May 23, 2012                      HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS                    Vol. XLVII No. 36


The House met at 2:00 p.m.

MR. SPEAKER (Wiseman): Order, please!

Admit strangers.

Today I would like to welcome to our galleries the Mayor of Burlington, Mr. George Kelly.

Welcome to our Assembly.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Also, I am very pleased today in our gallery to have Mr. Leo Bonnell, who is the provincial chairperson of the Provincial Advisory Council on Aging and Seniors.

Welcome to our Assembly.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

Statements by Members

MR. SPEAKER: Today we have members' statements from: the Member for the District of Exploits; the Member for the District of Terra Nova; the Member for the District of Port au Port; the Member for the District of Bonavista North; the Member for the District of St. John's West; and the Member for the District of Kilbride.

The hon. the Member for the District of Exploits.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. FORSEY: Mr. Speaker, this year Canada's literary giant, Indigo Books, allocated $1.5 million for new books and other literacy materials to be shared among twenty elementary schools across Canada to upgrade their libraries.

Mr. Speaker, thanks to Indigo's Love of Reading Foundation, Helen Tulk Elementary of Bishop's Falls will receive $19,000 each year for the next three years, for a total of $57,000. Principal David Alcock said, "they have a literacy committee consisting of teachers at the school and they researched the applications and completed the necessary info needed to file for the grant." According to Mr. Alcock, the school can order any books and technology Indigo Books may carry.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all members of this House to join me in congratulating the staff at Helen Tulk Elementary for taking the initiative to apply for this grant and for the love of reading.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for the District of Terra Nova.

MR. S. COLLINS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise today to applaud the Canadian Cancer Society on its Relay for Life event held in Gambo on May 11. This is an all-night event to celebrate the lives of those who are living with cancer, remember those who have lost their battle, and to raise funds and awareness in order to beat this horrible disease. More than just an event, Relay for Life is a life-changing experience for many.

Mr. Speaker, I had the pleasure to participate in this year's Gambo Relay for Life and I am very pleased to report that due to the huge commitment and dedication of the volunteers and participants, they raised in excess of $25,000. What an amazing feat by a relatively small group.

I ask all members of this House to join me in recognizing this group's tremendous effort. As many have said before me, Mr. Speaker, Newfoundland and Labrador have some of the best volunteers and most giving people in the country and this is a true testament to that.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Port au Port.

MR. CORNECT: I am happy to rise in this hon. House of Assembly to extend my sincerest congratulations to both the Town of Stephenville and the Town of Port au Port East as they will be celebrating their sixtieth anniversary of incorporation as municipalities.

Anniversaries are a time to reflect and think about the past and celebrate our accomplishments. It is also a time to say thank you to the many volunteers and to all who have worked hard to build these towns over the past sixty years. Their efforts have helped their towns grow and improve, make it safer, bring people together, and be proud of where they come from. They have become landmarks and hold a great sense of community and pride to all who call or have called these communities home. The towns possess deep character and defining elements that capture the attention of residents and visitors alike.

I ask all hon. members of this hon. House of Assembly to join me in extending congratulations to the Town of Stephenville and the Town of Port au Port East as they celebrate their sixtieth anniversary and to wish them prosperous futures.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for the District of Bonavista North.

MR. CROSS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise in our hon. House today to congratulate and recognize a unique individual from Bonavista North. In the community of Badger's Key there lives a mild-mannered gentleman with a very distinctive voice and a distinctive personality. Wayne Brown is a man among men and as a volunteer he is in a class of one and about to reach a very significant milestone.

In the summer of 1967 he participated in his first summer carnival-regatta for the Rural District Sports Club. In successive years, Wayne has been a very active member of many reiterations of such a carnival. In 2012, the Town of New-Wes-Valley enjoyed its first winter carnival in two decades. One need not guess who was on the committee. This guy does not just organize; he is also there, where we say, the rubber hits the road, in ticket booths and hot dog stands.

This is not his first, his second, or tenth, but his fiftieth carnival in New-Wes-Valley. Furthermore, Mr. Speaker, he is only sixty-two years old.

An invitation I extend now to all hon. members to come to New-Wes-Valley Crab Festival carnival day in July. I am confident you will hear Wayne Brown in his finest style, calling the phrase, "Get your tickets here, folks… only three more left until we spin."

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The Member for St. John's West.

MR. CRUMMELL: Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Colin Thomas, a resident of my district, who received the 2012 Sport Newfoundland and Labrador Scholarship.

Mr. Speaker, these scholarships were awarded earlier this month, and all of the recipients have worked hard and demonstrated excellence in sport.

Colin is an avid curler who, despite his young age, has already had an accomplished sporting career. Colin has competed and won at the provincial, national, and international levels. He was Provincial Junior Men's Champion in 2008, and last year he won the bronze medal at the Canadian Junior Men's Curling Championships. Colin also led his Memorial University team to a gold medal at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport Curling Championship last season. In January, he and his university team won the silver medal at the Karuizawa International Curling Championship in Japan. Most recently, Colin and his Newfoundland and Labrador team travelled to Ontario to again represent our Province at the Canadian Junior Curling Championships.

Mr. Speaker, Colin Thomas is truly a credit to his sport, and I ask all hon. members to join me in congratulating him on receiving the 2012 Sport Newfoundland and Labrador Scholarship and in wishing him continued success in his athletic pursuits.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The Member for the District of Kilbride.

MR. DINN: Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Bishops College on hosting the Eastern Newfoundland Science and Technology Fair.

On Friday, March 30, students attended tours at Memorial University during the morning, followed by judging in the afternoon at the high school. Over 200 students from twenty senior and junior high schools on the Avalon Peninsula competed. A snowstorm cancelled the Saturday event, but on Sunday the public viewing and awards ceremony took place. Several hundred people showed up on Sunday, including representatives from the major sponsors of the fair, and our own MHA for the District of Conception Bay East – Bell Island.

Six students were selected to represent Eastern Newfoundland at the Canada-Wide Science Fair in PEI in May. They were Hannah Boone, Michael Fleet, Anna O'Grady, Kaitlyn Stockley, Jared Trask, and Sarah Winsor. Anna O'Grady, a constituent of mine from Kilbride, was awarded the Best of the Fair.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all hon. members to join me in commending Bishops College, Eastern Newfoundland Science Fair Council, and the six students who went to the Canada-Wide Fair in PEI, and especially Anna O'Grady.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Statements by Ministers.

Statements by Ministers

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Transportation and Works.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. HEDDERSON: Mr. Speaker, I rise in this hon. House to recognize a milestone achievement in the development of the Trans-Labrador Highway. Today, the provincial government awarded the final two tenders to complete Phase I of the highway from Labrador West to Happy Valley-Goose Bay.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. HEDDERSON: Mr. Speaker, the completion of Phase I was made possible by a $65.8 million allocation through Budget 2012: People and Prosperity – Responsible Investments for a Secure Future. This investment puts us one step closer to achieving our 2011 Blue Book commitment of completing the entire highway, which is one of the largest road infrastructure projects ever undertaken to meet the economic and social needs of the people in the Province.

I am pleased to inform the members of this hon. House that Humber Valley Paving has been awarded the contracts, and will begin paving activity immediately. Work will be carried out simultaneously between Wabush Junction and Churchill Falls, and between Happy Valley-Goose Bay and Churchill Falls. These contracts will be completed over a two-year period, and by 2014, every kilometre of pavement between the two most populated centres in Labrador will be widened and covered with blacktop.

Mr. Speaker, there will be a total investment of approximately $254 million in this phase of the Trans-Labrador Highway by the time it is completed. This investment is representative of this government's overall efforts to promote economic and social development in Labrador, and is part of a series of expenditures in the Big Land that have exceeded $3.5 billion since 2004.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. HEDDERSON: Clearly, we are committed to ensuring residents in Labrador are ideally positioned to take advantage of the tremendous potential and the opportunities that exist in their region of the Province, and we will continue to make investments to support continued prosperity in Labrador for years to come.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. HEDDERSON: Mr. Speaker, I will conclude by saying that as Minister of Transportation and Works, I am very proud of our achievements in establishing new and substantial infrastructure in Labrador, and I am confident these achievements will help promote continued development and growth in Labrador to benefit future generations.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank the minister for an advance copy of his statement. Mr. Speaker, I have to say that in Labrador we are very pleased with the amount of work that has been done on the Trans-Labrador Highway.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS JONES: Mr. Speaker, we cannot forget how long Labradorians have gone without proper transportation networks in this Province and in the country.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MS JONES: Mr. Speaker, I have to say that it was the vision of a Liberal government in 1997 that decided that Labrador had waited long enough and it was time to move ahead with highway development.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MS JONES: Mr. Speaker, I say that at the same time that I acknowledge the work that the government opposite has done in carrying forward with that vision on behalf of the people of Labrador.

Mr. Speaker, one of the things I have to say is the job is far from done. Even though we are going to see pavement between Labrador West and Happy Valley-Goose Bay, you also have to realize that in order to get out of Labrador and onto the rest of the Province, you have to come through Southern Labrador as well. That needs to see highways that are paved as well. We have seen the amount of traffic on those highways double and triple over the last few years, which are great indicators of the amount of development that is occurring in Labrador and the tremendous prospects that we have for the future.

I would say to the minister, congratulations on the two contracts. I am glad to see it has gone to a Newfoundland and Labrador company that has tremendous expertise in that area and are hiring local people. I would also say to you, show us the plan to finish the highway right across Labrador. We want to see the pavement right down to L'Anse-au-Clair. Mr. Speaker, it is never too soon to start that work. It is never too soon to invest in the future of one of the strongest regions and strongest economies in this Province today. It will bring rewards for all of us.

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.

I would also like to thank the minister for the advance copy of his statement.

The people of Labrador have been waiting long enough to see this road network come to fruition. It may be a while yet until residents see completed blacktop. While government is making a substantial investment, it has to remember how much of a contribution Labrador has been making to the Province and to our own well-being. A good road system along with other transportation links is truly a necessity to be competitive in today's markets. Labrador does deserve its fair share.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. O'BRIEN: Mr. Speaker, I rise in this hon. House today to highlight the continued progress in implementing the Provincial Waste Management Strategy in our Province.

Mr. Speaker, the goals of this strategy are to reduce the amount of materials in provincial landfill sites by 50 per cent, reduce the total number of waste disposal sites by 80 per cent, eliminate open burning of waste at disposal sites and phase out incinerators, phase out unlined landfills, and encourage the residents of Newfoundland and Labrador to participate in waste diversion programs such as recycling and composting. Full implementation of the strategy is scheduled for 2020.

A total of $145.3 million has been invested in the Provincial Waste Management Strategy in the Province, $82.8 million by the provincial government and $62.5 million from the Gas Tax funding. As a result of these investments to date, approximately two-thirds of the Province's population is disposing of waste in one of two lined landfills with leachate collection. Mr. Speaker, throughout our Province we are reducing the number of disposal sites, with over 120 dumps closed to date, which is more than a 50 per cent reduction.

Mr. Speaker, the Provincial Waste Management Strategy is a large regionalization initiative. My department is actively working with twenty regional and sub-regional communities or boards, representing over 500 communities at the grassroots level to find appropriate solutions.

In the last two years, we have seen success throughout the entire Province. Mr. Speaker, with the exception of one community, all municipal waste west to Goobies and Swift Current is currently being transported to the Eastern Waste Management Site at Robin Hood Bay.

Mr. Speaker, the Central Waste Management Facility, located at Norris Arm, became operational earlier this year. Through an investment of $15 million, a new Materials Recovery Facility will be constructed in Central Newfoundland, which will allow residents of the Central region to begin recycling. Mr. Speaker, almost 50 per cent of our Province's population already has access to recycling facilities.

Mr. Speaker, I am also pleased with the progress being made in the Western region. In addition to the important work of closing community dumps and incinerators, the Western Regional Waste Management Committee has made tremendous progress in their search for a long-term solution for the Western region. My department will continue to work with that committee to finalize those plans and I hope that is soon.

In Labrador, we have worked with the towns of Wabush and Labrador City to close the local incinerator and establish a well-managed landfill for that area. We are also working with local leaders throughout Labrador to find appropriate solutions to the unique challenges we face in Labrador.

Mr. Speaker, we will continue to work with the communities as we proceed towards full implementation of the strategy by 2020.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. JOYCE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank the minister for an advance copy. As we all know, waste management is a good benefit to everybody in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. We do see some successes in the St. John's, in the Central area with the waste management, and recycling is a big part of it. The education for people of Newfoundland and Labrador and accessibility to the recycling is a big part of the whole Waste Management Strategy.

As we move on the West Coast, as we know, the West Coast is a bit behind. I know the minister has agreed to meet with the Great Humber Joint Council to discuss the waste management for the West Coast. As we know, it is a bit behind the rest of the Province. We hope that we would be able to get it moving on the West Coast, because it is a major concern. It is a major headache for a lot of people on the West Coast; a lot of municipalities are wondering what to do.

In Labrador, also, they have their own unique problems and circumstances, which I know the department is working through. There are a few things that I would suggest to the minister; one is the illegal dumping, if there was some way that we could get better education and some kind of better monitoring or even stiffer penalties for illegal dumping, which is a major concern.

