MR. SPEAKER (Hodder): Order, please!

Admit Strangers.

This afternoon we are very pleased to welcome twenty-six Grades 7, 8 and 9 students from St. Anne's Academy in Dunville in the District of Placentia & St. Mary's. They are joined by twenty-five exchange students from Hillcrest School in Hamilton, Ontario. These students are accompanied by Mr. Gordon Pike, Principal of St. Anne's, and Ms Beth Poad of Hillcrest School, and teachers Mr. Ken Mandville and Mr. Mark Nash.

Welcome to the House of Assembly.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: To my left, we have thirty-seven Grade 8 students from John Burke High School in Grand Bank, in the District of Grand Bank. They are accompanied by their teachers, Mr. Darrell LaFosse and Mrs. Susan Bursey and their bus driver, Mr. Murdock Hiscock.

Welcome to the House of Assembly.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: This afternoon we have members' statements as follows: the hon. the Member for the District of Grand Bank; the hon. the Member for the District of Burin-Placentia West, with leave, I understand leave has been arranged, I have confirmation of that; the hon. the Member for the District of Burgeo & LaPoile; the hon. the Member for the District of Placentia & St. Mary's; the hon. the Member for the District of Carbonear-Harbour Grace; and the hon. the Member for the District of Mount Pearl.

The Chair recognizes the Member for the District of Grand Bank.

MS FOOTE: Mr. Speaker, I rise today to extend congratulations to Captain Christine Matthews of Grand Bank.

Captain Matthews was among a group of nurses recently returned from Kandahar, Afghanistan, who were honoured yesterday at the Nursing Sisters' Memorial on Parliament Hill in Ottawa by the Canadian Nurses Association in recognition of their service.

Describing herself as a late bloomer, Matthews joined the Canadian Forces at the age of twenty-six in 1996. After earning her nursing degree at Memorial University of Newfoundland, she was posted in Halifax. Matthews volunteered to go to Kabul in 2003 and it was there she had her first encounter with war injuries.

Matthews did a six month stint in Kandahar beginning in February of 2006, and did not hesitate to go back. After Kandahar, she returned to Canada and completed a critical care specialty certification in Halifax and spent time in Petawawa as a platoon commander running training exercises. The former marathoner and tri-athlete works in the emergency room at the civic campus of the Ottawa Hospital until she begins her army training in August.

Matthews was also deployed on a disaster assistance relief team mission in Pakistan in 2005, assisting earthquake victims. In 2000, Matthews led a group of military colleagues in full combat gear on a 160 kilometre, four-day march in Holland, following the liberation route of Canadian soldiers in the Second World War.

Captain Matthews is the daughter of Patricia and Arch Matthews of Grand Bank.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all members of this House to join me in congratulating Captain Christine Matthews and extending her thanks for serving the military and sacrificing her life to represent her country.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for the District of Burin-Placentia West.

MR. JACKMAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise today to recognize a school and a group of students in my District of Burin-Placentia West. Ministers do not usually make member's statements, and I thank the Opposition and the Leader of the NDP for granting me leave to recognize this accomplishment.

Mr. Speaker, this past week the Pearce Junior High School Choir, under the direction of Ms Wanda Lee Murphy, placed second at the Atlantic Band Festival held in Halifax, Nova Scotia. This choir has been practicing for many months now and has performed at various fundraising functions in the local area and this is a tremendous showing and accomplishment.

Mr. Speaker, through their performance this wonderful group of young men and women, along with their teacher, brought much pleasure and enjoyment to those who have attended their events and they were rewarded this past weekend. This accomplishment has raised the area of performance to new heights in my district.

Mr. Speaker, the arts are alive and well in my district and this highlights the efforts of those who worked for such an accomplishment.

I would like to recognize the parents who have worked hard to support their sons and daughters and to the larger community. I am sure the school would like to recognize everyone who supported them in various ways.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I would ask all members of this hon. House to join me in congratulating the Pearce Junior High School Choir on their second place win in the Atlantic Band Festival.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Burgeo & LaPoile.

MR. PARSONS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise in this House today to extend congratulations to Julie Pink of Burgeo who was the winner of the Canada Day Poster Challenge for 2007, in the five to eight-year-old category. Julie attends Burgeo Academy and is six years old.

Julie, the daughter of Dawn and Stacey Pink of Burgeo, competed among 1,500 entries provincially, and 281 entries in her age category making hers a significant achievement. The theme of the 2007 Canada Day Poster Challenge was: A Portrait of Canada: Celebrating 140 Years. The contest was open to youth across Canada aged eighteen and under.

Mr. Speaker, the design of one of the provincial or territorial finalists will be chosen as the official Canada Day 2007 Poster and will be distributed throughout the country. The name of the national winner will be announced in May.

All thirteen provincial and territorial finalists and their escorts will be guests of the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women in Ottawa on July 1, where they will join thousands of other Canadians gathered on Parliament Hill to celebrate Canada's 140 birthday.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all members of this House to join with me in extending congratulations to Julie Pink, a Burgeo Academy student, the winner of the Canada Post Challenge for 2007 in the five to eight-year-old age category.

Thank you.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Placentia & St. Mary's.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. COLLINS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, during the past winter, from mid January to mid April, the senior citizens of Branch gathered every Tuesday evening at the town hall for what they called: A Singing Kitchen. It was an evening of good food and entertainment organized by the volunteers of Branch, led by Mayor Priscilla Corcoran-Mooney, with the assistance of some funding from the New Horizons Program.

Thirty-five people, who were organized into groups, volunteered to cook and serve the meals. They were assisted by a group of seven teenage girls who showed up every Tuesday evening for fifteen weeks. A home-cooked meal would be followed by an evening in which the seniors, along with other members of the community, would participate in song, music, dance, storytelling and recitation in true Branch tradition. The number of senior citizens attending ranged anywhere from 120 to 160 for the evening.

This was a tremendously successful initiative and speaks volumes for the spirit of Branch and, indeed, of so many other rural communities, and it is an initiative that deserves to be highlighted and showcased.

The community of Branch is renowned for its rich cultural traditions. It has retained its cultural and linguistic ties to the old country in such a way that when Irish tourists visited Branch during last year's Festival of the Sea, they thought they were home.

This year, Branch will be having its first Come Home Year celebrations. Due to the tremendous community involvement and support, indications are that it will more than exceed its objective of being a "keen" time.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all hon. members to join me in congratulating the community of Branch for being a true example of doing what it takes to keep community spirit alive in our rural communities.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Carbonear-Harbour Grace.

MR. SWEENEY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise today to congratulate three students from Carbonear Collegiate who participated in the 2007 Brain Storm Competition recently held in St. John's.

The 2007 Brain Storm Competition was held at Memorial University's Faculty of Medicine in St. John's. The Brain Storm Competition is structured much like a spelling bee, except that, instead of studying a dictionary, students used a newly published booklet, Brain Facts: A primer on the brain and nervous system. The intent is to promote the study of neuroscience by potential university students interested in life sciences.

Mr. Speaker, Louanne Crocker, a Carbonear Collegiate Grade 11 student, won first place in the competition. Louanne, the daughter of George and Beverley Crocker of Harbour Grace, will go on to compete in the International Brain Bee Competition in Baltimore, Maryland, in the United States.

Melissa Peddle of Harbour Grace won fourth place, and Adam Comerford of Carbonear won fifth place. About thirty students from across Newfoundland and Labrador attended the first provincial competition. Mr. Keith Matthews, head of the Science department at Carbonear Collegiate, says that to have students place in the top five in this provincial competition speaks well of the achievement attainable by the students of Carbonear Collegiate.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all members of this House to join with me in congratulating Louanne Crocker, Melissa Peddle and Adam Comerford from Carbonear Collegiate, winners of the 2007 Brain Storm Competition.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for the District of Mount Pearl.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. DENINE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I recently had the pleasure of attending the City of Mount Pearl's 2006, eighteenth annual, Focus on Youth Awards Banquet.

This event is co-ordinated in partnership with the Mount Pearl Parks and Community Services Department and the Mount Pearl Sport Alliance, and they do a tremendous job. It is sponsored by various community-minded companies and corporations to honour the "youth" and "adults who work with youth" who make an outstanding contribution to the community in the areas of sports, self-improvement and volunteerism. I would like to thank the sponsors of this event, because without their help this could not be possible.

The winners this year are: Male Youth of the Year, Andrew Harvey; Female Youth of the Year, Julia Hiscock; RNC Youth in Service Award, Rebecca Mercer; Youth Volunteer of the Year Award, Megan Drodge; Female Youth Althete of the Year, Laura Murray; Male Youth Athlete of the Year, David Forbes; Youth Sports Team of the Year, O'Donel High Hockey Team; Adult Volunteer Working with Youth in Sport, Paul Boland; Youth Group of the Year, the Mount Pearl Senior High Animal Rights Club; Adult Volunteer Working with Youth, Rose Clarke; Visual Arts Award, Jessany Hodge; Performing Arts Award (Individual), Philip Holloway; Performing Arts Recognition Awards (Groups): the Mount Pearl Show Choir, the Mount Pearl Senior High Drama Club, the O'Donel Jazz Band, the O'Donel AIDA Production.

I am truly overwhelmed to hear of all the accomplishments of these young people and adults nominated. Their dedication and contribution to our city is invaluable, and I commend them all for their efforts.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, I would like all members of this House to join with me in congratulating all the winners and nominees for this 2006 Focus on Youth Awards, and encourage them to continue their involvement in the City of Mount Pearl.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Education.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS BURKE: Mr. Speaker, I rise today to inform my colleagues of the official launch of the Regional Co-ordinating Committee of the Violence Prevention Initiative for the Gander and New-Wes-Valley area.

Although the committee is officially open for business just this week, it has been extremely active for several months organizing violence prevention activities throughout the Gander area. They have made over forty presentations to youth during Violence Prevention Month, and invited youth to create violence prevention materials for their launch.

In Budget 2007, government invested an additional $398,000 in the Violence Prevention Initiative. This investment builds on the six year, $1.25 million annual investment, which, among many other activities, has seen the number of Regional Co-ordinating Committees increase from six to ten.

Mr. Speaker, communities and government must work together to engage youth in our fight against violence, and to spread the message that violence is unacceptable.

Over the past year we have implemented the Safe and Caring Schools Policy. This policy is dedicated to developing programs aimed at early intervention and education on violence prevention.

Government is also acting on its commitment to create a violence prevention marketing campaign that will raise awareness about violence prevention.

The first campaign will focus on the prevention of youth violence and will be launched May 18 at the Stephenville High School.

People across our Province have long been working to combat violence. As you can see, Mr. Speaker, this government is determined to work with communities to reduce violence. I would encourage everyone here today to work with community groups in your region to help reduce violence in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Cartwright-L'Anse au Clair.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I would like to thank the hon. minister for an advance copy of her statement today.

I think incidences of bullying in our schools and in our communities amongst our youth is evident all over our Province, and there are many cases that could be cited. Some very serious issues of violence of youth evidently occur in our society as well. Mr. Speaker, I think we need look no further than what happened in Virginia Tech not too long ago. It was a case in evidence in terms of the kind of violence that can and has occurred in our schools, and it is also a reminder that violence often stems from other issues in society.

We, as parliamentarians in governments must ensure that those stresses that are often confronting our youth are eradicated. We must also, Mr. Speaker, provide for the appropriate counseling and mental health services and so on that are required in our society as a preventative measure, as we know this is the key to counteracting violence anywhere in society, whether it be our young people or other people.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. member's time as lapsed.

MS JONES: May I have leave to conclude, Mr. Speaker?

AN HON. MEMBER: By leave.

MR. SPEAKER: Leave has been granted.

MS JONES: I think the efforts that we are seeing here by the Violence Prevention Initiative in Gander and New-Wes-Valley will certainly not go without results. In fact, Mr. Speaker, I congratulate them for the efforts they have embarked upon thus far.

I also want to say to the government, Mr. Speaker, because this year they did announce money in their Budget to expand the community youth initiative in this Province and to open five to six new youth centres - I want to say to the minister that I was actually a parliamentary secretary in the Department of Health when we started the Community Youth Network program in this Province, and it was geared and aimed at areas of the Province where there was a high crime rate amongst young people.

I would like to encourage the minister, as she looks at where these new centres will be placed in our Province today, that she does so on a non-partisan basis and looks at where the real need is to counteract youth crime in rural areas throughout our Province. That would be the basis for these new centres, Mr. Speaker, providing more services and more programs to youth in Newfoundland and Labrador.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi.

MS MICHAEL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank the minister for the advanced copy of her statement. I am very glad to hear that this new step has been taken as part of the Violence Prevention Initiative and that the regional coordinating committee in Gander and New Wes Valley region has been set up. It is very important to reach out to our youth and to help them become aware of violence as an issue, not just among themselves but in our society in general. We just cannot underestimate it and the degree to which it is not understood.

I would also like to remind the minister, however, that while we do this work with youth we still have to realize that violence is going on in families and -

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. member's allotted time has expired.

MS MICHAEL: By leave?

MR. SPEAKER: By leave?

AN HON. MEMBER: By leave.

MR. SPEAKER: Leave is granted.

MS MICHAEL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

That violence is going on in families and maybe some of these children who are violent in the school situation are coming out of violent situations at home. Not always, but that does happen. So, government must have safe supportive places for women and their children, especially in rural Newfoundland and Labrador. It is an ongoing concern and it is a piece that needs to become essential and integral to the Violence Prevention Initiative.

Thank you.

MR. SPEAKER: Further statement by ministers?

The hon. the Minister of Business.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. O'BRIEN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss the announcement of $32 million to attract new business to Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. O'BRIEN: The new funding announced in Budget 2007 is another significant investment as part of government's commitment to provide long-term, sustainable business development in all regions of Newfoundland and Labrador.

The new funding programs are aimed at providing the financial means to assist organizations interested in the Province as a place to invest and establish operations in Newfoundland and Labrador.

A business attraction fund of $25 million will provide for large-scale, strategic investments in business ventures and infrastructure for the purpose of attracting business to Newfoundland and Labrador. Through this fund, government will be able to provide loans and equity investments to companies interested in conducting operations in this Province.

In addition to the business attraction fund, government has also committed $7 million for a grants fund. This non-payable fund is designed to assist with start-up and initial operational costs for large-scale companies setting up business in the Province.

The focus of the grants fund will be on bridging the relocation and start-up costs of new operations in Newfoundland and Labrador, and establishing sustainable, strong industries in this Province.

Mr. Speaker, as the minister of a department that has a mandate of facilitating the attraction of major business across the Province and across sectors, the new funding program represents a critical milestone to attract investment and position the Province as the preferred choice for business operations.

Budget 2007 is a testament to the benefits of fiscal responsibility. Some of the many benefits include a record surplus of $261 million, the largest personal income tax reductions in the Province's history, and the reduction or elimination of 170 fees resulting in an annualized investment of $3.4 million in the provincial economy.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. O'BRIEN: Budget 2007 is a significant financial, economic and social achievement of Newfoundland and Labrador, and supports government's vision for a prosperous Province with a self-reliant people.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Grand Bank.

MS FOOTE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank the minister for an advanced copy of his statement today. I guess it is an example of maybe if you announce it enough times that people will believe it. Well, it is one thing to make an announcement about money that is in the Budget, but it is another thing, Mr. Speaker, to find out how that money is going to be spent.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MS FOOTE: For instance, we know that last year the department was allocated $3.3 million, but we do not know how it was spent. In fact, in the Estimates Committee, when the minister was asked how many jobs were created, he said not one, not one job. That is wrong, Mr. Speaker, because, guess what? We know that more than fourteen new jobs are going to be created in that department. Forget about the people in the Province, in that department there are going to be fourteen new jobs.

We talk about a surplus, a record surplus, but I can tell you, Mr. Speaker, that in rural Newfoundland and Labrador there are so many people who could take advantage of that money if it was made available to them; people who are leaving this Province in droves because of the failure of this government to do anything to create employment for them.

We talk about a fund, $7 million for a grants fund. Well, I hope the Department of Business is much more successful than the Department of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development has been, because with their fund last year of $9 million, guess how much they spent?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. member's time has lapsed.

MS FOOTE: One million dollars of nine. I wonder what happened to the other $8 million, Mr. Speaker?

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. member's time has lapsed.

AN HON. MEMBER: By leave.

MR. SPEAKER: Leave is requested.

Leave is denied.

The Chair recognizes the hon. the Member for Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi.

MS MICHAEL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the minister for his advanced copy. I would like to say that I, and my Party, also have a vision for a prosperous Province with a self-reliant people.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MS MICHAEL: So, I have a concern that while we will need to bring other industries into our Province, I would hope that we are going to put as much effort into working with people in rural Newfoundland, in particular, about supporting them in ideas that they have for industries so that our people truly become self-reliant. One caution to the minister and to the government, please make sure that companies that do relocate have good track records in other provinces and countries -

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. member's allotted time has expired.

MS MICHAEL: By leave, Mr. Speaker?

MR. SPEAKER: Leave is requested.

AN HON. MEMBER: By leave.

MR. SPEAKER: Leave is granted.

MS MICHAEL: I am sure I do not have to remind us, that we have had a couple of incidents over the past few years when government did not do its homework and the companies that were being looked at were not the most desirable. So that is a warning to government.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: Further statements by ministers?

The hon. the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. HEDDERSON: Mr. Speaker, I rise in this House to inform you of my most recent pleasure in joining with the artists and art lovers from across the Province to celebrate excellence and achievement in the arts over the past year at the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council Awards and Gala, held this past Saturday, May 5, at the Corner Brook Arts and Culture Centre.

Mr. Speaker, Saturday evening's event was historic, marking the very first time the arts council awards show was held outside of St. John's. This provided a stellar opportunity to showcase the cultural richness of the West Coast and its arts community. The celebrations were hosted by Wendy Woodland and Mike Payne, joined by house band, The Louis MacDonald Quartet, Lloyd Bartlett, Amy Andrews and Pamela Morgan.

As minister, I had the great honour that evening to join acclaimed author, Lisa Moore, to present the Artist of the Year Award, which went to musician/composer/producer, Bill Brennan.

Other deserving award winners included: musician/teacher/director, Korona Brophy for the ArtsSmarts Arts in Education Award; Judge Lloyd Soper, who was the recipient of the Patron of the Arts Award; writer/director Justin Simms received the CBC Emerging Artist Award; writer/ poet Tom Dawe, and music teacher/choirmaster Gary Graham were inducted into the Hall of Honour; and musician/composer/publisher Eric West received the Rogers Cable Arts Achievement Award. I extend very heartfelt congratulations to all of these deserving winners.

Mr. Speaker, this year's arts awards were a great success and I am pleased to note that the council has committed to bring the annual events outside of the St. John's area every other year. This is a wonderful initiative and certainly one that is supported by this government.

I extend congratulations to the organizers and the many people who work so hard to make the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council Awards and Gala such a tremendous celebration of this Province's art and artists.

This gathering on the West Coast provided me the wonderful opportunity to unveil this government's plans for investment during year two of our $17.6 million three-year plan to promote and preserve the Province's cultural sector.

On Saturday afternoon, at the Corner Brook Museum, I was joined by the arts council's John Doyle and Patricia Hatch of the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador to announce the increased support in Budget 2007 to provincial arts programs, heritage organizations and cultural attractions that protect and promote our arts and culture sectors. Our cultural plan, Mr. Speaker, allows us to strategically invest for long-term results, such as revitalized communities, increased tourism and the growth of jobs and sustainable cultural industries.

Again, Mr. Speaker, I ask all members of this House to join with me in congratulating the winner, the nominees and, indeed, all artists for their invaluable contribution to the arts in this Province.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Torngat Mountains.

MR. ANDERSEN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank the minister for an advance copy of his statement.

We, too, on this side would like to join the minister in congratulating all the winners.

Minister, you mentioned the fact that these awards will be held outside of St. John's every other year, and I certainly hope that Labrador will be considered. When it comes to cultural richness we take a back step to no one.

