance at the Brier and for

being awarded the Ross Hartstone Sportsmanship Award. Throughout the Brier, Greg

Smith and his team demonstrated their true love for the sport of curling.

I am

thrilled at their accomplishment and hope to see them compete again on the

national stage. I congratulate Team Gushue and Team Smith on their Brier

achievements and I look forward to hopefully having two more teams from this

province compete again next year.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St.

John's Centre.

MS. ROGERS:

I thank the minister, Mr.

Speaker.

All

across Newfoundland and Labrador we are so proud of Team Gushue. Who could

resist last night's game? Our guy, Brad Gushue, leading his marvellous team did

it, and now on to the World's. And not to skip our own team and our own Greg

Smith capturing the Ross Hartstone Sportsmanship Award for his heart and

generosity in the game. It just doesn't get any better. Or will it? We'll all

stay tuned.

Bravo to

all, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Oral Questions.

Oral Questions

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Official Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, the legalization of marijuana is just a few, short months away.

I ask

the Minister of Finance: What analysis has government carried out to understand

the financial impacts to our province?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board.

MR. OSBORNE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

There

has been a great deal of work by officials from a number of departments in

government looking at the social impacts, the impacts to the RNC, and the RCMP

for that matter, for additional work in that regard. There are a number of

impacts.

Until

cannabis is actually legalized and the true impacts are fully understood, Mr.

Speaker, it's difficult to put an exact dollar amount or an exact figure on the

cost associated with the implications to the provincial government.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The Leader of the Official

Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Mr. Speaker, I'd have

thought, with the budget a short time away, that the government would have had

some financial impacts or projections done on the cost to Newfoundlanders and

Labradorians.

The

minister has stated there will be significant costs borne when it comes to

safety, when it comes to education, when it comes to health and when it comes to

addictions.

So I ask

the Minister of Finance again: After months of work, just sitting days out from

the provincial budget, can the minister give us some details on what the cost

will be to the province?

MR. SPEAKER:

The Minister of Finance and

President of Treasury Board.

MR. OSBORNE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The

budget is going to come down on March 27, Mr. Speaker. I would encourage the

Member opposite – any funding that's put aside for any of these areas will be

included in the budget and fully disclosed for the general public.

Mr.

Speaker, as the budget is brought down we will have funding put aside for

various areas within government to help deal with the implications. Again, at

this particular point, Mr. Speaker, it's more of a best judgment by government

as opposed to a finite number.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The Leader of the Official

Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

The

minister is going to use his best judgment; an interesting answer from the

minister.

Mr.

Speaker, I ask the minister – the legalization of marijuana, which is only a few

months away – if he can give some assurance to the people of Newfoundland and

Labrador that they as taxpayers won't be subsidizing the roll out of

legalization of marijuana in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Can he

give some guarantee to people – it sounds like he probably can't – of the

province that they won't be subsidizing those costs associated with

legalization?

MR. SPEAKER:

The Minister of Finance and

President of Treasury Board.

MR. OSBORNE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Cannabis

was imposed on us by a decision of the federal government. Mr. Speaker, it's

something that is being done to try and keep cannabis out of the hands of

children by legalizing and ensuring that, for those who choose to consume the

product, it's done in a safer manner than what potentially may be done on the

street.

I can

say, Mr. Speaker, that in an effort to try and keep the profits out of the hands

of criminals, there's already a cost to the people of the province in dealing

with this on a social basis and on a justice basis, as well as many other areas.

Mr.

Speaker, the taxpayers of the province are already contributing to dealing with

cannabis.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The Leader of the Official

Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

November 2017 the Justice Minister said: “We don't think there's a tremendous

amount of money in this for the provincial treasury, and there are certainly

going to be spending priorities as well for public education and enforcement.”

I ask

the minister: Can you give us some indication of what kind and what level of

funding will be given towards the education component of the legalization of

marijuana?

MR. SPEAKER:

The Minister of Finance and

President of Treasury Board.

MR. OSBORNE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I'd be

absolutely delighted to share that information with the Member opposite on March

27. Mr. Speaker, the budget is only a couple of weeks away and we will be fully

disclosing where funding is going in all aspects in every department through the

budget process.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The Leader of the Official

Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We know

that enforcement and safety is a major component of the legalization of

marijuana. The Minister of Justice referenced that on November 2017 as well.

I will

ask the Minister of Finance this – if he can't give us any numbers, we'll have

to wait for the budget – what assurances can he provide to the people of the

province that law enforcement in our province, both the RNC, RCMP and other law

enforcement, will be adequately provided with the necessary tools, equipment and

training available to ensure safety on our highways?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Justice and Public Safety.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

One

thing I can guarantee is that we'll always work with law enforcement, whether

it's the RNC or RCMP, to do whatever they have to make sure that our public

safety – not just as it relates to the legalization of cannabis, when it comes

to absolutely anything. Our responsibility is to work with them.

This is

an issue, as it's being driven by the federal government, that all provinces are

dealing with right now. One of the issues is road safety when it comes to

testing. This is something that's still ongoing.

We, like

many provinces, are working with the feds, working with our counterparts in

other provinces, to ensure that we will be ready for the legalization when it

happens. I'm confident we'll have the best practices in place and that we will

do everything in our power to make sure that Newfoundlanders and Labradorians

are safe.

Thank

you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Opposition House

Leader.

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, on Thursday the Minister of Finance indicated that negotiations with

CUPE have stalled because of the no-layoff clause. The minister said: “We want

to ensure that the no-layoff clause does not extend into future contracts.”

Minister, in the past you have stated your legal opinion guarantees the

no-layoff clause does not extend beyond the current contract. What has changed?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board.

MR. OSBORNE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

What I

can say is that we have assurances that this clause will not roll into future

contracts. It's unfortunate that certain individuals in our province put any

doubt on that without the full knowledge of what happened at the bargaining

table and without the full knowledge of the assurances that we have. But I can

guarantee the Member that we are looking for no more and no less from CUPE in

this wording than what we have from NAPE. If they're prepared to come in this

afternoon and sign that language, we'll be happy to sign it.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Opposition House

Leader.

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, on Thursday as well the minister said that the severance for all public

servants is approximately $600 million; 35 per cent, he indicated, would come

back to the province in possible personal income tax.

I'll ask

the minister: In the upcoming budget, are there projections for that revenue of

over $200 million?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board.

MR. OSBORNE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Yes, Mr.

Speaker, we have upwards to 35 per cent based on income tax and the retail sales

tax that will come back to the province. We are booking slightly less than that

because we cannot be absolutely certain that it will all come back, but upwards

of 35 per cent is what we're looking at having returned to the province in

income tax and retail sales tax.

It will

be rolled out over the four quarters for the NAPE agreement, based on the fact

that that agreement is now ratified. Other agreements, Mr. Speaker, may be

ratified at a later date this year. Some of the payments may roll into next

year.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Opposition House

Leader.

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I'll ask

the minister: The severance number given of over $600 million, will that include

management, executive and include ABCs as well?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board.

MR. OSBORNE:

Yes, Mr. Speaker, all public

servants is what the severance will be paid out to. What we're looking at, at

this particular moment, is the NAPE contract that has been ratified. There will

be an option for individuals, if they wish to postpone taking the severance

payout until retirement or anytime between now and retirement, provided they

give adequate notice to the Department of Finance.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Opposition House

Leader.

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Mr. Speaker, just to be clear

with the minister, I'm just trying to clarify. So the payout of $600 million and

excess will be for all public servants and there will be a four quarter – I

guess fiscal year to make a choice of when you would want that payout to occur.

I just want to clarify. Is that correct?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board.

MR. OSBORNE:

Yes, Mr. Speaker, it is for

all public servants, bargaining and non-bargaining, will be paid out the

severance. This is something that other jurisdictions in the country have fought

for. In fact, in Nova Scotia, Mr. Speaker, it was legislated because it is

recognized that it's taking a liability off the books. It's something that not

only lenders but bond rating agencies – in fact, I think the administration

opposite had tried to take it off the books with NAPE and CUPE and others in

previous rounds of collective bargaining.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Opposition House Leader.

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, the $600 million number is a number that was just introduced on

Thursday.

I ask

the minister: In terms of funding this amount in the payout, will this be done

through a loan, increase in taxes, a sinking fund, or how will this be used to

find the funds meet these obligations?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board.

MR. OSBORNE:

Mr. Speaker, the amount will

be acquired through borrowing. The savings to the province will be approximately

$35 million a year as a result of eliminating severance. Of that, $10 million

has been earmarked to repay the financing. So it's a net savings to the

province, once the severance is all paid out, at $25 million a year.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Opposition House

Leader.

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, Budget 2017 forecasted an increase in revenue collected through the

sales tax.

I ask

the Minister of Finance: Given the economy and that people are finding

themselves with less disposable income, do you expect to meet your 2017-2018

target of revenue projection?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board.

MR. OSBORNE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Again,

the budget is coming down on March 27, Mr. Speaker, and all of those details

will be accessible not only to the Members opposite, but to anybody in the

general public in a very open and transparent way.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Opposition House

Leader.

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, some ago there was a long-term care facilities announcement and

government publicly guaranteed provincial publicly funded staffing.

I ask

the minister: Has the annualized costs of staffing, wage increases, pension

contributions and benefits all been included in your fiscal forecast?

MR. SPEAKER:

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

MR. OSBORNE:

Yes, Mr. Speaker, they have.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Opposition House

Leader.

MR. HUTCHINGS:

What is that projection,

Minister?

MR. SPEAKER:

The Minister of Finance and

President of Treasury Board.