There is another thing I would just raise to the minister, and the Minister of Natural Resources may be able to help at this also. It is out, we see, in central; when a lot of the dumps were closed down in central, there were an estimated 1,800 cats that may have to be trapped and euthanized. I am not sure if the Minister of Natural Resources could get involved in some way and help out the groups in central with euthanizing the cats, the SPCA; it is a very traumatic thing for a lot of the people. That is something that we can learn, also, in western; when we close down the dumps in western, there is a lot of animals that are around, cats, so we can learn from that before we close them down.

Keep with the strategy. I hope the West Coast is going to be next, because a lot of people want the site in the West Coast, not shipped to central. That is something we have to work through, so I just encourage the minister to keep the education for the recycling program, try to work on something with illegal dumping, keep up the work for the West Coast, and we will see him at the meeting with the Great Humber Joint Council.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. MURPHY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I would like to thank the minister also for the advance copy of his statement.

While government continues to roll out the strategy, it fails to realize the consequences of the immense cost to smaller municipalities and regional boards. These costs and challenges include the heavy transportation costs in removing waste, and no way for some municipalities to recoup the cost of rising fuel, for example. While government only now has begun to address the funding formula problem with municipalities, it will be more time before this Waste Management Strategy will come to fruition and see the success that we hope this is going to be.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Oral Questions.

Oral Questions

MR. SPEAKER: The Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Yesterday the Premier stated that the federal government did not live up to its humanitarian responsibility in the failed Makkovik search. This morning Newfoundland and Labrador's federal minister, Peter Penashue, stated that he was glad to hear that the Premier was accepting responsibility for the ground search and rescue. He went on to say that a lot of things went wrong in that particular search.

I ask the Premier: Hasn't the back and forth between the Province and the federal government gone on long enough, and will you now call a public inquiry and get to the bottom of this once and for all?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I have reviewed at length the materials associated with the tragedy that took place in Labrador on January 29. I have asked the Leader of the Opposition a number of times in this House: do you have pertinent information of anything that went wrong on the ground with the RCMP and the Canadian Rangers that you have not made public or shared?

Mr. Speaker, he has a member of his caucus who was active in that search. In terms of the questions that were raised in Labrador at that time, it was about air support for the search. Mr. Speaker, we have provided all of the information and in that there are not grounds for an inquiry.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. BALL: In our opinion, what makes it grounds for an inquiry, Mr. Speaker, is that there is a lot of confusion around all of this. As a matter of fact, the federal minister said that; the Premier has even said that she does not know why the Cormorant was not dispatched.

The Premier yesterday concluded that the Cormorant helicopter was not dispatched from Gander to Nova Scotia because of a bad judgment call by the person in charge. People across the Province have been calling for an inquiry. Even last night, one of the backbenchers said that there would be no downside to calling one.

I ask the Premier: Can you please explain to the people why you would not call a public inquiry into search and rescue in this Province?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, there is a lot of confusion, most of it created by people across the aisle.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: It is offensive, Mr. Speaker, that the life of a young man that has been cut tragically short has been bandied around by a football by members opposite, who want an inquiry now not only on what happened in Labrador, Mr. Speaker, but they want it broadly about search and rescue in the Province, which gets to their real agenda.

Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition, his House Leader, and another member of his caucus went to Ottawa. The Liberal House Leader met with Minister MacKay and did not ask for an inquiry about the deployment of their resources. That exposes the (inaudible).

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. BALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

At the time, if the Premier could remember what she was saying, she needed co-operation from her federal counterparts. In our meeting they agreed to do that.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. BALL: The other thing is the Premier is making comments about this being about Makkovik. This is about search and rescue in all of the Province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The Speaker has acknowledged the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Yesterday, the Premier stated that she was not satisfied with the answers she received from the federal government but would not commit to discussing the need for a public inquiry in her meeting with the Prime Minister. Instead, she said she would discuss what she thinks is important.

I ask the Premier: Will the need for a public inquiry be on your agenda when you meet with the Prime Minister?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, it is too bad it was not on the Liberal agenda when they met with Minister MacKay, really too bad. Mr. Speaker, Minister MacKay agreed to offer up information to inform events around that time. We did not need a delegation from the Liberal caucus to go to Ottawa. Minister MacKay made that commitment to me weeks before then and to the people of the Province, Mr. Speaker. That was quite clear.

Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition, there was only one ministerial meeting in Ottawa and he did not bother to attend. Mr. Speaker, he sent in his House Leader, she never had enough respect for him to say to Minister MacKay: My leader is sitting outside the door; I insist that he come in. We do not look for any lessons on leadership from that side of the aisle.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I did speak with the minister and he agreed to co-operate with the provincial government, and she knows that.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. BALL: Mr. Speaker, on two occasions in this House I have asked for the report on natural gas commissioned by Nalcor to EnerSea Transport. They were never made public. Both times, the Minister of Natural Resources stated that they were unaware of the report. Since that, we have submitted an Access to Information request to Nalcor and they have indicated that the cost for us to get that would be over $700.

Why is Nalcor attempting to charge us, the Opposition, refusing to give us this information without paying $700 for the report when we have all stated, and you have told us, that this stuff should be available to the public?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENNEDY: Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is true that Nalcor had a couple of reports prepared in relation to natural gas. They were looking at that point, Mr. Speaker, of different aspects of natural gas. At that point, natural gas I think was selling for around $8 per million BTU. The price subsequently dipped, Mr. Speaker, to $3, down around $2. Essentially, what they were looking at the time has no relevance to what is going on today, or very little relevance.

As for the provision of the reports, Mr. Speaker, I will certainly have a discussion with Mr. Martin at Nalcor to see if there is any commercially sensitive information in there. This government has committed to provide any and all information that we have in our possession, and we continue with that commitment. We are having a report prepared on natural gas, both in terms of the importation and the building of a pipeline from the Grand Banks.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. BALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Quebec Innu have accused Nalcor of cutting and pasting from the Texas Oil and Gas manuals for their environmental assessment on the Muskrat Falls transmission link. They state that the sections in the EIS on marine mammal detection are almost identical to that of the Oil and Gas manual.

I ask the Premier: Is it true that Nalcor did cut and paste from the Texas Oil and Gas manuals for their EIS?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENNEDY: Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I happened to just meet with Mr. Martin over lunch, and I guess I forgot to put Randy Simms' question to him today, in terms of the cutting and pasting, Mr. Speaker. I will certainly have that discussion with Mr. Martin as we move along.

Mr. Speaker, the Innu – some of the tactics that are engaged in by groups who are opposed to this project, or who are based on looking for money for themselves, Mr. Speaker. I am not saying that this particular group, or attributing improper motives to them, but we always have to look at it with somewhat of a jaundice and skeptical eye when people are challenging projects like this.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. BALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well, the excuse that was offered by Nalcor yesterday was that the same consultant worked on both projects, but they did not argue that the environmental situation in Texas is much different than it is in the Strait of Belle Isle. I have not seen – nothing that I am aware of – that Atlantic salmon has been in Texas, at least. So, the EIS is a critical piece of this project on which we are looking to commit billions of dollars.

How can you trust that this information would be specific to Newfoundland and Labrador?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENNEDY: Yes, Mr. Speaker.

I think in the MHI report, the company that was retained by the Public Utilities Board to review Nalcor's work, and the company that we have now retained to review the Decision Gate 3 numbers, Mr. Speaker, they did a lot of work. They examined and re-examined the work in relation to the subsea cable, and there was no indication at that point, Mr. Speaker, of there being concerns. In fact, the opportunities I have had to meet with Nalcor and they explain what has gone into that work is actually quite fascinating. I could suggest to the member opposite, it might be helpful to sit down with Nalcor and look at the quality of the work that has been done, Mr. Speaker, and stop always casting aspersions on a company that employs our best and our brightest and are committed to the people of this Province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. A. PARSONS: Mr. Speaker, parents were lined up as early as 4:00 this morning to register children for early French immersion. Four years ago, schools were warning about a looming teacher crunch in French immersion as student interest continues to swell.

I ask the minister: You have had four years to respond to this expected demand; what is the holdup?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. JACKMAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The French Immersion question is certainly brought to light by some of the interviews this morning. The French Immersion program, Mr. Speaker, is an optional program. It is very much dependent on the demand, infrastructure, and space.

I will just give an example, Mr. Speaker: If we had sixty-five students, and let us say forty-two of them wanted to do French Immersion. Well, with our twenty-student cap, that means we need three teachers, and we would need two for the other two, which would mean we would need five spaces for that. Let us take it the other way around. If we had sixty-five students and thirty-eight of them did French Immersion, we would need two classrooms and two for the others.

Mr. Speaker, it is very much dependent on the numbers and space. All of that has to be taken into consideration.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Member for Burgeo – La Poile.

MR. A. PARSONS: I would suggest, Mr. Speaker, that if there is a demand, then we have a responsibility to make sure that demand is met.

Mr. Speaker, government provides funding to certain not-for-profit groups to provide supportive housing for our emancipated youth. However you look at it, government is paying the bills for housing. Since we first raised the issue a few weeks ago, we have learned of more youth living in poor and unsafe living conditions.

I ask the minister: Does your department carry out inspections of the living conditions of our emancipated youth since government is paying for their funding? If not, why not?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Child, Youth and Family Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS JOHNSON: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the one thing I will tell the member that this government does is certainly support –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MS JOHNSON: – our children and youth in the Province, particularly the vulnerable children and youth in the Province. The Premier is certainly supportive of this department. Financially, in terms of the Budget, over the last three years we have received $41.8 million. Other than financial support, there has been tremendous support for the children and youth of the Province and we will continue to make sure their needs are met, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. A. PARSONS: I would remind the minister, Mr. Speaker, that supportive housing may mean affordable housing, but that does not mean it is safe. These youth are under voluntary agreements with the department. Another family told us yesterday of a house that was not insured and windows that would not open.

I ask the minister: What controls do you have in place to ensure that supportive housing is safe for our youth?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Child, Youth and Family Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS JOHNSON: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the members opposite have a very short memory. It was just this last year that we proclaimed the new Children and Youth Care and Protection Act. Under that act, we extended the opportunity for our youth in continuous custody to stay under our care until eighteen, Mr. Speaker. If they are under our care, we certainly determine where they live and that is certainly is monitored. The experts said that you have to keep the choice voluntary. The majority of the youth do stay in our care but, Mr. Speaker, we cannot force a youth to live somewhere, just as well as a natural parent cannot.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The Member for St. Barbe.

MR. BENNETT: Mr. Speaker, in 2006, eighteen Daley companies, several in the fishery here in this Province, went bankrupt. We understand the directors are responsible for certain monies owning to government on bankruptcy.

I ask the minister to confirm how much money was written off by the Province in those eighteen bankruptcies and if he pursued the directors to recover this money? If not, why not?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KING: Mr. Speaker, I would ask the member if he would be interested in tabling more specific details. It is a pretty overarching question about monies owing to government; there are fifteen or sixteen departments and corporations and agencies. I do not think any one minister would be able to stand on their feet today and answer a question of that magnitude unless he can narrow in and say it is a workers' compensation issue, or it is something to the Treasury, or fees to the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture. It is a very hard question for anybody to stand on their feet and answer without more detail.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The Member for St. Barbe.

MR. BENNETT: I can table some of the bankruptcy documents that list the eighteen companies and then the minister will be able to determine if money is owed or not.

Mr. Speaker, the minister has final say on who is issued fishing licences to process fish in this Province.

I ask the minister to outline the government's policy with respect to companies owing money to the government when these licences are assessed for approval, either at the Fish Processing Licensing Board level or at the minister's office. If they owe money, do they get a licence?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KING: Mr. Speaker, as I have outlined a number of times in this House for members opposite, there is a very clearly delineated process on how one can acquire a fish processing licence in this Province. An application has to be made to the Fish Processing Licensing Board, which is an independent board established by this government to keep the politics out of establishing licences, Mr. Speaker. I remind the member that it was back in the heyday of the Liberal government when they handed out crab licences like crackerjack boxes, to use the term from my colleague opposite in the NDP. Mr. Speaker, we do not do that. We do not do that. We have a Fish Processing Licensing Board that operates independently, they assess the applications put before them, and they make recommendations to the minister, Mr. Speaker. The application for the licence is based on a very defined set of criteria.

MR. SPEAKER: The Member for Torngat Mountains.

MR. EDMUNDS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

In a report entitled Inuit and the Right to Food, national and international Inuit associations have identified the rate of food insecurity in Nunatsiavut at 45 per cent, five times the Canadian national average. Food insecurity, Mr. Speaker, is impacted by such factors as cost and lack of availability, variety, and quality.

I ask the Minister Responsible for Aboriginal Affairs: Are you aware of this report, and what input did you have into recommendations of the report, including the national Inuit strategy on the right to food?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Intergovernmental and Aboriginal Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. McGRATH: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Our government has two food subsidy programs; one is the national Food Subsidy Program, the other is the Air Foodlift Subsidy program. Both of those programs are designed to subsidize the food that goes to the North Coast. We are the only government that still has the provincial Air Foodlift Subsidy. The only thing is we do not monitor what happens when the subsidy is provided. We are very aware of it and we work very closely to make sure that those subsidies are (inaudible).