Minister, you outlined more money for these sorts of events which is certainly good news, but let me remind the minister of this; the importance that your department plays in all these events. Minister, it was just a year ago that your department made the most senior position in the Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation in Labrador redundant. I hope that you would reconsider that position again.

Minister, we on this side of the House join you in congratulating all these people and certainly look forward to seeing this event being hosted very soon in Labrador.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi.

MS MICHAEL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank the minister for the advance copy of his statement.

I, too, wish to congratulate all the artists who won and all those who were nominated.

I had something else that I was going to say, but it just dawned on me, as I looked at this - and I am not blaming anybody, I just want to make a comment for us all to think about - there were six awards and only one of the awards went to a woman. We know that we have quite a number of women artists out there. It would be interesting to find out - and I encourage the Minister Responsible for the Status of Women, along with the hon. Minister Responsible for Culture to maybe find out - how many women were nominated. If it looks like the nominations of women are really down, maybe the Women's Policy Office can add that to their list of encouraging people to nominate women, because we have an awful lot of women out there in arts doing tremendous work in all of the fields that are reflected here. It is just a little sad -

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. member's allotted time has expired.

MS MICHAEL: By leave?

MR. SPEAKER: Leave has been requested.

AN HON. MEMBER: By leave.

MR. SPEAKER: Leave is granted.

MS MICHAEL: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

Just for all of us to reflect on it, we all know that we have a lot of women in the arts.

In areas like sports we have the Athlete Woman of the Year and the Athlete Man of the Year. We recognize the two groups in sports. Maybe we need to start looking at the two groups when it comes to arts as well, and to ensure that women artists are getting as much support and recognition as the male artists.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: Further statements by ministers?

Oral Questions.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MR. REID: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

My questions are for the Premier.

Last spring, at the Premier's infamous fisheries forum, all participants agreed that any restructuring of the fishery would be contingent upon an early retirement package for plant workers and a licence buyout for fish harvesters. Since that time the federal minister, Mr. Hearn, has made it abundantly clear on numerous occasions that his government would not be participating in either of these programs.

I ask the Premier: Does this mean that the issue is dead? If so, how does this impact your restructuring plan for the fishing industry?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Government House Leader.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. RIDEOUT: Mr. Speaker, the meeting, the summit that the Leader of the Opposition referred to, that took place last spring, was a watershed meeting, really, of people involved in the fishing industry in Newfoundland and Labrador.

There was a significant degree of consensus that came out of that, that has still been working to the advantage of everybody today. The only thing infamous that I recall from it was the reluctance of the Leader of the Opposition to even participate or engage in the process at all.

In terms of early retirement packages, Mr. Speaker, the Province has consistently supported a package that would lead to helping those in the industry who wanted to take an early retirement to take it. We have consistently said that our share of the money would be available to make that happen. We stand by that, and anything that we can do - and there have already, as a matter of fact, been further discussions with the unions since the announcement on renewal as to perhaps how the Province might be able to participate in that manner in the future, but certainly we remain committed, Mr. Speaker, to the concept of an early retirement package for the people involved in the fishing industry.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MR. REID: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

As a result of that infamous forum, as I say, because that is all it was, the minister and his federal counterpart released a restructuring plan a couple of weeks ago. I have talked to fish harvesters, plant workers and plant owners, and all three groups say there was absolutely nothing in that restructuring for either one of those groups.

Mr. Speaker, in recent weeks the Premier has stated publicly that he is prepared to go it alone on a number of projects in this Province, even without federal participation. He said he did not need the federal government. He stated that publicly after the Budget. He said he is prepared to go it alone on the Lower Churchill, the Trans-Labrador Highway and other projects.

I ask the Premier: Will you go it alone on an early retirement package and a licence buyout for fish harvesters?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Government House Leader.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. RIDEOUT: It is a funny thing, you know, Mr. Speaker, this infamous meeting that the Leader of the Opposition keeps referring to, and the fact that nothing came out of the renewal exercise, a funny thing.

I have been talking to people in the industry. The day that we announced the federal-provincial initiatives that we were prepared to embark on, either jointly or in our own jurisdictions, I was talking to fishermen from Petty Harbour who came up and slapped us on the back and said: Thank God, we finally have a government that is engaged -

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. RIDEOUT: I did not hear too much, Mr. Speaker, in terms of positive reinforcements from some people in the processing sector because, no, we did not agree to put a pot of money on the table to buy out people who had processing licences, who have been sitting around for quite a while, in some cases, waiting to see if government was going to put a pot of money on the table for that.

Mr. Speaker, we put $100 million or $140 million in provincial money on the table to help people expand their fleet, modernize their fleet, a provincial initiative through the loan guarantee program.

Mr. Speaker, this government, this Premier, we have been there and we will be there all the way through the bit and piece, whether the Opposition likes it or not.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MR. REID: Thank you, Mr Speaker.

I say to the minister, there was not one item in that plan for a fish plant worker, not one item, and you talk about spending $130 million on fish harvesters in loans. You know as well as I do that all these fish harvesters go to a bank; they take the loan. They take the loan themselves, and there have been very little delinquent loans. You told me that yourself here in the last few days, so I don't know how you can stand here and say that you are spending $130 million on fish harvesters, because you obviously don't know what you are talking about.

Mr. Speaker, the Premier and the Minister of Fisheries have both indicated that they were prepared to cost-share these early retirement packages with the federal government on a 70-30 basis. In fact, the Minister of Fisheries was out publicly in the newspapers saying that would cost the Province around $30 million. Obviously, you have the $30 million.

I ask you today, and your Premier: Are you prepared to spend that $30 million on early retirement packages for fish harvesters and plant workers with or without the federal government?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Government House Leader.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. RIDEOUT: Mr. Speaker, the only person who consistently, in this bit and piece, who does not know what he is talking about, who never knows what he is talking about, and who will never know what he is talking about, Mr. Speaker, is the Leader of the Opposition.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. RIDEOUT: Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition knows - everybody knows, people in the fishing industry and the harvesting sector know - that if you are going to go to the bank to get a loan to do a major improvement to your boat, or buy a new boat, Mr. Speaker, you cannot get it without a government loan guarantee. The only way you can get it without that, Mr. Speaker, is if there is a processor or a fish company that guarantees the loan. Mr. Speaker, when we put the taxpayers' name on the back of that loan, we are committing the taxpayer to pay for it.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The Chair recognizes the hon. the Member for Grand Bank.

MS FOOTE: Mr. Speaker, the only thing missing from the Minister of Fisheries is a toque and the back of a pickup truck.

My question is for the Minister of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development, another department that has received a boost in its budget.

Mr. Speaker, this might seem as a good sign of government investing in businesses, innovation and development here in the Province except when you examine what this department actually spent last year, which was nearly 57 per cent less than what was budgeted. In fact, Mr. Speaker, of the $8 million available for loans under the Strategic Investment Fund, only $50,000 was spent. Clearly, the fact that businesses did not take advantage of the money available to them is a sure sign of the lack of confidence in this Province under the leadership of this government.

I ask the minister: What are you doing to ensure this will not be the case this year?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. TAYLOR: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The $50,000 is somewhere around the same amount as the member opposite spent when she was minister on her around the world tour.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. TAYLOR: Mr. Speaker, there is a perfectly logical reason for the discrepancy in the Budget Estimates. It was explained in Estimates -

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

There is a great deal of shouting on both sides of the House. The Speaker is unable to hear the response.

The Chair recognizes the Minister of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development.

MR. TAYLOR: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, as I said, there is a perfectly logical reason as to why the $8 million wasn't utilized last year. The year before was the beginning of a $25 million fund that we are establishing for small and medium-sized enterprises. There was $10 million budgeted to it in 2005-2006 and $8 million in additional money was budgeted in 2006-2007. Because there wasn't a program in existence prior to 2005, Mr. Speaker, the business community was unaware of its availability. It took us some time to get the program fully operational and some time to get the information out to businesses about this program. That, Mr. Speaker, has been done. We are continuing on with the $8 million this year, and further on next year until we realize, in another two years, a fully subscribed $25 million revolving fund.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The Chair recognizes the hon. the Member for Grand Bank.

MS FOOTE: Mr. Speaker, the personal attacks have no weight here whatsoever. The minister should know that. I am wondering how much he spent on his European tour last month and whether or not he still likes Shiraz and striploin steaks as reported in the paper.

Minister, you can try to full some of the people some of the time but you can't fool all of the people all of the time. Your budget -

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

Colleagues, time is passing quickly.

The Chair recognizes the Member for Grand Bank and asks her to put her question.

MS FOOTE: Mr. Speaker, the Budget is misleading for those people who are desperately waiting for help so they don't have to leave their families and their communities. It leads them to think that this government is busy with a job creation action plan, but there is no sign of any such plan. What the recent Budget Estimates reveal instead is another failure to use the funds that were allocated that could have gone to support rural businesses and regions.

I ask the minister: How can he justify that only $1 million of the $9 million available in grants for the support of small and medium-sized businesses was used for this purpose, and what happened to the $8 million that wasn't spent?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. TAYLOR: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I say to the member opposite, Mr. Speaker, I buy my wine by the glass, I don't have it delivered by the case. I don't have it delivered by the case to my home, Mr. Speaker, I can assure you that. I will never have the face, Mr. Speaker, to stand up in this House and defend a case of wine being delivered to my house on the taxpayers' bill.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The Chair is asking members of the House for their cooperation. I do believe that the minister wishes to continue his answer and I ask him to continue it quickly.

MR. TAYLOR: Yes, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, there is now an $18 million fund for loans, it is not for grants. There is a $5 million Regional Sectoral Diversification Fund that is fully subscribed in the previous budget year with some carryover because of our funding partners, primarily at the federal level, some delays in cash flow. The programs are being utilized at an increasing rate. We have two funds amounting to $5 million as part of our Innovation Strategy. All of our funds, Mr. Speaker, are being utilized at an increasing rate and they are making an impact in rural Newfoundland and Labrador, in her own district.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The Chair recognizes the hon. the Member for Grand Bank.

MS FOOTE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I may buy it by the bottle but it is cheaper than his by the glass.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MS FOOTE: Mr. Speaker, instead of fooling the people of this Province and even outside investors, the department's Web site boasts that $9 million was used to finance small and medium-sized business, when in fact it has already stated only $1 million was provided. It is also misleading to say that $5 million was allocated for Innovation when in fact only $1.3 million was spent. To correct another figure on the department's Web site, Mr. Speaker, $4.3 million was spent in the Regional Development sector, not $7.9 million.

I ask the minister: When is his department going to remove those misleading stats off the department's Web site and tell the true story, the story that in this government's short history it has been a dismal failure when it comes to creating jobs in the Province?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. TAYLOR: Mr. Speaker, there is an old adage that when you are in a hole you should stop digging. I would advise the Member for Grand Bank to stop digging, Mr. Speaker. I can tell you, she must subscribe to that movie line, cheaper by the dozen.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. TAYLOR: Mr. Speaker, let me say this, we do not provide any misleading statements. It is clear in the Estimates of the Department of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development as to what the expenditures were, what the budgets were. In the Estimates Committee the other night the Member for Cartwright-L'Anse au Clair asked very pointed questions as to what the money was spent on, why it was not fully utilized, and she was given very concise answers, as I always provide, Mr. Speaker.

So, Mr. Speaker, the answers are there. If she wants to go and review Hansard she can get it. If she wants to contact the office, we can give her a full explanation as to why we spent $250,000 from the RSDF fund for the Grand Bank Mariner's Memorial; why we put another $250,000 from the SME fund into dynamic air shelters. Mr. Speaker, all kinds of examples of where these funds are being expended in rural Newfoundland and Labrador to foster economic -

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Opposition House Leader.

MR. PARSONS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The questions and answers today are absolutely intoxicating.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. PARSONS: Mr. Speaker, this is my question for the Minister of Innovation.

Earlier this week the minister stated that there was still no deal finalized with Persona, Rogers and MTS Allstream regarding the fibre optic proposal, even though the lead proponent, Persona, is now in the process of selling itself. The minister stated that there were eight conditions established by Cabinet before any money would flow.

I ask the minister: Would you be prepared to provide us with a list of those conditions?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. TAYLOR: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I see no reason why I could not provide that information. There was an issue, on a previous date, where I read out most of the conditions. There was one condition that I did not lay out publicly at the time. The reason I did not lay it out publicly was because it referenced the minimum number of strands that we required as directed by Cabinet and based on the EWA report. I did not release that publicly at the time because, as I said yesterday in a scrum, it would be pretty stupid to release your minimum, your bottom line when you are in the middle of negotiations.

So, Mr. Speaker, everything other than the minimum number of strands is available to the Leader of the Opposition, and maybe I can provide that part once I check with my officials.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Opposition House Leader.

MR. PARSONS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I understand the minister advised me this morning that he would be tabling today some information I requested yesterday, and we certainly appreciated that. We have also provided to the media, and members of the public today, approximately 150 documents that we feel outline the accurate timeline of the process that was involved in this fibre optic deal. My other questions today will relate to trying to get some further information.

Mr. Minister, you announced yesterday that EWA would be contracted to do another analysis of the latest project proposal that has been put on your desk by these proponents. With the obvious shortcomings that were identified in the last EWA report, why is government not willing to contract another company to do due diligence on the deal? Why is government once again unwilling to do an RFP to find the best available consultant? How much has government paid to EWA in consulting fees over the last two years, and would you be prepared to table that information?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. TAYLOR: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is important to note that the Opposition has laid out what they believe to be an accurate timeline - what they believe, as I said, Mr. Speaker, being the important part there. It does not necessarily mean that it is accurate.

The fact of the matter is, I did not announce yesterday that we were doing another review with EWA of this proposal. I announced that back on November 2, when we had our press conference. I announced that again when I read out the MC on a media outlet back in December or January, whenever it was. All of this stuff has been public knowledge for quite some period of time.

As for EWA, and the deficiencies in the report, I do not know what he is talking about. There are deficiencies in his mind. We do not believe that there is any problem with the report. Our officials do not see where there is any problem with the report. These are world-class consultants in the telecommunications industry. These people do work for the U.S. Department of Defence. They do work for all kinds of world-renowned agencies in the U.S. and Canada. They do work for, I believe, six provincial governments and the federal government. I do not know, Mr. Speaker; the only people who have a problem with their reputation is the Opposition.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Opposition House Leader.

MR. PARSONS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I realize this is Question Period and we do not get many answers, but it was fairly straightforward, Minister: Will you provide the information concerning how much has been paid to EWA for consulting fees; and if, indeed, you did this back in November when you announced it, is it done and can we have a copy of such? Now, that is pretty straightforward.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. TAYLOR: Mr. Speaker, I apologize to the member opposite because the thing is, my memory is -

AN HON. MEMBER: Not very good.

MR. TAYLOR: It is not very good, no, that is right, when it comes to listening to members opposite. It is very good when it comes to the details of deals that we are involved with, I can guarantee you that, but when it comes to listening to some of the dribble opposite I do have a little bit of a problem retaining it.

His question was fairly lengthy the last time and, as a result, I dealt with most of it and I forgot the piece about the consulting fees.

Mr. Speaker, I will endeavour to find the information for the hon. member and, as soon as I can provide it to the House, it will be tabled here.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Opposition House Leader.

MR. PARSONS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

On December 7 the minister stated in Hansard, and it is recorded in Hansard, he refused to put the funding project on hold, when he was asked, until the Auditor General completed his investigation. He said, "No, I will not make that commitment. The fact of the matter is, we have a budget process to go through. This infrastructure has to be built...".

On Tuesday of this week, the minister stated that this project was subject to a long list of conditions being met and that, until those conditions are met, there will not be any money put forward, there will not be any cash flow.

I ask the minister: Why was there such a rush to invest in the project last fall, but now we seem to have a continuing slower approach? Has anything happened in this proposal to reduce government's confidence that there are sufficient safeguards to protect our investment and to protect the taxpayers from any possible future additional costs on this project?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. TAYLOR: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, we have been proceeding with negotiations. We have identified funds in the budget process, Mr. Speaker. This project is proceeding. All I have said, simply, all the way through, is, until all of the conditions are met and a final, binding, legal document is prepared, available to be signed off and approved by Cabinet, Mr. Speaker, we will not be flowing the money.

As for any problems, Mr. Speaker, no, I am not aware of any problems. The reason I do not see any problems thus far, and do not foresee any problems, Mr. Speaker, is because of the impeccable work that our very capable officials in the Department of INTRD, Finance and Justice have done on this file. The 6,200 e-mails that were released to the Opposition and to the public, Mr. Speaker, is more than abundant evidence of that.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Opposition House Leader.

MR. PARSONS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, there is no one certainly on this side suggesting, or I believe even in the public, that there may not be some merit to this fibre optic proposal; however -

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The Chair recognizes the hon. the Opposition House Leader.

MR. PARSONS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

That is not the issue.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. PARSONS: The problems arise -

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. PARSONS: Obviously, the members opposite, including the Premier and the minister, do not want to even hear the question.

The problems arise, Mr. Speaker, when you examine and evaluate whether the proper process and procedure was followed.

We have seen concerns raised about the lack of a tender, the lack of a concrete business plan, the lack of a proper business analysis, the uncertainty concerning what we are getting for our money, the involvement of the Premier, and the list goes on. As a matter of fact, the lead proponent now, at this stage of the game, is being sold.

If the minister believes that the project has merit, as it may, why not do the appropriate thing and restart the process, call for RFPs, follow the proper procedures, include - for example, why don't we include fibre optic links to Labrador and to the Northern Peninsula, which are not in the present proposal?

I ask the minister: To avoid any further questions surrounding this project, is government willing to start the process fresh, and the second time around to do it right?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. TAYLOR: Mr. Speaker, I tell you why we won't stop the project.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

There is some shouting across the floor, and the Chair cannot hear -

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please! Order, please!

The Chair recognizes the hon. the Minister of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development.

MR. TAYLOR: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, Winston Churchill observed about one of his colleagues one time - I forget the name of the person - that if you wanted nothing done there was no better person for the job. That is like the people opposite. If the people of Newfoundland and Labrador want nothing done, there is no crowd better up to the task, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. TAYLOR: I will tell you why, Mr. Speaker. Right here, in 2001, sitting in a filing cabinet in INTRD, the Report of the National Broadband Task Force - I have the executive summary here - established in 2001 by the national Minister of Industry, Canada. The principal mandate of the task force, blah blah blah, was to lay out a plan to have high speed fibre optic connectivity through to all regions of the country by -

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. TAYLOR: Mr. Speaker, can you find something in the rules of this House -

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The Chair has repeatedly asked members for their cooperation.

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible) million dollars.

MR. SPEAKER: Order!

The Chair has repeatedly asked members for their cooperation. Question Period cannot continue if we don't have the cooperation of all members.

The Chair recognizes the Minister of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development, and advises him he has about fifteen seconds to complete his answer.

MR. TAYLOR: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I will just say this: That this report sat in that office since 2001, when this was done; 2001, Mr. Speaker. The question is: Why didn't they action it? Why didn't they do an RFP? Why didn't they find the money? Why didn't they work with Industry Canada and the federal government through the Strategic Infrastructure Fund to build it? They didn't do it, Mr. Speaker, and that is the reason why we are trying to move it along right now.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Member for Humber Valley has time for one question.

MR. BALL: Mr. Speaker, 911 service allows individuals to dial one three-digit number to access emergency services, including medical, fire and police. The Province is the only Atlantic province without provincial-wide coverage for land-based 911 emergency response services. Currently, only 40 per cent of the Province's population and less than 10 per cent of the communities on the Island portion of the Province have access to 911 service. Furthermore, there is no land-based 911 service in Labrador.

Mr. Speaker, my question to the Minister of Health and Community Services: Why did government ignore the need for this service in this year's Budget, and when is it going to make this Province-wide 911 service a priority?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Municipal Affairs.

You have about thirty seconds for your answer.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. BYRNE: Mr. Speaker, in the urban areas of the Province - in St. John's, for example, there is a 911 system -

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

To be fair to the Member for Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi, we must go to the minister and ask him to finish his answer in about fifteen to twenty seconds.

