March 12, 2012                          HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS              Vol. XLVII No. 6


The House met at 1.30 p.m.

MR. SPEAKER (Wiseman): Order, please!

Admit strangers.

Statements by Members

MR. SPEAKER: Today, we have members' statements from the hon. the Member for the District of Port de Grave; the hon. the Member for the District of Signal Hill – Quidi Vidi; the hon. the Member for the District of The Straits – White Bay North; the hon. the Member for the District of St. John's East; the hon. the Member for the District of St. John's South; and the hon. the Member for the District of Burgeo – La Poile.

MS JONES: A point of order, Mr. Speaker.

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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, having had the opportunity to review Hansard for March 8, I rise on a point of order regarding unparliamentary language that was used in this House by the Government House Leader.

We all have a responsibility for maintaining the decorum the House of Assembly, but that responsibility, some would argue, falls more directly on the Government House Leader's shoulders. The person in this position has a responsibility to set an example and set the tone for others in the House through the ways in which he acts. The person in this position should know the rules and follow those rules.

For this reason, I want to bring the Speaker's attention to comments made by the Government House Leader on March 8 on page 146 of Hansard in which he said, and this was in response to my arguments, "Mr. Speaker, what we have now is a situation that has gone from bad to worse, and the minister can speak to this. She states unequivocally that there was no apology. So what we have now is someone is lying, and we have to get to the bottom of this, Mr. Speaker".

Mr. Speaker, the use of the word lying, I submit, in this context is clearly unparliamentary. It implies a deliberate attempt to mislead this House and there are many precedents in this House and in other Parliaments where this type of language has been ruled unparliamentary. I ask that the Speaker make a ruling upon this, and in addition, I call upon the Government House Leader to withdraw these remarks and apologize to the House of Assembly.

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

MR. KENNEDY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I withdraw the remark and apologize.

MR. SPEAKER: Thank you.

The Speaker has not had an opportunity to review any of the records from that proceeding, but given the member's withdrawal of the comments and apology –

MS JONES: That is perfectly fine.

MR. SPEAKER: Thank you.

Members' Statements.

The hon. the Member for the District of Port de Grave.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. LITTLEJOHN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise today in this hon. House to congratulate three outstanding teachers from Amalgamated Academy in Bay Roberts who received the Prime Minister's Awards for Teaching Excellence.

The award recognizes teachers from across the country who exemplifies best practices in education. To paraphrase, three is definitely not a crowd when Catherine Downey, David Gill, and Corey Morgan get together. When they team up magic happens and Amalgamated Academy turns into Amalgamated Media Production Company. These three educators make it their mission to help students find ways to express themselves and discover their creative self. Whether they are creating graphic design assignments or a video news report, these students feel empowered and proud to show it off.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all members in this House to join me in recognizing these three outstanding educators for their achievement.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS MICHAEL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise today to pay tribute to a great event, a great tradition, and two great groups of talented young musicians. The Kiwanis Music Festival has been part of the cultural fabric of St. John's since 1952. Many who have grown up in the city have some memory of competing in the festival, whether as an individual or through their schools.

Speaking of schools, Mr. Speaker, I invite the hon. members in the House to join me in congratulating today two schools in my district who won in this year's Group Rose Bowl competition. The Holy Heart Chamber Choir won the Choral Group Rose Bowl and the St. Bonaventure's College Jazz Band won the Instrumental Group Rose Bowl. Both schools have long and proud musical traditions. In fact, Mr. Speaker, I was a member of the very first Holy Heart choir, and I am thrilled to see the commitment to excellence in music education continue.

I am quite pleased to have the opportunity to congratulate – I invite the members to join me – the two groups and their directors: Susan Quinn and Vincenza Etchegary.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for the District of The Straits – White Bay North.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. MITCHELMORE: Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to recognize two businesses in my district for their contributions to the Province's tourism industry. Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador hosted the Tourism Excellence Awards Gala on February 25. Barbara Genge of the Tuckamore Lodge in Main Brook was this year's winner of the PRIDE Award, given to an individual or business for raising the profile of the bed and breakfast industry.

Mr. Speaker, Barb Genge has operated the Tuckamore Outfitting and Wilderness Lodge for the past twenty-six years and can truly be considered a leader in our Province's tourism industry.

The H. Clayton Sparkes Accommodator of the Year Award recognizes dedication to service, commitment to the tourism industry, and community contributions. This year, the award was given to Hotel North of St. Anthony and Happy Valley-Goose Bay.

Judy and Lloyd Hillier invested in the region when they purchased the vacated Vinland Motel in St. Anthony. Now renamed Hotel North, the purchase is a thriving addition to the Hilliers' chain.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the hon. members to join me in congratulating these award winners.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. John's East.

MR. MURPHY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I stand today to pay tribute to a remarkable woman, a constituent of mine who celebrated her one hundredth birthday on March 1 of this year.

Viola Winsor was born Viola Janes in 1912 in Broad Cove, Blackhead, Bay de Verde. She had three brothers and one sister. All five were schoolteachers for at least a part of their lives.

Viola came to St. John's to study teaching when she was sixteen years old, and taught in a few communities until she married. She then turned her attention to the domestic front, eventually raising two children as well as caring for her mother and mother-in-law.

Her son Dean is a social worker in British Columbia, and her son Len is a commercial pilot here at home.

Viola maintained a lifelong interest in music and in gardening. She taught music, as well as playing in her local church.

On Thursday, March 1, Mr. Speaker, I had the great honour of sharing in Ms Winsor's one hundredth birthday celebrations in St. Pat's Nursing Home, along with her many friends and family members.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all hon. members to join me in wishing Ms Viola Winsor congratulations on her milestone birthday.


Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Burgeo – La Poile.

MR. A. PARSONS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise today to recognize and congratulate the Gateway Status of Women Council, which celebrated its thirtieth anniversary during their annual Bread and Roses Dinner in Channel-Port aux Basques on March 1, 2012.

It was my honour and a privilege to be included in this celebration, which recognized its founding members and all the members and staff who have ever been a part of the organization. Guest speaker for the event was my colleague, the Member for Cartwright – L'Anse au Clair. Her message was both entertaining and inspirational and the event was sold out well in advance.

The staff and the board of the Gateway Status of Women have worked diligently over the past thirty years to improve the lives of women and their families in our area. They have made tremendous strides over the years and should be very proud of their accomplishments.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all members of this House to join with me in extending congratulations to the Gateway Status of Women Council on their thirtieth anniversary. May you continue to thrive and grow for another thirty and beyond.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Statements by Ministers.

Statements by Ministers

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Natural Resources.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENNEDY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise today in this hon. House to commemorate the anniversary of Cougar Flight 491, and the unspeakable tragedy that occurred off the shores of our Province three years ago, on March 12, 2009.

Mr. Speaker, March 12 marks a sad day in our Province's history, one which will never be forgotten and one which has touched all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, as well as individuals throughout the country. I stand today to pay tribute to the seventeen lives lost, and to send our thoughts to those left behind. It is a tragedy which will forever remind us of the harsh environment and conditions of the North Atlantic, and the importance of a strong safety culture for those who make a living from the offshore.

Worker safety and environmental protection are paramount in our Province's offshore, and tragedies like Cougar Flight 491 are a reminder that constant vigilance is necessary to mitigate the risks as we strive to ensure a safe workplace for the men and women of our Province. We have accepted, Mr. Speaker, all twenty-nine recommendations of Commissioner Robert Wells' report of the Offshore Helicopter Safety Inquiry, including Recommendation 29, which calls for a separate stand-alone safety regulator.

Mr. Speaker, Newfoundland and Labrador's offshore oil industry has unfortunately experienced two tragic helicopter crashes at sea. It would be remiss not to reference the other tragedy – the loss of six individuals on March 13, 1985, when a Universal helicopter under contract from Petro-Canada crashed near Argentia. Our government has committed to commemorate the lives lost in the pursuit of a livelihood in our offshore oil industry. We are currently seeking input from families to determine how best to honour their memories.

Mr. Speaker, we understand well the dangers associated with the Province's offshore, and will continue to advocate for the safety of offshore workers to ensure that they have the best protection possible in their travels to the offshore.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. BALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

It is indeed with heavy hearts today that we do remember the March 12 tragedy and the seventeen people that were heading to their work on the offshore platforms. I do believe it is appropriate that we remember the six people today in the Universal helicopter that was under contract with Petro-Canada. These twenty-three tragedies remind us of the harsh environment that our offshore workers work in on a daily basis.

I think it is appropriate that we do recognize Mr. Robert Decker today as the lone survivor that day, as he was one of those workers who were heading to work offshore, and also the search and rescue people who were involved in the search and rescue. They even put their own lives at risk that day, so we really need to recognize and thank them for their efforts.

These two anniversary dates remind us of the importance of the availability of search and rescue in our Province and the work that Justice Wells has done, especially in recommendation 29, the implementation of the independent and stand-alone regulator.

Mr. Speaker, we remember this day, March 12, it will be forever ingrained in our thoughts and we continue our prayers for the family.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Third Party.

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

I too thank the minister for the advance copy of his statement. I am pleased to be able to join with the other parties in the House to send our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of the seventeen people who died three years ago, as well as those who lost loved ones in 1985.

I think what we can do today is to promise not just condolences, Mr. Speaker, but an awareness of how dangerous the offshore oil industry is and a commitment to working together, all parties, so that we can say to offshore workers and their families, we will do everything we can to make sure your loved ones and you, the workers, are as safe as possible.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Further statements by ministers?

The hon. the Minister of Education.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. JACKMAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise today to recognize March as Youth Science Month in schools throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.

Each year, students around the Province compete at school and regional fairs during the month of March. It is an excellent opportunity for these students to showcase their knowledge and to continue to develop their science skills.

As in the past, several students will also attend the Canada Wide Science Fair, which is taking place in Charlottetown, PEI in May. If past years are any indication, these young scientists will do us proud.

Mr. Speaker, in today's classrooms, students actively learn about the fundamental principles of science, and how to apply this knowledge to the world around them. Recognizing this, in recent years our government has invested $5.6 million in K-12 laboratory upgrades and science equipment.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. JACKMAN: We have also renewed curriculum so that the entire K-12 science program is now aligned with the pan-Canadian framework for science.

Allow me this opportunity, Mr. Speaker, to thank and congratulate the many teachers who spend countless hours organizing science fairs and mentoring our students.

We support their efforts in many ways, including through a unique partnership with Parks Canada which allows teachers to take part in summer institutes at various national parks in the Province. Through these experiences, our teachers can further explore the world of science and bring that knowledge back to their students.

I invite my colleagues in this House to join me in recognizing Youth Science Month, and in encouraging students to participate in the school science fairs taking place.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for the District of Burgeo – La Poile.

MR. A. PARSONS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank the minister for an advance copy of his statement. I too would like to recognize Youth Science Month and to thank the students, the teachers, and certainly the volunteers for their engagement in this, in competition, in fairs and in general the process of active participation in science, in learning and in education.

Science fairs are great opportunities for young minds to meet and to share in creativity and ingenuity. A great example of ensuring students around this Province have equal access to science education was the 2010 Memorial University project. It was an award-winning Let's Talk Science project where they used state-of-the-art communications and media technologies and allowed Grade 6 students from all across the Province to join together and take part in these activities, which originated from Memorial University here in St. John's.

As the MHA for Burgeo – La Poile, I can appreciate the benefit of exposing kids in rural areas to the benefits of the urban area and seeing what is here and being able to take part in higher education. I would like to wish our students every success in their travels in the upcoming Canada Wide Science Fair and to again join the minister in recognizing March as Youth Science Month.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. John's North.

MR. KIRBY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I would like to thank the minister for an advance copy of his statement. I would also like to commend the Province's students and teachers for the efforts they have put into school science projects and fairs.

We know, Mr. Speaker, that lab upgrades and equipment cannot completely compensate for high school classes that are too large or teachers who do not have enough resources or supports. Teachers in all fields are saying that they need more regular hours of professional development to keep up with the best practices in education across the country.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: With leave of the House, I would like to go back to members' statements. I missed the Member for St. John's South.

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. OSBORNE: We will forgive you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I had the pleasure of attending the 2011 Employer of Distinction awards ceremony, which was sponsored by the Newfoundland and Labrador Employers' Council.

Approximately 220 employers, business leaders and guests attended the awards ceremony on February 16 at the Sheraton Hotel in St. John's, where Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor Corporation was named Employer of Distinction in the large employer category, and St. Jude Hotel was named Employer of Distinction in the smaller employer category.

Both organizations were recognized by the judges for their importance of human resources, best practices in overall strategic planning for their businesses. This commitment to engaging and developing their workforce is evident in the overall business success of both of these employers.

Steve Winter, President and CEO of Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor Corporation, accepted the award on their behalf, who were recognized for their strong focus on performance planning and coaching, for their proactive and progressive relationship with their union, and their attendance management and support program, which resulted in a 30 per cent reduction in sick leave usage since 2007.

Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor Corporation's focus on creating excellence in their employees has resulted in 82 per cent of their staff reporting to be extremely happy and proud to work for that organization in a recent employee survey. It has also resulted in a record-breaking performance in each of the past three years, with a percentage revenue growth of more than 17 per cent.

St. Jude Hotel was recognized for their commitment to training and professional development for their staff; their focus on flexibility in scheduling, job sharing, and the value of diversity in their workforce to deal with labour market challenges; as well as their comprehensive Occupational Health and Safety program that has reduced accidents in the workplace. This initiative will be showcased in an upcoming edition of the Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission's WorkSafe news. General manager Sheila Kelly-Blackmore accepted the award on their behalf.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate both these organizations, and all other organizations that were shortlisted for awards during the recent award ceremony, and the Newfoundland and Labrador Employers' Council for their involvement in that organization as well

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Oral questions.

Oral Questions

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. BALL: Mr. Speaker, three years ago the offshore industry was forever changed by the tragic crash of Cougar Flight 491. It appears that the federal government is not onside with the establishment of an independent offshore regulator.

We asked the Premier the question last Thursday. She referred the question to a planned meeting with the federal Minister of Natural Resources. I ask the Premier: What were the outcomes of this meeting and when should we expect a plan to follow through on the recommendations of Justice Wells?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Mr. Speaker, I did have an opportunity to meet with the federal Minister of Natural Resources on Thursday and I did raise the issue of the C-NLOPB and the need for a stand-alone regulator in terms of recommendations –

MS JONES: (Inaudible)

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Mr. Speaker, I cannot answer with the Opposition House Leader talking. I cannot hear myself. If you could maintain some order, Sir, I would appreciate it.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Premier.

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I had a meeting with the minister. I again reiterated our position that we supported Justice Wells' recommendation. The minister told me that they had certainly moved beyond review, because that is what they had been saying to us over the last year, and that they were at least considering the stand-alone regulatory function of the C-NLOPB.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. BALL: Mr. Speaker, we have not seen any positive outcomes from the meetings between the Premier and the Harper Conservatives on the recommendations of Justice Wells. It appears that Thursday's meeting was much the same.

My question again is for the Premier. It is clear that the lobbying efforts with the federal government to establish an independent offshore safety regulator have failed, so we ask the Premier: What are the next steps?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I realize that the Leader of the Opposition is new to his position. I would recommend to him that he familiarize himself with the Atlantic Accord Acts. Mr. Speaker, he will learn upon his perusal of those acts that I do not have definitive authority with regard to the offshore. The C-NLOPB, Mr. Speaker, is an organization that comes out of the Atlantic Accord. It is under the purview of Newfoundland and Labrador and the federal government, although, Mr. Speaker, it operates arm's length from both those governments. To do any piece of work with regard to the Atlantic Accord requires legislative changes in this House of Assembly in concert with, Mr. Speaker, legislative changes in Parliament, in the federal Parliament. Newfoundland and Labrador cannot act independently of the federal government.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. BALL: Thank you.

I do remind the Premier that influence is probably what is required here and we need to know. This has been a long time now, so the people of the Province are asking, and you say you support the recommendations, so we are just asking what the next steps are.

Mr. Speaker, in the Muskrat Falls loan guarantee, the Memorandum of Agreement, it specifically states that once the federal government receives the data room and the detailed representations of the credit rating agencies – this is for the entire project – they will produce a term sheet on the loan guarantee within eight weeks. This was the information the federal minister mentioned last week. The Premier claimed to not know much about this information.

I ask the Premier, now that you know what information they require – I would imagine coming out of the meeting last week – have you provided the federal government with access to the project's data room, and if not, when do you plan to do so?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the federal government is not awaiting any information from the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, or from Nalcor. The information they are waiting on, Mr. Speaker, is from Emera in Nova Scotia, and I understand that has already been provided or is in the process of being provided.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. BALL: Mr. Speaker, three times last week the Premier spoke publicly about budget cuts, and each time there was something different. On Monday, it was 3 per cent across the board, on Tuesday it was $1 million with several exemptions, and then on Friday it was cuts to temporary and contract workers on top of the 3 per cent. I think even in the media this week, the Premier recognized the fact that it was confusing.

I ask the Premier: Do you have a clear plan for imposing these cuts on the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, and when will you finally state how many people this will impact and how many jobs will be lost?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, last week I did speak of a review of all of the core mandates of departments within government with a target of a reduction of 3 per cent in our expenditures with a number of services that we provide ring fenced, such as income support, policing, child, youth and family services, and so on. Mr. Speaker, at no point did I talk about $1 million. When I was asked, did we have a target, I said something less than $100 million, Mr. Speaker. It just is part of the good stewardship of governance, of good fiscal management, to be constantly reviewing your programs to see if they are meeting the objectives and goals that you set out when you designed them, Mr. Speaker. It is always a wise practice to follow.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. EDMUNDS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, it appears that both the Minister of National Defence and the federal minister of Labrador's solution to the change in protocol for search and rescue in Newfoundland is: Don't call us, we'll call you.

Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Premier. It is obvious that your government's lobby to the federal government on search and rescue has failed. In light of this, will you now agree to an all-party committee to lobby for increased search and rescue services and infrastructure in Newfoundland and Labrador?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, sometimes it is hard to follow the advice of the Official Opposition. For eight years they were telling us that we should be mending our fences with the federal government. I can give you Hansard quote after Hansard quote where that when you try to talk to people and try to get along with people, that you will get more as a result of that. Then, Mr. Speaker, when they felt that we were making some efforts to communicate and at least make our arguments to the federal government in a way that would make them hear what we had to say, Mr. Speaker, we are being critiqued for that.

Mr. Speaker, I am not going to pay a whole lot of attention to their critique of how we handle matters with the federal government. The people of Newfoundland and Labrador have a legitimate expectation from the federal government that they provide services to the people of the Province. I will at every opportunity hold them to that responsibility.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. EDMUNDS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It now appears that the federal government has completed their investigation into search and rescue protocol following the death of young Burton Winters from Makkovik.

My question is to the Premier, Mr. Speaker: Has your government received a copy of the investigation, and when do you plan to table that report in this House of Assembly? Mr. Speaker, I ask that the provincial government's own review also be tabled in the House of Assembly.

Thank you.

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. O'BRIEN: Mr. Speaker, we have not received a copy of the report in regard to the review that the federal minister had in his department. As well, I would like to remind the hon. member that the case is not closed from a policing force jurisdiction. There is not much we can actually table in this House at this particular time, but when the reports become available I will be willing to table them in this House.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Minister of Finance last week requested $140,000 to hire former Auditor General John Noseworthy to complete a business transformation project. The contract was awarded without a job competition, which came as no real surprise as this particular department – or the original department, HRLE, was criticized by the current AG for 68 per cent of its temporary employees being hired without a job competition.