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. EDMUNDS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, something is definitely wrong when the price of a case of beer has to retail in Northern Labrador for the same price it does in St. John's, when things like healthy cereals are allowed to go at three times the cost compared to other regions.

Mr. Speaker, the Food Subsidy Program has been in place for quite some time, as the minister alluded to, yet the cost of essential food items to consumers in Nunatsiavut and other coastal communities remains extremely high. Inquiries as to how subsidizing retailers actually benefits the consumer go unanswered.

I ask the minister: Will you undertake a full investigation into the Nutrition North program in our Province to ensure that all aspects of the program are applied so that the consumer is the one who benefits?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Intergovernmental and Aboriginal Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. McGRATH: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Nutrition North program and the Air Foodlift Program regulate certain foods. The foods that we regulate and subsidize there is to provide wholesome foods to the residents on the North Coast. We do not regulate how the retailer uses the subsidy.

I ask the hon. member, being a retailer on the North Coast from the Opposition: does he pass the subsidies on? That is up to the retailer, not to the government, to pass that subsidy on. We provide the subsidy for wholesome foods such as milk, dairy products, and good cereals.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS MICHAEL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday we heard government –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MS MICHAEL: – will not be stepping in to fund the 75 per cent cut to RED Boards by the federal government. The minister said their current 25 per cent contribution was $1.2 million, making the total needed only $4 million. RED Boards have been working hard in their regions to develop their economies, working hard to achieve a government-stated goal of diversifying the economy.

I ask the Premier: If she is willing to set aside $64 million for one project, Muskrat Falls, why can she not invest a few million to support community-based economic development?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, regional economic development is something that this government takes very seriously.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: In 2003, when we came to government, there was exactly $2.6 million in the government's financial arrangements, Mr. Speaker, to drive economic development in this Province. We did our diversification strategies, we did our nine regions; we talked about strengths and where good investments were required. Right now, available for economic development in this Province through a variety of programs is nearly $200 million annually, all over the Province.

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.

Yesterday, the Minister of Innovation, Business and Rural Development spoke of a suite of government programs to promote economic diversification.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MS MICHAEL: He knows these programs are being under-utilized. He spoke of work being done with municipalities and volunteer groups. We know RED Boards have success in rural revitalization. They are made up of volunteers –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MS MICHAEL: – and trained staff working in their regions to develop local economies.

I ask the Premier, Mr. Speaker: Is government telling the RED Boards that they are not playing a significant role in their regions?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, we appreciate the involvement of all volunteers in our communities who are working hard –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: – to make life better in Newfoundland and Labrador. That is why we have developed this whole suite of programs, Mr. Speaker. That is why we have regional economic development offices coming out of IBRD all around the Province. That is why we have developed a whole new department, Mr. Speaker, about Advanced Education and Skills, so people are able to take advantage of opportunities right here in Newfoundland and Labrador. That is why we have made available funds that were never available in our history, not only for people who have business ideas, Mr. Speaker, but for communities as well.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

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

The Harper Government's attack on this Province continues. Many people in this Province who have seen their jobs taken away from them by the federal government will now face a second blow when they apply for EI and find new harsh regulations which could force them to relocate or force them into lesser-paying jobs.

I ask the Premier, Mr. Speaker: Will she make EI regulations a priority on her agenda when she meets with the Prime Minister?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, EI regulations has been on this government's agenda for some time. Mr. Speaker, when I attended COF on behalf of our former Premier three years ago, squarely on the agenda of all of our Premiers in this country. EI is a very important program to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. There are others in other parts of the country though, Mr. Speaker, who also have very definitive views on how the EI program ought to be administered. Without a doubt, strong arguments are going to be made. Mr. Speaker, very strong arguments are going to be made in rebuttal as well.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The Leader of the Third Party.

MS MICHAEL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We will await the report from the Premier then, Mr. Speaker.

In a release issued Friday afternoon, government appeared to lay the blame for the situation at Corner Brook Pulp and Paper at the feet of the workers. The fact of the matter is this situation was caused by Kruger who has not lived up to its end of the deal with workers to pay into the pension fund. Workers lived up to their commitments and now they are being forced to make concessions.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the Premier: How can she sit by and watch her Natural Resources Minister blame the workers of this Province when they stand up to a multinational corporation?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I suppose, Mr. Speaker, one should be grateful that an industry that is so important to the western part of this Province has finally rated a question from the Opposition in this House when it is in such a dire circumstance, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the mill in Corner Brook is extremely important, not only to the people in the Corner Brook region but to all of the Province, and this government has demonstrated its support with over $50 million in the last five years. Mr. Speaker, the minister has met any number of times with the union, as have I, Mr. Speaker. We met with Corner Brook Pulp and Paper management. I have met with Mr. Kruger, as has the minister, Mr. Speaker, and we are going to work together to try and resolve in a successful way the issues facing Corner Brook Pulp and Paper.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. MITCHELMORE: Mr. Speaker, Cooke Aquaculture executives are facing millions of dollars in fines and possible decades in prisons for charges laid by Environment Canada for depositing lethal pesticide cypermethrin into the environment in New Brunswick and they also face charges in Nova Scotia.

Mr. Speaker, given that Cooke Aquaculture has substantial holdings in this Province, can the minister ensure the House that these practices are not happening here?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KING: Mr. Speaker, I do not spend every minute of everyday with Cooke Aquaculture, or any other business in the Province. It would be more than my neck is worth to say today that I can categorically guarantee what the member is asking me to do. What I can say though, is that bar none, Newfoundland and Labrador has the highest expectations and regulations of aquaculture than any other industry – I am certain of Atlantic Canada, but I am told North America, Mr. Speaker – and we have no reason to believe, no reason whatsoever, let me be very clear, that Cooke Aquaculture or any other industry involved in aquaculture in this Province is not upholding the high standards that we expect of them in Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. MITCHELMORE: It is certainly something to be concerned about.

Mr. Speaker, new amendments of the Aquaculture Act appear to beef up government's ability to enforce biosecurity measures in the aquaculture industry. Biosecurity has been a long concern in the industry around the world.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the minister: Why has it taken so long for his department to get around to enacting these measures?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KING: Mr. Speaker, if I had the time I could take the member through a litany of changes that we have made and advances that we have made in the aquaculture industry in Newfoundland and Labrador. Hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars have been invested, and, Mr. Speaker, not only in infrastructure, when we talk about wharves and harbours and developments to assist companies, but we have assisted in other opportunities, particularly along the Coast of Bays, the Connaigre Peninsula Region of the Province, as the Member for Fortune Bay – Cape La Hune would attest, and other areas. I attended, not long ago, an event on the West Coast in Stephenville with the hon. members for that area, Mr. Speaker.

We have made significant advances in aquaculture, but I can say one thing to this House very clearly, is that the key priority for this government in development of aquaculture is biosecurity, and ensuring fish health and safety, and environmental health and safety in all that we do.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS ROGERS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

My question is for the Minister of Child, Youth and Family Services.

Hundreds of children have been apprehended and placed in hotels in alternative living arrangements for the past five years. The department is finally trying to recruit more foster parents but they are also proposing a so-called framework for staffed residential facilities.

I ask the minister: What are staffed residential facilities, and how and who will operate them?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Child, Youth and Family Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS JOHNSON: First of all, before I give a definition of the staffed residential facilities, Mr. Speaker, I would like to correct her misinformation.

We have not had a child in a hotel for the last year and half, at least, Mr. Speaker, so where she is throwing out information of hundreds of children is totally incorrect, Mr. Speaker, and I would like to clarify that to the public, because I think that is the right thing to do.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MS JOHNSON: In terms of staffed residential facilities, they would be things like Waypoints and groups like that where there are staff that actually work in the homes where the children are in our care. The definition is clear.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS ROGERS: Mr. Speaker, research tells us that taking kids away from their families is the most radical surgical process and should be the last resort. The minister has promised more supports for children at risk. We see that there will be more supports for foster parents.

Will the minister tell us what additional services will be provided for families to prevent apprehensions and help families stay together in the long term?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Child, Youth and Family Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS JOHNSON: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I want to make it quite clear, Mr. Speaker, that our first and primary focus in the department is to keep a child with their family. Absolutely, that is where we want the children to be, but when the situation arises that a child needs to be removed for their safety, then it is incumbent upon us to do that. It is difficult, but it is necessary, Mr. Speaker.

In the Budget this year, we announced over $18 million for the next two years for a new continuum of care strategy. We will get to debate it in the House today and I certainly hope that the member supports us on that strategy today.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KIRBY: Mr. Speaker, we know student success is endangered if government does not allocate sufficient numbers of teachers to schools, yet schools offering French Immersion and Intensive Core French are often penalized by the current teacher allocation model.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. KIRBY: When will the Minister of Education stop defending his flawed and outdated teacher allocation model and give all students equal access to French education?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. JACKMAN: Mr. Speaker, let's straighten out some misinformation. To hear the member yesterday talking about our allocation model and kindergarten, and giving the example of a kindergarten class that he has portrayed as being out of whack; Mr. Speaker, I went back out of curiosity and checked. We have no classes in kindergarten over twenty; we have three classes that are at twenty, and the average size in our classrooms in kindergarten is 13.3 students to one teacher.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. JACKMAN: Mr. Speaker, the onus is on all people in this House, whether we are asking or answering, to give correct information.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

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

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

MR. JOYCE: I just wanted clarification, Mr. Speaker.

When the Premier answered the question from the Third Party, she mentioned that finally she got a question from the Opposition.

MR. SPEAKER: There is no point of order.

MR. JOYCE: Are we finished the point of order?

MR. SPEAKER: The Speaker is on his feet, please, one moment. I would remind members there is no point of order, I say to the Member for the Bay of Islands.

MR. JOYCE: (Inaudible).

MR. SPEAKER: The Speaker is on his feet, I remind the Member for the Bay of Islands.

Before we proceed to the next order of business I would remind members that their cellphones are to be turned off while in the House of Assembly. For the last few days there have been a number of cellphones left on loud and the rings are coming into the Assembly. There is a privilege extended to allow the use of electronic devices after Question Period, but I remind members that they are to be on silent mode.

Thank you.

Presenting Reports by Standing and Select Committees.

Tabling of Documents.

Notices of Motion.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

Answers to Questions for which Notice has been Given.

Answers to Questions for which Notice has been Given

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

MS BURKE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise today in response to the Member for Burgeo – La Poile who has tabled a question in the House of Assembly regarding the Business Transformation Project. As confirmed by an Order-in-Council tabled in the House of Assembly on Thursday, March 8, 2012, former Auditor General John Noseworthy has been retained by the Department of Advanced Education and Skills as a consultant to complete an assessment of the current programming and business transformation for the Department of Advanced Education and Skills.

This department was created to help address labour demand and has a mandate to ensure Newfoundland and Labrador has the highly educated graduates and skilled workers needed for this fast-growing economy. Given this new mandate, a comprehensive transformation plan is needed to ensure all departmental policies, programs, and services are streamlined and best fitted to meet the growing labour demands of Newfoundland and Labrador.

To undertake this task, Mr. Noseworthy has been hired as a consultant to examine programs, services, and delivery methods of the Department of Advanced Education and Skills to identify ways to achieve greater efficiency and effectiveness to best meet the future needs of this Province.

Mr. Noseworthy has a distinguished track record in the public service and has the right skills and knowledge to successfully carry out this work. His experience and expertise in reviewing program effectiveness, advising Cabinet ministers, and managing projects, as well as his in-depth knowledge of government process and accountability requirements, makes Mr. Noseworthy the ideal candidate for this position.

It is now my pleasure to provide the House an outline of the business transformation project. The Department of Advanced Education and Skills was created in the fall of 2011 as the result of the merger of the former Department of Human Resources, Labour and Employment and the Advanced Studies Branch of the Department of Education. The new department was created in response to rapid growth and expansion in the provincial economy and the need to focus on supplying highly educated graduates and skilled workers for our fast-growing economy.

This new department will house the yet to be developed Workforce Development Secretariat.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MS BURKE: As a new department, the minister and the Executive are charged with the responsibility to develop a clear vision and direction for the department, to utilize the substantial resources available to it to ensure the Province's workforce is developed in order to capitalize on the economic opportunities that are known and predicted for the next five to ten years, and to further position the Province to pursue and achieve long-term economic success beyond 2020.

The Province's Labour Market: Outlook 2020, which was released in July 2011, laid out a snapshot of the anticipated labour market demands for the next ten years based on known confirmed projects and labour force projections at the time. That Outlook projected that the Newfoundland and Labrador labour force will experience unprecedented pressures over the next ten years as a consequence of economic growth and expansion, coupled with a substantial decline in labour force participants as a result of attrition – retirements.

It has been projected that the Province will need 53,000 workers to enter the labour force by 2015. Approximately 23,000 of these workers will be required to address growth and expansion associated with major project developments that were known and scheduled at the time. In addition, a further 30,000 workers will be required to replace workers who are projected to retire during the same period. From 2016-2020, the Outlook projects a contraction in the labour force of approximately 16,000 associated with the completion of the major projects, but an anticipated additional growth in attrition of 33,000 workers. On a ten-year basis, the Outlook predicted the need to bring 70,000 workers into the Newfoundland and Labrador labour force. The predictions of the Labour Market Outlook 2020 were based on known projects. Since the release of Outlook 2020, other projects have been announced or are in development, which will expand the labour market needs, leading to 2015 and will mitigate against the forecasted contraction in the post-2015 period.