MR. BYRNE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is not something that can be addressed in fifteen or twenty seconds. In the meantime I will say this, it is something that we have had discussed within the Department of Municipal Affairs with DMO and we have had discussions with people in the private industry to have a look at the 911 system across the Province. Some ten years ago there was an estimate done, it would cost somewhere around $10 million. That is in 1996, 1997 dollars. So it is something that we are looking at, but in fifteen seconds I cannot address it.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi.

MS MICHAEL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

My questions today are for the Minister of Education, in reference to the release of the Skilled Trades Task Force Action Plan and government's response to the recommendations.

Mr. Speaker, women graduating from trades programs are having a hard time getting hired as apprentices compared to male graduates; a fact that was recognized in the 2003 Department of Education Report entitled, The Apprenticeship Experience. Government knows the barriers that exist for women but I see little action in this report from the Skilled Trades Task Force and the response from government beyond expanding mentorships and scholarships for women, which was part of goal fourteen.

My question for the minister is: In the government's commitment to hire more apprentices on government contracts and through regional health and school boards, goal nine in the report, why is there no employment equity provision to ensure that women and other under-represented workers are hired for this government related work?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Education.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS BURKE: Mr. Speaker, I was very pleased this morning to be able to release the Skilled Task Force report that we have, which has been a work that has been in progress since last March. I was joined by my colleague, the MHA for St. John's North, Bob Ridgley, who chaired that committee for us.

Mr. Speaker, we want to position our Province as having the people who have the skills and the knowledge to be able to bring us into the future, and we have a very positive future, Mr. Speaker, and we have some very large-scale developments that are ongoing. One way that we are going to be able to bring our people and our workers to the future to make sure that they are well trained and can take the jobs that are going to come to this Province, is to make sure that under-represented groups have the opportunity to fill those gaps. Mr. Speaker, we are committed in every part of government, in everything we do as we move this Province forward, to make sure that women take their rightful place in this government.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi.

MS MICHAEL: I, too, am very glad that the report came out and I have followed this for the couple of years that we have been waiting for it, but the minister still did not answer my question.

She says that she is concerned about women's status and she is the Minister Responsible for the Status of Women. Why was there not an employment equity provision in this action that you are going to take the same way that you had employment equity provisions with some of the oil and gas projects?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Education, and Minister Responsible for the Status of Women.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS BURKE: Mr. Speaker, I would like to stress that this government takes women's issues very seriously. As we advance any of our major projects we will certainly make sure that the rights of women are included and that we advance the status of women.

Mr. Speaker, I think this government has probably done more to advance the status of women than any government we have had in the history of this Province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS BURKE: Mr. Speaker, we have a Provincial Advisory Council on the Status of Women that we have had in this Province for more than twenty-five years. After we passed the Budget this year, Mr. Speaker, this is what we heard back from the women's community, from the Advisory Council. It says: The Advisory Council extends our congratulations to you and your government on delivering a Budget that includes a number of advances for women and their families.

Mr. Speaker, we will continue to do just that with every program we advance in this government.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The time allotted for Question Period has expired.

Presenting Reports by Standing and Select Committees.

Tabling of Documents.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board.

MR. T. MARSHALL: Mr. Speaker, pursuant to section 28(4)(e) of the Financial Administration Act, I am tabling two special warrants relating to the 2006-2007 fiscal year.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to section 28(4)(e) of the Financial Administration Act, I am tabling one Order in Council for the creation of one new subhead activity of expenditure for the 2006-2007 fiscal year.

Furthermore, Mr. Speaker, pursuant to section 26(5)(a) of the Financial Administration Act, I am tabling sixteen Orders in Council relating to funding pre-commitments for the 2007-2008 to the 2011-2012 fiscal years.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: Furthering Tabling of Documents?

Notices of Motions.

Answers to Questions for which Notice has been Given.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development.

MR. TAYLOR: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Yesterday in the House, I was asked to table a letter - I could have done it under Tabling of Documents. I have a couple of things here I want to table, and it is in response to questions yesterday. So if this is the appropriate place I will do it here if not -

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible).

MR. TAYLOR: Anyway, I was asked yesterday to table the letter from Mr. MacDonald to the Premier in 2005 as it relates to support for the Trans-Gulf initiative to Industry Canada, and I was asked to table the Premier's letter to the federal government. Mr. Speaker, I provide that to all hon. members and the public, very straightforward.

Furthermore, in Question Period yesterday, the Opposition House Leader, I guess it was, was suggesting that there was an attempt or there was a meeting between the Premier and the president, Mr. John MacDonald of MTS Allstream.

Mr. Speaker, I want to ensure and clear up the air on that, that there was absolutely, no such meeting. There was never a meeting scheduled. While they are selective in the presenting of documents to the media, I want to provide the written record here of the e-mail transmission -

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible) wasn't in the box.

MR. TAYLOR: It was in the box, Mr. Speaker. It says here, the communications -

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The Chair reminds members that during the Tabling of Documents section, which we had passed, but by consent, I think we agreed to let the tabling occur at this time.

MR. PARSONS: A point of order, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: Pardon?

MR. PARSONS: A point of order.

MR. SPEAKER: A point of order has been raised.

The Chair also reminds members that we have called for Answers to Questions for Which Notice has been Given, and that usually refers to notices which are on the Order Paper. These answers, which we are dealing with now, would have been more appropriately dealt with under Tabling of Documents.

The Chair recognizes the point of order by the Opposition House Leader.

MR. PARSONS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

My point, Mr. Speaker, is that I have no problem with the minister tabling the documents. He indicated to me this morning in a phone conversation, which he did an interview with CBC, that he would be tabling it. We did concur that it could be done under this section by consent, and that is fine (inaudible) the floor, but it is also understood that when you table documents, you table them. It is not a position and not a place for commentary. If we want to have a soapbox or whatever, we table. There is a time and place to do that in this House.

I suggest to the minister, we await his documents anxiously, we will be reviewing and examining them, and if we want to show our different interpretations of what it says or not we will take another appropriate time to do that. Otherwise, our leave to table will be withdrawn.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The Chair reminds hon. members of the usual protocols. Tabling of Documents had been called. The Chair had called Answers to Questions for which Notice has been Given. In that particular section, a minister has far more discretion to be able to comment on the issues that have been raised. Usually that falls under the answers that have been tabled in the House in the appropriate place.

In this particular case I ask the minister, if he is going to table documents, that he table the documents without elaboration.

MR. TAYLOR: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

In that case, Mr. Speaker, bearing in the mind that while they want to ask questions they do not want answers, because you have to put this in context and you have to point it out, so understanding that, Mr. Speaker, I will wait until Question Period on Monday so that I can do it in the manner that is appropriate, that I think is appropriate.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. PARSONS: A point of order, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: A point of order has been raised by the Opposition House Leader.

MR. PARSONS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I have no problem, if that is the approach the minister wishes to take. We can certainly do it any time he wishes. It just means that the public of this Province will have to wait longer to get answers from this government.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. PARSONS: In the meantime, Mr. Speaker, everybody who was watching the minister about three minutes ago saw him table the letter that Dean MacDonald sent to the Premier. He cannot withdraw what he already tabled. He tabled the letter from Dean MacDonald, and the Premier's letter to the federal minister. That must stay in; it is tabled.

MR. SPEAKER: Speaking to the point of order, the hon. the Government House Leader.

MR. RIDEOUT: Mr. Speaker, it is rather elementary that once a document is tabled it is tabled. My colleague has given no indication to the House in any form that he intends to haul off the Table something that he has laid on the Table. Mr. Speaker, that is not the intent. The intention was - can't do it anyway, knows he can't do it. The intention was that the remaining documents that he has will be dealt with in Question Period if the Opposition raise them. That is the point, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Speaking to the point of order, the hon. the Opposition House Leader.

MR. PARSONS: Mr. Speaker, the only point is: Will the letter that he already tabled from Dean MacDonald be ordered to stay tabled? That is all I need to know.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

All documents that the minister had identified as tabling, they are deemed to be tabled when the minister says those words. Therefore, I am sure the minister will be quite willing to comply.

We were on the section called Answers to Questions for which Notice has been Given.

Petitions.

Orders of the Day.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Government House Leader.

MR. RIDEOUT: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, we are going to move, under Orders of the Day, to Motion 3, which is the concurrence motion.

There are two Committees that have reported and at this time, under Order 3, I would like to call the Resource Estimates for the Resource Committee.

MR. SPEAKER: The Government House Leader has called Order 3, the Resource Committee.

The Chair recognizes the hon. the Member for Bonavista North.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. HARDING: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am pleased, as Chairman of the Resource Committee, to begin the concurrence debate today on the review of six departmental Estimates that came under our Committee.

First of all, I would like to acknowledge the members who made up the Resources Committee. There were, in addition to myself, the Members for Grand Bank, Labrador West, Windsor-Springdale, Trinity-Bay de Verde, Cartwright-L'Anse au Clair, and the Bay of Islands.

In addition, I would also like to acknowledge a number of other members who substituted for some of the Committee members, and these members were, the Members for St. Barbe, Ferryland, Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi, and Torngat Mountains.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Government House Leader.

MR. RIDEOUT: Mr. Speaker, there seems to be a bit of a problem here between both sides of the House, and I like operating on consensus.

I understood that the arrangement was that we would proceed with the concurrence debate on the Resource Estimates Committee, because I believe that was the first one that was tabled yesterday. Maybe I took it for granted, I am not sure, but I understand from my colleagues across the way that their House Leader understood that we would proceed with Government Services. I have no problem with that.

The Chair of the Government Services Committee is ready to introduce those Estimates. Rather than cause any kafuffle or any allegations of breaking of words, or anything of that nature, I believe my colleague is ready to introduce the Government Services Estimates. The ministers are always ready to debate their Estimates, so we will go with Government Services, just in case there has been a misunderstanding.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Acting Opposition House Leader.

MR. BUTLER: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Yes, we were under the understanding that it would have been Government Services, and our people on this side were prepared for this afternoon. I want to thank the Government House Leader for making that change. We really appreciate that, Sir.

MR. SPEAKER: The Chair acknowledges the agreement.

The Chair will also revert so there will be no time lost for the hon. members who wish to speak to the Resource Committee. We will not count the time that has already been expended. It was only about two minutes in any case.

The Chair now recognizes the hon. the Member for Terra Nova speaking to Order 3, the Government Services Committee.

MR. ORAM: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I actually did not know that this was coming, either, today, so you will have to bear with me to work through this.

It is my pleasure to begin concurrence debate for Estimates on the following departments: Government Services, of course, the hon. Minister Whalen; Works, Services and Transportation and Labrador Affairs, again, the hon. Minister Hickey; Finance and Public Service, the hon. Minister Marshall; and Intergovernmental Affairs, the hon. Minister Ottenheimer. I am hoping that I am not forgetting one, because I had to jot down these notes within ten seconds.

First of all, I would also like to say thank you to the Committee for a great job on all of the -

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

I remind the hon. member, it is occurring very frequently, in your presentation, in presentations made to the House, we should not refer to members other than by their titles. It has happened on a number of occasions when members refer to ministers both by their title and then by their name. An established protocol is that you cannot do indirectly what you cannot do directly, so therefore I ask all hon. members for their co-operation in that regard.

The Chair recognizes the hon. the Member for Terra Nova.

MR. ORAM: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I do apologize for that today. I certainly know the difference of that.

I would like to thank the Committee for their work on these particular Estimates. It was very informative. There were a lot of questions that were asked by the Opposition and also by government side as well, and we had some great Estimates meetings together. In fact, I think it will go down in history, Mr. Speaker, the Estimates meeting with the Works, Services and Transportation Minister and with, of course, the Member for Torngat Mountains and the minister debating and talking about and questioning the Labrador Affairs portfolio. It was very informative, and I think all parties found it very informative during those Estimates. So, again, I would like to begin concurrence debate on those particular departments.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Bay of Islands.

MR. JOYCE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank the member for starting the concurrence debate. I am standing here today in the role as the critic for Transportation and Works in the department. It is a department which I have been very vocal on over the last number of years. It is a department in which I feel there are a lot of safety issues that have not been addressed over a number of years.

I am going to speak first, Mr. Speaker, on the Bay of Islands, the district which I represent. It is mainly a rural district, just outside Corner Brook. Part of it is the City of Corner Brook. There are a number of issues, concerns, that have been raised over the last number of years, and last year, that I have brought forth with the help of some town councils, individuals, and other people. I will be speaking on some of the issues that were raised at the time, and some of the concerns that were raised in the district.

One of the most disappointing things that I found with the Department of Transportation and Works - and it is not just with this minister, so I hope the minister does not take it personally, it is also the other two previous ministers - I have yet to get a meeting with either one of the three Transportation Ministers in the last three-and-a-half years. I could not even get in their office to have a meeting, representing a district in the rural District of Bay of Islands.

Not only couldn't I get a meeting, the town councils that I represent are after writing these three ministers - so, I say to the current minister, do not take it personally, it is not just you, it is the three of you - and they would not even give them the decency and the respect of having a meeting to discuss their concerns. That is the level that the department has reached, that the town councils could not even get a meeting.

I know one of the town councils, Gillams, and I have to give the Mayor, Eddie Blanchard, some credit here. Eddie Blanchard spearheaded a group on the North Shore of the Bay of Islands to bring the concerns of the transportation and works issues to the forefront.

I know the minister was well aware of it. I know the council, on behalf of the residents, wrote the minister and asked him out to a public meeting. I know all the councils wrote the ministers a joint letter, actually, on the North Shore. On the South Shore, separate councils wrote, but on the North Shore the councils got together and wrote a joint letter and they still could not get a meeting.

One of the most, I guess, disappointing things for the residents who arranged the meeting, and were raising the issue publicly, was when the minister finally felt some heat and he turned on - and he went to the local media. Here is what the minister had to say. This is after all the mayors got together and wrote him for about a year, a year-and-a-half, and could not get a meeting. It was after all of the residents were contacting - and I presented petitions in this House, petitions upon petitions upon petitions, and here is what the minister said: The minister believes the problem falls with the Liberal MHA for Bay of Islands, Eddie Joyce. He said the meeting was orchestrated in a way that it was impossible for him to attend.

What a condescending attitude towards the mayors, the residents, and the people who organized that meeting, that I arranged this meeting so you could not attend. Minister, that is so absolutely not true, absolutely not true. You know it is not true. Not only should you turn around and write and apologize to the residents who did it, you should go out and give them the courtesy of at least meeting with them.

I know ministers opposite, we had meetings with the same group. I know the Minister of Municipal and Provincial Affairs, and Environment and Conservation came out. They met with the residents last May. They met with them. They came out and had a joint meeting with all of the town councils, all of the people, concerning the waste management disposal site. They had a meeting; had a great meeting, actually. I am sure there are going to be more follow-ups. In actual fact, the Minister of Municipal Affairs just attended a Great Humber Joint Council meeting about two or three weeks ago and had a great meeting, informative, a lot of hard-hitting questions, but at least the minister had the guts and he took his responsibility seriously enough that he went out and sat down face to face to discuss the issue. You have to admire the minister who would do that.

Here is this minister, with the town councils out writing letters after letters after letters, calling the minister, and here is what the minister finally had to say, Mr. Speaker. This is what the minister finally had to say, and it is kind of disappointing: The minister encouraged the council representatives to come to St. John's to meet with him.

So, here are the town councils on the North Shore of the Bay of Islands, asking the minister to come out and meet with them. After the minister refuses to meet with them, puts condescending remarks in the paper saying that I orchestrated the meeting, not giving the town councils any credit whatsoever for bringing the concerns of the residents to the minister, he turns around and says: If you want to meet with me, come on into St. John's. That is the attitude, Mr. Speaker, towards rural Newfoundland and Labrador that is portrayed by this government. That is the exact attitude.

These residents out there continued their fight and for three years there wasn't one cent spent in the Bay of Islands, three and a half actually, and still none. As of now, almost four years and not one cent. This year I think there was $800,000 allocated for the District of the Bay of Islands.

I remember one year, Mr. Speaker - and this was so funny, I went to the media - they put out this press release about $350,000 or $380,000, money spent for Humber East, Humber West and the Bay of Islands. The media came to me and said: Look, they are spending money. I said: Yes, let's go down through the projects: Lewin Parkway up in Humber East; they are going to do the ramp out by the Trans-Canada Highway, Humber West. There wasn't one cent, not one cent of that money - which they tried to camouflage; oh, we are doing all this work - not one cent spent in the District of the Bay of Islands, but yet they included it just to try to save the embarrassment of saying they had never put any money into the District of Bay of Islands.

I say to the minister, it is still not too late to save a bit of face; go out and meet with the residents, go out and meet with the town councils. I will even arrange it for you. I say to the minister, you don't have to drive down through on a Sunday morning on a piece of road in McIver's that has been dangerous for the last four or five years. You don't have to drive down on through and stop off at a convenience store, eleven o'clock on a Sunday morning, walk in and ask the clerk: Will you do me a favour? Can you phone around the Town of McIver's and see if there is a counselor to show me where the bad spot is. I am not sure where to go. You don't have to do that, Minister. I have no problem going with you and arranging the meeting, and it will be non-partisan. We will be sitting down discussing the issues, I can assure you. I have done it on numerous occasions. There are ministers across the way I have done it with. They know that.

When you give the condescending attitude, that if you want to meet with me, come on into St. John's - the funny part, Mr. Speaker, and I have to bring this up because I was asked to bring it up, was when the minister didn't meet with them, and they refused to meet, the minister got out in the local media and said that he was never invited to the meeting. Here is a local volunteer, a mayor, who got his town council to invite the minister, and when the minister got in the box, because he would not discuss the serious issues in the District of the Bay of Islands, very serious, probably because it is a Liberal district, do you know what the clerk of the town council did? She went out and got the fax that she sent to confirm that the fax was sent to the minister. After the fax was taken and sent into the minister's office, the next excuse that came up of why the minister would not meet: Oh, it got lost behind the fax machine and one of the cleaners must have taken it and put it in the garbage. That was the last excuse that was heard after it was proven that there was an actual request with plenty of time for the minister to show up at the meeting. I am sure it was two or three weeks, lots of time, lots of notice - that the minister said they even faxed it in. That was the latest excuse that we heard, that some cleaner took it and threw it in the garbage.

So, minister, if you want to save - then, again, it is not only saving a bit of face with the residents, it is for the safety concerns. I implore upon you, that you should at least meet with the town councils. They do have some concerns, and if you want to exclude me, that is fine. I have no problem with it. I have absolutely no problem if you want to exclude me. I know you did it to the Member for Cartwright-L'Anse au Clair. I have no problem with that, absolutely none. I have no problem with it, but do the proper thing. Do your duty as a minister - exercise your duty as a minister and meet with the town councils that are requesting to meet with you. It is incumbent upon you to hear their concerns, to hear why they think there are certain areas in government, in transportation that needs to be looked as concerning to the District of Bay of Islands. If you do that, I will stand here in this House and I will compliment you for going out and meeting with them and listening to their concerns. I have no problem - and I can assure the minister now, if you want me to arrange the meetings in a non-partisan way, I will do it. I will even arrange the meetings. I will make a deal with you, I will not even speak at the meetings, just as long as the town council gets an opportunity where they can sit down and address their - it is that serious, minister, I say to you.

I remember one of the issues, Mr. Speaker, that was brought up. It was a piece of road in McIver's. It was a dangerous piece of road in McIver's where there were several accidents on. I know last summer there was a truck that went up with a load of wood and tipped over. They had to bring in forklifts from Cox's Cove to lift the load back up, very dangerous. A lot of our school buses are going over it on a regular basis. It is extremely dangerous.

