Newfoundland and Labrador Hansard — Members' Statements; Statements by Ministers — 5 May 2015 (47th General Assembly, 4th Session, Vol. XLVII No. 9)
2015-05-05
Newfoundland and Labrador — Debates (Hansard)
PDF Version
May
5, 2015
HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS
Vol. XLVII No. 9
The House met at 1:30 p.m.
MR. SPEAKER (Verge):
Order, please!
Admit strangers.
Statements by Members
MR. SPEAKER:
Today we will be hearing members' statements from the Members representing
the Districts of Port au Port, Trinity Bay de Verde, Bonavista North,
Cartwright L'Anse au Clair, Kilbride, and Torngat Mountains.
The hon. the Member for Port au Port.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. CORNECT:
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and congratulate the youth from the
Stephenville High Duke of Edinburgh Program who received their bronze award
on April 19.
The Duke of Edinburgh Program offers challenges in four
categories: community service, physical fitness, skills development, and
expeditions. Successfully
completing this level is a remarkable achievement, and one to be proud of.
It is certainly a program that develops the integrity of our youth.
Mr. Speaker, we are very proud of the youth who were
presented with the bronze Duke of Edinburgh's award.
This program is very strong and active in my district,
and indeed in the Province, thanks to the dedication and commitment of the
many parents and volunteers who work tirelessly to help make this program
possible for our youth.
Mr. Speaker, I ask all hon. Members of the House of
Assembly to join with me in congratulating our bronze achievers: Matthew
Bennett, James Benoit, Christian Butt, Kipling Deeley, Julianna Deveau,
Charlotte Elliott, Jordi Green, Olivia Henley, Kelly Hurley, Kameron Legge,
Joshua Power, Mitchell Riberdy, Taylor Rideout, Jessica Skinner, John St.
Croix, and Shane Taker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Trinity Bay de Verde.
MR. CROCKER:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I rise in this hon. House today to recognize the
organizers of the nineteenth annual North Shore Ambulance Telethon.
The North Shore Ambulance Service is located in Western
Bay and consists of sixteen volunteers and employees.
It services approximately 2,500 residents throughout eleven
communities, from Kingston to Job's Cove.
The volunteers of this non-profit ambulance service
raises funds every year to purchase medical supplies and updated equipment.
The organization is now fundraising for the purchase of a new
ambulance.
I was delighted to participate in the annual telethon
which took place on Sunday, April 12 and was broadcast from Lower Island
Cove. Residents in the area
phoned in their pledges and approximately $11,000 was raised for the
service.
Volunteers play a vital role in rural Newfoundland and
Labrador. At this time, I would
like to thank the organizers for their countless hours of volunteer work,
which makes this area a safer place to live.
I ask all hon. members to join me in congratulating all
volunteers, organizers and those who contributed for making the nineteenth
annual North Shore Ambulance Telethon a tremendous success.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Bonavista North.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. CROSS:
I am very proud to stand today to salute a very distinguished volunteer with
the Royal Canadian Air Cadet organization.
Mr. Speaker, I will attend the Ceremonial Review and
Annual Inspection of 840 Indian Bay Air Cadet Squadron at
Centreville-Wareham-Trinity this coming Saturday, May 9.
This year Captain Juanita Hoben will be sitting with the guests for
the first time since 1983.
Captain Hoben began as a behind the scenes volunteer
with this squadron when it began in 1974.
In 1983 she was recruited to active leadership and began the role of
Administrative Officer.
In 1993 she assumed the duty of Commanding Officer and
continued in this fashion until this past February, when she reluctantly
accepted mandatory retirement after thirty-two years.
It is the efforts of leaders like Juanita Hoben that makes the Cadet
movement what it is energetic, disciplined and enlightening for the youth
who enroll.
When Captain Hoben retired she handed the reigns to new
Commanding Officer, Natasha Matchim, who started as a twelve-year-old cadet
in this same squadron many years ago.
Mr. Speaker, I ask all hon. members to salute Juanita
Hoben for her well-polished, tireless commitment and dedication to the youth
of her region, our Province, and our country.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Cartwright L'Anse au Clair.
MS DEMPSTER:
Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in this hon. House today to
recognize the tremendous accomplishments of the Pinware Karate School in the
Labrador Straits.
Mr. Kevin Pike started the martial arts school in
September 2010 and now has a yearly enrolment of approximately thirty
students, ranging in age from seven to forty-eight.
Mr. Pike has been involved in martial arts for more than thirty years
and holds a black belt from Mike Foley Kenpo Karate School in St. John's.
In April of each year, the Labrador Open tournament is
held. This is an opportunity for
the karate students in the Labrador Straits to compete against clubs from
Quebec.
In November 2014, ten students from the school aged
thirteen to seventeen travelled to St. John's to compete in The Battle of
the Rock. The team captured
twenty-two medals, six of which were gold.
This was the first opportunity for students from the Labrador Straits
to compete at such a high level in karate.
With Mr. Pike's determination and guidance, it will not be the last.
I ask all hon. members to join me in congratulating Mr.
Pike and the Pinware Karate School on their outstanding contribution to
martial arts in Labrador.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Kilbride.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. DINN:
Mr. Speaker, on April 11, 2015, the Waterford Hospital Lions Club celebrated
its thirty-fifth anniversary.
Most Lions Club members, their families and friends were there, as well as
special guests and Leo Club members.
The Waterford Hospital Lions Club was started in April
1980, with its main aim to help patients and outpatients of the hospital.
Working with staff and with Eastern Health, this group raises money
to help those in need. They
sponsor special programs at the Waterford as well as hold special events at
special times of the year for their patients and outpatients.
After a good meal, special awards were presented.
Liam O'Keefe, President of the Leo Club was on hand as the Leo Club
was honoured for raising $4,000 for the Lions Dog Guide Program.
Hana Noseworthy was named the Leo of the Year; John Pearce, the
present President of the club received special recognition for his ninth
time holding the president's position; Michael Abbott received a District
Governor's Award for his twenty-five years of service.
I ask all hon. members to join me in congratulating the
Waterford Hospital Lions Club on its thirty-fifth anniversary.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Torngat Mountains.
MR. EDMUNDS:
Mr. Speaker, I rise in this hon. House today to congratulate the producers
of Them Days magazine on their
fortieth anniversary.
Them Days
magazine was first produced in 1975 by the Labrador Heritage Society, and
has been published quarterly ever since.
From trapper tales to interviews with fishermen, the magazine has
celebrated and remembered days gone by in Labrador.
Many claim that the magazine would not have been
possible without Doris Saunders, the driving force behind
Them Days for nearly thirty years.
Her legacy lives on in the publication of the magazine that continues
to this day with the help of many dedicated people in Labrador.
As part of the fortieth anniversary celebrations,
Them Days will be publishing a
special issue on the Labrador fishery in June called
Floaters, Stationers and Livyeres .
Them Days
is a cultural institution for Labrador an institution that has been
successful in capturing the history of the Big Land through the eyes and
ears of Labradorians themselves.
There are many stories yet to be told.
I ask all hon. members to join me in congratulating
Them Days magazine on their forty
years in production, and I look forward to reading many more issues in the
years ahead.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Statements by Ministers.
Statements by Ministers
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Environment and Conservation.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. CRUMMELL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, delivering clean and safe drinking water
to the residents of Newfoundland and Labrador is a top priority for this
government. The Department of
Environment and Conservation works collaboratively with other departments,
including the Departments of Municipal and Intergovernmental Affairs, Health
and Community Services, and Service NL, as well as with towns and
communities, to ensure drinking water in the Province is clean, safe, and
secure.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in this hon. House
today to discuss the most recent example of this collaborative approach to
improving drinking water quality, which is the $1 million Budget 2015
investment through the Community Sustainability Partnership.
Our government recognizes that smaller municipalities
in particular need help operating the drinking water systems, as well as
assistance in working with new federal wastewater regulations.
This Budget 2015 investment will support three regional service
boards, in collaboration with the Departments of Environment and
Conservation, and Municipal and Intergovernmental Affairs, in providing
regional water and wastewater operator services to an identified group of
communities.
This 3.5 year pilot project will run from October 1,
2015 to March 31, 2019. Not only
will it provide much-needed assistance to water system operators in the
immediate term, but it will also help operators gain a stronger knowledge
base and build capacity within communities for the ongoing maintenance of
their systems.
To further assist communities in the area of clean and
safe drinking water, we will engage a consultant to focus exclusively on
solutions to reduce the number of boil water advisories.
While boil water advisories are necessary to reduce the risk of water
contamination and protect our residents, many can be eliminated through
proper operation and maintenance of community-owned water disinfection
systems. This initiative will
provide guidance to help communities, particularly those with recurring,
long-term boil water advisories, identify what steps are required to correct
the operational issues and have their advisories lifted.
Mr. Speaker, we are confident that these initiatives
will go a long way towards improving the quality of drinking water in these
identified communities. They
build upon a host of other supports provided by government including
training, reporting, and funding for capital works projects.
The provincial government is proud of this important
Budget 2015 investment and we will continue to work with towns and
communities toward the goal of ensuring the delivery of clean and safe
drinking water to all residents of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for The Straits White Bay North.
MR. MITCHELMORE:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I want to thank the minister for the advance copy of
his statement.
Drinking Water Safety in Newfoundland and Labrador's
Annual Report for 2014 reveals there are 219 active boil water advisories at
year-end, impacting nearly 50,000 people in more than 150 communities.
There are boil water advisories in this Province that are older than
I am.
The Drinking Water Safety report reveals a staggering
increase of unsatisfactory bacteriological samples.
The coliforms are spiking up to 962 from 623 in 2010-2011, 132 cases
of E.coli, and increasing levels of arsenic.
That is a real problem.
The pilot project that the minister referenced as part
of the municipal fiscal framework is not a new idea.
A similar program was proposed in 2003-2004, but the current
government chose not to move forward on this.
Mr. Speaker, a pilot project is a step forward,
allocating some money to implement a new approach to water treatment
especially in rural areas where it is needed.
The good thing about this is we can measure success.
The more experts we hire the more regional services.
We can ensure proper drinking water, but by announcing this pilot
project to go for four years, it is just reprehensible without measuring the
results in between.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for St. John's East.
MR. MURPHY:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I thank the minister as well for the advance copy of
his statement.
Mr. Speaker, the issues with small municipalities can
be found in the monthly report on water quality issues in this Province.
Simply put, they need money, money to hire and train operators for
such things as chlorination systems.
Small municipalities are also having a tough time getting help with
funding for emergency repairs and pricey chemicals for these same
chlorination systems.
Mr. Speaker, water issues should be dealt with now.
This is not a new issue we are dealing with, and I think it is
shameful that this government has decided to come out with another pilot
project now when they have had such bad water in this Province for years
now.
