March 26, 2015 HOUSE
OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS
Vol. XLVII No. 68
The
House met at 1:30 p.m.
MR. SPEAKER (Verge):
Order, please!
Admit strangers.
I am
pleased to welcome to the public gallery today Miss Gina Hartmann,
Information Officer with Epilepsy Newfoundland & Labrador, and Gail Dempsey,
the Executive Director.
Welcome to the House of Assembly.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Today I would also like
to recognize and to welcome four individuals in the Speaker's gallery:
Shalyn Rousseau, Derrick Lepine, Damien Bolingbroke, and Krystal Lewis
thank you, Krystal, for having that easy name.
They
are all visiting from the Saskatchewan Legislature Internship Program.
During their visit here they will be meeting with representatives
from our Legislature, as well as select ministries, departments, and
independent agencies related to their research topics.
Welcome to the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
Statements by
Members
MR. SPEAKER:
Today we will hear
members' statements from the Members for the Districts of Humber East,
Exploits, Port de Grave, Torngat Mountains, Labrador West, and Bay of
Islands.
The
hon. the Member for Humber East.
MR. FLYNN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr.
Speaker, I rise today to commend the Corner Brook Rotary Music Festival,
which recently ran from March 13-24.
This year marks the fifty-third edition of the festival and during
the years since its inception in 1962, the Corner Brook Rotary Music
Festival have been nurturing and promoting the musical talents of young
people from Corner Brook and surrounding area.
This
year, Mr. Speaker, the Corner Brook Rotary Music Festival awarded
approximately $11,000 in cash and prizes, including a $2,000 scholarship
awarded to a student who will pursue further study in a registered music
program.
Congratulations to this year's winner, Stephen Eckert.
I would also like to extend congratulations to the winners in the
Rose Bowl competition: Rebecca Davis in the senior category, and Gina
Spencer in the junior category.
I
ask all hon. members to join me in offering sincere congratulations to the
Corner Brook Rotary Club, the Festival Committee (President, Mr. Bernd
Steaben, his executive and other directors), all the volunteers and
sponsors, and most importantly, the young participants, on another very
successful Corner Brook Rotary Music Festival.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
the District of Exploits.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. FORSEY:
Mr. Speaker, Kirsten
Dalley of Bishops Fall's is this year's recipient of the Lester B. Pearson
Scholarship for Newfoundland and Labrador.
She is being recognized for her outstanding academic achievement and
exceptional volunteer activities.
Kirsten is very passionate about volunteering, such as fundraising for the
Ronald McDonald House. She ran a
campaign against bullying called Silence for Change, and is involved in the
many other community activities.
She says being part of the community is very important the stronger the
people, the stronger the community.
Mr.
Speaker, the Lester B. Pearson Scholarship is valued at $80,000 for two
years of pre-university study at Pearson College, a United World College in
Victoria, BC.
I
ask all members of this House to join me, along with Kirsten's family and
community, in congratulating Kirsten Dalley on receiving this outstanding
achievement award, the Lester B. Pearson Scholarship.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
the District of Port de Grave.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. LITTLEJOHN:
Thank you, Mr.
Speaker.
I
would like to congratulate Anna Mercer of Coley's Point, a Grade 8 student
of Amalgamated Academy and the 2015 Junior Rose Bowl winner at this year's
Kiwanis Music Festival held in Carbonear.
Through the guidance of her vocal teacher Sonya Gosse, Anna amazed audiences
with her larger-than-life vocal performances singing songs in Latin, German,
French and English by composers from Newfoundland's own Ged Blackmore to
Leonard Bernstein.
Anna
Mercer is a wonderful example of Newfoundland and Labrador's rich tradition
of music. She comes from a
musical family with her grandfather being a fiddler and traditional music
champion, Rendell Mercer. Like
her pop, Anna is an active fiddle player and takes part in her school's
award-winning traditional music program.
Anna
is also showing us how social media is the new stage on which our young
musicians perform. Her
performances have received in excess of 15,000 views on her YouTube channel.
Anna
Mercer is a shining example of how our young people are taking ownership of
our rich musical culture, building on strong family and community traditions
and bringing our music into the twenty-first century.
I
ask all hon. members to rise with me and wish Anna all the best as she
continues her musical journey.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
the District of Torngat Mountains.
MR. EDMUNDS:
Mr. Speaker, I rise in
this hon. House today to recognize a very important day for the Inuit of
Labrador.
Today, March 26, marks the fortieth anniversary of the incorporation of the
Labrador Inuit Association.
While the LIA was officially established in October 1973, it was not
formally recognized until it was incorporated on March 26, 1975.
The
LIA transitioned into the Nunatsiavut Government on December 1, 2005
following the ratification of the Labrador Inuit Land Claims Agreement.
The
Inuit owe a great deal of gratitude to the early founders of the Labrador
Inuit Association people like Sam Andersen, my father Bill Edmunds, Jerry
Sillett, Martin Martin who had a vision to promote the culture, health and
well-being for their people.
Many
leaders have followed in their footsteps and much progress has been achieved
in those forty years. However,
governments at all levels need to respect all agreements that have been
implemented to ensure that Inuit people receive their rightful benefit from
the lands they inhabit.
Mr.
Speaker, I ask all hon. members to join me in congratulating the Labrador
Inuit on this momentous milestone.
There is still work left to be done and it will only be achieved by
all governments working together.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Labrador West.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. MCGRATH:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I
stand in this hon. House today to recognize the Under 18 girls curling team
from the Carol Curling Club in Labrador West.
Skip
Kayleigh Casmey, third Rebecca Goulding, second Tessa Cole, and lead Kelsie
Fry coached by Rick Casmey will be travelling to Montague, Prince Edward
Island to represent our Province at the Atlantic Under 18 curling tournament
from April 3 to April 5. Teams
from the four Atlantic Provinces will participate in this tournament.
The Stephenville team will represent the Under 18 boys.
Kayleigh and her team competed at the provincial Under 18 playoffs in Gander
from March 5-8 where they took silver in the competition.
Labrador West is no stranger to competitive curlers as we boast being the
home of Olympic curlers Mike Adam and Mark Nichols.
These girls work hard training in their sport and are another example of the
dedication needed to aspire great things in their personal goals.
Youth such as the Girls Under 18 curling team from Labrador West will
continue to represent our Province well for the decades to come.
I
ask all hon. members to join me in wishing them well in the Atlantic Under
18s in April.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Bay of Islands.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. JOYCE:
Mr. Speaker, I rise in
this hon. House today to recognize a group of volunteers from the Town of
Mount Moriah who came together to help a family.
Last
Saturday, I attended a fundraising event for William Hussey of Mount Moriah,
an eighteen-year-old man who was recently diagnosed with cancer.
William is currently in St. John's undergoing tests and will be
returning in April for treatment.
Upon
hearing the news about William, family friends, Robyn Butt and Anthony
Basha, wanted to do something to help the family.
Joined by other volunteers, a fundraiser was organized which began
with a card game and supper, and continued into the evening with a silent
auction and a variety show featuring many local entertainers.
To
say the community came together to help this young man would be an
understatement as the event was an overwhelming success with over $7,000
raised and donations continuing to be received.
I
ask all members to join me in extending a thank you to Robyn Butt and
Anthony Basha, the many volunteers who came out to support this family, and
wish William the very best as he deals with this medical issue.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Statements by Ministers.
Statements by
Ministers
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. KENT:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr.
Speaker, I rise today in this hon. House to recognize Purple Day for
Epilepsy in Newfoundland & Labrador.
Purple Day presents an important opportunity to raise awareness, and
reduce social stigma experienced by individuals who are affected by this
condition.
Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders in the world.
It affects over 300,000 Canadians and more than 10,000 people here in
Newfoundland and Labrador.
Approximately one in every twenty-six people is expected to develop epilepsy
in their lifetime.
Mr.
Speaker, recently I was fortunate to hear the story of one creative young
man who is raising awareness and fundraising for this cause in his
community.
Evan
Newhook is an innovative and artistic nine-year-old boy living in Dildo.
When he learned that his mother was diagnosed with epilepsy, he
wanted to take action. Evan is
an avid reader with a passion for art, which is how he came up with the idea
to create his own bookmarks and sell them.
All of the money he collects will be donated Epilepsy Newfoundland &
Labrador. Evan has also
motivated his school, Woodland Elementary, as well as employees of the TC
Square Mall in Carbonear, to wear purple on this day.
Evan's passion for this cause is truly inspiring and it has earned
him his title as official Purple Day Ambassador this year.
Mr.
Speaker, Evan's dedication is also echoed by the members of Epilepsy
Newfoundland & Labrador, some of whom are joining us in the gallery today.
For decades, their organization has provided support and information
about epilepsy to individuals and families in our Province.
I encourage individuals to visit the Epilepsy Newfoundland & Labrador
website at
www.epilepsynl.com to learn more about the organization and about living with epilepsy.
As
part of the provincial government's continued commitment to the health and
well-being for residents, in May of last year we added coverage of the drug
Fycompa under the Newfoundland and Labrador Prescription Drug Program.
This drug helps some patients manage partial-onset seizures that are
not satisfactorily controlled with conventional therapy.
Today, we will show our support by lighting Confederation Building purple in
an effort to raise awareness for this deserving cause.
I ask all residents to join me in wearing the colour purple and
participate in Purple Day activities taking place in their communities to
support those living with epilepsy.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Burgeo La Poile.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Thank you, Mr.
Speaker.
I
thank the minister for an advance copy of his statement.
Members of the Official Opposition are pleased to wear purple today
in order to raise awareness, show our support, and reduce stigma by those
affected by epilepsy.
Evan
Newhook, our Purple Day Ambassador this year, we really want to acknowledge
his efforts, us here in the Official Opposition; he truly is an inspiration
to all of us. He is to be
commended for his work in raising awareness and for fundraising in his
community.
Each
day in Canada, an average of forty-two people learns that they have
epilepsy; 44 per cent are diagnosed before the age of five.
It is important to raise awareness because of how it affects those
living with epilepsy, their family, and their friends.
We
have about 10,000 people in this Province today with epilepsy which, when
you think about our population, is a very huge portion of our population.
It is the fourth most common neurological disorder and there is no
known cure yet. Right now, the
cost can often be managed through medication and through surgery, but
medication is not a cure.
All
the Opposition here, we hope that you will do what you can to bring
awareness to epilepsy, to check out the website referenced by the minister
and, hopefully, one day we will all better understand it and work towards a
cure.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Signal Hill Quidi Vidi.
MS MICHAEL:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
I,
too, thank the minister for an advance copy of his statement.
It is great to hear this story of someone living with epilepsy who
has been able to reach his potential, as well as to raise awareness and
money for Epilepsy Newfoundland & Labrador.
I am proud, along with the rest of us in the House today, and others,
to stand wearing purple in support of Evan.
Epilepsy Newfoundland & Labrador has done great work over the years, helping
and advocating for people with epilepsy.
One of the successes has certainly been the approval of the drug
Fycompa, for which they advocated, because anything that helps with seizures
is so important for managing this condition.
We
all join in celebrating the achievements of Evan and Epilepsy Newfoundland &
Labrador.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Advanced Education and Skills.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. JACKMAN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I
rise today to congratulate 756 Newfoundlanders and Labradorians from around
our Province who achieved journeyperson certification this year.
The certificates received by these individuals symbolize a
significant milestone, and are a testament to the hard work and dedicated
effort that they have put into their trade programs.
Tonight, I will have the great pleasure of addressing a journeyperson awards
and recognition ceremony being held here in St. John's.
This ceremony was organized by the provincial government in
partnership with industry, and it is just one in a series of ceremonies that
have been held in communities throughout the Province this month to
acknowledge local apprentices and trade qualifiers who have achieved
journeyperson certification.
Mr.
Speaker, ceremonies have taken place in Wabush, Corner Brook, and Grand
Falls-Windsor. I look forward to
joining industry employers, members of the Provincial Apprenticeship and
Certification Board, and past and current graduates and their families
tonight to mark an important step as they continue their careers and
contribute to the labour force in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Increasing the availability of skilled trade workers has been a top priority
for our government since the release of the Skills Task Force report in
2007. Since that time, we have
committed over $100 million to support initiatives outlined in the report.
We have invested heavily in programs that assist apprentices to
advance to journeyperson status, and we will continue to invest in the most
innovative of programming to ensure opportunities are available for the
people of this Province.
Apprentices are a fundamental component of the economic future in
Newfoundland and Labrador, and we are currently training and advancing more
apprentices to become journeypersons than ever before.
Since 2007, investments by this government have helped to more than
double the number of journeypersons certified annually; 2014 was a record
breaking year with 756 journeypersons becoming certified.
The
Province's resource industries hold the promise of long-term employment
opportunities for many Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, including
opportunities in the skills trade sector.
Congratulations once again to those individuals who have achieved
journeyperson certification this year and are pursuing a career in the
skilled trades.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Cartwright L'Anse au Clair.
MS DEMPSTER:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I
thank the minister for an advance copy of his statement.
On behalf of the Opposition, I want to say too, congratulations to
those 756 Newfoundlanders and Labradorians on achieving journeyperson
status. This is a wonderful
accomplishment; but, Mr. Speaker, there are many barriers still that face
apprentices in this Province to achieving journeyperson status.
There is virtually no case management to help them along their path.
Last
year, at one job site alone, 150 apprentices had worked hundreds of hours
only to have those hours denied because ratios were exceeded.
Many apprentices leave the Province in frustration and in search of
work, many do not come back.
The
minister is touting their innovative programs.
How about the journeyperson mentorship program designed to help up to
200 apprentices per year? They
trained five in year one.
Mr.
Speaker, government has been promoting and funding the trades without
up-to-date labour market information.
Training people without having any idea of our labour market needs is
risking training Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to leave.
With a declining population, I say this is reckless and
irresponsible. There is no
alignment between training and labour market needs.
Mr.
Speaker, every day as MHAs we hear from apprentices who were promised
lucrative careers here in this Province, yet they cannot find work.
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
The
hon. member's time has expired.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Signal Hill Quidi Vidi.
MS MICHAEL:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
I
too thank the minister for the advance copy of his statement.
Yes, it is good to see so many more apprentices reaching
journeyperson status and I hope the barriers will continue to be addressed,
but there are still hundreds of youth who are having to leave the Province
to find work.
I
urge government to follow the advice of the Federation of Labour in their
pre-budget presentation and revisit the 2009 Youth Retention and Attraction
Strategy to develop new policies and programs for youth retention that
address the diversity of young worker's needs, including the need for
affordable child care and housing to keep youth in our Province.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Environment and Conservation.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. CRUMMELL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr.
Speaker, I rise today as the Minister Responsible for the Office of Climate
Change and Energy Efficiency to encourage residents throughout the Province
to participate in Earth Hour 2015.
Earth Hour is an international event organized by the World Wildlife Fund to
demonstrate the importance of taking action on climate change.
The event first took place in 2007 in Sydney, Australia, and has
since grown to be one of the largest grassroots environmental initiatives in
the world. Each year, millions
of people from more than 162 countries and territories participate in the
event.
Mr.
Speaker, to participate in Earth Hour 2015, Newfoundlanders and Labradorians
must turn off all non-essential lightening on March 28 for one hour between
8:30 and 9:30 p.m., local time.
By switching off our lights, we are raising awareness about climate change,
which is one of the most significant challenges facing the world today.
Climate change is having a substantial effect on areas throughout the
world and minimizing this impact requires taking global action to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions.
The
Government of Newfoundland and Labrador recognizes that climate change is a
shared challenge and we have committed to being a part of the solution.
The Province came within 0.4 per cent of meeting its target to return
provincial greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2010.
This was a significant achievement given that our economy grew by 65
per cent over the same period.
In September 2014, we released a mid-way progress report for our 2011
Climate Change Action Plan. This
report showed that sixty-four of the seventy-five commitments contained in
the plan are completed or underway, including the award-winning Turn Back
the Tide campaign.
While these achievements demonstrate the provincial government's dedication
to tackling climate change, as individuals, we all have a part to play as
well. Participating in Earth
Hour is just one way to do so. I
encourage everyone to learn more about Earth Hour 2015 by visiting
www.earthhour.org
and for further information on taking action on climate change in
Newfoundland and Labrador, please visit our website
www.turnbackthetide.ca.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
The Straits White Bay North.
MR. MITCHELMORE:
Mr. Speaker, I thank
the minister for an advance copy of his statement.
Our planet is our universal home and anything we can do to protect it
is a step in the right direction.
Earth Hour is an international collective effort to tackle climate change.
We on this side of the House of Assembly certainly commend and
support this event.
The
minister says that sixty-four of seventy-five commitments in the Climate
Change Action Plan are completed or underway.
When we look at that, it is very vague, because we see with the
energy audits that only a small portion of them are currently done.
It also means that eleven recommendations from the 2011 plan are not
completed and we do not know where the commitment is on that.
One
that is very scathing is around the fishery and the fishing sector where an
expert advisory committee was to be set up for the harvesting sector
promoting fuel-efficient vessel designs and also for the processing sector.
We certainly see where the commitment is from this government on the
fishery.
Also, the progress report there on the action plan highlighted around
energy-efficient vehicles. The
Auditor General's report says that the normal fleet is not properly
monitoring fuel consumption to reduce greenhouse gases.
I
look forward to the update from the large industrial sector for climate
change in the minister's mandate letter.
In the meantime, I hope the public will shut off their lights because
we are very used to doing this here in Newfoundland and Labrador with
DarkNL.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
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
here today. Earth Hour is a
grassroots movement and I encourage everyone to observe it, as well as what
the minister is saying here.
The
minister is pretty much right.
We have seen adverse weather conditions happening not only here in
Newfoundland and Labrador, but worldwide as well.
We have seen Atlantic Canada getting pounded with snow.
We saw a very powerful typhoon in the Pacific affecting little
islands like Vanuatu.
I
will make a suggestion to government at the same time.
This is also recognition of the green economy, the role of the
participation of the government in the green economy.
I would like to see government be more aggressive in promoting a
green economy. Why not create
like other provinces, have an arm's length agency to promote energy
efficiency. As well, an agency
that could make home energy retrofits more affordable to people,
particularly with low incomes, and make it more affordable to everybody so
that we can all participate.
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. MURPHY:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Oral Questions.
Oral Questions
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Burgeo La Poile.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Mr. Speaker,
yesterday the Minister of Health mentioned that he has still not brought in
legislation needed to fully implement Cameron's recommendations.
I
ask the minister: It has been six years and it is still not done, could you
please explain what this legislation entails and why you have not brought it
to the House yet?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. KENT:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
As I
reported to the House once again yesterday, we are proud to say that
fifty-five of sixty Cameron report recommendations have been fully or
substantially completed. There
are five that still require work.
What I can assure members of this House is that the work is ongoing.
Some do require legislative change, and we are actively working on
patient safety legislation that we intend to bring into this House later
this year.
In
addition to that, we are working on our electronic health record, which is
another important component. We
have been working on it through the Centre for Health Information for
several years now, progress is continuing, and I will continue to provide
updates to the House.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Burgeo La Poile.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Thank you, Mr.
Speaker.
Well, the minister continues to get it wrong, even after I gave him the
information to show that there are more than five recommendations not done.
Senior management is a key part of any functioning organization.
The latest information that we have shows at least six vacant
positions within the program, including regional manager, a division chief,
an operations manager just to name a few.
So I
ask the minister: Why, after your government continues to talk about the $43
million invested, are these positions vacant?
Why can't you fill them?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. KENT:
Mr. Speaker, during the
recent review completed by the University Health Network, the staffing
concerns in the lab has been addressed.
There is a laboratory HR plan that has been updated, and we are
constantly trying to recruit for various positions, especially specialty
positions within the health care system.
Addressing the vacancies in the lab is a high priority.
We have a new management structure in place in the laboratory,
working with the University Health Network, and I am happy to continue to
provide updates as progress continues.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Burgeo La Poile.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Mr. Speaker, six
years later and they still do not have the legislation, there are still
issues going on in the lab, and there are still positions not filled.
I do not know what kind of leadership we need over there.
We have a lab program with a lack of leadership.
An external auditor says there is a critical need for a workplace
satisfaction program.
Given the amount of money that has been invested and the number of problems
that still exist six years later, I ask the minister: What is the real issue
going on in these labs, and why are you not able to fix it?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. KENT:
Mr. Speaker, a major
transformation has occurred in the health care system since the Cameron
report. It was a watershed
moment for health care in Newfoundland and Labrador, and it inspired a lot
of change in the health care system.
In
fact, I have lots of evidence to share that suggests the roots of Cameron
really have taken hold. We have
created a culture of safety. We
have made improvements in our laboratories.
All of our labs are now nationally accredited.
We have put in place, as well, other systems that are making a real
difference in terms of ensuring patient safety on an ongoing basis.
I am
pleased with the progress that has been made, and it is an ongoing process,
Mr. Speaker, and the work continues.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Burgeo La Poile.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Mr. Speaker,
government announced its family caregiver program on March 24, 2014.
