May
5, 2015
HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS
Vol. XLVII No. 9
The House met at 1:30 p.m.
MR. SPEAKER (Verge):
Order, please!
Admit strangers.
Statements by Members
MR. SPEAKER:
Today we will be hearing members' statements from the Members representing
the Districts of Port au Port, Trinity – Bay de Verde, Bonavista North,
Cartwright – L'Anse au Clair, Kilbride, and Torngat Mountains.
The hon. the Member for Port au Port.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. CORNECT:
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and congratulate the youth from the
Stephenville High Duke of Edinburgh Program who received their bronze award
on April 19.
The Duke of Edinburgh Program offers challenges in four
categories: community service, physical fitness, skills development, and
expeditions. Successfully
completing this level is a remarkable achievement, and one to be proud of.
It is certainly a program that develops the integrity of our youth.
Mr. Speaker, we are very proud of the youth who were
presented with the bronze Duke of Edinburgh's award.
This program is very strong and active in my district,
and indeed in the Province, thanks to the dedication and commitment of the
many parents and volunteers who work tirelessly to help make this program
possible for our youth.
Mr. Speaker, I ask all hon. Members of the House of
Assembly to join with me in congratulating our bronze achievers: Matthew
Bennett, James Benoit, Christian Butt, Kipling Deeley, Julianna Deveau,
Charlotte Elliott, Jordi Green, Olivia Henley, Kelly Hurley, Kameron Legge,
Joshua Power, Mitchell Riberdy, Taylor Rideout, Jessica Skinner, John St.
Croix, and Shane Taker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Trinity – Bay de Verde.
MR. CROCKER:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I rise in this hon. House today to recognize the
organizers of the nineteenth annual North Shore Ambulance Telethon.
The North Shore Ambulance Service is located in Western
Bay and consists of sixteen volunteers and employees.
It services approximately 2,500 residents throughout eleven
communities, from Kingston to Job's Cove.
The volunteers of this non-profit ambulance service
raises funds every year to purchase medical supplies and updated equipment.
The organization is now fundraising for the purchase of a new
ambulance.
I was delighted to participate in the annual telethon
which took place on Sunday, April 12 and was broadcast from Lower Island
Cove. Residents in the area
phoned in their pledges and approximately $11,000 was raised for the
service.
Volunteers play a vital role in rural Newfoundland and
Labrador. At this time, I would
like to thank the organizers for their countless hours of volunteer work,
which makes this area a safer place to live.
I ask all hon. members to join me in congratulating all
volunteers, organizers and those who contributed for making the nineteenth
annual North Shore Ambulance Telethon a tremendous success.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Bonavista North.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. CROSS:
I am very proud to stand today to salute a very distinguished volunteer with
the Royal Canadian Air Cadet organization.
Mr. Speaker, I will attend the Ceremonial Review and
Annual Inspection of 840 Indian Bay Air Cadet Squadron at
Centreville-Wareham-Trinity this coming Saturday, May 9.
This year Captain Juanita Hoben will be sitting with the guests for
the first time since 1983.
Captain Hoben began as a behind the scenes volunteer
with this squadron when it began in 1974.
In 1983 she was recruited to active leadership and began the role of
Administrative Officer.
In 1993 she assumed the duty of Commanding Officer and
continued in this fashion until this past February, when she reluctantly
accepted mandatory retirement after thirty-two years.
It is the efforts of leaders like Juanita Hoben that makes the Cadet
movement what it is – energetic, disciplined and enlightening for the youth
who enroll.
When Captain Hoben retired she handed the reigns to new
Commanding Officer, Natasha Matchim, who started as a twelve-year-old cadet
in this same squadron many years ago.
Mr. Speaker, I ask all hon. members to salute Juanita
Hoben for her well-polished, tireless commitment and dedication to the youth
of her region, our Province, and our country.
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 rise in this hon. House today to
recognize the tremendous accomplishments of the Pinware Karate School in the
Labrador Straits.
Mr. Kevin Pike started the martial arts school in
September 2010 and now has a yearly enrolment of approximately thirty
students, ranging in age from seven to forty-eight.
Mr. Pike has been involved in martial arts for more than thirty years
and holds a black belt from Mike Foley Kenpo Karate School in St. John's.
In April of each year, the Labrador Open tournament is
held. This is an opportunity for
the karate students in the Labrador Straits to compete against clubs from
Quebec.
In November 2014, ten students from the school aged
thirteen to seventeen travelled to St. John's to compete in The Battle of
the Rock. The team captured
twenty-two medals, six of which were gold.
This was the first opportunity for students from the Labrador Straits
to compete at such a high level in karate.
With Mr. Pike's determination and guidance, it will not be the last.
I ask all hon. members to join me in congratulating Mr.
Pike and the Pinware Karate School on their outstanding contribution to
martial arts in Labrador.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Kilbride.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. DINN:
Mr. Speaker, on April 11, 2015, the Waterford Hospital Lions Club celebrated
its thirty-fifth anniversary.
Most Lions Club members, their families and friends were there, as well as
special guests and Leo Club members.
The Waterford Hospital Lions Club was started in April
1980, with its main aim to help patients and outpatients of the hospital.
Working with staff and with Eastern Health, this group raises money
to help those in need. They
sponsor special programs at the Waterford as well as hold special events at
special times of the year for their patients and outpatients.
After a good meal, special awards were presented.
Liam O'Keefe, President of the Leo Club was on hand as the Leo Club
was honoured for raising $4,000 for the Lions Dog Guide Program.
Hana Noseworthy was named the Leo of the Year; John Pearce, the
present President of the club received special recognition for his ninth
time holding the president's position; Michael Abbott received a District
Governor's Award for his twenty-five years of service.
I ask all hon. members to join me in congratulating the
Waterford Hospital Lions Club on its thirty-fifth anniversary.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Torngat Mountains.
MR. EDMUNDS:
Mr. Speaker, I rise in this hon. House today to congratulate the producers
of Them Days magazine on their
fortieth anniversary.
Them Days
magazine was first produced in 1975 by the Labrador Heritage Society, and
has been published quarterly ever since.
From trapper tales to interviews with fishermen, the magazine has
celebrated and remembered days gone by in Labrador.
Many claim that the magazine would not have been
possible without Doris Saunders, the driving force behind
Them Days for nearly thirty years.
Her legacy lives on in the publication of the magazine that continues
to this day with the help of many dedicated people in Labrador.
As part of the fortieth anniversary celebrations,
Them Days will be publishing a
special issue on the Labrador fishery in June called
Floaters, Stationers and Livyeres.
Them Days
is a cultural institution for Labrador – an institution that has been
successful in capturing the history of the Big Land through the eyes and
ears of Labradorians themselves.
There are many stories yet to be told.
I ask all hon. members to join me in congratulating
Them Days magazine on their forty
years in production, and I look forward to reading many more issues in the
years ahead.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Statements by Ministers.
Statements by Ministers
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Environment and Conservation.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. CRUMMELL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, delivering clean and safe drinking water
to the residents of Newfoundland and Labrador is a top priority for this
government. The Department of
Environment and Conservation works collaboratively with other departments,
including the Departments of Municipal and Intergovernmental Affairs, Health
and Community Services, and Service NL, as well as with towns and
communities, to ensure drinking water in the Province is clean, safe, and
secure.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in this hon. House
today to discuss the most recent example of this collaborative approach to
improving drinking water quality, which is the $1 million Budget 2015
investment through the Community Sustainability Partnership.
Our government recognizes that smaller municipalities
in particular need help operating the drinking water systems, as well as
assistance in working with new federal wastewater regulations.
This Budget 2015 investment will support three regional service
boards, in collaboration with the Departments of Environment and
Conservation, and Municipal and Intergovernmental Affairs, in providing
regional water and wastewater operator services to an identified group of
communities.
This 3.5 year pilot project will run from October 1,
2015 to March 31, 2019. Not only
will it provide much-needed assistance to water system operators in the
immediate term, but it will also help operators gain a stronger knowledge
base and build capacity within communities for the ongoing maintenance of
their systems.