Thank you very much.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. KENT:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I am pleased to rise in this hon. House today to
recognize May as National Hemochromatosis Awareness Month.
Hemochromatosis is a genetic disorder that causes the body to store
excess iron. This month provides
a valuable opportunity to raise awareness of the challenges faced by
individuals and families dealing with this disorder.
People with this disorder absorb four times the amount
of iron from a daily diet than the average individual.
The human body cannot rid itself of this extra iron, and over time
excesses build up in major organs such as the heart, liver, pancreas,
joints, and pituitary gland. If
extra iron is not removed, these organs can become diseased.
Mr. Speaker, if left untreated, hemochromatosis can be
fatal. When undiagnosed, it can
also increase the risk for diabetes, depression, infertility, various forms
of cancer and other conditions.
Type 1 hemochromatosis is the most common form of
hereditary hemochromatosis.
Approximately 125,000 Canadians suffer from the disorder.
Generating awareness to educate residents about the importance of
screening for early detection is crucial to ensuring early diagnosis and
effective treatment.
Residents who have questions, or who may have family
history of hemochromatosis, are urged to seek more information by calling
the Newfoundland and Labrador HealthLine at 1-888-709-2929.
The HealthLine offers callers free 24/7 access to a registered nurse
for health care information and symptom triage, and represents an annual
provincial government investment of approximately $3 million.
Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Hemochromatosis Society is a
registered non-profit organization founded in 1980 to raise public awareness
to ensure early detection, testing and treatment in order to prevent
suffering and premature death.
I commend the Society for its continued support and
awareness efforts on behalf of Canadians living with this disorder.
I urge all residents to visit the Society's website at
www.toomuchiron.ca to become better educated on the importance of
early detection and to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges faced
by so many across our country.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Burgeo La Poile.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I thank the minister for an advance copy of his
statement.
We, too, in the Official Opposition want to help bring
awareness to this disease. It is
amazing when you think about the stats that one in nine Canadians carry the
gene for hemochromatosis, but just because you are a carrier of the gene
does not mean you will develop it.
One in 300 Canadians are at risk of developing complications of this
disease. While there is no cure,
many complications can be prevented by early diagnosis and treatment.
The Canadian Hemochromatosis Society provides support
and information to individuals and families affected by this disease.
The society has a great source of information for those wishing learn
to more. They provide
information on the condition, diagnosis, testing, treatment options, and
many more other area.
Mr. Speaker, in closing, we all have a responsibility
to help increase awareness, and we are happy to do so today.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Signal Hill Quidi Vidi.
MS MICHAEL:
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
I, too, thank the minister for an advance copy of his
statement. It is important to
raise awareness of this serious genetic disease and the fact that untreated
it can lead to chronic diseases such as diabetes and others, as have been
outlined by the minister.
Primary health care teams across the country are
providing better services in terms of screening, diagnosis, and disease
management. If we had more
primary health care clinic teams here, families with genetic disorders such
as hemochromatosis would have better access to screening information and
services they need.
I really encourage the government to do what was
promised in the Throne Speech and reform primary health care and create more
primary health care teams in our communities.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. GRANTER:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I rise today to recognize an event recently organized
by the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture to support a valuable part of
our fishing industry our harvesters.
On March 25, the department sponsored a one-day
workshop for the under 40-foot vessel fleet that focused on vessel
innovation and harvesting for quality.
The event was organized with the assistance of the Marine Institute
and the Professional Fish Harvesters Certification Board.
Harvesters from throughout the Province travelled to the Marine
Institute to take
part in this worthwhile workshop.
Mr. Speaker, with reduced quotas, shorter seasons,
higher operating costs, and crew shortages, there are a number of challenges
facing the harvesting sector relating to current fleets and technology.
The provincial government is proud to assist our industry in
adjusting to these circumstances and capturing greater value for their
investment. We will continue to
support the development of this industry, especially during times of
uncertainty.
In an industry as competitive as the fishery, the
importance of striving for high-quality seafood products achieved through
the most efficient and safest manner possible cannot be stressed enough.
Our government is committed to working with harvesters
to build a strong foundation upon which a rebounding groundfish sector can
succeed. The workshop is
designed to present the fleet with information on technology and best
practices, while also seeking feedback from harvesters on their current
status and state of readiness for the groundfish fishery of the future.
By engaging in a series of technical lectures and
roundtable discussions, the department gathered valuable feedback from
harvesters on a number of key topics.
This information will prove incredibly valuable in identifying
potential projects and various new technologies that can foster future
success in the ground fishery.
The $1 million allotted in Budget 2015 for the Fisheries Technology and New
Opportunities Program will enable the department to continue supporting such
initiatives.
Mr. Speaker, this workshop provided the opportunity for
department officials, researchers, and the Marine Institute to hear,
directly from harvesters, what they feel they require in order to be
successful as our Province's seafood industry experiences the coming shift
from shellfish to groundfish.
Ideas coming out of this workshop provided participants in the industry with
information on potential upgrades to vessels which could lead to a more
efficient, technologically advanced and less labour-intensive harvest.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Carbonear Harbour Grace.
MR. SLADE:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I thank the minister for the advance copy of his
statement. Mr. Speaker, this
government continues to baffle me with their brilliance and self-praise.
Quality is indeed a critical part of a fishing industry and after
twelve years at the helm, I would have expected that this would have been
accomplished by now.
Mr. Speaker, I guess there is not much for this
government to talk about in the fisheries.
We have seen a 56.8 per cent cut in the fisheries budget since 2012.
We still do not have a seafood marketing council which was promised
over five years ago. They sold
off the marketing arm of FPI and another province is reaping all the
benefits. They have failed to
secure the fish fund associated with CETA.
They have failed to secure joint management of our fisheries, not to
mention custodial management.
Mr. Speaker, our fishery is too important to be left
adrift like this government has been doing since 2005, and I look forward to
a quality government that will alleviate our fisheries with vision, ideas,
and investment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
The hon. the Member for Signal Hill Quidi Vidi.
MS MICHAEL:
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
I thank the minister for the advance copy of his
statement. I am glad to hear
that the department is conducting workshops such as the one that the
minister talked about, but I note that we need a lot more of this type of
support for the small boat fishery in order to ensure that it is successful
and sustainable for the sake of harvesters and their communities.
We do need work on getting ready to transfer back to a
groundfish fishery, but we also need to explore new fisheries and pursue new
markets. I would like to see
workshops and training regarding safety, developing co-ops, provincial
seafood marketing this big promise that this government has been making
for all the time I have been in this House and work around developing
strong local markets for fresh products.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Oral Questions.
Oral Questions
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
MR. BALL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Yesterday, government revealed that 180 to 230 jobs
would be cut in health care.
This is on top of the 1,420 job cuts that were announced last week.
This brings the total job cuts in this year's Budget to 1,600
Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.
I ask the Premier: Are there any other job cuts
included in Budget 2015 that you have not disclosed?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. WISEMAN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Just before the Budget came down the early part of last
week, I revealed an attrition plan for the core departments of government,
together with boards and agencies, where we laid out a plan for some 1,400
positions to be eliminated over a five-year period through our attrition
plan.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. WISEMAN:
We are going to do that throughout all departments and core agencies and
boards.
Mr. Speaker, in addition to that, I also indicated that
we would be looking to various areas of our operation, core government
departments, and boards and agencies.
We will be looking at areas where we could have additional
efficiencies. If we are able to
achieve them then we would implement them.
The 1,400 we announced were part of a core program.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
MR. BALL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
We are aware of what the minister announced and what
the Premier announced in last week's Budget.
My question today, however, is that the people of Newfoundland and
Labrador there was no full disclosure on the 180 to 230 job cuts.
My question to the Premier is: Are there any other job
cuts in this year's Budget that you have not disclosed to the people of
Newfoundland and Labrador?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. WISEMAN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Let me pick up where I left off.
Mr. Speaker, we were talking about how we plan to do business from
here on in.
We have made a commitment to the people of Newfoundland
and Labrador. Through our
five-year fiscal management plan, Mr. Speaker, we talk about moving forward
with looking for other opportunities to create efficiencies, provide
programs and services to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador that are
sustainable in the long term, operating efficiently to ensure that the
services Newfoundlanders and Labradorians need, they get it.
They get it in a way that is sustainable well into the future.
We will be looking at each area of our operation, each
board and agency that we have to see if there are other opportunities to
make other improvements to make sure we create efficiencies and save some
money, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
MR. BALL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
We know there are a total of 1,600 jobs now that they
have finally publicly disclosed to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.
I ask the Minister of Finance one more time: Over and
above the 1,600 job cuts that will be in Budget 2015, are there any other
job cuts that you are aware of today that will be inflicted on the people of
Newfoundland and Labrador?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. WISEMAN:
What we intend to inflict on the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, Mr.
Speaker, is a focus, a focus on ensuring that we have sustainable programs
and services. We are going to
engage anybody who works with us.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. WISEMAN:
Any board and agency that is engaged in providing services to the people in
Newfoundland and Labrador, they are going to be engaged in a process, Mr.
Speaker, to sustain programs for the long term.
They have been asked to look critically at how they do business.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. WISEMAN:
We want to be the most effective, most efficient delivery of public services
of any jurisdiction in the entire country.
If we are able to do that, to support programs and services for
Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, they will be here not just for today
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. WISEMAN:
but well into the future and serve future generations.
That is our commitment, and that is what we will inflict on the
people of Newfoundland and Labrador, I say, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
MR. BALL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I thought I asked a question that the Minister of
Finance, who is in control of the finances of this Province and please
stop the hide and seek government.
Stop hiding the facts, stop seeking re-election.
Are there any other job cuts in 2015?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
PREMIER DAVIS:
It is pretty disrespectful, Mr. Speaker, going on over there today.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
PREMIER DAVIS:
I will rise above it, Mr. Speaker.
When we delivered our Budget, one of the things we
talked about doing, Mr. Speaker, was an attrition plan.
Unlike members opposite, we wanted to protect public servants in this
Province.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
PREMIER DAVIS:
We rely on a delivery of services on a daily basis for Newfoundland and
Labrador. We want to provide
them with some assurance that we are going to protect them to the best of
our ability, Mr. Speaker, instead of taking 1,000 or 2,000, like members
opposite did back in the 1990s, and without any notice sent them packing and
sent them to the curb. We did
not want to do that, Mr. Speaker, we want to protect them.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
PREMIER DAVIS:
And we are doing it through attrition, Mr. Speaker.
Attrition means when people retire and leave public service on their
own accord that we will replace eight out of every ten who leave.
It is a method to reduce public service without shocking the system.
It allows for us to employ new Newfoundlanders and Labradorians into
the service.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
MR. BALL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Maybe the Premier will answer the question, and I will
say it again: 1,420 by attrition, you have already said that, you have
explained that; 180 to 230 extra that you did not fully disclose to the
people of the Province until yesterday.