It was supposed to provide increased choice and flexibility for those
in need of home support; $8.2 million was allocated and 250 subsidies were
available.
One
year has passed, so I ask the minister: What is the current status of the
program? Is it meetings its
goals?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. KENT:
Mr. Speaker, the Paid
Family Caregiving Option is a commitment this government made that I am
quite proud of. It was a
commitment that was launched in 2014.
We initially started with about 250 funded spaces to get a sense of
what the uptake would be like and see what the response to the program would
be.
As
of January, over 200 clients have been assessed.
There are approximately 100 families active in the program.
There is no wait-list of this program.
So if there are other families out there who are interested in the
Paid Family Caregiving Option, the regional health authorities welcome
hearing from them.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Burgeo La Poile.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Mr. Speaker, the
minister's comment is telling.
He says there is no wait-list for it, and there is a reason for that.
There is less than a 50 per cent uptake on the subsidies.
There is less than 10 per cent of the budget $755,000 used of the
$8.2 million allotted. There are
only three clients eligible in all of Labrador, and only twenty clients
eligible in the Western portion of the Province.
It sounds to me like a pilot project that was set up to fail because
of the strict eligibility requirements.
I
ask the minister: Is this what you consider increased choice and flexibility
for those families in need of home support?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. KENT:
Mr. Speaker, it is
important to remind members that the Paid Family Caregiving Option is
leading edge, so we could not really benchmark against other jurisdictions.
This is something brand new.
We did not know what the uptake would be.
I
have asked officials within my department to look at the criteria, to see if
there are ways we can encourage more families to avail of this program.
It is a program that I would love to see expanded in the future,
depending on demand.
The
demand has been manageable to date.
We are actively working with the regional health authorities.
I want to give credit to staff within the regional health authorities
who have adopted this new approach.
We
will keep monitoring the program.
If there are changes we can make in the future to expand and improve
it, we certainly will.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Mount Pearl South.
MR. LANE:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr.
Speaker, food inspection reports on private restaurants are posted on the
Service NL website to protect the interests of consumers, but inspection
reports for public institutions like hospitals, schools, and Memorial
University are not posted to protect the interests of taxpayers.
I
ask the minister: Why the double standard?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Service NL.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. CRUMMELL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Food
safety is a very important issue to this government and we take that very
seriously. Mr. Speaker, we have
our Environmental Health Officers out in the field all the time checking out
and making sure that everybody is in compliance: institutions and
restaurants.
Mr.
Speaker, the member opposite is correct; we only have restaurants online
right now. I have asked my
officials to look into the possibilities of institutions coming online as
well. We are looking into that,
Mr. Speaker; we will advise the House in short order.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Mount Pearl South.
MR. LANE:
Well, Mr. Speaker, I
certainly hope that does happen because I think that this is a very
important public safety issue.
Mr.
Speaker, there is a story in the media this week which highlights the
concerns of students at Memorial University regarding undercooked food,
mouldy food, and questionable food preparation practices.
I
ask the minister: Given that inspection reports for public institutions are
not on the government website, will he table the inspection reports for
MUN's dining hall from the last two years, including yesterday's inspection?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Service Newfoundland and Labrador.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. CRUMMELL:
Mr. Speaker, we do at
least two inspections a year in this institution.
The member opposite has contacted my staff looking for this
information. We are happy to
provide it. As soon as we get it in
our hands, we will hand it over to him and you can have a look at it then.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
The
hon. the Member for Conception Bay South.
MR. HILLIER:
Mr. Speaker, local
non-profit organizations which are dependent on government funding have
trouble with planning when they are waiting from year to year to see to what
degree they are funded.
I
ask the minister: Given that you are planning a Budget for the next five
years, will government commit to multi-year funding for non-profit
organizations so that they can do long-term planning?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Finance and President of Treasury Board.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. WISEMAN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
This
government appreciates and really values the tremendous work that the
non-profit sector continues to do and will do in the future on behalf of
Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.
We are very much aware that particularly those organizations that
rely on core funding from government to continue their operations in
providing those valuable services we are very cognizant of that.
We hope, actually before the Budget comes down, to be able to provide
some comment to those organizations so they can continue to plan, not only
for next year but into the future.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Conception Bay South.
MR. HILLIER:
Mr. Speaker, the Seniors
Resource Centre is a charitable organization depending on partnerships to
support the well-being and independence of older adults throughout the
Province. Last year one of the
partners, the provincial government, this government, cut its contribution
by $73,000; that is 38 per cent.
I
ask the minister: In the coming Budget, can the Seniors Resource Centre
expect further cuts or will it just have to survive with the same reduced
funding as last year?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Seniors, Wellness and Social Development.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. JACKMAN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
We
are very much aware of the work of the Seniors Resource Centre, Mr. Speaker.
It has been on the go in the Province for many, many years.
We do provide a grant to them of a little over $100,000 a year.
As a
matter of fact, it is only within the last week I sat down and met with the
Seniors Resource Centre. We are
having discussions as to they are taking a look at their organization.
We have provided them with some funds to do that.
We look forward to continued co-operation with that group.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
St. John's South.
MR. OSBORNE:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Many
properties that are owned and operated by Newfoundland and Labrador Housing
are boarded up for extended periods of time.
Many other units that are still occupied require extensive repairs
and renovations to the exterior and interior.
After more than a decade in government I ask: How come there are still so
many housing units in such disrepair?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister
Responsible for Newfoundland and Labrador Housing.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. JACKMAN:
Mr. Speaker, Newfoundland
and Labrador Housing if there is one thing that many of us as MHAs
recognize across the Province is the work that Newfoundland and Labrador
Housing does across the Province, rural and urban.
They manage and operate many facilities.
Mr.
Speaker, I have to say the investment in many of those over the years yes,
over the past number of years, we have seen major, major improvements in it.
We as a government will continue to work with Newfoundland and
Labrador Housing so that the facilities these people live in are right up to
standard.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
St. John's South.
MR. OSBORNE:
Mr. Speaker, I did not
ask the minister about the work they did do; I asked him about the work that
they have not done.
Roughly six years ago, Newfoundland and Labrador Housing began asbestos
abatement in all of its housing units that predate 1985.
Over half of its portfolio, 2,700 units, predates 1985.
What
percentage of government's housing stock is still awaiting asbestos
abatement?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister
Responsible for Newfoundland and Labrador Housing.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. JACKMAN:
Mr. Speaker, I do not
have that stat in front of me, but I will certainly seek that information
from officials.
I
say to the hon. member, work is always ongoing with Newfoundland and
Labrador Housing, Mr. Speaker. I
think he probably knows that, but I will say it to him.
I
will say again, there has been much work done around the facilities that
Newfoundland and Labrador Housing operate, much extensive work that have
much improved those facilities, Mr. Speaker.
As I will say to him, the work is ongoing.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Trinity Bay de Verde.
MR. CROCKER:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
This
is the third day in a row asking for a list of companies and the amounts
that have been written off totalling over $40 million by government's
Business Investment Corporation.
I
ask the minister once again: Where is the list?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Child, Youth and Family Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. S. COLLINS:
Thank you, Mr.
Speaker.
As I
explained to the member from the first day he asked me the question, there
were a number of these that were related to the past Administration, so we
have to go back quite some years.
I have asked the officials in the department to compile that list and
once I have that list compiled, I had said I would bring it forward to the
House of Assembly and table it.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
St. George's Stephenville East.
MR. REID:
Mr. Speaker, yesterday in
the House, the Minister of Advanced Education and Skills said that protocols
were followed in the privacy breach of names, salaries, birthdates,
nationalities, and employee numbers of 600 employees at the College of the
North Atlantic in Qatar.
Protocol clearly states if there is a risk of criminal harm you should
immediately contact the RNC or RCMP.
I
ask the minister: Did government or the college notify the law enforcement
of this breach, and if so, will you table all documentation to demonstrate
this correspondence with law enforcement?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Advanced Education and Skills.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. JACKMAN:
Mr. Speaker, as I said
yesterday
AN HON. MEMBER:
Phone Crime Stoppers.
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. JACKMAN:
Mr. Speaker, I expect no
less.
Mr.
Speaker, as I said yesterday in my response, the information I have, that
has been reported to me, is that protocol was indeed followed.
If there are documents that I can table here, I certainly will, Mr.
Speaker. I will follow up with
staff, and if that is indeed the case I will bring it forward here.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
St. George's Stephenville East.
MR. REID:
Mr. Speaker, it is our
understanding from the reading of the report is that law enforcement
officials were not contacted.
Mr.
Speaker, the college did not consider identify theft as a potential harm
when they exposed names, salaries, birthdates, nationalities, and employee
numbers of 600 people. Clearly,
there is a risk of identity theft and therefore criminal harm.
I
ask the Minister of Advanced Education and Skills: How can you allow the
college to downplay a privacy breach that poses a threat, not only to the
security of these employees but also to their families?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Advanced Education and Skills.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. JACKMAN:
Mr. Speaker, I take
exception to the thing that he stated that the College of the North Atlantic
is downplaying a breach.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. JACKMAN:
Mr. Speaker, is he saying
that the people who are working at the College of the North Atlantic, the
people who are in the administration over there, are downplaying something?
Mr. Speaker, I have full faith in the people who administer the
College of the North Atlantic, and from my inquiry and my discussion is that
protocol was followed.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Carbonear Harbour Grace.
MR. SLADE:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr.
Speaker, part of the December 2012 agreement government reached with OCI on
the Fortune plant was the employment of a minimum of 110 full-time positions
year round for five years.
I
ask the minister: Have there been 110 people working full-time since the
plant opened, and will he tell us how many are currently working there?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Fisheries and Aquaculture.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. GRANTER:
Mr. Speaker, we have done
a great deal of investment in the fisheries in the Province, including OCI
and the people of Fortune.
Mr.
Speaker, I do not have the exact numbers in front of me, over the last year
our current numbers that are there, but I have a meeting next week set up
with officials. I have a meeting
set up, or had meetings set up and discussions with OCI in the last number
of months. We will hold them to
their agreements and hold them to the contracts they had signed with the
provincial government. Further
details on the numbers that I can get with regard to the current people and
for the rest of this year, I will have to table it in the House.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Carbonear Harbour Grace.
MR. SLADE:
Mr. Speaker, on January
28, 2015, I wrote the minister to ask a number of questions including what
dates the Fortune plant had been opened and closed, and what fish were
processed. He refused to provide
the answer.
I
ask the minister: Will he disclose to the House the opening and closing
dates of the Fortune plant, as well as the fish processed there in the past
two years?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Fisheries and Aquaculture.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. GRANTER:
Mr. Speaker, the hon.
member would know that any letter that has been sent to my office from him I
have addressed and sent back to him.
Actually, I did so in a very speedy manner, Mr. Speaker.
If
the answer in the letter did not contain the information that he wanted to
his satisfaction, I will speak to officials, Mr. Speaker, in the department
and provide to the hon. member the details of which he requests.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Torngat Mountains.
MR. EDMUNDS:
Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday
in this House the Premier stated, regarding the sixth amendment to the
Voisey's Bay agreement, and Hansard will reflect this,
there was no
requirement to consult in that circumstance.
Yet, under the Land Claims Agreement, which supersedes all agreements
dealing with the Labrador Inuit lands including the Voisey's Bay agreement,
there is a duty to consult.
I
ask the Premier: Why is your government failing to live up to its obligation
to consult under the Inuit Land Claims Agreement?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
PREMIER DAVIS:
Thank you, Mr.
Speaker.
I
have said this
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
PREMIER DAVIS:
Mr. Speaker, I have
stated in this House before and I will reiterate again the importance in the
relationships that we value with partners in Newfoundland and Labrador,
especially members of the Nunatsiavut Government and also the Innu Nation.
We value their relationships very well.
I
have explained before our position on what the agreement requires, Mr.
Speaker. I have laid that out in
this House before. In the
not-too-distant future I will look forward to having face-to-face meetings
with leaders of both organizations so that we can have a very good
discussion about our relationship and how we move forward together.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Torngat Mountains.
MR. EDMUNDS:
Mr. Speaker, that does
not answer my question.
Mr.
Speaker, any amendments to the Voisey's Bay agreement, whether it concerns
Voisey's Bay or Long Harbour, has a direct impact on the Nunatsiavut
Government and the Innu Nation based on its royalty sharing agreements.
Both Nunatsiavut and the Innu Nation are losing millions of dollars
under those agreements because of your decision on the sixth amendment.
I
ask the Premier: With millions of dollars of lost revenue to both the Innu
Nation and the Nunatsiavut Government, don't you think that is reason enough
to consult?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
PREMIER DAVIS:
Thank you, Mr.
Speaker.
By
reaching agreement on Voisey's Bay and the shipping out of ore, what has
happened is that we have a circumstance now where the mine can continue to
operate.
Mr.
Speaker, 475 people continue to work at the site of Voisey's Bay.
The majority of them are Aboriginal people from Labrador who continue
to receive good paying jobs that benefit not only them, but to use their
words opposite not only them but also it benefits their families.
As
well, as a result of that, the Nunatsiavut Government continues to receive
their share of royalties because the ore is being shipped out, Mr. Speaker.
This is a win-win situation for the people of Labrador.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
The Straits White Bay North.
MR. MITCHELMORE:
Mr. Speaker,
expropriating an industrial site like the Abitibi mill in Grand
Falls-Windsor is one of the most dangerous and costly liabilities a
government can assume.
Given the demolition contract's scope of practice is only to knock down,
smooth over and walk away, I ask the minister: What is your remediation plan
for removal of the existing chemical hazards, and what is the cost of this
removal?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Transportation and Works.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. BRAZIL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
We
have entered into a very unique contract with a proponent here
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. BRAZIL:
for Grand Falls and the dismantling of the mill.
There are a number of things that we have to keep in mind here when
we do this; one, is the historic significance out there.
It is the culture of that community.
We want to do it with dignity.
We have talked to the company to make sure that as we take down that
part of history, that it is done in a character way so that the people of
that community would have respect for what is being done, and particularly
the proponent.
We
are also going to be working with the municipalities in the region and with
the citizens to identify what is the best use of that land once the facility
itself is taken down. The
remediation then would be determined based on what the future use of that
land would be for.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
The Straits White Bay North.
MR. MITCHELMORE:
Mr. Speaker, it is
obvious they have not done their work on the cost or a remediation plan.
Government is trying to sell good news by getting rid of the physical
structure, but the real cost of any environmental cleanup is below the
surface. No hazard assessment
has been publicly available.
I
ask the minister: Have you completed a report; and, if so, since you claim
to be open, why are you withholding a public release of a report on these
hazards?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Transportation and Works.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. BRAZIL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
We
take very seriously every piece of property we have and the remediation and
the environmental concerns. In
this case, our first objective here is to take down the property.
We are working with the Department of Environment; we have
consultants on site. We have
construction equipment now on site to first do the first part of our phase
of remediating that site, of taking down the buildings.
Once that is complete and we have our stakeholders' roundtables, we
will then determine exactly what that site's future use would be, and what
type of remediation, and the costs associated with that.
Mr.
Speaker, I also want to note, this is a bigger picture here.
This is a $100 million asset that the people of this Province have.
So we are going to build all of this so that part of this Province
and the rest of this Province benefits from our investment here, Mr.
Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Humber East.
MR. FLYNN:
Mr. Speaker, government
released documents in January of this year stating that the new West Coast
hospital would open in 2019. We
received an ATIPP application this week saying it will open in 2020.
So
when will the minister finally nail down the date for the West Coast
hospital to open?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. KENT:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
We
have consistently said all along that it will take approximately five years
to complete construction of the entire West Coast hospital campus.
There are multiple buildings to be constructed.
The very first portion of the campus that will commence construction
is the long-term care facility.
We know in each region of the Province there is a great need for more
long-term care beds, and I am pleased to say that we are very committed to
delivering on the commitment to the people of the West Coast to create many
new beds on the West Coast hospital site.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Humber East has time for a very quick question.
MR. FLYNN:
Eight years ago
government promised to build a new hospital on the West Coast.
Government said it would be completed in 2014.
In 2010, it was 2016. In
2011, it was 2017.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. member has time
for a quick question.
MR. FLYNN:
In 2015, you are now
saying 2020. Is there a pattern
here?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Health and Community Services, for a quick reply.
MR. KENT:
No, Mr. Speaker.
We are very committed to making progress.
There has been millions of dollars now spent.
The
dates will be really firm as the design of the new facility continues, but
there will be construction later this year on the long-term care component.'
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Signal Hill Quidi Vidi.
MS MICHAEL:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
Yesterday, the Minister of Health and Community Services said that having
nurses collect blood samples in St. Clare's ER is about reducing wait times.
I
ask the minister: Where is the data showing by how much wait times will be
reduced?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. KENT:
Mr. Speaker, reducing
health care wait times for a number of services in our system has been a
priority for this government for the past decade.
There are lots of reports and updates available.
I will be pleased to provide any of the research to the hon. member.
Eastern Health did change the process for blood collection in the emergency
department only at St. Clare's to improve wait times and also to improve
health outcomes.
We
know this process works because it has been in place at the Health Sciences
Centre for ten years, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Signal Hill Quidi Vidi.
MS MICHAEL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Obviously, there is no study that has been done of St. Clare's.
I point out to the Speaker that many ER departments in Canada and
elsewhere, in other jurisdictions, have gone back to using lab technicians
because the results were better and more cost effective.
I
ask the minister: Why are reliability and quality being sacrificed in the
name of efficiency?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. KENT:
Mr. Speaker, I take
exception to those suggestions.
I can also assure you that if nurses express any concerns about workload, I
have received assurance from folks at Eastern Health that they welcome the
input from nurses. They are
happy to sit down with nurses and address those concerns.
The
process that is being put in place at St. Clare's has been in place at the
Health Sciences Centre for about a decade.
It has worked well. It
has improved efficiency. It has
improved wait times. It has
improved patient flow within our facilities.
It
is the right thing to do. I
support Eastern Health's decision, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Signal Hill Quidi Vidi.
MS MICHAEL:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
I
will be happy to show studies to the minister that says otherwise.
I
ask the minister, since he seems to know what nurses are thinking: Who, if
anyone, was consulted before this decision was made?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. KENT:
Mr. Speaker, there has
been no compromise to quality here.
In fact, we are improving processes within our health care system
constantly. We had a consultant
called X32 that has done a great deal of work in this area and there is
information available, which I would be happy to provide to the member
opposite.
Consultation with nurses is ongoing.
In fact, this is an issue that has been discussed within the system
for several years. The changes
were first made at the Health Sciences Centre a decade ago.
I recognize that Eastern Health has a different view and a different
opinion than the unions involved, and I respect that, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
St. John's East.
MR. MURPHY:
Mr. Speaker, a research
group that includes public health professionals is going to be putting
together a presentation for the fracking review panel on the impacts of
fracking on public health.
Who
on the government appointed panel is qualified to interpret those findings
for the final fracking review report?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Natural Resources.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. DALLEY:
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate
the member's only interest in this Province being fracking or the lack of.
I want to be clear, we are not fracking.
We are not accepting any applications.
We are not fracking in Gros Morne.
We have an independent panel, independent of me as minister, that
will do a piece of work for the entire Province.
There will be an opportunity for all of his friends to present.
Mr.
Speaker, the independent panel will do an evaluation of what is presented,
and what they do not know they will go out and reach out to some experts and
get some information. We want
them to do a fair, independent, and partial piece of work on behalf of the
entire Province, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
St. John's East.
MR. MURPHY:
Mr. Speaker, the minister
said they are not fracking in the Province.
Well, why bother to have a panel if that is the case?
Public health is a major concern to the people around the fracking
issue. The minister has to
recognize that.
So I
ask him: Why ignore public health?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Natural Resources.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. DALLEY:
Mr. Speaker, he does not
need to raise his voice to indicate that we do not have a concern about
public health in this Province.
The minister can stand here and talk about $3 billion we are spending year
after year for public health in this Province.
The Minister of Environment can talk about regulation after
regulation that supports the people of the Province.
So to suggest in any way that we do not care about public health is
absolutely wrong and foolishness, Mr. Speaker.
The
panel will be well represented, Mr. Speaker, and the people he is talking
about, I look forward to their report.
I am sure it will add greatly to the debate over fracking in this
Province.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
The
time for Question Period has expired.
Presenting Reports by Standing and Select Committees.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
Tabling of Documents.
Notices of Motion.
Answers to Questions for which Notice has been Given.
Petitions.
Petitions
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
St. Barbe.
MR. J. BENNETT:
Thank you, Mr.
Speaker.