To further assist communities in the area of clean and
safe drinking water, we will engage a consultant to focus exclusively on
solutions to reduce the number of boil water advisories.
While boil water advisories are necessary to reduce the risk of water
contamination and protect our residents, many can be eliminated through
proper operation and maintenance of community-owned water disinfection
systems. This initiative will
provide guidance to help communities, particularly those with recurring,
long-term boil water advisories, identify what steps are required to correct
the operational issues and have their advisories lifted.
Mr. Speaker, we are confident that these initiatives
will go a long way towards improving the quality of drinking water in these
identified communities. They
build upon a host of other supports provided by government including
training, reporting, and funding for capital works projects.
The provincial government is proud of this important
Budget 2015 investment and we will continue to work with towns and
communities toward the goal of ensuring the delivery of clean and safe
drinking water to all residents of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for The Straits – White Bay North.
MR. MITCHELMORE:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I want to thank the minister for the advance copy of
his statement.
Drinking Water Safety in Newfoundland and Labrador's
Annual Report for 2014 reveals there are 219 active boil water advisories at
year-end, impacting nearly 50,000 people in more than 150 communities.
There are boil water advisories in this Province that are older than
I am.
The Drinking Water Safety report reveals a staggering
increase of unsatisfactory bacteriological samples.
The coliforms are spiking up to 962 from 623 in 2010-2011, 132 cases
of E.coli, and increasing levels of arsenic.
That is a real problem.
The pilot project that the minister referenced as part
of the municipal fiscal framework is not a new idea.
A similar program was proposed in 2003-2004, but the current
government chose not to move forward on this.
Mr. Speaker, a pilot project is a step forward,
allocating some money to implement a new approach to water treatment
especially in rural areas where it is needed.
The good thing about this is we can measure success.
The more experts we hire the more regional services.
We can ensure proper drinking water, but by announcing this pilot
project to go for four years, it is just reprehensible without measuring the
results in between.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for St. John's East.
MR. MURPHY:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I thank the minister as well for the advance copy of
his statement.
Mr. Speaker, the issues with small municipalities can
be found in the monthly report on water quality issues in this Province.
Simply put, they need money, money to hire and train operators for
such things as chlorination systems.
Small municipalities are also having a tough time getting help with
funding for emergency repairs and pricey chemicals for these same
chlorination systems.
Mr. Speaker, water issues should be dealt with now.
This is not a new issue we are dealing with, and I think it is
shameful that this government has decided to come out with another pilot
project now when they have had such bad water in this Province for years
now.
Thank you very much.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. KENT:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I am pleased to rise in this hon. House today to
recognize May as National Hemochromatosis Awareness Month.
Hemochromatosis is a genetic disorder that causes the body to store
excess iron. This month provides
a valuable opportunity to raise awareness of the challenges faced by
individuals and families dealing with this disorder.
People with this disorder absorb four times the amount
of iron from a daily diet than the average individual.
The human body cannot rid itself of this extra iron, and over time
excesses build up in major organs such as the heart, liver, pancreas,
joints, and pituitary gland. If
extra iron is not removed, these organs can become diseased.
Mr. Speaker, if left untreated, hemochromatosis can be
fatal. When undiagnosed, it can
also increase the risk for diabetes, depression, infertility, various forms
of cancer and other conditions.
Type 1 hemochromatosis is the most common form of
hereditary hemochromatosis.
Approximately 125,000 Canadians suffer from the disorder.
Generating awareness to educate residents about the importance of
screening for early detection is crucial to ensuring early diagnosis and
effective treatment.
Residents who have questions, or who may have family
history of hemochromatosis, are urged to seek more information by calling
the Newfoundland and Labrador HealthLine at 1-888-709-2929.
The HealthLine offers callers free 24/7 access to a registered nurse
for health care information and symptom triage, and represents an annual
provincial government investment of approximately $3 million.
Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Hemochromatosis Society is a
registered non-profit organization founded in 1980 to raise public awareness
to ensure early detection, testing and treatment in order to prevent
suffering and premature death.
I commend the Society for its continued support and
awareness efforts on behalf of Canadians living with this disorder.
I urge all residents to visit the Society's website at
www.toomuchiron.ca to become better educated on the importance of
early detection and to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges faced
by so many across our country.
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.
We, too, in the Official Opposition want to help bring
awareness to this disease. It is
amazing when you think about the stats that one in nine Canadians carry the
gene for hemochromatosis, but just because you are a carrier of the gene
does not mean you will develop it.
One in 300 Canadians are at risk of developing complications of this
disease. While there is no cure,
many complications can be prevented by early diagnosis and treatment.
The Canadian Hemochromatosis Society provides support
and information to individuals and families affected by this disease.
The society has a great source of information for those wishing learn
to more. They provide
information on the condition, diagnosis, testing, treatment options, and
many more other area.
Mr. Speaker, in closing, we all have a responsibility
to help increase awareness, and we are happy to do so today.
Thank you.
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 important to
raise awareness of this serious genetic disease and the fact that untreated
it can lead to chronic diseases such as diabetes and others, as have been
outlined by the minister.
Primary health care teams across the country are
providing better services in terms of screening, diagnosis, and disease
management. If we had more
primary health care clinic teams here, families with genetic disorders such
as hemochromatosis would have better access to screening information and
services they need.
I really encourage the government to do what was
promised in the Throne Speech and reform primary health care and create more
primary health care teams in our communities.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. GRANTER:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I rise today to recognize an event recently organized
by the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture to support a valuable part of
our fishing industry – our harvesters.
On March 25, the department sponsored a one-day
workshop for the under 40-foot vessel fleet that focused on vessel
innovation and harvesting for quality.
The event was organized with the assistance of the Marine Institute
and the Professional Fish Harvesters Certification Board.
Harvesters from throughout the Province travelled to the Marine
Institute to take part in this worthwhile workshop.
Mr. Speaker, with reduced quotas, shorter seasons,
higher operating costs, and crew shortages, there are a number of challenges
facing the harvesting sector relating to current fleets and technology.
The provincial government is proud to assist our industry in
adjusting to these circumstances and capturing greater value for their
investment. We will continue to
support the development of this industry, especially during times of
uncertainty.
In an industry as competitive as the fishery, the
importance of striving for high-quality seafood products achieved through
the most efficient and safest manner possible cannot be stressed enough.
Our government is committed to working with harvesters
to build a strong foundation upon which a rebounding groundfish sector can
succeed. The workshop is
designed to present the fleet with information on technology and best
practices, while also seeking feedback from harvesters on their current
status and state of readiness for the groundfish fishery of the future.
By engaging in a series of technical lectures and
roundtable discussions, the department gathered valuable feedback from
harvesters on a number of key topics.
This information will prove incredibly valuable in identifying
potential projects and various new technologies that can foster future
success in the ground fishery.
The $1 million allotted in Budget 2015 for the Fisheries Technology and New
Opportunities Program will enable the department to continue supporting such
initiatives.
Mr. Speaker, this workshop provided the opportunity for
department officials, researchers, and the Marine Institute to hear,
directly from harvesters, what they feel they require in order to be
successful as our Province's seafood industry experiences the coming shift
from shellfish to groundfish.
Ideas coming out of this workshop provided participants in the industry with
information on potential upgrades to vessels which could lead to a more
efficient, technologically advanced and less labour-intensive harvest.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Carbonear – Harbour Grace.
MR. SLADE:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I thank the minister for the advance copy of his
statement. Mr. Speaker, this
government continues to baffle me with their brilliance and self-praise.
Quality is indeed a critical part of a fishing industry and after
twelve years at the helm, I would have expected that this would have been
accomplished by now.
Mr. Speaker, I guess there is not much for this
government to talk about in the fisheries.
We have seen a 56.8 per cent cut in the fisheries budget since 2012.