MR. OSBORNE:

I don't have that at my

fingertips, Mr. Speaker, but I won't make the Member wait until March 27 to

receive those numbers. I will certainly get those numbers and provide them.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Opposition House

Leader.

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, inflationary costs are a huge part of program spending for budgets and

for fiscal arrangements.

I ask

the minister: What inflationary costs have you used in the past and what will

you use in the future, in terms of program spending?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board.

MR. OSBORNE:

All of our forecasts, Mr. Speaker, including oil, including inflationary costs

and other increases will be certainly made public once we release the budget

documents on March 27.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Conception Bay South.

MR. PETTEN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The

Health Minister committed to increase the amount of health care money spent on

mental health services to 9 per cent by 2022. When the minister made the pledge,

the province was spending 5.7 per cent of our health care budget on mental

health. The Canadian average is 7 per cent.

I ask

the minister: What growth in mental health spending can we expect in the

upcoming budget?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Health and Community Services.

MR. HAGGIE:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

Mental

health and addictions has been a priority for this administration, and I don't

think there's any doubt about that. Towards Recovery was very clear. It set

itself a target to get to 10 per cent by the time five years was out.

All I

can do, currently, in terms of next year's health care budget, is refer the

Member opposite to the statements of the Minister of Finance and President of

Treasury Board. The budget will be out on March 27 and it will all be in there.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Conception Bay South.

MR. PETTEN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

How will

the federal budget's targeted spending on such things as opioid crisis,

indigenous mental health, corrections and public safety officers impact this

province?

Can the

minister provide details on how the money filters down to us on a provincial

level?

MR. SPEAKER:

The Minister of Finance and

President of Treasury Board.

MR. OSBORNE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I'd like

to be able to say any federal funding that's provided to this province is 100

per cent entirely federal funding, but that's not always the case, Mr. Speaker.

Oftentimes, federal announcements have a financial impact on this province. We

talked about one of those just earlier with cannabis, for example.

Mr.

Speaker, the officials in our department have very carefully gone through the

federal announcements and have done the analysis on that. That will all be

included in our budget to be released on March 27.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The Member for Conception Bay

South.

MR. PETTEN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The

All-Party Committee on Mental Health and Addictions report outlined 54

recommendations.

Can the

minister tell us if all of those recommendations have commenced and are in

progress?

MR. SPEAKER:

The Minister of Health and

Community Services.

MR. HAGGIE:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

actually committed, as one of those recommendations, to have an update which

will be out in June. A sneak preview of that shows that of our 18 short-term

recommendations, five are complete. The other 13 will be met by the deadline of

June. The update of the 54, 51 are in progress.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The Member for Conception Bay

South.

MR. PETTEN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Minister, can you assure the people of the province and their families in need

of mental health and addiction services that the barriers to access of services

have improved as a result of this report?

MR. SPEAKER:

The Minister of Health and

Community Services.

MR. HAGGIE:

I'm delighted to be able to

stand in this House, Mr. Speaker, and highlight some of the initiatives under

the mental health and addictions program.

We now

have doorways rolled out as of today to another three locations in Western

Health including Port Saunders, Bonne Bay and Burgeo. Those are walk-in, drop-in

clinics, no appointment necessary. I would suggest the evidence, for example

from Grand Bank, would show that we have actually eliminated wait times in that

area for counselling.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. HAGGIE:

I look forward to being able

to make further announcements about that similar effect in those other areas.

Thank

you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Mount

Pearl North.

MR. LESTER:

Mr. Speaker, given the

relocation of Crown Lands from St. John's to Corner Brook has been completed,

what was the total cost of moving the Crown Lands division to the West Coast?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the parliamentary

secretary for the Department of Fisheries and Land Resources.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. BRAGG:

Thank you very much for the

question from the Member opposite. I'm happy to report the estimated cost for

that move was in the vicinity of $200,000.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The Member for Mount Pearl

North.

MR. LESTER:

Mr. Speaker, I thank the

Member opposite for his response.

What is

included in this cost? Can government give us a breakdown?

MR. SPEAKER:

The parliamentary secretary

for the Department of Fisheries and Land Resources.

MR. BRAGG:

The cost, Mr. Speaker? I'm

not so sure if I'm 100 per cent understanding the question because I'm sure

there are numerous costs from a moving truck, to the cost of gas, to people

going over.

I'm not

sure how elaborate he would like to see the breakdown, but of the $200,000, I

can refer that to the department and get a report back to him as soon as

possible.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Mount

Pearl North.

MR. LESTER:

Just to clarify that

question, one of the elements within it would be we'd like to know was severance

a part of that $200,000 or was that a separate cost?

MR. SPEAKER:

The parliamentary secretary

for the Department of Fisheries and Land Resources.

MR. BRAGG:

Thank you very much for the

question again there, Mr. Speaker.

The

original question was the cost of the move. The cost of the move was in the

vicinity of $200,000.

It's my

understanding, there weren't a lot of people that lost their employment because

people shifted from one job to another. If there's someone that went out, and if

you're aware of someone that went out the door and you want to know what their

severance actually was, by all means, let us know after this and we'll get back

to you.

Thank

you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The Member for Mount Pearl

North.

MR. LESTER:

In total, how many employees

relocated from St. John's to the West Coast? How many new hires has the new

Lands office in Corner Brook had?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Municipal Affairs and Environment.

MR. JOYCE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I don't

have the exact information here but we'll bring it on.

Mr.

Speaker, one point we're missing here is the minister, I think it was two weeks

ago, had a press conference in Corner Brook. He talked about how the Crown Lands

application now is within the limit of 90 days. He was talking about the

backlog, how we picked up the backlog.

The move

affected very little people. Most people found an appointment here in the St.

John's area that we found within the government, but the success and the intent

has improved Crown Lands application processing to have it within the limit. The

backlog is almost up to 100 per cent and now the date to get an application is

within that 90-day period. That's something we should be proud of in Crown Lands

and that was the intent of the move.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Mount

Pearl North.

MR. LESTER:

Further to question the status of the move, have all the documents now been

scanned and digitized, and what is the plan to store the original documents

which are still here in St. John's?

MR. SPEAKER: The

hon. the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Environment.

MR. JOYCE: Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

Part of the issue with scanning the documents is the date

of some of the documents. Some of them do have, as we call it, to be kept in a

secure vault with refrigeration to keep it to a certain level because of the

date of it. There is a process in place to scan all documents.

I'm not sure if all of them have been completed, but I know

they're in the process of scanning all documents and putting them into digital

form. I'm not sure if they're all completed. I don't think they're all complete

but I will get back to you on that answer.

Mr. Speaker, part of the process was to digitize all those

documents because some of them are going back to the 1700s, 1800s which is very

hard to keep the records yourself. The size of keeping the records these days is

immense. So they are in the process of digitizing all documents, Mr. Speaker,

but I will get back if they're all completed by now.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The

Member for Mount Pearl North.

MR. LESTER: Mr.

Speaker, while the minister called it a wonderful meeting, the concerned

residents and council of Port Blandford thought something very different.

Will government commit here today to go back to the table

with the community to resolve this issue immediately?

MR. SPEAKER: The

hon. the parliamentary secretary for the Department of Fisheries and Land

Resources.

MR. BRAGG: Thank

you very much, Mr. Speaker.

Thanks again for the question. Yes, it's very important

what is going on out in Port Blandford and we're really concerned about what is

going on there. Our door is open for conversation.

The minister met with the representatives from the town,

the local service district and the MHA for the district. There are going to be

some recommendations come back, and we look forward to the coming days to make a

decision on what is going to happen out there.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The

Member for Mount Pearl North.

MR. LESTER: The

Town of Port Blandford has stated that a plan is to rezone the area within the

town boundaries that would cover portion of the forest plan for clear cut.

Will the Minister of Municipal Affairs commit to working

with and supporting the council and community to ensure such rezoning occurs?

MR. SPEAKER: The

hon. the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Environment.

MR. JOYCE: Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

Just for

the record, myself and the Member for

Terra Nova had a press conference out in

Clarenville probably about eight, nine months ago where we announced some

funding for capital works. The mayor at the time from Port Blandford said it's

the first time they received funding in seven or eight years and he said it's

the best relationship they ever had with government.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

JOYCE:

Those were his words, public words, Mr. Speaker. I could tell the Member and I

could tell the mayor that the excellent relationship that he has with Municipal

Affairs, which are his own words, will continue. We'll do whatever we can to

help out any town in the province.

We have proven that, Mr. Speaker, over the last two

years and a bit. To date, we have not received an application from the Town of

Port Blandford but our door is open to deal with anybody, and I look forward to

the excellent relationship with the mayor, as he stated that we already have,

which I know will continue.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Mount Pearl North.

MR.

LESTER:

Mr.

Speaker, I appreciate the relationship that the minister has extended to all the

municipalities, but my direct question was: Will he be supporting this

application to have this rezoned?

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Environment.

MR.

JOYCE:

Mr.

Speaker, as I said earlier, the Member for Terra Nova attended a public meeting

just last week I think it was –

MR.

HOLLOWAY:

Thursday night.

MR.

JOYCE:

Last Thursday night – Mr. Speaker, are you asking me am I going to support

something that I haven't seen, that the town hasn't got in? What I'll do, what

I'll commit, as I committed to all applications that come in, we will do an

evaluation of the application. We will look at the merits of the application,

but there's only one thing I can guarantee you – the mayor stood up publicly and

said he has an excellent relationship with Municipal Affairs. That will not

change because we'll do whatever we can, whatever is right, whatever we can do

under our regulations we will help the town.