In order to meet the labour needs of the future, the Province will be working to maximize the number of graduates exiting our post-secondary institutions, with a view to ensuring they are trained in the occupational growth areas of the future. Opportunities will be pursued to actively repatriate former Newfoundlanders and Labradorians who may have left in search of meaningful employment. We will be seeking to attract and retain those workers who currently commute outside the Province for employment. We will also work with business and labour to ensure there is a maximum mobility of workers within the Province to gain access to the available jobs. Likewise, efforts will be required to increase labour force participation, particularly amongst underrepresented groups, including Aboriginals, persons with disabilities, and women. Immigration will be another key –

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

This being Wednesday, it is now 3 o'clock; there is a private member's resolution on the floor. I now call on the Member for Mount Pearl North to introduce his private member's motion, as on the Order Paper.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENT: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is a pleasure to rise in the House today to speak to the private member's motion on foster care that I read into the record yesterday, Mr. Speaker – and for that reason, I will not read the full motion again today, but I will read the final clause. It reads:

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that this hon. House praise foster parents of Newfoundland and Labrador, and commend the initiative the provincial government is taking to provide greater supports for foster parents in this Province, in recognition of the vital role they play in caring for the children and youth most at risk.

Mr. Speaker, my objective today in presenting this motion is not to simply recognize the progress that this government has made in improving foster care. In fact, the people that I really want to acknowledge today are the foster families throughout Newfoundland and Labrador. I want my colleagues here in this House on both sides of this House to join with me in raising awareness of the need that exists for more foster homes here in our Province.

Beyond speaking to this issue as someone who has been an advocate for children and youth for many years, I chose to introduce this motion because it pertains to an issue that has touched me personally. In fact, I actually have a very deep personal connection to the foster care system. I actually spent the first four months of my life in foster care in this Province. After being born on the West Coast in Stephenville in the old Sir Thomas Roddick Hospital, several days later I was placed in a foster home in Pasadena, which at the time was one of only a couple of foster homes on the West Coast of the Island.

My adoption journey and experiences with the adoption system are probably best kept for a story for another day, but suffice it to say, I got a good start in the early months of my life thanks to a generous family on the West Coast that cared for many foster children. I can say, Mr. Speaker, that I am very grateful for that. It is because of my life experiences that I continue to work with children and youth. It is also why I chose community service and public service as a career.

Mr. Speaker, for many years I have been aware of the need for more foster homes in Newfoundland and Labrador. For many years I have believed that if the people of Newfoundland and Labrador truly understood the need, then there would not be such a shortage of foster homes. We are a caring, generous, compassionate people; surely, if the people of this Province truly understood the fact that there are hundreds of children right here, right now, who are in need of good homes, then surely the people of Newfoundland and Labrador would respond.

That is my goal today, Mr. Speaker. This issue, if we choose, can transcend party lines. Today in this House we can send a strong message of support for foster families and we can challenge the people of Newfoundland and Labrador to answer the call and to become foster families themselves. There is a huge need and we as elected officials and as people in this Province have a huge responsibility to reach out to the children and youth that are in need.

Mr. Speaker, several years ago my wife and I decided that we wanted to help and we wanted to try and set an example in addressing this issue, so we became foster parents ourselves, offering to help on a short-term or on an emergency basis. We went through the screening process, which certainly took some time. We took the PRIDE training course for foster families through Eastern Health at the time, and we did everything we needed to do to become a part of this great program, and it really is a great program.

I cannot think of any better way to help our most vulnerable residents. Perhaps it was through the work that we do on a daily basis that I saw a need, an immediate need to step forward and become a foster parent. Perhaps it was because I was recently married and we were planning for our first child of our own. Most likely, though, it was because of my personal connection to foster care. Regardless of the reasons, Mr. Speaker, my wife and I have had the privilege of fostering several children on a short-term basis over the past number of years and it really has been a positive experience.

The first experience was actually when my wife was over eight months pregnant with our first child. We were in the process of preparing our house for our new addition and all of a sudden we were contacted by Child, Youth and Family Services. They had a baby girl who was just a few months old at the time who needed emergency care. We chatted about it and, really, we did not hesitate. We were thrilled to help out. We had no idea of how long this little child would be with us, but we opened our house and our hearts almost immediately. I got to see first-hand what a great mother my wife Janet was going to be, although I had a pretty good hunch about that anyway.

After a short period of time, this child was reunited with her mom and dad and the rest of her family. We felt honoured to be part of that process and it was great to see such a positive outcome.

After our first experience, Janet and I were convinced more than ever that we had made the right decision by offering the service of foster parents, even on a short-term, temporary basis. In August of that year our first son was born. That, of course, brought about a range of overwhelming emotions. We were busy being new parents, and before we knew it, Christmas was upon us just several months later, our first Christmas with Ben, our new son. It was special.

The week before Christmas, we received another call from Child, Youth and Family Services. They were asking us to provide emergency care for a newborn. This child was only days old and needed care. We talked about it and we agreed to help. We could not let this child spend their first Christmas anywhere else. Off to the hospital we went to pick up another new arrival. We looked at our own son and wanted the same thing for this child, a wonderful first Christmas. What a Christmas it was. Janet and I, my family and friends, will never forget the joy of having two infants in our home at Christmastime for our son's first Christmas. It was a wonderful feeling.

I am amazed at the generosity that we witnessed that year. Gifts, of course, are a part of the Christmas tradition. There were plenty of gifts. Not only did my family and friends bring gifts for us and our new son, but they brought gifts for our foster child as well. We felt blessed to have such loving people in our lives, who are willing to support us wholeheartedly and unconditionally.

I am sure there were some raised eyebrows when we announced that we were fostering a child over the holidays, during our son's first Christmas, but everyone was supportive, generous, and wonderful, like Newfoundlanders and Labradorians always are.

Mr. Speaker, in saying all of that, I do not want to glaze over the fact that being a foster parent has its challenges, but with a little effort we can get through those challenges, and these children will be better off for it. I strongly believe that feeling of doing something great far outweighs the feelings of doubt. If we all work together we can make this program the best program it possibly can be for the children it is intended to serve. Then we have definitely done something great.

Mr. Speaker, our government has been doing some pretty great things to ensure that we have the resources needed to enhance the foster families program, to recruit more families to the foster care program, and to serve more children who need our help. Our government's dedication to improving and increasing foster care services in Newfoundland and Labrador, throughout Newfoundland and Labrador, stems from one of our guiding principles, the best interests of the child is paramount for this government, Mr. Speaker.

In the provision of Child, Youth and Family Services, our Premier, our minister, and our government have taken many steps to ensure that the safety and well-being of our children and youth is truly a top priority. This is evident in the creation of a department that is solely dedicated to child protection which includes foster care, youth services, youth corrections, and child care services as well. It is also evident, Mr. Speaker, in an important piece of legislation that was completed by the department, and that is the Children and Youth Care and Protection Act. It was proclaimed last June, and this progressive new piece of legislation really better safeguards the Province's most vulnerable children and youth.

I would like to speak for a few minutes, in the few minutes that I have left, about some of the benefits of this new act. First of all, it continues the authority to intervene when a child or youth is the victim of harm or neglect by a parent, but it increases our ability to intervene where a child is at risk of such harm as defined by the act. This new piece of legislation strengthens the best interest of the child principle as being paramount above all other considerations. The act also serves to better protect children and youth as well as provide greater clarity to staff, to the community, to clients and to the courts as well. It contains significant updates and significant changes which are more child-centered. They better reflect best practices in clinical work, and they also promote better permanency planning which is really important when we talk about children and youth in care.

Mr. Speaker, there have been a number of other changes and updates to legislation and policies in Newfoundland and Labrador that really focus on providing better planning for the children and youth who are in our care. We have reduced the number of temporary court orders for children in the care of the Province. We now require a detailed plan for the child to be filed with the courts. We have established a process for monitoring all children who are in care. We have increased the age of continuous custody in the Province. We support youth in need of protection even longer as they transition into adulthood. We recognize the risk of emotional harm as grounds for protective intervention, which is new as a result of this latest legislation. We have introduced a new statutory legislative review process, and we have imposed a publication ban that restricts the reporting of any identifying information about a child and the family with respect to a proceeding under this new act.

Mr. Speaker, the Children and Youth Care and Protection Act, and the Protection and In-Care Policy Manual that has been developed by the department provide direction and guidance to our front line staff in the new Department of Child, Youth and Family Services to support their work with children and youth who are really in need of protective intervention.

In my closing remarks, I hope to talk some more about the new act and some of the positive changes it has led to in the foster care system here in our Province. It is also important to note, Mr. Speaker, that most of the time the Department of Child, Youth and Family Services is working with families so children and youth can remain in their homes. This is a really important principle that we are deeply committed to. The department is actually working with about 4,400 families, and there are approximately 7,500 children in need of protective intervention in Newfoundland and Labrador, 7,500 children today. Approximately 90 per cent of these children are provided supports in their own homes with their own families, but approximately 10 per cent of these children have been removed by court order from parents' care to ensure the child's safety. The ultimate goal is always working towards the child being returned home to their parents' care, if it is indeed in the best interest of the child.

Mr. Speaker, I also want to acknowledge that our government has a great relationship with the Foster Families Association in this Province. I get a great sense of pride from this organization. They are very proud of the work that they do, and they are confident that this government is doing the right things when it comes to child care and foster care in this Province. There are many positive steps that we have taken to advance the care of children in the Province and to advance the cause of foster families in our Province. The Foster Families Association would certainly acknowledge that the new department was, and is, an essential step in getting the needs of foster children and foster families greater attention that they do deserve.

Our strategy is on target. We have increased compensation to foster families, which has been extremely well-received by caregivers in Newfoundland and Labrador. The Foster Families Association would also tell you that any news stories, whether good or bad, following such stories they see an increase in calls, they see an increase in offers to be foster families. So that exposure is certainly good, but we definitely need to reach more people in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Mr. Speaker, though, as I mentioned earlier, there are still challenges that need to be addressed. The biggest issue from where I sit is a shortage of foster homes still to this day in Newfoundland and Labrador. More kids are coming into the system, and it seems, Mr. Speaker, that fewer families in this Province are coming forward to help. Despite improved advertising efforts and awareness campaigns, we do not seem to be reaching the majority of the population. The general public does not truly know there is a real issue here, a real shortage of foster homes. Most people do not realize that kids are being cared for in alternative living arrangements.

So we need to focus on recruitment. We need to do more advertising and we need to do what we can as a government to raise awareness, working with organizations like the Foster Families Association. We need to improve compensation for foster families, as we have done and we need to continue to do. We really need to do whatever we can to get the community engaged in finding solutions. We also have to focus on the reasons for an increase of children coming into care and the apparent decrease of willing foster families, and do what we can to help address those challenges as well.

Demographics are changing, Mr. Speaker. Parents who have two kids and are both working, for instance, do not necessarily feel they have time to take in more kids. Years ago, the mother perhaps would stay at home with a number of kids and still take in additional foster children; it was commonplace. The economy is changing, society is changing, and that certainly creates additional demands that we need to consider.

We also need to consider the complex role that foster parents are called upon to play. Many people who do not have kids and want them are very nervous and very fearful of taking foster children because of that looming fear that they are going to eventually return to their homes or be taken back. The goal of our system is reunification with birth parents, and although it does not always happen, many people are reluctant to be engaged in foster care under those circumstances.

There are challenges, Mr. Speaker, and we have worked to overcome many of these challenges. While there is still work to be done, I really do believe that we are on a good path. The bottom line, Mr. Speaker, is that we need more foster homes in Newfoundland and Labrador. The Foster Families Association and the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador are indeed working quite hard to address that. As elected officials here in this House, Mr. Speaker, we need to do our part to get that message out. That is what I hope we will be able to do together here today.

I will conclude there, Mr. Speaker. I hope other members of this House will share their experiences. Today is an opportunity for us to stand together, applaud the efforts of our foster families, and to emphasize the need for more foster families. If we continue to get the message out there, I am really and truly hopeful that the people of Newfoundland and Labrador will answer the call and we will see more people come forward to serve as foster families here in this great Province.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I look forward to the rest of the debate this afternoon.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The Member for St. Barbe.

MR. BENNETT: Mr. Speaker, truly, as the Member for Mount Pearl North said, foster parents are wonderful people. Foster parents fill a very difficult void because in fact society and Child, Youth and Family Services are not saying: Will you adopt this child? Will this child be a member of your family forever? Child, Youth and Family Services is saying: This is a child in need, this is a child who needs a home, and we would like for you to foster this child for a certain period of time. How long? We do not really know how long. It might be a relatively shorter time, and it may be a very long time. It may be until, ideally, the biological or maybe even adoptive parents of this child are able to receive the child back home. We are asking you to accept the child, to provide a home for a child, to foster a child and then, at some point, we propose to come and take this child back. You may very well become attached to this child over a period of time, but you are providing a home, you are providing a service, you are providing a benefit to society. We cannot tell you for how long it will last, but we can tell you that it will likely be a challenge, and we are asking you to open your home and provide this benefit and this service.