I ask the Premier: Are you aware of any other job cuts?
Do you plan any more job cuts in Budget 2015?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
PREMIER DAVIS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
What the member opposite is referring to was announced
in the Budget. I am going to
tell you, Mr. Speaker, we are going to try to make efforts to find
efficiencies in government at any chance we can.
If we can find a way to create more effective and efficient delivery
of services for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, we are going to do
that. That is our responsibility
as a government.
We announced it in the Budget, Mr. Speaker, but we also
announced an attrition plan so that we can keep our young, newer employees
in the jobs
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
PREMIER DAVIS:
so we do not send them home; we do not send them to the curb; and we can
continue to hire new employees not only this year, but next year and the
year after that and the year after that and so on because we want to
continue to hire Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
If members insist on interrupting the other member as
they are responding to question, then I will stand.
There is only twenty-five minutes in Question Period.
If you want to use it up by interrupting and interrupting, I will
stand until there is silence in the House and we can hear the response.
The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
MR. BALL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The 180 to 230 jobs cuts in health care are said to be
in administrative services.
I ask the Premier: Given that this is a very general
statement, what specific services will be cut?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
PREMIER DAVIS:
Mr. Speaker, we are going to review services, as I mentioned, and as the
information becomes available to us we will make those decisions in the best
interests of the public service.
We will make those decisions in the best interests of the services and
programs we provide. We will
make those decisions in the best interests of Newfoundlanders and
Labradorians.
Until we get to that point of making those decisions, I
am not going to try to prejudge the possible outcomes.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
MR. BALL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
With all due respect, Premier, and to the people who
are doing these jobs right now, you announced this yesterday.
You announced 180 to 230 jobs, so you are telling me that you have
not done the research on those positions and you cannot tell me specifically
where those jobs are being cut?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
PREMIER DAVIS:
That is right, Mr. Speaker; the member opposite has the information.
He just quoted himself in his
preamble to his question.
He knows there is a range available.
We will look at what is being applied to that range, what is being
recommended as efficiencies, Mr. Speaker, and then we will make those
decisions. We will do that in
concert with our partners.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
MR. BALL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
There is concern in the health care sector that these
cuts will involve information technology services.
In many areas these professionals work directly with physicians and
other health care professionals.
I ask the Premier: Will these cuts include IT
professionals who work directly on medical programs in our hospitals?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. KENT:
Mr. Speaker, the consolidation of back-office functions within our health
care bodies will not impact service delivery and the quality of health care
services in any way, shape or form.
We are finding logical efficiencies, Mr. Speaker, by consolidating
the functions that I referred to yesterday.
I outlined them clearly, including information technology that the
member is now asking about.
For people who are involved in technology directly
related to delivering health care services, that of course will continue,
Mr. Speaker. What we are talking
about consolidating are administrative back-office functions to save
taxpayers money, to find efficiencies, and to make the health care system
better.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
MR. BALL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Well, what we know is that many of those IT
professionals actually help support physicians and lots of other health care
professionals in our Province right now.
Just for clarification from the minister: Are you
certain today that this will not impact and these are not people who are
working directly with our physicians?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. KENT:
Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition refers to what we are doing as
cuts and I am obviously not surprised to hear him categorize it that way,
but what we are doing is finding efficiencies.
We are streamlining services.
We are consolidating four HR departments within the four regional
health authorities and also the Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Health
Information.
We have four, plus the infrastructure we have in place
at the centre. There is an
opportunity to do things better.
There is an opportunity to do things more efficiently.
We will not impact front-line services.
We will not impact patient care in any way as a result of
consolidating administrative functions, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
MR. BALL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
When Nova Scotia planned to merge health care
administrative services in 2012, they had two years of prior discussions
with health authorities and with government.
I ask the Premier: Did you do any discussions with the
health authorities; if so, when did those discussions start?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. KENT:
Mr. Speaker, we have been in discussions with the four regional health
authorities for at least two years on this very issue.
We have been constantly looking at ways to bring the health
authorities closer together, to work together and to collaborate, and, in
some cases, to consolidate services when and where it makes sense to do so.
In fact, we engaged a third-party consultant a couple of years ago to
assist us in that very work.
Deloitte, a firm that members opposite would be very
familiar with, has done a lot of work for us in identifying potential models
for shared services. I can
assure you that people within each of the regional health authorities have
been actively involved in that discussion over the last couple of years.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
MR. BALL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I ask the minister: What evidence do you have on those
potential savings in our Province?
Will you table the results of that evidence in this House of
Assembly?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. KENT:
Mr. Speaker, I can assure the Leader of the Opposition that we have taken
time to study this extensively.
We want to do the right thing to make the health care system more efficient
and to deliver better quality care.
By doing this, we are going to allow the health care authorities to
do what they are intended to do, which is focus on providing care to
patients by consolidating and removing some of those back office functions,
and delivering those services in a more efficient, focused way.
I am happy to table whatever information I can, Mr.
Speaker, to answer the Leader of the Opposition's question.
We have done the research.
We have not only studied what is happening right across the country,
but we have looked to other countries as well to figure out what model might
make best sense here in Newfoundland and Labrador.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Torngat Mountains.
MR. EDMUNDS:
Mr. Speaker, in Budget 2015 a new landing fee of $40 was imposed on all
landings at Labrador airstrips without consultation with the service
provider or users. Then the
minister said in the media he is meeting with at least one of those
companies on Friday to review the decision, a classic case of tax now and
consult later.
I ask the minister: Why did you fail to consult with
the service providers and the people before you imposed this tax?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Transportation and Works.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. BRAZIL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I first have to correct the hon. member over there.
I never said that we would review dropping the tax.
What I said from the proponent was they wanted to have a meeting to
talk about how we could better improve the services in Labrador.
Mr. Speaker, that meeting will take place on Friday with this
proponent.
Mr. Speaker, what we have been doing in Labrador is we
have engaged a process there where there is additional costing around
overtime because of the scheduling of flights and ensuring that we have
people available on the ground to make sure flights, be it medevacs, be it
the air travel in the area is taken care of.
We have also endeavoured, because we have had some challenges up
there with the Northern climate, to ensure that our facilities have water
and washroom facilities year-round.
We have invested tens of thousands of dollars to ensure that, and we
will continue to do that with these fees.
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. BRAZIL:
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Torngat Mountains.
MR. EDMUNDS:
Mr. Speaker, there seems to be a lot of confusion over there because the
Minister of Labrador and Aboriginal Affairs this morning indicated to us
that the implementation of this regressive tax is being reviewed with the
Minister of Transportation and Works.
I ask the minister: Has the final decision been made on
this landing fee as indicated in their Budget, or is it open for review or
repeal?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Transportation and Works.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. BRAZIL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I want to still make it clear here, this is about
improving the services in Labrador.
These are the only airstrips in Newfoundland and Labrador that do not
have a landing fee. We have
imposed that so we can continue to improve the ability up there for landing
flights up there.
Mr. Speaker, particularly around our terminals, we want
to improve our terminals. We
spend over $2 million a year on those airstrips.
We want to make sure the services there are attractive enough for the
airlines to continue flying there, and that people have the amenities they
need when they go to take a flight anywhere in this Province.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Torngat Mountains.
MR. EDMUNDS:
Mr. Speaker, the airstrips in operation in Northern Labrador have been there
for thirty years, and the only thing that has been done is gravel on them
and the paint in the building itself.
I fail to see where the government is going with this tax, other than
to tax the people on an already expensive airline that it takes to operate.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Transportation and Works.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. BRAZIL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I will clarify again where this tax will be invested
for the people of Labrador. We
have problems with washrooms because of the freeze up with water and the
extreme cold up there. An
average toilet would cost $100-$125.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. BRAZIL:
We are bringing in $5,000 non-water chemical toilets, Mr. Speaker, to ensure
that people have those amenities
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. BRAZIL:
people have those basic services.
We want to ensure that.
So no matter what the climate is, people would have the same services in
Cartwright, in Nain as they would have in St. John's or Deer Lake or Gander.
That is how this Administration works for the people in all parts of
our Province.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Carbonear Harbour Grace.
MR. SLADE:
Mr. Speaker, Budget 2015 has followed by the disturbing trend of government
cutting funding for the fishery.
In last week's Budget, Fisheries and Aquaculture was allocated $8 million
less than what was projected. In
2014, government left $4 million on the table from a projected budget of
just over $29 million. Since
2012, the fisheries budget has been slashed by over 56 per cent.
I ask the minister: What kind of future are you
offering harvesters and plant workers when the only clear plan from this
government is to diminish the fishery dollar by dollar?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. GRANTER:
Mr. Speaker, no other government in the history of the Province of
Newfoundland and Labrador has invested in the fishery like this government
has.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. GRANTER:
Mr. Speaker, just two or three hours ago the Premier and I went down to the
harbour front here aboard the Celtic
Explorer a research vessel that is doing research off the Coast of
Newfoundland and Labrador for the fisheries of Newfoundland and Labrador,
for the fish harvesters of Newfoundland and Labrador.
We have been doing it for five years.
The research vessel, as an example of one of our investments, has
provided great research and that research will be used as we move the
fishery forward in Newfoundland and Labrador.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
The hon. the Member for Carbonear Harbour Grace.
MR. SLADE:
Mr. Speaker, the minister did not answer the question.
As for what they did on the waterfront today, that is
something the minister has no control over whatsoever.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. SLADE:
Mr. Speaker, the lack of investment in our fishery, it can be seen in many,
many areas and places around this Province.
This government has failed repeatedly to promote a clear market
strategy for our seafood. A new
2015 cod report states, Newfoundland and Labrador cod has to target specific
customers who will pay a premium price.
I ask the minister: What happened to your original
commitment to create a seafood marketing council, and why is there still no
clear strategy to help Newfoundland and Labrador seafood compete on the
global market?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. GRANTER:
Mr. Speaker, if I just heard something properly that the hon. member across
says that the fisheries of Newfoundland and Labrador are not competing on
the global market. If I heard
that, is that the direction the Opposition want to take the fisheries in the
Province?
Our fisheries, our harvesters, our companies, inshore
and offshore in marketing, inshore and offshore, our fish products are
competing with the world's best, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. GRANTER:
Mr. Speaker, we will continue to invest in the fishery.
We will continue to invest this year and next year and the years to
come.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Bay of Islands.
MR. JOYCE:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I wish the member had the same vigour for the hospital
in Corner Brook.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. JOYCE:
Mr. Speaker, yesterday in this House, when asked about the $9.6 million for
the Corner Brook hospital, the minister stated it was for construction of
the hospital but offered no details.