I ask the minister today: How can the minister rationalize hiring a failed Tory candidate months after an election without a job competition?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Advanced Education and Skills.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS BURKE: Mr. Speaker, as the Premier had indicated, all ministers are looking at the mandates of their departments. The Department of Advanced Education and Skills is a new department with a new mandate and there is a fair bit of work to be done.

It is felt that the skills that Mr. Noseworthy would bring to this department, understanding government programs and processes, and being able to help us look at our mandate and look at the way we deliver services whether it is in-house or through our community agencies, will assist us so that we will be able to meet the mandate of the department, and do it in a most effective and most efficient way we can.

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.

The former Auditor General, John Noseworthy, who today is the newest political hire of the PC government, in the 2009-2010 AG report actually went out and criticized the rehiring of teachers and other government employees who were already receiving a pension, saying policy restricts the hiring of pensioners to positions where no other qualified candidates were available.

I ask the government today: Can you outline exactly how John Noseworthy, a government pensioner and the AG who criticized this practice, was the only qualified candidate in Newfoundland and Labrador?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Advanced Education and Skills.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS BURKE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, with the new Department of Advanced Education and Skills, we are certainly at a point where we want to make sure that we understand the mandate of the department and we line up our programs and the services to make sure that they meet that mandate.

Mr. Speaker, no one can argue that Mr. Noseworthy has a unique set of skills. He understands government, the programs of government, and the processes that we follow within government. We want to make sure that we have a department that is set up that helps us meet our mandate, Mr. Speaker, which is to ensure that Newfoundlanders and Labradorians have the opportunity to participate in today's labour market in this Province. We are at a point where we have never been before as a Province. We need to make sure that the department is set up appropriately and that we make sure we channel the funds that we have within that department in the most appropriate manner.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is obvious they do not know what their mandate is. They have collapsed two major departments, post-secondary education and HRLE, into one department. They have developed a mammoth unit that covers everything from Income Support to post-secondary education, student aid, poverty reduction, inclusion of people with disabilities, employment services in the Province, and the immigration program as well.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the government today: Is this business transformation project being implemented simply because the department has a failed model in place that is absolutely too cumbersome for one agency to even handle?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Advanced Education and Skills.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS BURKE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, if you look at the former Department of Human Resources, Labour and Employment, the Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation, the Labour Relations Agency, and the Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission has been removed from that department. The department was actually bigger in the former configuration than what it is right now, Mr. Speaker. What has been added, with all of those components removed, has been the post-secondary division of the Department of Education.

Mr. Speaker, when we look at being able to advance the skills of the people of this Province it is a natural fit that under our employment programs we also include our post-secondary institutions because they play a critical role in helping the Province move the people forward to take the opportunities that will be available.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. JOYCE: Mr. Speaker, the Municipal Affairs strategic plan for 2008-2011 clearly indicates that by 2011 the Department of Municipal Affairs should have implemented a new municipal fiscal arrangement with MNL. MNL had an emergency meeting today, Mr. Speaker, to protest the government's inaction on this issue. They had a press conference later; which again, I was the only MHA to attend.

My question is to the Premier: Why did your government fail to follow-through on its commitment to municipalities in Newfoundland and Labrador and download your fiscal mismanagement on municipalities?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. O'BRIEN: Mr. Speaker, I was not at that meeting as well, but I tell you right now that I do not have any fear of not being there because I meet with municipalities all across Newfoundland and Labrador each and every day, as I have been with Municipal Affairs thus far, and also with MNL.

I respect the right of Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador, and all municipalities to advocate and lobby on behalf of the people who live in their communities, but I would also like to remind them, or ask them to remember the tremendous investment that we have made, this government has made, over the last number of years in municipalities across Newfoundland and Labrador to the point, Mr. Speaker, that municipal capital works has grown four times to what it was in 2002.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. O'BRIEN: I certainly agree with their (inaudible) and should remember where their investments are coming from.

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

MR. JOYCE: No fiscal arrangement, Mr. Speaker, I might add.

Mr. Speaker, the commitment to a new fiscal arrangement in the 2008-2011 Strategic Plan was made when government was flushed with money and spent like drunken sailors. All of a sudden, we have to ask our municipalities to carry the financial burden of your mismanagement.

My question is to the Premier: How can you expect municipalities to believe your commitment in the Throne Speech, change it two hours later in the media, and now say the issue is too complex? When can municipalities expect a new fiscal arrangement with this Province?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to be in a government that is reviewing MOGs, because they need to be reviewed. I will just remind the member opposite that I was President of the Federation of Municipalities, or a director on the board, when they brought in the MOGs that we are adjusting now. We were brought up to a hotel, locked in a hotel room in an afternoon, given what the MOG was going to look like. We were not allowed to take a note or a piece of paper from the room, and the minister just went out after and held a news conference and said we all agreed with it.

Well, we are not going to do that, Mr. Speaker. We have taken a review of MOGs. We hope to have it completed here, but we have not finished our consultation with MNL. We did not ask them to shoulder the burden –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: – for an ineffective MOG system, Mr. Speaker. In fact, we put 4.6 extra million dollars in our budget last year. Mr. Speaker, that is how we look after municipalities.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. Barbe.

MR. BENNETT: Mr. Speaker, CBC reports that the failed Department of Business shovelled out $20 million taxpayer dollars over eight years to create less than 100 jobs. Unbelievably, this department also spent another $16 million just to hand out the money.

I ask the Premier: How can she justify spending a whopping $360,000 for every job created?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. HUTCHINGS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, our department, or the former Department of Business – and certainly INTRD, now the Department of IBRD – is engaged in a number of activities in terms of business, concerning business attraction, sustaining business, and expanding business. Through the Department of Business, we approved $20 million; about $15 million were dispersed. A total of 385 jobs were established for that. That is all part of enticing business to Newfoundland and Labrador, recognizing the great Province we live in, recognizing the robust economy we have. We will continue to modify our programs to move forward, to continue that investment, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you very much.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The Leader of the Third Party.

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

Mr. Speaker, it is very disturbing to hear the Premier talk about cuts to government spending and its implications for loss of positions in government departments. I understand that in November, CUPE asked government for a media blackout on all issues pertaining to public sector negotiations.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the Premier: Why is she persisting in publicly raising issues which would normally be left for the negotiating table?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the review that we are doing within government right now has nothing to do with negotiations. Mr. Speaker, we are called upon by virtue of being the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to be stewards, to be good fiscal managers. We always have to be looking at how we are going to spend the people's money.

Mr. Speaker, in her own platform, she was going to do a reduction of 1 per cent – that is $80 million. What were you going to cut, if you were not going to cut programs, if you were not going to be creative in ensuring that money was being spent in the most positive way?

Mr. Speaker, we have clearly outlined that permanent employees are not going to be affected. Mr. Speaker, we ring fence certain important services that are provided to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. The rest, Mr. Speaker, is very fluid, because we have to look before we decide what we are going to do.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official Third Party.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

The Premier might say what she wants about saying that she is not talking about the loss of jobs, but that is the message that is coming across. That is certainly what was expressed today by one of the major public sector unions in this Province, Mr. Speaker –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MS MICHAEL: – when they came out and talked about the fear that is in their workers right now.

I am saying to the Premier, Mr. Speaker, I am asking her: Is she deliberately trying to undermine the negotiations between government and the public service sector unions, because that is what is going on?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

This, from the Leader of the Third Party who was going to reduce the Budget by $80 million; this from the Leader of the Third Party who wants to do a health review. What do we get, and what have we had in every health review that we have ever had done in this Province, but only cut, slash, close clinics, close hospitals, close beds. That is what reviews do, Mr. Speaker; that is what they recommend. Yet we hear her ask for them every day – every day.

Mr. Speaker, I am going to be straightforward with the people of the Province, including the people who work in governance. We are having a review; we are trying to reduce spending; we are going to protect jobs as best we can, Mr. Speaker, but we have to provide efficient, effective service for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. That is our first priority.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Third Party.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

I will just recommend to the Premier that she keep her comments for the negotiating table.

Mr. Speaker, in her response to the Speech from the Throne, the Premier indicated the Budget would be brought down in March. This weekend the Premier said, through the media, that the Budget would be brought down in April, possibly late April.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the Premier: What happened during the five days between the Throne Speech to the taping of her interview to delay the Budget almost a month?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I remind the Leader of the Third Party that there is a significant exercise that goes on in government once the Budget is brought down, Mr. Speaker, and it is called Estimates. I know you are going to get up and say yes, you know everything there is to know about Estimates. Well, we want to make sure she knows everything that we can possibly put in there about Estimates. We are moving along in this exercise, Mr. Speaker, and we want to ensure that in terms of any change in services that we provide or any reduction in government's budget is reflected in the Estimates Book so that we can have a full discussion and they have an opportunity to question us on this when we go through Estimates after the Budget is brought down, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Third Party.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

I have one thing to say to the Premier before my next question, you have had five months: What has this government been doing in the past five months?

Mr. Speaker, when questioned about the creation of an independent offshore safety authority as recommended by Justice Robert Wells, last week Harper's federal Natural Resources Minister mentioned possibly creating a separate division of safety within the C-NLOPB instead. Mr. Speaker, Justice Wells was clear in his recommendations, he preferred the creation of an independent offshore safety authority.

I ask the Premier: Will she give this House and the people of the Province her assurances that she will insist to her federal counterparts that they create the independent authority outside of the C-NLOPB?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Mr. Speaker, I respectfully suggest to the Leader of the Third Party that she focus those remarks at Mr. Harris, the NDP MP, and Mr. Cleary, the two NDP MPs who are in Ottawa to lobby and focus on issues of importance like this very important one. They are there to make the arguments to Ottawa. On behalf of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, on behalf of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, in my role as Premier, Mr. Speaker, I will stand up, will defend and will advocate for the positions that we have put forward here that we have signed on to, such as the establishment of an independent regulator.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. John's East.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. MURPHY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

My question is directed to the Minister of Municipal Affairs. Municipalities are facing an everyday challenge in finding funds for basic services like water and sewer. As late as today, Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador has asked for a new fiscal arrangement between municipalities and the Province to help meet that direct need.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the minister: Can he confirm that municipalities will not see a new fiscal arrangement in this year's Budget as the media has been reporting?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. O'BRIEN: Yes, Mr. Speaker, what I have committed to is to work with Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador and municipalities in general in regard to meeting their needs.

To build on what the Premier was saying in reference to a question on the other side of the House in regard to the fiscal arrangement that was instituted back in the 1990s, that was a system that was unaffordable, unsustainable; unaffordable to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador and the government. When we go down that path we will have something that is affordable and sustainable to the people and the government of the Province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. John's East.

MR. MURPHY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I would suggest to the minister and the hon. members on the other side that the gas tax is a great sustainable way of supporting municipalities. I suggest to them to look at it in that regard. Mr. Speaker, municipalities are in urgent need of a new fiscal arrangement now to meet the service needs of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

Mr. Speaker, I will ask the minister: Why did his government decide not to enter into a new fiscal arrangement with the municipalities this year knowing that, of course, for the last five months we have been waiting for the government to act here in the House to find us some answers to these questions?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. O'BRIEN: Mr. Speaker, I know the hon. member is a new member in this House and he should probably do a little bit of research in regard to the significant investment that this government has made to municipalities in Newfoundland and Labrador over the last five years.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. O'BRIEN: Hundreds and hundreds of millions have been invested in municipal works projects right across this Province, in the City of St. John's, up on the Northern Peninsula, in Labrador and everywhere, all over this Province. That is the way we support municipalities.

As I said in my last answer, when we enter into a consultation process whatever comes out of that will be affordable and will be sustainable to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. John's East.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. MURPHY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the government is rushing ahead with plans for Muskrat Falls power and municipalities will be expected to pay higher electricity rates in the coming years. I certainly hope that municipalities will get some extra funding to cover those electricity costs. Mr. Speaker, I have been talking to mayors and councillors across the Province who tell me that they do not know if they can keep the lights on in their hockey arenas.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the minister: How does this department plan to address municipal funding needs so that they can cover rising electricity costs in the future?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Natural Resources.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENNEDY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

One of the reasons that the cost of electricity is going up so much in this Province is the price of oil. Holyrood, at its peak, burns 18,000 barrels of oil a day. Oil prices will continue to rise, Mr. Speaker, we are told by the experts.

The cheapest way to deliver power to this Province, and to ensure that electricity rates stay down, is through Muskrat Falls. What Muskrat Falls will do, Mr. Speaker, is it will provide cheaper and more stable electricity rates. So, in fact, the municipal leaders in the Province should be very thankful that we are bringing Muskrat Falls on stream, if we sanction it. Also, there are significant economic and environmental benefits – 2,700 jobs at peak employment, Mr. Speaker, with first jobs going to people from Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. John's East.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. MURPHY: Mr. Speaker, the minister got up and just talked about oil prices. So I will ask him this question, and I will also forward it to the Minister of Municipal Affairs as well. We know that oil prices are rising, so of course, along comes rising fuel costs, for example, to keep some diesel motors and dump trucks and everything going.

I would like to know what the government over here is going to be doing as regards to addressing the inequities that we are going to find in municipal budgets when it comes to fuel costs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. O'BRIEN: I would like to remind again the hon. member – I know he is new in the House, and he needs to do a little bit of research. As the Premier referenced in her answer, we invested $4.6 million extra into municipalities last year, in Municipal Operating Grants, to address those very issues. Also, it is incumbent on municipalities to have the right taxation base in place to support their operations as well. So, this is not just about a one-way street here, this is a two-way street, a partnership in regard to supporting all municipalities in Newfoundland and Labrador. That is the way it works.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Third Party.

MS MICHAEL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the only external independent expert panel to look at the Muskrat Falls proposal says government must work with the Town of Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Nalcor, and other relevant agencies to develop a low-income housing strategy with measurable targets to deal with the anticipated in-migration of the workforce necessary to complete the project.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the minister: What is her government doing with regard to starting to get plans in place around the recommendation that has been made by the environmental assessment panel?

MR. SPEAKER: There is time for a very brief answer.

The hon. the Minister of Transportation and Works.

MR. HEDDERSON: Moving forward with any partner, whether it be Happy Valley-Goose Bay, whether it be any community in Newfoundland and Labrador to make sure that with megaprojects or any projects, that we are doing the right thing with regard to housing in Newfoundland and Labrador, that is a commitment of this government and we will continue with that commitment.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

Presenting Reports by Standing and Select Committees.

Tabling of Documents.

Tabling of Documents

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Natural Resources.

MR. KENNEDY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, today I would like to table a number of documents related to the Muskrat Falls Project which have been submitted to the Public Utilities Board. Over the last week, Mr. Speaker, there have been requests by members of the Opposition to table certain documents. Mr. Speaker, what we are going to table today represents the full body of the information, which is available publicly through the PUB Web site. These documents include the following, Mr. Speaker: Requests submitted by Nalcor; the request for information from the PUB, 162 –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. KENNEDY: – from the Consumer Advocate, 278; from Manitoba Hydro International, 130. There are 118 public exhibits, Mr. Speaker; sixty-eight confidential exhibits that have been redacted; Nalcor's submission to the PUB; final written submissions from Nalcor and the Consumer Advocate; public presentations made to the PUB; and comments and additional information.

What we are tabling in this House today, Mr. Speaker, represents thousands and thousands of pages of documents, many of which contain the answers to the questions that have been asked. Mr. Speaker, I would ask to table those documents now. My understanding is that they are in the –

MR. SPEAKER: I would ask the Pages if they could deliver the documents in question.

MR. KENNEDY: Mr. Speaker, there are boxes to come out. I would like the binders to be taken out of the boxes. Where are we going to put them? They are not going to fit there, Mr. Clerk; not there either.

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible).

MR. KENNEDY: No, we would like to have them brought out.

MR. SPEAKER: I would ask the Pages if they could bring them to the Table, please – in front of the Table.

[Documents delivered to the Table of the House]

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

Further tabling of documents?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. MARSHALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I do this a lot, and in The Telegram the other day they said that when I table I do it quietly. I just want to make sure that everybody knows that I am tabling pursuant to section 26(5)(a) of the Financial Administration Act, I am tabling one Order-in-Council relating to funding pre-commitments for the 2012-2013 year.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Further tabling of documents?

Order, please!

In accordance with section 19(5)(a) of the House of Assembly Accountability, Integrity and Administration Act, I hereby table the Minutes of the House of Assembly Management Commission meetings held on March 23, June 7 and December 14, 2011, and the in-camera meetings held on March 30 and May 25, 2011.

Notices of Motion.

Notices of Motion

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

MR. MARSHALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I give notice I will ask leave to introduce a bill entitled, An Act To Amend The Liquor Control Act. (Bill 11)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: Further notices of motion?

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

MR. CRUMMELL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I move the following private member's resolution on Housing, seconded by the hon. Member for Mount Pearl North:

WHEREAS the provincial government laid out its long-term vision for social housing in 2009 in Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation's ten-year Social Housing Plan for Newfoundland and Labrador, entitled "Secure Foundations", and supported this strategy with a significant investment in 2011; and

WHEREAS key investments by the provincial government to provide housing assistance to those with the greatest needs include:

5,573 rental units Province-wide through the Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation;

rent subsidies for people living in 1,732 rental units;

capital funding for approximately 1,100 new affordable housing properties in the private and supportive living sector in dozens of communities throughout Newfoundland and Labrador;

financial and training support to 1,026 partner-managed units;

over $16 million annually to help close to 3,500 people with low incomes stay in their own homes through the various programs for homeowners, such as the Provincial Home Repair Program, the Residential Energy Efficiency Program, and Home Modification Program; and

an investment of $4.8 million per year through the Supportive Living Community Partnership Program to provide operational funding for community-based organizations that create housing supports for people with complex service needs;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that this House expresses its support for the provincial government's ten-year Social Housing Plan for Newfoundland and Labrador, entitled "Secure Foundations", and the investments it is continuing to make to provide assistance to Newfoundlanders and Labradorians with the greatest housing needs.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Answers to Questions for which Notice has been Given.

Petitions.

Petitions

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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I stand in the House today to present a petition on behalf of women who are advocating for changes to benchmark screening for breast cancer in the Province.

WHEREAS breast cancer is the most common cancer among Newfoundland and Labrador women, excluding non-melanoma skin cancer, with approximately 370 women to be diagnosed with breast cancer in Newfoundland and Labrador this year; and

WHEREAS we have one of the highest mortality rates from breast cancer and breast cancer in young women tends to be more aggressive; and

WHEREAS the benchmark for Newfoundland and Labrador's organized breast screening program is age 50; and

WHEREAS women aged 40 to 49 are not eligible to participate in Newfoundland and Labrador's organized breast screening program, while women aged 40 to 49 are eligible in the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Northwest Territories, and Yukon; and

WHEREAS there is evidence that routine mammography screening of women in their forties can reduce mortality from breast cancer by at least 24 per cent, but Newfoundland and Labrador still does not allow women in that age group to self refer into their breast screening program; and

WHEREUPON the undersigned, your Petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the House of Assembly to urge the government to allow women aged 40 to 49 to be eligible for breast screening to begin at age 40 and that all women be able to self refer through Newfoundland and Labrador's screening program.

Mr. Speaker, this issue, I have been bringing it to the House of Assembly now for a year. I have dealt with two particular ministers in trying to advocate for changes in the breast screening program in this Province. I understood from the minister's comments in the House the other day that they have completed their report, the Cancer Control Advisory Committee that was tasked a year ago to do that, and I would encourage the government to make a decision to reduce the age for breast screening, to allow self referrals of women throughout our Province, and to do so as early as possible, because we really do feel we have the equipment in the Province now. We have a lot of new mammography equipment. We feel that it is geographically well positioned. We also know, Mr. Speaker, that it is only 65 per cent take up on the usage of that equipment, so there is room to grow the program in Newfoundland and Labrador and broaden it. We want to see government do just that and reduce the age for screening of women in this Province.