We still do not have a seafood marketing council which was promised
over five years ago. They sold
off the marketing arm of FPI and another province is reaping all the
benefits. They have failed to
secure the fish fund associated with CETA.
They have failed to secure joint management of our fisheries, not to
mention custodial management.
Mr. Speaker, our fishery is too important to be left
adrift like this government has been doing since 2005, and I look forward to
a quality government that will alleviate our fisheries with vision, ideas,
and investment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
The hon. the Member for Signal Hill – Quidi Vidi.
MS MICHAEL:
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
I thank the minister for the advance copy of his
statement. I am glad to hear
that the department is conducting workshops such as the one that the
minister talked about, but I note that we need a lot more of this type of
support for the small boat fishery in order to ensure that it is successful
and sustainable for the sake of harvesters and their communities.
We do need work on getting ready to transfer back to a
groundfish fishery, but we also need to explore new fisheries and pursue new
markets. I would like to see
workshops and training regarding safety, developing co-ops, provincial
seafood marketing – this big promise that this government has been making
for all the time I have been in this House – and work around developing
strong local markets for fresh products.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Oral Questions.
Oral Questions
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
MR. BALL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Yesterday, government revealed that 180 to 230 jobs
would be cut in health care.
This is on top of the 1,420 job cuts that were announced last week.
This brings the total job cuts in this year's Budget to 1,600
Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.
I ask the Premier: Are there any other job cuts
included in Budget 2015 that you have not disclosed?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. WISEMAN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Just before the Budget came down the early part of last
week, I revealed an attrition plan for the core departments of government,
together with boards and agencies, where we laid out a plan for some 1,400
positions to be eliminated over a five-year period through our attrition
plan.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. WISEMAN:
We are going to do that throughout all departments and core agencies and
boards.
Mr. Speaker, in addition to that, I also indicated that
we would be looking to various areas of our operation, core government
departments, and boards and agencies.
We will be looking at areas where we could have additional
efficiencies. If we are able to
achieve them then we would implement them.
The 1,400 we announced were part of a core program.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
MR. BALL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
We are aware of what the minister announced and what
the Premier announced in last week's Budget.
My question today, however, is that the people of Newfoundland and
Labrador – there was no full disclosure on the 180 to 230 job cuts.
My question to the Premier is: Are there any other job
cuts in this year's Budget that you have not disclosed to the people of
Newfoundland and Labrador?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. WISEMAN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Let me pick up where I left off.
Mr. Speaker, we were talking about how we plan to do business from
here on in.
We have made a commitment to the people of Newfoundland
and Labrador. Through our
five-year fiscal management plan, Mr. Speaker, we talk about moving forward
with looking for other opportunities to create efficiencies, provide
programs and services to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador that are
sustainable in the long term, operating efficiently to ensure that the
services Newfoundlanders and Labradorians need, they get it.
They get it in a way that is sustainable well into the future.
We will be looking at each area of our operation, each
board and agency that we have to see if there are other opportunities to
make other improvements to make sure we create efficiencies and save some
money, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
MR. BALL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
We know there are a total of 1,600 jobs now that they
have finally publicly disclosed to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.
I ask the Minister of Finance one more time: Over and
above the 1,600 job cuts that will be in Budget 2015, are there any other
job cuts that you are aware of today that will be inflicted on the people of
Newfoundland and Labrador?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. WISEMAN:
What we intend to inflict on the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, Mr.
Speaker, is a focus, a focus on ensuring that we have sustainable programs
and services. We are going to
engage anybody who works with us.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. WISEMAN:
Any board and agency that is engaged in providing services to the people in
Newfoundland and Labrador, they are going to be engaged in a process, Mr.
Speaker, to sustain programs for the long term.
They have been asked to look critically at how they do business.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. WISEMAN:
We want to be the most effective, most efficient delivery of public services
of any jurisdiction in the entire country.
If we are able to do that, to support programs and services for
Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, they will be here not just for today –
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. WISEMAN:
– but well into the future and serve future generations.
That is our commitment, and that is what we will inflict on the
people of Newfoundland and Labrador, I say, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
MR. BALL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I thought I asked a question that the Minister of
Finance, who is in control of the finances of this Province – and please
stop the hide and seek government.
Stop hiding the facts, stop seeking re-election.
Are there any other job cuts in 2015?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
PREMIER DAVIS:
It is pretty disrespectful, Mr. Speaker, going on over there today.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
PREMIER DAVIS:
I will rise above it, Mr. Speaker.
When we delivered our Budget, one of the things we
talked about doing, Mr. Speaker, was an attrition plan.
Unlike members opposite, we wanted to protect public servants in this
Province.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
PREMIER DAVIS:
We rely on a delivery of services on a daily basis for Newfoundland and
Labrador. We want to provide
them with some assurance that we are going to protect them to the best of
our ability, Mr. Speaker, instead of taking 1,000 or 2,000, like members
opposite did back in the 1990s, and without any notice sent them packing and
sent them to the curb. We did
not want to do that, Mr. Speaker, we want to protect them.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
PREMIER DAVIS:
And we are doing it through attrition, Mr. Speaker.
Attrition means when people retire and leave public service on their
own accord that we will replace eight out of every ten who leave.
It is a method to reduce public service without shocking the system.
It allows for us to employ new Newfoundlanders and Labradorians into
the service.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
MR. BALL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Maybe the Premier will answer the question, and I will
say it again: 1,420 by attrition, you have already said that, you have
explained that; 180 to 230 extra that you did not fully disclose to the
people of the Province until yesterday.
I ask the Premier: Are you aware of any other job cuts?
Do you plan any more job cuts in Budget 2015?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
PREMIER DAVIS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
What the member opposite is referring to was announced
in the Budget. I am going to
tell you, Mr. Speaker, we are going to try to make efforts to find
efficiencies in government at any chance we can.
If we can find a way to create more effective and efficient delivery
of services for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, we are going to do
that. That is our responsibility
as a government.
We announced it in the Budget, Mr. Speaker, but we also
announced an attrition plan so that we can keep our young, newer employees
in the jobs –
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
PREMIER DAVIS:
– so we do not send them home; we do not send them to the curb; and we can
continue to hire new employees not only this year, but next year and the
year after that and the year after that and so on because we want to
continue to hire Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
If members insist on interrupting the other member as
they are responding to question, then I will stand.
There is only twenty-five minutes in Question Period.
If you want to use it up by interrupting and interrupting, I will
stand until there is silence in the House and we can hear the response.
The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
MR. BALL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The 180 to 230 jobs cuts in health care are said to be
in administrative services.
I ask the Premier: Given that this is a very general
statement, what specific services will be cut?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
PREMIER DAVIS:
Mr. Speaker, we are going to review services, as I mentioned, and as the
information becomes available to us we will make those decisions in the best
interests of the public service.
We will make those decisions in the best interests of the services and
programs we provide. We will
make those decisions in the best interests of Newfoundlanders and
Labradorians.
Until we get to that point of making those decisions, I
am not going to try to prejudge the possible outcomes.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
MR. BALL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
With all due respect, Premier, and to the people who
are doing these jobs right now, you announced this yesterday.
You announced 180 to 230 jobs, so you are telling me that you have
not done the research on those positions and you cannot tell me specifically
where those jobs are being cut?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
PREMIER DAVIS:
That is right, Mr. Speaker; the member opposite has the information.
He just quoted himself in his preamble to his question.
He knows there is a range available.
We will look at what is being applied to that range, what is being
recommended as efficiencies, Mr. Speaker, and then we will make those
decisions. We will do that in
concert with our partners.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
MR. BALL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
There is concern in the health care sector that these
cuts will involve information technology services.
In many areas these professionals work directly with physicians and
other health care professionals.
I ask the Premier: Will these cuts include IT
professionals who work directly on medical programs in our hospitals?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. KENT:
Mr. Speaker, the consolidation of back-office functions within our health
care bodies will not impact service delivery and the quality of health care
services in any way, shape or form.
We are finding logical efficiencies, Mr. Speaker, by consolidating
the functions that I referred to yesterday.