The former minister, the minister from Lewisporte, sent out a press release: I have advised my senior engineer who assessed this road that there is some need for repairs. The repairs required could easily be handled through our regular summer maintenance program. That is what was said, Mr. Speaker. That it could be done under a regular summer maintenance program. I, at the time, stood here in this House again and asked the minister to go with me, he would not do it. The road was patched over, it was fixed. Guess what? After the departmental officials put it on their priority list in the Bay of Islands and the Corner Brook Western Region for years, finally there is money put aside this year. Instead of facing up and realizing there was a dangerous situation three years ago, they finally came to their senses and allocated money, instead of sloughing it off and saying: Oh, we can do it under summer maintenance. Oh, we have a problem with this here but we can fix it. Instead of facing the problem - finally, there is money set aside of that $800,000 to fix this dangerous piece of road. I know it has been on their priority list for the department for a number of years, at least three years, two for sure, and finally the money has been put aside. It is great, because it is a very dangerous road. An extremely dangerous road and this piece of road caused a lot of concern for a lot of people who were driving over it.

Mr. Speaker, we always go on their priority list. I heard the minister on numerous occasions talking about the big priority list and here was the minister at the time, the minister from Lewisporte sends out: Our department develops a list of priorities for road improvements based on recommendations from our senior officials. That is what he said, Mr. Speaker. It was funny, actually. It was rather funny when I read that and thought about the dangerous roads in the District of the Bay of Islands. It was very dangerous, actually. Here we were in a situation out in the Bay of Islands, very dangerous roads, could not get any money for three or four years, fighting and scraping and scrapping, took off their road maintenance. The few people they had on doing a bit of road maintenance, that was gone.

MR. SPEAKER (Fitzgerald): Order, please!

I hate to interrupt the hon. Member for Bay of Islands, but if the hon. member would allow me, the Chair would like to take this opportunity to welcome a distinguished visitor in the public galleries today, the hon. Minister of Health from our neighbouring Province of Nova Scotia, the hon. Chris d'Entremont.

Welcome to the House of Assembly.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Bay of Islands.

MR. JOYCE: I say to the minister from Nova Scotia, you came at the right time to hear a good speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. JOYCE: You came when a person is speaking the facts here, who is standing up for his district. Congratulations! Welcome to Newfoundland and Labrador.

Mr. Speaker, we were talking about their priorities. Here we are talking about their priorities once again -

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. JOYCE: It is a very serious issue, I say to the Member for Mount Pearl and the Member for Terra Nova. This is a very serious issue.

Here we are talking about their priorities. We could not get money to fix a road in McIver's - accidents, school buses going over it on a regular basis, one truck tipped over last year and they had to bring a forklift in to lift the load back on, residents complained, mayors complained. Everybody in the whole area complained about it, but it was not on their priority list. Just take a guess at what was approved? Take a guess, Mr. Speaker. Here was some road up in Massey Drive, $450,000 spent on some bypass road. The mayor out there at the time, in Massey Drive, was saying: Oh, we could use it for future development.

Then we had one of the ministers - it was not this minister, because he was not aware of it at the time and he was not the minister at the time - standing up and saying: Oh, it is a safety access road. He did not even realize that the access road was already built. The lock was on the gate for almost a year, year-and-a-half. It was built back in 2003. He did not even know it was built; talking about the emergency access road that was built. He did not even know it was built. So, Mr. Speaker, you have to question when there are press releases sent out from the ministers talking about their priority list - and here we are seeing Massey Drive out there, there will not be a house built on it.

Transportation and Works, by the way - I will just inform the residents of the Bay of Islands and the rest of Newfoundland and Labrador, Transportation and Works built the road. It was in the Estimates, and said in this House of Assembly, that Transportation and Works were going to turn the road over to the town of Massey Drive. Guess what? They went ahead and built the road in such haste, hopefully that no one would even know it was built; hopefully, did not know that the money was taken out of the roads capital works program to build. Guess what? They did not even know that when they were building the road up in Massey Drive it was connecting with the City of Corner Brook water supply. The City of Corner Brook said: Hold it, we are not allowing you to turn that over to Massey Drive and have the control going by our water supply. Guess what? That road, as we speak right now, is the responsibility of the Department of Transportation and Works; not even turned over.

So, here we are, a big part of your list, built the road to nowhere. An emergency access road already built, to turn it over to the town and you cannot even turn it over to the town because you are going past the City of Corner Brook water supply. Then you wonder why I question the priorities of the government.

I said to one departmental official in Corner Brook, when this was announced: Where was that on your priority list? He said: Ed, that was on our list but I thought that would be done when my grandchildren were born. That is how far down the list that was.

Yet, they deprive the safety of the people of Bay of Islands - a proper road and proper safety. They went off and spent it in Massey Drive to build some access road, which now the department owns and the department has the responsibility for. There will be no development and there will be no cars travelling over it because there is a lock at the end of the gate.

Mr. Speaker, when I question the priorities of the minister I have to bring forth again, I heard the minister on numerous occasions - numerous, numerous, numerous occasions - it is kind of disheartening, actually, when the Minister of Transportation and Works is out making statements in the airwaves in public which are absolutely, categorically, positively false. When I hear this minister saying that back in 2002-2003 there was $6 million spent, which is so untrue, it is just unbelievable.

I have a copy here of the Auditor General's report. We had a meeting, and there are some members opposite who were at that meeting, and I am sure they will verify this because I am sure they are hon. members. Anybody can go, by the way, and look at the Auditor General's own report, under Capital Works; it is Chapter 2, Part 2, page 16, 2007. They can look for themselves. I am sure the Minister of Transportation and Works reviewed the Auditor General's report, and I am sure he is well aware of it, because the facts and figures came right from his department. They came right from the minister's own department.

In the meeting that we had in Public Accounts, I asked the Auditor General: Will you stand by these numbers? Because I explained what was being said out in the public. He said: Absolutely. I said: How solid are these numbers? He said: One hundred per cent solid.

I just want to go over some of the false statements that were put out in the media about the lack of money, and how much money is actually being spent over the number of years. This is very important when you get into a debate, very important, because the facts do count. The facts do matter, Mr. Speaker.

In 2001, when we were in government, when we were part of the Administration, road construction was $79.4 million, road maintenance $19.2 million. Total construction and maintenance, $98.6 million.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

I remind the hon. Member for the Bay of Islands that his speaking time has expired.

MR. JOYCE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I will be back again because I understand leave is not being granted any more.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Minister of Transportation and Works, and Minister Responsible for Labrador Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. HICKEY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I want to say, it is good to see my good friend and colleague from Nova Scotia here with us this afternoon. You will enjoy your presence in this hon. House. I will say to you, though, do not take everything you hear from the other side as gospel, especially when it is coming from the Member for Bay of Islands.

Mr. Speaker, I want to address some of these issues here, and let me say this as we move forward here. This government, under this Premier, has done more work when it comes to investments in roads in this Province since 2003 than ever we have seen before, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. HICKEY: Unprecedented. Unprecedented, Mr. Speaker, the expenditure that we have had, that this government has put into the roads of this Province.

Let me say this, Mr. Speaker, when I do go back through the history of the Department of Transportation and Works, the Member for the Bay of Islands can get up and rant, he can go and twist the truth and all of this, as he is famous for doing, Mr. Speaker, but let me say this: When we look at the issues of roads around this Province, I can tell you, when I listen to the Member for the Bay of Islands talk about the deplorable roads down in his district, let me tell you, Mr. Speaker, they did not get in that condition since 2003, I can tell you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. HICKEY: Mr. Speaker, I can also say to you that we are putting as much money into his district this year than ever was put in there by the former Liberal Administration, I can say, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. HICKEY: You know, when I listen to the hon. member, self-righteous, get up and talk about the transportation network, and this and that, he came to the Estimates - and I want to say to the people of the Bay of Islands here this afternoon, I am going to tell the facts of the matter as they should be told, Mr. Speaker. When that hon. member came to the Estimates Committee there a few nights ago when we did the Estimates, he came in late, Mr. Speaker, he left early, Mr. Speaker, and asked three or four questions. That is the critic, Mr. Speaker, for the Department of Transportation and Works. Absolutely disturbing, absolutely disgraceful, Mr. Speaker.

He talks about McIver's. We went down to McIver's after we found out there was an issue down there, Mr. Speaker, and I can tell you that officials from the Department of Transportation and Works went down and fixed that problem. Yes, I travelled to the beautiful District of Bay of Islands, an absolutely beautiful, beautiful district of this Province, and I was very pleased to go down there.

I will tell you a story. I went down to Cox's Cove, the beautiful community of Cox's Cove. I decided to go down, and there were a number of gentlemen down there on the wharf. I went over and introduced myself, and they said: Oh, you must be looking for Eddie Joyce. I said: No, I am not.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. HICKEY: I said: I am here to go over and have a look at some of the roads in the district, to become familiar. He said: Is this your first time down here, Minister? I said: Yes, it is, a beautiful area of the Province. Well, he said, Minister, I have seen more of you than I have seen of Eddie Joyce.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. HICKEY: Let me say this, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

I remind the hon. Minister of Transportation and Works that it is unparliamentary to say a person's name in this House. I ask the minister, when he is referring to a sitting member, if he would refer to that member either by the executive position that they carry here or by the district that they represent.

MR. JOYCE: A point of order, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Bay of Islands, on a point of order.

MR. JOYCE: The member wants to go on saying about someone in Cox's Cove who has never seen me, and using my name, but please advise the person that I have been involved now and elected for eighteen years, so someone has seen me in Cox's Cove, to elect me for that many years.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

There is no point of order.

The hon. the Minister of Transportation and Works.

MR. HICKEY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, getting back to the issue of transportation and works in this Province, we are doing unprecedented work on our roads. Last year we spent in excess of some $60 million in road improvements. This year we are going to spend in excess of $66 million in road improvements. We are revamping the ferry fleet.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. HICKEY: I was very pleased, Mr. Speaker, with my colleague, the Minister of Government Services, to go down last week, down to the National Research Centre, and look at the hulls, the moulds for the new hulls, for the new ferries that are going to be built right here in this Province, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. HICKEY: They are going to be built by companies in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. HICKEY: Ninety-five per cent of the expenditures for the Department of Transportation and Works, I can tell you, is happening in rural Newfoundland and Labrador.

Mr. Speaker, while I get the chance to stand on my feet here, I also want to address the issue that was raised by the Member for Burgeo & LaPoile last November when he came into this hon. House and very passionately - very passionately - got up and asked for porta-potties down in his district, down in Burgeo. He said that people were literally having to climb around the rocks down on the landwash and up on back of the stages to use the washroom. It is not fit, it is not humane. That is what the member said from Burgeo & LaPoile.

Mr. Speaker, he asked for porta-potties. Could the minister, he said, give us at least a porta-potty? Well, we did. We responded. That is more than what he did for the time that he has been down there, and he has been down there as member for that district for a good many years.

Let me say this, Mr. Speaker: Porta-potties are not good enough for this minister, not good enough for this government, and we are going to improve the washroom facilities in all of our ferry locations in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. HICKEY: This year, Mr. Speaker, this department and this government have identified in the Budget the building of a waiting room, washroom and storage facilities in Burgeo. It is our intention to look at all of the ferry terminals in this Province, to provide that type of service that should have been there long ago, long ago.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. HICKEY: Mr. Speaker, as we talk about the Department of Transportation and Works, let me say this: I took the time, when I first became minister last year, to go throughout most of the Province. I did not get to all of what I wanted to see; I hope to do more this summer. We went out and we visited many of the depots. We went out and visited much of the road and, let me say this, we met with many of the councils.

I can tell you, my previous life in politics was with municipal politics, as a former mayor and a former town councillor, and I appreciate dealing with town councils and mayors. I have to say, I have yet to have a bad meeting with a town councillor or mayor in this Province.

Let me address the issue that the Member for the Bay of Islands raised about the meeting. Let me say this: There was no fax fell behind the garbage can at the Department of Transportation and Works. I can tell you that right now. We checked it out. My officials talked with that particular council, and we were told very simply, I could not meet with the councils on that short a notice. As you can well appreciate, Mr. Speaker, I have a very busy schedule when it comes to the Minister of Transportation and Works and the Minister of Labrador Affairs. Do you know what was told to us, when we checked into it further? We were told that the meeting was scheduled around the Member for the Bay of Islands' schedule rather than mine. I can tell you, Mr. Speaker, I will not be putting my schedule together around the schedule of the Member for the Bay of Islands. I can tell you that.

I will say this to you -

MR. JOYCE: A point of order, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Member for the Bay of Islands on a point of order.

MR. JOYCE: Mr. Speaker, I refuse to let the minister stand up here and make false statements which are just not true. Those statements he is making - if he wants to stand up and say he didn't want to make the meeting -

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

I ask members to be cognizant of the language they use here. Some language, false statements, the Chair has no way of knowing if statements are false or whether they are true. I ask the hon. member if he has a point of order, if he would get to that point of order and do it immediately and allow the debate to proceed.

In the meantime, I would ask the member to withdraw his comments about making a false statement. That is strictly unparliamentary, and I ask the member if he would withdraw that statement.

MR. JOYCE: I withdraw that statement, but, Mr. Speaker, the statement he is making -

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

I ask the member if he is speaking to his point of order or if he is continuing to talk on withdrawing his statement?

MR. JOYCE: Point of order.

MR. SPEAKER: He is talking on the point of order. I will give him a quick minute to make his point of order.

MR. JOYCE: To the minister: If you want to make statements here, you have to be accurate in what you are saying. What you are saying is just absolutely incorrect. It is absolutely incorrect. If you want to make statements out there - you may not know the information, but I will not stand here and let you make statements which are incorrect.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

There is no point of order.

The hon. the Minister of Transportation and Works.

MR. HICKEY: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

I will continue with my comments.

Mr. Speaker, the information I give to this hon. House here today is indeed accurate. Let me say this, the officials in my department are efficient when it comes to the handling of faxes and mail coming into my office.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. HICKEY: Let me say this: As I said in correspondence to the councils, I will meet with any council. As a matter of fact just this week I have met with, I would say, four councils in my office who came in to see me. Obviously, the House is in session and our responsibilities are here. I, indeed, will be travelling throughout the Province and I will be indeed meeting with more councils as we go throughout the Province on our tour this particular summer.

Mr. Speaker, let me say this, when it comes to the Department of Transportation and Works it is a huge task. It is a huge cost to this government to keep roads and keep ferries and keep airplanes running. Let me say this, Mr. Speaker, never before have we seen investments in our roads.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. HICKEY: Mr. Speaker, when I asked my officials - after I became minister I said to one of my officials, I said at the rate of $60 million a year, how long would it take this department and our government to bring the road systems of this Province up to an acceptable standard? The official said to me: Minister, it will take you ten years, $600 million in order to bring the roads of the Province, in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador up to speed. Do you know why, Mr. Speaker? Because of the neglect of the hon. crowd on the other side, I say to you, Mr. Speaker. Sad is what it was.

Now, what we are finding - I will tell you something else that we are just finding out in recent days as we go along and check some of the pavement. Do you know what? Prior to the last election there were roads in this Province that were paved with a half inch of pavement, just put the skim over the top. What is happening to that pavement now, I say?

I had a mayor in my office from a local service district just yesterday telling me - down in the District of Bellevue - that there was a piece of pavement laid there, just to lay it, now it is coming up; half inch thick. Absolutely, totally disgusting, Mr. Speaker. They left the fleet of this Province in a mess. They left the roads in the Province in a mess. They left the airplane services in a mess. They left this Province in a mess and that is why they are on the other side, I say, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. HICKEY: In closing, Mr. Speaker, let me say this as we move forward here. The people of this Province will see the investment in our roads, in our ferries, because we are committed to a good transportation system in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Let there be no doubt about it, they left a big mess and we are going to clean it up. We are doing a good job about it, a lot better than they will ever do, I can tell you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Member for Fortune Bay-Cape la Hune.

MR. LANGDON: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I would like to have a few words on the concurrence debate.

I have to say upfront that I have been elected for eighteen years. Do you know the worse part of the job that I like? Is the House. It really is. I sit here and I listen to people on both sides of the House and I know the parliamentary system, how it works. You have jibes across and we all do that, some more so than the others. I probably would like sometimes to do more than I do but I try to restrain. I doodle a lot here on my books, and everything I have is all marked up.

I made a barb today, I think it was at the Fisheries Minister, and he said you are in a bad mood today. I said well that is the only one that I will make for the day. So, hopefully that is true. I do not want to pontificate here or to get on a soapbox as to what I want to say, that is not what it is about.

I just want to say a few things in response to the Minister of Transportation and Works. I do not know if the Auditor General puts out things that are false or if he puts it out that (inaudible) true. I would hope that it would be true. I would suppose that it is. I have it here in my hand, it says capital funding and expenditures, and it is from 2001 to 2006. You have road construction and road maintenance. You look at the totals, 2001, $98.6 million; 2002, $101.3 million; 2003, $76.1 million; 2004, $65.6 million; 2006, $79.3 million. Now whether it is correct or not, I will have to leave that to him to assume that it is or it is not. I will just leave it at that.

I agree with him on one thing, that it is a daunting task to deal with the transportation needs in our Province. There's no two ways about that. I live in one of the remote, rural districts in the Province, down on the Connaigre Peninsula.

The Bay d'Espoir Highway; every year, over the last number of years, we have put some money into the Bay d'Espoir Highway. We have to. It is the link that gives these people access to the Trans-Canada for transportation; whether it be for health, whether it be for freight, whether it be for fish or whatever the case might be. We have to keep the road up. There's no two ways about that. The year before last there was $500,000 allocated for the Bay d'Espoir Highway and it was tendered, but it came in at such an exorbitant price that the minister did not award it, and I can understand that. Last year they took another $500,000, plus the $500,000 from the year before and made $1 million and we did get anywhere between four to five kilometres of road done on the Bay d'Espoir Highway. It is over 200 kilometres from the Trans-Canada down to my hometown in Seal Cove, Fortune Bay. That is not counting all the branch roads that go into Bay d'Espoir or Fortune Bay North. A lot of these roads are twenty years old when it comes to pavement and so on. It is getting really, really rough. With the increased activity and the roads not built for the level of transportation that it is in, then obviously there is going to be wear and deterioration on it.

I have said in the House many, many times, I am thankful for every dollar that we get in the district on roads because it is not going for me, it is going for the people that I represent. But, $1 million a year will not cut it going into the Bay d'Espoir Highway. The thing is, there are about eighty kilometres of the 200 kilometres that need upgrading. If you look at approximately $150,000 to $200,000 a kilometre per road, you are looking at about $16 million to do that eighty kilometres, and that does not talk about the other fringe roads that go to the other communities. That is a lot of money. So, $1 million a year would give sixteen years before it would be done and, obviously, that cannot happen. I would hope (inaudible) there would be more money coming into the road work in that area to see that the people who live there have a decent road to go over.

In going through the Estimates and looking at some of the fees that were there, any time government takes a fee from a person who lives in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, that is a good idea. It is a dollar less that the people will pay. The thing about it is - for us here in the House, and a lot of us represent a lot of rural communities. I know the Member for Port au Port, just recently elected, know the difficulties that are there. They are rural, rural. There are many challenges, whether it is him or someone else, to meet these needs. Whether you are the Member for Placentia & St. Mary's, it is the same situation. It is rural communities. They have a lot of needs. Any time there is a fee elimination, then, obviously, that is great, and you will hear no complaint from me for doing it.

There are a couple of fees that I thought should have been addressed, but were not addressed. One of them was the ambulance fee. The ambulances in the rural part of the Province - and, again, like I said, it is not just me pointing it out. I do not have a lock on the rural communities, no more than anybody else. I just speak what I think is right and how I see it. The ambulance fee is costing an untold hardship on many people in the rural part of the Province. A lot of them are seniors and they make $20,000, $25,000 a year combined income. When you take an ambulance ride, one ride, whether it is a mile or ten or whatever, it is $115, and that is a lot of money. These people, when they pay those ambulance fees, have a choice, really, of doing something different and probably, in some instances, buying a treat for themselves when it comes to groceries; because their budgets are so taxed that they just do not have the money to do all of these things and there are many, many hardships.

There are many times that the constituents ask us, and I am sure they ask rural members across the way as well, to see if there is some way to help them alleviate that particular burden that comes on them. It is a burden, there is no two ways about that. All of us realize that, so I thought that was one area that would be addressed.