The first year to get funding in seven years, that

speaks volumes of how much we think of Port Blandford and the commitments that

the town has and the people of Port Blandford. We stand by it and the same with

the Member for Terra Nova, he stands for the people in Port Blandford.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Mount Pearl North.

MR.

LESTER:

light of the MHA for Terra Nova's obvious frustration illustrated by his

comments at last week's meeting, I ask the department now that you've had time

to address this situation, who ultimately takes responsibility for this

community not being properly engaged and included in the process?

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Parliamentary Secretary for the Department of Municipal Affairs and

Environment.

MR.

HOLLOWAY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Certainly thanks to the Member opposite for the

question. I attended the meeting in Port Blandford on Thursday night, as was

previously stated. Actually, I attend all meetings of this nature throughout my

district; I've done it many, many times. It doesn't really matter what the issue

is, whether it's been on St. Brendan's or Terra Nova, in Clarenville about

Riverside Elementary, all those issues that have been raised by Members

opposite, I have been there to listen.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. HOLLOWAY:

And I did the same thing on

Thursday night. There were a number of things that were brought forward,

including a potential request to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and

Environment of our rezoning, as well as could some accommodations be made to the

five-year plan. I am working with the community to advance that and I'll

continue to do that role.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Official Opposition for a very quick question, please.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

A quick question.

MR. P. DAVIS:

I ask the Minister

Responsible for WorkplaceNL – she's doing an update and she's doing a review of

workers' compensation rules, specifically to those who are impacted by

post-traumatic stress disorder.

I ask

the minister for an update.

MR. SPEAKER:

The Minister of Service NL

for a quick response, please.

MS. GAMBIN-WALSH:

Mr. Speaker, the draft on the

mental health policy is ready to go. The WorkplaceNL website has updated the

consultation process on PTSD.

Mr.

Speaker, we are moving forward on the coverage of PTSD in this province. I ask

the Member to look forward to the upcoming details.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Third Party.

MS. MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

The

Minister of Health and Community Services was informed in his 2016 ministerial

briefing notes that the 2012 Strategy to Reduce Emergency Department Wait Times

would be coming to an end in 2017. The strategy identified five goals for

improvement in emergency room wait times.

I ask

the minister: Why has there been no final report with concrete results of that

strategy?

MR. SPEAKER:

The Minister of Health and

Community Services.

MR. HAGGIE:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

Wait

times in emergency departments are always a topical issue and always an area of

concern. I would suggest this has become more of a living document than anything

else.

Certainly, I have yet to receive the final report that the Member opposite

references. What I have seen, however, is areas of innovation, in Carbonear for

example and in Eastern Health, where clinicians themselves have taken ownership

of the issue and have reduced significantly triage and wait times in those

departments.

What we

have done as a department is to try and bring those resources to bear so other

areas in the province can benefit from those advances.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The Leader of the Third

Party.

MS. MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

I'm

continually hearing and receiving information about people, especially here in

the St. John's area, spending several hours in an ER before seeing a physician

or a nurse practitioner. I heard from a constituent just last week about a

six-hour wait for a minor trauma. The national benchmark is one hour.

I ask

the minister: What is he doing in follow-up to the 2012 strategy to get our wait

times in line with national benchmarks and to do what he just said he wants to

make happen?

MR. SPEAKER:

The Minister of Health and

Community Services.

MR. HAGGIE:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

I think

some of the nuances that the Member's question revealed actually speak to our

approach which, in shorthand, is that the problems you find in acute care, the

solutions, are actually out in the communities.

We've

been working very closely with the formation of primary health care teams. This

will reduce the need for people with minor complaints to attend an emergency

department. An emergency department is there as a safety net for those people

whose clinical conditions cannot be managed anywhere else.

Unfortunately, currently we're still seeing 50 per cent of attendees in

emergency departments with complaints or conditions that could be perfectly well

managed out in the community, outside of an emergency department. That's where

our focus is, Mr. Speaker, to reduce that demand and we're making progress.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St.

John's Centre.

MS. ROGERS:

Mr. Speaker, the minister's

deal with Canopy Growth includes a tax break of $40 million, the right to

establish four retail outlets wherever they want, $100,000 a year to Canopy for

unspecified research and an order for eight tons of cannabis per year, shutting

out many local businesses and the opportunity for community economic

development.

In this

current fiscal climate where government cut the badly needed Adult Dental

Program, cut the over-the-counter drug program and is cutting desperately needed

home care hours for our seniors, I ask the minister how can he justify using the

people's money to subsidize recreational marijuana and a huge, wealthy national

company.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation.

MR. MITCHELMORE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

entered into a supply agreement with Canopy Growth Corporation. They're going to

be investing in Newfoundland and Labrador. They're going to build a production

facility that's going to cost well more than $40 million and create 145 jobs

here in Newfoundland and Labrador. There's going to be $1 million invested in

research; support for small growers through their craft growing program.

This is

about securing supply for Newfoundland and Labrador. There is no exchange of

cash that's happening. What's happening is that any sales of cannabis that

happens in Newfoundland and Labrador from a supply arrangement, there will be a

commission of 10 per cent of sales.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St.

John's Centre.

MS. ROGERS:

Mr. Speaker, the minister

still has not revealed details of this deal using the people's money. All we

know is that the NLC is offering a meagre 8 per cent commission to retailers.

Really, what is government's business plan?

What

will government be paying Canopy Growth for a gram of cannabis? What will be the

retail price? Once the 8 per cent commission is accounted for and after the

federal government gets their dollar, what is left?

I ask

the minister: How will this offset the government's expenses, the people's

money, and especially the $40 million giveaway to Canopy Growth?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation for a quick response, please.

MR. MITCHELMORE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I think

I counted six or seven questions for my 45-second response, but I'd be more than

happy to give the Member opposite a full briefing when it comes to what's

happening with Canopy Growth Corporation. There is no public money going into

this deal when it comes to ensuring supply. So she is misconstruing what's

actually happening when it comes to securing supply, creating 145 jobs, and also

research and development that is happening right here in Newfoundland and

Labrador.

We look

forward to other suppliers and investors, whether it will be Argentia Gold or

others that are out there publicly going through a process looking to supply

Newfoundland and Labrador. We're open for business. We see the market

opportunities as well in a private setting when it comes to our work through NLC

and what they're going to do for retailers.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The time for Oral Questions

has ended.

Presenting Reports by Standing and Select Committees.

Tabling

of Documents.

Tabling of

Documents

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board.

MR. OSBORNE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Pursuant

section 26(5)(

a) of the Financial

Administration Act , I am tabling one order-in-council relating to a funding

pre-commitment for the fiscal year of 2018-19.

MR. SPEAKER:

Further tabling of documents?

Notices

of Motion.

Answers

to Questions for which Notice has been Given.

Petitions.

Petitions

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Fortune Bay - Cape La Hune.

MS. PERRY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

To the

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

Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents of Newfoundland

and Labrador humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS

a year has passed since the tragic event of January 17, 2017, where our school

was completely destroyed; and

WHEREAS

we have 250 people in a building which is only equipped to handle 150; and

WHEREAS

we do not have a science lab, library/resource room, cafeteria, computer room,

multi-purpose room; and

WHEREAS

we have classrooms which require co-programming but this cannot happen because

of space issues in the building; and

WHEREAS

government has a legal responsibility to ensure our students have access to the

best education;

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

of Assembly to urge government to commit to a new state-of-the-art K to 12

school for the students of Bay d'Espoir, announce funding in the 2018-2019

budget to begin the design and tender process, and we would like the

construction to be expedited.

And as

in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr.

Speaker, I've risen several times in this House to present this petition on

behalf of the people. We are all quite anxious to know that budget day is coming

soon on March 27. We will hear what government has in store for the children of

Bay d'Espoir.

I would

like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the support of the Premier and the

Minister of Education who were certainly there for us as a community when we

lost the schools, Mr. Speaker. It is my understanding that of the

recommendations that have been put forward, one is a new school and one is a

renovation, or I guess a renovation of a burnt 60-year-old structure that is

wooden.

Mr.

Speaker, I think I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that I believe

there's recognition that our children deserve a brand new school, a brick

structure that is non-flammable. Going back into a 60-year-old wooden structure

to me is unfathomable that that would even be put forward as a recommendation

because our children deserve better than that. They need to move beyond the

nightmares and the memories of last year. Sixty-odd years since we've had a new

school in that part of the province and it's time now to enable our children to

have the same opportunities as every other child in Newfoundland and Labrador in

a brand new school.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Education and Early Childhood Development, for a response.

MR. KIRBY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It's my

pleasure to respond to the Member's petition – this is a good new format. As I

mentioned before, we had to wait for the insurance policy matter to be all

sorted out. I think one of the things I really want to impress on all Members of

the House and to the general public is that this has been a tremendous

inconvenience for the communities affected and for teachers and staff and

students.

Likewise, the children and staff, teachers, who have been displaced as a result

of the ceiling falling in down at Bishop Feild Elementary here in St. John's;

similarly, a great inconvenience to parents, staff and to students. Luckily, in

both cases we did have alternate facilities for students to go to. The former

School for the Deaf here in St. John's and then the formerly closed school in

St. Alban's for use in this case.

That's

not always going to be the case when we have these situations, but I look

forward to hearing more about this from my colleague, the hon. Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board, on March 27.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Further petitions?

The hon.

the Member for Conception Bay South.