I outlined them clearly, including information technology that the
member is now asking about.
For people who are involved in technology directly
related to delivering health care services, that of course will continue,
Mr. Speaker. What we are talking
about consolidating are administrative back-office functions to save
taxpayers money, to find efficiencies, and to make the health care system
better.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
MR. BALL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Well, what we know is that many of those IT
professionals actually help support physicians and lots of other health care
professionals in our Province right now.
Just for clarification from the minister: Are you
certain today that this will not impact and these are not people who are
working directly with our physicians?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. KENT:
Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition refers to what we are doing as
cuts and I am obviously not surprised to hear him categorize it that way,
but what we are doing is finding efficiencies.
We are streamlining services.
We are consolidating four HR departments within the four regional
health authorities and also the Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Health
Information.
We have four, plus the infrastructure we have in place
at the centre. There is an
opportunity to do things better.
There is an opportunity to do things more efficiently.
We will not impact front-line services.
We will not impact patient care in any way as a result of
consolidating administrative functions, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
MR. BALL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
When Nova Scotia planned to merge health care
administrative services in 2012, they had two years of prior discussions
with health authorities and with government.
I ask the Premier: Did you do any discussions with the
health authorities; if so, when did those discussions start?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. KENT:
Mr. Speaker, we have been in discussions with the four regional health
authorities for at least two years on this very issue.
We have been constantly looking at ways to bring the health
authorities closer together, to work together and to collaborate, and, in
some cases, to consolidate services when and where it makes sense to do so.
In fact, we engaged a third-party consultant a couple of years ago to
assist us in that very work.
Deloitte, a firm that members opposite would be very
familiar with, has done a lot of work for us in identifying potential models
for shared services. I can
assure you that people within each of the regional health authorities have
been actively involved in that discussion over the last couple of years.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
MR. BALL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I ask the minister: What evidence do you have on those
potential savings in our Province?
Will you table the results of that evidence in this House of
Assembly?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. KENT:
Mr. Speaker, I can assure the Leader of the Opposition that we have taken
time to study this extensively.
We want to do the right thing to make the health care system more efficient
and to deliver better quality care.
By doing this, we are going to allow the health care authorities to
do what they are intended to do, which is focus on providing care to
patients by consolidating and removing some of those back office functions,
and delivering those services in a more efficient, focused way.
I am happy to table whatever information I can, Mr.
Speaker, to answer the Leader of the Opposition's question.
We have done the research.
We have not only studied what is happening right across the country,
but we have looked to other countries as well to figure out what model might
make best sense here in Newfoundland and Labrador.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Torngat Mountains.
MR. EDMUNDS:
Mr. Speaker, in Budget 2015 a new landing fee of $40 was imposed on all
landings at Labrador airstrips without consultation with the service
provider or users. Then the
minister said in the media he is meeting with at least one of those
companies on Friday to review the decision, a classic case of tax now and
consult later.
I ask the minister: Why did you fail to consult with
the service providers and the people before you imposed this tax?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Transportation and Works.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. BRAZIL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I first have to correct the hon. member over there.
I never said that we would review dropping the tax.
What I said from the proponent was they wanted to have a meeting to
talk about how we could better improve the services in Labrador.
Mr. Speaker, that meeting will take place on Friday with this
proponent.
Mr. Speaker, what we have been doing in Labrador is we
have engaged a process there where there is additional costing around
overtime because of the scheduling of flights and ensuring that we have
people available on the ground to make sure flights, be it medevacs, be it
the air travel in the area is taken care of.
We have also endeavoured, because we have had some challenges up
there with the Northern climate, to ensure that our facilities have water
and washroom facilities year-round.
We have invested tens of thousands of dollars to ensure that, and we
will continue to do that with these fees.
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. BRAZIL:
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Torngat Mountains.
MR. EDMUNDS:
Mr. Speaker, there seems to be a lot of confusion over there because the
Minister of Labrador and Aboriginal Affairs this morning indicated to us
that the implementation of this regressive tax is being reviewed with the
Minister of Transportation and Works.
I ask the minister: Has the final decision been made on
this landing fee as indicated in their Budget, or is it open for review or
repeal?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Transportation and Works.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. BRAZIL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I want to still make it clear here, this is about
improving the services in Labrador.
These are the only airstrips in Newfoundland and Labrador that do not
have a landing fee. We have
imposed that so we can continue to improve the ability up there for landing
flights up there.
Mr. Speaker, particularly around our terminals, we want
to improve our terminals. We
spend over $2 million a year on those airstrips.
We want to make sure the services there are attractive enough for the
airlines to continue flying there, and that people have the amenities they
need when they go to take a flight anywhere in this Province.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Torngat Mountains.
MR. EDMUNDS:
Mr. Speaker, the airstrips in operation in Northern Labrador have been there
for thirty years, and the only thing that has been done is gravel on them
and the paint in the building itself.
I fail to see where the government is going with this tax, other than
to tax the people on an already expensive airline that it takes to operate.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Transportation and Works.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. BRAZIL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I will clarify again where this tax will be invested
for the people of Labrador. We
have problems with washrooms because of the freeze up with water and the
extreme cold up there. An
average toilet would cost $100-$125.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. BRAZIL:
We are bringing in $5,000 non-water chemical toilets, Mr. Speaker, to ensure
that people have those amenities –
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. BRAZIL:
– people have those basic services.
We want to ensure that.
So no matter what the climate is, people would have the same services in
Cartwright, in Nain as they would have in St. John's or Deer Lake or Gander.
That is how this Administration works for the people in all parts of
our Province.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Carbonear – Harbour Grace.
MR. SLADE:
Mr. Speaker, Budget 2015 has followed by the disturbing trend of government
cutting funding for the fishery.
In last week's Budget, Fisheries and Aquaculture was allocated $8 million
less than what was projected. In
2014, government left $4 million on the table from a projected budget of
just over $29 million. Since
2012, the fisheries budget has been slashed by over 56 per cent.
I ask the minister: What kind of future are you
offering harvesters and plant workers when the only clear plan from this
government is to diminish the fishery dollar by dollar?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. GRANTER:
Mr. Speaker, no other government in the history of the Province of
Newfoundland and Labrador has invested in the fishery like this government
has.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. GRANTER:
Mr. Speaker, just two or three hours ago the Premier and I went down to the
harbour front here aboard the Celtic
Explorer – a research vessel that is doing research off the Coast of
Newfoundland and Labrador for the fisheries of Newfoundland and Labrador,
for the fish harvesters of Newfoundland and Labrador.
We have been doing it for five years.
The research vessel, as an example of one of our investments, has
provided great research and that research will be used as we move the
fishery forward in Newfoundland and Labrador.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
The hon. the Member for Carbonear – Harbour Grace.
MR. SLADE:
Mr. Speaker, the minister did not answer the question.
As for what they did on the waterfront today, that is
something the minister has no control over whatsoever.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. SLADE:
Mr. Speaker, the lack of investment in our fishery, it can be seen in many,
many areas and places around this Province.
This government has failed repeatedly to promote a clear market
strategy for our seafood. A new
2015 cod report states, Newfoundland and Labrador cod has to target specific
customers who will pay a premium price.
I ask the minister: What happened to your original
commitment to create a seafood marketing council, and why is there still no
clear strategy to help Newfoundland and Labrador seafood compete on the
global market?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. GRANTER:
Mr. Speaker, if I just heard something properly that the hon. member across
says that the fisheries of Newfoundland and Labrador are not competing on
the global market. If I heard
that, is that the direction the Opposition want to take the fisheries in the
Province?
Our fisheries, our harvesters, our companies, inshore
and offshore in marketing, inshore and offshore, our fish products are
competing with the world's best, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. GRANTER:
Mr. Speaker, we will continue to invest in the fishery.
We will continue to invest this year and next year and the years to
come.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Bay of Islands.