Mr. Speaker, government opposite likes to talk about how they are on the cutting edge of doing things. They are getting to the bottom of the pile in Canada today in establishing good benchmark screening programs for women across this country. They are lagging behind many of the provinces that have already re-introduced this legislation and many of the other provinces, Mr. Speaker, that are already in the works of passing new legislation to do just that. I would encourage the government to do so as quickly as possible.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Burgeo – La Poile.

MR. A. PARSONS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I have a petition here today.

To the hon. House of Assembly of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in Parliament assembled. The petition of the undersigned residents humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS hundreds of residents of the Southwest Coast of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, including residents of the communities of Fox Roost, Margaree, Isle aux Morts, Burnt Islands, Rose Blanche-Harbour Le Cou, Diamond Cove and La Poile, use Route 470 on a regular basis for work, medical, educational and social reasons; and

WHEREAS there is no cellphone coverage on Route 470; and

WHEREAS residents and users of Route 470 require cellphone coverage to ensure their safety and communication abilities; and

WHEREAS the Department of Innovation, Business and Rural Development recently announced significant funding to improve broadband services in rural Newfoundland and Labrador; and

WHEREAS the residents and users of Route 470 feel that the Department of Innovation, Business and Rural Development should also invest in cellular phone coverage for rural Newfoundland and Labrador;

WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the House of Assembly to support the users of Route 470 in their request to obtain cellular phone coverage along Route 470, and as in duty bound your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr. Speaker, this is the second time I have risen on this petition, and I intend to keep rising on this petition until we have some action taken. I would note a couple of things. Actually, I had a call - I believe it is the Clerk's Office that makes sure these are done right. We had a call asking was there a typo because I did two petitions last week, one for Route 470 and one for Route 480. I said, no, it is not a typo. I have two separate roadways in my district that are not covered with cellphone service. These people have to drive over it everyday to get the services that they need and they deserve cellphone coverage. Again, that just gives you an idea there.

The other thing I would note is that we are talking about emergency plans under the municipal sector, and these are due in at the end of May. One of the big parts of this planning cannot even be done, none of these communities in a lot of my district cannot even have cellular phone coverage; they cannot put this into their emergency planning.

I intend to keep raising this. I am looking forward to a strategy being developed and then the implementation of that strategy so that the people in my district, and I am sure in many districts across this Province, finally get the cellphone coverage they deserve and that they need in this day and age, 2012.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Today I rise on a petition. It reads, the petition of the undersigned humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS Labrador is a vast land mass with many isolated communities; and

WHEREAS unfortunately search and rescue assets were not adequately deployed during the search for Burton Winters; and

WHEREAS it is clear that permanent search and rescue assets are required in Labrador;

WHEREUPON your petitioners call upon all Members of the House of Assembly to urge government to do a full investigation into the Burton Winters tragedy and search and rescue in Labrador, and lobby the federal government to establish permanent search and rescue capability at 5 Wing Goose Bay.

As in duty bound your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr. Speaker, this is the same petition I presented, actually, last week in the House of Assembly. There are a number of these petitions that are circulating right throughout Labrador, and I understand on the Island portion of the Province as well. I had hoped that this week, Mr. Speaker, I would not have to bring another petition on search and rescue back to the House of Assembly. I hoped that wiser heads would have prevailed within the federal government, that we would have seen a better outcome on search and rescue last week than what we saw.

My colleague, the Member for Torngat Mountains, was one of a number of people who met with the federal minister in Happy Valley-Goose Bay on Friday to learn, Mr. Speaker, that the only change that is going to occur in search and rescue in this Province is that you do not call us, we will call you. That is the change they have made in protocol. As opposed to when you call for help and you do not get that help, the onus is no longer on you to call back for help, the onus is now going to be on them to follow up if they have something available to follow up with.

Is that a solution to our problem? I do not think so, Mr. Speaker, absolutely not a solution. In fact, Mr. Speaker, one would have been amazed to know that even if you do call for help, that the very powers that be that you call –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MS JONES: - do not take the opportunity to call you back at any particular time. That should have been an automatically given protocol that should have already been in the system. So, the fact that it is being added today does not give me any greater level of comfort that search and rescue services in Labrador, or anywhere in Newfoundland and Labrador, has been improved or strengthened in any way.

Mr. Speaker, the petition is asking the government opposite to use some influence with their Harper friends, their Harper family in the federal government, because so far they have not had any success on any files in influencing the federal. So, do some work on search and rescue and see if we can get that moving.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Orders of the Day.

Orders of the Day

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

MR. KENNEDY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board, to ask leave to introduce a bill entitled, An Act To Amend The Revenue Administration Act, Bill 5, and I further move that the said bill be now read a first time.

MR. SPEAKER: It is moved and seconded that the hon. Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board shall have leave to introduce a bill, and that the said bill be now read a first time.

Is it the pleasure of the House that the minister shall have leave to introduce the bill, and that the said bill be now read a first time?

All those in favour, ‘aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.

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

Carried.

Motion, the hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board to introduce a bill, "An Act To Amend The Revenue Administration Act", carried. (Bill 5)

CLERK: A bill, An Act To Amend The Revenue Administration Act. (Bill 5)

MR. SPEAKER: When shall the bill be read a second time?

MR. KENNEDY: Tomorrow, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: Tomorrow.

On motion, Bill 5 read a first time, ordered read a second time on tomorrow.

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

MR. KENNEDY: I move, seconded by the hon. the Minister of Service Newfoundland and Labrador, to ask leave to introduce a bill entitled, An Act To Amend The Consumer Protection And Business Practices Act, Bill 6, and I further move that the said bill be now read a first time.

MR. SPEAKER: It is moved and seconded that the hon. minister shall have leave to introduce Bill 6, and that the said bill be now read a first time.

Is it the pleasure of the House that the minister shall have leave to introduce Bill 6, and that the said bill be now read a first time?

All those in favour, ‘aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.

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

Carried.

Motion, the hon. the Minister of Service Newfoundland and Labrador to introduce a bill, "An Act To Amend The Consumer Protection And Business Practices Act", carried. (Bill 6)

CLERK: A bill, An Act To Amend The Consumer Protection And Business Practices Act. (Bill 6)

MR. SPEAKER: This bill has now been a read a first time.

When shall the bill be read a second time?

MR. KENNEDY: Tomorrow, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: Tomorrow.

On motion, Bill 6 read a first time, ordered read a second time on tomorrow.

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

MR. KENNEDY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the hon. the Minister of Justice and Attorney General, to ask leave to introduce a bill entitled, An Act To Amend The Provincial Court Act, 1991, Bill 7, and I further move that the said bill be now read a first time.

MR. SPEAKER: It is moved and seconded that the hon. Minister of Justice and Attorney General have leave to introduce Bill 7, and that the said bill be now read a first time.

Is it the pleasure of the House that minister shall have leave to introduce Bill 7, and that the said bill be now read a first time?

All those in favour, ‘aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.

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

Carried.

Motion, the hon. the Minister of Justice and Attorney General to introduce a bill, "An Act To Amend The Provincial Court Act, 1991", carried. (Bill 7)

CLERK: A bill, An Act To Amend The Provincial Court Act, 1991. (Bill 7)

MR. SPEAKER: This bill now has been read a first time.

When shall the bill be read a second time?

MR. KENNEDY: Tomorrow, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: Tomorrow.

On motion, Bill 7 read a first time, ordered read a second time on tomorrow.

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

MR. KENNEDY: Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the hon. Minister of Justice and Attorney General, to ask leave to introduce a bill entitled, An Act To Amend The Family Violence Protection Act, Bill 8, and I further move that the said bill be now read a first time.

MR. SPEAKER: It is moved and seconded that the hon. Minister of Justice and Attorney General shall have leave to introduce Bill 8, and that the said bill be now read a first time.

Is it the pleasure of the House that the minister shall have leave to introduce Bill 8, and that the said bill be now read a first time?

All those in favour, ‘aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.

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

Carried.

Motion, the hon. the Minister of Justice and Attorney General to introduce a bill, "An Act To Amend The Family Violence Protection Act", carried. (Bill 8).

CLERK: A bill, An Act To Amend The Family Violence Protection Act. (Bill 8)

MR. SPEAKER: This bill has now been read a first time.

When shall the bill be read a second time?

MR. KENNEDY: Tomorrow, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: Tomorrow.

On motion, Bill 8 read a first time, ordered read a second time on tomorrow.

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

MR. KENNEDY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the hon. Minister of Municipal Affairs, to ask leave to introduce a bill entitled, An Act To Amend The Municipalities Act, 1999 And The Urban And Rural Planning Act, 2000, Bill 9, and I further move, Mr. Speaker, that the said bill be now read a first time.

MR. SPEAKER: It is moved and seconded that the hon. Minister of Municipal Affairs have leave to introduce a bill entitled, An Act To Amend The Municipalities Act, 1999 And The Urban And Rural Planning Act, 2000, Bill 9, and that the said bill be now read a first time.

Is it the pleasure of the House that the minister shall have leave to introduce Bill 9, and that the said bill be now read a first time?

All those in favour, ‘aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.

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

Carried.

Motion, the hon. the Minister of Municipal Affairs to introduce a bill, "An Act To Amend The Municipalities Act, 1999 And The Urban And Rural Planning Act, 2000", carried. (Bill 9)

CLERK: A bill, An Act To Amend The Municipalities Act, 1999 And The Urban And Rural Planning Act, 2000. (Bill 9)

MR. SPEAKER: This bill has now been read the first time.

When shall the said bill be read the second time?

MR. KENNEDY: Tomorrow, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: Tomorrow.

On motion, Bill 9 read a first time, ordered read a second time on tomorrow.

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

MR. KENNEDY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the hon. the Minister of Justice and Attorney General, to ask leave to introduce a bill entitled, An Act To Amend The Interjurisdictional Support Orders Act, Bill 10, and I further move that the said bill be now read a first time.

MR. SPEAKER: It is moved and seconded that the hon. the Minister of Justice and Attorney General shall have leave to introduce a bill entitled, An Act To Amend The Interjurisdictional Support Orders Act, Bill 10.

Is it the pleasure of the House that the minister shall have leave to introduce Bill 10, and that the said bill be now read a first time?

All those in favour, ‘aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.

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

Carried.

Motion, the hon. the Minister of Justice and Attorney General to introduce a bill, "An Act To Amend The Interjurisdictional Support Orders Act", carried. (Bill 10)

CLERK: A bill, An Act To Amend The Interjurisdictional Support Orders Act. (Bill 10)

MR. SPEAKER: This bill has now been read a first time.

When shall the bill be read a second time?

MR. KENNEDY: Tomorrow, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: Tomorrow.

On motion, Bill 10 read a first time, ordered read a second time on tomorrow.

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

MR. KENNEDY: Mr. Speaker, I call from the Order Paper, Order 1, Committee of Supply.

MR. SPEAKER: It has been moved and seconded that I do now leave the Chair for the House to resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole to consider Bill 2.

Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

All those in favour, ‘aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.

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

Carried.

On motion, that the House resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole on Supply, Mr. Speaker left the Chair.

Committee of the Whole

CHAIR (Verge): Order, please!

We are going to resume Committee of Supply, resolution of Bill 2, respecting the granting of Interim Supply to Her Majesty.

Before I recognize any speakers, I have a ruling on a point of order that was raised March 8, 2012 at 3:53 p.m. by the hon. the Government House Leader.

Having reviewed the Hansard as well as the video of those proceedings at that time, I do rule that there was no point of order.

Do we have speakers to –

I recognize the hon. the Minister of Education.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. JACKMAN: Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Chair, I am going to just take a few minutes to speak a little bit about learning. Mr. Chair, I guess the question I would ask all the members of this House and to folks watching: If we were going to invest in learning, what would be the best place we could start? Mr. Chair, I guess if we think as parents and as teachers, and I will throw in the researchers as well, all will tell you that the best place to start is young, with our youth. The earlier we can start, the better I think the return will be for our investment.

Mr. Chair, I am very proud to say that I have eight grandchildren and one more on the way in April, so do not say we are not doing our part for the population. We are doing our part for the population, Mr. Chair. I come from a large family, my wife comes from a large family, and I have always treasured children. Any of us who have been around young children, all you have to do is just look at them from the time zero to two and three, especially around the two years of age. It is always amazing to see how much they pick up in those critical, critical years.

My son sent me a video the other night of our granddaughter, who is a year-and-a-half, who had been sleeping in her crib; all of a sudden they hear footsteps, and she has learned how to get out over that crib in a blink. It is amazing to see how they model and how they follow the example put before them.

Mr. Chair, this is exactly where we have begun. We have established an early childhood learning and education; we have developed the Department of Child, Youth and Family Services. Mr. Chair, I will contend to anyone in this House and in this Province, it is one of the best investments we will ever make as a government, because it shows our commitment to our children.

My Department of Education works very, very closely with the minister in the Department of Child, Youth and Family Services. We have to, because both departments are committed to our children. Mr. Chair, I am just hoping the Member for St. John's North – who stood up the other day and said that the only thing that he has seen so far that we have committed is $100,000 for a promotional campaign, I believe were his words. First off, I hope that he is not dismissing that. If he is, Mr. Chair, he is missing the point entirely on early childhood education, because this campaign will be about promoting understanding of learning, activities that you can do with your children. Mr. Chair, he apparently has not done his research, because last year in –

MR. KIRBY: A point of order, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Chair, I was referencing the Early Years Study 3 document last week (inaudible). Mr. Chair, it says that the document is available for download and printing off the Internet. That is what I was discussing in debate last week. I have done the research. The report is over here on my desk, in fact, because I went and downloaded it, and I printed and read it. I suggest that the Minister of Education do similarly.

CHAIR: I ask the member to state his point of order, please.

There is no point of order.

I recognize the hon. the Minister of Education.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. JACKMAN: Very sensitive, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Chair, I will continue. Last year, in Budget 2011, we invested $4.8 million for our zero to six strategy, and we have invested this year - Mr. Chair, we have started already. I have commented publicly on the kits we will be passing out to parents at ages two months, four months, six months, going on forward from that. In that, Mr. Chair, will be some reading material, some other items that parents will be able to use with their children. Mr. Chair, the reason for it is we want to put in the hands on our parents tools that they can use with their children at a very early, early age, because it is that window of opportunity that we have. That critical area from zero to three is where we started.

Mr. Chair, anyone who sits down and reads a book to a child and sees that a young child enjoys that book, chances are over the next two and three and four years the adult will become tired and sick of reading it, but they will read it over, and over, and over again because it is something that is very important to that child. Shortly after you might find that a two year old will be seated, will be having a book in front of them and you will find they may be turning the pages in the right direction, which might seem very simple to all of us, but to learn that behaviour, Mr. Chair, as a child of two years old, it is critical. It is critical as part of their development, it is part of their understanding, and it is part of their comprehension, which we have started at a very young age.

Mr. Chair, the other thing is the framework that is being developed up to six years of age. It is all aimed at making sure that our children have a good start to their education and learning. The best place that we can start is to put things in the hands of the parents who work day in and day out with their children.

Mr. Chair, if anyone misses that point of the earliest of intervention in our young children, they have not understood learning. The process that we have entered into, it was not something that all of a sudden someone said okay, let's do up these kits, let's do this promotional campaign and we will put $4 million or $5 million into it. That is not how things happen. Mr. Chair, involved in the development of this process and these activities have been educators, long-time educators in the Province who were recognized for their excellence in education; Memorial University, the Department of Education because the research component of it is very, very important.

As I have already said, Mr. Chair, we recognize the importance of zero to three years. The kits that we are passing out to parents, they will be distributed through our public health nurses because parents bring their children in for regular checkups with the public health nurse. It is through that distribution we will ensure that these parents get those kits. If there is one thing we can be sure of, Mr. Chair, is that parents love their children. As part of that love, they will bring them to the pre-school checkups, the public health nurse sessions; therefore, we can ensure that these materials will be in the hands of parents. There will be suggestions about the types of activities that can be done with the child. As I have said those critical zero to three years became the starting point whereby we introduced that part of our $4.8 million strategy.

Mr. Chair, as we go through and continue this process, the people of the Province can rest assured that my department and while I am in this capacity, and Minister Johnson in her department as the Minister of Child, Youth and Family Services, that we will continue to work closely so that the two of us working jointly will give it our best efforts to provide to the parents of our Province, to the children of our Province, the best start that they can possibly get in that earliest of education. I go back, Mr. Chair, in my last ten or so seconds to have everyone in this Province, in this House, members opposite, to recognize the importance of the zero to three years and the zero to six years.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

CHAIR: Order, please!

I recognize the hon. Member for Cartwright – L'Anse au Clair.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I am certainly pleased to stand today and have a few words with regard to Interim Supply that we are debating in the House of Assembly.

Mr. Chair, I was going to actually get up on Thursday and have a few words, but I guess a couple of reasons – one, my new colleagues are so eager and they cannot wait to be on their feet in the House of Assembly. One thing I can tell you, it is quite different from the last session that I spent here when I was every day, Mr. Chair, not getting an opportunity to sit down. Well, now I have to say that we have some great MHAs on this side of the House, Mr. Chair, who want to be up on their feet debating the issues in their districts, talking about the issues that are important to the people of this Province. So, Mr. Chair, I sat back on Thursday and I listened very attentively as they rose one after the other and spoke to some very important issues very passionately.

Mr. Chair, I did want to just have a couple of words, because it was International Women's Day on Thursday. Most people in the Province certainly will remember that, because it was the government who railroaded the day when the walked in with their point of privilege, of course, which they had given no notice to me of prior to the House. I absolutely was not aware of it until the Government House Leader stood in his place. Mr. Chair, we dealt with the point of privilege on Thursday, and my colleague the Member for St. Barbe dealt with it in the way that he should have dealt with it. Mr. Chair, it does not withstand the fact that there are rules in this House and often times, although we know the rules, we try and use them to our advantage.

Mr. Chair, I have to point out something, because sometimes I sit back and I listen and I listen very clearly to what members have to say and I listen to how they say it. When I was sitting here on Thursday and I was listening to the comments that were being espoused and I was reminded, Mr. Chair, of another time, of several times, when members of the government opposite made no bones about going out there and publicly expressing themselves in the Province. I had to go up and look for an article, and I did, and it was Eastern Health, they should be shot over at Eastern Health. I remember that very clearly, Mr. Chair, when the former Premier, who was a Conservative Leader of which many of the members on the other side sat in the caucus with, stood up, Mr. Chair, and said it was disgraceful and that they should be shot over there. Who were the two individuals who were in charge, who were being referenced? Vickie Kaminski, who was the CEO, and Pat Pilgrim, those were the two women who came out and had to try to defend themselves.

At the time, the Premier, the current Premier, was the Minister for the Status of Women in this Province.

AN HON. MEMBER: What did she say?

MS JONES: Not one word, not one word did the Premier, the Member for Virginia Waters, who was the Minister for the Status of Women – when one of her colleagues said that the people at Eastern Health should be shot, ever stood in this Province, Mr. Chair, and espoused one word over violence against women, not one word, or violence in the workplace, or violence, or harassment, or abuse in any way, shape or form. Not only did the Premier, the Member for Virginia Waters, when she was the Minister for the Status of Women, bury that, hide it, duck and not speak about it, but so did everyone else on the other side, including the Government House Leader, who stood in his place the other day on the remarks and how terrible they were on International Women's Day.

I am not arguing the merit, Mr. Chairman, of what the Member for St. Barbe said, whether it was right or wrong. What I am arguing is that what is good for the goose is good for the gander. If you are going to say something, practice it. If you are going to preach it, do it, follow it. That is what I say to the members opposite.

