Newfoundland and Labrador Hansard — Members' Statements; Statements by Ministers — 14 May 2012 (47th General Assembly, 1st Session, Vol. XLVII No. 31)
2012-05-14
Newfoundland and Labrador — Debates (Hansard)
May 14, 2012
HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS Vol. XLVII No. 31
The House met at 1:30 p.m.
MR. SPEAKER (Wiseman): Order, please!
Admit strangers.
Today we are joined in the galleries by sixty-one Grade 7 students from
Lewisporte Intermediate in the District of Lewisporte. The students are
accompanied by their principal Terry Spurrell and teachers Shelly Whiteway and
Krista Lynch.
Welcome to our Assembly.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: Today we also have five individuals from the Port Blandford
Winterbrook Development Association - Skills Link Group from the District of
Terra Nova. The group is accompanied by the Development Association President
Barbara Keats and the Co-ordinator Daphne Lodge.
Welcome as well to our Assembly.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
Statements by Members
MR. SPEAKER: Today we have members' statements from: the Member for the
District of Ferryland, by leave; the Member for the District of Lewisporte; the
Member for the District of St. John's West; the Member for the District of
Kilbride; the Member for the District of Baie Verte Springdale; and the Member
for the District of Bonavista North.
The Member for the District of Ferryland.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. HUTCHINGS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Mrs. Jennie Bidgood of the Goulds
who passed away on March 27 at the age of eighty-six.
Jennie was raised on the land - she knew farming and together with her
husband Roger, built a business that was based on the produce of the sea and the
land. Today, the Bidgood's brand is synonymous with local goods and quality,
with a unique Newfoundland flavour.
The Bidgood's developed a niche in the market before people defined the term
niche market. Jennie was a successful woman entrepreneur before many of us came
to realize the importance of fostering women entrepreneurship. The Bidgood's
never forgot their roots.
Jennie supported Girl Guides, provided scholarships to schools and supported
countless other activities. More recently, the Bidgood's supported heritage
development in Petty Harbour and donated approximately thirty-eight acres of
land for Bidgood's Park in the Goulds.
Jenny was a fixture in the store. Quick to laughter, full of understanding,
kindness and generosity - she knew everyone and everyone knew her.
All hon. members please join me and my colleagues in extending sympathies to
the Bidgood and Walsh families and in recognizing the contribution she has made
to her community, her region and her Province.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The Member for the District of Lewisporte.
MR. VERGE: Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize some of the tremendous
things that have been happening at Lewisporte Intermediate School in Lewisporte.
Lewisporte Intermediate is a school of 167 junior high students with a staff of
nineteen and a tremendously supportive parental community.
Lewisporte Intermediate recently won a competition which will see one full
class of students being awarded an iPad for next year. All textbooks,
assignments and other work will be done digitally no paper. The school has
been chosen to take
part in NASA's Grail Moon Cam project as part of their
science program.
Their music program is second to none with many first place awards in various
music competitions. One student, Chloe Gale won the Junior Rose Bowl Award this
year one of the most prestigious awards given out at the Kiwanis Music
Festival. They have many sports banners hanging in the rafters, drama awards in
the showcases, technology projects in cyberspace and an overall excellent
academic program.
Members, please join me as together we recognize the staff, students and
parents of Lewisporte Intermediate for creating a school we are proud to call
our own. In closing, Mr. Speaker, I want to say happy retirement to Ms Freake.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The Member for St. John's West.
MR. CRUMMELL: Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Grade 3 class at
St. Matthew's Elementary School and their teacher Mrs. Danielle Bishop.
The class is participating in a twinning program this year with the Grade 3
class at Presentation Primary School in Carrick-on-Suir in County Tipperary,
Ireland.
Mr. Speaker, the boys and girls of St. Matthew's have been communicating with
their new friends in Ireland since early in the school year with letters, cards
and handmade crafts, as well as through the use of e-mail and Skype technology.
My understanding is that when the students saw each other for the first time
through Skype both classes cheered with joy.
Mr. Speaker, the students have been able to share information about their
schools, homework, and past times but also about broader issues such as
geography and the weather. This has proven to be a wonderful learning experience
for the children and teachers alike on both sides of the Atlantic.
I ask all hon. members to join me in wishing the Grade 3 class at St.
Matthew's Elementary and their teacher, Mrs. Danielle Bishop, the very best as
they continue their correspondence throughout the remainder of the school year.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Kilbride.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. DINN: Mr. Speaker, it is with great regret I announce the passing of
Josephine Heffernan of Goulds on May 5, 2012. Mrs. Heffernan Jose, as she was
commonly known was seventy-one years old, and for several years a very active
volunteer in our community. Jose was, until her death, the Chairperson of the
Goulds Daffodil Seniors Club, a very active club that has kept many seniors
active and involved.
In 2011, the Goulds Seniors Daffodil Club applied for and was successful in
acquiring a Provincial Wellness Grant. This grant offered seniors in our area
opportunities for increased physical and social activity, as well as mini
courses in personal and home security, first aid, as well as a beginner computer
course. Mrs. Heffernan almost single-handedly looked after this program,
including accounts payable.
Mrs. Heffernan leaves her husband Kevin after fifty-two years of marriage,
and four sons, Kevin Jr., Cal, Glen, and Tim, nine grandchildren, six brothers
and sisters, as well as a great many friends at the Goulds Daffodil Club.
Mr. Speaker, I ask all hon. members to join me and my colleague, the Member
for Ferryland, in extended condolences to the family on the loss of such a great
mother, wife, and volunteer.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Baie Verte-Springdale.
MR. POLLARD: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I rise in this hon. House today to applaud the efforts of the Baie Verte
Sabres Under 15 Female Hockey Team. They captured the silver medal at the
Provincial Tournament hosted by the Town of Baie Verte.
Members of the team are: Callie Whelan, Chelsea Greenham, Bailee-Lynn
Jenkins, Crystal Sacrey, Hailey Austin, Abigail Robinson, Jessica LeGrow, Alaina
Pardy, Kendra Goudie, Kaylie Goudie, Summer Barrett, Emily Chislett, Carrie
Thomas, Amanda LeGrow, Terra Traverse, Renee Thistle, Megan Decker, Hailey
Shelly, and Madison Northcott.
Coaches Jamie Bounds and Clem Thomas are to be commended for their time and
effort put into motivating and building a strong team. In addition, Mr. Speaker,
parents and volunteers are to be applauded for a stellar job in organizing such
a successful tournament.
The gold medal game featured the Baie Verte Sabres and the Stephenville Jets.
Fans were treated to lots of excitement as it took two extra sudden death
periods of heart-stopping hockey for the Stephenville Jets to score the winner.
Mr. Speaker, I invite all colleagues in this hon. House to congratulate the
Baie Verte Sabres Under 15 Female Hockey Team upon their achievement.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The Member for Bonavista North.
MR. CROSS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Our Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation released a statement about
the Arts and Letters Competition Awards referencing a very youthful David
Blackwood last week in this House.
This year we see another young person from New-Wes-Valley receiving
recognition in the Junior Division Prose Category. Bethany Kean, ninth grade
student of Pearson Academy, daughter to Gail and Dean, penned a piece of
fictional prose titled The Prey .
"Placing a kiss upon each of his small children's brows, he turned without a
second glance and headed towards the door. A raw snake of cool air slithered
through the weakness of his jacket as he took the first steps to what he was
confident was going to be a very perilous day."
Such vivid diction from a tender teen is witness to Bethany's literary skill.
This early excerpt from the winning entry certainly grabs the readers' interest
and quickly her words have captured the reader, who has no choice but to read
on. It suggests that she has honed her reading skills to polish her own craft of
composition.
I humbly request today that all members of this House join me in
congratulating my former student, Miss Bethany Kean. Let's hope we can all
become fans of her future compositions.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: Statements by Ministers.
Statements by Ministers
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. DALLEY: Mr. Speaker, I rise in this hon. House today to pay tribute
to Mr. Don Johnson who passed away on Saturday. It is with fond memories that we
honour his lifelong dedication to his family, to sport and recreation, and to
our Province.
Mr. Johnson had many accomplishments throughout his life, including his role
as a senior civil servant with the provincial Department of Rehabilitation and
Recreation. However, most people knew him for his involvement with hockey for
which he was well respected throughout this Province and the country. He was the
first person from this Province to be President of the Canadian Amateur Hockey
Association and Chair of the 1978 World Junior Hockey Championship in Montreal.
He was a member of both the Canada Games Council Hall of Honour and the
Newfoundland and Labrador Sports Hall of Fame.
As a respected sports historian, Mr. Johnson still attended many sporting
events at the age of eighty-two. In fact, he attended and spoke at the Don
Johnson Cup held at the Jack Byrne Arena only two weeks ago.
He was so proud to see our athletes contributing at the national and
international level and particularly representing our Province in the National
Hockey League. Mr. Johnson dedicated so much of his life to better sport in this
Province. He believed sport and recreation contributed immensely to an
individual's character.
While he was born in Halifax, Mr. Johnson moved to St. John's in 1959 and was
delighted to be a resident of this Province. His pride, passion, and love of the
people of Newfoundland and Labrador were quite evident whenever he spoke at a
sporting event. He wore his heart on his sleeve and everyone knew it.
Mr. Johnson could tell a story with the best of them, especially about his
involvement with hockey at the national and international levels. Throughout his
life he continued to make the game of hockey better.
I knew Mr. Johnson personally as he was a long-time family friend. Mr.
Johnson was a man of great faith and great character. He was indeed one of the
finest gentlemen in our sports community. I can tell you that first and foremost
he was a loving husband, father, and grandfather.
At this time, on behalf of the sport and recreation community and members of
this House, I would like to extend sincere sympathy to his family. Mr. Johnson
will be missed.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The Leader of the Official Opposition.
MR. BALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I want to thank the minister for the advance copy of his statement.
As someone who has been around senior hockey for a number of years, I too was
a personal friend of Mr. Johnson. I can remember even in recent weeks prior to
going into the hospital, it would not be at all unusual to get up on a Saturday
morning and there would be an e-mail in my inbox from Don Johnson offering some
words of advice or making some suggestions about sports or politics, it really
did not matter to him.
Needless to say, he was well respected within our Province and throughout the
country. I believe, knowing that he was from Halifax, there was no question that
Don Johnson was a Newfoundlander at heart. It did not matter what his birth
certificate said; he was indeed a Newfoundlander and a Labradorian.
He was extremely proud of his membership in the Hall of Fame and for the
recognition that he had, but if you talked to him, it was not for his own
accomplishments the fact that he was included with the members of Hockey Hall
of Fame, no matter what group he was associated with; it was him being included
with the other groups that made him proud. Needless to say, he was a unique
individual and he was always inspiring. In particular, if you heard him speak
about young kids and hockey, he was always motivating and always wanted people
to be the best that they could be.