MR. PETTEN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

To the

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

Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents of Newfoundland

and Labrador humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS

Newfoundland has the highest incidence of cardiac disease in Canada and we need

to do what we can to improve our ability to save lives; and

WHEREAS

implementation of a new registry can be completed for less than the cost of a

new vehicle; and

WHEREAS

after implementation the annual cost will be five cents per resident –

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. PETTEN:

WHEREUPON the undersigned,

your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the House of Assembly to urge

government to enact legislation requiring all AEDs in the province to be

registered with an online registry. The registry must also be linked to the 911

system to enable faster response times in the case of cardiac emergencies.

And as

in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr.

Speaker, I think it's the second time I presented this petition. This is a

follow-up to the Restart a Heart program that was initiated by the former

administration and completed by the current administration providing AEDs in all

of our arenas, rec centres, schools and public buildings.

It's a

wonderful initiative that's designed to save lives and it has saved lives, Mr.

Speaker. I think that, in conjunction with the Heart and Stroke Foundation and

the government during the last number of years, this has been a very successful

program.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. PETTEN:

It's one that everyone should

be very proud of.

But in

saying that, there's still more work to be done. This registry, the best way I

can describe it is tying it to – you have fire extinguishers. They get automatic

– people come in and do inspections on them. They make sure they're up to date

in case of emergency. There's no difference in an AED. Recent reports suggested

there was a battery problem with some of these AEDs and needed to be replaced

and what have you.

Right

now, those AEDs that are out around public buildings and schools, as I say, and

all our rec centres and community centres, outside of the people operating the

building they're in, there's no one really going around doing inspections on

them. Most people are not trained to do inspections. They know how to use them

but they don't know how to inspect them.

This

registry would tie it in to the 911 system. If you had an emergency you could

call in. They would be able to tell you the nearest AED from that cardiac

emergency which is a wonderful tool to have at your disposal. Outside of saving

lives and first responders knowing where the nearest AED is located, it would

also have another registry to make sure they're ready and accessible when the

need be and we don't know when that's going to be.

It's

very cheap in the scheme of things, Mr. Speaker. For government, it's probably

looking at $20,000 to $25,000. I've worked with a constituent of mine, heart

disease runs in their family. At present, he's going to be the subject of a

Member's statement later on this month. He's awaiting a heart transplant now in

Ottawa. His entire family is afflicted by this and he's very passionate about

it.

I've

also worked with Mary Ann Butt, and I have spoken to the minister on a couple of

occasions on this, the Minister Responsible for Fire and Emergency Services. I

want to keep this on the radar and I encourage government to work with the Heart

and Stroke and make this a reality.

Thank

you very much.

MR. SPEAKER:

Further petitions?

The hon.

the Government House Leader.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Yes, thank you.

I call

Orders of the Day, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

Orders of the Day.

Orders of the Day

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Government House

Leader.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded

by the Minister of Municipal Affairs, that the House resolve itself into a

Committee of the Whole to consider Order 2(a), Interim Supply.

MR. SPEAKER:

The motion is that the House

resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole House and that I do now leave the

Chair.

Is it

the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

All

those in favour, 'aye.'

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

MR. SPEAKER:

All those against, 'nay.'

The

motion is carried.

motion, that the House resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole, the Speaker

left the Chair.

Committee of the

Whole

CHAIR (Warr):

Order, please!

We are

considering the related resolution and Bill 36.

Resolution

“That it

is expedient to introduce a measure to provide for the granting to Her Majesty

for defraying certain expenses of the public service for the financial year

ending March 31, 2019 the sum of $2,806,552,200.”

CHAIR:

The hon. the Member for Cape

St. Francis.

MR. K. PARSONS:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Chair.

It's

indeed a pleasure to get up here again today and talk on Interim Supply. Last

week, when I got up, I spoke about my district and the great investments that

were made in my district. Before I go any further, Mr. Chair, I forgot. I want

to thank you very much for letting me represent the beautiful people and the

beautiful District of Cape St. Francis. Imagine not saying that first when I

started, Mr. Chair. I see you laughing there and I know it always comes up.

Anyway,

last week when I did get up, I had an opportunity to talk about – like I said, I

will soon be 10 years in the House of Assembly, and it's a privilege that I take

very serious, and I know that I'm one of 40 individuals that have that

privilege. So I take my privilege very serious.

I go

back to the days of looking at representatives from my district that I had great

respect for and still have great respect for. Two of the former Members are

deceased now, both Jack Byrne and my dad; and Mr. Tom Hickey that I can remember

also, Tom, is still around, and again a gentleman that I feel privileged every

time I'm in his company to be able to speak to him and understand his feelings

of the House of Assembly and everything else.

So it's

a great privilege to be here. Also, before I go on, because I want to talk a bit

about my district – and I always stay positive, as positive as I can in this

House, and sometimes it's very difficult to stay positive. But last week during

Interim Supply the Member for Harbour Main got up and gave us a great speech,

one of the nicest speeches I've ever heard in the House of Assembly, and it

really hit home. I want to just recognize her because sometimes it's not as easy

to be able to stand up and do what she did last week and talk about her personal

situation that she finds herself in now.

We all

have hard times in our lives and we all have issues, but what this lady is going

through these days, my heart goes out to her and I want to give her full

support. I know people on this side of the House of Assembly do support her. No

matter what we are as individuals or people, family always comes first. That's

who we are as Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

I just

want to recognize her speech last week and it really hit home to me. Sometimes

we all live in a society where we all got issues and we all got problems, but my

mother always used to say, if you could reach into the bag and hall out your own

you'd be okay. What that lady is going through now is a hard time for her, and I

just to want to assure her that she has my full support and if there's ever

anything I can do for her, I gladly will.

She

really touched my heart last week and I really wanted to recognize it, because

that's not an easy thing to do, to be able to get up and talk about illness in a

family and what she's gone through over the last couple of weeks. So I really

want to commend her for the great job that she did here last week.

Mr.

Chair, I'm going to go back to what my conversation last week was about. I just

want to talk about my district. Like I said, I'm here 10 years now. I'm very

fortunate that I only do have five towns, and I know that there are people in

this House that probably got 300 towns in their district, but I got five. So I

touched on Bauline, Pouch Cove and the Town of Flatrock and the different

investments that were made over the last 10 years, which has improved the lives

of those people in those districts.

I have

another two towns that are in my district and I'm going to mention today also,

one is the largest town in my district which is the Town of Torbay. Torbay

basically is over half my district in size. It has a population of going on

8,000 now, so it's one of the larger towns in the province. I have to put kudos

out to them; they have some great volunteer groups in the town. Recently the

Lions Club down there did a donation to the new school in Torbay of $15,000 and

I thought it was a great donation that they did. That's what that community is

all about. It's about people coming together when there's a need there for help

or whatever. They're a great community.

They

have an outstanding volunteer fire department. They have 40 members in their

volunteer fire department and the work that their fire department does is

amazing. They do a lot of work – I don't know how many hours. I'll get the

opportunity and I'm sure I'll be up in the House and do a statement when they

finish in April; they have their firefighters' banquet and the stats that come

out every year is almost amazing in what they do. They're a great volunteer

organization.

The

investments that were made in the Town of Torbay over the last 10 years, there

have been some huge investments. We could talk about the Torbay Bypass Road

which was unbelievable for what it's done for the whole area. One time everybody

listened to the radio, either VOCM or CBC, in the morning to find out where the

delay was and how much of a delay was on Piperstock Hill, but now you never hear

it because of the investment of the Torbay Bypass Road.

The

Bypass Road had about 20,000 cars a day travelling along it. As you can imagine,

a two-lane highway, with a little bit of slippery conditions with the hills that

are down there caused an awful backup; but today, with the investment of the

Torbay Bypass Road, which is huge, government paid almost $20 million to do the

Bypass Road and it was a great investment for the area. It also had spinoffs to

other communities. While housing starts are down and everything else in most

communities, there's still some good growth in the area and it's because people

are accessible to St. John's by just five or 10 minutes. It's a good investment

that we made there.

The town

also opened up recently – and the Minister of Municipal Affairs was with me and

we opened up the new depot down there. It's a state-of-the-art facility. They

have a great spot down there. It's off the Torbay Bypass. It was an investment

of about $5.8 million, which has just brought the whole area around. They were

down behind the town hall with sand and salt, and the area that they had was

pretty ragged, but they're known for their snow clearing. Like I said, they have

a lot of roads. It's one of the largest municipalities in the province to do the

road network they do. They do a fantastic job. That was also a good investment.

There

was some roadwork done down in the community, like Morris Avenue and Mahons

Lane. All these places got upgrades over the last number of years; another great

investment, investments that needed to be done.

Right

now, we're in the midst of a new community centre that's going to be built down

there. It's almost $8 million by the time it's all said and done. We did some

improvements to the new soccer field in the area. We did a new ballpark in the

area. These are all great investments in the Town of Torbay. I know the people

in Torbay really appreciate the investments that were made in that town over the

last 10 years.

The

other community I want to talk a little bit about today is Logy Bay-Middle

Cove-Outer Cove. This is a community that also has great organizations in it.

It's a real sporting community. They're into their sports down there like you

wouldn't believe.

This

year it's going to be the 200th anniversary of the Royal St. John's Regatta and

I tell you, that town is going to be buzzing down there. There will be fellows

coming out of the woodwork who will row this year. The Outer Cove crew, as you

can remember, Mr. Chair, goes back right to the 9:13 when they held the record

for so many years. I'm sure there were people down in Outer Cove the day that it

was broke with tears in their eyes remembering their grandfathers and everyone

else that ran that.