Going across the fees again, another fee that I thought would have probably been addressed would have been the motor registration fee. Now, it was addressed to some extent, when you have a 10 per cent decrease when you have Internet hookup, but there are a lot of people, and I would say a lot of people in the urban areas, who do not have Internet hookup. Especially in the rural parts of the Province, many of the older people do not have it. If they were to have Internet into their homes, to have it, it would cost them $38 or $40 a month and a lot of them cannot afford that.

That is the situation there, that I thought that something would have been done for the seniors. I know you cannot do everything all at one time, I recognize that, but these are a couple of the fees that I thought should have been taken care of, and we would have seen some reduction in, but there was not.

The other thing we talk about is the difficulty that we see in the rural parts of the Province for our students. There is no doubt about it, that students are very important to us in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. We saw a number of them here in the gallery today, on both sides of the House. These students are our future. What I thought would have happened in the Budget did not happen.

Granted, give credit where credit is due, for students who were eligible last year for loans from the Canada Student Loan, and the provincial government this year, these students only have to pay back 50 per cent of that because half of it is grant and half of it is loan, and that is good. I have said that here before. It is not a matter of criticizing for criticizing sake; you have to give some credit sometimes when things are being done, and I think I try to do that.

What disappointed me most, Mr. Speaker, was the fact that the threshold for students who are eligible for loans in the Province did not rise. It is the same in 2007-2008 as it was in 2006-2007, and out of the 20,000 students who attend post-secondary education institutions in our Province, whether it is Memorial or the Marine Institute or CONA college campuses across the Province, eight of about 20,000 qualified. What does that mean? It means that less than half of our students who attend post-secondary education get no benefit from the Budget. For me, I think that is wrong.

When you look at the people who were excluded, take a mom and dad who are nurses here in St. John's and their combined income would probably be about $80,000 - it seems a lot of money - 50 per cent of it is gone in income tax. Then you have your mortgage. Then you have to have two cars, if two people are employed. Then you have all the other amenities of life that you have. So, their children, when they go to university, are not eligible for a loan, not eligible for a grant. That is not right. These people have had an opportunity. They are out there working day in, day out. At least their children who attend post-secondary education should have that right. I think it is.

I remember, and I have said it in the House so many, many times before that it is probably redundant and people are sick and tired of hearing it, but I had an opportunity as a young person going to university back in the 1960s that I was given free tuition. Man, did I ever appreciate that. It was not on a needs basis; it was whomever came to the university was eligible to get $100, or get free tuition.

There was another stipulation that was given. If we, as students from the rural part of the Province, came to the university, got our degree in education, we would get a further allowance of $100 a month if we would then sign a contract to go back into the rural communities to teach. That is what I did, along with many hundreds of other teachers here in the Province. What it meant for us was a start in life that we would not have had otherwise. Salaries in those days were not as high.

I remember, when I finished high school, I could not get into university the year that I graduated because I did not have French or Latin and that was a requirement then. I went to summer school for six weeks and went teaching an elementary class back on the South Coast. My pay for a month was $92.50. Ninety-two dollars and fifty cents a month. I tell you, that was not a lot of money; but, do you know what? My parents did not take any money from me and I was able to save enough money to go back into university that particular year and the rest is history. I have had an opportunity to do that and to provide for my own children, like so many other people who are out there.

These were a few of the things that I saw that could have been reduced, that could have been dealt with in the Budget and were not. Somebody else will get up and say: Well, that is your opinion - and that is what is it. We come here to the House and we come from different backgrounds, we come from different settings, we come here with different values, and we see things differently. I can only speak for the people who have sent me here for the last eighteen years, five elections. To be honest with you, my municipal background goes back to being elected, I think it was for the first time, in 1971. It is a long, long time in giving your life to trying to help others. That is what it is about. These particular people, Mr. Speaker, I think should have been given some help.

In fact, I was talking to a relative of a young graduate just graduating within the next week from Memorial University as a nurse. She is not even bothering to stay around. They are going to Alberta. I know, with the salaries they offer our young people up there it is very, very challenging, but nevertheless we need services and I am glad that many of our young people do stay here in the Province to provide services to our seniors and people who need them.

If we were to offer some of these students who are not eligible for student loans and grants some incentive to stay in the Province, they probably would be able to stay here. We need them, we need their expertise, we need their dedication, we need their young families to settle here and to be able to improve the quality of life that we have. We don't want to be a community or a Province of seniors. I know it is a real challenge for us, but nevertheless that is what we do.

The Minister of Transportation and Works also said - I wrote down a couple of things while he was speaking - he said: I never had a bad meeting with a town council. Neither have I. For two or three years I was Minister of Municipal Affairs and we met a lot of people. I can't remember ever saying no to anybody who wanted a meeting. We never had any bad meetings. Do you know why? Because people out there had respect for you. Sometimes you had to tell them that you couldn't help in the way they would like, but nevertheless they were, in a sense, very cordial to you even though they didn't agree. I think that is a really great characteristic of the people we have in the Province. We are respectful of others and we do let other people make their points and their way of expressing things. Even though we don't agree with each other, nevertheless they appreciate the point of view that we have.

Also, when I think about the situation in the rural part of the Province - I was talking about the fees and so on and I talk about the education, and I think also about the need for hospital services and for health care. There is no doubt about it, as we grow older, people within our areas that we represent do need quality health care. The thing about it is, even today I had a call, or my office did, from one person over in the community who said that one of the services that was rendered or provided at the Harbour Breton or the Connaigre Health Care Centre was discontinued and wanted us to check into that. I will do that over the next little while and when I go back tomorrow to the community of Harbour Breton I will go to the Connaigre Health Care Centre and check it out with the people who are there. We certainly do not need to lose anybody, Mr. Speaker. Hopefully we should be able to improve on the things that we have. That is very, very important.

One of the other things, you know, when we talk about the Budget - and there were a lot of good things in it, as I said earlier, and I would be remiss if I did not say that there were. Some people have said that it is probably the best Budget since Confederation. That is a matter of opinion. Again, people look at it and sometimes we are not always unbiased or impartial; we want to bring our own interpretations into it.

I was just thinking about it here, as I was sitting and thinking about the revenue that comes to this Province from the three offshore oil projects: the Hibernia, the Terra Nova and the White Rose and the Voisey's Bay project, more than a billion dollars. You know, when you sit back and think about these things, they are non-renewable. They are going to be gone one of these days. As we are here in the House now and we talk about the revenue that we have, and the dollars that we can do the things with, for our people, you know, it is not always going to be the case.

As I was here thinking about it, I probably will not be here in 2011 or 2015 - that is two elections from now - and, I am telling you, if nothing changes, just reflect on it for those who are younger and plan to stay around. With no exploration in sight, nothing happening, the Hibernia and the White Rose and the Terra Nova projects winding down, no Hebron-Ben Nevis, no Hibernia South, nothing happening in the Laurentians, it might very well be different ten or fifteen years from now, because what we are seeing, Mr. Speaker, because those things are not happening, we are seeing some of our subsidiary industry, oil industries here, closing up and moving shop and going elsewhere.

From the way that I look at it, I hope that every day we could open up a mine like Aur Resources and employ 300 people. Why wouldn't I? I think that we have enough respect, we have enough admiration, we have enough concern about our people in the rural parts of the Province and the urban parts of the Province, that we want what is best for them. Obviously, that is the way that all of us would like. It is the people out there who we represent who really depend on us and see that we try to do things that are good for them. That is what it is about.

One of the things, too, Mr. Speaker, talking, as I said, about education a few moments ago, and talking about nothing there for the post-secondary education, one of the other areas - and I saw, only a couple of days ago, the Minister of Municipal and Provincial Affairs, and the Minister of Environment, outline the government's plan for waste management. I think it was Premier Clyde Wells who said one time that we would be in a lot of a mess, but the fact is that Newfoundland and Labrador is so big and there are only a few of us around so that we do not have it polluted any more.

Whether that is true or not, Mr. Speaker, the thing that is very, very important for us is that, yes, we are going to have waste management. Yes, we are going to have sites in St. John's, Central and West. Yes, it is going to cost many of the rural communities much, much more, many of the local service districts. The tipping fees are going to double, there is no two ways about that. The ministers have already said that. It is going to cost us more for a clean environment, and we do want a clean environment for our younger people, our children and our grandchildren, to grow up in. We do not want to leave them in a situation where this is not happening.

I have to say again, Mr. Speaker, one of the things that disappointed me a lot when I looked at the Budget was the fact that there was no increase for the Municipal Operating Grants for the small municipalities. Never before have there been so many difficulties and so many problems for many of the small rural municipalities in our Province.

Mr. Speaker, you would know, in some instances, where the people in the communities realize they could not maintain the services and maintain what was expected of them with the revenue they could generate and they asked for a dissolving of the council. In some instances that has happen. That, really, in a sense, is unfortunate, that we would put the people in those small areas where that would happen, but it is going to be happening more and more.

I think of many of the smaller communities that I represent, where the population is dwindling, and it is dwindling because of a number of things. It is dwindling because there are not as many children in the family as there used to be. The families are getting older. There are not a lot of new people staying around. They want to spread their wings and they want go elsewhere, some of them by choice. We are caught into a situation where we have those services in the small communities and they are not going to be able to manage them.

I was talking to a person, not too long ago, where they talked about having boil orders on in the community. He said: We could, tomorrow, start up our chlorination plant if we like, and put it in operation. The thing is, what we do not have is enough revenue to be able to pay for the chlorine that is needed to go into the chlorination system.

The other day when the minister was giving his ministerial statement on the water quality in Newfoundland and Labrador, he talked about water from the tap. I just, out of curiosity, went and said: I remember when I was Minister of Municipal Affairs, we had a problem with THMs. Sitting there, I remember it was very challenging in those days. I remember a couple of mayors said they never, ever got a letter from the Department of Municipal Affairs saying that their THM levels were high. Well, I was able to produce a couple of letters to these people that were written to them by the officials. They were registered letters and these people had to sign them out. These are all parts of being a minister and the challenges that come with it.

Do you know what? In 2007, Mr. Speaker, we still have more than 200 communities and local service districts out there on boil orders. More than 200 -

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

I remind the hon. Member for Fortune Bay-Cape la Hune that his speaking time has lapsed.

MR. LANGDON: Just a minute to clue up?

MR. SPEAKER: Does the member have leave?

AN HON. MEMBER: By leave.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. member by leave.

MR. LANGDON: So when you still have 200 communities that are still on boil orders and they cannot drink the water that comes from the tap, then that, in 2007, is a real challenge for any government, whatever their political stripe is, to be able to deal with that. But deal with it we must, because this is the health of the people in those small communities. They deserve good drinking water. They deserve all the protection that they can get. Hopefully, they will - not over the next while because it is imperative that it be done now; everything that is possible to take communities off the boil order and to make sure that the water that comes through their taps is indeed good for them to drink.

I could talk on a few more items, Mr. Speaker, but, as you said, the time has lapsed. I want to thank members opposite for leave. I am sure that I will have another opportunity to be able to talk about it further.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Placentia & St. Mary's.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. COLLINS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, before I begin, I want to take the opportunity - I have not done it in the past - to publicly welcome to this House, my colleagues recently elected: the hon. Member for Port au Port; the hon. Member for Labrador West; the hon. Member for Kilbride; the hon. Member for Ferryland, and the hon. Member for Humber Valley.

Welcome to this House.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. COLLINS: Mr. Speaker, I am pleased today to be able to speak and take a few minutes to make some comments with regard to the matters before us, the fiscal policies of this government, the spending and the Budget recently announced.

I am going to take the liberty to perhaps stray beyond the narrow confines of the Estimates because I might not get the opportunity to speak to them again, but I do what to say how pleased I am to be able to speak to those issues today. Certainly, in terms of budgets of this Province, we are talking about the budget of budgets in the history of budgets of this Province.

When I came to this government, Mr. Speaker, just a little over a year ago, I had some conversations with my colleagues who were in the budget lockup a year ago. Everybody was upbeat and having a great time in discussions of the new figures brought down at that time by the hon. Minister Sullivan. They told me: You should have been here a year ago when we brought in our first Budget, when we talked about $1 billion deficit. They said: We came into this House with our heads down, afraid to look up at the people in the galleries. Mr. Speaker, what a performance of this government in such a short time.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. COLLINS: What a performance in such a short time. No one on this side of the House now, Mr. Speaker, comes into the House in the daytime with their heads down, I can tell you that.

We remember the efforts of the government at that time in terms of cost reductions, cutting and belt-tightening measures trying to save this Province from financial starvation. We remember the Premier on television talking about the state of the Province that we inherited. We remember his discussion on television about the state of the union; negotiations with the union. We had to bite the bullet, Mr. Speaker, and today we show the profits of that experience. In three short years we have turned three surpluses. In 2006, a surplus of $76 million. In 2007, a projected surplus of $261 million.

Mr. Speaker, I am amazed that the people on the other side called this an election year Budget. Since when did you ever see an election year Budget that leaves $261 million on the table?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. COLLINS: Mr. Speaker, I cannot resist throwing a few barbs at the Opposition, but before I do so, I want to say to the hon. Member for Fortune Bay-Cape la Hune, who is one of the most respected people in this House, that he always puts his remarks in a very professional and reasonable manner. I must say, he is a gentleman who understands the conditions of this Province and always puts his arguments fairly and reasonably. I compliment him for that and respect him for that.

Mr. Speaker, I do sympathize very much with the Opposition this year, because they have a formidable task in trying to find any holes in the fiscal policies of this government.

I was told when I came into this House - and I am beginning to understand it as I sit through the House - that it would be great training for everybody, at some time or other, to spend time in Opposition. It would be good political training to spend time in the Opposition. Several people on this side have done that, and I can see the benefits of it. I, unfortunately, haven't had the chance to do that and it is highly unlikely, Mr. Speaker, that I will.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. COLLINS: I admire the efforts of the Opposition. They have a job to do, a formidable task. They have a mountain to climb over there this year in trying to poke holes in the performance of this government.

The day of the Budget, in the reception out front, one of the prominent businesspeople in this community was overheard to speak to a member of the Opposition. I don't know who it was, I was told this. He said: Brother, you are going to have some trouble to poke holes in this one. That is about the size of it, Mr. Speaker.

The Opposition will try to stave it off as long as they can, by filibustering the motion on the Chief Electoral Officer and so on. I don't blame them, they have to shoulder on and do what they can to try to opposite this Budget and these Estimates. People who are watching on television will tut-tut the Opposition when they hear that same old song, but, you know, they have to do what they have to do.

I suggest - and I mentioned this earlier in the House - in the words of the great Tommy Makem lyrics: Year after year their numbers will get fewer/Someday no one will march there at all.

Mr. Speaker, this debate today has been focusing so far on transportation issues, and I would be remiss if I didn't say a few words about that before I get into the gist of my remarks.

I have spent the last six months trying to convince the Minister of Transportation that my roads are the worst in the Province. Unfortunately, I find out there are another forty-some-odd members who are trying to convince him of the same thing. I thought I would try to get more money out of him, but it doesn't work. I am still convinced my roads are the worst in the Province.

I look at some of the monies that have been given out to Opposition districts for road improvements, a million dollars in some cases, eight hundred and some-odd thousand dollars in another case. I said to myself, if that only had been given to my district each year for the last twenty years, I would not have this problem.

The hon. member is absolutely correct, it would take me ten years for half of my roads to be fit to drive on. Anyway, that is all I am going to say about transportation. I will try to convince the minister again next year that my roads are the worst and see if I will get some more.

I want to preface my remarks today, Mr. Speaker, if I could, on comments arising out of the Leader of the NDP in her response to the Budget a couple of weeks ago. Now, you cannot argue with the NDP agenda, the social agenda of the NDP; it is motherhood. We are talking about child care, poverty, youth, housing, and seniors. That is a motherhood issue, motherhood agenda. You cannot argue that. That is good stuff, always will be good stuff.

The only problem with the NDP, the more money you give them, the more money they want. You can never satisfy them with money. For example, with all due respect to the Leader of the NDP and the Member for Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi, that is her job, she is going to promote her agenda, and rightfully so. Her comments were with respect to the lowest personal income tax in Atlantic Canada. She said: I am very happy that we have the lowest personal income tax in Atlantic Canada. I would be delighted, she said, if we had the lowest personal income tax in all of Canada. Mr. Speaker, for a Province where the members of this side came in three years ago with their heads down trying to save it from financial starvation, we are good but we are not that good.

She said to the media: I am happy that we have the highest minimum wage in Atlantic Canada, but I would be delighted if we had the highest minimum wage in all of Canada. This for a Province that hung on by its fingernails in 2003 just to survive.

She also said: I am very happy that we have the best housing policy in Atlantic Canada, but I would be delighted if we had the best housing policy in all of Canada. We are good, but we are not that good.

The irony of it all is, we were that close to being there. If the Prime Minister of this country had to keep his word, we would have had the best policies in all of Canada.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. COLLINS: With respect to the social agenda, Mr. Speaker, I look at the social agenda of this government and I am beginning to wonder if we are not NDP over here, because we have a social agenda that is worth crowing about, and I am going to crow about it for a little while.

I am going to begin with the personal income tax deductions, tax on the personal income tax bracket reduced from 10.57 per cent to 8.7 per cent. A single income earner with a taxable income of $15,000 annually saves $238. A one income family or a single parent with a taxable income of $15,000 annually does not pay any tax. Those earning $35,000 save $469. No need to elaborate and go on with it, we know what it is. A two income family, each making $30,000, realize a total savings of $860. Mr. Speaker, a tremendous investment on behalf of the social agenda of this Province.

Twenty-eight point nine million dollars this year in addition to the current annual investment of over $62 million to reduce, alleviate and prevent poverty in this Province; a $91 million commitment this year for poverty reduction. We are a model for the rest of Canada. These are in addition to the enhancements to the Newfoundland and Labrador Drug Prescription Program, which we might get a chance to mention later.

I just want to touch on a few areas on anti-poverty, just in response to the NDP's position. The key objective under the Poverty Reduction Strategy is to increase supports to enable persons with disabilities to participate fully in society. The Budget puts $9.8 million to improve benefits, access to services and employment supports; $8 million to provide comparable board and lodging supplements for adults with disabilities residing with their own family members; an additional $1.5 million to increase the labour market participation of persons with disabilities, increase access to student summer employment opportunities and provide disability-related supports in the workplace; a further $300,000 provided to expand the provincial government's Opening Doors Program to provide opportunities for persons with disabilities to work in the Public Service.

Mr. Speaker, a social agenda comparable to none. What about low-income families, very much in the bailiwick of the NDP agenda? Budget 2007 includes $17 million to support low-income families. This includes $12.8 million to cover the cost of textbooks for the Grades 9-11 prescribed curriculum. As a result, parents no longer have to purchase textbooks, providing consistency throughout the Kindergarten to 12 system.

You have to wonder at the comments by the NDP. This ensures that the resource that children need for school, they have, regardless of what their status is in life; $2.3 million to further enhance dental services for children between the ages of thirteen and seventeen; $500,000 to develop the enhanced home visiting model through research, demonstration sites, training and evaluation; $650,000 to increase the Newfoundland and Labrador Child Tax Benefit; $300,000 to increase the Mother Baby Nutrition Supplement; $250,000 to support the Kids Eat Smart program, in addition to the $500,000 in core funding; $230,000 to support working income support clients by increasing the private child care allowance to $400 per month for the first child, $200 for the second child.

What a social agenda! What a social agenda! I am absolutely amazed that the good member does not cross the House.

As a result of all of this, Mr. Speaker, a family of two adults and two children, in high school, and one adult working full-time and the other working part-time and earning $21,000 a year, is directly financially better off about $960 annually, given they have free high school textbooks, qualify for the tax credit, and have basic dental coverage.

These are the types of initiatives, Mr. Speaker, everybody knows about, hears about, and is familiar with: tax cuts, increased spending in health, increased spending in education. These are the big ticket items, but these are the things that hit the ordinary Newfoundlanders, rural Newfoundlanders, in their homes and around this Province.