To
the hon. House of Assembly of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in
Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned humbly sheweth:
WHEREAS there is no cellphone service in the Town of Trout River, which is
an enclave community in Gros Morne National Park; and
WHEREAS visitors to Gros Morne National Park, more than 100,000 annually,
expect to communicate by cellphone when they visit the park; and
WHEREAS cellphone service has become a very important aspect of everyday
living for residents; and
WHEREAS cellphone service is an essential safety tool for residents and
visitors; and
WHEREAS cellphone service is essential for business development;
WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the
House of Assembly to urge the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to
partner with the private sector to extend cellphone coverage throughout Gros
Morne National Park and the enclave community of Trout River.
As
in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. J. BENNETT:
Mr. Speaker, this is
a petition that I have presented repeatedly.
Because I have so many people who have
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
I
ask members for their co-operation as the Member for St. Barbe delivers his
petition.
The
hon. the Member for St. Barbe.
MR. J. BENNETT:
Thank you, Mr.
Speaker.
It
is timely to present this petition this week considering that Trout River
Gulch was blocked with snow for two or three days over the past week, and a
significant part of the Northern Peninsula highway, Route 430, was blocked
for an entire day back when we had a storm on Monday.
The people who were trapped in snowdrifts were unable to receive
cellphone coverage. They had no
way to notify friends, family, or relatives, or emergency services of where
they were or what had happened to them.
This
has become a very serious public safety issue.
Mr. Speaker, I can also advise over the last two years I have had
discussions with Bell Mobility.
They are more than willing to establish a cellphone tower in Cow Head which
would provide substantial cellphone coverage, but no, they cannot get any
co-operation from government.
They
thought they had this proposal approved.
In fact, government has not committed whatsoever to providing
cellphone service to residents in this region.
This is critically important, if not for the residents, than at least
for tourists who come on an annual basis to visit the, what we call the gem
of the Great Northern Peninsula, Gros Morne National Park.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
St. John's North.
MR. KIRBY:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
To
the hon. House of Assembly of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in
Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents of
Newfoundland and Labrador humbly sheweth:
WHEREAS the Eastern School District is considering a 1.5 year plan to bus
Kindergarten to Grade 6 students to the Newfoundland School for the Deaf;
and
WHEREAS parents have expressed concern that long bus rides to school involve
dangers, such as congested streets and, busy intersections, especially
during winter weather conditions; and
WHEREAS review of the Holy Family school system to recommend that the
Department of Education consider an alternative to having children attend
the Newfoundland School for the Deaf; and
WHEREAS some parents suggest having Grades 5-6 attend Villa Nova Junior High
school to alleviate some congestion at Holy Family; and
WHEREAS parents are continuing to demand more flexible policies to meet the
current needs of school children;
WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the
House of Assembly to urge government to change the proposal of transferring
children from Holy Family School to the former Newfoundland School for the
Deaf building.
And
as in duty bound your petitioners will ever pray.
Mr.
Speaker, I have presented this petition a number of times now.
There are about another 100 signatures on this collection here.
I have heard a lot from parents who have students at this school.
A lot of them are very concerned about the potential for having kids
in Grades 2-6 travelling for forty-five minutes to St. John's to go to
school.
Similarly, there are parents who are very concerned about the possibility of
another significant increase in the school population at Holy Family, when
that school was not built to accommodate a population of students as high as
perhaps 1,000 students. This
proposal to bring in some sort of portable toilet room or something like
that to accommodate the need for additional washroom facilities just seems
foolhardy to me.
As I
said before, Mr. Speaker, this is symptomatic of a larger problem that this
government has created by not paying attention to population growth
projections on the Northeast Avalon and basically letting everything get
away from them when it comes to new school construction.
Parents in Torbay have been promised a new school for September 2016.
Parents in Portugal Cove-St. Phillips have been promised a new school
for 2016. Parents in Conception
Bay South have been promised a new school for 2016, and the minister is
hopefully optimistic that the work is going to get done.
You
cannot live on hopeful optimism.
We cannot achieve the educational outcomes that we need to be a world leader
in education by being hopefully optimistic.
You have to do your job properly.
It has not been done.
That is the reason why we have signatures like these.
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
I
remind the member that his time has expired.
MR. KIRBY:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Cartwright L'Anse au Clair.
MS DEMPSTER:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
To
the hon. House of Assembly of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in
Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned humbly sheweth:
WHEREAS most communities in the District of Cartwright L'Anse au Clair do
not have adequate broadband service; and
WHEREAS residents, businesses, students, nurses, and teachers rely heavily
on the Internet to conduct their work and cannot afford to wait until 2016
to access a potential plan in partnership with the Muskrat Falls
development; and
WHEREAS there are a number of world-class tourism sites in the region,
including UNESCO site at Red Bay, Battle Harbour Historic Site, and the
Mealy Mountains National Park;
WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the
House of Assembly to urge the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to
work with the appropriate agencies to provide adequate broadband service to
communities along the Labrador Coast.
As
in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.
Mr.
Speaker, since I first started submitting this petition, we had made some
progress. As of the end of
March, we have seen most of the Labrador Straits upgraded.
I understand within the next two or three weeks we are going to be
see Red Bay and Pinware brought on.
I am very happy about that.
Somehow Capstan Island got overlooked there in the middle of it all,
and I understand that is being looked at.
Mr.
Speaker, we still have a very, very serious situation.
We are absolutely crippled down in Southeast Labrador when it comes
to broadband connection, Mr. Speaker, to the point that I just said to my
colleague businesses cannot run a basic Interac machine in this digital
age. When I am back in my
district, I am unable to do anything more than send or receive an email;
that is basically it. So I am
crippled from doing my work. I
understand the frustration of the people in that area.
Again, I am calling on government to work with the service provider.
I mentioned here that last time I stood on a petition there are
online petitions. Active
community groups are seeking legal opinion right now.
They are frustrated to see can a service provider actually charge us
for a service that we are not getting.
I am
asking the Province to work with Industry Canada's Connecting Canadians
program, look at partnerships there, and work with the service provider to
see what they can do in this digital age to improve the service in Southeast
Labrador for those communities.
I
will continue to petition for the residents in that area.
Thank you.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Sr. John's Centre.
MS ROGERS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
To
the hon. House of Assembly of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in
Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents of
Newfoundland and Labrador humbly sheweth:
WHEREAS the Family Violence Intervention Court provided a comprehensive
approach to domestic violence in a court setting that fully understood and
dealt with the complex issues of domestic violence; and
WHEREAS domestic violence continues to be one of the most serious issues
facing our Province today, and the cost of the impact of domestic violence
is great both economically and in human suffering; and
WHEREAS the Family Violence Intervention Court was welcomed and endorsed by
all aspects of the justice system, including the police, the courts,
prosecutors, defence counsel, Child, Youth and Family Services, as well as
victims, offenders, community agencies, and women's groups; and
WHEREAS the recidivism rate for offenders going through the court was 10 per
cent, compared to 40 per cent for those who did not; and
WHEREAS the budget for the court was only 0.2 per cent of the entire budget
of the Department of Justice;
WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the
House of Assembly to urge government to reinstate the Family Violence
Intervention Court.
As
in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.
Mr.
Speaker, I am happy once again to stand in defence of this petition, a
petition that has been signed by thousands of people in the Province.
In the mandate letters of the Premier that he issued to every one of
his departments, he wrote to the Minister of Justice and instructed her on
the Family Violence Intervention Court.
He said: In consultation with stakeholders, I expect you to explore
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MS ROGERS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Again, the Premier had instructed that Minister of Justice, which I assume
will also extend to the current Minister of Justice: In consultation with
stakeholders, I expect you to explore, and propose for consideration,
possible models for providing Family Violence Intervention Court throughout
Newfoundland and Labrador.
Mr.
Speaker, I have not heard anything from any of the stakeholders that, in
fact, that consultation process has begun.
Perhaps it has, but here we are getting very close to the release of
the Budget, and one would assume that if in fact there was an intention and
a commitment from this Premier to seriously look at reinstating and
expanding the Family Violence Intervention Court, then that consultation
should be well underway.
As a
matter of fact, Mr. Speaker, one would expect that consultation would be
pretty well done by now, and that the recommendations would be done.
I have a document that proposes how to do the court with existing
infrastructure.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
The
hon. the Member for Trinity Bay de Verde.
MR. CROCKER:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
To
the hon. House of Assembly of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in
Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned humbly sheweth:
WHEREAS many communities in the District of Trinity Bay de Verde do not
have cellphone coverage; and
WHEREAS residents of the district require cellphone coverage to ensure their
safety and communications abilities; and
WHEREAS cellphone coverage on many portions of the highway in the district
is poor or non-existent;
WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly call upon the House of
Assembly to urge the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to work with
the appropriate agencies to provide adequate cellphone coverage throughout
the entire District of Trinity Bay de Verde.
And
as in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.
Mr.
Speaker, it is my pleasure to stand here today and introduce this petition
into the House on behalf of the residents of Trinity Bay de Verde.
It is time for the government to realize they have a role to play in
cellphone coverage for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.
This
government has often boasted about our new 911 system in the Province.
Do not get me wrong, Mr. Speaker, I support a 911 system, but
unfortunately this system is not very effective for people in my district.
Unless you have access to a land line, 911 is no good to you.
Mr.
Speaker, this is a major safety issue when you are travelling on our roads.
You look at Route 80, you look at the Heart's Content Barrens, and
you look at Route 74 on the North Shore.
As the Member for Burgeo La Poile has pointed out in petitions
throughout the last few days about the people who were stranded on the
highways, and the Member for St. Barbe again today pointing out the same
issue in his district.
Mr.
Speaker, it is time for government to step up, work with the service
providers, look for new technologies, and look for ways to get it done so
that the people of the District of Trinity Bay de Verde and all regions of
this Province have adequate cellphone coverage.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
St. George's Stephenville East.
MR. REID:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I
have a petition related to snow clearing on public roads.
To
the hon. House of Assembly of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in
Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned humbly sheweth:
WHEREAS the provincial government has changed policies related to snow
clearing in rural areas of Newfoundland and Labrador in an arbitrary way
without proper consultation; and
WHEREAS this policy change did not establish procedures for determining when
new roads could be added to those eligible for snow clearing in
unincorporated rural areas; and
WHEREAS there is a significant problem created in relation to the provision
of services such as garbage collection and emergency services;
WHEREUPON the undersigned, your
petitioners, humbly pray and call on the House of Assembly to urge the
Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to review and update policies
related to snow clearing.
Mr.
Speaker, this petition was started by a gentleman in St. David's who has a
house which is just a little ways down from where the road is cleared.
When he built his house the road used to be cleared.
He moved away to get work for a while and when he came back he found
out that the road in front of his house was not being cleared.
So, it is a circumstance that has happened in a number of places
around this Province and it is an issue that I think government needs to
look at.
I
think the whole idea of the way we do snow clearing needs to be looked at in
rural areas of this Province and a review is necessary.
I think a review might even save the Province money if we look at
what roads are being plowed that maybe do not need to be plowed, and the
ones that are not being plowed that should be plowed.
I think we need to have a look at that.
There are no provisions for new roads to be added to the list and other
roads to be taken away. So I
think we need to have a look at that.
This is especially interesting in cases of emergency service and
collection of garbage and things like that.
The
local service district in the area has intervened on Mr. King's behalf and
asked that the department clear this road because he is still expected to
pay for those services.
Although, because the road is not cleared, the local service district is not
able to do things like collect his garbage or respond to any emergency in
his area. This is something that
needs to be looked at. It is a
serious issue for many people in rural areas of this Province.
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.
To
the hon. House of Assembly of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in
Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents of
Newfoundland and Labrador humbly sheweth:
WHEREAS Tordon 101 contains the chemicals 2,4-D and picloram; and
WHEREAS the chemical picloram is a known cancer causing carcinogen; and
WHEREAS the provincial government has banned the cosmetic use of the
pesticide 2,4-D; and
WHEREAS safer alternatives are available to the provincial government for
brush clearance such as manual labour, alternative competitive seeding
methods, and/or the mechanical removal of brush; and
WHEREAS the provincial government is responsible for ensuring the safety and
well-being of its citizens;
WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the
House of Assembly to urge government to cease the use of chemicals covered
under its own cosmetic pesticide ban and begin using safer methods of brush
clearance that will not place its citizens in harm's way.
And
as in duty bound your petitioners will ever pray.
Mr.
Speaker, this is Earth Day. We
recognize the Minister of Service NL stood up and talked about climate
change but, even more importantly, what we are doing to our own planet.
What we are coming to realize is the more chemicals we put into our
own environment, the more challenges this world is facing; and, indeed, I
guess for its own survival in some cases.
Mr.
Speaker, this petition talks about the use of chemicals in such a way that
they are meant for good intentions.
There are obviously good intentions behind it.
In actual fact, for the purposes of roadside brush clearing, but we
do have other methods out there that are a little bit safer and less
damaging to the environment, if you will.
The
most important line in this petition, Mr. Speaker and this petition today
is signed by people in the minister's own district, by the way, from Bell
Island, and from another area known in the Province for heavy traffic when
it comes to roadside brush clearing, Long Harbour, as well.
These are people who are very concerned about what is going into our
environment, otherwise they would not have signed it.
I consider that to be part of the public interest.
Government's responsibility, of course, is to look after the public
interest.
The
important line here in the petition: WHEREAS the provincial government is
responsible for ensuring the safety and well-being of its citizens.
Mr.
Speaker, like I say, if these are cancer-causing chemicals that we are
putting into the environment, we can use other methods so that we do not
have to be putting cancer-causing chemicals into the environment and causing
future, potential health problems.
What is the future bottom line for people's health when it comes to
the use of these chemicals? They
always come back to us. They end
up building up in our own bodies and end up causing grief.
Mr.
Speaker, I present this petition again.
Like I said, it is not going to be the last time I am going to be
standing up on this, but it is a consideration that government has to make.
We know the Budget is going to be coming down shortly.
Exactly when that is going to happen we are not sure because even the
federal government is talking about releasing the Budget now in the first
week of May. So we could be
going extremely late on this.
Mr.
Speaker, I will bring this to the government's attention as regards to the
use of chemicals. Look at safer
methods of doing this.
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. MURPHY:
Look at better ways of
doing this.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
Before we proceed to Orders of the Day, I just want to make a ruling on a
point of order that was raised yesterday.
A
point of order was raised by the Minister of Health and Community Services,
who stood after Question Period to state that he had found comments of the
Opposition House Leader to be offensive and inappropriate.
Yesterday's Hansard and video recording of the proceedings of this House for
the relevant period have been reviewed.
Any comments which the Opposition House Leader may have made are not
audible on the video clip and they are not recorded in Hansard, which is the
official record of the House.
Consequently, I find there is no point of order.
Orders of the Day.
Orders of the Day
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Deputy
Government House Leader.
MR. HUTCHINGS:
Thank you, Mr.
Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. HUTCHINGS:
Mr. Speaker, I want
to move to Motions 5 and 6. I
move
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
The
hon. the Deputy Government House Leader.
MR. HUTCHINGS:
Mr. Speaker, I move,
seconded by the Minister of Child, Youth and Family Services, Motion 5,
pursuant to Standing Order 11, this House not adjourn at 5:30 p.m. today,
Thursday, March 26, 2015.
Further, Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the Minister of Child, Youth and
Family Services, Motion 6, pursuant to Standing Order 11, that this House
not adjourn at 10:00 p.m. today, Thursday, March 26, 2015.
MR. SPEAKER:
The motion is that this
House not adjourn at 5:30 o'clock today and, furthermore, the motion is that
this House not adjourn at 10:00 this evening.
All
those in favour, 'aye.'
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
MR. SPEAKER:
All those against, 'nay.'
Carried.
The
hon. Deputy Government House Leader.
MR. HUTCHINGS:
Mr. Speaker, I would
like to move again to the Orders of the Day to Motion 3.
Mr.
Speaker, I move, seconded by the Minister of Natural Resources, for leave to
introduce a bill entitled, An Act To Amend The Provincial Court Act, 1991,
Bill 43, and I further move the bill be now read a first time.
MR. SPEAKER:
It is moved and seconded
that the hon. the Minister of Justice and Public Safety shall have leave to
introduce a bill entitled, An Act To Amend The Provincial Court Act, 1991,
Bill 43 and that the said bill be now read the first time
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
Could members please take their conversations outside?
Important business is being conducted in the Chamber.
Is
it the pleasure of the House that the minister shall have leave to introduce
Bill 43 and that the said bill be now read for the first time?
All
those in favour, 'aye.'
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
MR. SPEAKER:
All those against, 'nay.'
Carried.
Motion, the hon. the Minister of Justice and Public Safety to introduce a
bill, An Act To Amend The Provincial Court Act, 1991, carried.
(Bill 43)
CLERK:
A bill, An Act To Amend The Provincial Court Act, 1991.
(Bill 43)
MR. SPEAKER:
This bill has now been
read a first time.
When
shall the bill be read a second time?
MR. HUTCHINGS:
Tomorrow.
MR. SPEAKER:
Tomorrow.
On
motion, Bill 43 read a first time, ordered read a second time on tomorrow.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Deputy
Government House Leader.
MR. HUTCHINGS:
Mr. Speaker, I refer
to the Order Paper and go to Order 1, Committee of Supply.
MR. SPEAKER:
The motion is that this
House do now resolve itself into a Committee of Supply to further consider
the Interim Supply bill.
All
those in favour, 'aye.'
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
MR. SPEAKER:
All those against, 'nay.'
Carried.
On
motion, that the House resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole, Mr.
Speaker left the Chair.
Committee of the
Whole
CHAIR (Littlejohn):
Order, please!
We
are continuing to consider the related resolution to Bill 44, An Act For
Granting To Her Majesty Certain Sums Of Money For Defraying Certain Expenses
Of The Public Service For The Financial Year Ending March 31, 2016 And For
Other Purposes Relating To The Public Service.
The
hon. the Minister of Child, Youth and Family Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. S. COLLINS:
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
It
is always a pleasure to rise in this House and this will be my third time
speaking to Interim Supply, and I wanted to share a few thoughts first
before I get into the crux of my talk with regard to something that I
attended just this past weekend out in the district and it is something very
important. It is the Loyal
Orange Lodge in Charlottetown.
Actually, they were celebrating their 119th anniversary and it
was a great gathering for people not only from the community, but from
people right across the Province.
As
many of you know, the Loyal Orange Lodge has been around for a number of
years in Newfoundland and Labrador.
I think it started in 1863.
About thirty-four years after that, the lodge in Charlottetown
formed. At the turn of the
century, Mr. Chair, an interesting fact is that Bonavista Lodge #4 actually
had the largest membership in all of North America, with 475 members.
It
has a rich history here in the Province, so it is nice to celebrate that.
Any time I have an opportunity to go out to my district, out into the
communities, to celebrate such things it is always nice to do so.
Mr.
Chair, which brings me to my next point, while at the celebration of the
Loyal Orange Lodge I also had the opportunity to wish two fine constituents
Doug and May Simmonds a happy fiftieth anniversary.
There is a large gathering home now in Charlottetown, Bonavista Bay
for a meet and greet for their fiftieth anniversary, and I would just like
to say to Doug and May, happy fiftieth.
Mr.
Chair, if you went corner to corner of this Province, all four corners, you
would not meet a better crowd, you would not meet a friendly couple, someone
who are so sincere and giving, so I want to give them my heartfelt
congratulations on fifty years of marriage.
Someone who has only been married for six years, I certainly
appreciate fifty. I look forward
to my fiftieth someday as well.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. S. COLLINS:
Mr. Chair, if I can
get into the reason why I stood today, it was only a few short days ago the
Member for CBS got up. He said
something that really struck home for me.
Actually he says a lot that strikes home with me.
There was one thing in particular he said that really kind of got my
back up because I was thinking now what is he talking about?
He
had said over the past ten years there is nothing that has really changed.
There has not been really any change in the last decade in
Newfoundland and Labrador. I
said imagine, he said it. What
makes it even better he said it with a straight face.
I
kind of thought back. Of course
over the past decade there have been a number of things that have happened,
a transformation in this Province unprecedented as any member here I
thought, would be able to agree.
I went back to an article.
Actually I spoke about this one.
One
of the first times I rose in this House, I guess about six years ago, I
spoke about this because it is very interesting when you read about before
we comment where we are, we should always look on where we came from and
where we were.
I go
back to an article that Margaret Wente wrote in
The Globe and Mail.
Many of you are probably aware of it.
It was January 2005, I believe.
It is an interesting point because of course 2005 is about a decade
ago. That is our rule that the
Member for CBS, that is the groundwork he laid out.
He said over the past decade there has been very little change.
I
wanted to read a couple of quotes from Margaret Wente, and while I am not a
big fan of her opinion, she is a fine writer.
She is renowned right across this country and probably throughout the
world. I want to read a few
excerpts from that article.
Again this article was written in 2005, not that long ago.
It was a decade ago, so I think it is a good base point to where my
conversation is going.
If
you would indulge me I will read a few excerpts,
the sensation on this
side is of a deep and painful bite to the hand that feeds.
Mr. Williams referring to the Premier at the time reminds me of
a deadbeat brother-in-law who's hit you up for money a few times too often.