He was a storyteller, as the minister said. Going back to 2010, this is
probably one of my best Don Johnson stories; it was just after the Vancouver
2010 Olympics. When he was asked to say grace at a particular function, this is
what he did; he gave his grace he would make a story out of it and near the
end of it, he bowed his head and he said: Dear Lord, thank you for Sidney
Crosby. Those were his words in the grace, as he told a story on that event. I
never forgot it.
I will say that he will be missed. We were looking forward to meeting with
him in June in Gander at the Hockey Newfoundland and Labrador meetings; of
course, there will be lots of stories to be told on that weekend about Don
Johnson. We send our sympathies and condolences to his family Flo, Peter, Mike,
and Cathy.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. John's Centre.
MS ROGERS: I would like to thank the minister for an advance copy of his
statement as well.
We celebrate Mr. Johnson for his tireless support of sports, and hockey in
particular. In his heyday, physical recreation was far more prevalent in the
schools, which allowed more children the opportunity to participate. This served
as a solid foundation for good health and fitness throughout their school years
and beyond.
Today, let us celebrate the memory of Don Johnson by committing to improving
physical recreation and sports opportunities for all young people in
Newfoundland and Labrador. This would make him proud.
Thank you, Don Johnson.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Justice and Attorney General.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. F. COLLINS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in the House of Assembly to recognize May 13 to May
19 as National Police Week.
National Police Week highlights the dedication and high-quality policing that
both the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary
display each and every day. Both police forces are focused on building strong
community relationships.
Mr. Speaker, National Police Week helps both forces achieve their goals of
increasing community awareness of policing services. Throughout the week, a
series of events will take place across the Province which will highlight this
commitment to strengthen the close bond between policing and communities. Today
and tomorrow, police and military will be available to meet with the public at a
showcase being held at the Canadian Forces Station St. John's to discuss careers
in policing and the military. Other events such as open houses, community
lunches, and displays will be held at various venues during the week.
Perhaps one of the most touching events of National Police Week, Mr. Speaker,
will be held on Wednesday. Every year, peace officers and supporters gather at
the annual International Police and Peace Officer Memorial Service to remember
and honour officers who have died in the line of duty. This service recognizes
the role peace officers have in keeping all of us safe, and acknowledges that
they often work in dangerous situations. I am honoured to represent the Province
at this service this year, which will take place at the Seventh Day Adventist
Church in St. John's. Throughout the year, citizens can also visit the Police
and Peace Officers' Memorial here on the grounds of Confederation Building.
Mr. Speaker, the Department of Justice and the Government of Newfoundland and
Labrador proudly support the men and women of the RCMP and the RNC. Since 2004,
police budgets have increased by over $52 million and there are an additional
145 police officers deployed throughout the Province. Budget 2012 provided
funding for an RNC officer for the Child Exploitation Unit, the continuation of
the redevelopment of the RNC headquarters, and $4.1 million towards the new RCMP
contract.
Mr. Speaker, I thank our police officers for the difficult work they do every
day and encourage everyone to participate in the many activities planned for
National Police Week.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Burgeo La Poile.
MR. A. PARSONS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I thank the minister for an advance copy of his statement. While May 13 to
May 19 might be the National Police Week, we all know that our police officers
in this Province are highlighted each and every day, 365 days a year, for the
work that they do for us. It also seems from the number of announcements that
are coming out that our officers here in this Province are going a long way in
highlighting what we are doing here all across this country, whether it be
awards or the conferences, the national and international conferences that we
are hosting here in September.
Again, it is nice to see our officers getting recognized for the great work
they are doing here. My personal involvement, I think that officers, besides the
work that they do, take the time to involve themselves in the community, whether
it be through minor hockey or hospital foundations or church groups; they take
the time out of their busy schedules to make sure that they become one with the
community and that is how they are able to do such a great job.
These are people that put their lives on the line each and every day, and
dangerous situations are certainly par for the course. You never know when an
innocent call might turn into a life-threatening situation, so again we would
wish all police officers in this Province, officers of both RNC and RCMP, best
wishes for a safe work day each and every day.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. John's Centre.
MS ROGERS: I, too, thank the minister for an advance copy of his
statement.
Congratulations to the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary and the RCMP on the
occasion of National Police Week. I would like to thank all those who have
dedicated their lives to making our communities safer for everyone and I honour
those who have lost their lives fulfilling this duty.
The career awareness efforts in recent years have brought many new, wonderful
recruits into the police services. I commend the RNC and RCMP's efforts to work
more closely with communities. This is essential to healthy communities. Thank
you once again, RNC and RCMP.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Intergovernmental and Aboriginal
Affairs.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. McGRATH: Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge the recipients of
the 2012 URock Volunteer Awards.
The red carpet was rolled out this past Saturday night as we honoured this
year's award recipients at a special gala event. Our winners blew us away with
the work that they have done and continue to do, not only in this Province but
around the world.
The URock Volunteer Awards were established to recognize the remarkable ways
in which young people are giving back to their communities. Nominations are
accepted in two categories: individuals and organizations or non-profits.
Individual nominees are evaluated based on outstanding voluntary contributions
and must be thirty years of age or under and a current or a past resident of
Newfoundland and Labrador. Organizations or non-profits must be youth-led and
are also evaluated based on their achievements and contributions.
Mr. Speaker, the sheer volume of contributions made by this year's nominees
is extraordinary. For this reason, choosing just eight recipients was indeed a
challenge. Our lengthy list of award nominees certainly signifies that there are
countless young volunteers in our Province who deserve to be honoured for their
efforts. Each with their own remarkable story to tell, they have all made
tremendous contributions to their communities throughout Newfoundland and
Labrador.
I would like to take a moment to acknowledge the recipients of the 2012 URock
Volunteer Awards. They are Nathan Whalen of St. John's, Jenna Kelly of Spanish
Room, Ian Locke of Meadows, Blair Trainor of St. John's, Regan Burden of Port
Hope Simpson, Ryan Furlong of Plate Cove West, Christian Legge of St. John's,
and the Holy Name of Mary Academy Eco Kids of Lawn. Award winners received
custom-designed electric guitars and all guests enjoyed performances by some of
the Province's top musical acts. The event was hosted by Newfoundland and
Labrador's own actor and comedian, Jonny Harris.
As Minister Responsible for the Volunteer and Non-Profit Sector, I sincerely
thank those who nominated these outstanding young people, and also those who
came out Saturday night to support them.
Mr. Speaker, I ask all members of this House to join me in congratulating the
2012 URock Volunteer Award winners.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Opposition House Leader.
MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I thank the minister for an advance copy of his statement.
I certainly want to join with the government, we as an Opposition, in
acknowledging and congratulating the 2012 URock Volunteer Award winners. I know
some of these young people personally and I know how successful they have been,
not only in their endeavours as a volunteer, but also in many other things that
they have been involved with in their lives.
Mr. Speaker, it has been said: never doubt that a small group of people can
certainly change the world. Well, volunteers are one of those groups of people
that continue to shape the world that we live in. As politicians and lawmakers
we often have the opportunity to support projects and initiatives, but we know
in our Province of Newfoundland and Labrador it is the many hands that give
freely their volunteer times and efforts that really make these projects come to
light. Whether it be in Daffodil Place or Ronald McDonald House, whether it be a
local event or charity in a community school or some other hospital or facility,
it is all of those people that put their time and energy into our Province that
certainly shape what it is today and where we are.
Mr. Speaker, these young people are no exception. I think youth leadership is
something that we should all encourage. One of those ways is encouraging them in
their volunteer aspects of life. I support the minister and her government in
rolling out the red carpet for these people, because they deserve it. They need
to feel that kind of encouragement and support. Hopefully, Mr. Speaker, that
kind of recognition will continue to allow the young people in our Province to
grow, continue to allow them to contribute their skills and services as
community leaders, and promote a culture of volunteerism for all young people in
Newfoundland and Labrador.
Congratulations again to all of them. I know these awards are well deserved.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Third Party.
MS MICHAEL: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
I thank the minister for the advance copy of his statement. I am very happy
to join with him and my colleague, the Opposition House Leader, in
congratulating these young people in their achievements.
I join with my colleagues also in recognizing how important it is that the
volunteer spirit of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians is being continued in our
younger generation. Sometimes people complain that we do not have anybody to
volunteer anymore and that we not have young people. That is not my experience.
My experience is that in every sector that I have seen, young people are out
there doing volunteer work. They may not always be going into an established
body in doing that work, but they are out there doing work that is extremely
important for their community, as the work of these winners show. I think it is
really good that we recognize these young volunteers, and it gives me real
pleasure to recognize them.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: Oral Questions.
Oral Questions
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
MR. BALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The Premier stated that her government completed an internal review of the
Burton Winters tragedy. However, the Department of Municipal Affairs has
confirmed that they did not listen to the recordings from the Joint Rescue
Co-ordination Centre in Halifax.
I ask the Premier: As part of your review, why did you not listen to these
tapes?
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, as part of our review, we certainly did review the written
report of JRCC, which contained the contents of the tape recordings and which we
supplementary received and have reviewed.
Mr. Speaker, the Opposition keeps calling for an inquiry into this matter. We
have reviewed the protocols of the Province and confirmed that the first call
received by Fire and Emergency Services took place at 8:19 in the morning, Mr.
Speaker. That has been confirmed by the RCMP, confirmed by Fire and Emergency
Services own logs, and confirmed by Bell Aliant telephone records, Mr. Speaker.
We are searching out information from the deployment of federal resources, Mr.
Speaker.
There is only one other place to look, Mr. Speaker, and that is the RCMP and
Canadian Rangers. I can only assume his work is being informed by the Member for
Torngat Mountains. Do you know something we don't?
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
MR. BALL: It was clarified last week that the RCMP does report directly
to the Minister of Justice, and we do know that the first call came out of
Makkovik on that Sunday night. We understand now that that first call went to
the home of an RCMP officer, not the RCMP headquarters as we had first thought.
Since your Minister of Justice has confirmed that the RCMP is under
provincial responsibility: Did your internal investigation uncover this?
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, in review of the search and rescue efforts for Burton Winters we
have reviewed the Province's role in that effort. Mr. Speaker, Fire and
Emergency Services provide supplementary service to ground search and rescue,
which is conducted by the police agency that has jurisdiction in the area that
the search was conducted. We know that there was a discussion between RCMP in
Makkovik the head of the ground search and rescue and the person who was in
charge of their command of Emergency Services that night. They fully assessed
the situation, made the decision to defer the decision on whether or not to call
in air support until the morning, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
MR. BALL: I guess the point that I am trying to make is that we
understand the call actually did not go to the headquarters, but actually went
to the home of another RCMP officer. The Premier has also stated in this House
that the search and rescue protocols are well-established and that they are laid
down in emergency plans.
The question is: Is placing a call to the home of an RCMP officer instead of
RCMP headquarters part of a well-established protocol?
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, protocols around on-call services are well-established within
government and without around this Province. A social worker, for example, who
might be on call for child protection might very well be in their home and
receive a call. Then there is a protocol as to how you activate services beyond
that, Mr. Speaker.