In addition to that, Mr. Chair, the Member for St. George's – Stephenville East, I believe it is, and the Minister for Advanced Education and Skills were also in the House at that time, sat in the government at that time, was the Government House Leader at that time, when her Premier went out and made those remarks toward many women who worked at Eastern Health, to many public servants who worked for the government, to many people, Mr. Chair, to the point that there was actually fear, there was actually fear down at Eastern Health as to how they would be treated in the workplace and what would happen.

Mr. Chair, I am all about taking what is dished out, but I am going to tell you one thing: If you are going to dish it out you had better be prepared to take it yourselves as well, and you had better be prepared to practice what you say.

Mr. Chair, I am not talking, as I said, and I want to clarify that, I am not talking about the merit of the comments that were made by my colleague, or whether they should have been made or should not have been made, whether you should ever say to a minister, I am going to vilify you on Open Line or not, I am not debating whether that is good, bad, or indifferent. What I am saying is that if you are going to allow your own members in your own government when you are the Minister for the Status of Women to go out and say that people should be shot at a workplace because of their actions or what they have done and not stand up to it, well then, Mr. Chair, do not speak out of both sides of your face, you cannot have it both ways.

Anyway, Mr. Chair, I have other issues that I want to raise today in the House of Assembly, some very important issues. I think before I get to my full list that I have there, I am going to speak about the John Noseworthy piece for a second. Mr. Chair, I could have laughed when I sat in my place in Question Period and I heard the Premier get up and say that Mr. Noseworthy was the most suitable man and he was going to get the job done. I am sure she felt that way too when she ran him on her slate to take out the Leader of the NDP in Signal Hill – Quidi Vidi. He was not the best man for the job that day, I say to the Premier and the government opposite. He was not the best man for the job that day, so we will see how he does in the new position that he has now been hand-picked and endorsed to fill.

Mr. Chair, the reason I am bringing up the Mr. Noseworthy piece in the House of Assembly today is because if you want to talk about hypocritical opinions in this Province, I have never seen such a hypocritical act in all my life as I have seen and witnessed in the last week when the Minister of Finance tabled that in the House of Assembly on Monday, and I will tell you why. When John Noseworthy was the Auditor General for this Province – and, in fact, the minister who just hired him to go to work in her department was the Minister of Human Resources, Labour and Employment at the time. Mr. Chair, when he was the Auditor General in 2009-2010 when the Auditor General's report came down, what was in the Auditor General's report? It was written about public servants and teachers in this Province who are collecting a pension and going back to work on the government, getting a government cheque. It talked about teachers in particular, Mr. Chair, because what the new regulations were that were passed in the House of Assembly – and I was a part of it – is that in areas where it was difficult to recruit teachers in this Province, they would allow teachers who are retired and collecting a pension to go back and fill those positions and still be permitted to collect their pension for a period of time; there were some limitations around it.

Mr. Chair, I actually supported that, and I still support it today. I will tell you why I support it today. I support it today because there are many schools in rural areas like the ones in my district that cannot always recruit teachers that are highly qualified in certain areas. So they have no other choice but to go back and get retired teachers who are willing and prepared to fill some of those vacancies.

Mr. Chair, John Noseworthy, when he was the Auditor General, had a problem with that; he had a huge problem with that. He wrote chapters about it in the AG's report, how it was a shameful, awful, ridiculous thing that was happening that you would have a retired teacher out there going back into a classroom in rural Newfoundland or Labrador, Mr. Chair, and teaching and collecting a salary and still getting a pension; but, he had no bones, I would not think, accepting the job offer when the minister or the Premier called him up this week that allows him to collect his pension, Mr. Chair, and allows him to collect his $140,000 a year in pay.

AN HON. MEMBER: How much?

MS JONES: Mr. Chair, $140,000 – that is what he is getting paid: $140,000. That is what the AG is getting paid. The very person, Mr. Chair, who felt that you should not be able to get a pension if you are a teacher and go back in the classroom, is now today getting a pension and collecting $140,000 in salary on the backs of the taxpayers in this Province. Now, you tell me if that is not the most hypocritical thing you have ever seen in your life.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

CHAIR: The hon. the Member for Bonavista South.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. LITTLE: Thank you, Mr. Chair, for giving me the opportunity to speak.

I would like to start by saying what a great honour and privilege it is for me to stand in this House today, to be part of this wonderful government, to represent the wonderful people of the District of Bonavista South. I feel it is appropriate for me to speak on the fishery, ladies and gentlemen.

Fishing and aquaculture is an industry that provides our Province with more than $1 billion in revenues annually, and a successful fishery is the biggest mainstay for the constituents of the District of Bonavista South. With many fishery operations and enterprises throughout the district, the strength of this industry ensures for a prosperous economy.

Based on the current fishery issues in this Province, I would like to speak about the Ocean Choice International operation and closure in Port Union. It is very unfortunate that the plant was damaged by Hurricane Igor. Furthermore, there were major shrimp quota reductions. The people of Bonavista South district are faced with a major setback because of this closure. I have arranged and attended meetings with a number of members of community leaders from Trinity Bay North, with Ocean Choice International officials and government officials. As a result of those meetings, an acceptance letter of the plant closure has been received from the Trinity Bay North Town Council. The workers of the Port Union plant, the Town Council, OCI plant have agreed to move on and look at other alternatives, Mr. Chair. Some workers have found employment at the Bonavista OCI plant. Other workers have found employment elsewhere and the rest of the workers will need transitional assistance, Mr. Chair. This government will support these people with services such as transitional employment counselling, short-term employment, intensified regional economic diversification efforts and educational and training programs, Mr. Chair. Assistance and direction from the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is evident. The Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture launched a number of programs under the Fishery Industry Renewal Strategy intended to revitalize the fishing industry.

We are spending approximately $11.75 million annually on fishery science research, Mr. Chair. Other initiatives that support our plan for the future include $100 million for fishery loan guarantees and $80 million for the MOU marketing guarantees. These programs allow us to adapt to change in resource and market conditions that make the industry more economically viable and internationally competitive. This will help us get back on our feet ultimately, Mr. Chair.

I am confident through the perseverance and resourcefulness of the people, there will be better opportunities in the future for our district and for this Province as a whole. The fishing industry is very complex. The Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture is continuing to consult with all stakeholders in the industry, Mr. Chair. Newfoundland and Labrador is becoming a province being sought after for lucrative and challenging employment opportunities. This shift in the labour market is due to the forecast and creativity of today's government. One of the many great examples is the project of Muskrat Falls. Our government has realized that developing the power of resources of the Lower Churchill is the key to a sustainable future for our Province over the long term.

Muskrat Falls is a venture that will pay for itself through low energy costs, new export revenues and a new opportunity for economic development here in Newfoundland and Labrador. The Muskrat Falls project is in the best interest of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, Mr. Chair. Through studies conducted by Memorial University economists, MHI and other energy experts, it has been determined that we do need this power and that Muskrat Falls is the least-cost option. These views have also been endorsed by the Government of Canada through future loan guarantees, or equivalent financial supports. Our government's vision is to take us from an oil-reliant economy to a renewable resource energy economy. Affordable clean, green energy – that is what we need in this Province, Mr. Chair.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. LITTLE: This project will create many jobs. The Minister of Natural Resources has done many press releases, talked on Open Line shows, he did question and answer sessions, very open and transparent on the Muskrat Falls project, Mr. Chair. As laid out in our energy plan of the Blue Book, the people of this Province are in favour of us implementing the strategies that will benefit Newfoundland and Labrador in the future. This Province is a leader in economic growth. We have an economic burst of energy that will help strengthen Canada, Mr. Chair. This is such an exciting time for our people. I am so proud to be part of this government that will take our Province to a level of prosperity such as it has never seen before, Mr. Chair.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. LITTLE: Newfoundland and Labrador holds such riches, with all of its natural resources, intelligence, and hardworking people. Now, under the guidance and leadership of our Premier, a bright and promising future lays ahead for this Province, Mr. Chair.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. LITTLE: At this time in history I am very optimistic. We are making the right decisions as a government, Mr. Chair. I appreciate having the opportunity to stand for a few minutes and speak to the Interim Supply bill.

I want to speak on the economic performance of our Province and the economy, both of which have been incredibly strong in 2011 and indeed, over the past eight years. In the past eight years, we have seen tremendous growth in this Province. We have had six of the last eight years of surpluses. When you consider how much this government has paid down on our provincial debt at this time, it is really an outstanding achievement, Mr. Chair.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. LITTLE: This government has managed to decrease the provincial debt from a high of $12 billion in 2004 to just under $8 billion today, Mr. Chair. Because of this great management we have exercised as a government, the Province has received the highest credit rating in its entire history, an A+ rating.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. LITTLE: That is one indication the economy of this Province is in excellent shape. What is even more remarkable is that we achieved this without cutting into key initiatives; social programs that improve important services to our people throughout this Province.

We did not get our debt down through cuts in funding or tax increases. No, we managed to reduce our debt by over $4 billion through excellent fiscal management, Mr. Chair. This government was smart and proactive, accelerating the pace of growth into public investments. While the rest of the world was struggling through a recession, we were pushing ahead, investing in the Province and in the people, Mr. Chair, our unprecedented investments in infrastructure, roads, highways and so forth. Many people throughout this Province have certainly seen the greatness of what this government has done in the past. We knew that by investing in this area we would stimulate and diversify Newfoundland and Labrador's economy.

Infrastructure spending in 2010-2011 generated approximately 7,740 person years of employment, Mr. Chair. Our investment in infrastructure has meant more employment for the people of this Province. Our employment rates have increased steadily and we have come through the global recession in better shape than many regions throughout this country. Employment for Newfoundland and Labrador has increased by 2.7 per cent, which gives us the second-best growth in the country amongst the provinces. This is really something to be proud of, Mr. Chair.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. LITTLE: Along with our job growth came population increases, because people saw a future here in this Province that was bright and promising, Mr. Chair. New houses are going up all over this Province. In fact, our new housing developments remain strong at 3,488, Mr. Chair. The fact is that this Province is the place to be now, a have Province.

CHAIR: Order, please!

MR. LITTLE: Thank you, Mr. Chair.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

CHAIR: I remind the member that his time for speaking has expired.

AN HON. MEMBER: Do you want time to clue up?

MR. LITTLE: I can clue up, yes.

CHAIR: Does the member have leave?

MS JONES: Yes, sure, to clue up.

MR. LITTLE: Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I recognize that my time is up, and I do appreciate the opportunity to have enough time to speak and highlight some of government's great achievements, Mr. Chair.

This Province is moving forward with a government that is very optimistic about the future, and we are here to assist the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I will just finish my comments, Mr. Chair, with regard to Interim Supply and the Committee. Mr. Chair, a few comments I want to finish up on before I move on to some of the other things is with regard to John Noseworthy, because not only was it the piece about the pension piece but it was also the piece about temporary employees. We cannot ignore the fact that in the recent report by the current Auditor General he pointed out to all of us the number of temporary employees that are within government, especially within the Department of Human Resources, Labour and Employment. In fact, Mr. Chair, what he said is that 68 per cent of those particular temporary jobs were hired without any job competition whatsoever.

When I saw the piece on Noseworthy and I knew it was done without a job competition, it did not come as any great shock to me because that has been the pattern of the government opposite. Absolutely no accountability when it comes to the spending of the public's money and hiring people within the public service; because, Mr. Chair, if there was, they would be out actually advertising and hiring people for these jobs as opposed to just appointing them to temporary positions which are continuously rolled over and rolled over and rolled over with no job competition at all. That is public service money, it is not political appointments. It is not political appointments; it is the public service that you are dealing with.

In addition to that, Mr. Chair, it was only a few months ago that this AG's report was tossed on the desk of the government outlining all these temporary jobs across government, how it was being done with no accountability for the taxpayers' money; yet, they go out and they do the very same thing again. Only this time they do it in the wake of the Premier's comments on her cuts to the Budget, of which we are finally getting clarified, because she has changed her story now three times, Mr. Chair. In six days, we had three different stories on where the Premier is going with reductions in the Budget and cuts to the Budget. Now, Mr. Chair, we know it is going to be targeted at temporary workers and contractual workers within the government, which obviously has the unions all up in arms right now in terms of: where is this going and what does this mean for us? Mr. Chair, I think we need to get some of this clarified, and the earlier we can get it clarified maybe the earlier we can get this done.

That is my piece on John Noseworthy. The only thing I would say to the government opposite is that you better get a good contract and you better get a confidentiality clause right in the midst of it. In light of my dealings with Mr. Noseworthy, I can tell you that you are going to need a confidentiality clause because the first day you are on the outs and he is walking, we will see what he is going to be preaching on that particular day.

Mr. Chair, those are my comments on that piece. I would now like to talk a little bit about the search and rescue services. I actually just took five minutes and had a conversation with the Minister of Municipal Affairs with regard to search and rescue simply because he is responsible for emergency measures in the Province, but also, Mr. Chair, he was a commanding officer of the Canadian Rangers in our Province for a long time and understands how search and rescue works, as do my colleague, the Member for Torngat Mountains, who was also a part of search and rescue on the ground volunteer groups and have been a part of the Canadian Rangers as well.

I guess, Mr. Chair, it is really difficult in the wake of what has happened in Labrador and what is happening with the closure of the sub-centre in St. John's and to know that the best that the federal government could produce for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador on Thursday of last week was a phone call, and that was what they gave us. That is the new change in protocol. Right now for search and rescue in Newfoundland and Labrador it is a phone call – one call. You do not have to make the call; that is the real benefit. You do not have to make the call; they are going to make the call. That is the change that we are seeing. Now, how sad is that when you look at the context of what we are dealing with, with search and rescue today in Newfoundland and Labrador? It is quite evident that the Harper government has lost their way and has lost focus of what the priorities are for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

Last week when I spoke in this House, I talked very extensively about our dependency on the sea, on the fishing industry, on the offshore oil industry. I talked about our culture and how we are nomadic people. We travel the land; we travel the water. I talked about the coastline that we have that surrounds Newfoundland and the full coastline of Labrador. I talked about the fact that we live in the Arctic Region. That we deal with all kinds of not just geographical pressures but climatic pressures in the work that we do. Yet, Mr. Chair, the federal government is not listening to the people of this Province and they are not listening to the government opposite. The Premier may get offended by my colleague's questions today in Question Period but she has to accept the reality that if they are not listening to you, as the Premier in this Province, who says that we need to improve search and rescue in Newfoundland and Labrador, then that should be an indication that something else needs to happen. That is the indication to me right now that something else needs to happen here.

We can have great search and rescue groups out there on the ground all over the Province, and we do, many men and women who volunteer, who know the environment in which they lead those searches better than anyone else in the world. Mr. Chair, gradually we are giving them the tools to try to do their job better. Last week the government – and I commend you for that – announced $500,000 to buy new cameras for all of these search and rescue groups that will help them identify individuals who are lost in storms or at sea. Mr. Chair, I commend the government for doing that. At the same time, we cannot leave all of our dependency into a group of volunteers who have the bare essentials with equipment to do the job that they set out to try to do.

Mr. Chair, when my colleague was leading the search in Torngat Mountains for Burton Winters, I heard many stories from him and from others in the community when I visited there about how they spent hours and hours out on the land, how they did not want to give up. How they were frozen and frostbitten, and how they were to their waists in slob, ice and everything else in the search, Mr. Chair, because they did not want to give up. They needed to have resources and that is the message we have to send to the federal government. I know that the Premier and the government opposite have been reluctant in putting in place an all-party committee, but I am going to tell you something, there is something to be said when everyone rallies together as Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. There is something to be said for that.

I know the Premier said today you always criticize when we are not on good terms with the Prime Minister and good terms with the government, so now we befriended them and we are on good terms with them. It is not about good terms or bad terms; it is about having influence over what is going to happen in this Province. There is no greater influence that you can have than over saving lives of people. That message has to get to the federal government, and frankly I have no confidence in Peter Penashue to deliver that message for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. He proved that to us on Thursday and Friday when he went to these families, he went to the people in his riding and the people of this Province and said that we are going to make a change and the best we can do for you is give you another phone call – that is the best we can do for you. Frankly, I have no confidence in what happens there.

I am hearing all kinds of stories. I am hearing about Griffon helicopters in Goose Bay on those days that were in hangars broken down. Why were they in hangars broken down? Why were they not out working and operating? The Province needs to get the answer to that question from the feds. They have to get the answer.

Why is it that a call went out at 6:30 in the evening and the minister's office, who was the first line of contact provincially through EMR, never got the call until the next morning? What happened in that gap? Somebody has to tell us where that time frame lapsed. What happened here? These are questions we need answers to, and we are not getting them.

Mr. Chair, it is not good enough to say that we are going to do the best that we can. Sometimes we do the best that we can and we do not get the results that we need, so how do we do it a different way? That is why I am imploring on the members in the House today: Rally together, put your all-party committee in place. We will all be a part of it. Let's do it unitedly. We can make a difference. I honestly believe that we will have more impact and that we will be a stronger force to be reckoned with on search and rescue than we are going to be as one lone person who is going to the government.

The Premier, with all due respect, if you were able to have influence over this decision, you would have had it by now. We are not seeing it, and that was obvious on Thursday, so it is time to do something differently.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

CHAIR: The Chair recognizes the hon. the Minister of Municipal Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. O'BRIEN: Yes, Mr. Chair.

I am happy to get up and talk to this bill once again. This is a clearly a fine place, the House of Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador. We all in here take our jobs really seriously, but I have some concerns when I hear things being said in this House of Assembly in regard to spending like drunken sailors and having no fiscal arrangement with municipalities and Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador. I have real concerns with that, Mr. Chair, because it certainly gives a different impression of what I get from municipalities, as I met with them over the past year in Newfoundland and Labrador; I would say out of 273 of them, I have met with probably 250 of them. They were really, really happy in regard to the way we have supported Newfoundland and Labrador municipalities for the past number of years.

Mr. Chair, in regard to question period, I mentioned as well that I have no problem in regard to Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador, or municipalities in general, or any group that has any business with government, to advocate and to lobby. That is their job; that is the reason why we meet with them. We have to hear their concerns. We have to hear their challenges. Then we have to try to seek solutions, but these solutions have to be realistic as well. They have to be sustainable; they have to be affordable to the people of the Province and especially the government of the day, which is this government that I stand here with now in this House of Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Back in the early 1990s, there was a Municipal Operating Grant developed. It was developed entirely within government. Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador, the Federation at that particular time, to my knowledge, was never consulted in regard to the development of that formula. Never, never consulted, not at all; never consulted whatsoever. It was brought up to a hotel, they were sent into a room under locked doors, they were given the formula and told, this is what it is going to be. That is it; there were no consultations and that.

I had a meeting back on the morning of March 6 with Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador. I told them – and it was a great meeting between myself and the president or executive director, and some of my staff – and I expressed to them that yes, we do probably need a new fiscal arrangement, or at the very least, explore Municipal Operating Grants and the way we do business with municipalities. As well, there had to be a piece of work happen within the Department of Municipal Affairs to give us the starting point in regard to that consultation process. We had to have that, Mr. Chair, because you do not just start at the bottom. They have a piece of work to do as well, regarding the development and the process of collecting data that would help in forming any type of formation of a new formula when it comes to Municipal Operating Grants. That is the way it starts.

So, I had committed to that meeting to start a process in that development, regarding Municipal Operating Grants in general. Then, that very afternoon, they put out a notice to all municipalities that they want to have an emergency meeting in regard to the new fiscal arrangement. I found that very concerning, for the simple reason is, as a minister, I have met with Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador municipalities, and I have always been up front with them. I told them that the election, the process that we went through September and October of 2011 –

CHAIR: Order, please!