He's been sleeping on your couch for years, and now he's got the
nerve to complain that it's too lumpy.
Now
imagine she is speaking about the Premier at the time talking about of
course he was looking for our fair share with regard to equalization
payments in the Atlantic Accord and all those things that were going on at
the time. Let's put this in
perspective; so he is a deadbeat person, sleeps on your couch, and complains
it is too lumpy, handouts.
She
goes on to talk about, Over the years, those of us not blessed to be born
on the Rock have sent countless cakes its way in the form of equalization
payments, pogey, and various hare-brained make-work schemes
In return, the
surly islanders have blamed us for everything from the disappearance of the
cod stocks to the destruction of the family unit, because if people had to
work more than 10 weeks before they could collect EI, they might have to
move away.
This hallowed policy of siphoning money from the haves to the have-nots
and of course in 2005 we were the have-nots; others in Canada, middle Canada
probably were the haves, that has changed so that everyone can be equal,
has turned Canada into a permanently aggrieved nation, in which every region
in the country is convinced that it's being brutally ripped off by every
other region. No one is better
at this blame game than the Newfs, egged on by generations of politicians.
so
we send more money so that more people can stay in the scenic villages where
they were born, even though even though, Mr. Chair, the fish are all gone
and there's no more work and never will be, there never will be any work
unless they can steal some telemarketing from Bangalore. Bangalore is in
India, for those who do not know.
Rural Newfoundland and Labrador
is probably the most vast and scenic
welfare ghetto in the world.
No
one will ever buy a scenic postcard of a strip mall.
But Scarborough supports itself, Scarborough, Ontario, which the
member from across the way is well familiar with, he travels there often
and Newfoundland does not, and I wish Danny Williams would explain why it's
a good idea to keep picking the pockets of Chinese drycleaners and Korean
variety-store owners who work 90 hours a week in order to keep subsidizing
the people who live in Carbonear, no matter how quaint and picturesque they
are.
Now,
Mr. Chair, that was an article that was written in a national newspaper ten
years ago, only ten years ago.
Do you know what the most shocking thing about all of this?
Now, the opinions were gross, and many things borderline racist, if
you would, but the opinions were based on a logic, and of course that was a
logic that we were a province that heavily depended on EI.
We heavily depended on transfer payments, and those types of things.
That is where she based her opinions.
Now,
I would ask any members I would specifically ask the Member for CBS do
you think anyone could or would write an article with such gibberish in it
ten years later? Of course, they
would not. Why wouldn't they?
Because they cannot. Why
can't they? Because it is a
changed Province. Ten years, ten
years where we were, Mr. Chair, versus where we are, two very different
places. They pale in comparison
to one another.
Why
is that? There are a number of
reasons. Some would say oil and
gas and of course that obviously was a large determinant of it, but it was
all about governance as well, Mr. Chair.
You only have to look at who has been in these chairs, who sat on
this side of the House over the past ten years and it gives me more reason
to get up here and be very proud of the work that this government has done
over the past decade, and even a little bit more than that.
So,
Mr. Chair, do challenges remain?
Absolutely. I am from rural
Newfoundland and Labrador. I
lived there; I spend every weekend home.
When I am not in this House, I am out in rural Newfoundland and
Labrador. I am very aware of it.
I started off by speaking about Charlottetown, Bonavista Bay.
That is the quintessential rural Newfoundland and Labrador community.
So I am very familiar with it.
So
challenges do remain, but I can tell you and I can tell everyone in this
House the great things that are happening in rural Newfoundland and
Labrador. It upsets me, and I
take exception to it when I hear members such as the the one from CBS who
was on council, who I believe was an educator in his previous life as well,
someone who is informed, I would hope would be informed, can talk about such
things and say such things, such fallacies.
It
also concerns me, particularly from the Member for CBS, he is from an area
that has seen some of the most unprecedented growth in all of the Province.
A community, I guess it borderlines it is almost a city it is going
to become I am sure in a few short years with all of the communities coming
together. He has seen first-hand
all the progressive work, the Progressive Conservative work, that has gone
on in his district. He was on
council. He was there taking the
cheques when money was rolling into the community, as housing permits were
going out, as industry was moving in and commercial areas were getting built
up.
This
is the member who has the gall to stand to his feet and say nothing has
changed in the past ten years.
Mr. Chair, I do not know if he was saying it just to score political points
and if he actually believes what he said.
I hope he does not believe what he said.
I do not believe what he says and I do not think any member on this
side of the House does.
People around the Province people always say you have short memories.
I do not believe the folks of Newfoundland and Labrador have that
short a memory. I think people
can realize where we have come in the last ten years.
I can stand here as a proud Progressive Conservative and someone who
has been part of this government for the past six years and in various other
forms since 2004, I am proud of the work that has happened.
I am proud of the investments we have made.
Many
and the vast majority I would argue are in rural Newfoundland and
Labrador. The work that has gone
on and the work that will continue to go on, again, is fantastic.
It adds so much to the life to those, particularly again, in rural
Newfoundland and Labrador. That
is certainly not to leave out the metropolitan area and the Northeast Avalon
because we all know the boom that they have seen is off the charts.
I go back to the Member for CBS.
He has seen it first-hand; he just must have forgotten it.
We
only get ten minutes to speak during this, but I just wanted a few moments
just to lay that out and to remind people where we were ten short years ago
versus where we are today, two very different spots, and it is for some very
important reasons.
AN HON. MEMBER:
(Inaudible).
MR. S. COLLINS:
If the Member for St.
John's Centre would allow me to finish, I have seventeen seconds left and I
would like to take the last seventeen seconds to actually wish my
colleague's colleague, the Member for Signal Hill Quidi Vidi, a very happy
birthday. I understand that
tomorrow the Leader of the Third Party will be having her birthday, and I
would like to wish her a happy birthday as we will not be in the House
tomorrow. Happy birthday.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
CHAIR:
The hon. the Member for
Bay of Islands.
MR. JOYCE:
Thank you, Mr. Chair, and
I just want to rise I heard the minister speak just then, talking about
the Member for CBS. Mr. Chair,
everybody knows I have been passionate about the hospital in Corner Brook.
I will show you transcripts where this minister got on because he was
ordered to get on Open Line and say there should be no radiation in Corner
Brook. There should be no PET
scanner in Corner Brook. Ordered
to get on Open Line. I say, tell
your Premier right here and now that it should not be done.
Let's see if you have the guts, because you were ordered.
He was Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Health and ordered
to get on and tell the people in Corner Brook they did not deserve
radiation, they did not deserve a PET scanner.
Here he is talking about Margaret Wente, and you expect us to sit
down and listen to him.
Mr.
Chair, do you know what the minister reminds me of?
A puppet, someone pulling his string: now go on Open Line and say
this, say that. Mr. Chair, if he
really believed what he said, walk over and tell the Premier radiation
should not be in Corner Brook, PET scanners should not be in Corner Brook.
Guess what? He does not
have the intestinal fortitude to do it.
He does not have it, he just do not have it.
What
is he going to do? Stand up here
and talk about Margaret Wente, but he will not go out and face Corner Brook,
because I offered. I was on Open
Line, Mr. Chair, and I offered the Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister
of Health: Come to Corner Brook, face the people.
Guess what? He did not do
it, but he can stand up here and criticize one of ours because of Margaret
Wente and something she said.
Mr.
Chair, it is shameful, because there is nothing more important to the people
of Newfoundland and Labrador than their health and their health care system.
When I was fighting for the long-term care facility in Corner Brook,
the extra 100 beds, when I was fighting for the hospital, when I was
fighting for the radiation, this minister got on Open Line and said I was
foolish, were his words. It
should not be done, it should not be done, Mr. Chair.
Guess what? It is being
done.
Let
him tell the Premier of this Province, let him tell the Minister of Health
that they are foolish too, Mr. Chair.
Do not go criticizing members from our side when we are fighting for
health care. This member is like
a little puppet.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. JOYCE:
It upsets me, Mr. Chair,
when you do not want to support the people in this Province.
You do not want support the people in Western Newfoundland health
care because you are a Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Health.
Now you have to go on Open Line and criticize Eddie Joyce because
Eddie Joyce does not know what he is talking about.
Eddie Joyce did know what he was talking about and this caucus here stood up
for people of Western Newfoundland.
I will still invite the Minister of Child, Youth and Family Services
to come out and have a public meeting with the people be a man.
Be a man and tell them they do not deserve it.
Anytime you want to stand up here and criticize someone, just remember, you
did not stand up for the people of Western Newfoundland.
You did not stand up for radiation.
You did not stand up for a PET scanner when they needed you.
So do not go trying to lecture anyone over on this side of the House,
because you are not the person to do it.
Mr. Chair, he is not the person to do it.
Now,
Mr. Chair, I will get back to what I was going to say originally.
Mr.
Chair, I heard the Minister of Health today talking about the hospital in
Corner Brook. Then again, I know
the Member for Humber East asked questions today.
Do you want to know why people are skeptical?
We put in two freedoms of information.
One came back, and it was concerning the radiation.
In the report that was given, the information from the government, is
that the hospital is going to open in 2019.
We have a second report that was done on the functional plan, it says
2020.
Mr.
Chair, I always said if I am ever going to say anything in this House, I am
willing to back it up. Look at
Hansard, the minister said in this House that the hospital will start in
2016. It is going to take five
years to build. That is 2021.
They just cannot be honest with the people in Corner Brook and
Western Newfoundland. I do not
know why. I honestly do not know
why. I do not know why they just
cannot stand up and say look, it is delayed, but here is where we are now.
Stand up and be honest.
I
know the Minister of Health met with the action committee in November.
He promised to have floor plans to them in two weeks.
Guess what? The members
of the action committee have been trying to reach him ever since.
Mr.
Chair, there is a conference call tonight at 6:30.
I am not invited to it. I
am not allowed to it. I ask the
Member for Humber West, the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, will you
ask your minister if I can attend as an MHA, and the Member for Humber East,
if they can attend a meeting tonight about this health care facility in
Corner Brook.
Here
is a chance for the Member for Humber West now to stand up for his people
out there also. He is the same
one, Mr. Chair. The Member for
Humber West in 2011 went out, sent tractors out and the former Premier and
the Member for Humber East.
Guess what? He sent tractors out
in 2011, plowed off some land, a nice big dog park out there, a nice big
skidoo facility. He got up at a
public meeting in Corner Brook during the election in 2011 and said
construction will start in 2012.
AN HON. MEMBER:
I never said that.
MR. JOYCE:
No, you never, the Member
for Humber East. You were there,
but you did not correct him. You
were part of the government.
Do
you know who the honest one was in all this, out of this whole group over
here with this hospital? It is
the Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Health.
He was the Minister of Transportation and Works who came in here in
Estimates. I said to him show me
the Harbour Main Whitbourne member.
I said show me where the money is spent on the functional plan.
He said Ed, we do not even have the predesign done yet.
I nearly fell off my chair.
AN HON. MEMBER:
When was that?
MR. JOYCE:
That was in 2012.
That was after the Member for Humber West and the Member for Humber
East were in a public meeting, after sending tractors up, levelling it off
so they have a nice dog park up there.
After they levelled it all off, Mr. Chair, saying the construction
will start. I walked in and the
Member for Harbour Main Whitbourne, who was the Minister of Transportation
and Works, at least he was honest.
I have to give him credit, he was honest and all throughout the way.
I
ask the Member for Humber West who is over there sitting in his seat, who is
the Minster of Fisheries, can myself and the Member for Humber East attend
that meeting tonight, or is it barred now and we are going to be told all
this information, like they were told in November, they will have something
in two months? Like the minister
just gave us on the freedom of information, the functional plan, he stood up
in this House and said: oh, no, that is not the functional plan.
I
just want the Member for Humber West know, I sent a copy out to the health
care committee. I know the minister
is supposed to do it but I guess it slipped his mind.
They are still waiting for it.
So I sent it out for him, Mr. Chair.
That is all I am going to say about that.
Mr.
Chair, once again, I will ask the Member for Humber West, the Minister of
Fisheries and Aquaculture, will you get permission so that we can attend the
conference call tonight at 6:30 in Corner Brook about the health care
committee? I am asking him
publicly if that can be done.
Even if it is just to sit in to listen.
Mr. Chair, like I always said, what this government says out in
Corner Brook, it changes when they get back here in St. John's.
The two people who know what has been said in Corner Brook is myself
and the Member for Humber East.
Here is an opportunity. I beg
you to do that, I ask the Member for Humber West.
Mr.
Chair, I will stand up here on Monday or Tuesday or Wednesday and say if I
got an invitation to that meeting, because I think I should be there as a
member. I think I should be
there to ask questions. I think
the Member for Humber East should be there.
I am pretty confident the Member for Humber West, with such an
important issue, will be there also.
I will be shocked if the Member for Humber East is not at the meeting
tonight, that teleconference tonight.
I will be shocked.
Now,
do not be surprised if I stand up here on Monday or Tuesday and says the
Member for Humber West never attended that meeting.
Do not be shocked if I do that.
I am asking to be there.
AN HON. MEMBER:
We should all be
allowed.
MR. JOYCE:
Right, we have members
here the Member for St. Barbe should be there.
The Member for Burgeo La Poile, the Member for Cartwright L'Anse
au Clair, and the Member for The Straits should be there.
Why can't we all go on the teleconference to find out what is going
on? Why not?
Isn't this an open government now?
Isn't this the type of government now who wants to share all the
information?
The
Member for Humber West, the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, is
sitting in his seat. He is the
minister now for Western Newfoundland.
We are asking you on behalf of caucus: Will you get us permission to
attend that teleconference tonight so we can tell our residents exactly
where this hospital stands? What
is the functional plan? When is
it going to be ready? When is
all the construction going to start for the long-term care, for the acute
care? Let's give all the right
information to the people of Western Newfoundland and Labrador.
I
ask the minister once more. Here
is your opportunity to stand up for the people of Western Newfoundland.
I doubt very much if he is going to do it, but I will come back on
Monday or Tuesday and say if I got it, Mr. Chair.
I am sure the minister is going to give us an update on it anyway.
Mr.
Chair, I just have another fifty-five seconds here.
There is one thing that I want to speak about, the family caregiver
program. I was absolutely
shocked when I received the information about how restrictive this program
is absolutely shocked. When
they stood up in election 2011 and promised the family care program for all
people of Newfoundland and Labrador, it took them two-and-a-half or three
years to come up with this restrictive program, knowing people could not get
the funds out of it. If you want
to talk about a sham, they made it so restrictive that very few people can
even get the funds out of it very few.
The most vulnerable people in this Province cannot use it.
I
urge the government to go back and look at your criteria and change it.
There are a lot of people suffering out in the Province of
Newfoundland and Labrador who would like to use it
CHAIR:
I remind the hon. member
his speaking time is expired.
MR. JOYCE:
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
CHAIR:
The hon. the Member for
Kilbride.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. DINN:
Mr. Chairman, when I
walked in I just came from the Department of Health with a constituent who
had a meeting, and I thank the minister for the great staff you have.
Actually, we met with three representatives from your department, and
very professional, very co-operative people, I must say.
We came away from the meeting feeling very good.
Thank you very much.
When
I walk into the House of Assembly, a bit late, I was hearing things about
Newfoundlanders, and I kind of thought back to how hard workers
Newfoundlanders have always been.
Newfoundlanders have a reputation of being hard workers.
They have always had it.
AN HON. MEMBER:
What about
Labradorians?
MR. DINN:
I am sorry
Newfoundlanders and Labradorians; you are right.
Newfoundlanders and Labradorians have always been hard workers.
I
remember when I grew up, there were twelve of us in a family, we had a dog
that starved to death because there were no scraps, as you can imagine.
There was not very much left.
When the pot was emptied out, there was nothing to throw out, very
little. I came from a family of
hard workers. My mom and dad
worked like slaves to keep twelve children fed.
I can remember my grandparents worked very hard.
We, as Newfoundlanders, have a history of being hard workers
AN HON. MEMBER:
Labradorians.
MR. DINN:
and Labradorians, yes.
We have a history of that, and I hope we keep that history.
I
have been sitting in the House of Assembly for the last couple of weeks
hearing the back and forth about Interim Supply, especially about
this $20 billion oil revenue we have had in the last ten years.
I wanted to talk a bit about that.
I am not going to negative.
I was tempted when I was getting up to be a bit negative.
If I could get some people's attention, it would be nice.
AN HON. MEMBER:
Tell us about the Member for CBS.
MR. DINN:
No, I am not going to say anything about the Member for CBS.
I was going to be
CHAIR:
Order, please!
MR. DINN: I
had a temptation to be a bit negative, but I am not going to be that way.
I think I am going to focus on all the good things that came from
this $20 billion and especially in my district.
We
took $2 billion of that $20 billion over the last five or six years and we
gave wage increases to the people who work for the public service: teachers,
nurses, doctors, police people, people who operate our plows, people who
work here at the Confederation Building, people who work in all the
government buildings throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.
We were able to give those people that decent wage after they waited
so long and so many years of austerity.
I am
sure if I picked up the phone or any Member of the House of Assembly picked
up the phone tomorrow and phoned the union leaders and asked them what do
they think about us squandering or spending that money giving them wage
increases what do you think their answer would be?
I am sure they would not say that this was money wasted.
Then
if I wanted to carry it a bit further and pick up the phone and call the
nurses and doctors and teachers, social workers, NAPE employees who work
from my district with the government, I am sure if I said to them we wasted
money giving you wage increases, I can imagine what I would hear.
I am sure I would not be treated very well.
I do not think this was $2 million wasted; I think this was money
well spent for people who deserve those raises.
We
spent $20 billion on infrastructure, building new schools, fixing roads,
reconstructing roads that were bad, building new roads, building health care
facilities, and treatment centres.
We built town halls, and public buildings were fixed all over the
place. We helped municipalities
all over this Province with our new formulas to put in water and sewer
projects and other capital works.
I am
sure the Member for St. John's South would agree because he worked with me
on this project for a number of years.
I am sure that there would be very few people in the west end of St.
John's and in Kilbride who would say that the new west end high school was a
waste of money; that almost $40 million was something that the people
wanted. From 1999 to 2000 when
Beaconsfield quit being a high school in the west end, people in that area
always felt aggrieved; they felt that there should be a school in the west
end of St. John's. Guess what?
That new school is going to open in September of this year.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. DINN:
People are very happy
with that.
Another project in my area that this money was spent on, or some of it, was
building a new community centre for Southlands.
I have been at the opening of that place.
We worked on it for ten or twelve years trying to get that.
We had community groups in the area of Southlands trying to get a
community centre because that was one of the features missing in that whole
area.
Southlands people are very appreciative.
They use this community centre to the maximum.
It is very much appreciated.
None of them would be against this going on.
We
have contributed to Bay Bulls Big Pond water supply system being upgraded.
The Petty Harbour Long Pond water system was upgraded.
We have contributed to the Goulds Arena upgrades, the paving and the
warm room in there. We have
helped with the sidewalks on the main road, and the upgrades on the main
road in the Goulds and Kilbride.
We are cost sharing the Team Gushue Highway Extension, which will take
people from the west end right down across town.
I
heard in the last two weeks that this government did not put away any money
for a rainy day. I beg to
differ. I think that the west
end high school and any other new schools that were built in this Province
by this government are not built for the next two or three years, they are
going to last nearly fifty years.
We have put money away in the way of infrastructure.
Roads that are done will last ten-plus years.
Ferries and water bombers that we bought are not going to give out,
we hope, in two or three years; they should be good for nearly twenty years.
Water and sewer projects should be good for fifty-plus years.
This is all investment into the future.
To
carry on, that is $8 billion gone out of that $20 billion.
We put $3 billion on the public debt.
Now, how important was that?
I heard some people say the other day it does not make a difference;
we are still going to owe $11 billion in the public debt.
If we had not put $3 billion on the public debt and bring it from $11
billion down to $8 billion then if we do have deficits for the next three
years and it goes up to $11 billion it will not be $14 billion; it will be
$11 billion.
Because of this paying down the debt
AN HON. MEMBER:
(Inaudible).
MR. DINN:
Can we listen over there
now or do I have to go over?
AN HON. MEMBER:
(Inaudible).
MR. DINN:
I have done that too.
CHAIR:
Order, please!
MR. DINN:
I am not very big but
anyway I am just joking now; do not take it seriously.
By
paying down the debt, by doing the fiscal stuff that we did over the last
ten years, we did something that was very important for this Province.
We were able to get a high credit rating, probably one of the highest
credit ratings this Province ever had.
Guess what that means?
That means you get lower interest rates on your debt payments which saves
you millions of dollars in the future.
So that was a very wise move.
A move that was praised, not only by us bragging about ourselves, but
banking institutions. Financial
people all over the world praised us for what we were doing.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. DINN:
We came into a situation
that was bleak. We fixed it, and
if the people elect us again this fall, we will do the same thing again.
Now,
that is $3 billion on the debt.