How about women vulnerable to poverty? Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars to help them access legal services; $200,000 for the Province's eight women's centres; $120,000 to increase access to employment support for victims of violence, and on and on it goes; $650,000 to increase funding for the Community Youth Network.

With respect to the housing policy that the hon. member was very happy with, but not delighted with, this Province - this is near and dear to my district because a lot of people benefit from it - $192,000 allocated to enable Newfoundland and Labrador Housing to increase financial support for eight existing community centres, increased funding of $27.5 million over five years for the Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Modernization and Improvement Program; $24 million over the next six years, more than double the funding, for the Provincial Home Repair Program to eliminate the current wait list. That is great news for people in my district.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. COLLINS: This morning, in the Estimates of Newfoundland and Labrador Housing, we had some great discussion. Everybody, both sides of this government, very positive with Newfoundland and Labrador Housing and the tremendous initiatives that they have implemented.

Mr. Speaker, the list goes on and on in regard to the social agenda of this Province and the compassionate nature of this government as it deals with low-level social economic people in this Province.

The provincial drug Enhancement program, making drugs more affordable, $17.5 million, when fully implemented; $1.4 million for children on the insulin pumps; $2.3 million, I mentioned already, to expand dental health services; and $637,000 to include coverage for new drug therapies. The list goes on and on. New funding of $228,800 for Provincial Eating Disorders Program, and we probably could all partake in that; $575,000 to address problem gambling in the Province.

I just want to stick with the social agenda part of this government. It is a social agenda that is a model. For a Progressive Conservative government to have a social agenda like this, it is a model for the rest of Canada.

Mr. Speaker, I take great pleasure today in bringing these matters to the attention of the House because I think they are the real issues of this Budget. The big ticket issues are everybody understands them, everybody knows them, but the issues dealing with the social agenda of this Province are very important. They are being showcased, highlighted as one of the primary financial achievements of this Province this year.

Now, Mr. Speaker, I am going to cut my comments at that. I appreciate the opportunity to make some comments on these Estimates. Perhaps before this House closes, I will have an opportunity to address the issue further.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MADAM SPEAKER (Osborne): The hon. the Member for Carbonear-Harbour Grace.

MR. SWEENEY: Thank you, Madam Speaker.

I have listened intently to the Member for Placentia & St. Mary's. When he started to crow, it reminded me about the crows I have around my backyard. I see I am forced to do, again today, as I have done all too often in the past, take the hose and brush out and clean up after the crows have finished their flybys on the roof of my car and so on. I am here today with my hose out and brush out to try to clean up.

The hon. member mentioned the fact of how the members here refer to the Budget as being an election Budget, and it is. Every time a Budget is brought out in the year that there is an election, everybody refers to it as an election Budget. You are not going to see increase in taxes or anything detrimental to popular opinion when there is an election in the offing of five or six months away.

Madam Speaker, it is important to note though that this Budget has some good things in there, there is no question.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SWEENEY: I will start off with the insulin pumps for the juveniles. In the Budget there were 100 announced, but for the life of me and a lot of the people out there, they cannot get any information on things.

MR. ORAM: That's because the Budget is not passed yet.

MR. SWEENEY: The Member for Terra Nova interjects: That's because the Budget is not passed. The bottom line with that, I say to the member, is even though the Budget was not passed, at least there should be a plan or some information out there for people who are trying to avail of that.

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible).

MR. SWEENEY: The member says that the reason we are holding up the Budget - or whatever he is saying over there, I cannot hear him that well because he is garbled. The hon. member himself, one day he has an excuse about something else. He injects. I understand his position in the House here, that he is Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier and that he has to carry the Party alliance and be as flippant and witty, as quick as he can be. I understand that. We all have our certain roles here to play in the House, but it would not take very much, when a program is announced, to put some information in the departments.

There is a real thingamajig going on now between the Department of Health and the Janeway Hospital. Department of Health officials are referring people to call the person at the Janeway. She in turn says: Well, phone the Department of Health. They will know over there what is happening. In the meantime, they usually all end up phoning one of our offices trying to find out just what is happening. The reality of it all, Madam Speaker, is there is nothing happening. Budget or no Budget, there is a list being compiled and that is all. There will be well over 100 names, and I would love to know who gets to play God as to select the 100 children who will be entitled to a juvenile insulin pump.

Madam Speaker, there are other things and places that this Budget could have gone into with the drug program that is there; the changes to the program. There are many people out there in this Province with cystic fibrosis. A number of them now - thanks to the Cystic Fibrosis Association, at least they are helping in providing some means and some help in that regard. The government, again, has saw fit not to put into this Budget the breathing apparatus, a device called the courage vest to help people who have trouble breathing.

I had a call from somebody the other day who is thirty years of age. Thirty is a good age for somebody who has cystic fibrosis, and a challenge to be there. There is no assistance there in place for her to be able to get a $13,000 vest to help prolong her life. Madam Speaker, I have seen firsthand, unfortunately, all too often because I was involved at one point and time with the Association of Kinsmen Clubs, as I am sure the Member for St. John's North can well relate to, and cystic fibrosis was a project that association held very highly in its programs, and still does, to my understanding. It is a dreaded disease but something as simple as that - there are not a lot of people in the Province who would require those vests but, again, there is no assistance there for that.

Madam Speaker, in my tenure in the past little while, I happened to be going past the Harbour Lodge in Carbonear and I saw beds coming out and being loaded aboard of a truck. As a matter of fact, NTV picked up that story and carried it. What we lost there was the protective care unit at that particular facility. People of the area and the surrounding areas saw their loved ones being shipped off to Placentia or St. John's to be cared for. There has been no attempt, Madam Speaker, to reinstate that protective care unit at that particular facility. I do not think that the Budget should have overlooked that particular area, and I know members opposite will say: Well, there are so many things that people are looking for. But there are things, when you prioritize your list, that you look out to the smaller hospitals and the smaller facilities around this Province that have need of a protective care unit. Not everybody can hop aboard a car two and three times a week and drive to St. John's to see a loved one or drive to Placentia.

Newfoundland is not the kindest to its people with weather. The climate here in this Province - and I know, I travel the road quite a bit. The climate here is changing on almost a minute to minute basis. To expect somebody to go in to see somebody at a protective care unit in St. John's, I think, is a little bit too much when we had one in our area that could have been improved with very little dollars, I say to the Speaker.

Another item in the long-term care, and I guess it comes under the Transportation and Works issue, is the long-term care facility that was relegated, was picked out by officials in the Department of Health to replace the aging facilities in Carbonear. In 2003 it was tied with Corner Brook, ranked with Corner Brook, to receive a new long-term care facility. It was supposed to be built with a corridor going from the Carbonear General Hospital to that new facility. Lo and behold, four years later, that has not materialized.

Madam Speaker, I cannot get a straight answer as to what happened to the status of that. I hate to think that the people of the area are suffering because of political reasons. There is no straight answer coming. A long-term care facility that was ranked, it was picked out - it was not done by politicians or anyone else - it was done by people of the Department of Health, and they themselves designated that as being a high priority, and still, four years later, four budgets later, being ignored.

Madam Speaker, when we look at budgets and we start looking at, I guess, what is being announced, and how many times it is announced, sometimes the announcements themselves tell you that everything is not true to its form.

I make reference to the $3.4 million in fee reductions at the Government Services office. In 2004 this government was giddy, I say to the Chair, in putting the fees up $27.4 million, I think it was, raised it, increased the fees by that amount, and now, a few short months before an election, the fees are lowered by $3.4 million.

Madam Speaker, I asked the question back in 2004: Where would the extra money go? We were all told here in the House that it would go into our roads program.

MR. RIDEOUT: Seven million.

MR. SWEENEY: Seven million.

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible) roads program.

MR. SWEENEY: Yes, but nobody could answer that, I say to the Government House Leader, when that was asked in the Estimates, how much of it actually went, and was it $7 million over a four year period or was it $7 million over a one year period? What happened to the other three years that we have been paying into it since, where it has gone into? What has become of that money, Madam Speaker?

People, every single time they have to go up to Motor Vehicle Registration and pay $180 to get that little piece of chrome tape to put on their licence plate, they remember what it was four years ago and they also remember that it is highest in Canada, that it is the highest licensing fee in this country.

Budgets are great, but the right thing to do would have been to put those fees all back to where they were. The economic conditions of this Province have improved vastly since we have our oil industry working quite well. Most of our units out there are pumping more oil than they were projected to pump, and it has brought a lot of revenue here. The $2 billion from Paul Martin certainly did not hurt things. It took away a lot of payments into various pensions funds and so on. That was a great break for this Province.

The ore at Voisey's Bay, the Voisey's Bay deal that you were supposed to drive Mack trucks through, that certainly has not hurt this Province, Madam Speaker.

We saw another opening of a mine yesterday. Aur Resources opened their facility yesterday. That has been a great success story. As a matter of fact, I heard a couple of people on the radio this morning complaining, actually, that the minister and the Premier did not show up. No high ranking official from the government made an appearance at that particular opening yesterday.

MS DUNDERDALE: A point of order, Madam Speaker.

MADAM SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Natural Resources, on a point of order.

MS DUNDERDALE: Madam Speaker, the department was represented at the opening of Aur Resources yesterday. I was not available to go because I had made a prior commitment before the invitation was issued, but the department was represented by the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador as well as representatives of the department.

MADAM SPEAKER: There is no point of order.

The hon. the Member for Carbonear-Harbour Grace.

MR. SWEENEY: Was there a point of order, Madam Speaker?

MADAM SPEAKER: No.

MR. SWEENEY: Okay.

Anyway, I thank the minister for admitting she was not there, but I was just repeating what I heard on the radio, I say.

We are talking about the Budget here, I say to the minister, we are talking about the motion of concurrence. We are talking about the Budget, and things that are good for this Province, but we are also talking about the shortcomings that are in this Budget.

I have to talk about the deplorable conditions of some of our highways, some of which are long overdue. I look at some of the things that were even repaired last year starting to disintegrate again. There is massive rutting on our highways. I know that from first-hand driving on it; if you are not careful, the wheel will be whipped right out of your hand. Many people write letters and complain and so on.

Madam Speaker, talk about traffic lights. The Mayor of Carbonear reminded me this afternoon, when I was speaking, to mention the fact that he has been looking for a meeting with some minister, he says, anyone at all, to see about getting the traffic lights installed at a dangerous intersection on Columbus Drive and Powell Drive before somebody is killed. He has been asking for that. Both mayors out there have been working together trying to get some street lighting at a very dangerous intersection where a young lady was killed just last year. Those are things - we have to look at the little things, I guess, in our budgets, the things that are of benefit to people.

I am not saying that the government is missing all of this, but I am saying they are missing it in a lot of areas, in some areas. It is quite interesting to note, when I asked the Minister of Transportation and Works last Wednesday night, when we were there four hours into the evening, about: Were all the tenders called for highway work in this Province? He said to me: No, not all of them. We have not done the Liberal ones yet.

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible).

MR. SWEENEY: Yes.

So, it is quite interesting sometimes how you rationalize which district. Is it based on the need, the priority, or is it based on what political stripe or what political party that district is in? It is quite interesting.

Another item - I sort of got off track there when the minister was trying to make her point of order about not being at the Aur Resources opening yesterday.

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible).

MR. SWEENEY: Yes, they also mentioned that the Premier was not there, but I do not want to bring that up because I do not want to get him up on his feet either. I know he was too busy. He was too busy yesterday flipping burgers, I know.

In any case, I want to go back to the Department of Government Services and talk about the unusual discount that is out there, that if you are lucky enough in this Province to have a computer and you can register on line, you can save 10 per cent, which by the way is $18, a fairly substantial savings. Is it enough now to rush out and call Persona and say, come over and install a link with that great fibre optic we are dragging in here now from Nova Scotia, run that to my house and sell me a computer for $700 or $800 so I can save $18 on my registration?

What about the seniors out there, what about the people out there who don't have computers? Not everybody in this Province has access to computers.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SWEENEY: Madam Speaker, I keep hearing, I think, the crows coming back. There are sounds coming here and I am having difficult keeping my wave of thought. Madam Speaker, these ministers will have an opportunity to get up in a minute and say their few cents worth as well. Many communities in this Province don't have an internet line in their whole community. Many people don't have access to an internet line, not on the Island portion but in the Labrador portion. I think my colleague from Cartwright-L'Anse au Clair told me that there are eleven communities up there that have no access to a computer.

A number of people have even called and asked me, was there a case here, under civil rights, under human rights, for being discriminated against, because they couldn't save their bit of money, their $18 on getting their car licensed? Many people have asked me that. I am not so sure. Maybe if somebody had a good lawyer and got into a test case with that, maybe there would be. Because normally when a government gives discounts, wouldn't you think it would be available to all people, not just available to a few.

It is great if you live in St. John's, I say, there are resource centres and everything else that you may go to. There are a lot of people, I know in my area, who are not familiar with computers, don't have the experience to use them and have no access to them, so where are they going to get their savings?

Madam Speaker, another great thing that was missed, a very important thing that was missed, in this Budget was the plan for rural Newfoundland; the out-migration that is taking place here on a daily basis, the plane loads that leave here seven days a week, every morning. Now, the Minister of Business, that is the fellow over there who told a constituent of mine that: We are not here for small business, we are only here for big business. I wish for him to stay quiet now long enough-

MR. O'BRIEN: (Inaudible).

MR. SWEENEY: Two people, which I might say that your government had nothing to do with; AUR Resources. AUR Resources, you had nothing to do with it.

Madam Speaker, Air Canada leaves here every morning approximately quarter after seven, with one stop, Madam Speaker, to get fuel in Toronto, and the next stop for it is Fort McMurray. Northern Air is in and out of here everyday, a charter, taking our people back up to Fort McMurray. I know that to be true, Madam Speaker, because my son went Tuesday morning.

Madam Speaker, it is great to spin all these little games that we play here sometimes in the House, but what is more important is the substance that comes out of this stuff. Keeping our people here - it is nice to say we have this training program or that training program-

MADAM SPEAKER: Order, please!

I remind the hon. member that his speaking time has expired.

MR. SWEENEY: Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Just to clue up?

MADAM SPEAKER: Does the hon. member have leave to clue up?

AN HON. MEMBER: Yes, Madam Speaker.

MADAM SPEAKER: By leave.

MR. SWEENEY: Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Once this week I got it. Madam Speaker, to conclude I say that the people out there will be the final judge on this. The people who have their sons and daughters living in Alberta and not being able to get home and share special memories with the family, they will be the final judge in this Budget.

The Minister of Environment, I will say to him, in his announcement yesterday, that his garbage plan was just that; garbage. Because a lot of our rural communities, Madam Speaker, cannot afford to be sending their garbage to where it is going.

Madam Speaker, on that note I will conclude.

Thank you.

MADAM SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Mount Pearl.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. DENINE: Thank you, Madam Speaker.

I am very pleased to get up today and talk about this Budget.

We are doing the Estimates for Transportation and Works. Madam Speaker, this Budget that we brought in was all encompassing. We touched on the roads, we touched on education, we touched on our poverty reduction, our social assistance programs, and we touched on health. Madam Speaker, this, as I said, was an all encompassing budget that touched every person in Newfoundland and Labrador. It was a budget that spent money where it was supposed to be spent, strategically, not in a willy-nilly approach but very strategic.

Every time we look at our Budget - before I go on, Madam Speaker, I listened to the Opposition members across the way, and do you know something? I have this suspicion - I do not have a silver ball or a crystal ball, but I think this Budget is going to be passed unanimously. This Budget will be passed unanimously because it is the best Budget that Newfoundland and Labrador has ever had.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. DENINE: I listened attentively to all this stuff that is going on, on the other side, Madam Speaker, and to each one of them, if they were to ask inside themselves how they are going to vote, do you know what they are going to do? They are going to vote for it. I can look at their faces over there now, they are smiling and they know I am telling the truth. They know I am telling the truth over there. It is too bad the cameras cannot pan the other side, because then they would see: Yes, hon. Member for Mount Pearl, you are right, we are going to vote for that. Wait until the vote on the Budget, they will find out.

Madam Speaker, let's look at the roads. Let's put it in perspective, we have been in for three construction seasons. That is 2004, 2005 and 2006. We are coming into the construction season of 2007. We made significant improvements in our roads since then, in three construction seasons.

The hon. members over there say: Well, this road needs to be done and that road needs to be done. Madam Speaker, we are in for three construction seasons. We did not drive D-8s over the roads to tear them up. The reason why the roads are in such deplorable shape was the thirteen years of neglect. That is what is was and we were saddled with trying to improve the transportation network in this Province. Madam Speaker, we are doing this, because over six years we are investing $2 billion, a $2 billion investment over six years. We as a government have committed to that.

AN HON. MEMBER: Are you crowing about that?

MR. DENINE: Oh, yes! I certainly am. On this side we do not eat crow. We take action.

Madam Speaker, we look at the investment of the $440 million over this year in 2007-2008; $440 million, 5,700 person years of work. That is significant. Who will this help? This will help the construction workers, and it will help the construction companies. Where does the money flow back through? It flows back through the construction workers spending money and making businesses more profitable, thus creating an economy in our Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. That is what it will do. When you look at our investments over the last number of years, they have been significant, they have been significant in transportation, significant in health, significant in education, and significant in human resources, labour and employment.

Madam Speaker, I can tell you, from my perspective here as a member of this government over the last three-and-a-half years, we have done significant amounts of work. We did it because we did it strategically. We did not do it because of not planning for it. We knew we were going to spend the money, but we spent the money in strategic locations in Newfoundland and Labrador.

In our poverty reduction, Madam Speaker, we spent significant amounts of money. For example - I will go on the other things, but the people who reside in Newfoundland and Labrador Housing are given incentives to further their education. We did that. The oil rebate, we did that; significantly higher than the previous government. Not only that, we opened it up to electrical power this year; not only oil but electrical. That is significant for us, as a government, because we understood that not everyone heats their home with oil. A lot of people heat their homes with electricity and those people need to be rewarded too. Madam Speaker, we just did not do this by accident, we planned this and we made right decisions very strategically.

Madam Speaker, our roads for this year will be significantly improvement. I have been going on the Trans-Canada pretty regularly over the last twenty-odd years, usually in June, because we usually take a little vacation some time in June across the Province. I go along with a couple of my friends, and do you know something? We have gone along the Trans-Canada, and for years we were saying: Is there anyone doing any work on the Trans-Canada at all? Is there anyone doing any work, time after time, year after year?

Madam Speaker, I went over the road, I think it was last April or the April before that, and what did I see? I saw construction people working on the roads, I saw tractors, I saw dump trucks, I saw asphalt being laid.

MR. REID: Where?

MR. DENINE: Where! The hon. member says where. Well you have not traveled the roads as much as I have. You think you have, but you have not.

MR. REID: (Inaudible). You are in Mount Pearl.

MR. DENINE: The hon. Member for Twillingate says: Well, where? Obviously, he went blindfolded because he did not see the ones he passed. He must have been speeding through the slow zones.

Madam Speaker, we have done that. It was good, because I talked to a lot of people in the construction area and they were very, very pleased with what was happening because they were getting their contracts out in a timely fashion so people could pick up a lot of hours during the construction season. In most cases, in previous years, a lot of the contracts were let later in the year. What happens is sometimes people go to other places to work, but now we are able to keep our people here. The construction workers are able to stay here because they know the work is done and they know the commitment to put in infrastructure is there. That is what makes it important, and that is what this government has done.

Madam Speaker, I am going to go to the educational aspect of the Budget. This is the first time in our history that we are over $1 billion in spending in the education budget. The first time in the history of Newfoundland and Labrador, second only to health, and that is a significant investment. That shows two things. It shows, one, we want to look at people who are healthy, put things in health and drugs and different infrastructure to help the people who need medical attention. That is there.

We need to foster good education in our children because they are our future. Time and time again we will talk about our big resources, our Voisey's Bay, our Lower Churchill, our oil, which are fantastic, Madam Speaker. No doubt about that, but do you know something? The biggest significant is the investment in our youth. I say they are going to be the leaders of tomorrow. A lot of them are leaders today but they will be better leaders tomorrow.