Clearly, it is a very valuable and necessary benefit. I will have no difficulty to support the private member's resolution, although there are certain areas where I think that it could probably go further. That should come as no surprise that members of the Opposition are here not necessarily just to oppose, but to applaud and recommend that the government go further.

Mr. Speaker, the more recent numbers, the statistics that we look at indicate a very troubling trend in foster care, which is an exceptionally difficult job and Child, Youth and Family Services is a difficult job. The government introduced a new model of care and the intention being that the ratio of social workers to caseloads would be 1 to 20, and supervisor to social workers would 1 to 6. Yet, we are still in a situation where some social workers have had documented caseloads recently of up to seventy. There may not be an easy solution for that but, clearly, we need to work forward.

Mr. Speaker, 278 of the 850 children at the end of last year were Aboriginal children. That means that one-third of the children are Aboriginal children. That brings with it definite additional issues to deal with. Mr. Speaker, the statistics provided through Child, Youth and Family Services indicate that in metro area, with 239 children in care, at that point we have only 128 foster homes. More recently, the minister, in Estimates, indicated that number was down to 114 foster homes. That means we have fewer foster homes as the time goes on in Metro where, in fact, we have a growing need. That is a very troubling statistic. Maybe it is brought on by increases in prosperity, different lifestyle, a different type of society, people who are maybe busy with themselves and have less to offer.

A more difficult statistic is the number of children in ILA and ALA living arrangements was sixty-seven at the end of last year, which is 28 per cent of the children in Metro in these living arrangements. That must be an extreme challenge and clearly needs to be addressed and needs to be addressed in a manner that means that the most vulnerable children are not left to fend for themselves.

Mr. Speaker, some of the areas are encouraging; in central east, western, and Labrador-Grenfell, the number of foster homes that are available compared to the number of children in care is almost matched. It is clear the minister needs to try to determine why we have such a disparity between Metro, which is the wealthiest part of the Province, and the other three areas that are, I would say, fairly well off, but certainly not as well off as Metro.

Then when we go to the Innu zone and see 144 children in care and only 108 foster homes. Apparently we do not have available the use of ILA and ALA living arrangements; consequently thirty-two of the children from the Innu zone, or 22 per cent, are sent out of the Province to be fostered, to be cared for. Clearly that must be an absolutely frightening statistic –

AN HON. MEMBER: Out of Labrador, you mean?

MR. BENNETT: I am sorry?

AN HON. MEMBER: Out of Labrador.

MR. BENNETT: Out of Labrador. I am sorry. The heading says number of children in out-of-Province placements.

With that number, thirty-two of fifty-two in total means that over 60 per cent of the children who are Native children are not being fostered close to home. Maybe that means that we need to have a larger facility, maybe in the nature of a group home in the Labrador area, a facility so that if we simply cannot come up with enough foster homes, then these children certainly should be cared for much closer to their cultural roots, a place where extended family members could visit; maybe it is Goose Bay, maybe it is one or more of the communities on the coast of Labrador. Clearly this figure is very troubling when 22 per cent of all the children in foster care in the Innu zone are out-of-Province placements. That represents more than 60 per cent of all the children in care in the Province.

I have no answer as to what the solution is, but simply it should not be permitted to continue. Given what we know about different cultural aspects of growing up with a person's culture and the experience that we had historically – not only in this Province, but even more so in this country – with residential schools, this should be a very troubling statistic.

We can see from the numbers that are provided that in Western Labrador, for example: 124 children in care, 119 foster homes, and only one child out-of-Province. Even in the Labrador-Grenfell region, only three children have had to leave for care. Mr. Speaker, clearly we need to have some focus on the living arrangements for St. John's foster children. It says Metro, presumably it is the Greater St. John's area and Metro; obviously 128 foster homes cannot possibly look after 239 children. The independent living arrangements and the alternative living arrangements are just not sufficient.

Mr. Speaker, the other information that I have been provided indicates the type of accommodation that is available for some of the children in the ILA and ALA arrangements is simply not up to grade. It is almost as if the most vulnerable members of our society are the ones who have to cope with the greatest difficulties. Many of these children, the ones who are sixteen and seventeen in ILA and ALA arrangements, they themselves have substance abuse problems; they themselves have had difficulties with the law.

They themselves at sixteen years of age cannot buy alcohol legally, cannot buy tobacco legally, cannot vote, and cannot drive a car. The only thing that they can do at sixteen years of age, Mr. Speaker, is they can consent to engage in sex. That in itself would be a scary prospect for sixteen- and seventeen-year-olds who have to find their own accommodations because they are deemed to be emancipated.

I would call on any members, Mr. Speaker, to think back on themselves when they were sixteen years of age. I am sure that when you are sixteen years of age, you assume that you might have all the answers, but likely within a handful of years you realize you did not even have all of the questions.

Mr. Speaker, seconded by the Member for Burgeo – La Poile, I am going to propose an amendment and to amend the resolution by adding a new THEREFORE clause to the end, stating:

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this hon. House encourage government to take the necessary steps and allocate resources for youth at risk who may be difficult placements where no foster homes are available, or for young people who are emancipated are provided with more care and closer supervision so that recent tragedies do not reoccur.

This is seconded by the Member for Burgeo – La Poile.

MR. SPEAKER (Verge): Order, please!

We have an amendment proposed by the Member for St. Barbe and the House will now take a brief recess to consider whether the amendment is in order.

Recess

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

I should have turned off the chimes before I had the last speech.

We have considered the amendment as put forward by the Member for St. Barbe, and the amendment is in order. We will now proceed with debate.

The hon. the Minister of Education.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. JACKMAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am going to tell you, there are times when we speak in this House and it is an honour and a privilege to get up and speak to it. This is one of these days for me, Mr. Speaker, I have to tell you. I think most of the people probably on this side of the House might know that we were a foster family. I had five children of my own and then into our world came some other children. I will tell you that from this government's perspective, anytime that I have sat around a caucus table or a Cabinet table to speak to issues around children, our Premier – I will not go as far as to say she is more committed on this issue than any other, but I am telling you, Mr. Speaker, her heart is into the children of this Province. There is no –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. JACKMAN: Absolutely, I have no doubt about it; I have no questions about it. Then I go to the minister, and the minister is the mother of a two year old.

MS JOHNSON: Three now.

MR. JACKMAN: Three year old, and from the mother's perspective in a child, no one wants anything better than what she wants for her own child. That transcends across the department and into all the initiatives that she is taking. In terms of the types of initiatives that are coming forth in this, speaking from a former foster parent's position, they are fabulous.

Now, Mr. Speaker, I am going to start off by telling you a couple of stories because I think stories tell the point sometimes better than we can if we are reading it from text. I am going to tell you how I got started in fostering. I was principal of a school, and on a Friday afternoon we had cause to remove a child from our school. The social worker – this is about 5:00 o'clock in the afternoon – could not track down anyone, so she had to have someone to accompany her with this child to a foster home. I went with her and on the way back we started talking about it, and I had indicated to her in our conversation that as a family, my wife and I had spoken about fostering. That was on a Friday. Two weeks later we were into it and we had received – the first child had come into our home. He was three-and-a-half years old. I am going to tell you that when that child arrived at our door and the car drove away, I can still see him, he was stood at the left-hand corner of the window looking out and he was crying. What you had to do is you had to console that child. We did, and he stayed with us for three-and-a-half years.

Mr. Speaker, I am going to tell you another story, and put any of you and your child in this context. We had a fourteen-and-a-half-year-old child, and I say child because this young man had gone through many challenges in his life. He arrived at our doorstep on December 26. Think about it, everyone knows what Christmas means, on December 26. I will tell you this much, on December 26, 27, 28 and December 29, I spent my time driving up the road because every opportunity that he had he bolted. On December 29, I picked him up. I took him in the car and I said to him, just give us one month. If it does not work out for you in one month, we will go back to the social worker and we will ask for something different. He stayed for a year and a half. These are the challenges that these children face.

I am going to tell you one that is really funny, because with all of this comes the challenge and sometimes the humorous stories. I worked with the school board. I happened to be over in Corner Brook at the time, and this was in February. This cannot be solely my responsibility in our home because it is my other children, and in particular it is my wife. The two of us had to take the team - and I will tell you that my wife is the emotional one. She will attach herself emotionally and you need somebody while doing that to be the realist in it and I think I was the realist. Anyway, I was in Corner Brook and my wife called and she said we have a problem. Now my house have bigger windows upstairs and there is a ledge, one of the foster kids that we had wanted to go out after 8:30 in the evening and my wife would not let him. Here is the conversation: Hello, Clyde, so-and-so is out on the ledge. He had gotten out of the window and he had stood out on the ledge and he was not coming back in because my wife would not let him go out. The conversation is: Give him the phone. He is on the phone out on the ledge and I am saying to him: You had better be in this house before I get back from Corner Brook.

The funny thing about it is, I wasn't going to be back for a day-and-a-half; I didn't expect him to be out there that long. You had better get in off that ledge before I get back. I will be back the day after tomorrow.

Mr. Speaker, my point in saying that is that the challenges that come with it, and I think the individuals who enter into foster care do it for a specific reason, because they care. They truly do care. I do not need any speaking notes today to speak to this, because it comes from the heart. It comes from the heart, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. JACKMAN: I keep saying to people – and I will backtrack – I have been in on the meetings where the foster parents have met, and I keep saying to people, if you are going to enter this, and you are going to do this, do not expect the Pollyanna stories. Do not expect the Pollyanna stories. There will be the rewards, but remember, these children come with challenges, and if you are going to take them into your home, you better be prepared for the challenges.

I remember an eleven-year-old, and he went to the room, and he was clocking the wall. He was going to hurt himself or he was going to hurt one of us, so I took him and I held him, and I said: now, you be good and I am going to let you go. Well, mistake, I let him go too early; he socked me right in the eye, so for three or four days I am going around with a bit of bruise. If you are going to enter this, these are the types of challenges you face. You accept that when you go in, and when you come out, there are the rewards, because some of these people – the young fellow on the ledge, ran into him a few months ago. Some of them will call you and contact you, and now with Facebook, these people still come back and touch base with you.

I recall a very young mother and an eight- or nine-month-old baby; I am telling you right now, if we could have, we would have kept the young baby. They needed a chance. This young girl had been through more in her life than many of us will ever go through. And you work with the school, because if she had been where her grades had put her, she would have been in with the Grade 8 class. I knew she was extremely bright. We worked with the school and we got her in with her age-mates. She did Academic Math. She was a very, very intelligent young woman. Given the chance, you can make the difference.

I have to speak to one other thing. Anybody who ever attempts to understand the bond between child and parent, never underestimate it. One young boy whose father was in very difficult situations, all he ever wanted was his father to get better. He wanted to go back with his father and all he ever wanted was for his father to get better.

I can proudly stand here and say that one of the young fellows I mentioned previously who with us for three-and-a-half years – we followed him and monitored him, because you always have an interest in these children – there is a thing that brought him back into our life. When he was in Grade 10, actually, is when it started. It was unfortunate for me; I had a heart attack, but I showed up on the TV screen, and just shortly after that he contacted us. He came back to stay with us for a week in Easter, he continued stay with us, finished his high school education. He works out of the Province but he is doing quite well.

There are the success stories and I am sure there are the challenges that will come with it. I heard my colleague from Mount Pearl North speak earlier. He speaks personally from the experience from a different perspective than I do, but both of us will tell you we recognize the challenge, but we also recognize the reward. There is an inherent reward.

I will tell you that my five children, I am convinced, are better for it. The young lads that they are, I came home one evening and one of my sons – because I have two sons, my youngest are just a year apart – one of them comes running: dad, you had better come out; such and such is going to kill such and such. I scramble out and they were into a little bit of a wrestling match. That is the reality. That is the reality of bringing up a family and then having someone come in. You learn these types of behaviour are inappropriate; both sides, both the foster child and your own children, learn a different perspective.

I have to say that as much as the challenge was there, I would not have ever traded the experience, never would. It is something that leaves a mark on you. I am convinced that the one foster child who borrowed $100 off me will bring it back one day. He will bring it back one day. I say that in all seriousness because I know that somewhere along the way, he and I will come face-to-face and he will remember that. He will remember that – I hope; no, I am only joking. The rewards that come with it, Mr. Speaker, are second to none.

Minister, these supports that you have put in place in this department, I am telling you, will help foster parents immensely and, I would say, will limit the red tape type of stuff. That is what this is about. What it will allow is us to encourage more foster parents to come in and actually have foster parents doing the role they want to do.

I would say to all members of this House: If there is anyone out there you can think of who would be interested in fostering, get in touch with some officials and talk to them about it. Recognize the challenges you are going to face when you enter it, but also speak to others who have fostered and see the rewards they have taken away from it. It is a privilege to do and it is about giving. What this allows is for a more effective and efficient delivery of that service.