MR. O'BRIEN: – we went through that process and there was not enough time between the end of that particular election and now, to inform the budget process in any kind of a way to develop a formula. I was not about to, as a minister, the Minister of Municipal Affairs, and also as a government, to jam something down their throat, which is what happened in the early 1990s.

I also want to remind the hon. members who might be able to remember back or had any participation in regard to that process back in the early 1990s, it was developed, and it was jammed down their throats without any consultations. More importantly, Mr. Chair, it was tore to pieces only four years after that. There was a sum of money, so many millions of dollars, I cannot remember, maybe in the forties, or fifties or sixty million dollars attached to that particular Municipal Operating Grant. Then lo and behold, they found out that they could not sustain it, they could not afford it and then they cut it. That was only four years after it was developed, I say to the hon. member across the House. He has to do his research and know his history in regard to politics in Newfoundland and Labrador before he makes the comments.

This government, since I have been here anyway, since 2003, and since I have been a minister since 2006, we have shown responsibility, we have shown leadership in that we do not do anything that is not sustainable, that is not affordable to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador and this government, for the long-term, Mr. Chair. We do not want to be tearing the guts out of a new Municipal Operating Grant or any kind of fiscal arrangement with our municipalities unless we can sustain it. Not only for four years, not only for eight years, not only for sixteen years, not only for twenty years but a long time in the future where we can have healthy communities. If we do not have healthy communities, Mr. Chair, well we do not really have a healthy Province, do we not? That is what I say, so that is what we have to do.

To speak to a fiscal arrangement, in the past - not that it had a guarantee, but when times were good in Newfoundland and Labrador this government saw fit to really invest in municipal infrastructure in Newfoundland and Labrador. Millions and millions and millions of dollars have been spent over the last four or five years. Millions of dollars spent in rural Newfoundland and Labrador, millions of dollars spent in cities like Corner Brook, Mount Pearl and the City of St. John's. Millions of dollars spent in such communities as Clarenville, as Gander, as Happy Valley-Goose Bay and all those kinds of places that we see gaps in regard to their infrastructure needs.

That is exactly what we did, millions and millions and millions of dollars, to the point now that I have 570 active projects in Newfoundland and Labrador on a carry-forward basis worth $318 million in this Province. That work is going to happen over this summer or this season, and over the next season and on and on. That is the way it works, Mr. Chair, and that is the way we see the importance of investing in our municipalities and the importance of investing in municipal infrastructure and their requirements throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.

Mr. Chair, there are other areas that we have invested in as well that cannot be forgotten, and that is in our Fire and Emergency Services. Only just last year we invested a lot of money and bought twenty-two fire trucks across Newfoundland and Labrador. I can attest right now that those trucks were well-received, well-deserved, and did not go unnoticed in addressing the needs around the Province in our fire halls to enable those volunteers to deliver the services they volunteered to do. That is what we have.

Not forgetting as well, Mr. Chair, we invested $79 million in multipurpose and recreational facilities in last year's Budget, in this Province, throughout Newfoundland and Labrador. Two or three of them on the Northeast Avalon Peninsula, one on the South Coast, one in Western Newfoundland and Labrador, two on the Northeast Coast of Labrador; which they never, ever had any government in the past actually invest in that kind of infrastructure on the Northeast Coast of Labrador. I hear it time and time again that they are a forgotten land, but this government did not forget that land, I can guarantee that.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. O'BRIEN: This is the kind of stuff that we have done. That is called a fiscal arrangement with Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador, because we see the need, we identified the need, we had the money, we spent the money exactly where we had to spend it, and that is in infrastructure that was needed in Newfoundland and Labrador. That is what we needed. It is an important investment in Newfoundland and Labrador because when you are investing in infrastructure, you are investing in the future, because that infrastructure has a time frame attached to it regarding its life cycle, and most of it is twenty years, thirty years of a life cycle that it has. So, when you make that investment, it is made for the long term, and I believe in my heart and my soul that we have to continue to do that.

As well, the Premier has spoken many times, and the Minister of Finance, regarding the deficit position that we are going to find ourselves in with the loss of the Atlantic Accord and two platforms of wellheads off Newfoundland and Labrador, which severely, severely decreases our revenue stream. We have to address that as well. We have to be fiscally responsible. Money does not grow on trees, I am sorry. You cannot just listen to them; you cannot just identify their challenges, agree with their challenge and just give it to them. That is not the way it works. You have to have something sustainable. You cannot just divert money from one revenue source and not have it affect the other programs that you provide to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, such as in Health and Community Services, such as in Child, Youth and Family Services, such as in Education; very important programs regarding the future of Newfoundland and Labrador.

You just cannot divert money and not replace it with a new revenue stream. You cannot just increase the price of gas, I will say to the hon. member, to offset that cost, because you will be up preaching to us because the price of gas has gone up. That is the reason why, you just cannot do that kind of stuff. You have to have a plan in place that is sustainable, affordable to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, Mr. Chair. That is what is important, sustainable and affordable to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. I will clue up my remarks, and hopefully I will get up in this House again to have another few words with regard to municipal affairs.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

CHAIR: The Chair recognizes the Member for St. John's North.

MR. KIRBY: Thank you, Mr. Chair.

It is a great honour and privilege to stand here in this House and continue debate on the Interim Supply bill. One of the members spoke earlier, I believe from Bonavista South, and mentioned that our population is increasing. That is a great thing, of course, because we have a lot of population to make up for, for the folks who left the Province in the 1990s leading up to and after the cod moratorium in 1992.

The hon. the Minister of Education was up and spoke about early learning and care, and I am glad to hear his comments. I was referring to the Early Years Study 3 text that was put together by international, national, and provincial experts on early learning and care. Last week when I was speaking, I was pointing out, Mr. Chair, that this Province scored a zero on seventeen of nineteen different benchmarks. Of course, a benchmark is really the bare minimum that you have to reach to register; we did not register on seventeen of nineteen benchmarks. I appreciate that the government is trying to do some work in this area. One area I think it would be really positive would be to actually bring early learning and child care under the umbrella of one department. So, bring that part of Child, Youth and Family Services that deals with child care under the same department that deals with early learning.

I just want to say, folks, this week we marked two offshore helicopter tragedies; today and tomorrow, solemn occasions. This is the third anniversary of the Cougar Flight 491 crash, which touched me personally because I lost a family member and a childhood friend, someone who I went with on the school bus every day when I was in school. My friend and my cousin died in that crash. I know those families will forever have to contend with that.

Tomorrow, March 13, marks the often forgotten - and it should not be forgotten - anniversary of the 1985 crash of a Universal Helicopters chopper that was flying out to the Bow Drill I rig offshore. Of course, that was in the early days of our offshore work. My uncle narrowly escaped being on the Ocean Ranger when that tragedy occurred. That was just a couple of years later, three years later. I remember being just fourteen years old at the time and being very interested in that development. We remember these tragedies and we remember the toll that it has taken on the families. We think about the mothers and the fathers, the sons and the daughters, and the other family members who have to carry that grief for the rest of their lives. We can work together in this Chamber, Mr. Chair, to work to find solutions to prevent other tragedies such as this.

The inquiry that came after the Cougar crash, in that Mr. Justice Robert Wells recommended increased search and rescue measures in this Province. Instead, Mr. Chair, we are seeing really a diminution of search and rescue. The Maritime Rescue Sub-Centre is closing. There appears to be nothing we can do with that, despite the fact that the Premier during the last federal election, less than a year ago now, fully embraced, physically embraced Mr. Harper here in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, embraced his agenda and endorsed him. I know probably some members who are here in the Chamber today were at that pep rally at the Delta Hotel here downtown. Despite that, there appears to be little that we can do.

There is no thirty-minute, run-dry time. I had an excellent opportunity to go and present to the Hebron review commission since the election. I have to compliment the commissioner and the commission staff for all their work, but I am really disappointed that the commission did not strongly endorse the need for a thirty-minute, run-dry time. We still believe that those Sikorsky S-92 helicopters should be able to run for thirty minutes after the oil in the gearbox is empty. That is what Mr. Justice Robert Wells recommended, that is what the Canadian Transportation Safety Board recommended, and we believe that is the case. It should not be eleven minutes, it should not be twelve minutes, it should not be twenty minutes, it should be thirty minutes to provide for some degree of safety and security for our men and women who work in the offshore industries. I hope that the government will continue to strongly advocate this position that could help us collectively, again, to prevent another tragedy.

The irony here, I think, that never gets mentioned when people die in our offshore oil industries – they helped build our industry on the promise of good jobs. These are the good jobs; these are the jobs that provide fulfilling and meaningful work. They provide good salaries to help people provide for their children, put food on the table, positive working relationships and opportunities for growth to develop one's education and skills for advancement and promotion. These are the good jobs, but when we do not have proper health and safety, a healthy and safe environment in our offshore, all of that other stuff just goes out the window. It is off the table. So we have to do something to keep those benefits on the table for our men and women who work in the offshore.

Briefly, I would just like to say in response to some of the things that have transpired over the week since the Throne Speech, it is clear to me, Mr. Chair, despite claims to the contrary on the other side of the House here that this government is making it up as they go along. On Tuesday, we had the Premier say we are going to have a 3 per cent across the board cut in all departments, or at least imply that. Then, some two days later we came out and there is this ring fence - I do not know, I thought it was a child's game or something when it was first mentioned here, but ring fencing departments, some departments are going to be protected from the across-the-board cuts. A couple of days later on CBC, the Premier came out and said now there are going to be cuts that will focus on temporary and contractual workers. That is who is going to bear the brunt of these cuts. It appears more and more, Mr. Chair, the government is making it up as they go along.

On top of that, which I thought was the funny part, because the Premier went on CBC and then she said it is the same as the NDP's fiscal plan so do not worry about it; some $80 million-odd, she said. Some days we have members on the other side of the Chamber, Mr. Chair, saying that the other side does not know anything about it, they believe money grows on trees, money trees, and then the Premier goes on television and defends her record by saying: Well, it is the same as the NDP fiscal plan. One day the government is arguing we do not have a fiscal plan, the next day they are arguing that the fiscal plan they are using is ours. Well, the fiscal plan they are using is not ours because we did not plan across-the-board cuts to departments, we did not plan to cut these temporary and contractual jobs. That was not our plan; that is their plan.

I have to say, I am really surprised to hear that plan because is that the benefit of our so-called have status in Canada? We have status in Canada right now, but a whole bunch of our folks will not have jobs come a few weeks from now or a couple of months from now. I do not think that is the right direction to go in, Mr. Chair. Pulling the rug out from the part of the public sector workforce which is predominantly younger workers, these are younger workers who are trying to get their foot in the door. They have finally managed to get a public sector job, a decent job with wages, benefits and a pension. They have finally reached the point they are trying to reach after completing post-secondary education, a lot of them, and they are getting the rug pulled out from under them. There is no doubt we need to have prudent use of taxpayers' dollars. No one over here would argue for fiscal irresponsibility despite claims to the contrary, but this is really a poor way to mention the people's affairs.

I want to go back at some point, Mr. Chair, I do not think I have time, and talk about the opportunity I had to travel to the West Coast recently, to go to Stephenville and Corner Brook to visit with workers there and to talk to students about some of the concerns they have from everything from Corner Brook Pulp and Paper and the layoffs there recently, to health care, their inability to find family doctors in Corner Brook; great ideas for development at College of the North Atlantic at the Stephenville Campus and the wonderful events I was able to attend over there, and the great chili I had to eat, which was actually prepared by the Member for Humber West, but I will tell that story another time.

Thank you very much.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

CHAIR: Order, please!

Before I recognize the next speaker, I would like to draw something to the attention of the Assembly. When the Member for St. John's North was speaking he referred to a book and he showed it to the camera there. I did not want to interrupt the member when he was speaking but just a reminder to everybody, that the use of props of any kind in the House of Assembly are not permitted. That is just a reminder to everybody. I know we are starting a new Assembly and a lot of new members would not be aware of that.

Now I recognize the Minister of Child, Youth and Family Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS JOHNSON: Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Chair, before I get into the crux of what I want to discuss here today, I just had to have a little chuckle about one of the statements the Member for St. John's North just mentioned, how he said one day we are saying the NDP do not have a fiscal policy, on another day we are saying we are following the fiscal policy of the NDP. Well, Mr. Chair, what the Premier was referring to in the 1 per cent was one component of their Orange Book during the election. I can certainly assure the member opposite that we are not following the fiscal frame work and fiscal policy of the NDP -

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS JOHNSON: - because, Mr. Chair, if we did we would be broke as a Province. That is not the legacy we want to leave our children and grandchildren, Mr. Chair.

On another note, Mr. Chair, I cannot go into my remarks without commenting on this one piece. I heard the Opposition House Leader speak about John Noseworthy. John Noseworthy is a fine gentleman. He was a great AG, was an AG that the Liberals kept out of the House, and we brought into the House, Mr. Chair, and we are all better off in this Province because of bringing him into this House. Mr. Chair, he is very qualified and therefore, through our core mandate, he is certainly qualified to do the job.

I can only assume when the party opposite hired their chief of staff, I can only assume that they thought he was qualified too. This is a retired Member of the House of Assembly who, I assume, is collecting a pension. Now, I will gladly sit down if the Opposition House Leader wants to clarify that he is not collecting his pension at this time, but you cannot speak out of both sides of your mouth. I assume they hired him because he is qualified, just as John Noseworthy is qualified as well.

Mr. Chair, to go into my comments, I wanted to build upon some of the comments I was making last week about child care. The Member for St. John's North got up after that and he was talking about the Early Years Study 3, Mr. Chair. Before I get into that, I just want to say that as parents, we are our children's first teachers. They develop their social, their emotional, their intellectual development, it is all determined by the love that we give our children by the day-to-day interaction, and certainly by the attention that we give them. As new parents, we do not always know what the right thing is to do with our children. A lot of just comes naturally, and a lot of it you are winging it as you go; but certainly, I have to reference the kits that the Minister of Education was referring to, Mr. Chair. I think this is the best $4.8 million that we have ever spent in government. These early years are so critical, and these kits that will be going out this month have a lot of great information about parenting and how to help your child develop in the early years.

I remember it was about a year ago that we had Dr. Clyde Hertzman in, who is a well-known researcher in the field of early childhood development based out of British Columbia. In the meeting, I quickly realized that I was pretty much doing everything wrong with my young child at the time – who is still young. He talked about the importance of play-based learning. Rather than me using flashcards and trying to drill my child, you are supposed to learn through play. This kit that the Minister of Education is developing is really focused around that play-based learning, and it is so critical. He talked about even learning to turn the pages of a book. It is so important for the future years, having that structure and having that routine every night, and that whole education component.

One of my favourite authors – and I am sure many parents here are familiar with Sandra Boynton. There is not a night that goes by since I bought the book Pajama Time!, that that is not the routine in the house, you read Pajama Time! – and I see a few people nodding their heads, they are probably familiar with "Jamma jamma jamma jamma P! J!" – and that is the best singing you are ever going to get from me in this House. I will table the book next week. It is so important for our children to have that play-based learning and to have that structure. So again, as I said, that $4.8 million is some of the best money that we have ever spent in government.

Back to the Early Years Study report, Mr. Chair, I did have a look at this report in depth and the early childhood development index is the first of its kind that was ever developed in the country. We welcome the report and some of the things that we found useful and appropriate in the report we will adopt, where appropriate. The report does compare apples to oranges. The Minister of Education and myself did have the opportunity to sit down just last month with one of the authors of the report and we went through some components of the report. It was a very worthwhile exercise.

The Member for St. John's North just referenced having the component of child care under CYFS in with the Department of Education. That is one of the things that the author of this report believes in. The reality is that you are going to fail from the start if you do not have those two programs in the one place. You did not have a very good chance of passing in this report if you did not have that. In fact, only three provinces in all of Canada passed the report. Even Quebec that gets touted as being one of the best child care systems in the country only received a ten out of fifteen and that was the highest mark out of everyone. You are pretty much doomed to fail from the start if you did not have those programs under one roof, Mr. Chair.

That is one person's view of that, but we see in government all the time, we have numerous horizontal initiatives that work really well in government. We have our Poverty Reduction Strategy, which stretches across various departments. We have the wellness strategy, which is in the Department of Health and Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation. The reality is we work together all the time through departments. So, it really does not matter where the strategy is parked, it is that we are devoted and dedicated to implementing a strategy that works.

Mr. Chair, the other thing that we pointed out to the author of the report is that we have a Ministerial Council on Early Childhood Learning. We work collaboratively with the Minister of Education, with the Minister of Health, with the regional health authorities and our department and all who are involved to advance child care, Mr. Chair. Even in our child care centres, the requirements around the curriculum that is developed for the children is developed by the Department of Education, but it is implemented by our department. Again, it does not matter where it is; we all work together. What matters is that it is done right.

Mr. Chair, the report, the Early Years Study 3, and specifically the Early Childhood Development Index which I referenced, that is how you get the score card of fifteen. As I said, it is the first of its kind in the country. This study and this index are now subject to further validation before it is going to be returned to the field in 2013-2014, Mr. Chair.

Certainly, in the interim we are very dedicated to doing a lot of work. Last week I mentioned all of the great work our government has been doing since 2003, year over year in chronological order. I mentioned that in the House. One of the things I did forget to mention, and my apologies for those people who are listening and interested in the subject, and for the member opposite, was the child tax credit that we introduced last year, Mr. Chair. This is a child tax credit of up to $530 for some families, which certainly goes a long way when we all know the cost of child care.

Mr. Chair, as I said, this study is still going through the validation process. There are meetings happening in April. It will not come back to the forefront until 2013-2014 when it will be returned to the field after it gets further validation.

As I said, in the interim, we will be forging ahead. We conducted consultations in November and December and these consultations focused around affordability, sufficiency, and quality. All three are so interrelated and equally important and that is why we are very committed to a comprehensive strategy.

We do not want to look at one separate from the other, because they are all interrelated. You do not get the good-quality care if the staff is not paid properly, and if you do not have the staff, you do not have the spaces and it is just cyclic like that.

Mr. Chair, this Premier, this government is very dedicated to a child care strategy. We are going to be forging ahead and we need to because this will greatly benefit the parents in the Province, but more importantly, the children in the Province and that is what this is all about.

Thank you very much for the opportunity, Mr. Chair.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

CHAIR: The Chair recognizes the hon. the Member for St. Barbe.

MR. BENNETT: Mr. Chair, I rise today to speak to this Interim Supply bill. Since this is a money bill, it seems only appropriate to speak about the economic development opportunities that I see in my home district, St. Barbe District.

The St. Barbe District numbers thirty-five communities, fifteen of them incorporated and the others are smaller unincorporated communities. It is as large as some small countries. To go from one end of the district to the other and to go out on all the points, it would be approximately 425 kilometres to drive.

Today, I do not want to talk about the fishery, although the fishery is very important to St. Barbe district; there are seven fish plants, small and large, one of them owned and operated by OCI. Others are smaller and operated by other smaller operators. I also do not want to talk about tourism, even though St. Barbe district encompasses all of Gros Morne National Park, which is one of the premier tourist destinations for the whole world, and includes a world historic site.

What I do want to speak about are other economic development opportunities that have the potential to be developed very quickly in other smaller towns that we generally do not consider or may have considered and may have passed over. Approximately in the center of the district is Parson's Pond and for 100 years, more or less, Parson's Pond has had oil seepage, oil seep literally from the ground, and was dipped up by individuals who could actually burn it unprocessed in their motor boats years and years and years ago.