MR. JOYCE:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I wish the member had the same vigour for the hospital
in Corner Brook.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. JOYCE:
Mr. Speaker, yesterday in this House, when asked about the $9.6 million for
the Corner Brook hospital, the minister stated it was for construction of
the hospital but offered no details.
I ask the minister: What construction will take place
on this hospital site this year, and when will the tender be called for this
work?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. KENT:
Mr. Speaker, first and foremost, I can assure the member opposite that the
most passionate advocate and champion that I have come across for the new
West Coast hospital facility in Corner Brook is the Member for Humber West.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. KENT:
He has consistently advocated within caucus, within Cabinet.
He has advocated loudly and consistently on behalf of the people of
the West Coast of the Province and I commend him for doing so, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. KENT:
The only reason I was unable to not provide the full detail yesterday to the
member opposite is that we were at the end of Question Period.
I am happy to let him know that the funding will be used to continue
the design of the acute care facility, and there are a number of aspects of
site work as well that I am happy to elaborate on.
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Bay of Islands.
MR. JOYCE:
I can see he might advocate, but obviously no one in that government is
listening to him.
Mr. Speaker, when the P3 was announced – the long-term
care facility in Corner Brook – the Premier said it would mean a savings of
20 per cent. The next day the
Minister of Health said it would be between 10 per cent and 20 per cent.
Obviously, no cost analysis has been completed on this hastily
announced project.
I ask the Premier: Before any decision is made, will
you table all financial analysis of this ill-advised project?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. KENT:
Mr. Speaker, hopefully in the days – maybe even weeks, it might take months
– we will find out where the Liberal Party stands on the involvement of
private sector and non-profit sector in long-term care, which, by the way,
has been going on in this Province for decades.
It works. We have seen it
work in our own jurisdiction.
We have consulted with other jurisdictions.
We have looked at what is happening across the country and there is
private sector involvement or non-profit sector involvement in every other
jurisdiction, in every other province in Canada.
The savings has ranged between 10 per cent and 20 per cent.
We know today, based on our own experience with a private operator
here in St. John's, that the savings is approximately 20 per cent, Mr.
Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Conception Bay South.
MR. HILLIER:
Mr. Speaker, the Provincial Wellness Plan Phase 1 is dated 2006-2008.
The Premier has mandated Phase 2 of the plan and we heard it
mentioned in the recent Throne Speech.
Yet, healthy aging, mental health, health protection, and
environmental health were given token mention in last week's Budget.
I ask the minister: When can we expect to see Phase 2
of the Provincial Wellness Plan?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Seniors, Wellness and Social Development.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. JACKMAN:
Mr. Speaker, I indicated to the hon. member in Estimates last night, the
many initiatives we have undertaken around wellness.
Look where we have come and the programs that we invest in smoking,
programs that we invest in healthy eating, and the many programs we have
outlined that are targeting our youth within the schools.
I indicated to him I am not about to give an exact
date, Mr. Speaker. We continue
to work on that plan. When it is
ready for announcement, I will probably give him a call and let him know
first.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Conception Bay South.
MR. HILLIER:
Mr. Speaker, I asked the question in February in a meeting and it was soon.
I asked it last night and it was soon.
So we have a different definition of soon.
We talk about a lot of programs, Mr. Speaker, but what
about the results? Three of the
wellness priorities identified in 2006 were healthy eating, smoking, and
physical activity. Recently, in
2015, nine years later, the Conference Board of Canada ranked Newfoundland
and Labrador the lowest in Canada on its health report, noting the same
concerns: obesity and smoking still impact our health.
I ask the minister: Why are we still the lowest in the
country in these statistics, given that we have been following another one
of your plans for nine years?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Seniors, Wellness and Social Development.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. JACKMAN:
Mr. Speaker, any time you go to a meeting and the stats are put up to that
effect it is bothersome; there is no doubt about it.
I have faith in the people of the Province; I truly do.
This is not a phenomenon that is unique to Newfoundland and Labrador.
It is persistent across Canada.
It is persistent throughout North America, Mr. Speaker.
The initiatives that we will undertake – for example,
this year we are investing $500,000 to target youth.
That is part of that overall initiative, and I do believe that all of
us working together as a Province will improve upon that stat, 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.
Last week the Premier said he had not done the math on
his bid to develop private-public partnership deals on long-term care for
seniors in our Province.
So, I ask the Premier how he could announce a program
without first doing the math.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
PREMIER DAVIS:
Mr. Speaker, I believe the Minister of Health just laid that out for this
hon. House, but I will be quite pleased to do it again.
We looked at examples across the country, Mr. Speaker.
We know our own example right here in this Province of partnering
with private business and not-for-profit in the delivery of programs and
services is an effective way of delivering of programs.
We do it in personal care homes, Mr. Speaker.
We do it with pharmacists.
Local family doctors, quite often, are private
businesses that deliver services and programs that are paid for by
government, Mr. Speaker. There
are examples across the country as well.
There are very successful projects with long-term care in Canada,
plans that have worked very good and provide a high quality of service.
Mr. Speaker, we look forward to providing more
effective, more efficient services to the people of Newfoundland and
Labrador.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Signal Hill – Quidi Vidi.
MS MICHAEL:
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
He knows all about it in his terms, but he still does
not know how much it is going to cost.
That is wonderful.
Last week, the government announced 1,420 government
jobs to be lost by attrition then the Health Minister announced
approximately 200 positions will be cut because of amalgamation of aspects
of the health boards.
I ask the Premier: Has he done the math on how many job
cuts are hidden in the government's privatization plans?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
PREMIER DAVIS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
In her first preamble and the comment that she made
there, what happens – I will explain to the member opposite and I am sure
she knows this –
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
PREMIER DAVIS:
– is that when you go through a competitive process then you rely on the
proponents and the people who are interested in that process.
Across the country we have seen, as the Minister of Health stated
just a few moments ago, that between 10 per cent and 20 per cent reduced
cost when the private sector –
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
PREMIER DAVIS:
– or not-for-profits are involved in the delivery of long-term care homes
versus when governments do it themselves, so between 10 per cent and 20 per
cent.
Mr. Speaker, we are going to build 360 new beds – 360
new long-term care beds.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
PREMIER DAVIS:
Some in Western, some in the Gander area, some in the Grand Falls area, and
some here on the Northeast Avalon.
Mr. Speaker, in doing so, we are going to create 450 new health care
jobs right here in our Province.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Signal Hill – Quidi Vidi.
MS MICHAEL:
Mr. Speaker, I ask the Premier: How far is he planning to go with the
privatization of public services when it is proven that it leads to loss of
jobs and a decline in services?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
PREMIER DAVIS:
Mr. Speaker, the first thing that is going to happen is that when the
construction begins on these we are going to create construction jobs, not
just here on the Northeast Avalon but also in Central, in the Gander area,
in the Grand Falls area, and in Corner Brook.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
PREMIER DAVIS:
They are going to create construction jobs – good paying construction jobs.
The next thing that is going to happen when they open,
they need professional staff to staff those facilities.
What is going to happen then is we are going to hire 450 new health
care providers in the system throughout the Province.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
PREMIER DAVIS:
We did not lay off hundreds of people during our Budget, Mr. Speaker.
We are creating an attrition plan.
Mr. Speaker, we respect workers in this Province.
We want to create jobs in this Province.
That is what we are doing.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
The hon. the Member for St. John's Centre.
MS ROGERS:
Mr. Speaker, yesterday when talking about the new Waterford Hospital the
minister said: I can assure you when the Province's fiscal position
improves, the work required to complete the design will be done and we will
be looking at ways to do it cheaper and faster.
I ask the minister: When exactly will this be and how
exactly is he going to do it cheaper and faster?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. KENT:
Mr. Speaker, we remain very much committed to replacing the Waterford
Hospital infrastructure, which is terribly outdated.
It has been in existence since sometime in the 1850s, I believe.
It is infrastructure that desperately needs to be upgraded.
We have other health care infrastructure in this region
and across the Province that is in need of upgrading as well.
We have invested hundreds of millions of dollars and we will continue
to do so.