We also gave people in this Province a $3 billion tax break.
We cut income tax, provincial income tax rates, we eliminated taxes
on all kinds of insurance and other things, and we did away with a lot of
fees. This put $3 billion-plus,
over the last seven or eight or ten years, into people's pockets a lot of
money.
We
put $2 billion into the public pension funds.
It is something that needed to be done.
We took about three-quarters of a billion and put it into the
university so that we could keep
CHAIR:
I have to remind the hon.
member his speaking time has expired.
MR. DINN:
Already?
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
CHAIR:
The hon. the Member for
St. Barbe.
MR. J. BENNETT:
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I
thank the members, but I have not spoken yet.
Mr.
Chair, you can imagine my surprise when just a few minutes ago the Minister
of Child, Youth and Family Services was up and quoted Margaret Wente from
ten years ago in order to launch an attack on the Member for Conception Bay
South on a transportation issue, when he is the Minister Responsible for
Child, Youth and Family Services.
That is a surprise to me.
I
would like to, through the Chair, relate to the people of the Province
another one of the tales from the crypt of Child, Youth and Family Services
and child protection in this Province.
There was a report done by the Child and Youth Advocate and it's
called: Turning a Blind Eye. In
Turning a Blind Eye, the Child and Youth Advocate related to the people of
the Province and complained to the minister, to the department.
She looked at a case that lasted a span of thirteen years.
Not thirteen months which is the one I spoke about the last day
thirteen years.
She
said in 2005, the Child and Youth Advocate undertook this investigation
following the conviction of a mother for numerous offences against her
children, namely her two girls, Jane and Mary.
The woman was subsequently sentences to several years in prison.
She said the events span a thirteen-year period, wherein multiple
professionals and agencies had contact with the family on a continuous
basis.
Why
this is important, Mr. Chair, is because the same circumstances exist today
because this government does not take child protection seriously enough.
The same circumstances exist today, where what happened in this case
could again happen. What
happened in this case? This was
only the beginning where this mother was convicted.
In
the courts, comprehensive notes were logged from the early 1990s forward.
So if you go back from the 2005 conviction to the early 1990s this
closed in 1993. Three of the
children that mother had from her first relationship had been apprehended by
child services. So child
services took three children into protective care in 1993.
Then following the notes and looking at what happened thereafter,
that same mother went forward in a second relationship, had six more
children who were neglected and abused to such an extent that the mother
faced criminal charges.
The
Youth Advocate said three of the children, including the Jane and Mary, had
been taken into care for the first time in 1995, and they were returned to
their mother. She went on to say
that when extra vigilance, reviews and analysis should have happened over
the next several years, file documentation did not mirror the safeguards
that were reportedly in place not were in place, were reportedly in place.
The
same issue that I discussed on Joey, The Child Upstairs, Recommendation No.
2 of this report is one of the recommendations not implemented by this
government. That recommendation
is: The Department of Child, Youth and Family Services must develop policy
to ensure all children in a family are physically and
critically
observed during a referral and during every home visit.
What
does the department say? The
department said, well, we are not really going to do that.
We are really not interested in all the children.
We are going to have some visits.
The
Child and Youth Advocate says you must see every child in every visit.
Doesn't that make sense to most people?
Doesn't it make sense to the people of this Province that if somebody
has gone far enough to report an abuse situation, a neglect situation, an
abandoned child, a beaten child, a starved child, a child who is in need of
protection that when the child worker attends at that home, shouldn't it
be mandatory that the workers should see every single child?
The
law of averages does not work in child protection.
It must be the law of absolutes when it comes to seeing children.
This government refuses to put in place a recommendation of the Child
and Youth Advocate which says that when a referral is made, every single
child must be critically observed by the worker who attends at that family.
Another recommendation that flowed from this report, and also flowed from
the report that I discussed a few days ago, and after giving the minister a
few days to settle down, I was encouraged, I could come back and speak about
another case. The Child and
Youth Advocate said in one of the not implemented response or inadequate
or inappropriate. So the Child
and Youth Advocate said, a protocol must be developed with Child, Youth and
Family Services and the Office of the Child and Youth Advocate
to ensure
immediate reporting to the OCYA of any critical incidents or sentinel events
occurring with children and youth throughout the Province.
We
had a private member's resolution and it passed, but the government is doing
nothing. If we look at some of
the legislation from other provinces and if the minister is looking for some
guidance he seems to need some guidance because he does not seem to be
able to move the ball forward himself.
Nothing seems to emanate from him except points of order which are never
sustained; or he gets up and speaks on transportation issues when it is his
job, Mr. Chair, to be responsible for child protection in this Province.
Yet, he wastes ten minutes so he can read Margaret Wente from ten
years ago so he can criticize the Member for Conception Bay South.
What sense does that make?
Isn't this a minister who has completely abdicated his
responsibility?
This
is the same minister who lamely stood up in the House a few weeks ago or a
few months ago to explain that they were still looking for the children who
had died under his watch. If we
look at the legislation that I am reviewing, it is legislation from the
child and youth services of Manitoba.
Manitoba says, if a department of government has provided services within
the prior twelve months their legislation says, After the death of a child
who was in the care of, or received services from, an agency under this Act
within one year before the death, or whose parent or guardian received
services from an agency under this Act within one year before the death, the
children's advocate (a) must review the standards and quality of care and
services provided under this Act to the child or the child's parent or
guardian and any circumstances surrounding the death that relate to the
standards of quality of care and services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
CHAIR:
Order, please!
Thank you.
MR. J. BENNETT:
So, Mr. Chair, in
Manitoba if a child, or a caregiver, or the child's family has received
services from any of these governmental agencies, not just CYFS and that
could include Health and it could also include Justice.
If services have been provided in the twelve-month period immediately
prior to the child's death, then the Child and Youth Advocate must
investigate.
Well, Mr. Chair, in this Province we are still trying to get the government
to agree to legislation to even tell the Child and Youth Advocate that the
child is dead. In this Province,
this minister has not moved forward with legislation that would say if a
child dies, having received services from any government department in the
prior twelve months, we will tell the Child and Youth Advocate and then the
Advocate can conduct a proper investigation to determine if there has been
any inappropriate conduct. They
do not want to do this whatsoever.
It
is not entirely the responsibility of this minister prior to this date
because we have had five ministers in the last half a dozen years.
To recount who those ministers are the first two ministers are no
longer in this House. As a
matter of fact, their political bones are bleaching white on the by-election
sun in different districts. One
has been replaced by the Member for Trinity Bay de Verde and the other one
has been replaced by the Member for St. George's Stephenville East.
That is where they are gone, so we do not need to worry about them
anymore.
The
next one was the current Premier, and he was around for the better part of a
year. Then the next one was the
minister now who is looking after seniors, so he moved on from children to
seniors. Now we have the current
minister who has been appointed and reappointed and he is here and, Mr.
Chair, he is a young guy. He
seems to be educated. He seems
to be able to get up and down.
He can operate Twitter exceptionally well.
We see him doing that all the time in the House because he is doing
it right now. He is Tweeting.
In the middle of the work that he is supposed to be doing, he spends
his time on Twitter; that is fine as long as he does his job.
Mr.
Chair, his job is child protection in this Province and he is not doing that
job. Part of that job is to
insist and put into place protocols that every child is seen when there is a
visit made. Whenever there is a
critical incident or a death, it is reported to the Child and Youth Advocate
so that the Advocate can properly investigate that child's death.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
CHAIR:
The hon. the Member for
Kilbride.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. DINN:
Mr. Chair, I will
probably get a chance to finish this time if I (inaudible) of looking at
that bloody clock up there. I
forget it sometimes.
I
was talking about the $20 billion that we had from oil revenues so I got to
saying we put $2 billion on wage increases, $6 billion on infrastructure, $3
billion for tax relief for people, $3 billion on the public debt, $2 billion
in the pension funds. I was
finishing off when the time ran out talking about the three quarters of
a billion that we gave to the schools, university, and colleges to keep a
tuition freeze there for students.
Over
ten years you do not be long using up a half a billion or a quarter of a
billion dollars, or three quarters of a billion with that stuff.
We put approximately $1 billion as equity into Muskrat Falls.
Some may not like that, but Muskrat Falls is going to be one of the
ways that we can look back at the future and say this is how we diversified
our economy.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. DINN:
We did not put that money
into a useless business or some economic idea.
We put it into something that will be
saleable in the future. People
will always want electricity, especially renewable electricity in the
future.
I
think the Premier met there a couple of weeks ago down in New England with
some of the people down there and they are waiting for that to be hooked up
and ready to go. That is money,
equity, and revenue that our future generations can use.
When I am under the sod and most of us here are under the sod, they
will be getting some revenues that will help them balance their budgets in
the future.
That
brings us up to about $18 billion, or a little bit over.
We put about $1 billion into poverty reduction over the last number
of years. If there is anything
that we should spouting and talking about, are the programs that we brought
in under this poverty reduction program and those already existed that we
enhanced.
If
you want to get an example of how you help individuals, people personally,
this is the area. I can think
about one area. Last year, we
had a rent subsidy program that we topped up to $8 million $8 million
yearly means that we are helping about approximately 1,500 people make
things better for themselves. We
are helping them survive.
I
can recall a number of cases where I personally was involved with helping
people get a rent subsidy. I
recall one gentleman about a year-and-a-half ago who was getting an income
from somewhere, he lost that income, or part of that income he was left
with having $850 a month to live on.
Eight hundred dollars was his rent.
He had $50 a month to buy groceries and all the other stuff.
This
Province, under the rent subsidy program, was able to give him a subsidy for
his rent, and now they are paying a lot of his rent.
He is not exactly buying caviar every day, but at least he is much
better off than he was.
There was another woman, a young woman that I can remember, a single mom,
who emailed me one time saying that she worked in an office making $14 an
hour. She was hardly living from
pay cheque to pay cheque.
Because when she got paid, she owed a lot of her pay cheque to people that
she borrowed money from two weeks before.
So she was always behind the eight ball.
We arranged to get her a rent subsidy.
Today, she is much better off than she was before.
There are a number of other people in
the same boat.
We
brought in a free textbook program for all grades.
One time it only went to Grade 8 or 9, now it goes from 1 to 12, up
to Level III. I taught school
for years myself, and I can remember teaching children I taught a Grade 9
class most of the time; that would be my homeroom.
I can remember families often had two and three students or
youngsters in school at the same time.
Often, parents who were not well off could only afford to buy the
textbooks in September for one.
It might be February before they got around to buying the textbooks for the
rest of them. So, this helped a
lot of people.
We brought in prescription drug programs, dental
programs, apprenticeship programs.
Now, I heard a bit of criticism about
AN HON. MEMBER:
(Inaudible).
MR. DINN:
Prescription drug programs yes, I did mention that.
The apprenticeship program now, some of us might give
the impression that that is not working.
I can bring a dozen or more people into this place next week, if you
want me to, people that it did help.
People who, with a wage subsidy in their first year apprentice, get
90 per cent of their wages paid, and it is only a matter of picking up the
phone then and help them get a job.
AN HON. MEMBER:
John, I cannot take
credit for that one. Talk about
the dental program (inaudible).
MR. DINN:
Well boy, I would say
back in 1999 and 2000 there was no dental program.
We cannot do everything for everybody but we are helping the best we
can.
This
apprenticeship program has helped a lot of people.
I have been into the EAS office on Topsail Road more than once with
people, for meetings with them, helping them get registered for
apprenticeship programs. Then
after that, helping them get a job.
I think it is working. It
is not perfect, but we will get the bugs out of it and make it better.
The
Provincial Home Repair Program, does anybody know how many that has helped
over the last number of years? I
know lots of cases of seniors who were able to get their houses fixed up and
stay in them by taking advantage of this home repair program.
We could go on and on.
I
could go on to my own district again.
When I was on city council, fifteen years ago, one of the big issues
was farm land that was frozen.
This government brought in a program where they would buy people's property
if they were not using it for farming.
This program has helped people get rid of their land that they could
not use what is that program?
My mind is gone.
AN HON. MEMBER:
(Inaudible).
MR. DINN:
No, it is not home
repair.
AN HON. MEMBER:
(Inaudible).
MR. DINN:
Land Consolidation
Program, that is the one, yes.
I
remember when I was on council this gallery was filled one time.
We brought a big pile of people in, landowners who could not use
their land. The whole place was
filled. We were almost arrested,
actually.
Today, a lot of those people have had an opportunity to have their land
disposed of and got returns for it.
These people were able to get a fair dollar.
In the beginning it was very low, but today people are getting pretty
decent amounts of money for their land.
In one case, I heard someone getting approximately $20,000 or $25,000
for an acre of their land. That
is better than holding it on for a century. That
program is working.
We
have done a lot also in the way of programming for farmers in my area.
We have helped local businesses in my area.
We have helped local businesses all over the Province.
How many dollars have we put into tourism?
MR. MCGRATH:
You only have a minute
left.
MR. DINN:
I have a minute left,
yes. I will finish up on that.
I will just say that $20 billion was well used.
It helped a lot of people.
Before I finish, I am going to wish happy birthday to the Member for Signal
Hill Quidi Vidi.
I
just want to mention before I sit down, if you recall yesterday, not many
listen but when I got up yesterday I did a member's statement on a Margie
Stead of Kilbride. To put things
in perspective, Margie has set up a group called Matthew 25 Outreach Inc., I
think it is called. They help
kids in Kenya, an orphanage. The
kids in that orphanage were children who had their parents die with AIDS.
Before Margie got involved, they only had forty youngsters they could
help. Today, there are hundreds
they are helping because of the contributions that Margie is organizing and
collecting.
Schools are giving money.
Hazelwood School in my district, or the kids in my district go to it,
actually. It is in St. John's
South, I think. Kids there
donate every year $3,000 or $4,000 to that orphanage.
It is very, very commendable.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. DINN:
Today, like I said
yesterday, we talk about people not being well off here, water not fit to
drink
CHAIR (Pollard):
I am going to remind the hon. member his time has expired once again.
MR. DINN:
Thank you.
I am
not getting up anymore either.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
CHAIR:
The hon. the Member for
St. John's East.
MR. MURPHY:
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I
must say, when we take a break from the House sometimes, or go up to our
office, we are still listening to the House.
I have to say to my hon. friend from Kilbride, it was a classic line
when he said there were that many of them in the house that the dog died of
malnutrition, there was no scraps to give out.
I thought it was classic, Mr. Chair.
It is not like my house where, obviously by looking, you can tell
where the scraps are going.
There are no scraps in my house either.
Mr.
Chair, sometimes there is a little bit of levity in this House, and I think
this is one of the occasions. I
think everybody up in our office literally rolled over on the floor laughing
when they heard that one. It was
classic. I hope the reporters
picked up on that one, Mr. Chair.
I
want to comment, too, on a couple of things my hon. friend said.
Hopefully government will turn its eyes towards it too in the Budget,
because I think at this particular time government needs to do a couple of
things. Number one, they are
going to have to kick-start the economy a little bit more, give it a little
bit more spark. We know it is
busy out there, in some sectors of the economy anyway.
My
hon. friend talked about the home repair program.
One of the things I want to suggest to government our side is
suggesting that this program, number one, should be expanded.
Perhaps they could be lowering the income level so that more people
qualify.
The
second thing that it should be doing with this program at the same time we
all know the price of goods has gone up, goods and services has gone up.
I think my hon. friend from Kilbride would recognize the fact that
things go up in price, obviously because of inflation.
One of those things, of course, is construction materials.
The grants obviously would have to be geared towards inflation to
catch up to the cost of some of the construction materials that are out
there so that people can do more with their homes as well.
I think my hon. friend from Kilbride and this government would agree
too that simply gearing things to inflation can sometimes help a lot and
help to spark an economy.
The
second thing that is going to do at the same time, is that if there is more
money available to a homeowner who is going to want to be doing a retrofit
and the hon. Minister of Service NL was up earlier talking about Earth Day.
We all responded in our appropriate ways as regards to Earth Day.
One of the ways this government can respond as well is to throwing
that little spark into the green economy in helping to kick-start some of
these energy-saving programs, kick-start the conservation of energy so that
we do not have as much of an impact on our climate as well.
At the same time, we can still have a positive impact on our economy.
That
is one of the reasons why we talked about, in our response to that
Ministerial Statement, the possibility of government setting up a separate
department to deal with such initiatives.
I think it is a good venture.
We know it is done in New Brunswick, for example, through their
energy efficiency department, and as well through Nova Scotia.
So it is being done in other places.
We can expand on our climate change initiatives by lumping it into
one department and considering all aspects of it.
We
know we have to change this world somehow.
We have to make an impact on climate change.
Government recognizes itself, with some of the statistics they
released today, that indeed some of their programming is having an impact.
That is a good thing, but we can have a better impact if they take
those things into consideration.
Mr. Chair, I would like for them to consider that too next time when the
Budget comes around and keep that in their thoughts.
Mr.
Chair, I wanted to speak a little bit about municipalities in this
particular section. I think
municipalities are right now wondering what is going to be happening in the
next provincial Budget. We are
not getting any hints from this government as regards to where they are
going. At the same time, we have
to recognize the challenges right now, the growth challenges particularly,
that they have been experiencing not only, for example, in the last twenty
years with the downturn in the fishery particularly, but with the challenges
they are going to have because of the downturn in oil prices.
I think it is a big concern.
To
this government, talk does not go by on any one particular day without talk
revolving around the price of oil, supposing it is around Question Period.
Some of the challenges they are facing; of course, now they have a
little bit larger towns with less people in them because they are dealing
with the problem of out-migration and an eroding tax base.
We know that we have more seniors.
They have to deal with the simple fact of even being able to collect
taxes in some cases from some of the residents.
At
the same time as that, whenever somebody moves out the infrastructure is
still there, it is still in the ground, it still has to be updated.
Pipes rust. Not
everything is made out of plastic these days.
Long ago when these pipes and everything were put in the ground they
were steel. They rust and they
break.
Indeed, even climate change, Mr. Chair, has an effect on that, with the
rapid increase in temperatures that we have been seeing and then the thaws
that we are seeing. We all know
that whenever there is a water main break that is probably the cause of it.
We are seeing a lot more of it as a result, including here in this
city, St. John's. We all know
that it is an everyday occurrence that you are going to see that leaky
valve. In some cases we are well
behind in preserving that infrastructure.
We
are also looking at the problems that municipalities face when it comes to
revenue generation. We are
looking at the loss of jobs from the closure of a resource or the
non-availability of a resource.
We know what is happening now, for example, in Lab West.
We know that is cyclical.
Hopefully that will be picking up again.
What
about the fishery? Mr. Chair, we are still seeing that we cannot go after
cod yet. We heard from the
Minister of Fisheries the other day that they can still go after it on
experimental grounds, but still no sustainable fishery from the cod right
now. We are getting it from
other sources.
Of
course the value of the fishery is gone up over the years except for this
year, which is the first year of the decline.
The traditional fish plant as we know it used to be one of the main
generators of revenue for some of these municipalities.
Where are they now?
In
1992, at the point of the closure of the fishery, I believe there was
something in the order of 200-plus fish plants in this Province fishing
different species. Mr. Chair,
205 I think was the actual number that I heard at one point in 1992 at the
closure. What do we have now?
The last number I heard I think was eighty-nine.
The Minister of Fisheries may be able to give us a proper number on
exactly how many fish plants are left in the Province, but these are revenue
generators that are lost.
This
is tax revenue that is taken away from the provincial government because
there are no jobs in the fishery.
There is no revenue being generated, income taxes being generated, to
help support a government. That
is where we have gone wrong. If
you do not have the traditional labour base that is going to be supporting
your own generation of revenue, if that is taken away, the one thing you
have left is revenue generation from royalties.
That is where we get hit-
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
CHAIR:
Order, please!
MR. MURPHY: That
is what has been happening.
Mr.
Chair, if I can talk about the overall power of a dollar and what you are
finding now with consumers out there, they are finding that if you go back
to 1961 when the value of the Canadian dollar was the real true value of the
Canadian dollar, you used to be able to buy the most for the least.
You could get value for money in 1961 if you go back through the
records.
You
will find now that compared to years ago, to talk to another issue for
example like child care. Let's
look at where we were in 1961, Mr. Chair.
Your mother probably stayed at home, traditionally.
Your father probably worked.
Everything was looked after, including the child care needs in the
household because you stayed at home.
The mother, 90 per cent of the time stayed at home.
The car was paid for, the house was paid for, and the electricity was
paid for. You might have gotten
fifty cents in your pocket for an allowance, but you were surviving.
Now
you look at the pressures right now that are on the family unit where mom
and dad both have to work. They
have to sustain two cars in the driveway because they live out in Paradise.
The house is costing them $300,000 to live, the kids are still going
to school, and we are still having problems with health care.
In
spite of it sounding like we should be better off, the question is being
asked by a lot of people out there in Newfoundland and Labrador,
particularly over the last couple of weeks and certainly over the last
couple of months and years. They
do not feel like they are better off.