In speaking with a petroleum land man approximately thirty years ago in Alberta and discussing the potential for Parson's Pond oil play, he explained to me that he had viewed the whole area; he had travelled from the Port au Port area up the Northern Peninsula and across to the Quebec north shore, and he could identify seepages of oil throughout the whole region. Being experienced in seeking out oil opportunities, he could explain to me that his view was that the Gulf of St. Lawrence was more or less like a bowl, and that geologically there had been a depression and oil was seeping up all around this bowl or saucer, and that if we had aggressive search drilling exploration activities all through the Gulf of St. Lawrence region, we may well be sitting on something like the Gulf of Mexico and not even know it, have no idea whatsoever. That is why potential developments like the Parson's Pond and Old Harry are of particular interest to me.

We did have some drilling exploration in the past few years in Parson's Pond. The problem in years gone by has been that the drilling rigs were too small and could not go deep enough. The triple that was brought in a few years ago was able to go quite a bit deeper; however, only two holes were drilled and the locals claim that the drillers say that they found a lot more than we are hearing about. The locals say – who have spoken with the drillers – that the holes were never ‘fracked'. ‘Fracking' is frowned upon in some areas, but I do not think we would mind that too much if we ‘fracked' some of those holes.

An executive from Nalcor in my discussions with him, who figures prominently in other interests of Nalcor, indicates that if gas could be found there, gas could be converted into electricity and simply into a gas plant, probably generate 100 jobs in construction, fifteen or twenty jobs in operation, turn into electricity, plug straight back into the grid, and we would have it on the spot.

Going north from Parson's Pond, there is a Portland Creek hydroelectric potential. I heard the current Premier when she was Minister of Natural Resources speak of Portland Creek hydroelectric potential. There is stated to be twenty-five more or less megawatts of power waiting to be harnessed in a long, narrow channel with lots and lots of water running through.

North from Parson's Pond and Portland Creek is my home community of Daniel's Harbour, which has been known for a zinc mine. The zinc mine was heavily and unfortunately high-graded to such an extent that the ore did not last very long. In geological magazines that I read sometime thereafter, the mineral experts claimed that the Teck mining group, Teck and Amax, had recovered their entire investment that they made in Daniel's Harbour in twenty-two months. All of their costs had been recovered in twenty-two months. Then there was a tax holiday from the provincial government at the time, so they were motivated to high-grade and take as much out as fast as they could, which meant that mine did not last as long as it should have.

There is a huge tailings reserve remaining there, but many of the geologists say that most of the ore has never been found. We have had no drilling in that part of the Province for many, many years. There should be non-stop, in my opinion, diamond drilling from Gros Morne National Park and northward, because you cannot possibly have that much rock and not have some mineral.

North of Daniel's Harbour is the Town of Hawke's Bay. Hawke's Bay has long been big in the woods industry. It is suffering right now, but there is an economic development opportunity in Hawke's Bay along the lines of environmental recovery. Much of the ore that was shipped from Daniel's Harbour in concentrate form was stored in Hawke's Bay and then put aboard freighters. A lot of it was spilled into the bay, it polluted the bay and now the bay is no longer able to be used for shellfish. The federal government and provincial government clearly have an obligation, a responsibility, and an opportunity to work with the Town of Hawke's Bay, which is really interested in environmental recovery, for a major recovery in that area. The mineral company, Teck, is well aware that there is an environmental liability there. They stand ready to fund a considerable amount of that environmental remediation, but nobody is moving on it, not in the Province, not the federal government, and the town does not have the resources. So that would create a significant amount economic development and work if that were to be done.

Further on in Port Saunders, the port of Port Saunders figured prominently in the coastal boat trade in years gone by. The port of Port Saunders has a marine centre right now, and vessels have come in the past year from as far as New Jersey to have them taken up out of the water and be repaired. That marine centre is owned by a family who left the mainland fifteen or twenty years ago, took their money, came back and invested it in the marine centre, which was not working, and they fix all sorts of draggers and longliners, and even pleasure crafts if people bring them there to be fixed.

What they need at this point is a bigger lift. The lift that they have is a 200-ton lift, and it is valued at $400,000 to $500,000 now, used. They need a 400-ton lift. A 400-ton lift would permit them to bring eighty-five foot vessels out of the water. The stopping point right now is to do a business plan. The people who own it are being told if you will spend $20,000 on a business plan, then you may have a chance to borrow some money. I have seen their numbers, they have adequate cash flow. They have the used equipment, which they can use as a down payment for 25 per cent down, so they could upgrade that marine centre so they could lift 400 tons instead of 200 tons. The owners tell me if that were the case, they could employ thirty to thirty-five tradespeople who are not working in the area, who actually would have to come back. That is approximately a million-and-a-half to two million dollar payroll in that community immediately.

The business owners will be looking to the Department of Innovation, Business and Rural Development for assistance in funding a business plan, because it is difficult to convince a businessperson that he or she should take $20,000 and put on a piece of paper when they could be using it in their business. They do not want to use that much capital. They want to work their capital as hard as they can. There are significant business opportunities to be done in St. Barbe District, in addition to the fishery, in addition to the forestry, in addition to tourism.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

CHAIR: The Chair recognizes the Member for Mount Pearl South.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. LANE: Thank you, Mr. Chair.

It is certainly a pleasure for me to rise in this hon. House and to speak on Interim Supply as the Member for the District of Mount Pearl South. You have to excuse me, I had a really bad cold; I still have one, so if my voice is not the best, I would certainly appreciate it if you would bear with me.

Mr. Chair, this government, I have to say, has been very good to my district and certainly to the City of Mount Pearl. I am sure that my colleague in Mount Pearl North can certainly attest to that as well.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. LANE: We have seen tremendous investment in our city over the years, and in particular I just want to highlight a few of the things that our government has done in the City of Mount Pearl. In terms of roads and underground infrastructure, we have seen more investment over the last number of years in the City of Mount Pearl than ever before in our history. A lot of that, Mr. Chair, was reflected in the new formula that Municipal Affairs developed for municipalities, which has seen a 50-50 cost-share that was in place change to a cost-share agreement that would see 90-10 cost-share for small communities, 80-20 for medium-sized communities and 70-30 for large communities like the City of Mount Pearl. As a result of that 70-30 cost-share, we have seen a lot more investment in the City of Mount Pearl, as I said, in our roads and underground infrastructure.

We have also seen the Province partner with the City of Mount Pearl on a number of large capital projects, one being the Glacier Arena expansion; we just completed only a few months ago a second Glacier Arena to replace the old Smallwood Arena. This is a state-of-the-art facility. It is utilizing green technology: the Eco-Chill system, the first of its kind in the Province. It uses a greywater, system and it also takes the heat that is generated from the ice making plant and is actually using it to heat the facility. When the new multiplex is built over next to the Reid Centre, as part of the Reid Centre, it will actually heat that facility and the new swimming pool as well.

We are also going to be breaking ground in the City of Mount Pearl. I understand sometime now in the spring, tenders are out for the new Pearlgate Recreational Multiplex and that new facility is going to see a new teen centre; it is going to see a number of meeting rooms; it is going to see an area for the arts community; it is going to see a brand-new swimming pool. There are actually going to be two swimming pools in there, one for recreation and the other one, a lap pool, waterslide and so on. It is going to be a state-of-the-art facility. There is also going to be an indoor walking track, a new fitness facility and so on.

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible)

MR. LANE: I am telling you, I think it has a lot to with the great representation that we have had in Mount Pearl, to tell you the truth, over the years. We are certainly pleased with that, Mr. Chair.

Also, the Team Gushue Sports Complex, that is another recreational gem in the City of Mount Pearl. The Province actually partnered with the city and with Mount Pearl Soccer. We have a state-of-the-art artificial turf facility down at the Team Gushue Sports Complex. It is a lighted facility, a brand-new soccer hut, and there are a number of other improvements taking place down at the Team Gushue Sports Complex. The Province was certainly a great partner in that as well.

Mr. Chair, in addition to the great partnerships that have taken place between the Province and the City of Mount Pearl, in terms of capital infrastructure, we have also seen tremendous support for our community organizations such as the Seniors Independence Group. This is one of the most vibrant seniors groups in the Province, bursting at the seams in terms of members. The Province has certainly been a great partner in helping support that group and all of the great programs they are putting off on a daily basis.

In addition, Mr. Chair, the Mount Pearl Sports Alliance – the Mount Pearl Sports Alliance is actually a sporting organization which has actually done presentations in other provinces in the country. I believe it was in Manitoba; they went a couple of years ago and Manitoba is actually looking at adopting the Mount Pearl Sports Alliance model for their entire province. It speaks to the great work being done there and the Province has been a great partner with the Mount Pearl Sports Alliance over the years.

In terms of capital infrastructure, in terms of support to our community groups, our organizations and so on, the Province has certainly come through and this government has certainly come through for the City of Mount Pearl.

Mr. Chair, in addition to that, I just want to talk for a second about the regional investments, which certainly impact positively on the City of Mount Pearl as we share in them, but also the Province and this government has certainly contributed to it. We have a state-of-the-art regional water facility at Bay Bulls Big Pond. We have seen upgrades taking place down there and that was through provincial support. We have seen the new regional wastewater facility. There was a tremendous investment made by the Province in supporting that initiative, as well as a state-of-the-art modern waste management facility down at Robin Hood Bay, which is used by the entire region. Certainly, the Province contributed to that as well.

Mr. Chair, in addition to the tremendous investment that this government has made to the City of Mount Pearl, I think it is also important to point out the tremendous investment which it has also made to the Province as a whole. Back in 2003, when this government took over the Province in terms of the government, basically this Province was in shambles. It was nearing bankruptcy; infrastructure was crumbling apart, roads, hospitals schools, thanks to the Liberal Administration that had been there prior to us. Since taking government, we have seen tremendous investment throughout the entire Province in terms of roads, schools, hospitals, long-term care facilities, dialysis units, roads, bridges, underground infrastructure and so on. We have seen this take place all throughout the Province and I think this government needs to be commended for that. What it comes down to is the great leadership that we have here. The hon. Premier is providing such great leadership now to this government.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. LANE: Not only can I look back at all the investments that have been made and being made, but I think the mark of a true leader is to have a vision for the future. That is where Muskrat Falls comes into the picture, Mr. Chair. One of the key reasons why I am so pleased and proud to be part of this government is because of Muskrat Falls. I have heard it said from across on the other side of the House, talking about, I believe the hon. Member for – I think it is the Bay of Islands, forgive me if I got the district wrong. The hon. member across the way talked about the fact that you never had confidence in anybody to vote, all the members in the backbench and so on.

MR. JOYCE: It was me.

MR. LANE: That is right, it was you.

I will say unequivocally, that I will join Jack Harris, and I will join the late Jack Layton in saying that I support Muskrat Falls, Mr. Chair.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. LANE: I will not sit on the fence. Muskrat Falls certainly is a great project for our future. It ties in to the Province's energy plan of taking the non-renewable resources we have and investing them into renewable resources for the future, for our children, for our grandchildren. I am pleased to be part of that. Again, it ties in to the great leadership that this government has shown right throughout the whole process.

Mr. Chair, we have seen a lot, we have heard a lot of naysayers talking about the fact that there has not been enough due diligence done. I ask you, Mr. Chair, we have experts at Nalcor who have examined this project; they say it is a good project. We have seen Navigant, which is an international company in that field, internationally renowned company, and they have said it is a good project, that we need the power, that it is a low-cost option. We have seen Manitoba Hydro also endorse it. I believe I heard recently the Consumer Advocate endorsed it and now we are going through the review with the PUB and there have been opportunities for consultation. I have to say, and I only have a few seconds left I know, but I have to say that I was very, very disappointed in the Third Party, in the Leader of the Third Party. When I look at a project that is going to affect not just myself but my children and my grandchildren in the future, and to think they have such blatant disregard for a project of this magnitude that the best they could do was send a letter. I have to say, I was really disappointed in that.

I will clue up by once again saying I am proud of being part of this government and that we have vision for the future, and I know we will not let the people down.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

CHAIR: Order, please!

The Chair recognizes the hon. the Leader of the Third Party.

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

I am very happy to be able to stand and speak this afternoon again as we discuss the Interim Supply Bill. I was thinking this afternoon it never hurts to repeat things. I know in the very beginning there was an explanation of what an Interim Supply Bill is but for those people in the public who are watching us, and I am always very happy to see how many people actually do watch what goes on here in the House. For the sake of people who are out there and who may be scratching their heads and saying, what is this Interim Supply all about? Even though the Minister of Finance certainly explained it at the very beginning when the bill came to the floor, I will just remind people again because it pertains to what I am going to talk about.

Interim Supply is approving the spending of money in between the end of the fiscal year and the approval of the new Budget. I am glad to see the Minister of Finance nodding his head to let me know, yes, that is what it is about. We always have to make sure we are accountable for the money that we spend and how we are spending our money. What this is doing is saying yes, the work of government will continue between March 31 and whenever the new Budget is approved. So, we are here to give approval to the spending of money before the new Budget is approved.

It is an important time to speak to some of the issues that I am concerned about, Mr. Chair. We are very lucky right now in this Province and as a government, because we have resources that we have never had before, thanks to the offshore oil exploration and production that is going on, also to a burgeoning mining industry in particular, and also to our fishery, which still brings $1 billion a year into the economy of Newfoundland and Labrador. We have a very good economy right now and we should be proud of that.

The very fact that we are going to be able to approve the spending of over $2 billion for part of the year is a sign of the resources that we now have. Therefore, it is also a sign that we have the ability to take care of people in this Province. We have money as we have never had it before and if we spend our money well, Mr. Chair, we should be able to take care of everybody.

That is what this is about. It is about taking care of the house, and in this case, the house being the Province and taking care of people who live in that house, Mr. Chair, taking care of the people of this Province. That takes setting priorities, it takes good fiscal planning, it takes long-term planning, and it takes vision.

When I stand here today thinking about approving the Interim Supply so that we can take care of the house, and we can have the approval to spend the money that is needed to take care of the house, I cannot help but think about, what about the Interim Supply for the people who live in the house? What about the Interim Supply that is needed by people who are unemployed – people who probably are getting employment insurance that is far below what they need.

What about the Interim Supply taking care of the needs of people who are on income assistance or who are on disability assistance? I have talked about this before in the House and I want to talk about it again. You take, for example, somebody on disability assistance. An adult on disability assistance gets less than $800 a month, Mr. Chair – less than $800 a month. That person has to take care of his or her residence, they have to take care, they have to have a place to live, they have to have clothing, they have to have food, and they have to pay for shelter. Very often they cannot afford to have phones. I have come across many; as I am sure my colleagues in this House on both sides of the House know, there are people who if they are on income assistance or disability assistance cannot afford to have phones. I know many people who cannot. With the cost of housing the way it is now, whether it is rental or whatever it is, we have people who cannot afford housing. We have people living in rooming houses without security, without safety, in rooming houses where they really feel alienated. We have people in this Province, Mr. Chair, who to hear us say we are going to approve a bill for the expenditure of almost $3 billion, they cannot believe that figure. They do not know what that means. We are talking about people who are trying to exist in this Province on $10,000 a year. It behoves all of us to try to imagine what it would mean for us to try to live on $10,000 a year.

As we are here approving this Interim Supply bill, let us think about these people for whom the Interim Supply is things like a food bank; that is what takes care of them, that is what fills in the blank for them, a food bank – families, not just individuals but families who have to go to food banks. Interim Supply for some of them is clothing banks. They cannot afford to go into stores and buy new clothing. They do not have the money to do that. By the time they try to feed themselves and their families, by the time they try to clothe themselves and their families, or to take care of shelter for themselves and their families, by the time they try to pay for electricity, they do not have money to go into stores and buy new clothing. The Interim Supply for them is a clothing bank. The Interim Supply is help from charitable organizations in the community. The Interim Supply for them is not being able to put their hand into a bank, pull out money and say oh, the Interim Supply is how am I going to spend the money that I have. They do not have money.

One of the issues that I would like to bring up today, and it is one I think you are going to hear us talking about more from this side of the House, is the whole issue of these companies that do the payday loans. These payday loans are really – it is usury, what is going on in our society. We do not have regulations that really cover these payday loans. For example, how many of us are aware of the fact – and I know an individual for whom the figures I am using are real – could get a $700 loan from one of these companies, and now having paid of thousands of dollars back to the company, thousands for $700, is being told he still owes money to that company. There is something wrong with this picture. What does Interim Supply mean for that person? Who is going to take care of paying that loan for him, a loan that he has paid probably five or six times over? We do not have regulations in our Province looking at the whole issue of those payday loan companies. We cannot allow this to continue. This is an issue we are going to be bringing forward and doing more talking about in this House, because the people I am talking about, the people who are working low income, the people who go back and forth between being employed and unemployed because they cannot get permanent jobs, the people who are on income assistance, they are the ones who suffer and go to these companies to try to get loans to get over the hump; but they never get over the hump, this is the thing.

As we approve the Interim Supply, we are getting the over the hump of time but only getting over it in the sense that we are approving the spending of money that is there. These individuals and families I am talking about, the hump for them is they have no money. They go out and they borrow, and they get into this cycle of always having to use some of their paltry income to try to make up for the money that they had to borrow because they had absolutely no choice. Now, there are times when that may be a temporary situation for somebody and somebody can understand it. We all go and get loans for different reasons but if somebody has to get a loan from one of these payday loan companies, then we should make sure there are regulations in place so that the person who has to do it does not end up paying five, six, seven, eight times, when – I am not exaggerating, these are real figures that I am using – somebody who started off with a $700 loan, now having paid thousands of dollars, still owing money.

As we work through the next few days – I do not know how long this will go on – looking at approving Interim Supply, let's think about some of the programs the money is going towards, or let's think about some of the programs that the money is not going towards. Programs, like the payday loans, that is not a government program but something that is going in our society where we do not have adequate regulations.

So, I look forward, Mr. Chair, as we continue Interim Supply discussions, to bring up more examples of things that we should be concerned about as we are looking at how we spend the money that is the money of the people of the Province.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

CHAIR: The hon. the Member for Port de Grave.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. LITTLEJOHN: Thank you, Mr. Chair.

It is a great honour to stand here today and represent the people of Port de Grave.

I am not going to speak much about my own district today, Mr. Chair. Today, I have some remarks around the economic activity in the Province, and some remarks that have been ongoing around the members in this Chamber in the last several days.

Mr. Chair, I was taken aback, and actually I felt a little bit insulted myself the other day when the hon. member opposite talked about our public service. I was a proud member of our public service for twenty-five years, Mr. Chair.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. LITTLEJOHN: For twenty-five years, Mr. Chair, I served the public service of this Province.

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible) you did a good job.

MR. LITTLEJOHN: Thank you, Mr. Member.

Twenty-five years serving the public service, Mr. Chair, and I do not think the words ‘slackards' or idiots applied to anybody I knew and worked with in the public service over those twenty-five years. In actual fact, Mr. Chair, most of our public service on a day-to-day basis goes above and beyond the call of duty every day. I have worked with some hon. members opposite, and if you want to know you ask them.

I remember one time in particular, the former Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation made a phone call at 5:00 in the afternoon and said, we need to get ready, we have to move a group of athletes to Deer Lake, in the Leader of the Opposition's district. They have to be there because there is a snowstorm coming, can you do it? I worked with a good bunch of people who made that happen. Made it happen, Mr. Chair, and they worked all night to make it happen.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. LITTLEJOHN: Mr. Chair, it hurts a little bit after being in the public service for twenty-five years, and I know people get frustrated. I am no different than anybody else when I get up and I do not get an answer and I am a little anxious and I walk around a lot and all the rest. The actual fact is we always have to be cognizant of the words we use and how we refer to people. Again, on behalf of the people I have worked with in the public service, I want to commend them for their time and effort. When they are asked, they are going to do their best, and I want to commend all our public service employees for the work that they do.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. LITTLEJOHN: It was great also, Mr. Chair, to hear this just in the speech a little while ago. We talked about in my district, Mr. Chair, I have a large number of skilled tradespeople, a lot of young people coming back. I have heard members opposite talking about people going away. Well, in my district, Mr. Chair, we have had some of the opposite effect happening. A lot of young people are coming home, and they are coming home to work in Come By Chance, in Long Harbour, in Bull Arm. They are looking for those opportunities, Mr. Chair. They are looking for the opportunities to come home and work, and they are proud to come home. They are taking up and they are building great homes in the District of Port de Grave and living with their families and growing their children, and growing our population by the way.