We know that RCMP in Makkovik made a call to RCMP command. There was a full
discussion of the facts as they understood them in Makkovik at that time, they
deferred the decision to call in support from Fire and Emergency Services until
8:19 the next morning, Mr. Speaker, when the first call was made.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
MR. BALL: I ask the Premier: Can you tell us when the call from the RCMP
in Makkovik went to the RCMP command centre?
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I do not have that information immediately at hand but we can
certainly get that information.
Mr. Speaker, the Opposition has continued to raise questions around the way
that this search was conducted and have called almost on a daily basis for an
inquiry, Mr. Speaker. We are satisfied that the RCMP and the Canadian Rangers on
the ground conducted the search in accordance with their training and best
experience. We know that the call was made to Fire and Emergency Services and
responded to appropriately. There are still questions we are waiting for answers
from the federal government on, Mr. Speaker. Is the Leader of the Opposition,
who has a caucus member who was on the ground, telling us that he knows
something we do not?
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The Leader of the Official Opposition.
MR. BALL: The reason why we continue to ask those questions is because
there is no clarity around what actually happened on that Sunday night. We do
not know today, for instance this is some months later if the call went to
the house of an RCMP officer or indeed to the call centre.
Last week, the Premier cancelled the meeting with the Winters family because
they wanted to ask questions that were technical in nature. The Premier stated
that these technical questions would be better asked to the Minister Responsible
for Fire and Emergency Services.
In the House you have answered a number of technical questions on this. Why
would you not meet with the family to discuss these technical questions similar
to the ones you have answered here in the House?
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, my office was contacted a few weeks ago by the mother of Burton
Winters' stepmother asking if she could come and have a conversation with me
about Burton, because he was a fine young man and he was getting lost in the
politics and the carry-on about the search and rescue. She wanted to talk to me
about that and my view of an inquiry, and whether or not we had heard back from
Minister MacKay. I was happy to agree to such a meeting, and I am still open to
such a meeting.
We discussed in detail in our communications between my office and Mrs.
Winters-Fost who would attend that meeting. Mr. Speaker, on Wednesday of last
week I was told that technical information was being requested. If it is
information they need, I need to do everything I can to ensure that they get the
correct information; thus the referral to the minister's office.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The Leader of the Official Opposition.
MR. BALL: Mr. Speaker, the Premier is actually yes, they were looking
for a public inquiry; that is what we have all heard since that. As we said, the
family is asking for a public inquiry and the Premier has resisted those calls.
Every day there is more and more information that comes out that seems to
confuse the issue.
I ask you: What is standing in the way of calling for a public inquiry?
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I have to have a substantive issue for calling an inquiry. In
terms of our review, the Canadian Rangers, in concert with the RCMP the RCMP
in Makkovik headed up the ground search and rescue. They did that with the help
and support of the Canadian Rangers, Mr. Speaker. They called in supplementary
resources, as protocol dictates, when they determined they were necessary.
Our Fire and Emergency Services is there as a supplementary resource to
ground search and rescue activities, Mr. Speaker. Protocols were followed and
responded to appropriately. What is it I am supposed to inquire into?
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
MR. BALL: I think what a public inquiry would do is it would actually
take a good look at those well-established protocols. Most people in this
Province, and the family, we are not comfortable that all the protocols were
followed. As a matter of fact, I think that young Burton Winters is a
substantive enough reason to do it. In light of the fact of what happened last
week with the Maritime Search and Rescue Sub-Centre, what happened there is
another good reason why we should do a public inquiry into search and rescue.
Last week the Premier stated that all marine emergency calls from the
Atlantic region were temporarily routed to Italy. Other reports are now
suggesting that only the Newfoundland and Labrador calls were routed to Italy.
What is it? Are we getting the right or wrong information from the federal
government?
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Municipal Affairs.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. O'BRIEN: Mr. Speaker, I would like to correct the hon. member. First
off is that the Premier did not state that all went to the emergency in regard
to going to Italy. It was stated that Newfoundland and Labrador went there for a
couple of days and then it was reverted back into the centre in Halifax after
they closed the file in regard to a contract situation in Halifax. Now it is
back into its rightful owners in regard to QEII and also the centre itself.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for the Bay of Islands.
MR. JOYCE: Mr. Speaker, there is a 1 per cent vacancy rate and no regular
inspections on rental units. This means landlords can charge the rates they
decide regardless of conditions of the units. Rental units are becoming
substandard with little oversight.
I ask the minister: What is your department doing to get control of the
rental crisis with substandard units?
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Service Newfoundland and Labrador.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. DAVIS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The Residential Tenancies Act governs the relationships between landlords and
tenants in Newfoundland and Labrador. It has a variety of sections which help to
administer rules and regulations around the relationships between landlords and
tenants. It governs how rental increases or rental changes occur between the two
parties, between the landlords and also between the tenants. It also deals with
such matters as termination of leases, evictions, and so on. That is the act
that we currently have in place in Newfoundland and Labrador that manages these
affairs. It has a process for grievances to be filed and is regularly used by
renters and by landlords in Newfoundland and Labrador.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The Member for Bay of Islands.
MR. JOYCE: Mr. Speaker, on Friday, we called the Residential Tenancies
Division on behalf of a constituent evicted after complaining of flood damages,
not unlike the story in The Telegram this weekend. We were promptly
informed that all calls on behalf of constituents are now being routed to the
minister's executive assistant.
I ask the minister: How are MHAs expected to represent constituents facing
homelessness when calls on their behalf are being diverted for political
purposes to your executive assistant, Minister?
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Service Newfoundland and Labrador.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. DAVIS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
As I said in my earlier answer, there is a dispute resolution process in
place at the Residential Tenancies Office. This process is broadly used by both
renters of properties and as well by landlords of properties. If there is
assistance being provided by my department to Members of the House of Assembly
here, I invite any Member of the House of Assembly to contact my office
directly. My executive assistant is available to members of the House on a
regular basis, and we will make our best efforts to assist them in any way that
we can.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The Member for Bay of Islands.
MR. JOYCE: I would like to know where in the act it says that your
executive assistant has to receive every call. It is a disgrace I say, Minister.
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!
I ask the member to direct his comments to the Chair, please.
MR. JOYCE: I am sorry, Mr. Speaker.
The Residential Tenancies Act obligates landlords to ensure premises are fit
for habitation and allows for the inspection of premises thought to be unfit. We
are dealing with a constituent who made a complaint to the division your
division, Minister for flood damage. The property was not inspected; instead,
the tenant was evicted.
I ask the minister: Moving forward, will your division make these
investigations mandatory to ensure landlords are complying with these
regulations and not have these calls diverted to your special assistant?
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Service Newfoundland and Labrador.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. DAVIS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I cannot speak to an individual case, as the member opposite has addressed,
and I do not think it would be appropriate for me to discuss an individual or
private case, as the member opposite has chosen to do so here today.
I can tell you that there a large number of people who rent properties and
rent dwellings, residential premises in Newfoundland and Labrador, and as well
as landlords who avail of the services that are provided by the Residential
Tenancies Office and that are provided under the act and the regulations that
exist. There is a process that has to go through; it is a regulated process. It
is there to provide a balance for both landlords and tenants as well. Sometimes,
we know, it can be a very difficult process. It can be a very emotionally
charged process as well.
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The Member for St. Barbe.
MR. BENNETT: Mr. Speaker, the Burin plant is slated for closure at year's
end. The minister has announced a blue-ribbon committee to readjust the workers.
I ask the Premier: Even though she refused to meet with the workers from
Marystown, will she meet with the workers from Burin, her home town, and help
them find a long-term solution for the plant?
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. KING: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Just to be clear on the member's comments, this government, including the
Premier, reached out at every opportunity to support workers and the entire
fishing industry in Newfoundland and Labrador
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. KING: including the Marystown workers, Mr. Speaker. It was the
previous Fisheries Minister, with some encouragement from myself as the local
MHA, and the Premier, who insisted that we go back and try once again to get a
deal for Marystown, which resulted in a three-year offer at eighteen weeks a
year that the union asked him to reject. Let us be clear, it was the leadership
on this side of the House that worked with the Marystown workers.
We will be there for the Burin workers, Mr. Speaker. We indeed did announce a
ministerial committee and we will be moving forward in the coming days with that
committee and its work.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The Member for St. Barbe.
MR. BENNETT: Mr. Speaker, I thank the Minister of Fisheries and
Aquaculture for his answer, but the question was to the Premier and whether she
would visit with the Burin workers to work for a long-term solution.
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. KING: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Let me very clear, we take this issue very seriously in the House. I, as one
member and the Minister of Fisheries, am highly offended that the member would
in jest refer to a ministerial committee as a blue-ribbon committee.
Mr. Speaker, this is serious stuff. We are talking about hundreds of people
out of work on the Burin Peninsula, in plants in Labrador, and in other areas.
It deserves more attention from the man who wants to be the Fisheries Minister,
Mr. Speaker, than to stand in this House and poke fun at those people and the
ministers on this side of the House who are going to step up, by making fun of
the committee and what we intend to do. I say shame on the member opposite.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The Member for St. Barbe.
MR. BENNETT: Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture has
stated that it may take up to six rounds to complete the lobster buyout six
rounds.
Will the minister work with DFO, rewrite the program, pay fair prices to
harvesters, and finalize this program this year?
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. KING: No, Mr. Speaker. No, I will not interject myself into an
independent process that is supported by the industry to ensure that proper
protocols are followed outside of politics, Mr. Speaker. This is an independent
program supported by two levels of government and industry. It is run
independent of government by the industry. I will not as some governments
previous to ours did inject myself, make this a political football, and pick
and choose who gets bought out in the lobster program. I will not do that.
I will ensure, though, that the committee that oversees that and we have some
representation on, does due diligence and ensures that every consideration is
made to expedite the process and that everybody is treated fairly and equally.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Burgeo La Poile.
MR. A. PARSONS: Mr. Speaker, Budget 2011 allocated $11 million towards
new computers and whiteboards for schools. Whiteboards are still in boxes at
some schools, little to no training has been provided on operating or
incorporating the equipment into the curriculum. Ironically, the department has
not actually educated teachers on how to use the technology.
I ask the minister: Given there are no new monies in this Budget this year
for professional development, what are your plans to address the gap?
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Education.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. JACKMAN: Mr. Speaker, I would say the acquisition of 2,200
interactive boards and place them in classrooms, Mr. Speaker, it is certainly a
first good step.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. JACKMAN: Secondly, Mr. Speaker, we provide in-services. Department
officials, school boards provide in-services for the teachers. Mr. Speaker, just
recently I was in to a couple of the schools. I have gone in and I have seen
Grade 1 students using these boards, I have seen Grade 11 students using these
boards. Mr. Speaker, I would say to the member, the system is working.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Third Party.
MS MICHAEL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, over the weekend we learned that government did not include the
military audio tapes in the review of the search and rescue service protocol
surrounding the Burton Winters tragedy.
Mr. Speaker, would the Premier please explain clearly to this House why these
very important audio tapes were not originally included in their review?