That

town had a lot of issues in its community with flooding. Most of the flooding

was caused by the development in Stavanger Drive area. What happened is

Stavanger Drive grew. You take all the new homes and everything that was down

around Stavanger Drive area and all the new business came in, the flood levels

of the rivers and everything came up. There were major issues down in the town

with flooding. Every time there was a rainfall there were some huge flooding

issues down there.

What

needed to be done, first of all, is the Savage Creek bridge needed to be

replaced at a cost of about $5 million, which was shared with the City of St.

John's. There was a new bridge built, a lower bridge down there that was about a

$2 million bridge. Plus, in the last five years, we've invested a lot of money

in upgrades to all the culverts and everything in the town.

believe they're very, very pleased with the investments that were made in that

town. It has made a huge difference. Anybody who's ever had a flood in their

home and is susceptible to floods, understands that every time that they hear

tell of rain or snow or mild or anything like that, you can see that it puts a

lot of stress on the family.

They're

just investments that I wanted to touch base with. Those are the five

communities. I'm going to mention a few more things if I get up later on.

I feel

over the last 10 years, since I've been here, there have been great investments.

The next time I get up I'm going to talk schools. I'm going to talk about the

investments that were made in my district in new schools and stuff like that,

really good investments because they're investments that we have to do as a

government and everybody has to do.

Just in

closing now, I'd like to again thank the great people in my district for the

support they always give me.

Thank

you so much.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

CHAIR:

The Chair recognizes the hon.

the Minister of Service NL.

MS. GAMBIN-WALSH:

Mr. Chair, our government

continues to make investments which are greatly benefitting the people of

Newfoundland and Labrador including the constituents of my district, the

District of Placentia - St. Mary's.

One of

our government's priorities is to help our communities be safe and sustainable.

We will continue to work in partnership with municipalities, including those in

the District of Placentia - St. Mary's to develop a strategic approach to the

delivery of services, infrastructure and the protection of public safety.

I have

had the privilege of being able to show my support to our emergency responders

through the fire and emergency safety division, to the Placentia Fire

Department, the Seaside fire department, the Branch fire department, the

Whitbourne Fire Department and the St. Vincent's fire department.

Mr.

Chair, I look forward to seeing a new rural response truck in Mount

Carmel-Mitchells Brook. I also look forward to attending the Colinet-North

Harbour-Harricott fire departments banquet; a banquet that hasn't happened in a

number of years.

A key

component of our governments focus on safety is our attention to road safety.

Bill 68 amended the Highway Traffic Act

and established tougher penalties for impaired drivers in the province. It also

established new rules to help ensure our young people develop safe and sober

driving habits. Those who choose to abuse this privilege by driving while under

the influence of alcohol in Newfoundland and Labrador now face tougher

consequences.

We now

impound vehicles at roadside when drivers are found to have a blood alcohol

content above the legal limit or when they refuse to provide a breath sample. We

also introduced a mandatory ignition interlock program to prevent repeat

impaired driving offences. We amended the act to acquire zero tolerance for

alcohol consumption for drivers less than 22 years of age.

Mr.

Chair, as I have said time and time again, we must continue to send the message

that the time has come to end impaired driving in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Hannah Thorne was a young girl from my district in the Community of New Harbour.

Hannah tragically died on July 7, 2016. The Standing Together Against Negligent

Driving Foundation was formed in Hannah's memory. Their mission is to work with

families and communities in the prevention of harm and death associated with

reckless driving. Hannah's family celebrated her birthday on March 4 without

her.

Since I

became the Minister of Service NL, the department responsible for the

Highway Traffic Act , our government

introduced Bill 27, which includes a number of improvements to the act to reduce

excessive speeding, stunting and street racing and make our roads and highways

safer. It includes a new offence for driving without due care and attention or

without reasonable consideration for other persons causing bodily harm or death.

Bill 27 also created a new offence for stunting on highways, Mr. Chair. Drivers

who are charged with stunting on our highway now face a suspension of seven

days, effective the second day after the notice of suspension is given.

Mr.

Chair, continuing on our government's focus on communities and the delivery of

our province still experience barriers on a daily basis, barriers that exclude

people from taking

part in their communities, from employment opportunities and

even from public services.

Last

inclusion for all persons in Newfoundland and Labrador. These amendments

represent the first step in our approach to addressing issues around building

It is

important that, as a government, we listen to those who truly know and who truly

understand the challenges being faced in our towns and communities. The

amendments represent the first step in our two-phased approach to addressing

comprehensive review of the Buildings

interested parties to provide input into the act. This will involve a public

consultation process. We will provide more information, Mr. Chair, on this in

the near future.

I have

stood many times in this House and spoken to the importance of constantly

reviewing legislation to ensure it is meeting the needs of the people it serves.

We are also committed to the review of the landlord tenancies act and bringing

forward amendments that protect the best interests of tenants and landlords.

Consultations and a jurisdictional scan were completed in 2012, Mr. Chair, but

no changes were made with the legislation at that time.

Since

our government came to power in 2015, we have identified several areas that

merit significant amendments, as well as the need to clarify the act's language

and to ensure it is modern and clear, Mr. Chair.

On May

26, 2017, it was announced that Husky was moving forward with the West White

Rose Project. This project is estimated to cost $2.2 billion before first oil in

2022. The 25-year project is estimated to generate $3 billion in economic

benefits for the province in the form of royalties, taxes and equity payments.

Upwards of 700 people will be employed at the Argentia site during peak

construction. It will also create 250 permanent platform jobs and up to 1,500

more direct and indirect jobs.

The

White Rose Expansion Project framework second amending agreement in 2017

included a $60 million fund for the development of an innovation and business

development. The intent of this fund is to make strategic investments for the

future development and growth of the oil and gas industry in the province. The

proponents will make annual contributions to the fund of $6 million for a period

of 10 years. The first payment is expected in 2018, Mr. Chair.

The port

of Argentia anticipates unveiling of a portion of this fund to ensure they can

create sustainable employment for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians into the

future.

Mr.

Chair, we have also turned our focus to other important issues for workers in

our province such as post-traumatic stress disorder. Work-related mental stress

conditions such as PTSD are impacting workplaces across Canada. Last fall, I met

with stakeholders to seek input on the prevention of and compensation for

work-related mental stress.

Mr.

Chair, I can now inform the House that the new policy on mental health, in

actual fact, has been passed by the board of director's at WorkplaceNL. That was

a question I had just five minutes ago in this House of Assembly. We initiated a

review of WorkplaceNL's mental stress policy in order to explore the options to

modernize the approach to work-related mental health issues including

post-traumatic stress disorder.

Mr.

Chair, this involved a two-stage process with the first being an immediate

policy review, which has just happened and the second will involve a review of

PTSD coverage across other jurisdictions.

Placentia - St. Mary's is steeped in history and tradition and is also renowned

as a great place to do business. It offers tremendous opportunities for growth

and success for businesses large and small. Our government recognizes the

important role that business and industry play in driving our province's

economy.

November 2016 we introduced a new Public

Procurement Act to modernize the purchasing process and to achieve

best value. We recently published the regulations and the act will be proclaimed

later this month.

Local suppliers will realize benefits through increased

opportunities to bid on government services that were once excluded from

procurement legislation. The new framework will increase transparency. It will

also allow public bodies more opportunity to hold suppliers accountable for

their performance. Our government is listening to the needs of business and

industry in our province.

Mr. Chair, last year our government announced a multi-year

plan for infrastructure investment. The plan includes over $688 million for

transportation infrastructure such as roads, bridges and marine infrastructure.

My district has benefitted from a number of these projects. There has been

roadwork from St. Joseph's to Riverhead, Ferndale Road and Beach Road near

Veterans Way, Ship Harbour and Fox Harbour, Point Lance road and work around the

Town of Branch, along with the replacement of Rocky Island Pond Bridge.

Mr. Chair, it is important to maintain good strong

infrastructure in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MS. GAMBIN-WALSH:

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I will now take my seat.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

CHAIR: The Chair

recognizes the hon. the Member for Mount Pearl - Southlands.

MR. LANE: Thank

you, Mr. Chair.

I just want to take my time this afternoon to reference a

story that I saw in the media in the last few days. It's a concerning one as

someone certainly who, prior to getting involved in politics, I worked as a

safety practitioner.

There was a story there in the media that talks about an

individual, a gentleman who had worked up at the Muskrat Falls site. Apparently,

because he reported some safety hazards to his employer, unsafe work conditions,

he lost his job. He was let go. If you read the story, it talks about that this

was not an isolated incident. There have been other people up at the Muskrat

Falls site that has lost their job because they spoke out on issues of

occupational health and safety.

While I have concern, Mr. Chair, about the safety of

everyone working up at that site, the bigger issue is not just about Muskrat

Falls, it's about the Occupational Health

and Safety Act and an obvious potential flaw now in the legislation that's

been uncovered through this case. Under the Health and Safety Act and the whole

principle of occupational health and safety, workers have three fundamental

rights: they have the right to know the hazards they face in the workplace, they

have the right to participate in occupational health and safety and they have

the right to refuse dangerous work.

Now,

based on what I've read in this particular instance, if this had to have been a

case of a work refusal where somebody said I refuse to do this particular work,

then under that there is a

section in the act that talks about an employer

cannot discriminate against a worker who has implemented their right to refuse.

In other words, if it had to have been a case where the supervisor on the site

said I want you to do this particular task, the employee has the right to say,

no, I refuse to do it. There's a work refusal process that kicks in with the

supervisor, with the company and then eventually with OHS division of the

Department of Service NL, if it comes to that.