Again, in the Throne Speech it was announced that we are going to open up more apprentice positions and more opportunities for our apprentices to get their journeyman so they can be better trained and better able to go to work when the call comes out. We need to do that. We need to make sure that we have opportunities for these apprentices to come home and make sure that they have the opportunity to work in some of the great developments that are going on. We are not even talking about Muskrat Falls and the 2,700 jobs there, Mr. Chair, we are just talking about Long Harbour, Bull Arm, Come by Chance, things that are ongoing and things that are just ramping up as we go along right now. These apprentices are looking for those opportunities to get their hours in and get their skills polished so they can get the opportunity to work maybe, just maybe, in Muskrat Falls down the road. Again, that was great news. They are staying home, they are having families, and they are growing the population throughout Newfoundland and Labrador. That is a wonderful thing as well.

Mr. Chair, when we talk about these things, we want to remember that these are young people. These are young people who are just going to start families and build houses. In my district in particular, we are seeing populations increase in all our communities and an overall population increase in the district. These are not just young people; these are people of all ages. All ages coming back home, and some of them with no family, no reference, but they want to come back to live in beautiful Port de Grave district.

Again, Mr. Chair, we are talking about our robust housing economy. Ten years ago when I was a municipal leader in my community and somebody looked at it in our community and said: I am going to put my home on the market. What are you going to put your home on the market for? Oh, $110,000. You are going to try to sell your home for $110,000? They thought they were nuts, Mr. Chair, absolutely nuts. Today, the average price for a home is probably $150,000 to $170,000. The market is booming. The prices in my hometown right now, most homes go for somewhere between $210,000 and $240,000. Housing is strong. The market is strong. People are investing in homes. They are building homes on spec – never heard tell of in their time. Not in the history have people built homes in spec in my home region and in my district. People are now building homes on spec and selling them, Mr. Chair, selling them at profit – some at as much as $300,000 and $400,000. So, this government has something right in the last eight years or these things would not be happening in my district.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. LITTLEJOHN: Mr. Chair, there has been references about the people coming and going. Newfoundlanders and Labradorians have been migratory workers for hundreds of years, thousands of years. My family roots have had people go to Ontario, go to Alberta, go to Boston, go to the Boston states back in the 1940s. That is not new. There is nothing new about having migratory workers. What is new, Mr. Chair, is the fact that these migratory workers now are working three weeks on and one week off, and deciding to live in Newfoundland and Labrador and raise their families in Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. LITTLEJOHN: That is the difference, Mr. Chair. The difference is that now they are migratory workers but they are deciding to stay in Newfoundland and Labrador. I think that is important.

The hon. member, my hon. colleague for Mount Pearl South, today spoke to the fact about the difference and some of the things that our government did for communities. I have to agree, when government came out with the capital works program and they changed the funding formula to 90-10, 80-20, and 70-30 that made a tremendous difference. That has made a tremendous difference to what communities can afford and the infrastructure they can now afford to consider, when at the old 50-50 there was no chance, not a chance at all. The new funding formula now allows communities to go out there and apply for capital works infrastructure that they could not before. So, I think that is a good piece of work that we have done. I know, as a former municipal leader, again, we certainly, in my community, took advantage of the 80-20 and we received over $10 million of infrastructure, and it is in the ground, it is operating, and it is growing a town in my district, and I want to thank the government for that.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. LITTLEJOHN: In closing, Mr. Chair, my hon. friend across the way made reference to all of us in the backbenches the other day and about the fact that he wanted to hear from us. Well, my hon. friend across the way, I support Muskrat Falls too. I just want to let you know that I support Muskrat Falls too. I think it is going to be a great thing for our children and grandchildren. I have two young children –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. LITTLEJOHN: Mr. Chair, there are many, many good things going on in the Province and I believe it is because of the policies and the foresight that this government has had over the last four years.

I want to thank the Chair for the opportunity to speak on this Interim Supply bill.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

CHAIR: The Chair recognizes the hon. the Member for Burgeo – La Poile.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. A. PARSONS: Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Again, it is an honour to get this opportunity to stand up for the third time now to discuss this again. I think I have spoken more in four days than many people have spoken in four years. Again, I am just going to toss that our there now. I will put that out there.

Anyway, I wanted to do something to get a rise out of the backbenchers there, and I think that I have done that.

I would like to say that I do commend the Member for Port de Grave, because I did work with him in his job as a public servant. The thing that we participated in together, that was the VANOC Olympic Torch Relay. He did do a great job and certainly, it was a great experience. Again, the public service can do good things.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. A. PARSONS: No, no, do not take that the wrong way here. What I am saying is, do not take offence to that. There were comments made, but the bad news about the public service is from what I hear on Friday, it is going to be cut significantly.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. A. PARSONS: That is not good news, especially when we hear that up to 800 jobs are on the block. I look forward to the review to see what happens there.

One job that is not on the block is the one that was just created for our former AG, Mr. Noseworthy, who just got himself a very nice-paying job. The difference between him and many members in the public service is that he did not go through the normal process that might arise. Normally, there is a job ad created, then posted and advertised. Then, normally you would put your resume in, or apply for it and go through that process. Again, I guess that does not have to happen here. It is unfortunate that it came up, I guess, at the same time; as we are talking about cutting them, we are going bring somebody in for $140,000. Again, that is not to say anything about the gentleman's qualifications, because he may be the most qualified, but if that is the case, put his resume to the test. Let us put it up there; let us see what the optics say. Why did we wait this long? I do not know.

I do want to continue on though. The member across spoke about the Province being in shambles; everything was doom and gloom in 2003, and everything is so great. I would reference an editorial that I read from the Western Star, which said anybody who says things are white-hot now needs to have a cold compress applied. That is the editorial from the Western Star, which I thought was quite interesting when I read that.

I will continue on. Again, I am glad I have had the opportunity to speak, because I am hearing lots of commentary from the members across, lots of shaking heads, some that are shaking this way, some that are shaking that way.

AN HON. MEMBER: Some are just shaking.

MR. A. PARSONS: Some are just shaking. I am glad I am getting this opportunity to speak, because you know what, that was the biggest thing when I campaigned. When I campaigned, I said, I am going to be a member who stands up and I am going to be a member who speaks. I am glad I am getting the opportunity to do it. I am glad to see that members on the other side – because at the end of the day, we all have a job here, and that is to represent the people of this Province in the best interests. I am glad when we can all get up, and do not take that as a shot; you seemed a little touchy when I said something earlier. I am saying that with no sarcasm whatsoever. The fact is we are here to represent our constituents to the best of our abilities and in their best interests.

When we talk about the economy, one thing I would say is that a lot of the money that has come around here that is being spent was not created by the members across; it was generated by government deals from before – Liberal deals from before. I do not believe that the members across made sure that the price of oil increased. I do not know if you guys were responsible for that or not, but I will put it out there – this place did not just rise up in 2003.

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible).

MR. A. PARSONS: Yes, it might be the Member for St. John's who made – he makes the price go up and down every Thursday. One thing that I will point out too that was also spoken about was Muskrat Falls; we keep coming back to this. The one thing that you do have in common with Jack Harris is that neither one of you is going to vote on this – neither one of you is going to vote on this.

When we talk about who is in favour of it, I will look at the people who are not in favour of it, people who I was very surprised when they came out. One of them, Mr. Peckford – Mr. Peckford spoke out about this; I have no idea why he would do that, because he was a Liberal member, I believe. He was a Liberal member, wasn't he? This is someone who has no reason to come out except he has concern. He is putting it out there, he is concerned and he is trying to do that as a native Newfoundlander and Labradorian. He wants to put that out there.

There are a lot of other people who have come out and put it out. We have some concerns here, but one of the biggest concerns is just the process that we are following here. They are not talking about the numbers per se; they are talking about the PUB process. When we talk about review, I am looking forward to reviewing the boxes of documents that were tabled here today. I guess I have some reading tonight to do; I cannot watch the hockey game.

There are so many other things that I want to talk about when we talk about the white-hot economy. One of the things is Hebron. I am very, very anxious to see what happens here in this, because we have the possibility of letting a huge piece of work leave this Province, which none of us wants to see. One of the things is that there are many places in this Province that could have and should have had an opportunity to do this work – one of them being in my district. Port aux Basques has a huge facility there, beautiful facility. I do not know why it cannot be done there. Again, I am looking forward to that.

Now, one thing I would also talk about again, and maybe it is going to come out soon, I had an opportunity to do an interview on Friday afternoon with the member from across. The member from across mentioned that there is a master plan that is there and we are just waiting to see what this master plan is. So, again, please keep me posted on that. I am going to ask, next time I get an opportunity, that the master plan be tabled so I can review the master plan to see – because again, the master plan changed three times last week.

Now, what I would say also is that I am concerned to know, and this has been referenced earlier today, the fact that our Budget is being backed up. Now, that gives me great concern, and I am sure that gives everybody in this Province great concern too. Again, we are scared. There are numbers that came out on Friday when we are talking about we have to trim down the public service. People have a right to be concerned, and obviously, we are going to keep asking those questions to make sure that at the end of the day the right thing is being done for this Province. We are sure that we are going to get an opportunity to ask those questions, and those questions will be answered in any documents tabled.

Now, one thing that has gotten a lot of interest out my way, actually, and it is something that does affect every one of us sitting here in this House, and that is the actual House of Assembly and its schedule – the fixed schedule. I just did another interview on it today, so obviously, there is some interest in that. One part of a working House of Assembly is an all-party working committee; a committee that is made up of members from all sides who should have an opportunity to work together for the best interests of this Province. Now, one of the opportunities that we did miss was the opportunity to strike a committee made up of members from both sides who could work toward when we talk about search and rescue, an all-party committee that will represent Newfoundland and Labrador when we speak to the federal government. Again, this is a chance for us to take expertise from all sides of the House and move forward and make sure that the best interests of this Province are not only represented but communicated to the federal government, and make sure that they hear us loud and clear, and it is coming from every one of us in this House. Again, there are a number of other committees that could be – again, they have been there, they have not been used recently, but again, we need to look in the best interests of democracy.

Now, when I talk about this fixed House schedule, I had a chat with somebody one day and they said: Well, after Question Period, nothing happens. After Question Period, it is all over then; there is nothing that goes on. I said: Well, that is hardly the truth. There are so many things that get done in this Chamber right here. We are going to get an opportunity to debate legislation. One of the things I actually had an opportunity to do today was have a meeting with the Justice department about something that appears so simple, something like the Enduring Powers of Attorney Act. Now, that is sounds like something very dry, very boring, but again, it is important because one piece of this simple legislation – I do not know if it has been reviewed by everybody – is we are changing the laws as it relates to capacity, the ability to say aye or nay, to say yes to something. Again, obviously that is something that members across, in their legal backgrounds, have dealt with clients in their ability to sign off and whether they had the capacity to sign off. That is something that again affects everybody here.

I had an opportunity to sit down with the members of the Justice department today and expressed my concerns on that bill because, at the end of the day, we want to make sure that when this piece of legislation, when and if it is enacted, and again it is there for a good reason, I understand why the Justice department has drafted it, why it is being tabled, but we have to make sure that these little finite, minute pieces of these legislation are looked at and discussed. If we do not do that, we are going to end up with legislation that could end up biting us down the road if we do not take our time.

Again, that is one of the things that somebody said is what happens after. That is one of the things that we get to do, is we get to talk and we get to debate pieces of legislation. There was a number of them entered today, stuff that really is in my wheelhouse. It is stuff that I dealt with for the last number of years practising as a lawyer. We talk about Interjurisdictional Support Orders. Now, that is something that is huge. That is something that I dealt with when I had mothers and fathers who have children that they are trying to get support for and they cannot get the support from outside the Province because there is just all this red tape there. This is an example of legislation that is needed, but it is our job, all of us, to make sure that we look at it and read it and make sure that it does cover off what it is supposed to do, that it does give us the power to take care of what we need to.

CHAIR: Order, please!

MR. A. PARSONS: Again I ran out of time, Mr. Chair, I apologize.

CHAIR: Order, please!

The hon. the Minister of Advanced Education and Skills.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS BURKE: Thank you, Mr. Chair.

It is certainly my pleasure to be able to speak in the House of Assembly this afternoon. It is my first opportunity to speak since the general election in October, Mr. Chair. First off, I certainly want to thank the constituents from the District of St. George's – Stephenville East for my re-election. It is my third time representing that district. Mr. Chair, I seem to think, I am sure most members feel the same way, but I feel that I have the best district to represent in this Province. I certainly represent some great communities with people who are very optimistic and show very positive leadership in our town councils and in the various associations throughout the district. I represent some truly wonderful people.

Mr. Chair, before I start talking about the department, unfortunately, we lost a very valuable constituent over the weekend, Mr. James Downey, from Great Codroy in the Codroy Valley. He is somebody who has been politically engaged with various political parties over the years and has been a role model for the people of the Codroy Valley and for his family; and somebody who was also an employee for a number of years with CNR, the Canadian National Railway. He is a musician and he shared his talents in the valley. He is somebody who will be greatly missed in the Codroy Valley and in the District of St. George's – Stephenville East.

Mr. Chair, I wanted to speak specifically about the new Department of Advanced Education and Skills. It is a new entity within government and it was created for a very specific reason. Newfoundland and Labrador is presently undergoing and having success in our economy in ways that we have never had before. We are seeing now with our demographics, with an aging population and with the employment on the horizon, we are in a position we probably never have been in ever before in this Province. As a result of the growing economy, and the demographics and retirements along with an aging population, we are going to see a need for skilled trades that we have never seen before, Mr. Chair. We want to make sure as we move through the various projects, whether it is the Long Harbour project, Hebron or Muskrat Falls, that the people of Newfoundland and Labrador are well positioned to take advantage of the opportunities that we will have in this Province.

Mr. Chair, as a result of the economy and where we are and our outlook on the job situation, we felt it was appropriate to create the new Department of Advanced Education and Skills. We wanted to make sure the supports we have in place within government to help individuals find employment, and along with the post-secondary institutions that support us in that role, and the apprenticeship program as well, that it would all be under the one department, and it makes good common sense, Mr. Chair.

As we build this new department too, we want to make sure that the programs and the services we offer are current and meet today's demands. What I am talking about, Mr. Chair, is the fact that this department alone - and I will go back to the Member for Bay of Islands earlier today in Question Period who referred to this government as spending like drunken sailors. This department has some funding that we need to look at, that we need to make sure we are spending in a way that meets the needs of the people who would like to attach to the labour market in Newfoundland and Labrador, and that they have access to the training and the skills they need to prepare themselves. Mr. Chair, this department alone right now spends $82 million a year in grants to community agencies. We want to look at how we spend that money, what the results are that we are getting for that money and to ensure we have results, because right now the bottom line is as we spend this money we need to make sure that people are attaching to the labour market. That is how we will measure our success, Mr. Chair.

What we have been doing to date with regard to helping people move through various stages of training so that they are able to take advantage of the labour market situation, Mr. Chair, one thing we have done is we have invested $5.5 million in our government departments, boards and agencies so they can hire apprentices. That has been very successful, Mr. Chair. Memorial University has been one entity that took advantage of that particular program. I can say all the apprentices they hired were female. They certainly were able to provide opportunities for apprentices but went one step further and made sure they were able to hire people who would otherwise probably be considered in underrepresented groups.

Further to that, Mr. Chair, we also invested $4.2 million in our wage subsidy program. This helps small- to medium-sized enterprises that would like to hire an apprentice but for some reason were unable to hire an apprentice. Through that wage subsidy program, Mr. Chair, we saw that 372 people were able to get through at least one term of being an apprentice for their block training. Out of the 372 people we helped through that $4.2 million, 274 were youth.

Mr. Chair, another initiative we have, which is approximately $800,000, is our Office to Advance Women Apprentices. That office is there specifically to help underrepresented groups, women in particular, and help make sure they are able to address some of the barriers that they see when they are trying to enter into some of the trades for skilled trades.

We also eliminated nineteen fees that apprentices would have to pay in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. This ranges from everything from the registration fee for exams, certificate renewal, and their exams in general, the fee they paid there. We were also instrumental in understanding that the labour shortage would focus on the skilled trades, of having more seats in the skilled trades at the College of the North Atlantic. Mr. Chair, we were able to increase our number of seats in skilled trades at the College of the North Atlantic from 936 to 1,369. Mr. Chair, that was from 2006 to 2010.

It is also important to note, Mr. Chair, that the new department has undertaken an internal review of the apprenticeship program. We want to make sure that the way we process applications and provide opportunities for apprentices and the programs that we offer fit well with the other components of our department, specifically our career information centres, to make sure that the people in apprenticeship are now better-connected to our career information centres, because typically that is where people should go if they need supports or any level of intervention in order to find employment in this Province.

Mr. Chair, we know there is concern that temporary foreign workers may take the positions in Newfoundland and Labrador, and we want to make sure that this Province is poised so that the people here in this Province have every opportunity, first and foremost, to train and take advantage of the opportunities that we know are waiting for them.

At this time, Mr. Chair, and from the latest report that we have received from Vale Inco, there was 1,762 workers at the site in Long Harbour. Mr. Chair, forty-two of the workers were from outside Newfoundland and Labrador, which is equivalent to 2.7 per cent of that workforce.

Mr. Chair, seeing those numbers is certainly encouraging. It plays into the fact as well that Vale is committed to hiring Newfoundlanders and Labradorians first, and to have that percentage with over 1,700 workers certainly shows that they are considering people from Newfoundland and Labrador who are qualified to take those jobs.

We also know, Mr. Chair, that with the Long Harbour project there will be a spike in demand, which is cyclical for many of the skilled trades – that the spike will come from pipefitters, ironworkers and crane operators. We also understand, Mr. Chair, that ironworkers and crane operators are probably facing a shortage within that profession across Canada, let alone in Newfoundland and Labrador. With the pipefitters, Mr. Chair, we understand from the union as well that they do have a long out-of-work wait-list right now, so hopefully their list and the demand that spikes at Vale will come together.

Mr. Chair, we realize that there is a lot of work to be done and we will continue to consult. This is not necessarily a government-only problem. Industry and unions need to work together with government so that we can come up with creative ways to make sure that the people of this Province have access to the opportunities that lie ahead.

This whole department, Mr. Chair – and I am sure I will have another opportunity, because ten minutes does not give justice to be able to talk about what we would like to accomplish in our department; this whole department, Mr. Chair, is about making sure that the programs and services that we have align with the needs of the economy today. Our mandate is to make sure that people in this Province have access and have the ability to attach to the labour market knowing that there is a labour shortage, Mr. Chair.

With that, Mr. Chair, I will conclude my remarks, but I certainly look forward to many opportunities to get up and to speak about this new department and our government's expectations for this department.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

CHAIR: The Chair recognizes the hon. the Member for St. John's East.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. MURPHY: Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Again, another opportunity to speak to Interim Supply, and knowing how important Interim Supply bills are, this is going to be the first of many times over the next four years that we will all get a chance to talk to you about the various issues, too, pertaining to government.