Most of them tell me we are not there yet.
We are losing something here.
In some cases it costs the family unit with work.
Sometimes you do not see the kids in the run of a day because you are
working. Sometimes you have to
work it a little bit harder just to catch up on the mortgage or the
electricity bill.
I
tend to believe I really do that the economy of the old days is no
longer the economy that we are seeing today.
The traditional rules of supply and demand are no longer there.
While we know that we need something, sometimes we are not told that
the price we are paying is exactly fair.
Some people would argue that about fuel prices, even, heating oil,
even the price of groceries. If
you do not buy something, the price still stays up.
It does not necessarily go down all the time.
So
we would certainly like government to be addressing some of these issues in
the Budget coming up. How can we
make it a little bit better than what we are right now?
Hopefully government will answer some of these challenges in the
coming days and coming weeks.
Hopefully they will have some answers here for the person who is living and
trying to make this Province strong like we want it to be.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
CHAIR:
Order, please!
The
Chair recognizes the hon. the Member for Port de Grave and Deputy Speaker.
MR. LITTLEJOHN:
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr.
Chair, there has been some intense debate back and forth over the House the
last two weeks. Being in the
Chair for a lot of that I have listened to a lot.
I have gotten some lessons, I have been educated, I have been
informed, and I have been uninformed.
Over
the last two weeks there has been a lot of debate back and forth.
Some of it has been very good.
Some of it has been nonsensical.
Some of it has been very factual.
Some of it has been somewhat not factual, but once again listening to
both sides of the debate, it has been very good.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
CHAIR:
Order, please!
MR. LITTLEJOHN:
I would be remiss if
I never stood here and passed along my personal condolences to the Member
for Bonavista North and my colleague, the Deputy Chair of Committees.
I know over the last couple of weeks he and his family have gone
through a very difficult time. I
look forward to having him back sharing the Chair with me in the very near
future. To him and his family, I
wish them and I send them my sincere sympathies.
Today, we had a statement in this House concerning epilepsy.
Today was Epilepsy day, wear purple.
Most members in the House today have some form of purple on
recognizing today is Epilepsy day.
I
had a great opportunity this morning in my own district, Mr. Chair, before I
came to St. John's to participate in an event in the district at Powell's
Supermarket. Powell's is a great
community supporter and a great community sponsor.
I
joined two young children there, Noah and Holly, to celebrate Epilepsy day
and raise funds for Epilepsy day.
As well, with me today was the mayor of Bay Roberts, the deputy
mayor, and representatives from Powell's.
We had a wonderful time promoting epilepsy in our Province.
It
is inspiring to talk to those two young children.
They are six and ten years old, Mr. Chair.
They are living their lives with epilepsy.
They never know when that seizure may occur.
If you saw their personality and you saw what they were today, I was
proud today to be wearing purple and supporting epilepsy in this Province.
It was just a great, great occasion.
It
would not have been possible, Mr. Chair, without the support of community
partners like Powell's Supermarket.
They went above and beyond.
The bakery donated muffins.
Actually I brought some in today.
If you are ever in the district and you want to go and get a good
cake or good muffins, check out the bakery at Powell's Supermarket.
You will certainly get good cakes and muffins.
I
know the hon. member over there is a little bit anxious and all the rest.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
CHAIR:
Order, please!
MR. LITTLEJOHN:
It is a great
opportunity. Being the Deputy
Speaker of the House, sometimes I want to explain to the people in my
district I do not get the chance sometimes to participate in debate as much
as other members of the House because I spend time in the Chair and all the
rest, so it is a great opportunity to be able to stand up today and have an
opportunity to speak to Interim Supply.
Mr.
Chair, this is a very anxious time.
I guess it is a very busy time in our district, because this is the
time of the year where the fishery is just starting in our district.
The crab fishermen are getting ready to go fishing.
In Port de Grave, Upper Island Cove, and all throughout the district
there is great optimism. As the
year begins, Mr. Chair, we always begin with great optimism because the
economy of our area in general and my district depend on the success of our
crab and shrimp fisheries.
Mr.
Chair, they employ a lot of people.
Not only the harvesters and the people who work on the boats and the
people who work in the plants, but it is the people who are also working in
our grocery stores, the people who work in our car sales, and the people who
work in our insurance industry.
All of these people depend on the success or failure of the fishery.
When
I think about our district, I think about the sixty-five or seventy
harvesters who are in my district, and this is an anxious time for them.
As they say, you make hay while the sun shines; well, this is a very
anxious time for them as they get ready.
Once again, they depend on the price.
Price is important, and they are anticipating a good year in terms of
price. The price should be up
because the Canadian dollar is down, as I understand it.
Usually, when the Canadian dollar is down compared to our US dollar,
we get a good price.
Also, Mr. Chair, over the last number of weeks I have had the opportunity to
sit on the all-party shrimp committee.
That is also important.
I, too, was in Gander, along with colleagues opposite and colleagues of
mine, the Minister of Fisheries, the Premier, and others.
We went to Gander. It is
not lost on this House and the All-Party Committee the importance of the
shrimp fishery in Newfoundland and Labrador.
I
know the Minister of Fisheries wants to get in the photo here, as he popped
up that time. Again, the shrimp
industry and the crab industry are vital to the Province of Newfoundland and
Labrador and the economy in Newfoundland and Labrador.
We
sometimes forget that these shrimp harvesters and these crab harvesters make
significant investments. These
boats are not cheap, Mr. Chair.
The equipment that is on these boats is not cheap.
These are $1 million and $2 million enterprises, and they are not
getting any cheaper. Mr. Chair,
these people in the industry have made significant investments, they believe
in the fishery, they believe in Newfoundland and Labrador, and they believe
in what they are doing.
When
we were in Gander to the meeting a little while ago, no doubt, it was very
clear that the shrimp industry and the crab industry are vital to the
economic life of this Province.
It does not only affect the people who are in the boats and working on the
boats. It affects the people in
the plant, as I said earlier, Mr. Chair.
It affects fuel companies.
It affects people in the car industry.
All industry in this Province is affected by the success or failure
of our fishing industry. I think
that is also important to remember.
Mr.
Chair, as we go forward in this season we also know that the all-party
shrimp committee led by the Minister of Fisheries we need to end LIFO.
This Last In, First Out policy got to go.
Somewhere also the way the federal government and the federal
Minister of Fisheries needs to listen because it is of vital importance,
particularly to the people who have invested in the shrimp industry, that
this LIFO policy go. We need it
to go. We need it to move.
I
have been talking to fishers and harvesters in my district with shrimp
quotas. They said this year if
the quota did not stay status quo, it was not worth the time to go out and
fish shrimp.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
CHAIR:
Order, please!
MR. LITTLEJOHN:
It was not worth the
time to go out and fish shrimp.
Mr.
Chair, the all-party shrimp committee has been doing some great work.
I am proud to be on the Committee.
Our voice is being heard, I believe.
We need to continue that.
Mr.
Chair, the fishery is not the only thing in our districts.
I listened to my colleague for the District of Harbour Main.
He talked about infrastructure and he talked about the need for
infrastructure the other day. He
talked about this building, this beautiful building we call Confederation
Building.
I
know the Opposition has talked about the cost overruns on this building, but
this building was crumbling.
Being a former civil servant and being in it for nearly twenty-five years, I
have seen the buckets in the hallways.
I have circumvented the buckets in the hallways.
I remember when I went to the government members' office on the fifth
floor and it was like going through a tornado.
AN HON. MEMBER:
(Inaudible).
MR. LITTLEJOHN:
I remember the
buckets very well coming in here, I say to the hon. member.
Once
again, the investment in this iconic building, the building that sits our
Legislature, that sits our public service, I believe that money was well
invested because this building is an icon.
It is icon that people recognize all across this country as our
provincial Legislature, where our government sits, and it needed to be
repaired. In fairness, it needed
to be repaired for the safety of the public servants who worked in it.
Being one of those public servants, Mr. Chair, who worked in there
for twenty-five years nearly, I believe that the money we invested, even
with the cost overrun, was a good investment for the people of this Province
and our public service.
I
know, Mr. Chair, my time is winding down I know my hon. colleague the
other day talked about a couple of good examples where we share our
district, but the infrastructure investments in roads, in water and sewer,
are good investments that we have made in the District of Port de Grave and
I am proud to say that we will continue to make good investments as we go
along.
Mr.
Chair, seeing my time is up, I thank you for your time and I hope to have
the opportunity to speak again.
Thank you very much.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
CHAIR:
Order, please!
The
Chair recognizes the hon. Member for Cartwright L'Anse au Clair.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS DEMPSTER:
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
It
is always a pleasure any time I get a chance to stand and raise issues on
behalf of the people who I work in the wonderful District of Cartwright
L'Anse au Clair.
Before I start I want to chime in with a number of other voices here today
and I want to mention Evan Newhook because, as you can see, I am sporting my
purple as well. I was rather
impressed when I had a letter recently from that little guy, Mr. Chair.
In the letter he asked would all members of the House wear purple on
March 26 and he talked about his mom living with epilepsy.
I
think that Evan, if you are listening or someone can tell you, I hope you
can be an inspiration to other kids. If you have a dream and you want to
make change happen that is how it starts: writing a letter, doing a
bookmark. It is nice to see so
many members of the Legislature here today who are wearing purple in support
of epilepsy.
When
you stand for a few minutes, it is always hard to know where to start or
what topics to address when you live in a district that has a lot of issues.
I could not leave and let the House close this week without talking
about the hiring at Muskrat Falls.
Every single day I receive multiple, multiple emails and calls on the
hiring. I know that Nalcor comes
out and they were there as recent as this morning, and Gil Bennett was on
talking about the hiring protocols.
Well, Mr. Chair, the established hiring protocols are not being followed.
I say that with confidence; they are not being followed.
If they were being followed, myself, my colleague for Torngat, we
simply would not be getting as many emails and calls and stories as we are
from L'Anse au Clair all the way down through the Coast right to Nain.
I
would say that I probably had twelve today.
I am going to allude to some of them because I think it is really
important to talk about this.
When I started, like many other people, when I ran for public office, you do
it because you are frustrated with things that are happening around you, and
you hope that you can play some small role in effecting change.
Now,
this is the biggest project, I guess, that our Province has ever seen.
We are going to go down in history.
There is a lot of concern.
We have had lots of debate here in the House about it.
We have debated the debate.
The only two independent public reviews of the project, both of them
failed to endorse it. Then the
minister yesterday wondered why we had some concern over it.
There are lots of reasons why we had concern from the beginning.
I am
just going to allude to some of the stories.
I hope someone is listening.
Right after I was elected, Mr. Chair, in the summer of 2013, I met
with Nalcor at that time. I went
with an armload of resumes. As a
member I do not know if any other members are actually doing that, and we
should not have to. Because we
have been so gutted with services in our community by this government, we
have no employment offices, people were not doing their profiles right, I
felt an obligation because I work for the people to step in and do that.
I
went with a bundle of resumes and we did get a number of people in, but we
still have an enormous amount of sad stories coming out, Mr. Chair.
One lady today said my husband got laid off on November 25.
He was told it was temporary and he would be called back in January
or February. Here we are at the
end of March and that was nothing.
Yet,
Mr. Chair, this has nothing to do, and I will be clear, with dividing
Labrador and the Island nothing.
It is about established protocols of Labrador Innu first,
Labradorians who are adjacent to the project next, the people from the
Island third, and then the rest of Canada.
Mr.
Chair, we found out last week that there have been almost sixty labourers
who have gone in since January 31 sixty labourers gone in on site, and
three from Labrador. There is
something wrong with that. We
keep asking the questions, we keep going back, but our people are being
wronged. They are being shafted.
I
have a number of emails today all sharing the same theme, lack of employment
and frustration around that, with a number of different companies I might
add. One couple said we actually
moved to Goose Bay and our rent is $2,000 a month.
Now, I might add Goose Bay initially was told there would be minimal
impacts because of this project.
They would receive minimal. That
is not the case.
I
will be in Goose Bay tonight.
Every time I fly in and out, people are telling me of the hardships, the
high cost of rent and things that have happened because of that project.
Here was an email today from a couple who moved to Goose Bay because
her husband got work at the project.
He got two turnarounds, was laid off before Christmas, and was told
he would be back on the January 2.
Here we are again, as I said the end of March, and he still has not
been called back. It is very,
very frustrating.
It
was funny, but it was not funny, but somebody said to me today, getting a
job at Muskrat Falls or any employment with that project is like winning the
golden ticket in the story, like in the book of
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
I am just sharing the voices and the emails that I am getting, Mr.
Chair, because a lot of people are very, very angry.
Once
again, they feel like it is even dividing parts of Labrador, what is
happening there. Because some
people are in and they are hiring on a buddy-buddy system, they are hiring
relatives; but it is very sad, Mr. Chair, myself and the MP for Labrador, I
know she as well we have called for an ombudsman, something to put some
consistency to this. So that if
the jobs are there and if our people are qualified, the established
protocols be followed, and the people who are adjacent to the project, that
they would see some benefit for it.
Every day, Mr. Chair, I hear from people who received training under the
Labrador Aboriginal Training Partnership $30 million, I believe, was the
funding. The purpose of the
Nalcor funding was that these people who were trained, educated, would get a
chance to go in. Many of them
have not; many of them are disheartened.
Mr.
Chair, the collective agreement that must be followed clearly, it is not.
I will go back to Nalcor again next week on behalf of the people.
I have had numerous meetings talking about people from coastal
Labrador. In my district in
particular, we have scores of people who did get in, who were laid off
around Christmas and I know that you will hear them on Open Line and they
will say this projects moves through different phases and as it moves
through the different phases, well, we require different skill sets.
The skills that we are looking for now are not necessarily the skills
that we had in the fall. When
you see fifty, sixty labourers going in I am sitting with them on the
flight every weekend when I travel.
It is sad to say, too many from even out of the Province, Mr. Chair.
There is something wrong with the system; nobody has a handle on it, Mr.
Chair. Somebody made a
suggestion to me today and said there should be a strong Labrador
representative sitting at a table who would be overseeing the contractual
hiring practices. I believe a
project of this magnitude I mean, we are spending $3 million or $4
million; we are spending $80 million or $90 million a month.
It is an astronomical amount money.
Where I live in the District of Cartwright L'Anse au Clair, I have to be
honest, we are getting precious little from that.
We have DC power. We have
big towers going down through our land.
Because it is DC power, we cannot splice in.
So we are going to be left with dirty, unreliable diesel generators,
and our qualified people cannot get to work in there.
That is wrong, Mr. Chair.
It is infuriating for the people there.
So I
feel an obligation one person said to me today, I worked there last year
for nine months. My job was
escorting people from the gate to the camp site.
I drove a van. I was
required to have a Class 5. I
was laid off after nine months because I was told they hired someone more
experienced. He said I am in my
forties and I have had my driver's licence since I was seventeen.
There is something wrong with that.
That was a Labrador Innu person who shared that story with me today.
Just
today, Mr. Chair, I heard of tradespeople who were being flown in from
outside the Province. The
minister gave a statement today on tradespeople.
We hear every day from people who are out taking trades, then they
are trying to get work, and they are trying to accumulate their hours.
Mr.
Chair, I had a lot of things I wanted to touch on here today and I see my
time went fast. I wanted to talk
about LIFO and the importance of that, because I live in a community where
we have the only shrimp processing facility in Labrador.
I know first-hand the importance of the inshore fishery to our
community. Hopefully, maybe next
week, I will get a chance to talk about that.
The
family care program, Mr. Chair, it is very sad that $8.2 million was
allotted and we see that less than 10 per cent had been spent and only three
from Labrador. I have some real
serious, sad stories in my district of people who applied and had hoped to
avail of that family care program. I believe, Mr. Chair, that to do justice
to those people, we have to go back and we have to revisit the criteria
there. I would urge the
government to do that.
Next
week, I hope I get a chance to talk about municipalities and the importance
of support to local fire brigades.
CHAIR:
Order, please!
I
remind the hon. member that the time has expired.
MS DEMPSTER:
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
CHAIR:
The Chair recognizes the
hon. the Member for Fortune Bay Cape La Hune.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS PERRY:
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
It
is certainly a privilege for me to rise again today and speak to this
important debate on Interim Supply.
Like many of my colleagues have done when they stood up in the House
to speak to this debate, I would like to open today with a sincere thank you
to my constituents who have stuck with me through the thick and thin.
Of course, it is certainly a privilege to be here and represent them
and to bring their view, their priorities, and their concerns to the table
where decisions are being made, Mr. Chair.
In
terms of some of those decisions, I thought I would talk today about how the
policies of the Progressive Conservative Government of Newfoundland and
Labrador have led us to a place that we have never, ever been in before in
terms of our economy and our social well-being, Mr. Chair.
I am
going to start out by focusing in particular on municipalities. In my
previous life prior to entering politics I did a lot of work with
municipalities. I worked in
community economic development and finances were always a struggle and a
challenge for us. This
government recognized the challenges municipalities were in.
We continue to work with Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador and
individual municipalities today to work towards even better solutions as we
go forward into the future.
But
let's just look at some of the things our government has done.
The Minister of Municipal and Intergovernmental Affairs spoke about
this in his statement that he delivered here in this hon. House yesterday.
We now provide, in terms of municipal capital works, grants that
permit communities the ability to purchase equipment or construct facilities
that would otherwise not have been possible given their fiscal situations
and their tax bases; for example, the 90-10 which applies to communities
with a population base of under 3,000, the 80-10 for communities with
populations between 3,000 and 7,000, and the 70-10 for those with
populations over 7,000. That has
made such a difference, Mr. Chair.
Just
to look again in terms of my own district, when I first was elected in 2007,
when the Municipal Capital Works Program was announced every year it always
disheartened me to see the demand for my region was always over $20 million.
There were demands for roadwork, demands for water and sewer, demands
for recreation facilities, and for improved fire services, Mr. Chair.
We have come a long way.
Through this program our municipalities have been able to catch up.
They have all engaged in strategic planning, and they follow a
process in terms of the infrastructure they put in place in their towns.
This year I was extremely pleased to see there were just two applications
for municipal capital works because our communities are catching up, and
they are coming up to speed in terms of what needs to be done in relation to
what they can afford. T
There is still much that can be done.
We have a lot of work done in terms of our water and sewer.
We are now focusing, Mr. Chair, on municipal roads within
communities. As councils can
afford to apply to the 90-10, we are certainly in a position to be able to
keep up with their demands. That
is something I am incredibly proud of.
The
increase in Municipal Operating Grants has also made a phenomenal
difference. I have fourteen
incorporated municipalities.
They now have the ability to have stabilized staffing levels, and even in
some cases, increased staffing levels because of the MOGs.
As
the minister said, again, our debt-service ratios in this Province have
decreased by 10 per cent. As a
result of the investments of over $1.3 billion, we now have improved
drinking water, waste water, roads, and recreation facilities throughout
Newfoundland and Labrador. There
is much more to come, Mr. Chair.
When
I look in terms of what the future holds for Newfoundland and Labrador and
what I would like to see as a citizen living in Newfoundland and Labrador
from my government, I think I want to see the type of Progressive
Conservative policies that have been in place for the last ten or twelve
years continue. What have our
policies done, Mr. Chair? Let's
point out a few more examples.
The
road ambulance service; again, one of my very first meetings when I got
elected in 2007 was with the ambulance committees who at that time were
suffering immensely. We have
tripled their budgets, Mr. Chair, in the years hence.
They tell me they have never had it so good in the ambulance
services. Of course, many
improvements are still needed to come, but we have brought them a long way
by working with them and we will continue to do so.
When
I look at some of the policies that are in place and I think of governments
and leaderships, I say to myself the policies we have put in place that are
successful, will they be policies that are capped by successive governments
or not? I look to things like
the generic drug pricing policy, which has made such a difference in the
lives of average Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.
Individuals from every walk of life in this Province are benefitting from
the generic drug pricing policy.
Why, Mr. Chair? Because we have
lowered the cost of drugs and we have put the money back into the senior's
hands, back into the citizen's hands, back into the people who need this
medicine. We have made medicine
much more affordable for people.
That, for one, Mr. Chair, the generic drug pricing policy, is one of the
ones that I am most proud of as a Progressive Conservative member, and one
of the ones that I certainly hope continues well into the long-term future.
I know it will continue under a Progressive Conservative Government.
We
talk about centralization and health care.
We read a lot about health care priorities in recent days, Mr. Chair.
We know that health care is one of the biggest priorities of
Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.
What did we as a government do?
We recognized the need for decentralization of services, particularly
when it comes to things like dialysis sites.
Again, I am extremely proud that we now have a dialysis facility in the
Coast of Bays Region. I know
many of my colleagues are acquiring sites as well.
It enables our people, Mr. Chair, to continue living at home.
It is bad enough to have such a dramatic change to your lifestyle and
such a decline in your health that you have to endure dialysis for three
days a week. To be able to do it
closer to home greatly enhances the quality of life.