If a

worker initiates that right to refuse to do something dangerous, it is written

in the act that an employer cannot discriminate against that worker. In other

words, you can't fire someone because they refuse to do something that was

unsafe; you can't get back on them.

This

case outlined in the media was not a work refusal; therefore, that piece of

legislation didn't kick in. It was a case of somebody simply pointing out to the

employer on site that there's something unsafe happening here, I have concerns.

I believe the individual, if I'm not mistaken, was actually on the safety

committee or he worked for a safety company on site that had been contracted

out.

believe the story said he worked for a safety company that had been contracted

out by one of the contractors to be the safety person on site. In doing his job,

in reporting unsafe activity and bringing it to the attention of the company,

that company allegedly let that safety company go. That particular individual

was let go from the company because he actually did his job, which is absolutely

reprehensible when you think about it.

Apparently, as the story goes on – I'm assuming it's gone through the courts or

Labour Relations, whatever the case might be – it was determined that if that

individual had reported this to the Department of Service NL, had reported it to

OHS division of Service NL, then they would not have been able to lay this guy

off or fire this guy. But because he had simply gone to the employer, versus

calling in the government, this guy gets fired for doing his job. There is

something fundamentally wrong with this.

I want

to just think about it for a second. First of all, what are we saying? The only

way to avoid this – there are two ways to avoid the situation. So every time

something happens unsafe on a work site people have to refuse and say: I refuse

to do it. You can't bring anything to anyone's attention to try to correct it,

you have to say: I refuse to do it and cause a work stoppage.

Or they

have to pick up the phone and call Service NL OHS division. Every single time

anything happens on any work site in this province, they're going to call

Service NL at the OHS division. We're not going to try to work it out with the

employer, as opposed to saying – which we've always taught workers, through

safety training, you bring it to the attention of your supervisor first. You say

to your supervisor: Look, I've been asked to do this but I don't have the

training or I don't have the proper safety equipment; I'm not comfortable doing

this. The supervisor would work with the employee to put whatever safety

measures in place to resolve the issue.

That's

where we need to be. Not every single time I see something unsafe I'm going to

pick up the phone, I'm going to call Service NL. Can you imagine? How would we

possibly have the resources at OHS division if every single workplace in the

province, any time a worker saw anything unsafe they have to pick up the phone

and call Service NL? They can't go to their own supervisor and they can't go to

the manager without fear of being fired because they brought forward a safety

issue.

While

this particular story was related specifically to a situation that occurred at

Muskrat Falls, this has implications for the entire province. It has major

implications. We know with the

Occupational Health and Safety Act there's a statutory review, I believe,

that occurs I think, every five years. I could be wrong – four years, five years

whatever. I'm not sure when it's up again but I would certainly appeal to the

government, to the Minister of Service NL, that this is an issue that cannot

wait.

This is

an issue that cannot wait. The implications for this are very, very serious, to

impact workplaces all throughout the province. Nobody, I'm sure, wants people to

go to work and work in an unsafe environment. I think we would all expect that

if you go to work and you see something unsafe, you ought to, as worker, be able

to go to your supervisor, go to your manager or go to your employer and say:

This is not safe. Someone is going to get hurt here. Someone is going to get

seriously hurt. Someone could get killed here. Workers should be able to do that

without a fear of being fired. Again, according to this story, that's what

happened here.

I think

it's very, very serious. I don't think we can wait for a statutory review

process. Perhaps the minister is already on it. I certainly will be speaking to

her personally to try – I'm sure she's probably aware of it. I would hope

they're on it but, like I said, the implications on this are very, very serious.

We cannot have people going to work, being forced to work in unsafe conditions.

And if you dare – imagine, having the nerve – to go to your employer and say

this is not safe and then they're going to fire you for it. There's something

terribly wrong.

That was

never comprehended in the health and safety act or the regulations. It certainly

goes totally against everything that any worker who's worked on a construction

site, or any work site, has been taught. I know. I've done the training. I've

instructed hundreds of employees on health and safety, different aspects of it

and, certainly, on the health and safety act and the regulations and everything

contained within it. The intent is that nobody should be doing things that are

unsafe. They should feel comfortable in reporting it to their employer.

Based on

what is out there now, what has happened on the Muskrat Falls site with this

particular person is that because he had the nerve to actually say – I think it

had something to do with scaffolding, if I'm not mistaken, and the people

weren't trained. Somebody fell off some scaffolding I think it was and there

were no rescue procedures.

Under

the scaffolding regulations there have to be rescue procedures. There were no

rescue procedures and there was nobody trained according to the story. Because

he brought that to the attention of the employer, they fired him for it. That is

not right. It was never the intent, it's not the intent and it's something that

has to be changed.

Once

again, I certainly appeal to the government, I appeal to the Minister of Service

NL responsible for occupational health and safety in this province to please

have your officials look at this and find out what changes we need to make to

the act to close this very, very serious loophole.

Thank

you, Mr. Chair.

CHAIR:

The Chair recognizes the hon.

the Member for Terra Nova.

MR. HOLLOWAY:

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

It's

certainly a pleasure to stand in the House today to speak to Interim Supply and

represent my constituents in the District of Terra Nova.

Mr.

Chair, I've been elected now for about 2½ years. I have an interesting or

important milestone that's coming up. Just a week from today I will have had 29

years working for the people of this province. On March 19 I'll have 29 years

total commitment to the people of this province.

I'm

feeling pretty proud of that, Mr. Chair. I've done a lot over my lifetime and

certainly having spent the majority of it in public service but, now, for the

last 2½ years being the MHA for the district, I work very hard servicing all

14,000 constituents.

The

boundaries of the two districts that came together, the old Terra Nova District

and the old Trinity North District, it is 38 communities. It's very challenging

to be going from all those communities. When the House is not in session and

you're going into all those communities on a very regular basis trying to meet

with constituents, trying to meet with community groups and town councils and

trying to help them with all the issues they bring forward.

I spoke

earlier in the House today. I talked about all the contentious issues that have

come my way since I've been in office. I just think about things like the ferry

to St. Brendan's island and I think about the trestle in Terra Nova. I think

about the overcrowding at Riverside Elementary in Clarenville. Of course, the

latest one is what we're talking about with the forest management plan in Port

Blandford. I can tell you, Mr. Chair, that no matter what the issue I have

certainly done my part to represent the interests of my constituents.

I just

think back. I think I had been elected for about four months and the issue of

the causeway in Port Blandford came up for significant discussion. I was getting

calls from not only people living in the community, but also people who were

coming from other communities in Bloomfield and Bunyan's Cove and Cannings Cove.

There was no doubt that the causeway itself was starting to deteriorate. I can

tell you that I was very pleased to be able to advocate on behalf of the people

in all those communities within my district, as well as communities for the

District of Bonavista who also use the causeway.

Quickly

we saw in the next budget that there was an investment – actually over the last

two budgets – of $1.4 million to address the causeway. It's been repaired. We

widened out the shoulders of the road because people in the community said that

they'd like to be walking from one side of Port Blandford to the other and to be

able to do it in a safe manner. We were able to bring those things forward.

We also

saw, in terms of infrastructure investments, Mr. Chair, a new turning lane in

Thorburn Lake around the overpass; another $1.01 million investment that we've

been able to do from our government. I've had people who have come up to me and

have said: That has been needed for such a very, very long time. Thank you so

much for getting it done. I'm pleased that our government – and I've been a part

of that process to fix some things that have been needed for a very, very long

time.

Earlier

today, it was said in this House, we talked about investments into Port

Blandford and around clean water and wastewater. It is accurate that the

Minister of Municipal Affairs and Environment stood up and he said: When we

announced money to repair the pump house in Port Blandford, we announced

$254,000.

We did

that in Clarenville at the time because we were announcing other monies for

Hickman's Harbour and Robinson Bight, and we were announcing some money for

around Clarenville. The mayor of Port Blandford, at the time, stood up and he

said: We have a fantastic relationship working the MHA and with this government.

We've gotten funding for the very first time in eight years. Eight years that

community has been asking for an investment from the government and we were able

to address that.

Mr.

Chair, I get a lot of requests for the Community Healthy Living Funds. They are

funds that support small infrastructure investments in many of our rural

communities. Most of my communities, actually, are local service districts. I

have a few incorporated communities but many of them are local service

districts. So they have to rely on applying for these grants in order to enhance

some of the infrastructure in their communities, like walking trails and

playgrounds.

I'm

reminded that one of the ones that we've done down in the Southwest Arm area is

around Abraham's Trail. Last fall, I had the opportunity to walk that trail to

see it first-hand, what exactly is it that the people, the volunteers in the

Little Heart's Ease area, what are they doing to try to enhance healthy living

of the people who live in the area. I was pleased when we were able invest just

short of $3,400 into advancements into that trail so that people could use it

and exercise and stay healthy.

actually had a call before I came to the House this afternoon from a lady who

lives down in that area. She talked about moving away from reactive health care

and be more proactive. She's a senior citizen. We talked about two constituents

in my district who just celebrated 100th birthdays. She said to me: That don't

happen by happenstance. It doesn't happen because you got lucky. It is because

people are taking better care of themselves. By investing in playgrounds for our

kids, by investing in walking trails for our adults and for our senior

population, it has been critically important. She felt that as we move forward,

while we still need to be reactionary to some degree in terms of our health

care, we need to find a way to put more money into a proactive approach so that

people are healthier longer and they can stay living in their homes longer. I

certainly was pleased to be able to support that kind of thinking that she

brought to me today.

Mr.