I would like to touch on a couple of different things when it comes to Interim Supply, especially when it comes to the funding on highways and what was talked about in the Auditor General's Report, and I think that the investment the government has been making in highways has not been too bad in the extreme, but certainly deserves a little bit more attention. In particular, one of the points that really jumped out at me, of course, in the Auditor General's Report, was the lack of inspections amongst bridges – for example, in Labrador, which is kind of important when you are talking about the lack of inspections. It gives you a good record on where the maintenance and everything has to go, and we are just not seeing it.

As well as that, when it comes to a concern about bridges, one of the things that came up, of course, in the news today, was talking about the new bridge construction that is happening, the bridge that is over Topsail Road. Of course, talking about the fact that you cannot get labour to finish that contract makes one wonder about any kind of cost overruns that may be happening with that particular project.

Again, Mr. Chair, talking about municipal issues, we had to talk about the funding and issues that government has to undertake with the municipalities. We think that it is an emergency situation that we are dealing with, and at the same time, they face the challenge of having to meet that municipal need along with the cutbacks that government is now talking about instituting, particularly the 3 per cent across the board. No doubt there is going to be some sort of an effect on municipal budgets when it comes to that.

When it comes to the funding shortfall, Mr. Chair, we have to ask about the effect such a funding shortfall would have on the attraction of new people that would be wanting to run in some of these municipal districts, municipal towns in the future – in 2013, I believe it is, when the next municipal elections come around. Who in their right mind, Mr. Chair, is going to want to run and represent a municipality if they are not going to have the money there to run it? Who is going to want to have that headache? So, the challenge on the part of government is going to be two-fold when it comes to this: not only to come up with the money for municipalities, but as well, it is to meet that challenge of finding people who are going to want to serve, probably in their first electoral role.

Mr. Chair, as well, talking about the simple fact of meeting the needs of towns that face – well, not only when it comes to an environmental or weather-related disaster, for example, the challenges that Port Union is facing now, but also that economic disaster as well. Hopefully government will be able to meet that particular need in the future.

I want to talk a little bit too about Muskrat Falls and the effect on municipal costs. I know I asked the minister earlier in Question Period, but we do have a severe challenge when it comes to our municipalities and how they are going to be funded in the future. We have to ask the question; if Muskrat Falls is going to be coming in and in some cases we are talking about – for example, if you balance it off against the consumer numbers – possibly a 40 per cent increase in electricity rates; we know that these added costs are going to be reflective on municipalities as well.

Mr. Chair, we have to ask those important questions and ask the questions of government; if we are dealing with cuts now, when it comes to Municipal Operating Grants, for example, or even a freeze on them, where are they going to get the money in the future to end up being able to pay at the end of the day for the same electricity? Do they shut off street lights for that or do they end up cutting back on other services as well when it comes to that? Mr. Chair, I think it is a very important question whenever it comes to Muskrat Falls, and I am hoping that government in the next few days particularly will come up with an answer to that.

Mr. Chair, as well, we also encourage Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador and the government to both get together and pursue an agreement forthright; hopefully the minister will keep talking to Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador and end up with an agreement that is going to be agreeable to both parties. As well, the question of fuel prices when it comes to municipal budgets, I think, has to be asked. It is an important point I talked about earlier to the minister. If oil prices are indeed going to be rising, we are also going to be forced to look at an extra need to municipalities when it comes to extra funding, just to cover off those ancillary costs as well.

Mr. Chair, there is a need for the Province to maintain clearance and maintenance of main arteries as well. It is also something else that is coming to my mind, because right now in communities, for example, like Conception Bay South, we have the department of highways right now that cuts that main artery for snow clearing and does the maintenance on that road. We are wondering if the provincial department is going to be handling those particular issues and not be passed down onto municipalities as a cost-saving measure.

We also have to look at inflationary factors and how are they going to be taken into account when it comes to this year's Budget, as well as future supplementary funding agreements, that sort of thing. I hope that is going to be kept in mind whenever the Department of Municipal Affairs, and the Department of Finance particularly, will be coming through with their budget.

I guess, Mr. Chair, the last couple of things that I will touch on – water supplies when it comes to municipalities. We know that municipalities – there are approximately 160 municipalities right now that are having problems with their water supplies in one form or another. We certainly know that government would like to see some regions on a collaborative approach by region; possibly in the sharing of resources is one way that they could do it. We would also like to see more money, of course, invested into water infrastructure, and we would like to see that dealt with, of course.

The last thing, I guess, that I will deal with is regards to other things when it comes to municipal funding in particular is taxes. Whenever we see a large municipality affected, when their bottom line is affected, we are talking about the possibility that some of these municipalities are going to have to raise taxes to their own citizens. Understanding that the government is trying to meet this challenge is one thing, but when it comes to putting seniors at risk of indeed, in some cases, facing undue financial hardship when it comes to looking at tax increases, is another thing. Of course, we all know that government wants to try to keep seniors in their homes as well keep a steady revenue to government by paying for their own home.

Mr. Chair, I think more attention, of course, has to be paid to affordability issues; affordability issues have to be taken into account whenever a municipality is thinking about raising taxes, but at the same time also has to be taken into account whenever government is talking about the raising of taxes as well.

The last thing that I will talk about, I guess, and I will just touch on it very briefly again, about Muskrat Falls. In some cases this is kind of disturbing. When a question was asked the other day in the House, that question dealt with the environmental considerations of Lake Melville. I think that it is pretty important that government keep an eye on this and indeed go back to the environmental assessment and look again at what possibly could happen to Lake Melville downstream from the Churchill Falls project.

We already have some prime examples in our history, in our environmental history on this earth, where we have had a build-up of mercury. Of course, it ended up in the food chain and ended up affecting human beings; particularly I am talking about Minamata, Japan where mercury entered into the main stream, into the ecological background of food supply. People consumed it in fish. The second example, of course, that we have that government had to deal with of course came from the Government of Quebec in the James Bay Project, which is not too far away I guess in the context of things when it comes to geography, right on the edge of Hudson Bay where the James Bay Project was built, where there was a build up of mercury in some of the fish species that were there. I think that the government really needs to take a serious hard look at this, get back and have a talk to the Department of Fisheries, entice the Department of Fisheries, and sink a few dollars into doing a study on what the potential mercury build up can do to a food supply. Are we going to be asking ourselves twenty-five years down the road, are we going to be ruining a complete food supply for the people of Labrador up there too at the same time? I am urging the government, at the same time, to pour a few dollars in the next Budget into that and do a study.

With that, Mr. Chair, I can see my time is up, so thank you very much.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

CHAIR: The Chair recognizes the Minister of Service Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. DAVIS: Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

It is great to have an opportunity to enter into this debate this afternoon and get on my feet. I can tell you from sitting in the House over the last number of days I have a long list of things to talk about. I am sure there is no way I can cover it off in the ten minutes that I have in my time this afternoon, but I can assure you and I can assure the people of Newfoundland and Labrador and I can assure my constituents that I will avail of every opportunity I have to get on my feet and to enter into debate and speak to matters that are before the House.

We have thirty-six members on this side of the House, Mr. Chair, and because we have such a large and strong presence on this side of the House sometimes we have to wait our turn. We have to wait our turn because my experience in the last few days is that we have a caucus on this side of the House who are very eager to enter into debate.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. DAVIS: They are very eager, Mr. Chair, to enter into debate. They want to represent their constituents well. They want to participate in the democratic process that exists in Newfoundland and Labrador and exists here in this hon. House. When you have such a team that wants to work together, who wants to have a presence in the House of Assembly, who wants to speak on behalf of their constituents, who wants to be heard in Newfoundland and Labrador, then we have to take our time and we have to wait for our opportunity to get up and speak. I encourage them, especially the new members who are in the House as well, to continue to participate with such energy, with such desire and to continue to carry out their task. I know in my experience since I have had the opportunity to meet these new members has been a very positive one, and I know that they will continue to serve their constituents as they have done very recently.

Mr. Chair, while I am at it, I would like to congratulate all new members of the House who were elected in the general election of last fall. It is a different House than we saw prior to the election, but still, again as I mentioned there are thirty-six members on this side of the House. The public of Newfoundland and Labrador have spoken, Mr. Chair; that is what I say to the House.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. DAVIS: The people of this Province have spoken and have put the faith back in our government to continue the good work that has happened in the last number of years, and the good efforts and moving forward that has taken place.

We are all thankful. We have heard many of us say that we are all very thankful. Well, I would like to just take a moment to mention that today, Mr. Chair, how much I appreciate the fine people of Topsail district who have returned me to my seat as well. I would not be able to do it without them. I would not be able to do it without a team of volunteers who work very hard, not only at election time but are there to support me in my role as an MHA, but also support me personally. Last year was somewhat of a challenging year for me, personally, Mr. Chair, I can tell you. I have had experiences in the past year that I never thought I would ever have to experience, but I can tell you that the people of my district, my family, my friends, my colleagues here in the House of Assembly, have been a tremendous support and I am truly (inaudible) –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. DAVIS: Mr. Chair, I heard a comment earlier by a hon. member opposite who had talked about – there is probably a lot of discussion around here lately – our public service and the people who work in public service. I was a career public servant throughout my working life. I was twenty-five years – as most of you know – a member of the RNC. Through a good many years of my public service was under the previous Administration, which now sits on the opposite side of the House. I heard this talked about earlier, and I heard the hon. member opposite refer to the good things they did when they were in the House, and how they set it up for us.

Well, let me tell you a little bit about my experience as a public servant and what I faced as a public servant when they were in power, because at that time I was a member of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary. I can tell you my coworkers and I went to work each and every day, and we made our best efforts to protect the public. We made our best efforts to make Newfoundland and Labrador what it is today. Many of you here, I know many members in the House, on both sides of the House, know many police officers, Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, who work in public service every day in the protection of the public as police officers. Mr. Chair, I can tell you that I will not forget the constant punishment that we put up with from government as public servants back in those days. Through a ten-year period, I can tell you, the RNC lost 100 police officers. They dropped by 100 police officers in that ten-year period.

I can tell you, since this Administration has come in, those members have been returned to the streets of Newfoundland and Labrador for the safety of the public.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

AN HON. MEMBER: Tell us more.

MR. DAVIS: I will tell you more.

Mr. Chair, throughout my career I remember driving police cars that should never have been on the road, that had high mileage on them, they were extensively used, far beyond their usable life, but we were forced - if we wanted to continue to do the work that we needed to do to protect the public, we had to use those vehicles. We had equipment that was prohibited for use in other provinces. We had to use equipment for the safety of the public that was not permitted to be used in other provinces; that had been ruled out. They were not allowed to use it anymore, but we were forced to continue to use it.

I can tell you with investments by this government, the RNC today, which services much of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, I would put them up against any police service in Canada. I would put them up against any police service anywhere in the world.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. DAVIS: We are very fortunate in this Province to have two fine police services from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and also from the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary. We have young, energetic, dedicated, creative, well-trained and well-educated Newfoundlanders and Labradorians who want to work here in Newfoundland and Labrador, who want to become police officers in Newfoundland and Labrador and they are going through some of the finest training.

The last time I checked, Mr. Chair, Newfoundland and Labrador was the only province where police officers still had to participate in a university program to become police officers. Now it may have changed, because I know other police services throughout the country have been looking very closely at what the RNC have been doing, but the last time I checked, the RNC was still the only police service in Newfoundland and Labrador that now have training through a university.

Mr. Chair, I would also like to point out that a very high percentage of the men and women from Newfoundland and Labrador who are joining the RNC today are women.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. DAVIS: In the first several year of recruiting that began back in 2004 the goal - and it was close for the first several years - half of the recruits who were being hired in this Province were women. That is a very good statement, Mr. Chair, and it is a strong statement about the position this government takes when it comes to equity for women in this Province. I tell you, they do a fine job. I know many of them, and they do a very fine job of serving the public of Newfoundland and Labrador. I encourage women throughout the Province who have an interest in policing not to resist that desire, but to investigate it, to look into it, if it be the RCMP or the RNC because I can tell you policing is a fine career.

Today, police officers in Newfoundland and Labrador have amongst the best training in the country, they have high-grade equipment. They are well trained. We have the best people. We have highly educated men and women from Newfoundland and Labrador. The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary and the RCMP working throughout the Province, in through Labrador, as well as throughout the Island part of the Province, are working very hard for the public of Newfoundland and Labrador. I would encourage any Newfoundlander and Labradorian who wants to consider a career in policing to give it a good thought because it could be a great career.

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible).

MR. DAVIS: That is a good point there. I listen to my hon. member who raises a really good point because for many years - this is a little known fact; actually, I had a good discussion some time ago with the hon. minister about this particular point. For many years the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary was the lowest paid police service in Canada. When you look at police services, fifty more members, the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary was by far the lowest, and this current government here went a long ways to fix that. Through a process that the police association, the RNC and the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador went through, today they are equally paid for the work, the experience, the education they have and they are now highly trained and it is a very well paid career. It is a good career. It is not a job, it is a good career. Again, as I said - I know I am repeating myself - I would encourage anyone to consider it.

Mr. Chair, I see I have a very short period of time left, so what I will do is - I have many different subjects I want to speak to regarding government, the good work of government. There are many things in my own district that I would like to speak about and I will take every opportunity I can to get on my feet to talk about the direction Newfoundland and Labrador is going in because it is a great time to be part of this Province.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I know we are getting close to the end of Committee, cluing up today, and I certainly wanted to rise and just have a few final comments. I listened very attentively to the member's speech - by the way, to say to him, it is nice to have him back here in the House of Assembly. I said it across the House, Mr. Chair, he looks great. I do not know if I will get in trouble by saying that or not, but I should say he looks well. He really does, which is nice to see.

Mr. Chair, what he did not say in his speech, and I will certainly say it for him, because he was a member of the RNC at the time, but he failed to mention what government gave them binding arbitration in the Province. It certainly was the Liberal Administration, Mr. Chair, in the last days before the government changed, that did give binding arbitration to the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary. I am sure that the member just very conveniently forgot that, Mr. Chair, when he was on his feet in that few minutes.

Anyway, Mr. Chair, I want to have a few words with regard to Muskrat Falls, but in particular, to the column that Randy Simms had in the paper this weekend. Mr. Chair, I can only imagine that when the hon. members on the other side of the House of Assembly saw the article, they must have had their head and their nose and everything so high in the air that I am surprised they all got in here today without hitting their forehead off the doorway on the through – because I am sure they must have been puffed up as big as any pigeon that you have ever seen, Mr. Chair, over the real fact that Randy Simms is saying, you should drop the issue. Well, guess what, I have news for you: we are not dropping the issue, nowhere near dropping the issue.

Mr. Chair, one of the things I do want to say is that when he started his article, he talked about the Serenity Prayer, and I am very familiar with it; it is actually my mother's favourite prayer and we have had copies of it since we were very young children. I said to my colleague, the Leader of the Opposition, there are many days when I have sat in this place and asked the Lord to grant me, Mr. Chair, the wisdom to know which direction to go in and when to let go and when not to. Mr. Chair, I have to say that while Randy Simms is certainly entitled to his opinion, and his opinion I respect on many occasions in this Province, I have to say that while we may not, at the end of the day, change the mindset of government and allow them to see the wisdom in taking a different direction on Muskrat Falls, I have to say that we have certainly changed the direction that they have been able to take as a government, even this far.

I am going to recap a couple of those things, Mr. Chair, because the first thing we heard from the government was the clarification that this was not a Lower Churchill deal, but a Muskrat Falls deal. Now, that took several questions in the House of Assembly, several debates, several things in the media, several times of pointing it out, and finally the government conceded no, this is a Muskrat Falls deal; it is a smaller deal, it is scaled down, and it is not, Mr. Chair, a Lower Churchill deal. Then we wanted to have reviews done of it. Now, they did concede to an independent review; however, I do not think it was independent as we would have liked to have seen, with Manitoba Hydro and through that particular process, Mr. Chair. However, they did concede to doing that, which was not on the radar. They did concede to finally going to the Public Utilities Board, which was not on the radar to happen, but again, through questions, through lobby, through putting pressure on, Mr. Chair, the minister and his colleagues woke up at the Cabinet Table one day and said, oh yes, maybe we should do this, this is a direction that we could take; so they went to the Public Utilities Board.

Labrador, Mr. Chair – the only context in which Labrador is written in the Memorandum of Understanding, or the agreement with Emera Energy, is when it is referred to as the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. That is the only context of Labrador. I say to my colleagues from Labrador West and Lake Melville: Get it, have a look at it; it is worth reading. The only context is when you refer to it as the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Over time, Mr. Chair, in raising the issue on Labrador, in lobbying on the issue on Labrador, finally we got them to the point where they are saying, well, if they need the power, we will certainly make it available in Labrador. We still have not been told how they are going to get it to them if they do need it, how they are going to transport it to them, what they are going to put it on. You cannot put it on a clothesline, I say to you honourable members. You have to put it on a transmission line, and there is still nothing registered with regard to that. We are getting there. We are getting a little tiny bit at a time.

We talked about cost overruns. Oh no, oh no, oh no, all of that was factored in. We go to the PUB and we find from out from Ed Martin we are already $1 billion over in cost overruns.

AN HON. MEMBER: How much?

MS JONES: One billion over. It is already 7.3, so that is the other piece.

Mr. Chair, when Randy Simms says we are not getting a lot in terms of the government changing its mindset, one of the things we are getting is they are changing direction as they go. Either they have never thought this out enough to know what direction they should go in the first place or, Mr. Chair, they really are doing it by the seat of their pants. It is really hard to tell.

Mr. Chair, what we do know is that we have seen a tremendous amount of debate around Muskrat Falls, but has it been enough – absolutely not. It will not be enough until this particular process is vented in every single avenue that it should be vented in, including the House of Assembly. If there is one thing that needs to happen on Muskrat Falls – if we have learned anything, Mr. Chairman, in our history – is that it should be a full debate and it should be a free vote, and every member should have the opportunity to stand and say why or why not they would support that particular deal.

Mr. Chair, while the government might have been really enthused about the article, I am the bearer of the bad news and that is that there are going to be lots more questions, lots more debate, and we are not done with Muskrat Falls. Until Labrador is a huge part of this project, not an afterthought, not just a name of the place factored in at the end of the sentence in the agreement, but when it is really a part of this deal then maybe I say to you, Minister, and your government I might have a second, sober look.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

CHAIR: The hon. the Government House Leader.

MR. KENNEDY: Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I ask that the Committee rise and report progress.

CHAIR: The motion is that the Committee rise, report progress, and ask leave to sit again.

Is it the pleasure of the Committee to adopt the motion?

All those in favour, ‘aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.

CHAIR: All those against, ‘nay'.

Carried.

On motion, that the Committee rise, report progress and ask leave to sit again, Mr. Speaker returned to the Chair.

MR. SPEAKER (Wiseman): Order, please!

The hon. the Deputy Speaker.

MR. VERGE: Mr. Speaker, the Committee of Supply have considered the matters to them referred and have directed me to report progress and ask leave to sit again.

MR. SPEAKER: The Chair of the Committee of Supply reports that the Committee have considered the matters to them referred and have directed him to report progress and ask leave to sit again.

When shall the Committee have leave to sit again?

MR. KENNEDY: Tomorrow.

MR. SPEAKER: On tomorrow.

On motion, report received and adopted. Committee ordered to sit again on tomorrow.

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

MR. KENNEDY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the Minister of Finance, that the House do now adjourn.

MR. SPEAKER: It is moved and seconded that this House now adjourn.

Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

All those in favour, ‘aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.

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

Carried.

This House now stands adjourned until 1:30 o'clock tomorrow afternoon.

On motion, the House adjourned until tomorrow, Tuesday, at 1:30 p.m.