It is something I am so very proud of.
Diabetic pumps are another great example.
The
Poverty Reduction Strategy, Mr. Chair, and the policies we have put in place
there have enabled us to be a leader in the country in this regard.
We have doubled the roads budget.
When we started out, the provincial roads budget was only $30
million. We are investing at a
rate of $60 million. There is
still a lot to do, but we are catching up.
There are free textbooks for schools that fall under the school board
act. We have returned skilled
trades to schools. All of these
initiatives are making a difference to people in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Because of our Progressive Conservative policies, Mr. Chair, we saw an
increase in consumer and business confidence in Newfoundland and Labrador.
For the very first time ever we have received have status.
We are a self-reliant Province not dependent on Ottawa, not dependent
on anyone, only ourselves, to generate the wealth and income that we need
for the future. Boy is that
something I am so very proud of.
It is something that I know has been achieved because of the progressive
policies our government has put in place.
We
use both social and economic policies, Mr. Chair, which has brought us to a
place, as I said, that we have never been before in Newfoundland and
Labrador. The have status is
something we never thought we would achieve, but here we are.
We have brought ourselves through a very tough recession in
2007-2008. I truly believe that
it is our policies and our leadership that will best navigate us through the
rough storm that we are seeing today.
The future ahead, we do know, is still very bright.
Certainly, looking not too far ahead, the reality is that the prospects of
Newfoundland and Labrador are particularly bright.
In the five-year run up to 2020, there are a number of exciting
prospects and projects that are due.
I would say, Mr. Chair, to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador,
with continued Progressive Conservative governance we will realize those
prospects, and we will realize sustainable prosperity in Newfoundland and
Labrador.
We
have more people working in this Province today than we have ever had
before. We are earning higher
wages than ever before in Newfoundland and Labrador.
The PC government has been very focused on ensuring our seniors,
families, and students share in the success by investing heavily in health
care, education, business, innovation, and infrastructure, as well as
supports for communities and the most vulnerable in our society.
I
was extremely pleased, Mr. Chair, when Premier Davis dedicated a whole
department to seniors and wellness, which certainly emphasizes his
recognition and our recognition of the importance seniors play in our
society, and how we want to ensure seniors have the best quality of life
possible. They have done a lot
for us and we want to be able to give back to them.
Mr.
Chair, moving forward, and as people are looking to the future, I strongly
encourage people to recognize how the Progressive Conservative policies have
brought us to where we are. It
is Progressive Conservative policies that will enable us to reach the top.
Thank you so much, Mr. Chair.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
CHAIR:
Order, please!
The
Chair recognizes the hon. the Member for Signal Hill Quidi Vidi.
MS MICHAEL:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Chair.
MR. MURPHY:
Happy birthday to you.
MS MICHAEL:
Thanks.
I am
happy to have another opportunity to stand during the discussion of Bill 44,
the Supply bill, to continue something that I spoke about earlier in the
debate, Mr. Chair. That is some
more points that I want to make with regard to home care and with regard to
a national evaluation of the cost-effectiveness of home care that was done
for Health Canada.
It
is based on figures in the early 2000-2002, but the overall analysis I know
is still the same, Mr. Chair. It
is important I think for the government, for the Minister of Health and
Community Services, for our Department of Health to look at studies like
this one that was done for Health Canada and which, of course, was put out
publicly by Health Canada.
The
study was done by two people, Marcus Hollander and Neena Chappell, both with
their Ph.D. Neena Chappell is
with the Centre on Aging from the University of Victoria, and Marcus
Hollander is with a private company, Hollander Analytical Services, a
researcher. They worked together
as the co-directors of this national evaluation.
I
want to make some points I was just starting to make when I first referred
to this study earlier in the week.
The bottom line of this study, and the study is quite comprehensive.
It looks at different parts of the country.
It had five sub-studies as part of the main study.
It is complex, and one really does need to read the whole report to
get the full impact of what they are saying.
They are policy oriented, because they did this for Health Canada.
The study was done to help Health Canada with regard to the
development of policies around home care.
In
spite of the complexity, in spite of the different parts that are part of
the study, the bottom line comes down to and I think this is what is
really important is that home care cost less than residential care.
I started speaking about that when my time was up the other day.
I want to go into a bit more depth about that.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
CHAIR (Littlejohn):
Order, please!
MS MICHAEL:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Chair. I appreciate that.
The
point I was making the last time I referred to this report was that there
are different levels of care, of course.
We have the level of care that is personal care.
People not requiring a lot of help in their homes, somewhat
dependent. Then you have a level
of care which is slightly independent.
I am sorry, the first one was somewhat independent.
Then you have a level of care that is somewhat independent.
People probably can get their breakfast in the morning, but maybe
they cannot make dinner for themselves; maybe they cannot do their own
personal body care; maybe they cannot bathe themselves on their own.
Then
you get into a level which is slightly dependent, needing more help than
that. Then you get into the much
more dependent. People who need
help getting in and out of bed, people who really do have to have somebody
help them do ordinary things. So
there are various levels of care.
When
you are talking about the lowest level of care, then it is only 40 per cent
cheaper to be at home than in a residence.
Still, that's quite a difference, 40 per cent cheaper.
When you are talking about the still slightly independent, moving
towards dependence, staying at home continues to be about 40 per cent
cheaper. When you start getting
into the highest level of care, it is much more expensive to be at home, but
it is still 75 per cent of what it would cost to be in a facility.
So no matter which way you cut it, being at home and being taken care
of at home is cheaper than being in a facility.
One
of the reasons why it is more expensive being at home when you are more
dependent, when you require more care, it is not so much the cost of more
hours that is part of it but sometimes people who are at home
when they are very dependent, still require hospital care as well.
Not long term, but maybe they have a fall and they have to go to
hospital. Maybe they have to
have tests done. If they were in
a facility, they may have some of the services in the facility.
So you have to add increased hospital cost to their
care when they are at home, but it still comes down to that it is cheaper to
be at home than it is to be in a facility.
I am not going to belabour this, but I do want to give a couple of
examples to show the difference.
This sample was done in Victoria, BC.
They did different parts of the country in doing different parts of
the study. In Victoria, BC, when
this study was done, people who were somewhat
independent, sort of the lowest level of needing care, the average for them
and these are early, the 2002 figures.
The average for them at home was $19,800 approximately, whereas if
they were in a facility it would be $39,300.
Quite a difference, Mr. Chair, quite a difference.
Let's look at the next level and I am going to do consistently Victoria,
BC, keep it in the same city. If
you go up to the next level of care, slightly independent, $30,900 to be at
home, $45,900 to be in a facility.
Let's go to the next level, starting to get more dependent, $31,800
to be at home, $53,800 to be in a facility.
That is a big difference when you get to that one.
Now when you get to the largely dependent, it becomes a bit
different, where you get $35,100 for being at home and $50,560 for being in
a facility; however, it is still less being at home than being in a
facility.
This
study which was done has great implications.
It goes on to give real advice to Health Canada about how the
information they have gathered can be worked into policy.
One of the things they talk about, which is really important, is that
we cannot look at any one thing by itself.
So we should not be looking, actually, just at home care.
We should be looking at the broader system of continuing care.
That home care, long-term care, chronic care, case management should
all be part of one whole package, and that package should be part of our
health care system.
In
most jurisdictions, they note that home care is already considered to be
part of a broader system of continuing care.
It is not that way here in our Province.
I am going to take one example, and the example is palliative care.
When
somebody goes into palliative care in our Province, they actually get home
care covered, but because our home care is not part of our whole continuing
care package in the public system, while they may get their home care paid
for, they still have to go to the different agencies and try to find a home
care worker to come in and be part of the care of the person who is at home.
That home care person then is not really part of the palliative care
team.
We
have palliative care teams, and we have an excellent palliative care team
here in St. John's when it comes to home care, a wonderful doctor, great
nurse, we have a social worker, but a home care worker is not part of that.
A home care worker is outside of that system.
The
doctor may know that the person has a home care worker.
The nurse may know the person has a home care worker.
The doctor, nurse, social worker, and other people on that team are
not with the person who is in palliative care full time.
They are there to support the needs.
They are there to make sure that everything is going well.
There is nobody that is part of the palliative care system inside of our
public care who is designated to be there as needed as a home care person.
When somebody is in palliative care, that is a big need.
That is just one example of where we need to see home care as part of
a whole broader system, a whole broader spectrum of what it means to be
doing continuing care, whether they are talking about seniors, or people
with disability, or people who are dying.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
CHAIR:
The hon. the Member for
Baie Verte Springdale.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. POLLARD:
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
It
is certainly a privilege and an honour for me to stand on Bill 44, Interim
Supply, and have a few remarks representing the District of Baie Verte
Springdale. It is an honour and
a privilege to do so.
I
also had the honour and privilege, on behalf of the Minister of Health and
Community Services, to sign the Purple Day proclamation in support of
epilepsy. I met Ambassador Evan
Newhook and his family. I would
like to thank all members of this hon. House today for wearing purple in
support of epilepsy and the 10,000 people who deal with this disease on a
daily basis.
Mr.
Chair, this past weekend was not a good weekend as well.
Why, you might ask. Well
first of all I would like to offer my condolences and sympathies to the
families of both gentlemen who lost their lives by way of the snowmobile
accidents. It is very
unfortunate. It is a tragedy.
In
addition, we think about the devastating loss of the Cottlesville crab plant
which was a huge loss to the region.
Our hearts go out to all the people who now are displaced.
They do not know where their next job is going to come from.
There are about 150 or 200 people displaced.
These are seasonal workers, Mr. Chair.
I am
sure all of us today, especially the MHA for the area, is gravely concerned
and wants to be assured that today this government will, in working with the
MHA of the area, whoever we can, whatever we can do to ease that burden,
ease that pain, Mr. Chair. Our
Premier pointed out a couple of days ago we will work with the people in the
area, which is very fortunate.
In
the political world we hear phrases such as stimulate the economy, grow the
economy or job creation, or even diversify the economy.
So the eight minutes I have left, I would like to zero in and confine
my comments to a particular phrase: diversifying the economy. We hear it
often, everywhere we go. We hear
it in the media. We hear it in
our daily conversations; but what does diversifying an economy actually
mean?
Well, from my understanding, it provides different revenue streams in the
event that one sector may take a sudden downturn, Mr. Chair.
A diversified economy enables and offers government, or it could be a
town or a community or it could be a nation, to sustain essential services
and programs when there is a downturn because of its people are not overly
reliant on one particular sector or one particular industry.
For
example, if a town is a one-industry town, such as fishing or mining, once
that particular sector takes a sudden downturn the sustainability of that
town is potentially threatened.
However, if that particular town enjoys various streams of revenue from
different sectors, from different industries, then that town has the
ability, the potential, to function effectively and carry on its essential
programs and services that its people expect from one day to the next.
In other words, they would weather the storm without too much
interruption.
I
suppose, in ecological terms, you could liken a diversified economy to a
food web. What does a food web
do, Mr. Chair? Well, a food web
adds more stability to an ecosystem because there are more alternatives.
They offer more feeding options for a particular species, should one
species be obliterated or threatened because of over predation or over
hunting, or disease or what have you.
The ecosystem will continue to provide food and food energy to a
species and, therefore, stability would remain in that particular ecosystem,
if there is a stable food web as opposed to a food chain.
Now,
why did I say that, Mr. Chair?
Well, the same applies to a community or a town.
A multi-industry town is more apt to survive as opposed to a
single-industry town because of its diversity.
Its different streams of revenue keep the town going; it keeps the
town sustainable.
I
suppose we could say the same applies to any particular government who
attempts to generate different streams of revenue so that we could have a
sustainable economy. Of course,
Mr. Chair, we have certainly encouraged traditional industries over the
years, or sectors, to grow and diversify; because we have invested
strategically in traditional sectors, such as fishing, mining, and forestry,
and agriculture. Certainly in my
District of Baie Verte Springdale, fishing and mining and forestry these
traditional industries or sectors certainly contribute to the economy of the
District of Baie Verte Springdale and have reaped many, many benefits in
our history.
You
say how do we diversify the economy?
Well, we have invested in businesses; we have allowed businesses to
expand, to grow. We have reduced
the red tape. We have fostered a
very positive climate for entrepreneurs to come into this Province to expand
a business or to start a business.
I believe over $200 million since we have been in office has been
invested in business alone so that they could expand and grow and develop,
and stimulate the economy and diversify the economy.
Another way I suppose we could say we could diversify the economy is through
growing particular sectors or industries whether it be a primary industry,
or a secondary industry, or a tertiary industry, because all these are
related one is interdependent on the other.
In order to have a strong, diversified economy, you probably need all
three working together. In this
Province we do have examples of primary, secondary, and tertiary industries
or sectors working on all cylinders, Mr. Chair.
Another way I suppose we could say we have diversified the economy is
through, what shall I say, taking our economy from a reliance on a
non-renewable resource to a more renewable resource, or we could be a
combination of both. One good
example of that, of course, would be Muskrat Falls.
We are using the funds that we get from non-renewable resources to
have an economy that is based upon renewable resources so that we could have
sustainable revenue until perpetuity, Mr. Chair.
We
have come a long way.
Historically, we were dependent on fishery, mining, forestry, and of course,
probably the government transfers two or three different revenue streams.
Now, at 2015, Mr. Chair, I think we have come a long way.
There is room to grow.
Sure there is, Mr. Chair. Now we
probably have, what, a dozen revenue streams or more, such as we have grown
our tourism industry to a billion-dollar industry employing many people.
We have ocean technology; we have developed that sector.
We have developed the aquaculture industry, agrifoods, and innovative
technology.
We
have come a long way in providing or expanding from one or two revenue
streams and bringing in a lot more revenue streams so that should one
suddenly take a downturn or be threatened, we have an option.
We have alternatives so that we can carry on the essential services
and programs the people deserve and expect across this Province, Mr. Chair.
I
might add that should we have the good fortune in the next general election,
the people will look at our record, they will see what we have done, and
they see what we are going to do in the future because we are visionary.
When it comes to diversifying the economy you have to think five,
ten, fifteen, twenty, fifty years out.
That is what we have done with Nalcor.
That is what we have done with Muskrat Falls, Mr. Chair.
To have a long-term vision so the sustainability of this Province and
the people of this Province, the programs and services that they expect, we
could carry on.
Mr.
Chair, it could be one bump as we have seen in oil and gas; 28 per cent, 30
per cent of our revenue based upon oil and gas.
We are endeavouring to take that revenue and diversify the economy so
that down the road if one sector we can take a bump in that sector, we can
carry on and function efficiently just like a food web because we have
different options.
Another example, Mr. Chair, is that we have two mines operating in my
district. One way we have
diversified there is we have invested in these two mines, Anaconda and
Rambler. Today, most likely that
would have the potential to prolong the life of that mine probably eight or
ten years more, so that 200 people who are employed today will continue
their employment. That is one
way. Investment in Corner Brook
Pulp and Paper is another way we have invested so we keep jobs for the
economy.
I
could go on, Mr. Chair. Every
MHA in this hon. House can offer examples of ways we have diversified the
economy. Can we do more?
Sure we can, and we are going to strive for excellence.
I can say that I am proud of our record.
I think that down the road and visionary, there is more to come from
this government when it comes to economic diversification.
Mr.
Chair, thank you very much.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
CHAIR:
The hon. the Member for
Mount Pearl South.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. LANE:
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
It
certainly is a pleasure to have another opportunity to stand in this hon.
House and speak to Interim Supply.
Mr.
Chair, I want to sort of change the course a little bit.
I know we have been listening today and we have heard some good
debate back and forth.
Government members are standing and they are defending the decisions that
government has made. That is
what they are there to do. I am
sure they are all very happy and pleased with investments they have seen in
their districts. I am certainly
pleased with investments I have seen in Mount Pearl, nobody denies that.
We are all here to try to do the best we can for our districts.
Mr.
Chair, we have a role on this side of course to point out areas where
perhaps we thought that things could be done a little differently, and to
bring that forward to the public.
At the end of the day it will be up to the people of the various
districts to decide whether they agree with what government is saying in
terms of defending their record and the things they have invested in, or
whether they agree with the Opposition and the Third Party about concerns
they have about the way things were done.
The people will decide.
That is all part of democracy.
That is what we are all here for.
I
can certainly talk about things that have happened in Mount Pearl.
I am very proud of my district and some of the great things
happening. I could also stand
here and challenge some of the things that have been said by the other side
in terms of some of the investments.
I can certainly challenge some of the commentary about the
diversification of the economy and did that actually happen and so on, but
that is not my intent here this afternoon to do that.
Mr.
Chair, I want to take some time now, I have about eight minutes.
I want to speak about my critic role for Service NL.
This ties into a couple of questions that I asked in the House of
Assembly today as it relates to the story which was in the media the last
couple of days I think it was the top story in a couple of the media
outlets the last two days and that of course is the food safety issue, the
inspection issue at Memorial University.
Mr.
Chair, that should be concerning for all members, regardless of what side of
the House we are on. I would
think that we would all be interested.
I am sure we are. I know
we are all interested in ensuring that we have food safety, whether that be
in private restaurants or whether that be in public institutions such as
Memorial University.
I am
sure that every member in this House, when they read the news stories the
last couple of days of what happened at the dining hall in Memorial
University, when they heard stories about the fact that there were claims
and it was backed up by pictures of food being severely undercooked, claims
of food being mouldy, rotten, and all of these things.
I think there is one picture out there of a fly in the food and all
these other things that we have seen.
Of course, there was a meeting, I think last night at Memorial
University. It was reported that
there were a number of what were described as horror stories about the food
at MUN.
I
was not there and I had not experienced that as I do not guess any of the
other members were. We can only
go on what is being said, what is being reported, pictures that are out
there, and comments that are out there.
It does lead us to ask the questions about how long has this been
going on. Is the food indeed
safe for our students who are attending university?
Students I might add, according to what I have read, who are
basically being forced into a particular meal plan and particular meals.
They do not even have a choice.
They are paying a fee and here is what you are getting, like it or
not. If you do not like it you
can eat nothing. Or I guess you
can go get some take out or whatever if you have the money, which most
students do not.
I
think it is concerning when you see this story.
We should all be concerned about that.
I understand the health inspectors with the Department of Service NL
have been involved since the story broke.
I understand the university has been in contact with the service
provider. They said they are
doing their due diligence. I
think there was a report there today this afternoon that came out saying
that the health inspectors inspected the place today and it meets the
standard. I can only take it for
granted. Until I see the report
which the minister has said he will table in the House, he will provide
it. I am glad he has agreed to
do that. Until I actually see
that report I suppose it remains to be seen, but we will go by the fact that
is what is being reported.
If
that is the case, I am glad it is happening, but I have concern of how long
has this been going on. If it
were not for this incident going to the media, the social media and so on,
how long has this been going on?
How much student health has potentially been put at risk?
That
is why we need to understand how often the inspections have been occurring.
Have they been occurring regularly as they are supposed to be done?
When the inspection has been done, has there been follow-up?
Are things getting done the way they should be done?
That is why we have asked for the reports of that particular facility
for the last two years to ensure that has indeed happened.
The
concerning thing though is that, really, if this incident had happened at a
private restaurant, as of November 2012, I believe was the press release,
and it is on the government site, that they started posting these health
inspections for food facilities online for restaurants, but that only
applies to private restaurants.
So
if I wanted to take my family out to a particular restaurant or
establishment, I can go into the government's website and I can view the
inspections, when the inspections were done, what the issues were, if any,
and what action was taken. I can
look at a history of it and determine if this is an ongoing problem, a
systemic problem versus a minor issue, if it was a major issue and so on.
That is good. We support
that. The problem is, though, it
does not apply to public facilities.
When
we are talking about places like the university, the College of the North
Atlantic, or we are talking about hospitals people go to hospitals to get
well. They go there because they
have some sort of an ailment.
They are sick. They are there to
get better. Now, we do not even
know it is not a priority for us to be able to go into the website, like
we could for a private restaurant, and find out if that place that is
serving food, if that is being done properly, if there were any issues,
whether it be minor issues or major issues.
What action has been taken?
Is there anything we need to be concerned about?
I am
not suggesting that inspections are not being done, but I am going to be
putting in a request to see that they are all being done.
I am not suggesting they are not.
I am not questioning the competency of anybody, the inspectors in the
department at all. I am sure
they do a great job; they are professional, they are highly trained, all
that good stuff. I am
questioning whether or not it is being done, and that fact that we cannot go
in to check to make sure that it is being done and to make sure that there
are no issues.
We
cannot have a situation where we have vulnerable people, people who are sick
in a hospital, and now they have food coming up that, in theory, is not
being handled properly. There
could be germs and disease and God knows what else that could be passed on
to those people.
Similarly, we look at our schools.
I would like to know what is going on in the cafeteria in our
schools.
AN HON. MEMBER:
Gym classes.