Madam Speaker, I want to go back to the poverty reduction part of it. Last year in our Budget we eliminated all school fees. All school fees were eliminated. I remember so many people in the Opposition - I do not know if they ever knew that school fees were in existence. They said: We would have done that if we had known. Well, I am sorry, this government did it. This government put action into place. What did that do? I said it time and time again, there are a lot of children who go to school in September and the parents are after spending money hand over fist trying to get their children new clothing, new footwear, and get them ready for school. They do not have the extra $30, $40 or $50, or whatever the school fees may account for, and we eliminated that. Now what they can do is take that money and put it into the needs of their children as they attend school. That is what they can do, and that helped the people who could not afford it. In helping everyone, it helped the people who were in need.

Now, Madam Speaker, what did we do this year? What did we do this year? The hon. member over there said we eliminated costs for textbooks. Free textbooks for everyone in our Province who attend school; K to 12 systems, free textbooks. One of the members over there said: Well, we were going to do it. Well, we waited thirteen years, Madam Speaker, they never even bothered. We did it. We saw the need, and what did that do? Go back to what I said about the school fees. Just think about it. High school textbooks are very, very expensive. They were subsidized 60-40 by the government, but even the 40 per cent, even that percentage that the parents had to pay was still significant. In some cases $250. It could be $300, depending on the course child has taken. What did that do? You take the school fees, you take the textbooks and what do you have? Extra money in the pockets of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. Extra money in the pockets of families that are able to direct their money in other areas of need. I think that is a very significant investment in our Province and a very significant investment in our children.

Madam Speaker, what did we also do in the education budget? There was fifty-five cents a square foot for maintenance. We put that up to ninety-two cents. A comment from one of the Executive Directors of Education said: Do you know what this Budget does for us for the maintenance program in our schools? What does it do? Do you know what they said? They said, it allows us to put in a preventive maintenance program that we were never able to have for years. Now what does that do? Well, we had - I think we had twenty-eight acres of roofs to repair when we took over government, and we did that. Some of them still need to be repaired. If there had to have been a preventive maintenance program prior to us getting in, we would not have had to spend money on that. We could have reinvested it again in other areas of education and other areas of the budget. That is what we could have done, but no, what did we have to do? We had to put it into the infrastructure of the schools because we had to make the places for the children to go to school a very comfortable environment. We had to look at the envelope of that school.

Madam Speaker, people on the other side will say this is an election budget. The only reason why they say this is an election budget is because obviously we have four-year terms now and this is the election year. I tell the people on the other side, the members on the other side, I would have gladly gone with last year's budget to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador and shown them the vision that this government has had. Guaranteed! It would be no problem. They would see that this was a budget of vision, Madam Speaker, a budget that had all sectors, every one, in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Madam Speaker, now what did we do, when we look at post-secondary? I had a son who went to university and finished and my wife and I we put him through and we helped him out as best we could. That is not only me, other people can say the same thing. It becomes a burden and task on the individuals who have to pay for education. One of the major things that we have, Madam Speaker, is debt reduction. Now, what did we do as a government? Well, I can remember the protest that the students had out on the front steps of Confederation Building. Myself and the Minister of Education went out to meet the group. The Minister of Education spoke to them and heard their concerns. Do you know something? Then the Premier came down and listened to their concerns. Then we had a round table discussion in Corner Brook with all the stakeholders of post-secondary and we listened to their concerns.

Then, what happens to the Budget, Madam Speaker? Let's see what happened in the Budget. Let's see what this government looked at, and looked at the concerns of all the stakeholders. What did this government do? Did we just go and listen to them? No, Madam Speaker, we took what they said and put it into action. We put our money where our mouth is. Madam Speaker, what did we do? We continued the tuition freeze into another year which is a significant investment in our young people. We did up-front grants, needs-based grants, so when a student is going to post-secondary, fill out the needs application and they can qualify for an up-front grant; non-repayable, Madam Speaker, non-repayable, up-front grant. Now, that depends on the needs, how much they would get. This is something that the student federation of the College of the North Atlantic, Memorial and other post-secondary institutions have asked for, and what did this government do but act on it? I applaud this government for doing it.

Madam Speaker, the significant portion of those students who go to post-secondary, do you know where a lot of them come from? Rural Newfoundland and Labrador, because they have the highest expense, and that is where they come from. Who does that help? They are continuously over there saying: What have you done for rural Newfoundland? That is one thing. Take that and see what you think about it. Take that. It is no laughing matter, because the people from rural Newfoundland and Labrador do have an issue with it.

I had to send my son to Corner Brook, and it is no different sending my son from Mount Pearl to Corner as to send someone from other parts of Newfoundland into St. John's for university. I understand what they had to go through, and that was significant.

Now, what else did we do? People who had student loans, who borrowed the maximum of student loans when they filled it out, we reduced the interest rate of student loans 2.5 per cent. Now, what does that do? That is significant. It means that we are putting thousands and thousands of dollars into the pockets of the students who have graduated or now having loans as we speak. Do you know how many that is? Forty-six thousand students who had loans will receive the benefits of that. I think, to me, that is an investment of good. Let me tell you, that is smart investment. I spoke to a lot of post-secondary students and, let me tell you, they were thrilled with what we have done.

MR. BARRETT: (Inaudible).

MR. DENINE: Madam Speaker, I am getting interrupted by the Member for Bellevue.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. DENINE: I think he intends to do that every now and then.

Madam Speaker, what happens with our student loans, when we looked at the debt reduction and we looked at the tuition freeze and we looked at the up front needs based grants, we are offering, in my opinion, and in the opinion of a lot of the students that I know in post-secondary, probably the best post-secondary education financing available, the best in the country that we can possibly handle, and we made significant investment in that.

Now, what did we do for the teachers here in Newfoundland and Labrador?

MR. REID: You laid off 500 of them (inaudible).

MR. DENINE: The Leader of the Opposition - I ask the Leader of the Opposition to go back to when he was Minister of Education and put on the table, Madam Speaker, the number that he laid off. I will tell you, I will put my numbers up against his numbers any day.

I do believe the formula that we are going to get rid of is the one that they brought in. If we go back to the formula that was brought in by Williams and Sparkes, there would be 137 less in the system today; 137 less. What did we do? We did not just stop at 137, Madam Speaker. We put in thirteen teachers for rural areas of growth. We put twenty-five teachers in for the math program, and we also invested $11 million in that, Madam Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. DENINE: That is what we did. That is what we did as a government. It is very strategic.

Madam Speaker, the NLTA will talk about, well, we want things changed. Let me tell you, we had a committee, together with the teacher allotment, to review the teacher allotment. Those reviews are not in.

MADAM SPEAKER: Order, please!

I remind the hon. member that his speaking time has expired.

MR. DENINE: Can I just have a few minutes to clue up?

AN HON. MEMBER: No leave.

MADAM SPEAKER: Does the member have leave?

MR. DENINE: Madam Speaker, obviously, when they are hearing good things, they do not want to hear any more.

AN HON. MEMBER: No leave.

MR. DENINE: No leave.

Thank you very much.

MADAM SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MR. REID: Thank you, Madam Speaker.

If the Member for Mount Pearl is wondering why there has been no leave granted to him this afternoon, all he would have to do is talk to the Premier. When the Member for Grand Bank was up this afternoon responding to a Ministerial Statement, with thirty-five students from her district, and she wanted a few seconds to clue up, the Premier looked at her and said: No leave. No leave.

So, I say, look inside.

Madam Speaker, it is my understanding that I have an hour to speak to the Budget this afternoon.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MADAM SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. REID: If I do not make it to the full hour, I will be back on Monday to clue up.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. REID: Madam Speaker, I have been listening to the people opposite stand one by one in the past couple of weeks and pat themselves on the back and talk about what a great Budget they have, and the great things that they are doing in the Budget, but let's take a closer look at it.

The Member for Mount Pearl just talked about, for example, all the great things they did for teachers in this Budget. I say to the Member for Mount Pearl, what he forgets quite quickly, because there is selective memory involved, is that in the first two years of your term you laid off more than 500 teachers. That is what I say to him.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MADAM SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. REID: The way they play with figures, they are out there saying today that they are putting an additional, roughly, 150 teachers into the system this year when, in actual fact, they are not putting any teachers into the system. They are just not laying off 150, I say to the Member for Mount Pearl.

MR. DENINE: On a point of order, Madam Speaker.

MADAM SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Mount Pearl.

MR. REID: Madam Speaker, is he going to start this, this afternoon, that every time I make a point he is going to have to stand on a point of order?

MADAM SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Mount Pearl, on a point of order.

MR. DENINE: Madam Speaker, according to the Williams and Sparkes formula, there are 137 teachers in the system now that would not have been there if we did not have to use that. If we had to use that, they would have been gone out of the system. There are 137 teachers here now today, so what the hon. member across the way said is inaccurate.

MADAM SPEAKER: There is no point of order.

The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MR. REID: I cannot believe the Member for Mount Pearl was actually a principal of a school and he is telling me that there are an additional 137 teachers going into the system this year who were not there last year.

MR. DENINE: (Inaudible).

MR. REID: Well, that is what I am saying, and you can get up on a point of order all you like because there are no new teachers going into the system this year; you are just not laying them off. Your colleagues and the Minister of Education are out talking about how they are putting 150 teachers into the system this year. I say to the Member for Mount Pearl, who thinks he is the minister, that you are not putting 150 teachers into the system this year; you are just not taking them out. Your colleague who sits there in front of you, the Minister of Tourism, he did, while he was minister, or whoever it was at the time, in the two first years of your term, you took out 500 teachers. You did not leave them in the classroom; you fired them. You laid them off and you sent them home. Now, you are leaving 137 in this year and you are saying you are hiring an additional 137 teachers.

I only hope, I say to the Member for Mount Pearl, that you (inaudible).

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MADAM SPEAKER: Order, please!

The Chair is having difficulty hearing the hon. member. I wonder if the hon. members would keep the noise down.

Thank you.

The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MR. REID: Thank you, Madam Speaker.

I can honestly say that I sat here all afternoon and never once interrupted the crowd opposite.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. REID: Never once.

Now, Madam Speaker, lets talk about the Budget. We are listening to these people get up and the way they put the spin on it, they interpreted this Budget to have a lot more in it than there actually was. I will tell you some of the things that were in there, because there were some things in there for some people. We will start with your tax cuts. Not bad, I say to those opposite; not bad.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. REID: They are like a bunch of trained seals, I say. They clap as soon as I say, not bad for tax cuts. Let's look at how you did your tax cuts, and see who is going to benefit the most from your tax cuts, because for the next five or six minutes that is what I am going to talk about; who benefited the most from this budget, who in the Province benefited the most from it. Let's just look at it.

My understanding is that the average annual income in this Province is somewhere around $23,000. Well, an individual with an average annual income, which happens to be the majority in this Province, makes $23,000 or less. They are going to get a reduction in their taxes in 2008 of $233. They are going to get a reduction in their taxes. Now, I say to the members opposite, if you are making $40,000 you are going to get a $678 reduction in your taxes.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. REID: Madam Speaker, here is the problem that I have with their Budget and their tax cuts. Look that those opposite who sit in a Cabinet position over there making somewhere between $100,000 and $150,000 a year, they are going to make-

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MADAM SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. REID: Yes, and I will be voting against the Budget. I will be voting against that tax cut, I say to the members opposite. I will be voting against this Budget and the tax decrease.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MADAM SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. REID: Madam Speaker, I do not know what has come over them. Ask them to go out and bring the Premier back, because at least when he is in the House they are all mute, I say to those opposite.

An individual who is making the average annual income in this Province is getting a $233 decrease and those who occupy Cabinet positions are going to take a $3,000 tax deduction next year. I am voting against your Budget and if you had any backbone you would do the same thing, I say to you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER (Hodder): Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

Colleagues, it has always been a tradition of this House that members show respect for each other, and Parliament functions that way best. It is part of the Westminister model of Parliament that members are permitted to speak. We may disagree with each other, but we must permit members to be able to speak without undue interruption.

The Chair recognizes the hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MR. REID: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

What I am saying is this: The average annual income earner in this Province is going to get a $233 decrease in their income tax in 2008. Those making between $100,000 and $150,000 are going to get a $3,000 reduction.

Now, let me explain to you what happened there, Mr. Speaker, because hidden in this is something that most people do not know. If you make between zero and $59,000, you pay in income tax. After you reach $59,000, you pay your income tax plus there is the surtax put on what they call high incomes. I tell you, Mr. Speaker, those who make under $23,000 a year look at $59,000 as a high income. What happens? After $59,000 there was a surtax that was always in a budget in this Province. That was eliminated this time around. That 9 per cent surtax on income over $59,000 was eliminated this year. As a result, I say to those opposite, who is getting the biggest benefit from their tax break? The same people who get the biggest benefit in any Tory budget in the country, the rich. That is who is getting largest tax break.

If you compare the average income in my district - and I would say that $23,000, sir, is high. I would have to guess that the average annual income in many parts of rural Newfoundland and Labrador, average annual earned income, is less than $15,000.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. REID: Mr. Speaker, they are getting the smallest break here, while those who make large incomes, over $59,000, are taking a double benefit out of this. Not only are they getting a reduction in their income tax, but the elimination of the surtax on a high income is also gone. That is gone. That is the reason those making between $100,000 and $150,000 will get a $3,000 deduction this year and those who make under $23,000 will get $233. That is one group, I say to those opposite, that there is something good in the Budget for them; the rich, those who make over $59,000, and especially those who make over $100,000. That is one group that has benefited from this Budget.

Let's talk about another group.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The Chair is having difficulty, not hearing the hon. member, but the Chair is having difficulty with all of the noise that is in the House. I ask members if they could keep their voices down. It is always recommended, and it is acknowledged, that members will have conversations on the floor of the House. However, we ask them if they could keep their tones down so that we can hear the hon. member.

The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MR. REID: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is always the case when you get up and tell the truth that they get angry. If you do not tell them that everything they do is right they get angry. We are the Opposition, and that comes from the word to oppose. I will be opposing this Budget and I am telling the people of the Province why I oppose it. I started with when they talk about how there are goodies in this for everybody. The biggest goodies are for those who are rich in this Province, because the tax breaks for those individuals are larger than for those who come from poorer families, especially ones in rural parts of this Province; and not just rural parts -I should not say that - all over this Province who have low incomes.

If you do the minimum wage, which most people in the service sector make in this City today, $7 an hour, and you multiply that by forty hours a week times fifty-two weeks a year, I will tell you they are not rich. They will not be getting any $4,000 tax break this year, I say to the members opposite. That is one group that are going to benefit, the rich in the Province, because of the their tax loophole.

There is another very small, elite group in this Province who are going to get extremely high raises in their income this year as a result of this Budget and they work in the Premier's office on the eighth floor here, I say to the member opposite. The staff in the Premier's office are not going to take a 3 per cent increase this year like the civil service is going to take. You have to remember, that it was this government - and I listened to the Member for Placentia up there today talking about the State of the Union address that the Premier gave a couple of years ago when he came out and said there is no money. We are going to gut the civil service, because that is what you did and you put them on the street. You put them on the street for a month. You legislated them back to work, zero, zero, three and three, I say to the member. A short memory, a short memory you have. Zero, zero, three and three is what the civil service got in the last four years. You forgot about the number of civil servants who were kicked out of this place, kicked out of the Confederation Building and the highways depots and the social services offices in the Province and told to go home because their services were no longer needed, given the pink slip and said, go to Alberta. You forget those people.

These people who remained working for government got zero, zero, three and three. Now, all of the sudden, when you find a new found wealth, did you go out and say that you were going to raise the civil servants' incomes or the percentage that they were going to get? No, he didn't. What happened in the Premier's office? Look at the figures: 16 per cent, 18 per cent increases. The Chief of Staff in the Premier's office today is making some $130,000.

AN HON. MEMBER: And he is worth it.

MR. REID: And he is worth, those opposite say. He is going to make $130,000 next year because of the 16 per cent of 18 per cent increase he is going to get in his income. Now, because he is higher in the bracket, now because he is making $130,000 a year, this government felt that this fellow needed a tax break, a larger one that those who are making $20,000. Next year he is going to pick up an additional $4,000 in an income tax break. So, his income just increased to about $139,000 a year.

It wasn't just the Chief of Staff. The public relations officers up there all got raises in pay, anywhere between 8 per cent and 16.9 per cent. That is another group that benefitted and should be out there cheering this Premier on for the great initiatives that are in this Budget. That is another group.

Let's talk about what else is in the Budget this year - because I will tell you about another group, a very small select group, who are going to reap some of the benefits of this Budget. All you have to do is look under the headings in the Department of Industry and you will find it, $10 million this year for fibre optics, for the fibre optic deal that the Premier's close friend and business associate put together. I can guarantee anyone in this Province today that anyone who things that Persona's share value or the value of that company didn't increase because of the contribution this Province put into it is sadly mistaken. That is another group.

That is not unusual, when you are looking at the Premier's close friends, the people who work closely with him, his close friends and his associates. We have been discussing here in this House for a week or so, also about an individual who collected $100,000, didn't do her job, was fired, and got $40,000 as a severance payment for getting fired. Most people in the world who get fired don't get severance packages.

The Minister of Natural Resources, who was the Minister of Industry at the time, found a convenient way to get around that. She said: I will ask for her resignation rather than fire her for incompetence. That way we can give her severance to the tune of $40,000 on top of the salary she got that year of $100,000, for a total of $140,000. If you are closely related to the Premier or closely related to the party, you get rewarded. If you are in the higher income bracket, you get rewarded. If you work for the Premier on the eighth floor, you will get rewarded. If you are one of his close friend or business associates or past business associates, you will get rewarded. If you are a defeated Tory candidate, you will get rewarded.

They all get rewarded, Mr. Speaker, but the average Joe in this Province who goes to work every day for a low income did not get much of a reward in this, and to sit back and listen to those opposite for the last two weeks, every single one of them, saying: Look at what we are doing. Every one of them get up and pat themselves on the back and say: Look at what we are doing. You wouldn't know but they own the money. You wouldn't know but it was coming right out of their back pockets, and they say: Look what we are doing.

Let's find out where the money comes from that they are spending over there and trying to convince the people of this Province that they are giving to them, that this money, all of a sudden, is what they went out and earned and they are passing it off to the people of this Province, and that the people of this Province should be grateful. Where does the money come from?

First and foremost here in the Province, I guess, it comes from people who pay income tax. That is where you get some of the money. You get corporate tax, you get taxes on corporations; that is where some of the money comes from. Not a lot, I might say, not a lot in corporate taxes.

You get it in fees that are charged to people for government services and, believe me, Mr. Speaker, they are charged a lot in this Province. In fact, I think under the heading in the Budget there was some $109 million collected in fees this year. One hundred and nine million dollars collected in fees. Do you know why? Because this government, when they came to power in 2003, raised every single fee that we have ever had in this Province, the largest of which was the fee for registering your vehicle, when it went from $140 to $180. Not only did they raise every fee, but they even invented some.

As my colleague, the Member for Carbonear mentions all the time, you even introduced a fee for a death certificate, the first time that fee has ever been charged to anybody in this Province. They brought this in. This same government who is applauding themselves today, brought in a death certificate in 2003 and now I think you can get a deal. If you die quickly, you can get a reduced fee on it.

When they raised those fees in 2003, they were going to collect $27 million additional dollars over and above what any government prior to them made in fees. They were going to raise $27.5 million. This year they reduced those fees by $3.5 million and every one of them over there applauded and beat on their desks and slapped themselves on the back because they jacked up the fees by 27.5 per cent and they reduced them by 3.5 per cent. They gouged the people of the Province $24 million in fees since they have been in power, and they are saying we are giving them all a break.

Just think about that now, Mr. Speaker. What a con job. What a con job. Do they honestly believe that the people around this Province actually buy into that? Do they actually buy into that?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. REID: They obviously do not go home or they do not talk to any seniors in the Province, because this is the issue, Mr. Speaker, the licence fee, the fee to register your vehicle, is the one that I get most of the calls about. What did they do? No, they did not reduce that one. I think they eliminated the polar bear fee. They eliminated the polar bear fee.