I ask the minister: What construction will take place
on this hospital site this year, and when will the tender be called for this
work?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. KENT:
Mr. Speaker, first and foremost, I can assure the member opposite that the
most passionate advocate and champion that I have come across for the new
West Coast hospital facility in Corner Brook is the Member for Humber West.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. KENT:
He has consistently advocated within caucus, within Cabinet.
He has advocated loudly and consistently on behalf of the people of
the West Coast of the Province and I commend him for doing so, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. KENT:
The only reason I was unable to not provide the full detail yesterday to the
member opposite is that we were at the end of Question Period.
I am happy to let him know that the funding will be used to continue
the design of the acute care facility, and there are a number of aspects of
site work as well that I am happy to elaborate on.
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Bay of Islands.
MR. JOYCE:
I can see he might advocate, but obviously no one in that government is
listening to him.
Mr. Speaker, when the P3 was announced the long-term
care facility in Corner Brook the Premier said it would mean a savings of
20 per cent. The next day the
Minister of Health said it would be between 10 per cent and 20 per cent.
Obviously, no cost analysis has been completed on this hastily
announced project.
I ask the Premier: Before any decision is made, will
you table all financial analysis of this ill-advised project?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. KENT:
Mr. Speaker, hopefully in the days maybe even weeks, it might take months
we will find out where the Liberal Party stands on the involvement of
private sector and non-profit sector in long-term care, which, by the way,
has been going on in this Province for decades.
It works. We have seen it
work in our own jurisdiction.
We have consulted with other jurisdictions.
We have looked at what is happening across the country and there is
private sector involvement or non-profit sector involvement in every other
jurisdiction, in every other province in Canada.
The savings has ranged between 10 per cent and 20 per cent.
We know today, based on our own experience with a private operator
here in St. John's, that the savings is approximately 20 per cent, Mr.
Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Conception Bay South.
MR. HILLIER:
Mr. Speaker, the Provincial Wellness Plan Phase 1 is dated 2006-2008.
The Premier has mandated Phase 2 of the plan and we heard it
mentioned in the recent Throne Speech.
Yet, healthy aging, mental health, health protection, and
environmental health were given token mention in last week's Budget.
I ask the minister: When can we expect to see Phase 2
of the Provincial Wellness Plan?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Seniors, Wellness and Social Development.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. JACKMAN:
Mr. Speaker, I indicated to the hon. member in Estimates last night, the
many initiatives we have undertaken around wellness.
Look where we have come and the programs that we invest in smoking,
programs that we invest in healthy eating, and the many programs we have
outlined that are targeting our youth within the schools.
I indicated to him I am not about to give an exact
date, Mr. Speaker. We continue
to work on that plan. When it is
ready for announcement, I will probably give him a call and let him know
first.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Conception Bay South.
MR. HILLIER:
Mr. Speaker, I asked the question in February in a meeting and it was soon.
I asked it last night and it was soon.
So we have a different definition of soon.
We talk about a lot of programs, Mr. Speaker, but what
about the results? Three of the
wellness priorities identified in 2006 were healthy eating, smoking, and
physical activity. Recently, in
2015, nine years later, the Conference Board of Canada ranked Newfoundland
and Labrador the lowest in Canada on its health report, noting the same
concerns: obesity and smoking still impact our health.
I ask the minister: Why are we still the lowest in the
country in these statistics, given that we have been following another one
of your plans for nine years?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Seniors, Wellness and Social Development.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. JACKMAN:
Mr. Speaker, any time you go to a meeting and the stats are put up to that
effect it is bothersome; there is no doubt about it.
I have faith in the people of the Province; I truly do.
This is not a phenomenon that is unique to Newfoundland and Labrador.
It is persistent across Canada.
It is persistent throughout North America, Mr. Speaker.
The initiatives that we will undertake for example,
this year we are investing $500,000 to target youth.
That is part of that overall initiative, and I do believe that all of
us working together as a Province will improve upon that stat, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Signal Hill Quidi Vidi.
MS MICHAEL:
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
Last week the Premier said he had not done the math on
his bid to develop private-public partnership deals on long-term care for
seniors in our Province.
So, I ask the Premier how he could announce a program
without first doing the math.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
PREMIER DAVIS:
Mr. Speaker, I believe the Minister of Health just laid that out for this
hon. House, but I will be quite pleased to do it again.
We looked at examples across the country, Mr. Speaker.
We know our own example right here in this Province of partnering
with private business and not-for-profit in the delivery of programs and
services is an effective way of delivering of programs.
We do it in personal care homes, Mr. Speaker.
We do it with pharmacists.
Local family doctors, quite often, are private
businesses that deliver services and programs that are paid for by
government, Mr. Speaker. There
are examples across the country as well.
There are very successful projects with long-term care in Canada,
plans that have worked very good and provide a high quality of service.
Mr. Speaker, we look forward to providing more
effective, more efficient services to the people of Newfoundland and
Labrador.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Signal Hill Quidi Vidi.
MS MICHAEL:
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
He knows all about it in his terms, but he still does
not know how much it is going to cost.
That is wonderful.
Last week, the government announced 1,420 government
jobs to be lost by attrition then the Health Minister announced
approximately 200 positions will be cut because of amalgamation of aspects
of the health boards.
I ask the Premier: Has he done the math on how many job
cuts are hidden in the government's privatization plans?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
PREMIER DAVIS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
In her first
preamble and the comment that she made
there, what happens I will explain to the member opposite and I am sure
she knows this
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
PREMIER DAVIS:
is that when you go through a competitive process then you rely on the
proponents and the people who are interested in that process.
Across the country we have seen, as the Minister of Health stated
just a few moments ago, that between 10 per cent and 20 per cent reduced
cost when the private sector
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
PREMIER DAVIS:
or not-for-profits are involved in the delivery of long-term care homes
versus when governments do it themselves, so between 10 per cent and 20 per
cent.
Mr. Speaker, we are going to build 360 new beds 360
new long-term care beds.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
PREMIER DAVIS:
Some in Western, some in the Gander area, some in the Grand Falls area, and
some here on the Northeast Avalon.
Mr. Speaker, in doing so, we are going to create 450 new health care
jobs right here in our Province.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Signal Hill Quidi Vidi.
MS MICHAEL:
Mr. Speaker, I ask the Premier: How far is he planning to go with the
privatization of public services when it is proven that it leads to loss of
jobs and a decline in services?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
PREMIER DAVIS:
Mr. Speaker, the first thing that is going to happen is that when the
construction begins on these we are going to create construction jobs, not
just here on the Northeast Avalon but also in Central, in the Gander area,
in the Grand Falls area, and in Corner Brook.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
PREMIER DAVIS:
They are going to create construction jobs good paying construction jobs.
The next thing that is going to happen when they open,
they need professional staff to staff those facilities.
What is going to happen then is we are going to hire 450 new health
care providers in the system throughout the Province.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
PREMIER DAVIS:
We did not lay off hundreds of people during our Budget, Mr. Speaker.
We are creating an attrition plan.
Mr. Speaker, we respect workers in this Province.
We want to create jobs in this Province.
That is what we are doing.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
The hon. the Member for St. John's Centre.
MS ROGERS:
Mr. Speaker, yesterday when talking about the new Waterford Hospital the
minister said: I can assure you when the Province's fiscal position
improves, the work required to complete the design will be done and we will
be looking at ways to do it cheaper and faster.
I ask the minister: When exactly will this be and how
exactly is he going to do it cheaper and faster?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. KENT:
Mr. Speaker, we remain very much committed to replacing the Waterford
Hospital infrastructure, which is terribly outdated.
It has been in existence since sometime in the 1850s, I believe.
It is infrastructure that desperately needs to be upgraded.
We have other health care infrastructure in this region
and across the Province that is in need of upgrading as well.
We have invested hundreds of millions of dollars and we will continue
to do so.
As soon as the Province's fiscal situation improves,
this initiative remains a top priority.
The master plan and the functional program and the other work that
has been done to date will be extremely valuable, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
The hon. the Member for St. John's Centre has time for
a very quick question.
MS ROGERS:
Mr. Speaker, I ask the minister: Is he aware that P3 hospitals in Ontario
and Quebec have experienced massive cost overruns, costing governments
billions of dollars extra?
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services,
for a quick reply.
MR. KENT:
Mr. Speaker, there is just as much evidence out there to show all kinds of
success in terms of public-private partnership in health care and in other
areas. We are looking at all of
that to see if there are ways that we can do things better here in
Newfoundland and Labrador as well.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
The time for Question Period has expired.
Presenting Reports by Standing and Select Committees.
Tabling of Documents.
Notices of Motion.
Notices of Motion
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Government House Leader.
MR. KING:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I would like to give notice and ask leave of the House
for the following motion: That the Member for Humber East replace the Member
for St. John's North as the member of the Social Services Committee.
MR. SPEAKER:
Is leave granted?
AN HON. MEMBER:
Leave.
MR. SPEAKER:
The motion is that the Member for Humber East replace the Member for St.
John's North as a member of the Social Services Committee.
All those in favour, 'aye.'
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
MR. SPEAKER:
All those against, 'nay.'
Carried.
The hon. the Government House Leader.
MR. KING:
Thank you.
That is good.
MR. SPEAKER:
Further notices of motion?
Answers to Questions for which Notice has been Given.
Petitions.
Petitions
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for St. Barbe.
MR. J. BENNETT:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
To the hon. House of Assembly of the Province of
Newfoundland and Labrador in Parliament assembled, the petition of the
undersigned humbly sheweth:
WHEREAS there is no cellphone service in the Town of
Trout River, which is an enclave community in Gros Morne National Park; and
WHEREAS visitors to Gros Morne National Park, more than
100,000 annually, expect to communicate by cellphone when they visit the
park; and
WHEREAS cellphone service has become a very important
aspect of everyday living for residents; and
WHEREAS cellphone service is an essential safety tool
for visitors and residents; and
WHEREAS cellphone service is essential for business
development;
WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly
pray and call upon the House of Assembly to urge the Government of
Newfoundland and Labrador to partner with the private sector to extend
cellphone coverage throughout Gros Morne National Park, and the enclave
community of Trout River.
As in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.
Mr. Speaker, I have been presenting this petition on an
ongoing basis. This is a new one
from yesterday, and I think that this one would best be referred maybe as
the Budget petition because some of the ink is blue and some of the ink is
red. Three people have signed it
in red, three people have signed it in blue, and somebody else signed it in
black. So it looks like this
would have to be the Budget petition for cellphone coverage in Trout River
and in Gros Morne National Park.
It looks like some borrowing, some deficit, and a little bit of an increase
in spending. That is where the
government has gone in its Budget this year.
This lack of cellphone coverage or any cellphone
service throughout this area of Gros Morne National Park, and in particular,
the Town of Trout of River is quite unfortunate.
It is symptomatic of how this government has tended to govern.