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, they were not included in the review because there was a
comprehensive translation of what had taken place in those tapes, included with
the report we have had from JRCC. I have taken several hours this morning to
listen to the tapes, Mr. Speaker. While there are nuances and so on, Mr.
Speaker, I can safely say I still have about a half hour of tape left to
listen to but there is nothing new in the tapes that was not included in the
report.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Third Party.
MS MICHAEL: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
Nuances are extremely important.
Mr. Speaker, Legislatures in Atlantic Canada have moved quickly to pass
resolutions that support the owner-operator and fleet separation policies which
are so essential to our inshore fleet. Atlantic MPs have met with the Premiers
of PEI, Nova Scotia, and their Legislatures passed unanimous motions, and
meetings are underway in New Brunswick and Quebec as well.
I ask the Premier, Mr. Speaker: Will her government introduce a similar
resolution that states unequivocally her government's support of these two
policies, and ask the federal government to clarify their position so that all
three parties here can do the same thing?
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. KING: Mr. Speaker, we have had a discussion in this Legislature on
many occasions now about a number of policies and procedures very important to
the industry of Newfoundland and Labrador. We have talked about policies that we
need to consider changing and we have talked about those that we feel we need to
preserve. The Premier and I, as the minister, and this government, have been
very clear on where we stand on the owner-operator fleet separation policies.
The only thing I suggest, Mr. Speaker, to be gained from a motion of this
House is it will fish out where the Opposition party stands. By that suggestion,
I am reading that they might not be totally clear where they are because we know
where we stand on this side of the House.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The Leader of the Third Party.
MS MICHAEL: It is a sad statement, Mr. Speaker, that they will not allow
the three parties to vote together on something that is so important to the
people of rural Newfoundland and Labrador.
Mr. Speaker, I hear from people around this Province that they want to see
their MHAs working together. We are all here to make this Province a better
place to live. While we are all here with the same goal in mind, we have many
different ideas and approaches for reaching that goal. For this reason, Mr.
Speaker, all-party standing committees provide the ideal setting for MHAs to
come together to work on issues concerning the Province.
Mr. Speaker, I ask the Premier: Why does she continue to refuse to strike an
all-party standing committee to discuss the current crisis in our fishing
industry?
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. KING: Mr. Speaker, I think the member opposite needs to be reminded
of some history. It was not long ago that we spent an entire day, two days
actually, but the first day we spent here debating the fishery the member
opposite never stood and said one single word. Today is not about fighting for
the fishery, Mr. Speaker, it is about grandstanding and posturing for the
public. If the members opposite are interested in fighting for the fishery they
ought to be out there publicly supporting what we are trying to achieve with
industry, because this government is working with industry, Mr. Speaker.
I say to the member opposite, with the greatest of respect, you do not need
to ask members on this side of the House to bring a motion forward. Members on
that side of the House can bring a motion forward any time they want and we will
be glad to debate it in the Legislature. We can do it today and have it on the
bill for Wednesday.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The Leader of the Third Party.
MS MICHAEL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
While government seems to have no interest in an all-party committee to
discuss the crisis in our fishing industry at least they now have this Cabinet
committee, Mr. Speaker.
I ask the Premier: Will she tell the House the terms of reference for the
committee?
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, when a community finds itself in distress, mainly because an
industry that is critical to the economy and that area, usually the most
significant business or industry in the area fails, Mr. Speaker, then this
government responds with a ministerial committee. We look at the needs of the
people who are displaced, find opportunities to do transitional employment so
they have income, Mr. Speaker, while they are able to explore, with our help and
support, opportunities for certification or a new career. We also explore ways
to diversify the economy, Mr. Speaker, and have been very successful in the past
at that.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Third Party.
MS MICHAEL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The Minister of Fisheries mentioned in the media this weekend that MHAs not
on the Cabinet committee may be involved in the process, depending on what areas
are affected.
I ask the Premier: Will they be allowing Opposition members to take
part in
the committee's efforts?
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. KING: Mr. Speaker, I am not sure why she needs to ask the question if
she has heard me answer it last week in the media. I was very clear that we are
interested in working with communities and we will work with members.
I have had discussions with the Leader of the Opposition, with the Opposition
House Leader, both of whom have industries in their communities that are
affected. If there is something in Signal Hill Quidi Vidi by way of a fishing
industry that closes, I will invite that member to be part of it as well.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. John's North.
MR. KIRBY: Mr. Speaker, it has been well established that public
libraries are important for literacy and life-long learning, vital in fact. Yet,
this government has once again denied funding for new public libraries. Towns
like Portugal Cove St. Philip's in my district have repeatedly sought
assistance for public library resources but this government continues to do
nothing to help.
I ask the Minister of Education: Why is he standing in the way of improved
literacy in Newfoundland and Labrador?
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Education.
MR. JACKMAN: Mr. Speaker, I can assure you this minister is not standing
in the way of literacy. My background is all about literacy. I am about
promoting literacy and being a part of that, and, as the Minister of Education,
I could not be prouder to be in this department.
Mr. Speaker, in terms of the libraries board, one of the things that I am
taking a look at is the changing demographics, the changed use of technology and
so forth. We are taking a look at the operations of public libraries to see how
we can make them more effective, Mr. Speaker. We are not about chopping and
cutting public libraries, 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.
Mr. Speaker, I have been informed that the provincial government job ads will
only be advertised on their Web site from now on and not in newsprint, such as
The Telegram . Mr. Speaker, not everyone has access or can afford this
technology. It sends the message that government is only interested in
applicants who do.
Mr. Speaker, will the minister confirm that they are moving to on-line job
advertisements exclusively and what this means for the applicants who live in
the 200-plus communities in the Province that do not have access to high-speed
Internet?
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury
Board.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. MARSHALL: Mr. Speaker, government will be reducing the number of
print ads. We found that the people who apply for positions with the civil
service are asked to indicate where they first learn of the position. We found
that less than 4 per cent of those applying were getting it from print. The
great majority were getting it from the Web site. We will therefore put more of
our effort into that and less into print, although there will be ads from time
to time encouraging people to look for positions in the civil service.
Technology is changing, young people are changing, and we have to make sure we
use our recruitment and retention dollars in the most effective and efficient
manner possible.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. John's Centre.
MS ROGERS: Mr. Speaker, we know that Bill C-10 means increased
downloading on the provincial corrections system in the near future and that the
federal government has made it clear they have no intention to fund the
construction of a new prison to replace Her Majesty's Penitentiary.
Mr. Speaker, given the poor conditions and increasingly overcrowded status of
this aging penitentiary that makes it unsafe for both staff and inmates, what
does the government plan to do to address this problem?
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Justice and Attorney General.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. F. COLLINS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Yes, we are well aware of the conditions of Her Majesty's Penitentiary. Mr.
Speaker, we will have Her Majesty's Penitentiary with us for some time. If we
were to get a new penitentiary approved tomorrow, it would still be five to six
years before we would be able to get in.
We are currently, Mr. Speaker, assessing all of our infrastructure
projects in this Province in corrections. We hope to have
some proposals ready for government within the year with respect to how we can
better organize our correctional facilities and make some recommendations to
government in this respect.
Mr. Speaker, we have not been standing still. We have put $7 million into our
correctional infrastructure in the last three years.
We have had major additions and improvements to all our correctional facilities.
We will continue to do so, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. John's Centre.
MS ROGERS: Mr. Speaker, is the government intending to reassign the
Whitbourne Youth Detention Centre for the purpose of dealing with the overflow
from HMP? If Whitbourne is reassigned, what does the government intend to do
with the youth who are being held in this institution?
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Justice and Attorney General.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. F. COLLINS: Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned earlier, we are in the
process of assessing all of our correctional facilities to see how we can
rearrange, modify, retrofit, or whatever to try to address our capacity problems
in corrections. Whitbourne is certainly one of those facilities presently under
study, Mr. Speaker, and part of the ongoing assessment. It will be part of the
decision, Mr. Speaker, to inform us going forward.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The Leader of the Third Party.
MS MICHAEL: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, both the City of St. John's and the District of The Straits
White Bay North
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!
MS MICHAEL: have fishing enterprises. Both my colleague from the
District of The Straits White Bay North and myself represent fishing people.
I ask the Minister of Fisheries: Will he be conferring with us with regard to
the fishing situation?
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!
MR. KING: Mr. Speaker, I have been very clear on all of my answers in
here. We are concerned with all of the people in all of these communities that
are seeing fish plant closures. I have had representation from members on this
side of the House, my own district. I have had representation from members
opposite. Mr. Speaker, we are going to work with those members and people in
their communities to do the best that we can with a very challenging situation.
I am not aware that Signal Hill Quidi Vidi has had a fish plant closure,
nor am I advised that there is a permanent closure in The Straits White Bay
North. When I become aware of that, that member will be more than welcome to sit
with us and meet, but she will not be a part of discussions with members from
the Opposition or members in my party about their specific communities. It will
be based on individual districts.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: 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. KENNEDY: Yes, Mr. Speaker, I give notice under Standing Order 11, I
shall move that this House not adjourn at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 15, 2012.
Further I give notice, Mr. Speaker, under Standing Order 11, I shall move
that this House not adjourn at 10:00 p.m. Tuesday, May 15, 2012.
MR. SPEAKER: The Member for St. John's North.
MR. KIRBY: Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 63.(3), I hereby give
notice of the following private member's motion that will be debated on
Wednesday, May 16. The motion is seconded by the Member for St. John's Centre
and it relates to the continuing problem of bullying in our schools.
WHEREAS education plays a critical role in preparing young people to grow up
as productive, contributing, and constructive citizens; and
WHEREAS all students, teachers, and staff members should feel safe at school
and deserve a positive school climate that is inclusive and accepting,
regardless of race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin,
citizenship, creed, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, family
status, or disability; and
WHEREAS everyone government, educators, school staff, parents, students, and
the wider community has a role to play in creating a positive school climate
and preventing inappropriate behaviour, such as bullying, sexual assault,
gender-based violence, homophobia, and other forms of harassment; and
WHEREAS neither bullying nor harassment are yet mentioned anywhere in the
Schools Act; and
WHEREAS bullying, harassment, and intimidation are as prevalent in our
schools as ever;
THEREFORE
BE IT RESOLVED that this House of Assembly urge government to
address the issue of bullying and harassment in our schools as follows:
Section
2 of the Schools Act is amended by adding the following definition: (c)
"bullying" means repeated and aggressive behaviour by a pupil, teacher, or staff
member where: (
i) the behaviour is intended by the pupil, teacher, or staff
member, to cause, or the pupil, teacher or staff member, ought to know that the
behaviour would be likely to cause, harm, fear, or distress to another
individual, including psychological harm or harm to the individual's reputation,
(ii) the behaviour occurs in a context where there is a real or perceived power
imbalance between the pupil, teacher, or staff member, and the individual based
on factors such as size, strength, age, intelligence, peer group power, economic
status, social status, religion, ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender
identity, family circumstances, race, disability, or the receipt of special
education, and (iii) the behaviour occurs in the form of any physical, verbal,
electronic, written, or other means.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week be
enacted twice during the school year the weeks beginning the third Sunday in
September and third Sunday in February.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the government create a bullying prevention plan
that will be placed in legislation, which would be included in the curriculum,
and would include reporting mechanisms and discipline structures between
schools, school boards, and the department.