As soon as the Province's fiscal situation improves,
this initiative remains a top priority.
The master plan and the functional program and the other work that
has been done to date will be extremely valuable, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
The hon. the Member for St. John's Centre has time for
a very quick question.
MS ROGERS:
Mr. Speaker, I ask the minister: Is he aware that P3 hospitals in Ontario
and Quebec have experienced massive cost overruns, costing governments
billions of dollars extra?
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services,
for a quick reply.
MR. KENT:
Mr. Speaker, there is just as much evidence out there to show all kinds of
success in terms of public-private partnership in health care and in other
areas. We are looking at all of
that to see if there are ways that we can do things better here in
Newfoundland and Labrador as well.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
The time for Question Period has expired.
Presenting Reports by Standing and Select Committees.
Tabling of Documents.
Notices of Motion.
Notices of Motion
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Government House Leader.
MR. KING:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I would like to give notice and ask leave of the House
for the following motion: That the Member for Humber East replace the Member
for St. John's North as the member of the Social Services Committee.
MR. SPEAKER:
Is leave granted?
AN HON. MEMBER:
Leave.
MR. SPEAKER:
The motion is that the Member for Humber East replace the Member for St.
John's North as a member of the Social Services Committee.
All those in favour, 'aye.'
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
MR. SPEAKER:
All those against, 'nay.'
Carried.
The hon. the Government House Leader.
MR. KING:
Thank you.
That is good.
MR. SPEAKER:
Further 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 visitors and residents; 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.
Mr. Speaker, I have been presenting this petition on an
ongoing basis. This is a new one
from yesterday, and I think that this one would best be referred maybe as
the Budget petition because some of the ink is blue and some of the ink is
red. Three people have signed it
in red, three people have signed it in blue, and somebody else signed it in
black. So it looks like this
would have to be the Budget petition for cellphone coverage in Trout River
and in Gros Morne National Park.
It looks like some borrowing, some deficit, and a little bit of an increase
in spending. That is where the
government has gone in its Budget this year.
This lack of cellphone coverage or any cellphone
service throughout this area of Gros Morne National Park, and in particular,
the Town of Trout of River is quite unfortunate.
It is symptomatic of how this government has tended to govern.
They do some things here and some things there without being
particularly coordinated, without necessarily getting the best bang for the
buck, so to speak. You never
know for sure if they are going to do something and if they are going to do
it, where it will be done, whether it will be on time, whether it will be on
budget, or whether it will be over budget, or whether it will be done
properly, whether it will be completed, or like the Confederation Building,
incomplete.
Mr. Speaker, the residents of the Town of Trout River
and Gros Morne National Park generally would really appreciate some
consideration that the government of the Province of Newfoundland and
Labrador would partner with the private sector as it is standing by and
readily available to push forward with cellphone service in the park and
extend that service to them.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Mount Pearl South.
MR. LANE:
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 the people of Newfoundland and Labrador are
deeply concerned and scared for our aged and disabled who require long-term
care now or in the future; and
WHEREAS our government and politicians have and
continue to ask us for our input on decisions, needs, and quality of life.
Now is the time to listen; and
WHEREAS privatization of long-term care, that is
publicly-funded beds operated by for-profit facilities, will undoubtedly
create deterioration in quality of care and working conditions in the
facilities. Private companies
will have to make a profit; their shareholders will demand it.
The possibilities of reduced staffing or increased user fees are
high; and
WHEREAS we need your commitment to ensure proper care
and protection for our most vulnerable citizens.
We need your commitment to our proud tradition of caring for each
other;
WHEREUPON we the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly
pray and call upon the House of Assembly to urge the Government of
Newfoundland and Labrador to retain control and funding for not-for-profit
long-term care in this Province.
As in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.
Mr. Speaker, I have this petition here that was
presented to me. It was actually
initiated by a group of seniors on Gisborne Place.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. LANE:
It was initiated by a group of seniors on Gisborne Place which is in
Southbrook, currently in the electoral District of Kilbride, and possibly
the new District of Mount Pearl – Southlands if the boundaries go through,
and they asked me to present this.
As I said, it was totally initiated by them.
We have signatures here from numerous people on Gisborne Place and
other people in St. John's, the Goulds, and Petty Harbour and so on.
Mr. Speaker, these people are primarily senior
citizens, and they were very concerned when the Premier and this government
floated the balloon on privatizing health care, privatizing long-term care.
These are people who, at some point in time, may possibly have to
avail of those services and they are really concerned.
They are really concerned that when the time comes, if they require
these services, that because of privatization they are going to see reduced
services and they will not receive the care they require.
Mr. Speaker, we are talking about people here, we are
talking about our parents, we are talking about our grandparents, and we are
talking about senior citizens, people who have worked their whole life
paying taxes. They are at a
point now where they want to have assurances that should they require
long-term care or other health care services, that those services are going
to be provided to them.
So, I present this on their behalf.
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 Route 510 from L'Anse au Clair to Red Bay is in
deplorable condition and requires immediate upgrading; and
WHEREAS the condition of the highway is causing undue
damage to vehicles using the highway and is a safety hazard for the
travelling public; and
WHEREAS both residential and commercial traffic has
increased dramatically with the opening of the Trans-Labrador Highway and
increased development in Labrador; and
WHEREAS cold patching is no longer adequate as a means
of repair;
WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly
pray and call upon the House of Assembly to urge the Government of
Newfoundland and Labrador to immediately allocate resources to Route 510
from L'Anse au Clair to Red Bay that allows for permanent resurfacing of the
highway.
As in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.
Mr. Speaker, every weekend when I go back to the
district I am just amazed in a new way at the deplorable condition of the
road. For anyone who follows me
on Twitter, they saw an incident that I had again last weekend.
The entire tire completely off the rim, but it is not me that I am
standing here for.
This is not a nice to do, this is an absolute essential
must do, Mr. Speaker. I am
absolutely shocked that nobody has been killed on that seventy-six kilometre
stretch of road – probably about thirty-five, forty kilometres that is very
deplorable. If the life of
pavement is twenty years old, then this stretch of highway that I am talking
about is decades past its expiration date – decades.
Mr. Speaker, I understand there is a batch plant being
set up in Red Bay this summer.
What a golden opportunity to get some new pavement up in the Labrador
Straits area. Ambulances are
driving this road; school buses.
I heard when I was back in the district this weekend
there were seven tractor-trailer loads last season of cold patch that went
into the area. Easter weekend, I
think they put out two-and-a-half tractor-trailer loads of cold patch.
They paid double and a half time to do it, which is absolutely
ridiculous.
There are places now where you cannot tell what is
road, what is parking lot, what is gravel.
It is an atrocious mess.
It is a very, very serious threat to safety.
I think about, Mr. Speaker, we are moving into the
tourism season again. The people
who will be driving the road are not familiar with where the huge holes are,
very sharp, jagged holes. It is
just a matter of time and somebody will be killed, possibly more than one.
I encourage the minister to go up and have a look at
what we are driving on in the Labrador Straits on Route 510.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
The hon. the Member for St. George's – Stephenville
East.
MR. REID:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I have a petition to present on health care in the Bay
St. George South area.
The petition reads: 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 has not been a permanent doctor at the
clinic in Jeffrey's for almost a year; and
WHEREAS this absence of a permanent doctor is seriously
compromising the health care of people who live in the Heatherton to
Highlands area and causing them undue hardship; and
WHEREAS the absence of a doctor or nurse practitioner
in the area leaves seniors without a consistency and quality of care which
is necessary for their continued good health;
WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly
pray and call upon the House of Assembly to urge the Government of
Newfoundland and Labrador to take action which will result in a permanent
doctor or other arrangements to improve the health care services in the
Heatherton to Highlands area.
Mr. Speaker,
the fact that this situation in the community of Jeffrey's and the
neighbouring communities has been allowed to exist for such a long time
certainly shows there is something wrong with the way things are being done
at the present. In the
neighbouring community of St. George's, they have been without a doctor for
close to six months now.