I conclude, Mr. Speaker, by saying as I started out that we have a Premier, a minister, and a government who are very much committed to this. This goes beyond political realms. This is about doing what is best for the children of this Province.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The Member for St. John's Centre.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS ROGERS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am happy to be able to speak to this private member's resolution. I would like to congratulate all foster parents, past and present, and congratulate their families as well for taking part in what is one of the foundation services of supports for kids in care. I would like to thank them for their generosity, for their wisdom, and for their commitment. Child protection services and family services can be among the most complex services we provide through government and in our communities. The workers in these fields have, at times, among the most difficult and complex work to do.

When I first immersed myself in the details of this department as a critic for Child, Youth and Family Services, I was somewhat surprised by the first mandate of the department and how it is stated. The mandate is stated as, "The Department of Child, Youth and Family Services is responsible for protecting children and youth from maltreatment by parents…". The mandate seems more about child rescue than family support, and I found that somewhat troubling.

The work of this department, in fact, should be more about families in need of assistance rather than children in need of protection. It should be more about prevention rather than apprehensions and removals. Perhaps it is, but the first mandate is as was stated. Its main mandate for Child, Youth and Family Services should not be a forensic one, but its mandate reflects that. They seem to do prevention only after the maltreatment has occurred. Mr. Speaker, this is not prevention; this is rather reactive. Best practices in fact should be a department that is concerned about the day-to-day realities of the lives of parents and children. What they experience in the way of poverty, violence, discrimination, poor housing or unaffordable housing, isolation, mental health or addictions, and what the state or the department can do to help alleviate these problems to ensure that families who are need of help can get the help they need in order to work on a prevention level. This means that we need more resource workers. Parents who need help need more services than what are available.

Two years ago in 2010, the Auditor General criticized the Protective Intervention Program in this Province where children are removed from the family home and placed in family care, or in foster care, or a staffed residence. For several years, the small number of foster homes could not cope with an increased number of children removed from their homes. In 2007, the government created Alternate Living Arrangements, ALAs, temporary residential arrangements, sometimes in motels, or hotels or apartments, for children up to sixteen, including infants, who were watched over by social workers and other caregivers after their regular shifts were over. The Auditor General was critical of the number of children in ALAs and the fact that children were staying too long in them, months and sometimes a year, and that they were cared for by staff that were overworked already and not necessarily trained in child development. It was hard on the children, it was hard on the social workers, and it was hard on the families.

We know that social workers and social work assistants at times are still expected to fill in to help staff ALAs when there are tight spots on nights or on weekends. We know that there has been a reduction in the number of children who are in ALAs and that the government finally has a continuum of care strategy and they will try to keep more children either in a relatives home or a foster home by offering more money and resources and training, and the hope is to recruit more foster parents. This is a good move. This is a necessary move.

Foster care in the Province has been in a state of flux and we all know that it has been very hard to recruit and to retain foster parents because there has not been enough support. There has not been enough supervision. There has not been enough training. There has not been enough respite care. There has not been enough funding. This move to increase that is a good thing.

With the increase in the number of foster care homes, it is more likely then to have a better match for children who will go into foster care, a better match for kids to have their actual needs met. It is not just about a bed and a bowl. Resources must be put towards more professional fostering where the whole family is involved, not just housing the kids and feeding the kids but involving the biological family or the family of origin. Foster parenting, when it is done well, can be full-time work. That they would work with a family of origin and with a child or children to strengthen and support the family to eventually, when possible, work towards reunification.

There are not enough community supports for our families in need. We need to see the development of more resources to help families with complex needs. Resource teams, there were supportive resource teams available for foster families. They are no longer in place but foster families are expected, should they have problems, to deal with the child protection worker of the particular children in their care. We know that these child protection workers are already overworked and hard to reach. This is not the ideal situation. We need to see the re-establishment of resource teams who will help specifically foster families do the work that they have so generously committed to doing.

Taking children into care should be a last resort. The state is not a good parent, and keeping the family together must be the focus. Although we know that some parents, because of their particular complex needs, may never be able to have their own kids live with them. To invest in foster care, however, and not put major investments in family supports is backwards. We know there is a shortage of treatment for people with several mental health and addictions complex needs, which makes it very difficult at times for families to keep their children in their homes.

Besides encouraging more foster homes, government said that they will implement a framework for staffed residential facilities for children and youth who need this level of support. What will these residences look like? We were not given any information about them during the Estimates meeting. If they are private residences, how will they be better monitored in the future? How will the department ensure they are staffed by professionals trained in child development? How do we ensure that the staff are well-paid, well trained professionals, acting professionally, either in a private or a for-profit system?

Supports for children and families; the new continuum of care for children at risk should include reasonable caseloads so that social workers can spend the time they need to assist children and their families. This is important for prevention. The department needs to put more resources into prevention programs, and invest more in families to prevent children from being at risk and to prevent children from being taken from their families. We need more parental counselling and education. We need faster and more comprehensive access to mental health and addictions counselling. We know there is an increase in the incidents of mental health problems and addictions problems in our societies, in our communities, that result in family problems. There needs to be more training and employment opportunities for families at risk. There needs to be more referral to Family Resource Centre programs, which are underutilized at this moment.

Families, particularly families living below the poverty line, need more money in order to be able to survive, in order to be able to relieve the stresses that they feel in day-to-day living. Investing in prevention should be the first line of defence for our children. Investing in prevention actually should be the first line of protection for our children. Protection is about prevention, not apprehension. How can we expect parents to parent properly if they do not have the resources available to them if they are having problems? Where can families go before abuse takes place? For families who self report, who are reaching out for help, how can they trust the child protection program when in fact what they need is other kinds of resources to help them cope so that they can parent better, so that they can keep children, and we can keep families together?

What about families who are too poor to provide the necessities for their children? We must recognize the role of poverty as one of the root problems of child neglect. Not that poverty causes neglect, but families who do not have the economic resources to fully take care of their children are under great stress. Present income supports for families are not liveable rates and need to be raised. I would like to have seen more resources put into families, into prevention, more resources for families, for children in order to prevent abuse and to prevent neglect.

Again, in finishing, I would like to congratulate the foster families who have been so committed and who have been so generous. I would also like to applaud this movement on behalf of the government to increase resources and supports for foster families, for increasing the amount of money available to foster families so that they can more properly take care of the children who are brought into this care.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The Minister of Child, Youth and Family Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS JOHNSON: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I had so much I wanted to say today about the specifics of what we are doing on the continuum of care, but, Mr. Speaker, after the last fifteen minutes of having to listen to what was basically a lot of nonsense, dare I say, I am going to have to address some of that.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS JOHNSON: Before I do, Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the two speakers, the Members for Mount Pearl North and Burin - Placentia West, not only to thank them for speaking but to thank them for being the great foster parents that they have been and continue to be.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS JOHNSON: It is very difficult to match up to the words from both members because, absolutely, they are speaking from the heart, but I have to tell you honestly and in all sincerity, I am speaking from the heart, too, when I say that I thank the Premier often, very often, for putting me in the Department of Child, Youth and Family Services. It has been the best experience of my life, this past year and a half, Mr. Speaker.

There are a lot of issues. There have been a lot of issues over the years. The Premier has been very, very supportive of creating this new department and putting financial supports into the department. We are doing wonderful things there. The Child Care Strategy was something very near and dear to me, but particularly this continuum of care strategy, Mr. Speaker.

As was mentioned, I do have a child. When you look at all of the issues that families have to face, the first thing comes to your mind is: How does this happen to children? Some of the files that I read, you are just left awestruck that this could actually happen to a child, Mr. Speaker. When it does happen, we need to act and we need to be responsible. That is why we need to depend on associations like the Foster Families Association. Diane Molloy and Amy Kendall are here today, and I cannot thank them enough for all the work they do on behalf of the foster families in the Province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS JOHNSON: They are a tremendous support to the foster families who are out there, everyday working with the foster families, helping them with training and supports. Every time I have had a conversation with them, Mr. Speaker, their heart is in the right place and their head is in the right place, and we are so very pleased to have such a great partnership with them. I thank you very much for that.

I also want to thank the foster families in the Province –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MS JOHNSON: As was mentioned very eloquently by the Member for Burin - Placentia West, and also Mount Pearl North, it is not an easy task to take a child into your home that has been taken away from their parents.

The first thing I want to address from the Member for St. John's Centre, I read her press release that came out just after Question Period, Mr. Speaker. I have to say, I think it is very irresponsible for a member when they ask a question in this House and they put incorrect information on the floor that has then been corrected by the minister. I am referring to her statement that there have been hundreds of children in hotels. I clearly answered in Question Period that is not the case. We have not had a child in a hotel for the last year-and-a-half, and then immediately after Question Period a press release goes out stating that there are hundreds of children apprehended and placed in hotels – totally irresponsible. Then the press release goes on to say that removing children is a radical process is the word, and I do agree that it should be the last resort and it is the last resort, Mr. Speaker.

I can tell you categorically from the files that I have read – of which there are many – these children are far better off in our care and in a loving foster family, like we heard from today and all of the foster families that we have, than in the situation that we took them from, Mr. Speaker. It is a very difficult situation when you have to remove a child from the home. The one thing that we want most for our children is to stay in their homes with the parents, but when a child is at risk of maltreatment or parents are unable to care for their child, it is incumbent upon us to be responsible and care for that child. While they may term it as radical, Mr. Speaker, I would say it is difficult yes, but it is absolutely necessary.

She also went on in her comments talking about staff residential facilities and she asked in Question Period today: What are they? What are they going to look like? They are out there now; they have been in place for many, many years. They are group homes. What they are is they are living arrangements that are staffed by paid staff. The definition is very simple. It is what it says it is and that is what is currently in place: our group homes, our organizations that we do contract work with, like Waypoints. They have fabulous facilities in place; I visited them. The one thing that amazes me all of the time is how resilient these children are, but we are there to provide the supports. That is what they are; there is nothing different about them. All we are saying is that we are going to look at the staff residential arrangements. If she did any research at all, she would see that this was raised by the Auditor General in terms of that there is no tender in place. That is something that we are looking at how we can most effectively and efficiently provide these staff residential arrangements.

Mr. Speaker, it was very troubling to listen to her talk about how we are too focused on a child. I am just amazed and baffled that she would say such a thing. It is unfortunate that I have to raise it and God rest his soul, but the Zackary Turner story and the services that Shirley Turner had, she had more services than imaginable – all types of services. The problem was there was not a focus on the child. She came in through the family services door; there was never a focus on the child, Mr. Speaker. If she had done the proper research and when we brought the new act into the House and proclaimed it last year – and the whole focus of that act was focusing on the child – it was based on what the experts had told us. The experts had said that there needs to be more focus on the child. I refer her to the Clinical Services Review of 2008, Susan Abell, a known expert throughout Canada and beyond. Mr. Speaker, the one thing she said that we need to do is focus on the child.

In terms of what I just had to listen to, it is very troublesome. I propose to the Third Party that they certainly get more research, or get another critic for that matter when it comes to this. She clearly, clearly does not get the intentions of the department and where the need is when it comes to the child.

Mr. Speaker, having to take eight minutes to clear up some of that misinformation is unfortunate because I did want to get into the continuum of care strategy that we announced in the Budget this year. It is $4.1 million this year, and $14.3 million in the next year. The sole focus of the continuum of care strategy is to eliminate ALAs. We have heard time and time again about ALAs; there have been questions raised by the Opposition. I remember the Member for Cartwright – L'Anse au Clair asking these questions last year and the year before in the House. Absolutely, we want to eliminate ALAs; however, we did receive a question from the Opposition Leader this year talking about the standards in ALAs. Again, I want to correct misinformation because I do not want the impression left out there that there are not standards for ALAs. These children come into our care, there are requirements. The people who work in these ALAs have to have a police background check. They have to have a CYFS background check. They have to have two years of schooling, and they all have to have training both before they go to work and ongoing training. On top of that, Mr. Speaker, our social workers are in there monitoring the homes.

The issue with ALAs is not that there are not standards and not that the children are not being cared for, the issue is it is not the best form of care for the child. The best place for a child, first and foremost, is with their parents obviously. When there is an issue that arises and we have to take the child in our care, then having a child in a foster family, preferably in a kinship home with a family member or significant other, that is the primary place that we would want that child. The issue of the ALAs that has been raised in the past, it is not really about standards. While they raise standards, standards are in place. The issue is the attachment is not there and the family surrounding is not there. Just in terms of the development of the child, the child would do far better in a foster family, particularly a kinship home. Aside from that, not a primary focus at all, but it is far more expensive to have a child in an ALA than in a foster home. So, our sole focus of this is to reduce the ALAs.

Another focus, Mr. Speaker, and I have talked to many foster parents, had many discussions with the association, and again, the comments that I heard after Budget is that finally government has listened to us and they have addressed our concerns. What was really troublesome for me, in terms of trying to attract foster families, is when they would pick up the phone and call the department – and of course, your heart has to be in the right place. You have to be a special kind of person to be a foster parent, but no doubt, people are not going to do this for free. There are added costs when you have an extra mouth to feed in your home and clothes and so on. They asked what the compensation was, and the answer was never clear. It was always: Well, it really depends on the child for some of the expenses. Some were clear cut, but it really had to depend on the child and the type of needs and so on. So, for me, and for staff looking at this - and staff have worked so hard on this continuum strategy, I really thank them for it.