This motion is seconded by the Member for St. John's Centre.
MR. SPEAKER: The Leader of the Third Party.
MS MICHAEL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Standing as Leader of the Third Party and House Leader of the Third Party,
this motion will be the private member's motion for Wednesday, May 16.
MR. SPEAKER: Further notices of motion?
Answers to Questions for which Notice has been Given.
Petitions.
Petitions
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Bay of Islands.
MR. JOYCE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I stand in petition again today. I will read the petition:
WHEREAS the lack of cellular phone coverage in Cox's Cove and McIvers is a
major safety concern for residents, especially in times of emergency; and
WHEREAS the lack of cellular phone coverage restricts and negatively impacts
local businesses in the area as compared to most other areas of the Province;
and
WHEREAS the tourist destinations in our area are without cellular phone
coverage, causing a safety concern and inconvenience for tourists who visit; and
furthermore, the lack of cellular phone coverage can be a deterrent for people
in choosing our region as a tourist destination; and
WHEREAS the residents of Cox's Cove and McIvers should have the same cellular
phone coverage available as other areas in Newfoundland and Labrador that, in
some cases, have long had such service;
WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the
House of Assembly to urge the government to support our request to obtain
cellular phone coverage.
As in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.
Mr. Speaker, I stand again today to present this petition for the residents
on the north shore of the Bay of Islands in Cox's Cove and McIvers who do not
have the cellular coverage that they deserve and should have. As I said earlier
on many occasions, it is a bad thing for the tourists who come in and it is a
safety concern for the people living there. There is a lot of fishing in that
area. There is a lot of hiking in that area.
Also, it is a drawback for a lot of businesses that want to set up in those
areas. To promote business, we need cellular coverage. It is almost a way of
life now. It is a way of business. We do a lot of business on our cellphones
throughout.
I am encouraged that the minister said he is in consultation with the federal
government and some local providers to see what arrangements we can come up
with. I encourage the minister again and I offer my services again, if there is
anything I can do to help out with the local providers to sit down and come up
with some concrete plan.
As I said to the minister on many occasions, this is not going to be done
overnight. This is not something you can snap your fingers and do. I agree with
the minister that this cannot be done overnight, but we have to start somewhere,
I say, Mr. Speaker. We have to start to put a plan in place. We have to get all
of the parties to the table. Sitting down and having a regular chat is not good
enough. We need to sit down and try to come up with some concrete solutions and
some concrete proposals that we can present to the federal government and
present to the local providers so that we can get this cellular coverage for all
of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, get it in place so we can go ahead
and promote business, tourism, and safety reasons throughout Newfoundland and
Labrador.
Once again, I encourage the minister to try to speed this up. I offer to the
minister anything I can do to help this out. On behalf of the Official
Opposition on this side, we will definitely do so.
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!
Your time has expired.
MR. JOYCE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for The Straits White Bay North
MR. MITCHELMORE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
To the hon. House of Assembly of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in
Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents of Newfoundland
and Labrador humbly sheweth:
WHEREAS in the District of The Straits White Bay North, despite the $4
million Rural Broadband Initiative announcement on December 22, 2011, only one
community, Ship Cove, is slated for broadband coverage; and
WHEREAS the communities of Pines Cove, Eddies Cove East, Bide Arm, North Boat
Harbour, L'Anse aux Meadows, Great Brehat, St Carol's, Goose Cove, Grandois, and
St. Anthony Bight still remain without services; and
WHEREAS many small businesses within the district rely on Internet to conduct
business; and
WHEREAS broadband Internet permits a business to be more competitive than the
slower dial-up service; and
WHEREAS broadband Internet enhances primary, secondary, post-secondary, and
further educational opportunities;
We the undersigned petition the House of Assembly to urge the government to
reinvest in rural broadband initiatives in Newfoundland and Labrador.
As in duty bound your petitioners will ever pray.
This petition is signed by a number of communities in my own district, namely
Roddickton, Bide Arm, Conche, and it also goes to Hawke's Bay, as well as Port
aux Basques, Port au Choix, and Port Saunders area, that have signed this
petition. It really shows the support out there from communities, because there
are so many; there are over 200 that do not have the access and there are many
more that really do not have the true access to broadband Internet coverage when
it comes to the actual upload and download speeds.
It is really imperative, the educational opportunities, as the Member for St.
John's West had mentioned earlier today in this House, that people in their
homes, in my communities, are unable to connect via Skype to have that reach to
other parts, other worlds that are out there, to Ireland, to different parts of
Europe, to have that connection with our history and have that educational
experience. As well as in the community of St. Joseph's, the businesses closing:
Great Calculations, an online accounting business. These businesses, if the
basic service and infrastructure were there, we would have the ability
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!
The Chair has recognized the Member for The Straits White Bay North in
presenting a petition. I would ask all hon. members, if they have conversations
they want to engage in, that they take those private conversations outside the
Assembly.
MR. MITCHELMORE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
This business that can be located in a rural base is unable to remain in
business because of unreliable cellular service that it is getting to tap into
their business. That is how the service is.
I just go back to my renewed call to urge the House of Assembly to really
develop an advanced telecommunication strategy that is inclusive of a rural
broadband initiative, cellular, as well as telecommunication pieces.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. Barbe.
MR. BENNETT: Mr. Speaker, I bring this petition to the hon. House of
Assembly for the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in Parliament assembled,
the petition of the undersigned residents humbly sheweth:
WHEREAS home care allows the elderly and people with disabilities to remain
within the comfort and security of their own homes; home care also allows people
to be discharged from hospital earlier; and
WHEREAS many families find it very difficult to recruit and retain home care
workers for their loved ones; and
WHEREAS the PC Blue Book 2011 as well as the 2012 Speech from the Throne
committed that government would develop a new model of home care and give people
the option of receiving that care from family members: and
WHEREAS government has given no time commitment for when government plans to
implement paying family caregivers; and
WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the
House of Assembly to urge the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to
implement a new home care model to cover family caregivers.
And in duty bound your petitioners will ever pray.
Mr. Speaker, when a benefit is announced the people who want to take
advantage of that benefit expect that the results will be soon, and nothing is
more pressing than in home care.
By way of another example, the Minister of Finance, in this Budget, announced
discounts for seniors for certain licenses and benefits. People are phoning
already and wondering, when will it come into effect? Clearly, it is not
realistic to expect it to come into effect before the Budget is passed.
Obviously, we know that, but when we hear something such as home care, which is
so pressing, it is not just a daily occurrence for family members, it is an
hourly occurrence, it is twenty-four-seven, all day long, all week long, all
month long and all year long caring for some family members. This particular
initiative by the government would be a great initiative. People are looking for
relief in having this home care model revised, announced and upgraded.
Mr. Speaker, I know the names and family circumstances of many of these
people. I recognize some of them as people who have contacted my office looking
for home care, how to access home care benefits. They are very stressed and
distressed. I am certain this is the situation throughout much of the Province
and in areas where there are small communities not overly serviced with
professional social workers, people who can help them and explain these
circumstances to them. It is like a desperation plea. It is their petition and
their plea to the government to implement this new proposed strategy.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. John's Centre.
MS ROGERS: To the hon. House of Assembly of the Province of Newfoundland
and Labrador in Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents
of Newfoundland and Labrador humbly sheweth:
WHEREAS as a result of a recommendation in the Green report about wrongdoing
in the House of Assembly, there is now legislation that protects anyone who
speaks up with evidence of financial abuse or other impropriety in the
legislative branch; and
WHEREAS it is unfair for one group of civil servants to be protected by
whistle-blower legislation when another is not; and
WHEREAS Justice Green stated that the financial wrongdoing in the House of
Assembly might have been discovered sooner if whistle-blower legislation had
been in place; and
WHEREAS the Cameron inquiry into ER-PR testing found that problems with tests
would have come to light sooner, therefore lessoning the impacts on patients, if
whistle-blower legislation had been in place; and
WHEREAS the Task Force on Adverse Events recommended an amendment to the
Regional Health Authorities Act to provide legal protection for employees
reporting occurrences or adverse events; and
WHEREAS whistle-blower legislation is in place elsewhere in Canada, and the
provincial government promised similar legislation in the 2007 election but has
not kept that promise;
WE THE UNDERSIGNED petition the House of Assembly to urge government to enact
whistle-blower legislation to protect public service sector employees in
provincial departments and agencies, including public corporations, regional
health authorities, and school boards.
Mr. Speaker, at this point, it is unclear why the government is not
proceeding on this promise that they made in 2007. The people of the
Newfoundland and Labrador clearly want whistle-blower protection. There is no
reason to not, and every reason to do this, to enact this legislation. It means
we are talking about a safer community for staff, for clients, for general
population, for everyone in Newfoundland and Labrador, in our education systems,
in our health care systems, in our justice systems, in our child, youth, and
family services. Again, there is no reason not to and every reason to proceed
with this, it is time.
Mr. Speaker, this also would affect search and rescue operations, and we
learned so clearly from the Cameron inquiry what it would have meant had we had
whistle-blower protection in place. So, again, Mr. Speaker, it is time for the
people of Newfoundland and Labrador to be protected by whistle-blower
legislation, to have this protective right.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The Member for St. John's North.
MR. KIRBY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
This is a petition for anti-replacement worker legislation or anti-scab
legislation.
To the hon. House of Assembly of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in
Parliament assembled. The petition of the undersigned residents of Newfoundland
and Labrador humbly sheweth:
WHEREAS strikes and lockouts are rare and on average 97 per cent of
collective agreements are negotiated without work disruption; and
WHEREAS anti-temporary replacement workers' laws have existed in Quebec since
1978 and British Columbia since 1993, and successive governments in those
provinces never appealed those laws; and
WHEREAS anti-temporary replacement workers' legislation has reduced the
length and divisiveness of labour disputes; and
WHEREAS the use of temporary replacement workers during a strike or lockout
is damaging to the social fabric of a community, the local economy, and the
well-being of residents, as evident by the recent use of temporary replacement
workers by both Ocean Choice International and Vale in Voisey's Bay;
We, the undersigned, petition the House of Assembly to urge government to
enact legislation banning the use of temporary replacement workers during a
strike or lockout.
As in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.
Mr. Speaker, we have petitioners here from St. Philip's, Torbay, Paradise,
St. John's, but also a significant number of residents from the communities in
the District of Grand Bank, Lamaline, Point May, and Burin. I note that a lot of
the people who are impacted by the recent use of scab labour by Ocean Choice
International aboard the Newfoundland Lynx were indeed from communities
on the Burin Peninsula. I spoke to many of them.
My family continues to farm down in that area. I will be, as I often do,
going down again this weekend and be looking forward to speaking to my family
and friends down in the District of Grand Bank about the need for this
legislation and their support for it. I encourage the government to take heed
from these petitioners in the near future.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER: Orders of the Day.