MR. LANE:
I am glad my colleague
mentioned that. We know gym
class is going on. One thing we
know for sure is that in many schools, gym class is going on in the
cafeteria. We also know music
class is going on in the cafeteria.
We know that a lot of kids are eating their lunch at their desk; but,
what is going on in the actual food preparation area that our kids are
ordering off that menu?
Hopefully, it is all being done properly, following the standards, and I am
sure most people try to do their very best when they are doing that; but
things happen, sometimes beyond their control, sometimes it is management
issues, sometimes it is resource issues, employee issues it could be
whatever and things can go wrong.
That is why we need to have inspections to make sure that our kids,
our seniors in our nursing homes, people in our hospitals, that if they are
getting food in these public facilities, that the food is safe.
So,
again, I am going to call upon the Minister of Service NL to ensure now he
mentioned it today about putting it online.
I think he should be directing it to be put online ASAP.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
CHAIR:
The hon. the Minister of
Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. KENT:
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
It
is a great opportunity to speak today on Interim Supply.
The debate has been going on for several days in the House of
Assembly, and it is an important part of the legislative process.
It is important to the operation of government.
It also gives members an opportunity to talk about whatever they want
to talk about, because it is, as we say in the House, a money bill.
So, it is great to have members give some updates on different things
they are working on, on behalf of their constituents, and it is an
opportunity for ministers to talk about things going on within government as
well.
I do
want to begin by thanking members for wearing purple today.
Just about every member of the House is wearing purple in some form
or another and if it is not blatantly visible, I do not want to see it,
frankly, Mr. Chair. I shared
with a member opposite earlier today that even my socks are purple today.
It is for a really important cause.
It is about raising awareness of epilepsy and trying to reduce social
stigma that is associated with this condition.
It
is one of the most common neurological disorders anywhere on the planet,
actually, Mr. Chair. It affects
more than 300,000 people in Canada, and I was surprised to learn that it
actually affects more than 10,000 people right here in our own Province.
So, the likelihood is that all of us know somebody, either directly
or indirectly, who has been affected by epilepsy.
Approximately one in twenty-six people will develop epilepsy in their
lifetime. So, it is a rather
significant illness, and it is important to take opportunities like today to
raise awareness. So, I do want
to thank all members of the House for participating in today's event.
I
was really impressed with the story that I spoke of earlier about a young
person who has taken it upon himself to raise money for this cause.
He is a nine-year-old boy.
He lives in Dildo, which I believe is in the District of Bellevue.
The MHA for Bellevue has told me a little bit about this story.
This young boy, whose name is Evan Newhook, when he learned that his
mother was diagnosed with epilepsy, really wanted to do something about it.
He
is passionate about art. He is
passionate about reading. He
decided to create bookmarks and sell them.
As my Parliamentary Secretary said earlier, he had the opportunity to
meet with some folks from the epilepsy organization here in Newfoundland and
Labrador just yesterday on my behalf while I was dealing with another
matter. He was able to purchase
some of the bookmarks and share them with some people in our department and
with me as well.
AN HON. MEMBER:
(Inaudible).
MR. KENT:
Did you buy any
bookmarks?
AN HON. MEMBER:
(Inaudible).
MR. KENT:
We can get you some
bookmarks. In fact, you can have
one of mine because I have several.
The
funds are going to a great cause.
It is going to support Epilepsy Newfoundland & Labrador.
Evan
attends Woodland Elementary. He
is running a fundraising campaign there.
He has also reached out to employees at TC Square mall in Carbonear.
I know many people in many companies, in many organizations in our
Province, are wearing purple today which is great to see.
I
also want to acknowledge that Evan is the official Purple Day Ambassador in
Newfoundland and Labrador this year, which is a great honour.
I am sure his family is extremely proud.
I think I can speak for all members in this House in saying that we
are very proud of him as well, Mr. Chair.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. KENT:
The folks at Epilepsy
Newfoundland & Labrador do incredible work.
Some of them, I believe, are with us today.
We are going to be turning purple lights on the Confederation
Building in honour of this special day.
As I said, there are many, many organizations and individuals taking
part.
Social media has really allowed campaigns like this to take off.
I have been following on Twitter and Facebook, and I know that the
Minister of Child, Youth and Family Services has been following along on
Twitter as well. The surge of
support is tremendous.
If
anybody wants to learn more about Epilepsy Newfoundland & Labrador, I would
encourage them to visit epilepsynl.com to learn more about the organization
and to learn more about those who are affected by epilepsy.
We
have, through our Newfoundland and Labrador Prescription Drug Program, made
more support available for people who are living with epilepsy.
We added a new drug in May of last year, and that has been able to
help people manage partial onset seizures that are not controlled with some
of the conventional therapy that is available.
These are positive steps, Mr. Chair, and I want to congratulate
everybody involved in promoting this important cause today.
Mr.
Chair, tomorrow I will have an opportunity to participate in the opening
ceremonies of one of the Swim for Hope events that is taking place.
I know there are many Members of the House of Assembly who are taking
part in Swim for Hope events around the Province in their districts, because
raising funds for cancer care and for cancer research is something that I
know is very, very important to many people living in Newfoundland and
Labrador. So, I encourage people
to support the Swim for Hope that starts tomorrow and runs into the weekend
as well.
There have been a number of questions in the House of Assembly over the last
couple of weeks related to the West Coast hospital project.
I know there are a number of members on both sides of the House who
have a keen interest in the project because it directly impacts their
constituents. So I thought I
would also take a quick moment, while I have a couple of minutes left, to
inform members of the House that I will be having another meeting with the
action committee that is on the ground in Corner Brook.
There are residents from outside of Corner Brook as well, but it is a Corner
Brook based committee. I will be
having a meeting by conference call this evening, just to continue to keep
members of that committee in the loop on our progress and to really ensure
that they can see our commitment, that we can demonstrate our commitment to
the West Coast hospital project.
We continue to make progress. It
has certainly taken longer than any of us would have liked.
There is no doubt about that, but millions of dollars have been
invested and we are really looking forward to getting on to the next steps.
The
functional program for that hospital and for the campus is just about
complete. I will have an
opportunity again this evening it will be my second meeting with the
action committee. I have
committed to them that on my very next visit to Corner Brook, which I hope
is soon winter is a wonderful time of year to visit the West Coast.
Any time is a wonderful time to visit the West Coast, but on my very
next visit I will commit to sitting down with the action committee and
having further discussions.
In
the last number of years we have learned a lot from dealing with this issue
in particular. We have to do a
better job of engagement. So
moving forward, I can commit that we will focus more attention on an
engagement strategy so people on the West Coast, and anywhere else for that
matter, can ask questions, can immediately gain access to information and
updates on what is happening with the project, so that people will have a
greater level of confidence with where we are and where we are going.
In
fairness, people have reason to be skeptical.
This has taken a long time.
It has taken a long time to get to where we are, but I can assure
you, Mr. Chair, that we are absolutely committed to continued progress.
Mr.
Chair, there have been a number of questions this week also related to
patient safety and the implementation of recommendations coming out of the
Cameron report. I can assure you
that patient safety is an extremely high priority for people working in our
department and also working in the regional health authorities in our health
system. I can also say with
confidence that most of the recommendations coming out of that report have
been implemented either fully or substantially.
It
is also important to note that we will never be finished.
Things are changing so fast, in terms of technology and our systems
and processes, that working to achieve the best possible standards of
patient safety and quality assurance in our system is going to be something
that is ongoing. That work will
never be complete. Even since
Cameron, there are systems and processes that have changed.
While some of the recommendations were extremely specific, things continue
to evolve. I can assure you this
is something we are monitoring on an ongoing basis.
As I said in Question Period, there are legislative changes to be
made that will address some of the few outstanding recommendations.
We are making progress in that regard as well.
I will very soon be able to share more information about that.
I look forward to introducing more legislation in this House later
this year.
I
know my time is up, Mr. Chair. I
look forward to further opportunities to talk about issues related to health
and hopefully related to my constituents at some point too.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
CHAIR:
The hon. the Member for
St. John's Centre.
MS ROGERS:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Chair.
I am
very happy to stand again to speak to Bill 44 on Interim Supply.
Mr. Chair, there have been a number of pre-Budget consultations.
I have been able to read a number of the submissions on the
pre-Budget consultations.
The
interesting thing is that the pre-Budget consultation submissions from
community groups are doing incredible work already on really stretched
budgets and doing the work of the state.
They are doing work, helping people to cope with daily life, helping
people negotiate the system, helping people who have fallen through the
cracks, but also helping people with some of the shortfalls in the system.
What
they are asking for none of them really are asking for any kind of
increase in funds, although they need it, because they are aware of what the
Premier has been saying that everything is on the table.
They are not asking for any frills.
They are asking, simply, to stay the course because they know how
important their work is. Not
only that, they are so dedicated to their work.
Many people working long hours, underpaid, very experienced and
educated, but they are committed to their cause.
They are working with passion and they are working with compassion.
Mr.
Chair, I would like to congratulate those many organizations that took the
time to go to the pre-Budget consultations to present to government their
own needs, not to take care of themselves, but so they can do the work to
help take care of the people in our Province, and sometimes some of the most
vulnerable people in our Province.
What
I would like to look at, Mr. Chair, is a what-if scenario.
Here we are 500,000 people in Newfoundland and Labrador with a number
of years under our belts of absolute prosperity.
What if we did have a fully accessible, affordable, publicly
administered and publicly delivered child care system?
What if with all those years of prosperity, and again with only
500,000 people, we had a fully administered and managed home care program?
What would that look for us?
What
if we had a social housing program that truly responded to the needs of our
current demographics? A lot of
single people, a lot of seniors who are either living alone or in a couple
who need smaller units, what if we had a social housing program that was
really responsive to their needs?
Where we had portable subsidies for seniors, where we had a real
rental assistance program for seniors.
What
if this government, because of its promise in its Blue Book over four years
ago that Blue Book was done over four years ago where it promised a home
ownership assistance program to young working families, what if they had
come through on that promise?
What would that look like for some families today who would have been able
to buy their own homes with a little bit of help?
Not a handout, but a little bit of help in order to deal with the
high market prices because of our prosperity, because of our resource
industry. What if all those
programs were truly in place?
What
we have, Mr. Chair, is this sandwich generation.
Many of us here in this House are part of that sandwich generation.
We have seniors, our parents unfortunately, both my parents have
passed away. My father had spent
all of his working life as a soldier.
In 1949, when Newfoundland joined Confederation, my father was in a
group of the first seven Newfoundland men to join the Canadian army.
He was a career soldier.
He died at a very early age, at sixty-one.
My
mother died when she was seventy-eight.
We always felt that because dad had been in the army she would be
okay. If dad died before she
did, that she would have his pension.
Because we moved all our lives all over the country, they never were
able to buy a house. So we did not
have that kind of equity.
There are, I am sure, a lot of people here in this House who have had
parents who have not bought a house.
Or maybe they had a family house, but that house was too big for
them, one of the parents died.
So, then you have a single parent who needs to rent a place.
In a
lot of cases, a lot of our mothers never worked outside the home so they may
not have a pension. Then perhaps
when our fathers die, depending on what they were doing, maybe they do not
have a great pension either.
Then our moms basically are on OAS and GIS.
A
lot of us in this House, if our moms were widowed and on OAS or GIS, we
would help them out, but there are a lot of families in this Province who
are not able to do that.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
CHAIR:
Order, please!
MS ROGERS:
What happens, Mr. Chair,
is that we have this sandwich generation where we are trying to take care of
our parents, or our one parent who is having a hard time making ends meet.
If they are on OAS or GIS, their income is $1,200 a month.
If
they have to rent an apartment or rent a house, they are looking at in a
lot of places here in our Province $800 a month for rent, $200 average a
month during the year for heat and light, and $100 for phone, cable, and
internet. They need that.
That is not a frill. That
is what they need. So that is
$1,100, leaving them any of our widows or single senior citizens who are
on OAS and GIS with $100 a month for food, for transportation, for
medication that is not covered by the provincial plan, for any co-pay they
may have to do, for clothing, and to go to the doctor.
If
you are living in town, for instance, and you have a take a taxi if you
cannot take a bus and nobody can drive you during the day because your
family is working, or else your family is up in Fort McMurray, or maybe in
Labrador working on Muskrat Falls, you have to take a taxi.
That is at least $20 both ways.
That is a lot of money.
That is a big chunk of your $100 a month.
There are seniors who many families are trying to help out.
Then there are people's children who are young working families, who
are scrambling for affordable child care absolutely scrambling.
Young families who are saying: mom, dad, I cannot afford to have kids
because child care is at least $1,000 a month per child.
I cannot afford to do it, I have my student loan.
Darn it, if the government had done that homeownership assistance
plan that they promised to us young working families, we would not have such
a high mortgage. There would be
all that.
If
government had delivered on those programs, then people could get on with
their lives. We are not talking
about frills here. We are
talking about the basic essentials so people can participate fully in the
economic well-being of our Province.
That
is the potential we had, Mr. Chair.
We had that potential when we had those years and years and years of
prosperity, of unprecedented income in our Province.
Those are some of the opportunities that have been missed.
What
do we do now? In these really
challenging economic times what do we do to help our seniors?
They need portable rent sups so they can live, so they can survive.
Our young working families need help so they can have children, so
they can participate fully in the workplace, especially child care
especially. What is happening is
that there is stress on young working families scrambling to ensure their
children are well taken care of so they can get off to work, and so they can
be part of making our economy stronger once again.
These programs are not about frills.
They are not about extravagance.
These programs are good for the economy.
They are good for working families.
They are good for seniors.
They are good for the people who are the sandwich generation.
It is all about what is good for our economy and good for our people,
Mr. Chair. I am hoping that
these are going to be considered in this upcoming Budget.
Thank you very much.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
CHAIR:
Shall the resolution
carry?
All
those in favour, 'aye.'
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
On
motion, resolution carried.
CLERK:
Clause 1.
CHAIR:
Shall clause 1 carry?
All
those in favour, 'aye.'
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
CHAIR:
All those against, 'nay.'
Carried.
On
motion, clause 1 carried.
CLERK:
Clauses 2, 3, and 4.
CHAIR:
Shall clauses 2, 3, and 4
carry?
All
those in favour, 'aye.'
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
CHAIR:
All those against, 'nay.'
Carried.
On
motion, clauses 2, 3, and 4 carried.
CLERK:
The schedule.
CHAIR:
The schedule.
Shall the schedule carry?
All
those in favour, 'aye.'
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
CHAIR:
All those against, 'nay.'
Carried.
On
motion, schedule carried.
CLERK:
Be it enacted by the
Lieutenant Governor and House of Assembly in Legislative Session convened,
as follows.
CHAIR:
Shall the enacting clause
carry?
All
those in favour, 'aye.'
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
CHAIR:
All those against, 'nay.'
Carried.
On
motion, enacting clause carried.
CLERK:
WHEREAS it appears that
the sums mentioned are required to defray certain expenses of the Public
Service of Newfoundland and Labrador for the financial year ending March 31,
2016 and for other purposes relating to the public service.
CHAIR:
Shall the preamble carry?
All
those in favour, 'aye.'
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
CHAIR:
All those against, 'nay.'
Carried.
On
motion, preamble carried.
CLERK:
An Act For Granting To
Her Majesty Certain Sums Of Money For Defraying Certain Expenses Of The
Public Service For The Financial Year Ending March 31, 2016 And For Other
Purposes Relating To The Public Service.
CHAIR:
Shall the long title
carry?
All
those in favour, 'aye.'
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
CHAIR:
All those against, 'nay.'
Carried.
On
motion, title carried.
CHAIR:
Shall I report the bill
without amendment?
All
those in favour, 'aye.'
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
CHAIR:
All those against, 'nay.'
Carried.
Motion, that the Committee report having passed the resolution and a bill
consequent thereto, carried.
CHAIR:
The hon. the Deputy
Government House Leader.
MR. HUTCHINGS:
Mr. Chair, I move
that the Committee rise and report Bill 44 without amendment.
CHAIR:
The motion is that the
Committee rise and report the resolution and Bill 44 without amendment.
All
those in favour, 'aye.'
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
CHAIR:
All those against, 'nay.'
Carried.
On
motion, that the Committee rise, report progress and ask leave to sit again,
Mr. Speaker returned to the Chair.
Motion, that the Committee report having passed the resolution and a bill
consequent thereto, carried.
MR. SPEAKER (Verge):
Order, please!
The
hon. the Member for Port de Grave.
MR. LITTLEJOHN:
Mr. Speaker, the
motion is that the Committee report the resolution and Bill 44 carried
without amendment.
MR. SPEAKER:
The Chair of the
Committee of Supply reports that the Committee have considered the matters
to them referred and have directed him to report that the Committee has
adopted a certain resolution and recommended that a bill be introduced to
give effect to the same.
When
shall the report be received?
MR. HUTCHINGS:
Now, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER:
Now.
On
motion, report received and adopted.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Deputy
Government House Leader.
MR. HUTCHINGS:
Mr. Speaker, I move,
seconded by the Minister of Health and Community Services, that the
resolution be now read for the first time.
MR. SPEAKER:
It is moved and seconded
that the resolution be now read the first time.
All
those in favour, 'aye.'
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
MR. SPEAKER:
All those against, 'nay.'
Carried.
CLERK:
That it is expedient to
introduce a measure to provide for the granting to Her Majesty for defraying
certain expenses of the public service for the financial year ending March
31, 2016 the sum of $2,784,047,800.
On
motion, resolution read a first time.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Deputy
Government House Leader.
MR. HUTCHINGS:
Mr. Speaker, I move,
seconded by the Minister of Health and Community Services, that the
resolution be now read the second time.
MR. SPEAKER:
It is moved and seconded
that the resolution be now read a second time.
All
those in favour, 'aye.'
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
MR. SPEAKER:
All those against, 'nay.'
Carried.
CLERK:
Second reading of the
resolution.
On
motion, resolution read a second time.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Deputy
Government House Leader.
MR. HUTCHINGS:
Mr. Speaker, I move,
seconded by the Minister of Health and Community Services, for leave to
introduce the Interim Supply bill, Bill 44, and I further move that that
bill be now read for the first time.
MR. SPEAKER:
It is moved and seconded
that the hon. the Deputy Government House Leader shall have leave to
introduce the Interim Supply bill and that the said bill be now read a first
time.
Is
it the pleasure of the House that the hon. the Deputy Government House
Leader shall have leave to introduce the Interim Supply bill and that the
said bill be now read a first time?
All
those in favour, 'aye.'
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
MR. SPEAKER:
All those against, 'nay.'
Carried.
Motion, the hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board to
introduce a bill, An Act For Granting To Her Majesty Certain Sums Of Money
For Defraying Certain Expenses Of The Public Service For The Financial Year
Ending March 31, 2016 And For Other Purposes Relating To The Public
Service, carried. (Bill 44)
CLERK:
A bill, An Act For
Granting To Her Majesty Certain Sums Of Money For Defraying Certain Expenses
Of The Public Service For The Financial Year Ending March 31, 2016 And For
Other Purposes Relating To The Public Service.
(Bill 44)
On
motion, Bill 44 read a first time.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Deputy
Government House Leader.
MR. HUTCHINGS:
Mr. Speaker, I move,
seconded by the Minister of Natural Resources, that the Interim Supply bill
be now read the second time.
MR. SPEAKER:
It is moved and seconded
that the said bill be now read the second time.
All
those in favour, 'aye.'
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
MR. SPEAKER:
All those against, 'nay.'
Carried.
CLERK:
Second reading of Bill
44.
On
motion, Bill 44 read a second time.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Deputy
Government House Leader.
MR. HUTCHINGS:
Mr. Speaker, I move,
seconded by the Minister of Health and Community Services, that the Interim
Supply bill be now read the third time.
MR. SPEAKER:
It is moved and seconded
that the said bill be now read the third time.
Is
it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?
All
those in favour, 'aye.'
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
MR. SPEAKER:
All those against, 'nay.'
Carried.
CLERK:
Third reading of Bill 44.
MR. SPEAKER:
This bill has now been
read a third time and it is ordered that the bill do pass and its title be
as on the Order Paper.
On
motion, a bill, An Act For Granting To Her Majesty Certain Sums Of Money
For Defraying Certain Expenses Of The Public Service For The Financial Year
Ending March 31, 2016 And For Other Purposes Relating To The Public
Service, read a third time, ordered passed and its title be as on the Order
Paper. (Bill 44)
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. Deputy
Government House Leader.
MR. HUTCHINGS:
Mr. Speaker, I moved,
seconded by the Minister of Finance, that the House do now adjourn.
MR. SPEAKER:
The motion is that this
House do now adjourn.
All
those in favour, 'aye.'
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
MR. SPEAKER:
All those against, 'nay.'
Carried.
This
House now stands adjourned until Monday at 1:30 o'clock.
On motion, the House at its rising adjourned until tomorrow, Monday, at 1:30 p.m.