Having to label a child to get funding was something that was very difficult and not necessarily right in my mind. Now we have moved with this new continuum strategy with block funding. I heard from parents many times, you have to, first of all, check with the social worker to see if it is allowed. Then, if it is allowed, you have to pay for it. Then you have to fill out a claim, wait for reimbursement. It could be three or four months. We are moving away from that. We trust our foster families to care for the child. We want them to do what it is we ask them to do. What we have done now is we have brought in block funding for things like recreational activities, transportation and so on, to go let the foster parent do what it is we need them to do. When they are a substitute parent, we are a substitute parent, when they do that on our behalf we want them to go do what is necessary for the child.

We have also proposed in the new continuum that we would be increasing the rates for kinship homes. They are currently less than the current foster homes that we have, and we have said that we are going to increase that. We have designed a new level system, where there will be four levels; level four being the staffed residential facilities that are currently in place but will be enhanced under the new program. We have announced that the majority of families will receive more in financial assistance. Nobody will receive less, but the majority will receive more, Mr. Speaker.

I do not want to give out all the details here because this year the Foster Families Association is hosting the National Foster Families Conference. It is happening June 1 and 2, and that is where I will release all of the specific details in terms of the increases for financial support and so on. People are coming from all over Canada for this. I will be speaking at the dinner as well on Saturday night. I am doing it because they are such great partners with us and I want to go out there and show the foster families of this Province, the Foster Families Association, and I want to show all of the country how much this Premier and this government supports what it is that they do.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS JOHNSON: Mr. Speaker, last year we provided funds, I think it was to the tune of $30,000, to the Foster Families Association to do a survey. I believe that everything we do in the department, and particularly in government, we need to talk to the people on the front line, the people who are providing the services. That is what we did in this case. We went out, they surveyed every, single foster family in the Province. What we heard back helped us when it came to this continuum of care strategy, Mr. Speaker. So I really want to thank them for that. We will be releasing the results of that survey on June 2 as well, Mr. Speaker.

As I said, over the past three years this department has received $41.8 million in funding. A lot of it goes to front line services, getting the caseload down. I heard the Member for St. Barbe talk about the caseloads. We did say it will be three to five years to get there. We are at a caseload of one to twenty-two. Just to clarify when he talks about one to seventy, the one to twenty is on a Province-wide basis. You can have seventy cases and that would be equivalent to somebody with four cases taking up all their time.

In the thirty seconds I have left, I also did want to clarify. I think there is a little bit of confusion from the Member for St. Barbe, the out-of-Province placements that you refer to, they are for treatment. I would not want the impression to be left that we are sending our children to foster families outside the Province. That is not the case. That is the out-of-Province placements; having said that, there is an issue with Innu children and children in Labrador overall. We have a specific working group in place. We just brought Labrador into our department. We have a working group in place with an Aboriginal consultant, so we can put that whole cultural lens because we really do believe it is best to have the children in the community; but, having said that, when there is a need to remove a child it is incumbent upon us to do that.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

I remind the minister that her speaking time has expired.

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

I will leave it there. I certainly thank all the foster families in the Province for all the work that we do.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Member for Burgeo – La Poile.

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

It is a pleasure to rise today and speak to this private member's motion. What I can say is that after reading it, it can only be termed as a positive motion. It is something that I think we can all agree on. There is a need there, there is an issue there, and hopefully we can continue to take steps to move forward and make things better.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. A. PARSONS: I would start by saying first of all, after hearing the speaker for Mount Pearl and hearing the Minister of Education, and to hear people who have actually undertaken this relationship, it is great to hear and I commend both members for doing this and sharing those stories with us. To have first-hand knowledge of how – it is hard, you have your own family; and to take children in, and these children in some cases have issues, they have needs. To take that on is a big step.

I am very lucky to also have friends in my caucus here; the Member for Torngat Mountains is a foster parent and actually ran a group home for troubled offenders in Labrador, so he knows first-hand. Our leader, the Member for Humber Valley, also a foster parent and grew up, his parents were foster parents as well, so he has known the positive things that can come out of this. If I have forgotten anybody else, I apologize; just hearing these members talk about this is a great thing.

What I would say is that after reading the motion itself, I think it is a mix of two things. It lays out the good things. That is what governments do; obviously you have to trumpet the things that you are doing. That is normal, and in this case it is done. I think it is good in that it also acknowledges: look, there is work to be done here, we all know that. The minister has addressed that. We cannot have our head in the sand and think that everything is perfect. That being said, to at least address the fact that there is an issue is a step in the right direction. We need to show that we understand if there is an issue and then we can work towards correcting that.

That is also why we have entered this amendment which we feel is simply to strengthen the resolution that has been put forward here. I will speak specifically to the section here where we talk about eliminating the need for current alternate living arrangements. This is something that is not new to any of us; we have heard about it in the House, we have seen it in the news, the minister addressed it as well. Alternate living arrangements or ALAs is not an ideal situation. Really, it is a means to an end.

Simply, in this Province we have a shortage of foster homes. It is not ideal to put children or youth in these situations, but we have really no choice. Until we can increase the number of foster homes in this Province, then we are going to have to continue doing that.

That is also why I have had some concerns, which I have outlined and expressed, in that we have seen issues with these ALAs, especially with these emancipated youth. It is a bit of a complex issue when you think about it. A youth or somebody at the age of sixteen is not allowed to buy alcohol, they are not allowed to drive, and they are not allowed to vote, yet they are placed in a situation where they have to go find their housing and their accommodations. It is weird to look at it that way and to use the term emancipated. I think we can all look at ourselves when we were sixteen, and think that we would have trouble with trying to figure out what is an appropriate housing arrangement.

Again, I would say I do have concerns with this. I also recognize the fact it is a complex issue. It is not just a simple, black and white matter. There are a lot of factors that are underlying here.

One of the big things that comes with emancipated youth – and we have spoken to parents, grandparents, and family of emancipated youth – is the growing awareness of mental health issues, especially amongst our youth. Really, society as a whole is becoming more aware of mental health issues and how prevalent they are in our society. The fact is children from the ages of fifteen to twenty-four are three times more likely to develop substance abuse or mental health issues. The fact is that a young person may have diagnosed or undiagnosed mental health issues, but we are placing them in a situation where they are on their own in a home. I know we are working toward eliminating the situation.

We have seen it now with the tragedy on Springdale Street. That is a matter that is being investigated by the Child and Youth Advocate. What we need to do together is work towards eliminating these situations occurring in the future. We know this is a tragedy that has happened, but we need to identify what caused it. What can we do to change the factors that led to this tragedy?

That is why we have introduced this amendment. The resolution itself is good. It is a step in the right direction. We will be supporting it, but I think we should add this amendment. All that is doing is simply strengthening what has already been placed out there and what we are now on the record in Hansard as saying, or that I am saying I support. Any step in the right direction is good. Sometimes we have to start small, but this is just a way to get forward.

I had the opportunity and the privilege to sit in Estimates with the Minister of Child, Youth and Family Services and to ask these questions. I have spoken a couple of times now on the fact that it really is a great learning experience to see how it is our money is being spent. The good news is this is one of the departments that actually saw an increase in funding, which shows the significance of this department, of the youth of our Province, and of the families of our Province. That is a good thing.

When we sat down during Estimates, we talked about the fact that there is an acknowledged shortage of foster homes in this Province. It is out there. We know that. I look at my own district. The fact is that there is a shortage in my district and in my hometown of Port aux Basques. We have youth who, when they are removed from custody of their parents or caregivers by CYFS, a lot of times they have to be relocated outside the jurisdiction. Everybody agrees that it is not desirable, but it is what it is and we have to address the shortage. I think this resolution – and I know the minister's comments show that we are moving towards that. I commend that and I support that. I hope to work together so we could figure out how to address this issue.

One of the ways, obviously, is pay. The fact is we all know that there is a cost to bringing somebody into your home that you are providing for. The fact that this amount has been increased is a good thing. Anybody who says anything otherwise is just simply wrong. The fact is we have to increase this to make that financial burden that is being imposed on people who are good enough to undertake to be foster parents; this is good. The second one is not just the money, but it is awareness. We have to increase the level of awareness of this issue. The fact is that we need to – and I believe that this is something, as the minister, it is going to be addressed in next week at the AGM that being held here in St. John's, and it needs to be addressed both in the print media and the news media, on-line, and get it out there that, look, we need foster parents, and here are the good things about being a foster parent or having a foster home. It is really two-fold.

Again, another way of doing this is through the word of mouth. A lot of times the best way to get this information out is by hearing about people who are already doing it. So when I hear the Minister of Education talking about it and I hear the Member for Mount Pearl North, and I hear the Member for Torngat and the Member for Humber Valley talking about it, that is the best way, I think, to show somebody the value and the need of this, is to hear somebody who has actually been there and done that explain to you the good things that – it is a need, and we need to get that across. Like I say, it comes with risk, it comes with trouble, but it comes with reward, it comes with gratification, and that is what we need to get across to people.

I guess I have said this many times, speaking as the critic for Child, Youth and Family Services, sometimes that is our role to criticize. That is our role. We all know that, but at the same time I have made no bones about the fact that I will give credit where credit is do. I commend the minister for taking the time to speak to the Foster Families Association at their AGM, because we need to work together with associations like this that are addressing this need in our Province. So, that is good, and I look forward to actually working with the Foster Families Association as well, because the more people we can educate on this and notify about this and pass the word on, all the better. That is why I think all of us can work – we have talked about that in this House many times, the fact that we can all co-operate, and this is one of those issues where I think we can see co-operation and will see co-operation.

Now, one issue that has been raised – I know the Member for Torngat has had meetings with the minister and meetings with the department – is the fact that we do have an issue in Labrador –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. A. PARSONS: – when it comes to the fact there is a shortage. I think it is 33 per cent of our placements are Aboriginal children. This is an issue. The Member for Torngat and I am sure all the members from Labrador are aware of it and are working on this. Another big thing we need to do there is create that awareness amongst the people of Labrador. We need to increase the number of foster homes.

When you look at the PRIDE program, this mandatory program, maybe one way we can work on this is explain a little bit better to people what the PRIDE program is about. Let us increase that awareness and show people what it is we are trying to do here. We can leave no stone unturned in this. We have to do whatever we can to make sure people are aware and to get more people to open up their homes to bring children in.

We talk about the fact that right now we have somewhere between fifty to sixty children who are out of Province. I believe that is on the bottom of the list in terms of what we want to do or want to see. It is not desirable. I put this out there – I will have conversations with the minister – I do not know if this is something that can be addressed in Province somehow, maybe through the creation of our own facilities to address these issues. I know one part of these out of Province sometimes is the fact that we have drugs and alcohol playing a factor in our youth. That is one reason people have to go out of Province. We see it a lot, not just in youth but in adults certainly. They have to go out of Province to get this treatment. I know there are things in the works now. We need to make sure we avail of that. It is a growing issue. We see it every day on the news. We have to make sure that not only are we aware of this issue, but we are making sure the issue is addressed and addressed properly.

The department has come a long way since its creation. Next year is going to tell the tale in terms of: Is our allocation of funding working? This year, with the changeover from the health authorities to the department, it is hard to tell where this is going to end up. I look forward to next year seeing how this has worked. Seeing that this happened ahead of schedule, it is not often we see that with government. Everybody talks about the fact that government does not always operate fast. The fact that this happened ahead of schedule shows that good things are happening here. I look forward to good things continuing to happen, especially when it comes to anything involving our children, our youth, and our families.

Mr. Speaker, I am going to clue up here now because I understand the member has to speak to this. What I would say is that I am supporting this motion and I hope that the government will consider supporting our amendment to this motion, which is not changing it in any way except, in our mind, strengthening it. We are trying to strengthen what the government is trying to accomplish here. I hope we can have the support.

This is one of those issues where I think we are all on the same team here in that we know it is an issue; we are going to continue working on this and making things better for our greatest resource, which is our children.

Thank you for your time, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Member for Exploits.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. FORSEY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is certainly not only a pleasure, but I consider it a privilege to be able to second this private member's motion put forward by my colleague, the Member for Mount Pearl North. Mr. Speaker, unlike my colleague, the Minister of Education, he did not need notes; I probably do not need notes either, but this is such an important piece, such an important bill, I did not want to miss too much. It is sort of near and dear to me as well as some of my colleagues here in the House, as they expressed. I am sure that our Premier, this government, and the Minister of Child, Youth and Family Services are really putting more emphasis, supports, and funding into this department now for foster care than ever there was seen before, Mr. Speaker.

There are many reasons why a child may end up in foster care, Mr. Speaker. My knowledge of it began with my biological grandmother from Corner Brook, who gave away her firstborn, a young boy. The reason, at that time, it was rather difficult for a young teenage mother to keep a child. It was that era and that time in life, I guess. That boy was taken in by a family on the Northeast Coast and became a fisherman, a navigator, and a logger, I say, Mr. Speaker.

Unfortunately, he passed away at the young age of forty-five. I was seventeen, my sister was twelve, and my brother was seven. We were very fortunate, because there were no supports in these communities back in those early days, so family had to kick in. I guess you could say myself and my sister, who was only twelve at the time, grew up rather fast, because we did not want to lose our brother, who was seven.