They do some things here and some things there without being
particularly coordinated, without necessarily getting the best bang for the
buck, so to speak. You never
know for sure if they are going to do something and if they are going to do
it, where it will be done, whether it will be on time, whether it will be on
budget, or whether it will be over budget, or whether it will be done
properly, whether it will be completed, or like the Confederation Building,
incomplete.
Mr. Speaker, the residents of the Town of Trout River
and Gros Morne National Park generally would really appreciate some
consideration that the government of the Province of Newfoundland and
Labrador would partner with the private sector as it is standing by and
readily available to push forward with cellphone service in the park and
extend that service to them.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Mount Pearl South.
MR. LANE:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
To the hon. House of Assembly of the Province of
Newfoundland and Labrador in Parliament assembled, the petition of the
undersigned humbly sheweth:
WHEREAS the people of Newfoundland and Labrador are
deeply concerned and scared for our aged and disabled who require long-term
care now or in the future; and
WHEREAS our government and politicians have and
continue to ask us for our input on decisions, needs, and quality of life.
Now is the time to listen; and
WHEREAS privatization of long-term care, that is
publicly-funded beds operated by for-profit facilities, will undoubtedly
create deterioration in quality of care and working conditions in the
facilities. Private companies
will have to make a profit; their shareholders will demand it.
The possibilities of reduced staffing or increased user fees are
high; and
WHEREAS we need your commitment to ensure proper care
and protection for our most vulnerable citizens.
We need your commitment to our proud tradition of caring for each
other;
WHEREUPON we the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly
pray and call upon the House of Assembly to urge the Government of
Newfoundland and Labrador to retain control and funding for not-for-profit
long-term care in this Province.
As in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.
Mr. Speaker, I have this petition here that was
presented to me. It was actually
initiated by a group of seniors on Gisborne Place.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. LANE:
It was initiated by a group of seniors on Gisborne Place which is in
Southbrook, currently in the electoral District of Kilbride, and possibly
the new District of Mount Pearl Southlands if the boundaries go through,
and they asked me to present this.
As I said, it was totally initiated by them.
We have signatures here from numerous people on Gisborne Place and
other people in St. John's, the Goulds, and Petty Harbour and so on.
Mr. Speaker, these people are primarily senior
citizens, and they were very concerned when the Premier and this government
floated the balloon on privatizing health care, privatizing long-term care.
These are people who, at some point in time, may possibly have to
avail of those services and they are really concerned.
They are really concerned that when the time comes, if they require
these services, that because of privatization they are going to see reduced
services and they will not receive the care they require.
Mr. Speaker, we are talking about people here, we are
talking about our parents, we are talking about our grandparents, and we are
talking about senior citizens, people who have worked their whole life
paying taxes. They are at a
point now where they want to have assurances that should they require
long-term care or other health care services, that those services are going
to be provided to them.
So, I present this on their behalf.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Cartwright L'Anse au Clair.
MS DEMPSTER:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
To the hon. House of Assembly of the Province of
Newfoundland and Labrador in Parliament assembled, the petition of the
undersigned humbly sheweth:
WHEREAS Route 510 from L'Anse au Clair to Red Bay is in
deplorable condition and requires immediate upgrading; and
WHEREAS the condition of the highway is causing undue
damage to vehicles using the highway and is a safety hazard for the
travelling public; and
WHEREAS both residential and commercial traffic has
increased dramatically with the opening of the Trans-Labrador Highway and
increased development in Labrador; and
WHEREAS cold patching is no longer adequate as a means
of repair;
WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly
pray and call upon the House of Assembly to urge the Government of
Newfoundland and Labrador to immediately allocate resources to Route 510
from L'Anse au Clair to Red Bay that allows for permanent resurfacing of the
highway.
As in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.
Mr. Speaker, every weekend when I go back to the
district I am just amazed in a new way at the deplorable condition of the
road. For anyone who follows me
on Twitter, they saw an incident that I had again last weekend.
The entire tire completely off the rim, but it is not me that I am
standing here for.
This is not a nice to do, this is an absolute essential
must do, Mr. Speaker. I am
absolutely shocked that nobody has been killed on that seventy-six kilometre
stretch of road probably about thirty-five, forty kilometres that is very
deplorable. If the life of
pavement is twenty years old, then this stretch of highway that I am talking
about is decades past its expiration date decades.
Mr. Speaker, I understand there is a batch plant being
set up in Red Bay this summer.
What a golden opportunity to get some new pavement up in the Labrador
Straits area. Ambulances are
driving this road; school buses.
I heard when I was back in the district this weekend
there were seven tractor-trailer loads last season of cold patch that went
into the area. Easter weekend, I
think they put out two-and-a-half tractor-trailer loads of cold patch.
They paid double and a half time to do it, which is absolutely
ridiculous.
There are places now where you cannot tell what is
road, what is parking lot, what is gravel.
It is an atrocious mess.
It is a very, very serious threat to safety.
I think about, Mr. Speaker, we are moving into the
tourism season again. The people
who will be driving the road are not familiar with where the huge holes are,
very sharp, jagged holes. It is
just a matter of time and somebody will be killed, possibly more than one.
I encourage the minister to go up and have a look at
what we are driving on in the Labrador Straits on Route 510.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
The hon. the Member for St. George's Stephenville
East.
MR. REID:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I have a petition to present on health care in the Bay
St. George South area.
The petition reads: To the hon. House of Assembly of
the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in Parliament assembled, the
petition of the undersigned humbly sheweth:
WHEREAS there has not been a permanent doctor at the
clinic in Jeffrey's for almost a year; and
WHEREAS this absence of a permanent doctor is seriously
compromising the health care of people who live in the Heatherton to
Highlands area and causing them undue hardship; and
WHEREAS the absence of a doctor or nurse practitioner
in the area leaves seniors without a consistency and quality of care which
is necessary for their continued good health;
WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly
pray and call upon the House of Assembly to urge the Government of
Newfoundland and Labrador to take action which will result in a permanent
doctor or other arrangements to improve the health care services in the
Heatherton to Highlands area.
Mr. Speaker,
the fact that this situation in the community of Jeffrey's and the
neighbouring communities has been allowed to exist for such a long time
certainly shows there is something wrong with the way things are being done
at the present. In the
neighbouring community of St. George's, they have been without a doctor for
close to six months now.
It is a serious
problem when the basic health care services of a doctor or a nurse
practitioner are not present in a community.
It leads to additional problems, as people are not getting their
tests in time from serious illnesses that they have.
Mr. Speaker, it is a serious problem that needs to be
addressed. I am going to
continue to present petitions on this topic until this government addresses
the issue of the absence of doctors or nurse practitioners in these
communities because it is a serious matter.
What needs to happen, Mr. Speaker, is we have to have a
long-term human resources plan in this Province.
We have asked the government to put such a plan in place and to
release it to the public, to let people know what they are doing to address
situations like this.
We have not seen such a health care plan yet.
I am hopeful we will sometime soon and I am hopeful that this
situation in Jeffery's and St. George's, and indeed the impacts that it has
on the hospital in Stephenville, will soon be addressed, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you very much.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Orders of the Day.
Orders of the Day
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Government House Leader.
MR. KING:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
First of all before we get into the Order Paper, I
would like to do a reminder for
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. KING:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I would just to like to do a reminder for members who
are involved with our Estimates review that this afternoon the Government
Services Committee will be reviewing the Department of Transportation and
Works here in the House.
Tomorrow morning as well, the Government Services Committee will be
reviewing the Government Purchasing Agency; and tomorrow afternoon, the
Social Services Committee will be reviewing the Department of Child, Youth
and Family Services Estimates.
So that is a reminder for members.
At this time, Mr. Speaker, I would like to call from the Order Paper,
Motion 1, that this House approves in general the budgetary policy of the
government: the Budget Speech.
MR. SPEAKER:
Motion 1.
I go to the Member for Virginia Waters to continue with
her debate.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS C. BENNETT:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I found it interesting that the Premier
was using the announcement he made about the privatization of long-term care
as a justification to his words were to add 450 health care jobs.
I certainly hope he is listening to
the petitions from the Member for St. George's Stephenville East around
the need to have a comprehensive health care staffing strategy; because this
government has not been able to staff its own long-term care facility and it
still has beds in that facility in Pleasantville that they planned to build
four years ago empty, not servicing the seniors in our Province, not there
to provide health care and, quite frankly, they still are unable to staff.
I certainly hope, Mr. Speaker, that the Premier, this
particular Tory Premier, has higher standards and expectations around
staffing models than that result.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday when I finished off, the House
closed, I was speaking about the Residential Energy Rebate.
Today I would like to speak about the personal income tax that the
minister made as part of his Budget Speech.
He said, Effective July 1, 2015, to make the province's Personal
Income Tax system more progressive, we are adding a fourth bracket for
taxable income .
Mr. Speaker, with the crisis we have in our Province
around jobs and reasons for people to stay in our Province, the need to have
personal income tax be competitive is critical.
What we need is a commitment which the Liberal Party is committed
to do to a full review of the Province's finances which would include a
proper tax review; quite frankly, something that has not been done in years.
It is critical that we remain competitive if we want to
position ourselves as a place to live and work, to grow our population, and
to get more people working.
Because, quite frankly, we need to grow our tax base and not have a
shrinking one. Fostering and
growing that potential is a part of the Liberal vision for jobs and growth.
We need jobs here to have people here.
Mr. Speaker, the minister went on to talk about fees.
He said, A number of fees changes will either increase some existing
fees or implement a limited number of new ones.
Mr. Speaker, the increases in fees has been described by members of
the public as the death by 1,000 increases.
One example of the new fees that this government wants
to put in are security system fees; security systems for seniors in their
homes, single women, single men in their homes whose security alarm can be
activated by things like the wind blowing at a storm door will generate a
bill for these seniors. What is
even more unbelievable is that government would announce a fee that it has
no idea who is going to collect it, how it is going to be collected, and who
is going to handle the administration of the fee.
Mr. Speaker, the most important revenue measure that
this government choose to announce as part of its Budget was the HST, and
the minister said, One of our key commitments is to maintain a competitive
tax regime that supports economic growth.
The fairest means of raising additional revenue to compensate for
low oil prices is through the Harmonized Sales Tax System.
It is broadly based, so the burden is distributed over the entire
population base.
Mr. Speaker, I would ask the Minister of Finance and
the Premier if they have not heard about the economic phenomena called
Abenomics. Many on the opposite
side of the House, I am sure, have heard of Reaganomics and other economic
policies. There is a well-known
economic policy referred to as Abenomics.
It is actually the flawed fiscal policy of raising value-added tax at
a time when an economy is contracting.
Not only did this minister not refer to it, but his own research and
his own information in the forecast for the economy described an example of
Abenomics.