Chair, one of the groups I've been keenly interested in having a bit of a focal

point for me as an MHA has been our volunteer fire departments. Over the past 2½

years, I've taken every opportunity to go to their annual dinners and service

award nights so I can just say to them: On behalf of the people of this

province, thank you so much, you've put 20, 25, 30, 35 years' service. Now we've

seen the changes that came last August in that we have volunteer firefighters

who are volunteering in our communities for upwards of 50 years and those 50

years will be recognized.

This

year, Mr. Chair, the Town of Clarenville will actually play host to the annual

firefighter's convention. As I've been talking to some of the fire departments

over this weekend I have reminded them that it's being hosted in Clarenville. I

will be there as the MHA. I look forward to seeing many of them come out.

There's training, there's camaraderie, there's an opportunity to celebrate the

things they've done as fire departments over the past year.

Mr.

Chair, I just have a little bit of time. I just want to talk for a second about

agriculture in my district. We're seeing that agriculture is on the rise in my

district, in particular, around the Glovertown area. Now we've seen that there

are four new farms that are at various stages of proposal. They're really taking

on their role to address the food security issue that we have in this province

so that we have heathier food choices.

Ninety

per cent of everything we consume in this province right now is coming in; it's

transported in – so that we can lower that percentage point. We've identified

that in the Way Forward . I'm

pleased those farms are coming on the horizon. I'm helping them as best I can to

advance their applications so that the people in the communities around them

have access to quality, affordable really good food, nutritious food so that

we're not worried about the shelf life, which we see many times as we go into

the grocery stores.

I'll finish up, Mr. Chair, by saying that as an MHA I am

100 per cent committed to the people in my district. I have treated everyone

with fairness and honesty and I certainly will continue to work very hard on

their behalf. I know road infrastructure is still a challenge in some of my many

communities in the district. I will continue to advocate that we find some

solutions to that infrastructure.

Last but not least, I want to congratulate the Port

Blandford Heritage Society on

raising sufficient funds. I just got word of that. They're going to purchase two

memorial stones commemorating those who served in World War I and World War II.

I know

that's been a long-time project for the community. My grandfather served in the

Second World War. I look forward to the fall when those stones are installed at

the war memorial. I certainly hope to be there.

Thank

you very much for the opportunity, Mr. Chair.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

CHAIR:

The Chair recognizes the hon.

the Member for St. John's East - Quidi Vidi.

MS. MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Chair.

I am

happy to stand and speak again in the discussion happening because of Bill 36,

the Interim Supply bill. Interim Supply is extremely important because without

this bill being passed there would not be money approved to run government after

March 31; obviously, not having the reason that the US senators had to hold up

the bill in Washington, DC. We don't have reasons like that here; we want our

bills to go ahead. It is an opportunity to speak to the issues that we are

concerned about with government services that get covered by our budget, the

needs of our people.

Being an

MHA here in St. John's there are a lot of issues that I don't have to deal with

that my colleagues who are MHAs in rural Newfoundland and Labrador have to deal

with. The roads in my district are all covered by a municipality. The

municipality is a strong municipality working well with the province. There are

a lot of issues, such as those, that I don't need to deal with. However, issues

with regard to the services that people require for their health, that they

require for education, that they require when it comes to having enough money to

live, these are common issues in all of our districts. I think they're

particularly strong, in some cases, in the urban district more so than in some

of the rural areas.

In my

own district right now, I have people from Bishop Feild Elementary school,

parents, staff, concerned about what is going to happen to that school. When are

they going to get the report of what is going to happen? Obviously, everybody

wants that school to reopen but the silence is deafening. We see letters that go

back and forth in emails but nothing coming out publicly, nothing being said

publicly.

People

are concerned. I'm concerned for them. That's why I ask the questions I ask in

the House. They need to know that in some foreseeable future – that's all they

want to know – their children will not have to travel any longer from the almost

complete east end of the city to the almost complete west end of the city; the

city goes a bit further west than that now but it's pretty far up in the west

end. They have to travel that every day. They want to know that the foreseeable

future is there when they'll be told their children are going back into the

Bishop Feild Elementary school on Bond Street. That's an issue, Mr. Chair. There

are issues, too, around inclusion. I'm not going to speak about that this

afternoon; I'm going to save that for later on. We will get to speak again and I

will speak to that later on.

Issues

around health care, issues around emergency room wait times in our hospitals

here in the city; we have the two largest hospitals in the province. We cover a

huge amount of population. We don't only cover the population here in the

greater St. John's area; many services happen at the Health Sciences, for

example, that people have to come in front outside of the province to access. We

have two of the major health facilities. I guess it's no surprise then that one

of the areas I continually get calls about and get emails about have to do with

health care and have to do with waits in the ER.

I asked

the minister today in Question Period a couple of questions about wait times and

there was one thing I was actually happy to hear. I don't have

Hansard in front of me so I won't

quote him, but I think there was agreement between the minister and myself on if

there is a serious area for us to be looking at in health care, it is with

regard to the emergency room wait times. I think he acknowledged that. That's

very important.

We also

need to know the things that are being done, that the steps that are being taken

around the emergency wait times are just not going to be band-aid steps; they're

going to be steps which – for St. Clare's Hospital and the Health Sciences

Centre, for these huge hospitals – are really going to affect the care of

people. Yes, there are various factors because of the wait times. One of the

factors is definitely the fact that people very often are going to emergency

rooms with issues that don't need to be in emergency rooms, but they are people

who don't have doctors or their own family physicians, so they go to the

emergency room because they have nowhere else to go.

personally have a family physician who's amazing. If I call tomorrow morning and

say I'm feeling sick and I need to see my doctor, the first question that's

asked to me is do you need to see her today, Lorraine, or can you wait till

later in the week? If I say I need to see her today, I get in. That's how she

plans her schedule, and it happens all the time. That's not a guessing a game.

That

should be the case for everybody in the province. Everybody should have that

kind of service. If we did then we wouldn't have so many people in the ER, and I

agree with the minister on that. We have to do something about having access to

family physicians. That's a major issue.

Another

issue is the issue of beds in the hospital being occupied in many cases by

senior citizens requiring long-term care and people who are in beds in the

hospital have nowhere else to go. I'm not going to dwell on that issue today.

I'm going to speak about that issue later on but it is an issue. Some steps have

been taken.

I know

the numbers have gone down slightly over the last few years of the beds that are

being occupied by people who are waiting to go into long-term care or waiting

for other reasons for being in the hospital. That's an issue as well, and that

has to be dealt with too. Besides all that, Mr. Chair, I think we have to deal

with the fact that we do not have adequate resources in the hospital, in the

emergency rooms; that the waits are way too long.

I had an

email last week, a message from one of my constituents. She said you are my MHA,

and I am writing you because I have a complaint. My husband had a bad tear in

the muscle in the back of his leg Wednesday past which drove us to the emergency

at St. Clare's. We haven't visited the hospital in years and when this had

happened he was in excruciating pain. It was visible he could not walk on it et

cetera. We arrived at 4:15 and left the hospital at 10. There were no X-rays

taken or ultrasounds, just waiting for a doctor to have a look at his injury.

The

lobby was blocked from the time we got there until the time we left; people

standing in the porch as there was no seating left. It was ridiculous. Elderly

people sick waiting and not complaining, but I was, as I have never experienced

the likes of this before. One nurse came out at one point and said, call your

MHAs – because they could not keep up, and that's a mouthful, Mr. Chair.

constituent went on to say something has to be done about this situation,

whether it is figuring out a better flow or having more staff available, no one

should have to wait this long to be seen in an emergency room.

That's a

real case. I have many others. I'm not going to read them, but this points out

to us that it's not just people not having doctors to go to, it's not just that

people are waiting there because they want to get into a bed somewhere else in

the hospital, it's that, as the nurse said to them, they can't keep up.

Right

now we know we're in the flu system. So maybe we have to have flexibility. Maybe

we have to say in the flu system we have to have more staff in place because we

know; we have the statistics that show us what happens during the flu system.

We have

to have long-term planning that involves the department, that involves the

nurses' union, that involves the physicians, everybody who is involved in the

emergency room. That's the kind of thinking we need to have or else we will

continue having people – I have other messages here of people who were 10 hours,

people who were eight hours, people who left because they couldn't get taken

care of. We can't have our emergency rooms operating like that.

As we

move forward, we're coming into a new budget. I'm hoping we're going to see some

money there that's going to help the Minister of Health and Community Services

deal with at least this issue.

Thank

you, Mr. Chair.

CHAIR:

The Chair recognizes the hon.

the Member for Lewisporte - Twillingate.

MR. D. BENNETT:

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Mr.

Chair, it's always an honour to rise in this hon. House to represent the

beautiful District of Lewisporte - Twillingate, and today to speak to Bill 36,

Interim Supply.

Mr.

Chair, before I talk about some of the great things happening within my district

and also within the Department of Children, Seniors and Social Development,

which I've had the honour of serving as parliamentary secretary for the last two

years, I want to start off by congratulating the Member for Torngat Mountains

and Stephenville - Port au Port for introducing a very important private

member's resolution last week.

As a

government, we don't always stand together on issues and legislation, but I'm

proud to say last Wednesday we stood united in support of the Moose Hide

Campaign, making Newfoundland and Labrador the fourth legislation in this

country to support the campaign and to work towards ending violence against

women and children, Mr. Chair. I'm very proud to have been a part of that.

Mr.

Chair, over the past week I've had the opportunity to participate in a number of

events, but I'm going to bring forward two in particular. On Saturday, athletes

from across this province travelled to Deer Lake to participate in the 2018

Newfoundland and Labrador Winter Games. Approximately 1,300 athletes will be

competing for the right to call themselves provincial champions, to be the next

Katarina Roxon, Brad Gushue and many other accomplished athletes in our

province.