It is a serious
problem when the basic health care services of a doctor or a nurse
practitioner are not present in a community.
It leads to additional problems, as people are not getting their
tests in time from serious illnesses that they have.
Mr. Speaker, it is a serious problem that needs to be
addressed. I am going to
continue to present petitions on this topic until this government addresses
the issue of the absence of doctors or nurse practitioners in these
communities because it is a serious matter.
What needs to happen, Mr. Speaker, is we have to have a
long-term human resources plan in this Province.
We have asked the government to put such a plan in place and to
release it to the public, to let people know what they are doing to address
situations like this.
We have not seen such a health care plan yet.
I am hopeful we will sometime soon and I am hopeful that this
situation in Jeffery's and St. George's, and indeed the impacts that it has
on the hospital in Stephenville, will soon be addressed, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you very much.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Orders of the Day.
Orders of the Day
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Government House Leader.
MR. KING:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
First of all before we get into the Order Paper, I
would like to do a reminder for –
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. KING:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I would just to like to do a reminder for members who
are involved with our Estimates review that this afternoon the Government
Services Committee will be reviewing the Department of Transportation and
Works here in the House.
Tomorrow morning as well, the Government Services Committee will be
reviewing the Government Purchasing Agency; and tomorrow afternoon, the
Social Services Committee will be reviewing the Department of Child, Youth
and Family Services Estimates.
So that is a reminder for members.
At this time, Mr. Speaker, I would like to call from the Order Paper,
Motion 1, that this House approves in general the budgetary policy of the
government: the Budget Speech.
MR. SPEAKER:
Motion 1.
I go to the Member for Virginia Waters to continue with
her debate.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS C. BENNETT:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I found it interesting that the Premier
was using the announcement he made about the privatization of long-term care
as a justification to – his words were to add 450 health care jobs.
I certainly hope he is listening to
the petitions from the Member for St. George's – Stephenville East around
the need to have a comprehensive health care staffing strategy; because this
government has not been able to staff its own long-term care facility and it
still has beds in that facility in Pleasantville that they planned to build
four years ago empty, not servicing the seniors in our Province, not there
to provide health care and, quite frankly, they still are unable to staff.
I certainly hope, Mr. Speaker, that the Premier, this
particular Tory Premier, has higher standards and expectations around
staffing models than that result.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday when I finished off, the House
closed, I was speaking about the Residential Energy Rebate.
Today I would like to speak about the personal income tax that the
minister made as part of his Budget Speech.
He said, “Effective July 1, 2015, to make the province's Personal
Income Tax system more progressive, we are adding a fourth bracket for
taxable income … .”
Mr. Speaker, with the crisis we have in our Province
around jobs and reasons for people to stay in our Province, the need to have
personal income tax be competitive is critical.
What we need is a commitment – which the Liberal Party is committed
to do – to a full review of the Province's finances which would include a
proper tax review; quite frankly, something that has not been done in years.
It is critical that we remain competitive if we want to
position ourselves as a place to live and work, to grow our population, and
to get more people working.
Because, quite frankly, we need to grow our tax base and not have a
shrinking one. Fostering and
growing that potential is a part of the Liberal vision for jobs and growth.
We need jobs here to have people here.
Mr. Speaker, the minister went on to talk about fees.
He said, “A number of fees changes will either increase some existing
fees or implement a limited number of new ones.”
Mr. Speaker, the increases in fees has been described by members of
the public as the death by 1,000 increases.
One example of the new fees that this government wants
to put in are security system fees; security systems for seniors in their
homes, single women, single men in their homes whose security alarm can be
activated by things like the wind blowing at a storm door will generate a
bill for these seniors. What is
even more unbelievable is that government would announce a fee that it has
no idea who is going to collect it, how it is going to be collected, and who
is going to handle the administration of the fee.
Mr. Speaker, the most important revenue measure that
this government choose to announce as part of its Budget was the HST, and
the minister said, “One of our key commitments is to maintain a competitive
tax regime that supports economic growth.”
“The fairest means of raising additional revenue to compensate for
low oil prices is through the Harmonized Sales Tax System.
It is broadly based, so the burden is distributed over the entire
population base.”
Mr. Speaker, I would ask the Minister of Finance and
the Premier if they have not heard about the economic phenomena called
Abenomics. Many on the opposite
side of the House, I am sure, have heard of Reaganomics and other economic
policies. There is a well-known
economic policy referred to as Abenomics.
It is actually the flawed fiscal policy of raising value-added tax at
a time when an economy is contracting.
Not only did this minister not refer to it, but his own research and
his own information in the forecast for the economy described an example of
Abenomics.
Mr. Speaker, Liberals do not support an increase of the
HST at this point quite simply because it forces the people of the Province
to pay for Tory mismanagement.
We intend to roll back any increase to the HST.
This government is taking more from families at a time when they are
under pressure rather than deal with their systemic spending problem.
Government is attempting to pay for their mismanagement, quite
frankly, by taking more monies from families and seniors and individuals in
this Province, which is reprehensible.
The Premier committed to making housing more affordable
for young people. During his
platform last year when he was offering himself to the 300 people who
selected him as the Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of
Newfoundland and Labrador, about 320, 350 people in that range?
AN HON. MEMBER:
I thought they tied.
MS C. BENNETT:
Oh right, sorry, there was a tie.
There was a tie and it went to a third ballot.
You are right.
Mr. Speaker, this Premier in his leadership bid said he
wanted to create a program that would provide payment assistance to
first-time homebuyers. In
essence, what his first sweeping revenue idea is, is to implement a HST, a
value-added tax that will prevent and impede young people's ability to buy a
new home in our Province.
Mr. Speaker, government has failed to manage expenses
and diversify revenue. That is
the issue we have today. They
have failed to diversify revenue, and now their failure forces them to turn
to the people of the Province to take more out of their pockets to pay for
this mismanagement. An increase
in HST and other consumption taxes at a time when our economy is in decline
is quite simply bad economics.
Mr. Speaker, we need to employ a long-term strategic
view that allows us to remain competitive and be best positioned as a good
place to do business, and, more importantly, for those businesses to provide
jobs for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Part of that has to be a comprehensive review of the tax system.
As I said earlier, there has not been one done in years.
We need to make it easier, not more difficult, for
young people and young families to live here.
The HST increase will only leave the people of this Province to pay
for the Tories mismanagement of $20 billion of oil royalties.
Mr. Speaker, the minister's Budget materials include a
history of surpluses and deficits.
I would encourage those people who are listening at home to take a
look at the chart that is in the minister's own Budget information.
The chart of surpluses and deficits from 1990 to 2020, and look at
the history of this government during a period of time when our Province,
when hardworking Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, when investors worked
hard to develop the oil industry, trade oil royalties for our Province, look
at this government's track record when they had $20 billion in oil
royalties, $5 billion worth of Atlantic Accord money, and see if those
surplus and deficit numbers are ones that you would be satisfied with.
Mr. Speaker, also in the minister's Budget material is
a chart that references oil revenue and assumptions.
As many people in this House should know, certainly on that side of
the House, I know on this side of the House we certainly understand it, oil
revenue assumptions that the Province makes as part of their budgeting
process to build to the oil royalty forecasted number needs to consider
things like average oil price, the exchange rate, the average production
rate. It also needs to include
some other common sense analysis such as: What will the impact of a low oil
dollar have on companies' capital plans?
Will we see further decreases in production as companies take
advantage of low oil dollars at a time when it makes sense from a business
perspective for them to consider it?
It is up to government to encourage these producers to
think about things in the long term and make sure that those shutdowns
happen in the best interest of the business, and more importantly, the
people of the Province.
Mr. Speaker, to be clear, Nalcor will bring long-term
revenue to the Province, the minister said.
In 2015-2016, the government is going to put $760 million into
Nalcor. He went on to talk about
the injection, saying that over the total investment period of ten years the
provincial government will have invested $3.1 billion into Nalcor.