Mr. Speaker, Liberals do not support an increase of the
HST at this point quite simply because it forces the people of the Province
to pay for Tory mismanagement.
We intend to roll back any increase to the HST.
This government is taking more from families at a time when they are
under pressure rather than deal with their systemic spending problem.
Government is attempting to pay for their mismanagement, quite
frankly, by taking more monies from families and seniors and individuals in
this Province, which is reprehensible.
The Premier committed to making housing more affordable
for young people. During his
platform last year when he was offering himself to the 300 people who
selected him as the Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of
Newfoundland and Labrador, about 320, 350 people in that range?
AN HON. MEMBER:
I thought they tied.
MS C. BENNETT:
Oh right, sorry, there was a tie.
There was a tie and it went to a third ballot.
You are right.
Mr. Speaker, this Premier in his leadership bid said he
wanted to create a program that would provide payment assistance to
first-time homebuyers. In
essence, what his first sweeping revenue idea is, is to implement a HST, a
value-added tax that will prevent and impede young people's ability to buy a
new home in our Province.
Mr. Speaker, government has failed to manage expenses
and diversify revenue. That is
the issue we have today. They
have failed to diversify revenue, and now their failure forces them to turn
to the people of the Province to take more out of their pockets to pay for
this mismanagement. An increase
in HST and other consumption taxes at a time when our economy is in decline
is quite simply bad economics.
Mr. Speaker, we need to employ a long-term strategic
view that allows us to remain competitive and be best positioned as a good
place to do business, and, more importantly, for those businesses to provide
jobs for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Part of that has to be a comprehensive review of the tax system.
As I said earlier, there has not been one done in years.
We need to make it easier, not more difficult, for
young people and young families to live here.
The HST increase will only leave the people of this Province to pay
for the Tories mismanagement of $20 billion of oil royalties.
Mr. Speaker, the minister's Budget materials include a
history of surpluses and deficits.
I would encourage those people who are listening at home to take a
look at the chart that is in the minister's own Budget information.
The chart of surpluses and deficits from 1990 to 2020, and look at
the history of this government during a period of time when our Province,
when hardworking Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, when investors worked
hard to develop the oil industry, trade oil royalties for our Province, look
at this government's track record when they had $20 billion in oil
royalties, $5 billion worth of Atlantic Accord money, and see if those
surplus and deficit numbers are ones that you would be satisfied with.
Mr. Speaker, also in the minister's Budget material is
a chart that references oil revenue and assumptions.
As many people in this House should know, certainly on that side of
the House, I know on this side of the House we certainly understand it, oil
revenue assumptions that the Province makes as part of their budgeting
process to build to the oil royalty forecasted number needs to consider
things like average oil price, the exchange rate, the average production
rate. It also needs to include
some other common sense analysis such as: What will the impact of a low oil
dollar have on companies' capital plans?
Will we see further decreases in production as companies take
advantage of low oil dollars at a time when it makes sense from a business
perspective for them to consider it?
It is up to government to encourage these producers to
think about things in the long term and make sure that those shutdowns
happen in the best interest of the business, and more importantly, the
people of the Province.
Mr. Speaker, to be clear, Nalcor will bring long-term
revenue to the Province, the minister said.
In 2015-2016, the government is going to put $760 million into
Nalcor. He went on to talk about
the injection, saying that over the total investment period of ten years the
provincial government will have invested $3.1 billion into Nalcor.
So the financial statements for the Province have been
blown up with debt to be invested in Nalcor at the same time that the Crown
corporation has leveraged its balance sheet and driven the debt for that
Crown corporation at the same time.
Mr. Speaker, one thing I would ask as this government
pontificates about its ability to plan for things: Where exactly have they
planned for the equity injection for Bay du Nord?
I ask the Premier, now that you have mandated your minister to
finalize a deal by the end of the year, which is not the smartest
negotiation strategy there is, by the way, I would ask: Where in the books
in government's books, in Nalcor's books is the equity injection for this
investment in Bay du Nord?
Mr. Speaker, this Province has been sold, over the last
decade, a plan by this government called the Energy Plan.
The Auditor General reviewed that plan which outlined 107 policy
actions. During the Auditor
General's review of the Energy Plan he noted, Despite a commitment to do
so, there has been no comprehensive progress report on the implementation of
the Plan as a whole released to the public.
This was a plan that this government spent $3.1 billion
on to create and invest in a Crown corporation and all kinds of other things
that they sold the people of the Province on about an energy warehouse.
Well, Mr. Speaker, there needs to be an accountability to that plan
and an accountability to the people of the Province on what this government
has sold to them.
That brings me to the eighth of this government's
long-term principles. That is,
and I quote from his Budget Speech, we will establish a Generation Fund
in which a percentage of the revenues we accrue from oil projects will be
invested for and listen carefully future generations.
For future generations.
He goes on to say, Having invested our initial years'
worth of oil revenues in debt reduction and infrastructure deficit
reduction, we will begin investing in the Generations Fund as soon as we
return to surplus. He goes on
to say, We are developing and will bring forward legislation to establish
this and I quote trust fund and define the parameters according to
which revenues will be invested and managed.
Mr. Speaker, a savings account is a great idea, and it
was a great idea ten years ago.
Had government put away even a little reserve of the funds they had at their
disposal over the last ten years, it would be there for times of volatility
like we are seeing today.
Government cannot reconcile its deficit budgeting and plan to grow debt to
$14.85 billion with its plan to create a fund.
How will you pay for it?
By the time you return to surplus, debt reduction will be undone;
infrastructure will be pushed out.
So if you believe the minister's spin, we will be back where they
found themselves in 2003, but with the bulk of oil revenues behind us.
The government has not provided any clarity on where the revenue will
come to balance the Budget, pay down the debt, while growing this fund.
Mr. Speaker, quite frankly, this government sold the
people of the Province that Muskrat was their legacy fund.
Parents set up trust funds to keep their kids from spending their
inheritance money. They do not
set up the trust funds after the money has all been spent.
Now this government wants to talk about a generation
fund. They say their legacy will
be creating an energy warehouse.
That will be their legacy. Well,
Mr. Speaker, the water and oil were there long before this government tried
to take claim. The reality is
this government is turning their back on the population reality, and they
have been for years the inverted pyramid of our population, the
demographic reality facing our Province, as the Minister of Health knows
very clearly, the fastest aging population.
Well, Mr. Speaker, what does that mean?
What does the fastest aging population mean?
Well, here is a reality check.
It also means, sadly, the fastest dying population.
Reaction to this Budget, to the Tory's mismanagement,
to their continued mismatched priorities, is fear, people are frightened;
but, even more importantly, they are angry.
They have seen this government focus singularly with tunnel vision on
individual sectors that were easy to work on.
It was easy to grow the oil revenues as part of our GDP when it was
pumping out of the ground. It
was not easy to grow industries like agriculture, fishing, manufacturing,
because that takes really hard work, and this government did not want to do
that hard work, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, last fall I had the pleasure, as I was
asked by the Leader of the Official Opposition, to travel across the
Province and have some conversations with people in communities about what
they feel about the economic reality of Newfoundland and Labrador.
We looked at entire GDP breakdown of industry by
sector. Mr. Speaker, when you
look at the chart, you see oil here and every other industry here.
This government failed to look at diversifying our economy, and that
is what that chart shows. Let's
go one step further. In order to
grow an economy and in order to deal with the population issue that we are
facing we have to find a reason; we have to give people a reason to stay
here. Quite frankly, they are
not going to stay here. They are
not going to put down roots here if they cannot find jobs.
Employment by industry top five employers in this
Province currently, as of the end of 2013: number one employer, health care;
number two employer, retail; number three employer, construction; number
four employer, government; and number five employer, education.
So, let's take a look at what is contributing to the
GDP. The number one contributor
to GDP is oil extraction. That
is not driving jobs. Finance,
insurance, and real estate is the number two job creator in Newfoundland and
Labrador; number three, construction; number four, mining; and number five,
health care.
Mr. Speaker, the problem that this government had is
they accepted the GDP increases but they did not understand that extra
royalties did not create the breadth of jobs that we need in our Province to
protect our population and to grow our population.
Mr. Speaker, how do we change this?
What can we do? Quite
frankly, there is a well-known quote by a renowned or I should not say
renowned, by an infamous politician that used a quote.
I think his quote was, It's the economy, stupid.
I would argue that in Newfoundland and Labrador today we are at a
time in our history when this quote is very apropos: It is about the jobs,
stupid.
People will only be here, stay here, live here, choose
here if the right job for their skills is here, if they can make a living
for their family. We must
increase the working population in our Province, period.
Why? Because we have to
switch that population pyramid over.
We have to make sure that we protect generations to come.
To do that, we must have jobs and we must have people.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS C. BENNETT:
Mr. Speaker, these two things are critically interwoven and they must be
managed in synchronicity. They
are connected. They are
interlocked.
Mr. Speaker, there is a lot missing from this Budget,
particularly in the area of economic development.
We on this side of the House know a thing or two about economic
development. We have more
managerial expertise and entrepreneurs.
We understand the importance of growing the economy.
You may think that the only options are tax and spend,
but on this side of the House we believe we can grow our economy, grow our
workforce, and grow our population.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS C. BENNETT:
Mr. Speaker, quite frankly, the people on this side of the House, the
Liberal Party, have not given up on the Province, and will not give up on
the Province despite the fact that this government has.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS C. BENNETT:
We can act and make decisions that improve the lives of the people of the
Province. There are things we
can do locally to improve conditions in the Province.
Mr. Speaker, I promised the people I met last fall that
I would stand in this House and share their words.
I will share what people of the Province said about economic
development in Newfoundland and Labrador.
In Carbonear they said: There should be mandatory resource
development expectations. We
need to stand up for ourselves.
We need to put teeth in the benefits agreements that would ensure that the
benefits are seen and felt in Newfoundland and Labrador, including rural
Newfoundland.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS C. BENNETT:
Mr. Speaker, they said there are barriers to economic development.
They are landlocked in their communities.
There are mandatory development needs, but municipalities need the
land for development. Crown land
must be made easier to access.
The speed of support from government agencies was an issue.
They said that political interference in economic development was an
issue for this government; politics before jobs.
Mr. Speaker, people in Carbonear went on to say: we
need to grow our market domestically.
Networking opportunities were limited for business operators in one
part of the Province to network with other parts of the Province, and there
needed to be these connections.
We talked about growing market share internationally.
There was passionate, passionate discussion about the need to grow
our fishery.
Mr. Speaker, I listened earlier as the Minister of
Fisheries talked about this government's research.
I would ask: Has that not been the responsibility of the federal
government? Why have you not
been able to get the federal government to do the job it is supposed to do
for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS C. BENNETT:
They said the forestry must be grown.
Rural economic development is a must.
Population has declined, which makes growing our workforce real
tough.