So, you get it from the income tax, both individual and corporate tax. You get it on fees. Where does the rest of it come from? One-third of the Budget comes from the federal government under the heading of transfer payments. One-third of the Budget comes from the federal government.

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible).

MR. REID: No problem. Where does the rest come from? It comes from royalties off projects. The Member for Terra Nova applauds that, yes, and so he should applaud it, but the problem that we have with it, Mr. Speaker, is: Where are these royalties coming from? How many of the projects did they start in the last four years on which they are collecting royalties?

The Member for Terra Nova can get up and tell me, after I sit down, what project this government over here, either one of them or combined, what project did you start and complete and now we are reaping the benefit of, the taxpayers of Newfoundland and Labrador?

I will tell you where the rest, outside of - if you want to take out the income tax, corporate tax, fees, transfer payments from the federal government, and we get down to the royalties, if you look at where the most of it is coming from, it is from projects that were initiated by this party over here when we were in government. I will list them, Mr. Speaker, and they can get up and tell me I am lying after, if they so desire, because they cannot.

Look at it in the Budget. It is coming from the oil industry, number one.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. REID: Who started it? We have four projects, or three projects that are in operation on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland and Labrador today. Who started those? Hibernia, White Rose, Terra Nova, who started them? Liberal governments. Liberal governments, I say, Mr. Speaker. That is where the royalties are coming from. If you check under the headings in the Budget you will see Voisey's Bay. This is where the royalties are coming from. This is where the money is coming from that you are spending in the Budget over there. They are coming from taxes on people, transfer payments from Ottawa, and royalties off projects that the Liberal government started and you are reaping the benefit.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. REID: Now, Mr. Speaker, that is where they are getting the money. The Member for Mount Pearl can yell and scream all he likes.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

Again, the Speaker asks all hon. members to show the kind of respect that we should have for each other in the House. This is a forum for the sharing of opinions, for making speeches on public policy, and we should make sure that we listen and that we participate without undue interference.

The Chair recognizes the Leader of the Opposition.

MR. REID: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I appreciate your protection, but they cannot seem to take it. When I sit down, they can rant for two hours if they want. I will stay here tonight with them. I will stay here until tomorrow morning if they want to stand and talk about the projects that they started, that we are reaping the benefits of today, so that we can give people tax breaks. I will challenge any one of them to tell me one, because the royalties are coming from projects that a Liberal government started and nothing that they did.

Let me talk about their record now. Let's talk about their record. The Member for Mount Pearl, by the way, yelled out: Sprung Greenhouse, when I was standing up here. Well, I can guarantee you, there is no royalty in this Budget this year from the Sprung Greenhouse, I say to the member. Also, the Member for Mount Pearl says it was a good project. Yes, it was a good project because, from what I understand, it was a beacon that the planes coming in from the mainland could see for some 200 or 300 miles out, even in the fog, I say to the minister and the Member for Mount Pearl.

Anyway, Mr. Speaker, they are over there talking about all they are doing with the money that they have, none of which they were responsible for contributing to this Province.

Now, let's talk about their record -

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

There is shouting occurring from both sides of the House. Therefore, the Speaker draws members' attention on both sides and asks members to be co-operative with each other.

The Chair recognizes the hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MR. REID: Let's talk about the initiatives that the Tory government opposite initiated, what they have done since they have come to power in 2003.

We have talked about the increase in every fee. We have talked about the gutting of the civil service and the laying off of people. We have talked about the closure of courthouses. We have talked about the closure of social services offices. We have talked about long-term care beds closed down. We have talked about highways depots that were permanent becoming seasonal. We have talked about all of that, but let's go around. Let's have a look at what was operating. I cannot blame the government for all of it, but if they are going to brag about all the money they have in their pockets today to be out buying votes with, let's talk about - we already told you where it came from but if these people opposite are so great at stimulating the economy, let's have a look at what has closed since they came to power in 2003 and then have a look at what they have opened since 2003 so that we can see if there is a balance there. Let's have a look at it.

What happened in 2003 or 2004? The Stephenville mill closed down. According to the previous Minister of Natural Resources, 901 direct and indirect jobs are gone. What else happened, Mr. Speaker? You go along on the South Coast of the Province. Harbour Breton, closed down; 350 permanent employees, and if you use the same math as the Minister of Natural Resources, that means there are over 1,000 direct and indirect jobs gone out of the Connaigre Peninsula in the Town of Harbour Breton.

Let's go over to Fortune. Another fish plant closed down under the reign of this crowd. I am not saying that they contributed 100 per cent to it, but I will tell you one thing, they did not do anything to stop it. Three hundred-and-fifty jobs gone in Fortune, if you use the same formula that the minister uses. Every time, Mr. Speaker - and the reason that I am using their formula - they create a job, they always multiply it by three because they say there are three direct and indirect jobs associated with every permanent job that is created here in the Province. So if you go down to Fortune, you have 1,000 direct and indirect jobs gone.

Marystown; nothing happening down there, Mr. Speaker, and you know the area. You came from that area. You know about the Marystown Shipyard, you know about the Marystown fish plant and you know about the facility there in Cow Head. In Marystown, there were 650 jobs there in 2003, I say to the minister.

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible).

MR. REID: The Member for Marystown can yell and scream all he likes. Maybe he has learned something in the last few days because he did not even know that FPI had boats, let alone sell them. He only just found that out recently when we brought it to his attention. That is how much he knows. I wonder, does he ever stop to think about what happened to the individuals who worked on those boats? I wonder, does he ever stop to think? He did not know the boats were sold. He did not know that FPI sold the draggers. I wonder did he ever stop to think: Well, now that I know that the boats are sold, what happened to the people in my district who used to work on them? So, that is gone. Marystown gone.

Little Bay Island's fish plant closed down this year, nothing happening there. Lewisporte Wholesalers closed down, another seventy jobs gone. You do not have a very impressive record in development in this Province. You do not, especially when you campaigned on a plan, not only for rural Newfoundland and Labrador, for rural parts of the Province, you campaigned on an economic plan that was going to make us all rich. All we have seen, since you came to power, are closures. With every one of these facilities that I have talked about, not only are you closing the facilities and watching it happen, you are closing communities. Then you get up and you start talking about how things are progressing and how great everything is and you talk about all of the money you are going to spend.

Well, as I said - and then the gall of the Member for Mount Pearl to get up this afternoon and tell me I do not drive the highways and the byways of this Province. He lives in Mount Pearl. He can leave here and in five minutes he is home. I ask him, when was the last time he went to Fogo Island, Change Islands, New World Island or Twillingate Island, or anywhere from northeast of Gander? When was the last time you travelled those highways? Because I made a comment about the condition of the road, he said here this afternoon that I cannot be driving the highways.

Well, I drove the Gander Bay road last night, I say to the minister. I left here 4:00 yesterday afternoon and flew to Gander, drove to New World Island, drove back last night. I tell you one thing, there was no equipment paving the roads down there. They are not fit to run a horse and cart over, and everyone down there knows the difference. Every time they see you looking into a camera telling them about the great road conditions that exist in this Province, all they do is laugh at you. They wonder if you live in the real world. You should not be up making statements like that, I say to the member. No disrespect, but you should not be up making statements like that because it only detracts from your own intelligence, or the impression that people get of that intelligence. Telling me I do not know what the roads are like. I am going again tomorrow. I am going to drive from here to Twillingate Island tomorrow and drive back again.

You did not hear the individual who was on last night from Goose Bay, how he and his wife went out Sunday and counted the holes that were in the road; eight kilometres of road, just west of Goose Bay. One hundred and sixty-seven he counted, and his wife counted 172 in a five kilometre stretch, I think he said last night. You talk about everything is rosy.

I also listened coming in, in the car last night, on Open Line about an individual from Port au Port district. They are saying the same thing I am saying. Her member is up bragging about everything that is coming to their district. He is talking about how great the economy is, how great this Budget is for the people of the Province and everything is rosy. Well, she did not have that opinion last night, I tell you. She reminded Linda Swain, the host of the show, about the commitments that were made to them in 2003 by the present Premier, when he was the Leader of the Opposition, about not closing a mill in Stephenville; it would never happen on their watch. Little did they know that the Premier was naive at that time, because that is the reason he used for allowing it to close. He was politically naive. Then he has the gall to look at other people and say: You broke your promise.

Mr. Speaker, if you look around this Province, I tell you, there has not been much accomplished by this government in terms of raising revenue so they could help out the people of this Province. The money that they are spending today was a result of initiatives that this party over here did. That is where you are getting your money. You have the gall then, not only to say that we had nothing to do with it, but you have the gall then to go out and try to convince the people of this Province that you actually own it, that they had nothing to do with it. We are out there. We are doing this. We are doing that.

We talked today about $1 billion in education. Great! We finally reached $1 billion in education. Well, I can remember when I came to the House of Assembly in 1996 the health care budget that year was $600 million, and when we left in 2003 it was $1.4 billion. We more than doubled it between 1996 and 2003. So what? It is the taxpayers' money is what we are doing it with. Are you telling me today because there is $1 billion in the Department of Education for education in this Province, there are no ills in education, everything is rosy? Are you? Again, take a drive west of the Overpass. I am talking about the Overpass west of Mount Pearl, where you come from, and talk to the people in the schools. Talk to the teachers.

You are talking about all the teachers you left in the system. The minister had a study conducted on teacher allocation. Why don't she release the findings in that and tell me if there are too many teachers in the schools of rural Newfoundland and Labrador. Are you telling me that we have more teachers than we need? Are you telling me that there will not be schools in this Province this year who will lose a teacher? Because if you are, it is completely false. There are schools in this Province this year that will be losing teachers, I say to the member. They will be losing teachers.

You talked about tuition, I say to the member. You talked about freezing tuition. Well, that is great. I was part of a government that reduced tuition in three consecutive years by 25 per cent - and he struts back now and laughs. We reduced tuition. We did not have the money. We did not have the money that you are having now because we started those projects. We did not reap the benefit of them. You are reaping the benefit of them, and now what did you do? You continued with the freeze that we put in place because we reduced it three years in a row and then froze it for two years. That is what we did, I say to the member opposite, and simply because you are freezing it today....

You are talking about debt reduction for students. I think that we initiated probably one of the best debt reductions for students that was every put forward in any Province in this country, Mr. Speaker, and they tend to forget the good things, because we brought in a plan there a few years ago that stated if you finish your degree in the prescribed period of time, if that is a B.A. in four years, and you had a student loan, we brought in a policy whereby the government would write off your Newfoundland and Labrador portion of your student loan, which was 40 per cent of that loan. If you borrowed $40,000, Mr. Speaker, and you finished your degree on time, if you had a $40,000 student loan, we would write off $16,000 of that $40,000, because that is all we could write off. Do you know why? Because the rest of it was a federal student loan. We wrote off the provincial portion of the student loan.

They do not talk about that. There are students in this Province to this day who do not know that program existed, and he is telling me, because he is freezing tuition today, that I should pat him on the back. Not likely.

We had the great fishery summit last year, because the biggest -

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. REID: Mr. Speaker, what I think this government will be known for most is their lack of attention and their lack of caring for those involved in the fishing industry. I think that is what they will be remembered the most for, because the fishing industry was, and still remains, the most important industry in this Province. Yet, this government seems to have turned its back on it.

There are people screaming and crying out on the Northeast Coast today from Bonavista to Nain because they cannot get out fishing. The ice is packed onshore and fish harvesters in this Province have had their EI cut off. Believe me, ladies and gentleman, I went down last night to a fundraiser at New World Island Academy. They were raising some money for a playground out behind that school, a brand new facility, by the way, that this government built, not that one. I can get into that on another day, the number of schools we built while we were in here. Most of the people there - not most, but a fair number of the people there - who were involved in the fishing industry came over to me after and said: Gerry, are you getting any luck on the extension to the EI?

I raised that question yesterday in the House of Assembly and I have raised it - I have written both the federal ministers responsible, the Fisheries Minister and the minister responsible for EI. I have been in the media on it, but what really bothered me yesterday was the fact that when I asked the minister - now, he tells me he has made representation to the federal government on it, but he had an opportunity this weekend when he met face to face with the federal minister in Ottawa to really push that issue home and he lost that opportunity.

I know the issue that he went up on was FPI, and it was important, but he lost the opportunity to at least present that to the federal minister this weekend. He lost an opportunity there.

Mr. Speaker, in the last few years this government, you have to remember, and I am not blaming the current minister, you do not have a good track record in the fishing industry of the Province. Those of you who have a fishing industry, those of you who represent rural parts of the Province, go down on the wharves and talk to fishermen and fisherwomen in the Province and ask them what they think of this government's record on the fishery.

The first thing they will remember, by the way, is in 2003, even though the Premier committed to the union, even though the Premier committed to the FFAW, that he would never implement a policy without consultation with that union, in 2003 he brought in the Raw Material Sharing Plan without consultation with the fish harvesters of this Province and we had a shutdown in the fishing industry for just about two months.

Let me tell you something, folks. Those fish harvesters will remember you for that. They will remember you for that. I talked to an individual in my district - I know he is a Tory, and he knows I am a Liberal. We taught together, except he was in a different school, but we were colleagues. We went to meetings together. I knew the man. He is also a fish harvester, because he and his wife fished and he taught school at the same time. He said his father never voted Tory, and he went to his grave unable to vote Liberal, and the reason for that is because he was involved as a logger with the IWA strike in Grand Falls.

Mr. Speaker, you might know when that was, the 1960s, I suppose, was it? In the 1960s, and he said there were loggers in this Province who went to their graves hating Joey Smallwood. He said, there are going to be fishermen who will go to their graves with those same sentiments about this Premier and this government because of the Raw Material Sharing Plan.

Now, we had the great summit downtown a year ago, the one in which the Premier says, you didn't say anything. Well, Mr. Speaker, I was working, and the Minister of the Department of Fisheries, for fourteen years. What I heard down there that day, I did not need to write down. I knew the problems in the fishing industry. I knew the problems in the fishing industry. I did not need to take notes. I can see why the Premier, a lawyer from St. John's, needed to take notes, but he has been ever since then, every opportunity he gets, he criticizes me because I did not take notes.

Well, if I had to have heard anything I had not heard before on many, many occasions, I would have taken a note, but I tell you one thing that came through in spades by every single individual there: there was a need to rationalize the fishing industry. For those of you who do not know what rationalize means, it means downsize, but every single soul there understood that there was only one way to rationalize the fishing industry and that there had to be a licenced buyout for fish harvesters so that they could sell their boats, pass their licences back to the federal government, not issue any more licences, there would be more fish for those who remain, and an early retirement package for plant workers.

What has your government done about that? I know that you talk about cost-sharing and the (inaudible) program, an extensive program, might be beyond your needs. Financially, it is going to be beyond your needs. You said that you would do one if the federal government cost-shared it with you on a seventy-thirty basis. The minister has talked about it would cost the Province around $30 million. I have no problem with asking the federal government, and I can see why they should be participating, because they should be participating.

The problem I have with it is, the Premier walked out into the public a couple of weeks ago, after having a racket with Stephen Harper, and says: Never mind the federal government, we can go it alone. We don't need them. We can do the Lower Churchill alone. We can pave the Trans-Labrador Highway alone. We do not need the federal government's money, but we are going to continue and do these things anyway.

I have asked the minister today in the House of Assembly, if he has the $30 million that he was going to use to participate in a cost-shared program with the federal government, why doesn't he put that $30 million on the table today? At least retire some of those who need to be retired in the fishing industry, allow them to get out with dignity, buy out some licences, allow those who remain to be able to make a decent living. I tell you one thing, they announced a great restructuring plan and there is absolutely nothing in it.

The Minister of Fisheries, I know that 90 per cent of those over there do not understand the comment that he made today when he said he is putting $150 million on the table in the fishing industry. Well, I say, he is not putting $150 million on the table.

I think the Member for Bonavista North should understand this. Any fish harvester today who wants to buy a boat, he goes to the bank. He goes in, he sits down with his bank manager, and if the bank manager thinks that he can afford to make the payments on that vessel, he will give him the loan.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. REID: The provincial government co-signs that loan, but they do not co-sign for every fisherman. Let me give you an example.

If, for example, there are $100 million worth of boats out there, we co-sign around 20 per cent of them and there is a pool. So, the minister might say that the Province is prepared to co-sign up to $150 million, that does not mean he is putting $150 million out there. In fact, Mr. Speaker, I checked with the loan board this afternoon, and guess what? The only way the government pays out is if the loan is delinquent, if the fish harvesters does not pay his loan. Do you know how many fish harvesters there are in this Province? Do you know how many there are who do not pay their loans? Two percent or less. So the minister is talking today about putting $150 million in, and it is a good chance he is not going to put in a plug nickel. There is a good chance he is not going to spend a plug nickel of that $150 million. I will guarantee you, he is not going to spend $150 million. He might talk about loan guarantees for $150 million, but he is not going to pay out $150 million. I would be surprised if he is going to pay out $2 million, let alone $150 million.

So, Mr. Speaker, I know my time is drawing near. I have a couple of minutes to go before you adjourn this afternoon, but I can come back to that. To sit here and listen day after day - now I have not started yet, and I hope you do not close the House like you did in the fall of the year after twelve days. Some of you are in the $130,000 to $150,000. I hope you do not try to slam her shut now before we get a chance to really expose what is in the Budget, but, more importantly, what is not in the Budget.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. REID: Because there are lots of things. What I want to talk about in the next few days - I will take one by one all of your comments and I will go through them. When the Member for Mount Pearl talks about all the money that is in education, and the Minister of Transportation talks about all the money that is in roads. I would like to know where it is, I say to the member. If you want to talk about what you are putting into health, because I am still waiting, after three years of Tory rule, for the ten beds that you did not put into the hospital on Fogo Island. You have been talking about a ferry plan since you came to power in 2003. You are still talking plans. We see no action.

I have seen highway depots close in my district and welfare offices and courthouses. I have not seen one job that either one of you can pat yourselves on the back for and say you have created in Twillingate-Fogo district. Not one. I can point to jobs you have taken away and the hardships that you are inflicting on the people of my district, and I will do that next week.

I understand our time is up, so I would like to adjourn the debate for the day.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Opposition House Leader has moved a motion to adjourn the debate, with consent.

MR. RIDEOUT: No, Mr. Speaker. As I understand it, the Opposition Leader has adjourned the debate.

MR. SPEAKER: Yes, he has.

MR. RIDEOUT: I have other business that I need to do before we adjourn.

MR. SPEAKER: But, you agree we will adjourn the debate?

MR. RIDEOUT: Well, his time is not up, so I have to agree to that, Your Honour, yes.

MR. SPEAKER: Okay.

The Chair recognizes then the Government House Leader.

MR. RIDEOUT: I do believe that in the concurrence debate on Social Services, or Government Services, whatever it is, there is about ten minutes or so left for the next day, no matter what amount of time the Opposition Leader has left.

Mr. Speaker, before we rise for the day I want to advise members that on Monday morning the Social Services Committee will meet at 9:00 o'clock here in the House to consider the Estimates for the Department of Justice.

I also, Mr. Speaker, want to advise the House, just as a matter of courtesy, that on Monday we will carry on and finish this debate, the concurrence debate on Government Services. Then we will begin the debate on Resource Estimates, which we were going to do today, but we will go on with that. Then when that is finished, whatever day that is, Tuesday or whatever, we will go on with Social Services. When we are finished the Estimates Committee on Social Services, we will do, in Committee of the Whole, the Estimates on Executive Council.

That is what the general House business will be next week. Of course, Private Member's Day is ours, which we will decide on Monday.

Mr. Speaker, I move that the House adjourn until Monday, at 1:30 p.m.

MR. SPEAKER: The motion is that this House do now adjourn until Monday next at 1:30 of the clock.

All those in favour, ‘Aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.

MR. SPEAKER: All those against, ‘nay'.

The motion is carried.

This House is now adjourned until Monday at 1:30 of the clock.

On motion, the House at its rising adjourned until tomorrow, Monday at 1:30 p.m.