Orders of the Day
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Government House Leader.
MR. KENNEDY: Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I move, pursuant to Standing Order 11, seconded by the Minister
of Fisheries and Aquaculture, that the House not adjourn at 5:30 o'clock today,
Monday, May 14, 2012.
I further move, Mr. Speaker, seconded by the Minister of Fisheries and
Aquaculture, pursuant to Standing Order 11, that the House not adjourn at 10:00
o'clock on Monday, May 14, 2012.
MR. SPEAKER: It has been moved and seconded that the House do not adjourn
this evening, Monday, May 14, at 5:30 p.m., nor that the House would adjourn at
10:00 p.m. on Monday, May 14.
All those in favour of the motion?
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.
MR. SPEAKER: Against?
AN HON. MEMBER: Nay.
MR. SPEAKER: Motion carried.
The hon. the Government House Leader.
MR. KENNEDY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I call from the Order Paper, Order 1, discussion of the budgetary policy of
the government. We will now be discussing the amendment proposed by the
Opposition House Leader.
MR. SPEAKER: The Member for St. John's East.
MR. MURPHY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
It gives me pleasure again to talk to the Budget this time around. As time
goes by, there are more things that come to light with every passing day.
Mr. Speaker, the theme of the Budget is people and prosperity. This Budget is
all about having money, but with the people I talk to every day, this Budget is
about having the money but not necessarily sharing it in all regards so that we
can cover all the bases and so that the people's needs can be met. Having said
that, in regard to this Budget, sometimes this Budget is a good hit and
sometimes this Budget completely misses the mark. We will talk a little bit
about that.
That is not to say I should be escaping my role in the House of Assembly.
While my role is to oppose government and to hold them at account, at the same
time as having said that, my role is not necessarily to disagree with the
government in everything it has done. Sometimes they make a good policy
decision, as in the drug coverage legislation and the changes to the regulations
made just a few weeks ago. In some other cases, we have to work with government
as regards the role that we are put forth in the House. We will get into a
little bit about some of the policies of what this government has been doing in
this Budget, or at least my
interpretation of it.
We will start with the simple role of Municipal Affairs, one of my critic
areas. Mr. Speaker, I had the utmost pleasure of being a guest at the
Municipalities NL conference this weekend, a symposium that was held out in
Gander. I want to, first of all, thank all of the mayors, councillors, and
administrators from the various towns and communities here in the Province for
their hospitality this weekend. There was a lot of great discussion around the
table.
I was absolutely pleased and enthralled to hear the Minister of Municipal
Affairs this weekend get up in his Saturday address and announce to the people
there that there was going to be a discussion, if you will, of the new municipal
funding formula, his search to find the same, and to know that they were going
to be in consultation with municipalities, the cities and towns of the Province,
in the search for that formula.
I guess I will start off with the minister's department here and say again
how pleased I was to hear that they are going to be stretching out that hand,
hopefully to get some input from the mayors and municipalities of the region,
and to begin my remarks by quantifying a little bit and offering a suggestion to
the government in that regard, that they look at the gas tax and the effect that
an additional 2 cents off every litre of fuel that is sold in this Province can
have on municipalities.
The simple fact is it can add quite a lot of money to the coffers and to the
workings of municipalities in Newfoundland and Labrador. We do know that in the
Budget documents, the federal budget contribution, federal gas tax came out to
something in the order of $38 million. I like the idea of using the gas tax to
start off with simply because that fund is always growing and has shown every
year to be increasing. I believe that it is sustainable, even on the fact of
removing the amount of $38 million if that is what it were to be this year. The
fact is, that fund always grows, so I would ask the minister to please consider
that particular option as just part of municipal funding.
The second thing that I would like to say is that I think that looking for
the new funding arrangement comes a little bit late. I think that we have to
address it sooner rather than later, so I am hoping that the minister is going
to be expediting that search and finding an answer to funding municipalities
sooner rather than later. The reason why I say that is pretty simple; it is
because the year 2013 is a municipal assessment year and we have to know that
government is going to be putting in more money for municipalities now rather
than consumers and taxpayers having to pick up that extra burden in 2013 if we
do not have an answer to the municipal funding issue. If government were to be
responsive and be proactive in putting more money into municipalities, cities,
and towns sooner rather than later, we can hope that we can at least litigate
some of the cost to the consumers and taxpayers, to small businesses and large
businesses that are operating here in the Province. I am hoping that Municipal
Affairs and the Premier's Office will address this one sooner rather than later.
We hate to see anything downloaded; of course, we do know that the way that
the economy has been going, it has been ever onwards and upwards in some regards
that some people, in particular, are going to be touched without having a new
formula put in place. We know that we are trying to keep seniors in their homes
and we do not need extra cost passed on to seniors. The hope is that the
Province, with more money going to municipalities, will hopefully hopefully, I
say prevent the need for municipalities to have to do things like increase
mill rates so that we are going to end up putting people into a hard position.
We do hope that the government addresses that.
A couple of other things that we did not see in the Budget as regards to
this; we did not see anything as regards to what the governmental policy can do
to affect the municipal bottom line. Mr. Speaker, I personally would like to see
this government lift the moratorium on any wind construction projects, for
example, that have the potential not only to keep some elements of a
municipality, for example, off the grid, but at the same time allow a
municipality, a city, or a town to go ahead and start generating some revenue
itself by putting electricity into the grid.
I am hoping that government is going to be able to take that one big step and
be able to have municipalities generate electricity. At the same time as being
able to do that, we would also be able to answer the question as regards to
Muskrat Falls. I will connect that one up to Muskrat Falls; if a municipality,
or indeed a service district, or a region wanted to get into generating
electricity and putting it into the grid, we would be able to ask ourselves the
question a little bit further about the vitality and the viability of Muskrat
Falls. We will be able to answer that question: how much power do we need? Or,
do we need the extra power?
If we are going to put extra electricity in the grid and at the same time
help municipalities fund themselves, give them a chance to generate their own
revenue, Mr. Speaker, they will go ahead and they will do it. One only needs to
look at the situation in St. Anthony. Of course, a number of years ago they
wanted to get into the generation of electricity up in that area. They are in
one of the best regions of all for the generation of wind and the potential
thereof.
Mr. Speaker, we have all these opportunities knocking at our doors. We have
these opportunities knocking at our doors, but at the same time we are also
seeing the door being closed to municipalities. I would hope that the minister
would be able to go back and revisit that. I would hope that the Premier would
be able to go back and revisit that as well. It is all hinging back on the whole
Muskrat Falls argument that if we had several megawatts that were put into the
grid, we would be able to answer that question as regards to how much power we
needed.
The only other thing that I would like to say as regards to the Municipal
Affairs end of things is the Multi-Materials Stewardship Board, and money for an
education program as regards to the handling of chemicals, that sort of thing. I
know that there is some aspect of Municipal Affairs as regards to the handling
of garbage that would be handled through the Multi-Materials Stewardship Board.
I also know, Mr. Speaker, that crosses over into Environment and Conservation as
well. I will leave it at that one.
Next is Transportation and Works. I will say a few comments about
Transportation and Works. The ferry replacement strategy right now is so far off
that they need to start again. We only have two boats completed. One of them, as
far as I know, Mr. Speaker, is still tied up at wharf side while the argument
goes on between government and Kiewit over the financial dealings of the last
two boats that were built. Things are being held up in this Province a little
bit because of the argument that is being made over money. That we can
understand in some cases but in this case I think that the people have been
waiting long enough. It is time to go forward here.
One of the things that I hope the Department of Transportation and Works is
going to look at is a little bit more security of the ferry link between Blanc
Sablon, Labrador, and of course the Northern Peninsula. I think this would be a
very good investment for government to undertake, is to make it a part of an
overall government-wide service and perhaps in the very near future be able to
construct a boat that would be able to run all year round over in that service.
I think the people of Labrador and the people of the Northern Peninsula have
been waiting long enough for this to happen. I think the potential is there, not
only to open up Labrador a little bit more for access for consumer goods but it
would also have a double effect by putting the hammer down in some cases when it
comes to the pricing of goods and services. The second big effect, of course,
you would have from that is being able to open up that second North American
gateway for goods and services to leave from the Northern Peninsula if you will
and enter into the North American markets. I do hope the Department of
Transportation and Works will look at that.
As regards to roads, what more can I say besides - as regards to roads,
question mark. I think a lot of people in this Province are talking an awful lot
in these last couple of weeks about where the road construction strategy is
going in this Province. I think it is lost in a pothole somewhere, Mr. Speaker,
as regards to the amounts of money that are put into it. The people of this
Province paid in approximately $168 million, $169 million in gasoline taxes this
year. Between the ferry strategy being put a couple of years behind and the road
strategy, we have not seen enough investment in our roads for the money that we
are paying. It goes a long way to say that - when I say that. When it comes to
the gasoline tax, we are paying an awful of money, Mr. Speaker. We are, and we
are not seeing a return on our investment, as tractor-trailer drivers or as
regular consumers or business people that are crossing the Island on a
day-to-day basis.
Mr. Speaker, when I was on my way out to Gander I had an opportunity to talk
to a few tractor-trailer drivers along the way who are disgusted in some places
with the way the Trans-Canada Highway is but particularly some of the branch
highways. For example, like the Bonavista highway is pretty hard in a lot of
places and other areas of the Province. Need I say more? Route 360 on the South
Coast is in absolute terrible shape. I also had a couple of suggestions from the
drivers as regards to road improvements and the highway crossings in Labrador.
We need to see good, strong investment in the Trans-Labrador Highway, and no
doubt government is progressing with that, but the sooner the better.
As regards to bridges, in the 2010-2011 strategy book on the part of the
Department of Transportation and Works, there was a strategy, Mr. Speaker, in
that book to replace the Placentia lift bridge. The other frustration is that we
have another project here to carry on the life of the present bridge for another
five years. So they are still not going to see another bridge there.
The third thing I would like to see is regard to the possibility, if we
cannot see a boat crossing over on the Strait of Belle Isle we certainly would
like to seek another strategy when it comes to the fixed link proposal between
Newfoundland and Labrador. I think the people of the Northern Peninsula have
valid arguments. Again, I have said some of the arguments would be for the
placing of a fixed link here when it comes to the cost of consumer goods. We are
talking about our fishing industry, for example, on the Island portion of the
Province would be looking for another gateway. We do not have to be as dependent
on the ferry system, as it runs over to North Sydney now, if we had that second
gateway.
The reality is that if we need to see something that is going to be really
beneficial about the Muskrat Falls Project, I do not believe, personally
speaking, that the running of wires on a good oyster bed and tearing up the
bottom in that regard is going to be beneficial to the people of the Province.
However, if you are going to have early access to the North American market, a
bridge over the water and at the same time carrying the power from Muskrat Falls
should be considered in this project.