For many

of these athletes, Mr. Chair, this is their first experience in provincial

competition, but win or lose it will be an unforgettable experience for each of

them. Many new friendships will be formed and lifelong memories created. The

weeklong event will see 11 provincial sport regions competing in 12 different

sports. With a contingent this year again from Saint Pierre and Miquelon and for

the first time during the Winter Games Team Indigenous will also be competing.

Mr.

Chair, the first half of the games, which will be running from Sunday to

Tuesday, will see people competing in bowling, male hockey, volleyball,

gymnastics, cross-country skiing and also curling. While the second half, which

will run from Thursday to Saturday, will see Alpine skiing, wrestling, female

hockey, badminton, basketball, figure skating and table tennis.

Mr.

Chair, I'm sure that pretty well all of the MHAs in this hon. House have

athletes competing in the games from their district. To follow your athletes you

can visit

www.nlgames.ca

and follow the games throughout the week.

Mr.

Chair, these games would not be possible without the financial contribution of

many community-minded sponsors. I'm proud that our government, through the

Department of Children, Seniors and Social Development, is one of those major

sponsors contributing to the games, investing more than $540,000; $200,000 going

towards an operating grant for the town to run the games, $265,000 to cover the

transportation costs, and another $75,000 went towards the regional play downs.

I would

like to recognize the valuable contribution of Troy Croft, the Executive

Director of Sport NL, and his entire team for the great job they are doing in

organizing these games. The Town of Deer Lake and other close communities are

also to be commended. Being a former recreation director, I was involved in

hosting the 1990 Winter Games. It was actually when I first started with the

Town of Lewisporte, and I know the amount of work, coordination and community

support that goes behind organizing such games. I'm glad to say from the

experience the other day the Town of Deer Lake is well underway of putting

together great games.

I wanted

to recognize and congratulate co-chairs Krista Jones and Junior Pinkston along

with Mayor Ball and the 500-plus volunteers for putting off an amazing opening

ceremonies and a start to a very successful games. I was accompanied by

yourself, Mr. Chair, also the MHA for

Stephenville - Port au Port, the Member for St.

George's - Humber and

also the Premier brought greetings on behalf of the province to the games.

I want

to wish all athletes a very enjoyable experience, for them to play hard, strive

to be their best and be respectful to their teammates, coaches, opponents and

officials. Whether they reach the podium or not, they're all true winners, Mr.

Chair.

While

talking about sports, the former Chair was there, sitting earlier, I want to

congratulate the Twillingate Combines, this year's Central Newfoundland's senior

hockey champions. The league is into its ninth season. This year teams were

competing from the Exploits Blades, Northeast Sabres, the Lewisporte Seahawks,

Springdale Braves and the Twillingate Combines.

The

final were a three out of five series between the Twillingate Combines and the

Springdale Braves. The Combines took the first two games at home with a score of

4-1, going to Springdale for game three and a chance to capture the

championship. Again, in a score of 4-1, they swept the Springdale team, making

them this year's 2017-2018 Central Newfoundland hockey team champions. I just

want to congratulate the Twillingate Combines on that great award.

Mr.

Chair, my colleague from Virginia Waters - Pleasantville had the chance to

attend the ninth annual Rooting for Health event at East Point Elementary on

Thursday of last week. Similar events were held at St. Anne's Academy in

Dunville, Sprucewood Academy in Grand Falls-Windsor, Pasadena Elementary and

A.P. Low Primary in Labrador City.

The

event was sponsored by Kids Eat Smart, the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation

of Agriculture, Egg Farmers of Newfoundland and Labrador and the School Milk

Foundation. Rooting for Health is celebrated as a part of Nutrition Month and is

designed to help school-aged children in our province recognize the relationship

between farming, food and health.

The

children there were treated to a nutritious breakfast from locally produced

eggs, milk and berries prepared by the chefs from the award-winning Raymond's

Restaurant. After the delicious breakfast, children were able to go to the

gymnasium, where local famers had booths set up and were providing an

educational session to the children and had the opportunity to answer any

questions they may have.

During

that event, I had an opportunity to speak to the executive director, Celina

Stoyles, talking about some of the great work that the Kids Eat Smart program is

doing. She was telling me about a story that last year one of the children asked

the farmers. It was one of the dairy farmers. The farmer was telling the child

about how the milk is produced and everything else. The child looked at the

farmer with a serious look and said: Milk don't come from Costco? The farmer

said: No, it doesn't come from Costco; it comes from cows. She looked at him

again; Are you serious, milk doesn't come from Costco? It's just to demonstrate

some of the great work our farmers are doing, Mr. Chair.

Our

government through The Way Forward

have set an action plan to reduce obesity, increase consumption of fruits and

veggies and, overall, improve the health and well-being of residents of our

province. This will be achieved through the continued support from stakeholders

such as Rooting for Health, along with other great organizations such as Food

First NL, the School Lunch Association, Agriculture in the Classroom, Eat Great

and Participate and many other groups that are doing valuable work for the

residents of our province every day.

Mr.

Chair, another initiative in The Way

Forward is to increase food security. As my colleague behind me said

earlier, we're going to increase our food source from 10 to 20 per cent by the

year 2022. Mr. Chair, farming in my district is a very big part of my region and

they are doing their part to make sure that we achieve that goal.

I have

only about a minute and a half left; I'm going to talk about a couple of farmers

in my district, Mr. Chair. Triple E Farms in Comfort Cove dates back to almost

90 years when Raymond Eveleigh, the father and grandfather of Junior and Dwight

Eveleigh, started out farming. Junior and Dwight have now have taken over the

business since 1993, turning at 10- to 12-acre farm into now what they have, 115

acres farming today.

They

employ 30 people at peak season, and eight to 10 people for 10 months of the

year. Today, they produce approximately 2.5 million pounds of products. Triple E

Farms, recently, in the last year, added an additional 65 acres of land and in

the next three years they will be doubling their production.

Triple E

Farms has been awarded the CanadaGAP food safety certification into production

and the packaging of beets, cabbage, carrots, parsnip, potatoes and rutabagas,

being the first business in the province to reach this certification.

Another

couple of farms I'll quickly mention: Hubert Porter's Farm, which have been in

business since 1875 and has over 130 acres of farm in Porterville. Campbellton

u-pick is another striving business in my district, Mr. Chair.

I'm

sorry I'm out of time, but I look forward to speaking a little more on this a

little later.

Thank

you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

CHAIR (Reid):

The hon. the Member for

Fortune Bay - Cape La Hune.

MS. PERRY:

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

It's a

pleasure to once again rise in this hon. House, as my colleague from Cape St.

Francis likes to say, on behalf of the people of the beautiful District of

Fortune Bay - Cape La Hune. It's also a pleasure to rise after my colleague from

Lewisporte - Twillingate who today spoke about some of the positive things that

are happening in Newfoundland and Labrador. I will continue on that train of

thought as I get up and speak here today.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MS. PERRY:

Because there are wonderful

things happening right here in Newfoundland and Labrador. In the district of

Fortune Bay - Cape La Hune we, too, have agriculture potential. My colleague and

I actually were talking earlier about some of the things that used to happen

back in the days in Fortune Bay - Cape La Hune. We've had a number of farms over

the years for root crops, and the soil quality actually in Bay d'Espoir area,

that portion of the district, has a pH of 6.0, which is comparable to the Codroy

Valley. It's an area of the province, second to the Codroy Valley area, which

has the best potential for farming. We certainly would be very supportive of

seeing any expansion of the agriculture sector.

As well,

Mr. Chair, we have a booming aquaculture industry in the Coast of Bays region.

We are still, though, in the growth and development stage. We certainly haven't

reached the maturity level. Significant potential remains for expansion, and a

significant need remains for investment in infrastructure in the Coast of Bays

region.

I raise

this because things like biosecurity wharves are a crucial need for us. We're

almost there, but we still have in the Belleoram area a wharf that hasn't been

completed to fully complement the biosecurity needs that we have. So a little a

plug in there that we're hoping to see some news in the budget pertaining to

enhanced infrastructure in the Coast of Bays region to support the continuation

of the 1,000 people who are employed in that sector in the Coast of Bays region.

Without

the aquaculture industry complementing the wild fishery, we'd be in trouble on

the South Coast. We saw mass outmigration. When I first started working in

Community Economic Development, there were 14,000 people living in the Coast of

Bays region. Today, there's a little less than 7,000. So our population has

dropped by half, even with an industry that has great promise for the future.

It is

crucial that the industry continues to be supported in the Coast of Bays region

and I certainly look forward to working with government as we endeavour to do

that.

Mr.

Chair, I also wanted to talk about two items in the social sector and that would

be education and health care. In my past 10 years as a Member of the House of

Assembly, one thing that has become very evident to me is that these are the two

sectors that are sacred to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. In hard

times the two areas that people do not want to see cuts to, more than any other,

are health care and education.

In rural

Newfoundland, in particular, Mr. Chair, I want to encourage government to

continue to support direct primary health care, front-line health care, to

residents. We understand the concept of regionalization and for things like

cancer care treatment, for things like broken bones and broken limbs, for

surgeries. We fully appreciate regionalization and that we will have to travel

two to three hours to Grand Falls.

We are

also strong, strong proponents of maintaining, directly in communities within

reasonable drive distances that are safe, Mr. Chair, the maintenance of clinics

and doctors and nurse practitioners – front-line nurses and doctors and

front-line emergency services. There is nothing and no price that we can put on

a person's life.

We h