We survived. It was not easy, because at that particular time we never had the transportation and the access to communications and so on that we have today, or the supports and the emphasis that is being placed on it by this government, I say, Mr. Speaker. That is just one story, and like my colleague, the Minister of Education, stories are important because stories are the real thing, like my colleague from Mount Pearl North.

I recall four years ago in this House, Mr. Speaker, I did a member's statement on the accomplishments –and I can use this girl's name because she gave me permission; she gave me permission four years ago to do a member's statement on her and her foster parents. I did a member's statement four years ago on the accomplishments of April Dwyer in Bishop's Falls. Mr. Speaker, in her own words, there were many times that she was so depressed, she felt useless and wanted to hide; however, at age ten, Sheila and David Brace of Bishop's Falls were asked to take April for one night, and six years later she was still very much a part of that family.

There was an educator, actually, at the school who made a statement; he said he wished he could have had a school filled with Aprils and encouraged her to compete in an essay contest sponsored by Foster Families Association of Newfoundland and Labrador. The competition was also open to all students, not only limited to youth in foster care.

Her essay started out: It takes a community to raise a child. Well, Mr. Speaker, there was many reasons why she said that.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. FORSEY: When she moved into her new home, Mr. Speaker, she tried to embrace being in a foster home and it worked. The foster home that she went to treated her like their own child, bringing her on vacations and giving her advice, I say, Mr. Speaker. She was shown so much love as any of her friends. Also, she did not have to worry about moving anymore because the foster parents were like her real parents, she said, and to her it was not an option. Foster care did so much for her by showing her how to be brave and stand up for herself, how to behave, and how to overcome obstacles, Mr. Speaker.

As much as it seemed to hurt when she was taken away from her mother, she was now so happy to see what her life was becoming, Mr. Speaker. She made the statement at that time in her essay. She said, usually children in care, like her, did feel like they had to hide, just as she did. She went on to say: You see, the thing you may not think about is that as real as care is, the fear of being rejected is just as big of a situation, especially in a young child's life. Everyone wants to feel accepted and the second you do not, you get hurt. It is the way the world works, and that is why those precious children find a need to hide. They hide because they hurt, but also because they have no one to run to, Mr. Speaker. She also stated: To the youth who are in foster homes, be who you are, be proud, and realize that you can be anyone you want to be. She said: The reason that it takes a village to raise a child is because every home that she lived in has somehow contributed to the person she is today.

It is a good story, and it is what we are talking about here today. We are talking about foster families, we are talking foster parents, we are talking about foster care and the care that you are given with the right tools and the right education and the right training, as the minister is trying to do here to day, Mr. Speaker, and has been doing for the past couple of years.

Today, four years later, I am happy to say that April will be turning twenty this year – actually July 15, the same day as my wife's birthday. She is doing very well in her studies. She is entering her second year of theology at Summit Pacific College in Abbotsford, British Columbia, and she is also doing other courses through Trinity Western University in BC. So, this young girl who was so proud when she was ten years old and asked by foster parents to take her in for one night, she was still there and still very much a part of that family, Mr. Speaker, and went on to achieve goals that she would not have been able to achieve if it was not for the tools that were put in place and the care of the foster parents.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. FORSEY: Very good. I thank my colleagues for that because I think she deserves it.

MS JOHNSON: She wanted you to tell that.

MR. FORSEY: The Minister of Child, Youth and Family Services just reminded me, she did not mind me telling that story by the way. I have a lot of respect for achievers, especially the foster families, foster parents who put so much into – it must be very, very rewarding to both sides actually.

Mr. Speaker, I have a few minutes left and I know that my colleague who put forward the motion must clue up. There are a couple of notes here that I would certainly like to pass on to this House and the general public. It is things that we are doing as a government.

All children and youth deserve a stable home environment that meets their physical, developmental, social, emotional, cultural, and spiritual needs. The provincial government recognizes the needs of our most vulnerable children and youth, and as a result created a continuum of care strategy with a major focus on recruiting and retaining foster families who provide supportive, nurturing care to children and youth in need of out-of-home placement, Mr. Speaker.

Children in care who reside in foster homes benefit greatly from the generosity, patience, experience, understanding, and nurturing care of foster parents. In turn, foster parents acknowledge that providing foster care is an immensely rewarding and satisfying experience, Mr. Speaker. Being a foster parent is a full-time commitment, twenty-four seven and 365 days a year. It involves working as part of a team with a social worker and other professionals in the community who may be engaged with the child or youth in school or in the health system, and often involves working with the birth family, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, we want to ensure that wherever possible we connect children and youth in care with kinship and foster families that are suited to meet their needs. Our government will continue to do this by ensuring that foster parents feel supported and encouraged in their role. Mr. Speaker, foster families are the backbone of the child protection system in Newfoundland and Labrador, and they play a critical role in supporting the provincial government's overall mandate to keep children safe. Our government is dedicated to supporting those who care for these vulnerable children and youth to ensure their overall safety and well-being.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a quote - and I will end with this because my colleague has to clue up on the motion, but I would like to take a quote from the little boy in the advertisement. Family is not just the blood in your veins; it is the love in your heart.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Member for Mount Pearl North, to close debate.

MR. KENT: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I want to thank members for participating in this important debate in our Legislature today. I thank the Member for St. Barbe for his comments. I do acknowledge that he proposed an amendment, one that I will not be supporting. In a few moments I will explain why, but I do thank him for his constructive participation in the debate today.

I want to acknowledge my colleagues on this side of the House, the Member for Burin – Placentia West who shared some really powerful stories of his experience providing long-term foster care in his community.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENT: I also want to acknowledge the comments made by our Minister of Child, Youth and Family Services and more importantly, I want to acknowledge her leadership in this area, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENT: Certainly, the founding minister of the department, the Member for St. George's – Stephenville East has played a remarkable role in advancing this cause, has as our Premier, as previous speakers have pointed out today. Mr. Speaker, we are making great progress, and it is largely due to the leadership that these individuals have shown. I also want to acknowledge my colleague from Exploits who shared his own experiences as well and told some personal stories that have had a profound impact on him and others in his life.

In terms of the comments from the Member for Burgeo – La Poile, I do appreciate most of his comments and I want to thank him for participating in the debate as well, but I will not be supporting the amendment and I am going to encourage other members of this House to vote against the amendment as well. We actually believe that our strategy to meet the needs of youth at risk is the right one, Mr. Speaker. We are providing more support to these youth than ever before.

The first part of the amendment I actually have no trouble with in terms of taking necessary steps and allocating resources for youth at risk. That is something we are doing, Mr. Speaker. It is exactly what we are doing, but it is the second part of the amendment that I have trouble with. We have actually made changes to make the system stronger for youth who are emancipated, and we changed the legislation just last year. Based on expert advice, we consulted with numerous experts, numerous professionals, various organizations, like Choices for Youth, for instance, that had some really valuable input for us and we acted based on that advice. It would really defy logic at this point, and it would perhaps even be irresponsible for us to go back on that at this point and disregard the professional advice that we have been given. We consulted with experts who said to make this option voluntary. Now if you are in continuous custody, you can now stay - you can stay until you are eighteen unless you opt out; whereas previously, if you turned sixteen you actually had to opt in, in order to stay until eighteen. In fact, today, Mr. Speaker, as a result of the progress we have made, you can in fact stay in the system until you are twenty-one if you wish, if you are pursuing post-secondary education, for instance.

We consulted with experts who said to make all of these options voluntary. That is what we have done, Mr. Speaker. In fact, it should be noted that most youth who have these options available to them have stayed within the system and it has had very positive results on their development and on their lives. The experts still say that it is critical to make it an option and to empower youth themselves to have a real say in their future, Mr. Speaker. That is what we have done through the changes that we made last year, which I believe are the right changes.

I do want to comment on the comments from the Member for St. John's Centre. Mr. Speaker, I am quite troubled and disheartened by the irresponsible comments that were made today. It just shows me that the Third Party does not really get it when it comes to the needs of children and families in this Province. Our Department of Child, Youth and Family Services is all about family support and it is all about prevention, despite the questionable comments that were made by the Member for St. John's Centre. We are now committing more resources than ever before to support youth in care, Mr. Speaker. The member today in her remarks contributed to creating fear and to spreading myths and misconceptions that are really outdated, Mr. Speaker.

As I said in my opening comments today, 90 per cent of the children that Child, Youth and Family Services work with are in their own homes, Mr. Speaker, but there are those extreme cases where a child has to be removed in the interest of their own safety and well-being. The reckless statements that were made by the Member for St. John's Centre today are so terribly disrespectful. They are disrespectful of foster families in this Province, Mr. Speaker. They are disrespectful of the social workers who do incredibly important work with Child, Youth and Family Services. They are disrespectful of the valuable work that they do. They are disrespectful of the children and the families who are clients of Child, Youth and Family Services, Mr. Speaker.

Our focus as a government is on the well-being of children, Mr. Speaker. We are also committed to supporting families, and in fact our Child, Youth and Family Services Department provide incredible supports to families.

In terms of the comments that have been made during this debate today about alternative living arrangements, we want to eliminate ALAs. Mr. Speaker, as a result of our Continuum of Care strategy, we will eliminate ALAs in this Province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENT: Mr. Speaker, that is exactly what our new Continuum of Care strategy that was announced in this Budget is all about. The situation is improving.

The Member for St. John's Centre suggested that there are not teams of professionals working with families anymore, families who are clients of Child, Youth and Family Services. That is a shameful statement to make, Mr. Speaker, and it is a ridiculous accusation. As a foster family, you work not only with the social worker who is assigned to you and the social worker assigned to the child, but you also work with a team of professionals in the community. You work with professionals in the school system. You work with professionals in the health care system, Mr. Speaker.

This is a government with a Department of Child, Youth and Family Services and with progressive policies and progressive legislation that truly puts the needs of children and youth in this Province first, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENT: Mr. Speaker, I realize my time is running short and I could talk at great length about our Children and Youth Care and Protection Act. I could also talk about our new Continuum of Care strategy. There are lots of instances where we are really doing incredible things to provide all kinds of services, a wide array of services, to families who are clients of Child, Youth and Family Services. Mr. Speaker, I hope that issues like this will get more attention in this House and hopefully we can continue to raise awareness of these important issues.

There is no doubt there are still challenges in foster care in this Province. Clearly, we still do not have enough foster care homes in this Province, but we have made significant progress. We have made very strategic investments, many of which we have talked about today in detail. I believe we are on the right path and I believe we are doing the right things to help care for children in this Province, the ones in greatest need.

What we need right now, Mr. Speaker, is for more families to step forward to work with the Department of Child, Youth and Family Services, and to work with the Foster Families Association in Newfoundland and Labrador. We need more families to step forward who are willing to consider becoming foster families. The rewards are plenty and all you have to do, Mr. Speaker, is contact your local Child, Youth and Family Services office, or contact the Foster Families Association.

We as Newfoundlanders and Labradorians have something ingrained in us. It is something that forces us to go the extra mile, to make the extra effort, and to take the extra steps. This is where the effort is needed right now, Mr. Speaker. I encourage the people of this Province, those of you who have room in your homes and those of you who have room in your hearts, to become foster families. Find out first-hand what it feels like to be those special people who care for children who are in need of a home.

Mr. Speaker, I ask members of this House to vote against the amendment that has been proposed by the Opposition today, but I ask members of this House to fully support the resolution. It is an important one. It is all about putting the needs of children and youth first. I am very proud to be a part of a government, Mr. Speaker, that is doing just that.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

We will first of all be voting on the amendment as put forward by the Member for St. Barbe.

Shall the amendment carry?

All those in favour, ‘aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Nay.

MR. SPEAKER: The amendment has been defeated.

We will now vote on the original motion as put forward by the Member for Mount Pearl North.

Shall the motion carry?

All those in favour, ‘aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.

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

Carried.

AN HON. MEMBER: Division.

MR. SPEAKER: Division has been called.

Call in the members.

Division

MR. SPEAKER: Is the House ready for the question?

Those in favour of the motion, please rise.

CLERK: Ms Dunderdale, Ms Burke, Mr. King, Ms Sullivan, Mr. O'Brien, Mr. Jackman, Mr. French, Mr. Marshall, Mr. Hedderson, Mr. Felix Collins, Mr. Dalley, Mr. Kent, Mr. Forsey, Mr. Granter, Ms Johnson, Mr. Hutchings, Mr. Davis, Mr. McGrath, Mr. Sandy Collins, Mr. Brazil, Mr. Kevin Parsons, Mr. Little, Mr. Hunter, Mr. Osborne, Ms Perry, Mr. Dinn, Mr. Cornect, Mr. Littlejohn, Mr. Crummell, Mr. Pollard, Mr. Cross, Mr. Peach, Mr. Lane, Mr. Russell, Mr. Ball, Ms Jones, Mr. Andrew Parsons, Mr. Joyce, Mr. Edmunds, Mr. Bennett, Mr. Kirby, Mr. Murphy, Mr. Mitchelmore, Ms Rogers.

MR. SPEAKER: Those against the motion, please rise.

CLERK: Mr. Speaker, the ayes, forty-four; the nays, zero.

MR. SPEAKER: The motion has been carried unanimously.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: This being Wednesday, and in accordance with Standing Order 9, the House stands adjourned until tomorrow, Thursday, at 1:30 o'clock in the afternoon.