A couple of years ago there was a study out - I think it was 2004-2005
numbers - that talked about the cost being $1.7 billion. There were economists
out there talking about how bad of an idea it was. I think it is a great idea
because there are ultimately benefits, not only for Newfoundland and Labrador,
but as well for North America. We are talking about the potential to open up the
whole North American market, not only for Newfoundland and Labrador, but we are
talking about being able to access goods and services as well by a secondary
route from North America to Newfoundland and Labrador. It will bring down the
price of consumer goods in Coastal Labrador by that much more. I think that
would be a very worthwhile project that government should undertake if it goes
ahead with Muskrat Falls. Again, they have not reached the sanctioning decision
on that, but I think it has to be given consideration rather than the
environmental impacts of loosing some valuable fish grounds, too, at the same
time in the Strait of Belle Isle. So that is what I have as regards to
Transportation and Works.
The third department of course one of my critic areas is Environment and
Conservation. Again, I have to ask about the benefits of talking about
consumption rather than the fact of conservation. We do not see enough of it
sometimes, but in this particular Budget I have not seen anything yet when it
comes to a program of retrofitting or financing when it comes to industry, for
example. I do not think it is strong enough. The other day, I think it was
probably Wednesday or Thursday, there was a brilliant program as far as I am
concerned, it was anyway through the Government of Manitoba that announced a
type of financing that was a little bit innovative when it came to the
residential aspect of it, not only to the residential aspect of it but to the
small business aspect as well. It went on something like this: They would
actually use the savings that a consumer would expect from doing retrofits, to
actually use those savings to finance the retrofits that needed to take place.
In other words, if you found that, for example, you were going to have a 30 per
cent savings on your heat bill in the run of a year, they would take that 30 per
cent and they would actually use that to do the financing to cover off the cost
of the refit. So, I would like to see the government use a little bit more
imagination when it comes to retrofitting.
The second thing that I did not see is a subsidy program for the installation
of heat pumps or for systems that would take people off the grid. I think that
is a very important aspect to consider. There are some people out there who are
probably getting a little bit fed up with the way prices have been rising, and
indeed, of course, consumers here in Newfoundland and Labrador are going to be
forced to put up with another increase in prices due to the price of oil. Now,
we have seen the price of oil stabilize somewhat and indeed start to show a
little bit of a retreat. So, perhaps six months down the road with the way the
European Union is going these days, we could end up seeing the price of oil tank
again yet. I think that there are more troubles that are coming out now with the
US banking system. In particular, banks like J.P. Morgan are reporting losses
and everything.
I think that we are at a questionable point in our economic history right now
where I think that there is going to be a little bit of instability. So, I do
not see the potential for significant growth in the price of oil. I say that
again because we have the provincial government projecting the price of Brent
crude at $124 a barrel, and I think that right now at this juncture, before you
have taken out the instability of the markets and I would hope to be really
wrong on this one, in one regard, that the Province's own budgetary numbers,
like I say, are figured out to be $124 in Brent. I do not see that being
realistic right with the way that the future of the European Union looks like,
the instability of the economic markets over in Europe. I think there is more
hope for the price of oil right now to fall rather than to increase. I think
that the Department of Finance's numbers are a little bit bullish in this
regard. It is only time will tell, Mr. Minister, that I may be proven right or
wrong in that regard. Either way, I think right now there is a little bit of
instability that has to be questioned about it.
I have a couple of other matters to talk about in the last two minutes that I
have. I did not see an initiative again addressing the gas tax. Where the gas
tax is going up and up probably over the last fourteen years or so I think it
was only in one year, 2003-2004 that it showed loss I would have liked to have
seen a little bit of fairness practised here on the part of the government on
the other side and they could have addressed this simply by the way that the HST
and the provincial tax is figured out on the price of gas.
Consumers in this Province could have been saving themselves an extra 3.5
cents a litre when it comes to their fuel consumption. We could have prices a
little bit lower simply on the basis of how these numbers are figured out. We
have the cost price of gas, then we have the provincial and federal excise taxes
that are on top of it, and then we have the computation of the HST that is made.
I think that it would only be a simple stroke of a pen if the Department of
Finance were to approach the federal government and the other Atlantic Canadian
counterparts and ask them if we can redraw this just on the basis of simple
fairness. We do not have to have this money in our own pockets; we can use this
as a bit of an economic indicator if you will, or an economic boost to consumers
out there to put disposable income back in their pockets. It may be a great
small business initiative in that regard as well to put some dollars back into
consumers' pockets in that regard.
I can see, Mr. Speaker, my time is running out. I will leave that for another
day. The one thing that I would like the Finance Minister to put into
consideration for next year, which is something that has been coming to me as of
late, is the possibility of extending the removal of some of the types of
insurance that are on heating systems, for example. We know that we have car
insurance that has removed, but the next one possibly for Budget next year and
for him to consider that I have been hearing out on the street is the insurance
taxes that are on heating systems out there.
MR. SPEAKER (Verge): Order, please!
MR. MURPHY: Mr. Speaker, I will leave that as it is for now.
Thank you very much.
MR. SPEAKER: The Member for Mount Pearl South.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. LANE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
It is certainly a pleasure for me to stand here today. I said, the last time
I spoke on the sub-amendment, it was great to have the opportunity to speak on
some of the great items that are in Budget 2012. I certainly did not get the
opportunity last time to even start on some of those items because it is quite
easy to get off on a tangent sometimes, particularly as it relates to some of
the commentary you hear from across the way.
Mr. Speaker, before I get into some of these items, though, I do want to once
again put this into perspective in terms of budgets and who has to pay for this.
I actually brought this up, I believe, the last time I spoke, and I have some
positive commentary from people in my district who had heard me speak as it
relates to the ordinary taxpayer. I think it is very important to realize, Mr.
Speaker, that as a government, what we are really doing here is spending the
people's money. The people's money in general is no different from our own
budgets that we have at home. There are all kinds of things that we would like
to spend money on; there are things that we have to spend money on. There are
necessities.
There are things like shelter; there are things like food and so on. There
are also things like TV, telephone, heat, and light, but then there are also
things that are discretionary spending, Mr. Speaker. It is no different here
when we are trying to run a government. There are certain things, there are
certain core things, which society demands that we provide for our citizens,
things like health care, things like education, and so on. Then there are other
things which rate in importance, I guess it depends on your perspective.
It is important, Mr. Speaker, that as a government we find a balance to these
things. One of the things I have seen as a government is that we have certainly
been able to strike that balance. I think that is really the difference between
this side of the House and, in particular, the Third Party, Mr. Speaker. It is
striking a balance, realizing that people have to pay for these things. Going
back to my example when I spoke last time, talking about that typical family in
Newfoundland and Labrador, certainly a typical family in my district: a husband
and a wife, both working, trying to pay the bills; they only have one job each.
They probably have a couple of kids and they have to pay for their necessities,
they have to balance their money, and they can only spend the money they have to
try to provide for themselves, provide for their family, stay above water, Mr.
Speaker.
When I listen to the member opposite, the Member for St. John's East and I
was not going to go there because, again, I had so many positive things I wanted
to say about the Budget, and I am going to try and get to that. I just noted
some of the things that the Member for St. John's East just said in his little
spiel, Mr. Speaker. I heard him say: Not enough money for roads. Now, despite
the fact that this government has put more money into roads, underground
infrastructure, in the last number of years than ever in our history; despite
the fact that the state that the roads were in, they were not potholes, they
were craters when we took over this government; despite all of that, according
to the member opposite, the Member for St. John's East, the Member of the Third
Party, once again: Not enough money into roads.
I heard him say we needed more money from municipalities. Again, there has
been millions and millions of dollars put into municipalities, Mr. Speaker. I
know, and I have a background; I am glad that the member opposite had the
opportunity to go to Gander to the Municipal Symposium to talk to a lot of great
people out there doing a lot of great work. Mr. Speaker, I am well aware of all
of these people. I was certainly one of them. My passion lies in municipalities.
I spent six years as a city councillor and two years as deputy mayor in the City
of Mount Pearl. I also served on the Board of Directors with Municipalities
Newfoundland and Labrador as the Avalon Director and had the opportunity to deal
with many provincial issues in municipalities all over the Province.
I visited many municipalities, certainly on the Avalon, joint councils in
Trinity Bay South, Conception Bay North, the Avalon Joint Councils, the Southern
Shore Joint Councils, the Isthmus Joint Councils, the St. Mary's Joint Councils,
and so on; I had opportunities to speak and to interact with many of these
municipalities. I understand a lot of the issues they have, but I also
understand, Mr. Speaker, that this government has made tremendous investments to
help those municipalities over the last number of years.
I know in the City of Mount Pearl alone, the tremendous investment we have
seen from this government, Mr. Speaker. The multi-year capital, in particular,
comes to mind. The Multi-Year Capital Works Program in this Province, prior to
this government taking over in 2003, used to be a 50-50 cost-sharing formula.
This government initiated a new program for municipalities in terms of
multi-year capital. For the larger municipalities it is all based on population,
of course; the larger municipalities went from a 50-50 cost-share to a 70-30
cost-share, which meant now that the Province would pick up 70 cents of every
dollar that was spent in infrastructure as opposed to 50 cents.
In terms of the mid-size municipalities, like the Town of Gander, Grand
Falls-Windsor, and so on, we have an 80-20 cost-share. The Province is actually
picking up 80 per cent, 80 cents on every dollar spent on roads and underground
infrastructure. For small municipalities, the government went from 50-50 to
90-10, or picking up 90 cents on every dollar that is spent on roads and
underground infrastructure, water systems, and so on. That was a tremendous
boost right there.
In this year's Budget we have seen an increase to municipal operating grants
for the smaller municipalities. We have seen another increase this year in the
Budget for those municipalities in terms of Municipal Operating Grants.
In addition to that, Mr. Speaker, for example, if I look at the City of Mount
Pearl, I look at over and above our cost-sharing ratios and a tremendous amount
of money that has been put in, in terms of roads and underground
infrastructure . We can look at recreation. We look at the
investments that have been made up at the Team Gushue Complex with a world-class
artificial turf, field, soccer hut, lighted field, and so on up there, and all
of the improvements going up at the Team Gushue Complex. We look at the new
Glacier Arena. Now, very shortly, tenders are going to be let by the City of
Mount Pearl for a brand new swimming pool and multiplex, with an indoor walking
track, an improved Reid Centre, a teen centre, a sports hall of fame, and
everything. That is over and above that.
We look on a regional basis. We look at the money that has been put into the
regional waste management facility at Robin Hood Bay. We look at the money that
has been put into the Wastewater Treatment Facility on Southside Road. We look
at the money that has been put in to upgrades to Bay Bulls Big Pond. Certainly,
in this area alone, when we talk about money gone into municipalities, Mr.
Speaker, this government has made tremendous investment. We have seen this right
throughout the whole Province.
The hon. member was speaking about we have not enough money for roads and not
enough money for municipalities. He talked about the bridges. He talked about
the Placentia lift bridge, which we are committed to doing. In the meantime, we
are repairing the bridge that we have. We are going to do proper planning. It is
going to be safe for people. We are making that investment. No, no, we need that
right now, regardless of the cost.