In Happy Valley-Goose Bay, people there said Phase III
of the highway needs to be done.
It is impacting freight movements.
Transportation infrastructure needs to improve.
In Goose Bay, they talked about the actual Goose Bay
port and the opportunities for a regional port to access the North.
The entrepreneurial risk appetite is less in our Province, they said,
than when job future is uncertain.
5 Wing Goose Bay is a terrible waste of potential infrastructure.
There is business, housing, health care, and long-term care
opportunities with that asset.
Mr. Speaker, they went on to say: opportunity for a
data warehouse and Labrador City as an employer is a way to diversify our
economy. I would ask this
government: What have you done on that idea that is coming from the ground
in Labrador?
People spoke to me about New Dawn, the agreement with
our Aboriginal neighbours. It
was supposed to provide opportunities but those opportunities, people said
there, have not always been realized.
Again, the topic of political interference and projects was brought
up by the people I spoke to last fall.
We spoke about benefits agreements, manufacturing, and
agriculture. We had
conversations in Stephenville.
We had conversations in Clarenville.
promoting business in an entrepreneurial lifestyle.
They spoke about the opportunity to celebrate our people and culture
and arts with the spirit of entrepreneurship that allowed jobs to be created
and opportunities to be found here in our Province.
Mr. Speaker, we spoke about the fishing industry and
that the Province needed to stop treating the fishing industry as an expense
and treat it as a potential industry to grow in rural Newfoundland and
Labrador.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS C. BENNETT:
Mr. Speaker, in Corner Brook we talked about exit strategies for succession
planning and the need to support and training for entrepreneurs as they move
into retirement and young entrepreneurs come in to take over those
businesses. We talked about the
cultural tourism sector and the need for true accurate data that small
businesses need to make critical decisions.
We talked about the need to have one-stop shopping for
information. We talked about the
shortage of the right labour at the right time constraining business growth.
We talked about workforce development and that people are losing
faith in the Newfoundland economy because of our population issue.
The data does not lie, but there is no secret as to why we are in
this positon we are in today.
We talked about technology and young generation
training, coding and digital distribution, fisheries.
We talked about diversifying and actually leveraging the fisheries to
be able to use it as part of growing our cultural industry and our tourism
industry. Mr. Speaker, the list
goes on and on and on.
Mr. Speaker, based on what I heard, based on what
people are telling me, our Province has succumbed to what Stanford
University Professor, Terry Lynn Karl, calls the Paradox of Plenty.
As an academic, the MHA for the District of St. George's
Stephenville East has actually written papers on the subject of how
economies and governments are sometimes narrowed in their scope by
non-renewable resource discoveries, like the oil boom here in our Province.
What will Liberals do differently?
I will make it really, really simple so there is no confusion.
We intend on building a smarter economy, Mr. Speaker, a smarter
economy.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS C. BENNETT:
A smarter economy that maximizes the potential of our natural resources,
both renewable and non-renewable.
We will recognize that we need to address how the low literacy levels
in our Province have to grow so we can have a skilled workforce that sets us
up for success.
We will look at creating pathways to success that will
include pathways for our youth who all too often feel shut out.
That is why our leader, the Leader of the Official Opposition has
spoken regularly and frequently on the youth entrepreneur and retention
program. We will introduce a
strategy to engage our youth in entrepreneurship and help them create a
smarter economy of tomorrow for all of our communities.
In essence, identify what is possible and find the smartest way to do
it.
When we consider that Atlantic Canadians are the most
likely to start a new business, but sadly, the least likely to flourish, we
need to reflect on creating the conditions for businesses to succeed, and
providing the coaching and creating the mentorship opportunities for new
start-ups to de-risk their business plan and increase their chances of
success. Helping entrepreneurs
learn how to raise private capital for great ideas increases the access to
growth capital to foster start-ups and expand existing businesses.
Mr. Speaker, that is why the Leader of the Official
Opposition has also spoken about business investment tax credits to support
the growth of new business throughout the Province.
Why? Because we have to
create new jobs. The only way we
are going to improve and increase our population numbers is to create new
jobs.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS C. BENNETT:
Government's goal from economic development must be to create opportunities
for people to work, live, and raise their families in our Province.
We must have a conversation as a community about maximizing the
potential of our natural resources.
We acknowledge that some of them are non-renewable, absolutely.
Benefits agreements that are broad and far reaching, and look for
opportunities in both the start-up phase of the project, as well as the
operational phase of the projects by further extending supply chains for our
local businesses are opportunities to grow our local businesses with global
markets. We must challenge
ourselves on how we further leverage this economic engine I say, Mr.
Speaker.
Mandatory resource development requirements; I
challenge this government to ask how they have been accountable to the
mandatory resource development requirements and the sustainability in
benefits agreements. I do not
think anybody in this House would now be surprised that less than 4 per cent
of our employment comes from oil and gas, and less than 2 per cent comes
from mining. We need to change
that. In other areas we need to
grow our renewable economic drivers.
Mr. Speaker, we need to grow domestic markets in our
Province for locally produced goods and services and yes, we can grow our
oil extraction and supporting services sector, but so too can we grow
others. We can do this by
working in partnership with industry and setting targets to grow market
share and work together to achieve those targets.
Mr. Speaker, the people on this side of the House, the
Liberal Party, under the leadership of the Leader of the Official
Opposition, we believe we can grow agriculture, forestry, fisheries,
information technology, manufacturing
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS C. BENNETT:
culture, the tourism sector, and we will grow our domestic markets so then
we can leverage that growth
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MS C. BENNETT:
Mr. Speaker, I have obviously gotten the opposite side of the House very
excited with these ideas.
Mr. Speaker, we can grow our domestic markets that can
leverage the growth to grow our global market share.
We need to sell locally so that we can sell globally with simple,
practical things.
Here are a couple of quick ideas.
Are small businesses thinking virtually?
According to the BDC, only about 12 per cent of small businesses are
selling things online, when the majority of Canadians use the internet to
inform or facilitate consumption.
Exporting: Are businesses thinking globally about the
things that they are selling domestically, and how can we facilitate the
supports and mechanisms that they need to sell their products globally?
The fact that 86 per cent of exporting companies this is a stunning
number: 86 per cent of exporting companies in Canada are small and medium
enterprises, and realizing how accepted this method of market share growth
actually is, is encouraging.
That is why we need to look at leveraging our small and medium businesses,
like the Leader of the Official Opposition has said.
Because do you know what?
Every small business that hires two people makes a big difference in the
community.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS C. BENNETT:
Mr. Speaker, I stood in this House for almost two hours yesterday and I
listened to the minister of Child, Youth and Family Services pontificate
questions about who is the boss.
Well, let me assure the minister, let me make it very clear to him, because
it is obvious that this government has forgotten exactly who the boss is.
The boss in this House of Assembly, quite frankly, Minister, is the
people of Newfoundland and Labrador
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS C. BENNETT:
and the sooner he remembers that, the sooner his government will start
showing some leadership.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS C. BENNETT:
Mr. Speaker, when we talk about thinking virtually and globally, in a way,
we can apply these concepts
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER (Littlejohn):
Order, please!
Thank you.
The hon. the Member for Virginia Waters.
MS C. BENNETT:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
When we talk about thinking virtually and globally, we
can apply these concepts and thinking to rural economies and how to
revitalize them. How do we
utilize technology and overcome geographical challenges?
How can we reinforce relationships to overcome technological
challenges, such as a lack of broadband Internet in certain areas of the
Province? We have to ask
ourselves: Do the conditions for businesses to succeed differ in rural
Newfoundland than they do in urban Newfoundland and Labrador.
Growing markets requires thinking outside of the box
and we believe, our leader believes, that the spirit to try and the spirit
to succeed lives strong in the people of the Province of Newfoundland and
Labrador, but it does not live strong in this government, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS C. BENNETT:
There is a social economy and government is not doing everything it can to
grow our economy.
Other provinces in Canada have strategies in place.
We have seen in our Province successful social enterprises like the
Shorefast Foundation, SABRI, and DieTrac.
These social enterprises are examples of what is happening in rural
communities where jobs become a priority and people get to work.
Mr. Speaker, we can look outside of our Province and
see models that are working in growing economies, helping at-risk
populations find meaningful employment as previously mentioned.
We can look in our own Province at organizations like the Stella
Burry Centre and what that organization and that social enterprise is able
to do to provide employment opportunities for people who need those
opportunities, and then also use those jobs as a way to train those
individuals to have even much more amazing opportunities than they would had
they not had that opportunity.
Mr. Speaker, this Province developed an innovation
strategy in March of 2006. I
would ask: What are the metrics of success for the innovation strategy?
Has there been an increase in filing of patents?
Are we getting more in innovation and development tax credits?
Are we developing new products and services?
The answer is, Mr. Speaker, this Province does not know.
What we do know from the report of the Conference Board
of Canada is that Newfoundland performs poorly on indicators of innovation
including research, development, spending, and patent applications.
For Newfoundland and Labrador firms to be innovative,
they need to see a policy and regulatory environment that is alert to the
needs of the industry and agile in its response.
In the Throne Speech, government has said it has been working on lean
processes but has not even implemented themselves.
Mr. Speaker, we continue to hear stories about firms in
our Province that cannot bid on provincial tenders.
We need a policy and we need ideas that provide Newfoundland
companies an opportunity to bid locally so that they can get that local
market share so they can earn the reputation to sell their wares on a global
stage. We have to use
procurement to showcase the innovative products and services that are abound
in our Province. If government
really cared about procurement's ability to support local business, this
would have already happened.
Mr. Speaker, to manage economic benefits, we need an
intellectual property policy that is conducive to industry engaging with
MUN. Government needs to develop
greater linkages between firms, MUN, key government agencies, and
departments and regulators. Education
must meet the standard in terms of relevance and quality.
They are two different things: relevance and quality.
This must be met so we can compete in a global economy.
Mr. Speaker, setting targets for growth across a broad
range of economic drivers and not just two or three sectors is critical to
the future of Newfoundland and Labrador.
It is why we are in this situation today.
There were no targets and no accountability within government.
Tell us what sectors you had targets for and tell us what you
actually achieved in all of those industries.
The fishing industry has not changed as a contributor to GDP since
this government took over. Mr.
Speaker, these sectors drive the economic engine of our Province, or at
least they can.
I would ask the government: Who did you consult in the
community around the impact of HST?
Benefits agreements have the opportunity to create much
more business integration and networking opportunities than simply, but
importantly, building it and making the project construction work here.
We have been content in our Province to lay pipe and build things.
Quite frankly, Mr. Speaker, that is not enough.
Benefits should be providing something beyond just the project.
Mr. Speaker, we have an Office of Public Engagement.
I would ask, how is that office engaging with the people of
Newfoundland and Labrador who have ideas, who have a passion to grow our
economy, to grow industries and sectors that this government has chosen to
ignore because they were addicted to oil?
The Office of Public Engagement has become known as the department
that uses clickers. We intend to
utilize and would utilize public engagement in a real, meaningful way,
public engagement that is about driving our economy.
Let's talk about something simple about red tape.
Reducing risk for investors is important.
The current environment ministerial changes and the number of
ministerial changes have created policy and instability in that department.
Environmental assessment timelines are like spinning the Regatta
wheel, you never know when your number is going to come up.
We have to ensure that the risk is reduced.
Mr. Speaker, what about the obvious pillar in this
government's economic view and its view of what is going to be the legacy,
Nalcor Energy. Could we not have
figured out a way that Nalcor could use their major procurement decisions,
and when they go to other countries to purchase things that cannot be
purchased in Newfoundland and Labrador, that they might be able to connect
back to a local provider for products and services?
Tower steel when they went to Turkey; in Japan when they got
turbines; in Italy when they went to get project management.
Could they not have included our local business community to gain
from those opportunities?
We would like to have bulk procurement done locally.
If we have to go outside of the Province it is a good time to try and
open up relationships with other locations to allow the opportunities for
new markets and allow for reciprocal trade.
Mr. Speaker, there is net metering.
Net metering was promised by this government in 2007, and now it is
2014. We have committed to smart
metering. The reason we have, is
that local businesses would have been developed.
Manufactures and businesses that are trying to reduce their energy
cost would have been given that opportunity to do it.
Quite frankly, this government's policy on net metering has hampered
innovation. Development of
products that need to be developed, are not being developed.
The minister keeps saying he is doing it, but still it is not done.
Mr. Speaker, our intention would be to work with
winners. Help those winners,
help those companies that have the potential to employ many more people,
help them reduce the time to market, develop markets more quickly.
We understand not every company has global aspirations, but those
that do, we need to pay special attention to those firms.
I ask this government: What has been your trade
strategy? You have been in
government for twelve years.
Surely by now, after the Crown jewel, Nalcor Energy, was created, surely by
now you have created a trade strategy.
Mr. Speaker, these are all ideas, and the possibilities are enormous.
We see these possibilities where this government fails to see them.
We see them, and we see the urgency of acting.
Economic growth, growing jobs, growing our workforce
are linked to the single, biggest act of mismanagement oversight this
government has ever made. The
failure to protect and ensure there are future generations, let alone a
generations fund, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS C. BENNETT:
Let me be clear, it is our intention that our leader, who was elected by
12,000 people in the Province to lead our party he believes in the future
of Newfoundland and Labrador. He
believes in the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, and with the innovative
ideas that we will passionately work to execute, we will get results, Mr.
Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS C. BENNETT:
It is our intention to bring electoral reform that not only addresses
campaign finance rules, something they failed to do, but MHA pension reform,
which they had a decade to do.
Mr. Speaker, even more, further reform will address the fixed election date
so floundering governments that lack a mandate from the people can never
again put our political fortunes ahead of the interests of the people of
this great Province.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS C. BENNETT:
Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned earlier in my remarks yesterday, I believe I
was doing some door to door in St. John's West this weekend, and a voter at
the door summed up this Budget for me.
She summed up this Budget for me when she said it was time for an
election. It is time for an
election.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS C. BENNETT:
Mr. Speaker, her reason was simple.
She had simply lost confidence, lost faith in this government to do
what needs to be done for the people of the Province.
Therefore, I, as the Member for Virginia Waters, moved
and seconded by the Member for Burgeo La Poile, that all the words after
that be struck out of the Budget motion and be replaced with the
following: That this House condemns the government for its failure to
present a fiscally responsible program which addresses the immediate
economic problems of rural areas of our Province, as well as the serious
social needs that exist in this Province, and its failure to create a
climate of sustainable economic growth within the Province.
So moved.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
This House now stands in recess to review the amendment.
This House is now in recess.
Recess
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
After consideration, the amendment is in order.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
The hon. the Member for Virginia Waters, to continue
debate.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS C. BENNETT:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, throughout my remarks yesterday and today,
I have listed dozens and dozens of ideas on how to grow our economy and how
to grow jobs for people of the Province.
All those ideas come down to identifying, quite frankly, the right
priorities, creating solid business cases, executing on plans, using
accurate financial facts, and holding ourselves accountable to delivering
outcomes and getting results, and that takes me back to the Budget.
This document is a defining moment for our Province.
This document is a report card on whether this government after a
dozen years, whether the Progressive Conservatives have delivered results.
This government's budgeting process is ineffectual, short-sighted,
lacks accountability, and is driven by self-interest.
The consultation process they undertook was a PR
exercise, particularly this year, as it occurred long after government's own
internal process began. This is
not the transparent process the Premier committed to as part of his
leadership. Consultations need
to happen in a meaningful and significant way.
People have their ideas, people have their answers, people have their
questions, and that is what you need to fully understand the implications of
your idea or your opinion.
People in this Province are tired of being told what is
right, what the real story is, and what they do not understand.
Mr. Speaker, they are fed up with government's attitude towards
Labrador, towards the Aboriginal community, towards the disabled, towards
youth at risk, towards rural Newfoundland, towards our children's education,
and most recently, this government's attitude about what is right or wrong
for an elected member of this House to question.
Mr. Speaker, therein lies the problem.
Therein lies the real issue of this government.
They have lost their ability to question, to challenge, to query, and
to demand. Their decisions are
focused on their needs versus the needs of the Province.
We only need to look at one of the most recent PMRs that was debated
in this House of Assembly and that was the debate about parliamentary
assistants.
When former Premier Dunderdale announced her first
Cabinet in 2011, she got rid of two government departments and shrunk her
Cabinet from nineteen to sixteen nineteen ministers to sixteen.
At the same time, she announced two parliamentary secretaries.
Just a year later, when she must have thought that everyone had
forgotten and she was trying to save money, she actually announced a third
parliamentary assistant, adding $81,000 to the bottom line.
At the time, this is when this government was doing belt tightening,
and they went from two to five parliamentary assistants a year later.
As we debated in this House regularly, Newfoundland and
Labrador is the only Atlantic Province with paid parliamentary secretaries.
There are Cabinets that are larger and smaller than ours and they
manage their affairs in other provinces without paying parliamentary
secretaries. The Premier in
other provinces takes on much larger portfolios than the current Premier in
Newfoundland and Labrador. Maybe
he could assume some more responsibility from his other ministers.
Mr. Speaker, I use this example very purposely.
This government came into the House of Assembly and defeated a motion
that the Official Opposition made, and you have to ask why.
Why did they not agree?
Well, it is simple, Mr. Speaker; this government has lost their focus on the
people, on the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, and instead are
focused on themselves.
Mr. Speaker, there is a fundamental principle of good
governance and that principle is that to govern well, you must be able to
see reality. This government has
become stale, blind, and ineffective, and the people of Newfoundland and
Labrador are looking for an alternative, an alternative that will put trust
and accountability back in the Province's finances.
I want to read from an independent commission on good
governance and public services, six key areas where governance decisions are
critical and demonstrate what governance looks like.
Number one, Good governance means focusing on the organisation's
purpose and on outcomes for citizens and service users.
Mr. Speaker, this side of the House of Assembly has been talking
repeatedly about the importance of outcomes, and that is why.
Being clear about the organisation's purpose and its
intended outcomes for citizens and service users are important, the report
goes on to say. Making sure
that users receive a high quality service.
Making sure that taxpayers receive value for money.
The number two criterion that describes good
governance: Good governance means performing effectively in clearly defined
functions and roles. Mr.
Speaker, as we have seen this government transition ministers in and out of
departments the Minister of Health has changed in this Province fourteen
times in twelve years. Is there
any wonder that there has been a lack of good governmental oversight in the
Department of Health to ensure the supports and services that the people of
the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador deserve are in place fourteen
ministers.
The third item they talk about in the report is, Good
governance means promoting values for the whole organisation and
demonstrating the values of good governance through behaviour.
Mr. Speaker, this government purposely brought in
legislation to try to keep information private.
Why? What was the reason
why? We are relieved and pleased
that the government finally listened to the people of the Province, to the
Official Opposition, to its critics, and brought in legislation that is
reflective of the values of people of Newfoundland and Labrador and not
reflective of the government of the day.
When you ask the question: Why?
It begs the question: What do they have to hide?
Why did they need to have this information kept quiet?
That is not the value that people of the Province expect their
government to reflect.
Number 4, Good governance means taking informed,
transparent decisions and managing risk.
Yet, we listened today to the most recent example, questions about
this government's decision around long-term care.
We asked the minister, we asked the Premier: What is the information
that you have? Share it with the
people of the Province. Share it
with the people so they understand why you are making that decision.
Good governance means developing the capacity and
capability of the governing body to be effective.
Well, Mr. Speaker, when divisions and departments do not have clear
leadership, or leaders constantly change, or strategic plans are several
years late, or we have strategies that are supposed to be put together so
our public sector understand what the government's priorities are and those
reports are not done and those plans are not made, that is not good
governance.
This is the last one.
Good governance means engaging stakeholders and making
accountability real. Yet, the
minister stood up last week and read out of his own Budget document about
the incredible economic opportunities in the Province to come, but he failed
to acknowledge the reality, which I have spent the last two days trying to
articulate.
Mr. Speaker, people of the Province expect their
government to act in the best interests of the people of the Province.
This is a fundamental principle.
As I said earlier, to govern well you have to see the reality.
This government has become stale, blind, and ineffective.
I think the people of the Province are tired of a government that has
run out of ideas and run out of energy.
What would Liberals do differently, is the question.
Well, I can tell you one thing we would do.
We would have used a cautious method with budgeting for revenue that
was out of our control. Oil
royalties are out of the Province's control.
We would have had a small reserve fund set up to smooth out the times
of volatility. What we will do
is we will plan, based on financial facts that target outcomes.
We will execute those plans and ensure we get the results.
Mr. Speaker, we would act more quickly on the 100 or
more recommendations of the Auditor General to save taxpayers money.
More importantly, we would have diversified the economy, focusing on
small and medium businesses, creating opportunities for people to work and
growing our population.
Mr. Speaker, earlier this afternoon I started to share
some of the feedback people from the Province had given me when I had spoken
to them about growing and diversifying our economy.
I think it is important to continue to hear what those people said
for a moment.
In Corner Brook last October we spoke about exit
strategies, succession planning, and the need for support and training for
entrepreneurs who are retiring so they can transition their business,
transition that wealth, and transition those job-creating entities to future
generations. We have seen time
and time again in our Province businesses close because the connections
between the retiring business operator and the young person who wants to
operate their own business has not been made.
Last year in Corner Brook we heard about the need for
accurate data. When businesses
are planning small and medium businesses, they need to know the accurate