He talked about the ferries. Now, Mr. Speaker, we invested over the last two
years. Last year we put two new ferries in service at $27.5 million a piece.
That was the first time in twenty years, Mr. Speaker, that we have invested in
new ferries. We also have plans underway for a number of smaller ferries for
Labrador and so on. We have a third ferry, we all know about, that has been
negotiated with Kiewit. We are still in negotiations and it is certainly our
hope that we can resolve those negotiations and it can get built in Newfoundland
and Labrador. The hon. member basically says: Enough is enough; just let the
ferries get built. In other words, we are going to let a company hold us
hostage. If they want to say the overrun is $1 million, $2 million, or $10
million, what odds. Give them whatever they like. Who cares? Pick the money off
the money tree, Mr. Speaker, and give them whatever they want. Money is no
object.
Mr. Speaker, also on this wish list, we have a fixed link between
Newfoundland and Labrador. I am not sure how many billion dollars we are going
to spend on that one. More money into energy conservation retrofits. We are
going to take the tax now. In the meantime, while we are going to be spending
all this money, instead of increasing our revenues, what are we going to do? We
are going to take taxes off the price of gas. We are going to decrease our
revenues in order to pay for all these additional services and programs. I am
not sure where they learned how to budget, Mr. Speaker, but they must have gone
to a different school than I went to.
Then we also talked about insurance, we are going to be cutting taxes on
insurance as well. All with the stroke of a pen, that was the words that were
used, Mr. Speaker. With the stroke of a pen we are going to cut these taxes. We
are going to cut the taxes but we are going to increase the services, going to
increase the programs.
Mr. Speaker, I have to be honest with you, everyday when I come here and I
listen to the Third Party, you think I would be at a point after a while where I
would say: Do you know what? It is only the NDP; it is only the Third Party. I
am still amazed that they actually believe it. Not only are they trying to bring
this philosophy which is a bankruptcy philosophy. Not only are they trying to
bring this bankruptcy philosophy to the House of Assembly, now I understand they
are going to try to bring it to St. John's City Hall as well. That is the latest
news. Now they are going to try to put a slate up in St. John's so they can
bankrupt the city.
Mr. Speaker, I think it is important when we look at all the great things
that are happening here, there cannot always be new spending. We have seen a lot
of new spending, Mr. Speaker, but you cannot continue with new spending,
particularly when we talk about operational spending. There is a big difference,
Mr. Speaker, between capital and operational. You set aside so much money each
year for capital expenditures. You build something new this year, next year that
money has been spent but now you allocate money to build something else, so you
do it over time.
When we are talking about increased programs constantly, once you take that
on, you take it on forever. Every time you decide you are going to hire someone,
you are going to create a new position, or two new positions, or ten, or twenty,
or whatever it is, you are carrying that forever, year over year over year. Not
only are you carrying the costs, the costs are increasing. As contract
negotiations happen, and the cost of insurances go up, and benefits go up and
everything else, those costs are escalating year over year. The fact that we can
even maintain a lot of the great things we are doing is a positive in itself,
when you consider the fact that revenues are not necessarily going up. We are
still able to maintain so many good services and programs, but they just do not
seem to get it. I do not understand why but they do not.
Mr. Speaker, I am just going to take some time now to talk about some of the
positive things. As much as we hear about the negative, there are a lot of
positive things happening here in Newfoundland and Labrador, a lot of positive
things happening in this Budget, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, let's talk about education. I think it is fair to say most
people in Newfoundland and Labrador, their two top priorities are health and
education, no doubt about it. So, if we look at education, first of all, let us
look at our K-12s. We have seen more money, again, more money in the last number
of years invested in education than ever before in our history. There are new
schools going up all over the Province. When we took over this government as I
believe I said before, I know people, because I worked in the safety industry
before I came here to the House of Assembly; I know consultants who have made a
living over the last number of years writing reports condemning schools.
Mr. Speaker, we have taken it very seriously, and we are investing in
schools. There has been more money put into schools than ever before. We look at
the whiteboard technology; I heard somebody on the opposite side during Question
Period complaining about the whiteboards, that they are not operational. Mr.
Speaker, we have put so much investment into these whiteboards. I was actually
out to St. Peter's Junior High last week and met with the principal, as well as
the principal of O'Donel; we were talking about this bullying and hazing issue
that was going on and so on, trying to get a handle on that. While I was there,
the principal took me in and showed me the whiteboard, and they were so proud of
it, and what an impact it is having on the students. I can tell you what; they
talk about people not being trained. I can certainly assure you that the staff
at St. Peter's Junior High are well-trained. I was shown all the things that the
students were doing, and all the learning opportunities that came with that
technology.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!
MR. LANE: They also had another one of these boards that the staff
actually used for professional development as well, a tremendous opportunity for
professional development for staff. They were well versed in it. The principal
of O'Donel told me they have them and they are very pleased and everything, as
well. So, Mr. Speaker, that certainly speaks to some of the investment we have
made in the K-12, and certainly we have made a lot more than that.
In terms of post-secondary, because we value education, Mr. Speaker, once
again we have extended our post-secondary tuition freezes, to the benefit of
students. We have expanded and enhanced student financial assistance programs
with up-front needs-based grants, interest-free student loans. We are also
investing in extending programs such as the MUN Faculty of Engineering and
Applied Science and ocean sector at the Marine Institute. We are also investing
in new infrastructure and so on in all of our institutions throughout the
Province, Mr. Speaker. Those are just a few top-of-the-trees things that we have
done and are continuing to do.
In terms of health, Mr. Speaker, which is another big one, over the past
eight years we have invested over $800 million in health infrastructure $800
million, just in infrastructure alone. Under Budget 2012, we are going to see
more than 40 per cent of our total Budget going to health care, nearly $3
billion. That is $3 billion with a B, Mr. Speaker. Never in our history have we
seen the type of investment in health care than we have seen under this
government.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. LANE: I am glad to see the hon. members opposite are taking notes,
and you should.
Mr. Speaker, we currently have more doctors, nurses, and other health care
professionals than ever before in our history. We have invested in wait time
reduction strategies for joint replacement surgeries as well as in emergency
rooms. We are considered a leader in cardiac care. Imagine: people are actually
coming from other parts of the country to Newfoundland. They are coming to see
us, to learn from us in terms of cardiac care. What a boast that is, for sure.
We have seen in Budget 2012, Mr. Speaker, we are expanding our breast cancer
screening program to include younger clients aged forty to forty-nine, who are
referred by their primary health care providers, another great improvement. We
are adding a new mammography unit to the James Paton Memorial Hospital in Gander
and investing an additional $1.9 million to enhance dialysis to Harbour Breton,
St. Anthony, Carbonear, Happy Valley-Goose Bay, and Corner Brook, Mr. Speaker.
There are plans underway for a new hospital in Corner Brook. Yes, I would say to
the Member for Bay of Islands, you will be getting your hospital in Corner
Brook. We have invested almost $17 million into it up to date, Mr. Speaker, so
that hospital in Corner Brook is definitely going to happen.
We are also investing another $230 million in health infrastructure in terms
of: there is going to be work done on St. Clare's emergency, Waterford Forensic
Unit, investment in a provincial PET scanner. There is work on the Genetics
Centre/Faculty of Medicine at the Health Sciences, work on the Flower's Cove
Health Centre, and work on health clinics in Marystown North and Glovertown. We
have addictions treatment centres in Paradise, Harbour Grace, and Grand
Falls-Windsor underway. We have a new regional hospital for Labrador West,
continued redevelopment of the Central Newfoundland Regional Health Centre in
Grand Falls, and planning for a new acute care facility, as I said, in Corner
Brook, Mr. Speaker.
Budget 2012 is going to see an investment of $29 million over the next four
years to enhance the 65Plus Plan to reduce the cost of prescription drugs for
our seniors, which is another group that we certainly value in our society and,
as a government, we are doing all we can to make life better for seniors, Mr.
Speaker. We are investing approximately $37 million over the next four years to
support pharmacies and we are also investing $4.4 million in the Newfoundland
Prescription Drug Program to ensure access to appropriate therapies.
Mr. Speaker, in terms of health care facilities, programs, staffing, and
prescription drugs, this government is stepping to the plate for the people of
Newfoundland and Labrador.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. LANE: Mr. Speaker, I only have a minute left. I realize I represent
an urban district, but even though I was elected by the people of Mount Pearl
South, I am still a Newfoundlander first and foremost. My roots are in rural
Newfoundland and Labrador as I said in my maiden speech. I have people who have
worked in the fishery, both in the inshore fishery, small boat fishery; people
who have worked offshore; people who have worked in the processing industry
family members and I know the devastation that is happening in some of these
communities. I think it is important that we say that we are here for the people
of rural Newfoundland and Labrador. Certainly, Mr. Speaker, as a member of this
government and even though a represent an urban district, I want to say that I
totally support the people of rural Newfoundland and Labrador and we will be
there for those people.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. LANE: Mr. Speaker, here we go once again, I realize my time is up, I
thank you for the opportunity and I hope I will have the opportunity to speak
yet again because we have many good stories to say. We have a government that is
working for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, and I am darn proud to be
part of it, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!
The Member for St. Barbe.
MR. BENNETT: Mr. Speaker, today in our Budget debate I would like to
speak on Muskrat Falls. For better or worse, I have been so preoccupied with the
fishery and with the Fisheries Minister that I have neglected to have much to
say about Muskrat Falls. Having listened to both the Minister of Natural
Resources and the Premier speak on Muskrat Falls, I think that it would be
appropriate that I add my observations.
The role of the Opposition clearly is to oppose, but by opposing something
can be strengthened, improved, modified, maybe done away with, but certainly
that is the role of Opposition. The first question that needs to be answered is:
Do we need the electricity? I will not talk for five minutes and then come down
with the answer. Right off the bat I will say yes, I believe we need the
electricity. We will need the electricity as time goes on. The more electricity
we need, the better it will be, because that will mean we will have more action
in this Province.
Mr. Speaker, just looking at the ordinary growth of the Province and I know
that critics have said look at the last ten years or so and there has been
practically no growth in the consumption of electricity. Granted, it has been
relatively minimal, but that is the past, and I would prefer to look to the
future. For the critics who say we will not need the electricity, then I say
that those critics have a doom and gloom outlook for the Province. They believe
that we are not going to improve; they believe that our population will get
older and shrink, and they are destined to assign this Province to simply
failure in Confederation. The other side of the equation is that the more
electricity we need, the more we are able to grow, the more we are able to
develop, the more electricity we will need. Whether that is Muskrat Falls or
not, I will get to in a little while.
Just on ordinary population growth, it has been widely reported now that the
former Premier has a very large housing development. I say that is great. We
need more people like the former Premier. Hallelujah for him going out into the
private sector all over again, creating homes, generating employment, and
driving our economy so much the better. For projects like that, we will need
more electricity.
Then we have manufacturing growth. If we look in seafood, mining, timber,
even food production, we will need more energy if we do things right or do
things well in this Province. I know we have a differing view on how seafood
ought to be handled. As a matter of