So the financial statements for the Province have been
blown up with debt to be invested in Nalcor at the same time that the Crown
corporation has leveraged its balance sheet and driven the debt for that
Crown corporation at the same time.
Mr. Speaker, one thing I would ask as this government
pontificates about its ability to plan for things: Where exactly have they
planned for the equity injection for Bay du Nord?
I ask the Premier, now that you have mandated your minister to
finalize a deal by the end of the year, which is not the smartest
negotiation strategy there is, by the way, I would ask: Where in the books –
in government's books, in Nalcor's books – is the equity injection for this
investment in Bay du Nord?
Mr. Speaker, this Province has been sold, over the last
decade, a plan by this government called the Energy Plan.
The Auditor General reviewed that plan which outlined 107 policy
actions. During the Auditor
General's review of the Energy Plan he noted, “Despite a commitment to do
so, there has been no comprehensive progress report on the implementation of
the Plan as a whole released to the public.”
This was a plan that this government spent $3.1 billion
on to create and invest in a Crown corporation and all kinds of other things
that they sold the people of the Province on about an energy warehouse.
Well, Mr. Speaker, there needs to be an accountability to that plan
and an accountability to the people of the Province on what this government
has sold to them.
That brings me to the eighth of this government's
long-term principles. That is,
and I quote from his Budget Speech, “ … we will establish a Generation Fund
in which a percentage of the revenues we accrue from oil projects will be
invested for” – and listen carefully – “future generations.”
For future generations.
He goes on to say, “Having invested our initial years'
worth of oil revenues in debt reduction and infrastructure deficit
reduction, we will begin investing in the Generations Fund as soon as we
return to surplus.” He goes on
to say, “We are developing and will bring forward legislation to establish
this” – and I quote – “trust fund and define the parameters according to
which revenues will be invested and managed.”
Mr. Speaker, a savings account is a great idea, and it
was a great idea ten years ago.
Had government put away even a little reserve of the funds they had at their
disposal over the last ten years, it would be there for times of volatility
like we are seeing today.
Government cannot reconcile its deficit budgeting and plan to grow debt to
$14.85 billion with its plan to create a fund.
How will you pay for it?
By the time you return to surplus, debt reduction will be undone;
infrastructure will be pushed out.
So if you believe the minister's spin, we will be back where they
found themselves in 2003, but with the bulk of oil revenues behind us.
The government has not provided any clarity on where the revenue will
come to balance the Budget, pay down the debt, while growing this fund.
Mr. Speaker, quite frankly, this government sold the
people of the Province that Muskrat was their legacy fund.
Parents set up trust funds to keep their kids from spending their
inheritance money. They do not
set up the trust funds after the money has all been spent.
Now this government wants to talk about a generation
fund. They say their legacy will
be creating an energy warehouse.
That will be their legacy. Well,
Mr. Speaker, the water and oil were there long before this government tried
to take claim. The reality is
this government is turning their back on the population reality, and they
have been for years – the inverted pyramid of our population, the
demographic reality facing our Province, as the Minister of Health knows
very clearly, the fastest aging population.
Well, Mr. Speaker, what does that mean?
What does the fastest aging population mean?
Well, here is a reality check.
It also means, sadly, the fastest dying population.
Reaction to this Budget, to the Tory's mismanagement,
to their continued mismatched priorities, is fear, people are frightened;
but, even more importantly, they are angry.
They have seen this government focus singularly with tunnel vision on
individual sectors that were easy to work on.
It was easy to grow the oil revenues as part of our GDP when it was
pumping out of the ground. It
was not easy to grow industries like agriculture, fishing, manufacturing,
because that takes really hard work, and this government did not want to do
that hard work, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, last fall I had the pleasure, as I was
asked by the Leader of the Official Opposition, to travel across the
Province and have some conversations with people in communities about what
they feel about the economic reality of Newfoundland and Labrador.
We looked at entire GDP breakdown of industry by
sector. Mr. Speaker, when you
look at the chart, you see oil here and every other industry here.
This government failed to look at diversifying our economy, and that
is what that chart shows. Let's
go one step further. In order to
grow an economy and in order to deal with the population issue that we are
facing we have to find a reason; we have to give people a reason to stay
here. Quite frankly, they are
not going to stay here. They are
not going to put down roots here if they cannot find jobs.
Employment by industry – top five employers in this
Province currently, as of the end of 2013: number one employer, health care;
number two employer, retail; number three employer, construction; number
four employer, government; and number five employer, education.
So, let's take a look at what is contributing to the
GDP. The number one contributor
to GDP is oil extraction. That
is not driving jobs. Finance,
insurance, and real estate is the number two job creator in Newfoundland and
Labrador; number three, construction; number four, mining; and number five,
health care.
Mr. Speaker, the problem that this government had is
they accepted the GDP increases but they did not understand that extra
royalties did not create the breadth of jobs that we need in our Province to
protect our population and to grow our population.
Mr. Speaker, how do we change this?
What can we do? Quite
frankly, there is a well-known quote by a renowned – or I should not say
renowned, by an infamous politician that used a quote.
I think his quote was, “It's the economy, stupid.”
I would argue that in Newfoundland and Labrador today we are at a
time in our history when this quote is very apropos: It is about the jobs,
stupid.
People will only be here, stay here, live here, choose
here if the right job for their skills is here, if they can make a living
for their family. We must
increase the working population in our Province, period.
Why? Because we have to
switch that population pyramid over.
We have to make sure that we protect generations to come.
To do that, we must have jobs and we must have people.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS C. BENNETT:
Mr. Speaker, these two things are critically interwoven and they must be
managed in synchronicity. They
are connected. They are
interlocked.
Mr. Speaker, there is a lot missing from this Budget,
particularly in the area of economic development.
We on this side of the House know a thing or two about economic
development. We have more
managerial expertise and entrepreneurs.
We understand the importance of growing the economy.
You may think that the only options are tax and spend,
but on this side of the House we believe we can grow our economy, grow our
workforce, and grow our population.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS C. BENNETT:
Mr. Speaker, quite frankly, the people on this side of the House, the
Liberal Party, have not given up on the Province, and will not give up on
the Province despite the fact that this government has.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS C. BENNETT:
We can act and make decisions that improve the lives of the people of the
Province. There are things we
can do locally to improve conditions in the Province.
Mr. Speaker, I promised the people I met last fall that
I would stand in this House and share their words.
I will share what people of the Province said about economic
development in Newfoundland and Labrador.
In Carbonear they said: There should be mandatory resource
development expectations. We
need to stand up for ourselves.
We need to put teeth in the benefits agreements that would ensure that the
benefits are seen and felt in Newfoundland and Labrador, including rural
Newfoundland.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS C. BENNETT:
Mr. Speaker, they said there are barriers to economic development.
They are landlocked in their communities.
There are mandatory development needs, but municipalities need the
land for development. Crown land
must be made easier to access.
The speed of support from government agencies was an issue.
They said that political interference in economic development was an
issue for this government; politics before jobs.
Mr. Speaker, people in Carbonear went on to say: we
need to grow our market domestically.
Networking opportunities were limited for business operators in one
part of the Province to network with other parts of the Province, and there
needed to be these connections.
We talked about growing market share internationally.
There was passionate, passionate discussion about the need to grow
our fishery.
Mr. Speaker, I listened earlier as the Minister of
Fisheries talked about this government's research.
I would ask: Has that not been the responsibility of the federal
government? Why have you not
been able to get the federal government to do the job it is supposed to do
for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS C. BENNETT:
They said the forestry must be grown.
Rural economic development is a must.
Population has declined, which makes growing our workforce real
tough.
In Happy Valley-Goose Bay, people there said Phase III
of the highway needs to be done.
It is impacting freight movements.
Transportation infrastructure needs to improve.
In Goose Bay, they talked about the actual Goose Bay
port and the opportunities for a regional port to access the North.
The entrepreneurial risk appetite is less in our Province, they said,
than when job future is uncertain.
5 Wing Goose Bay is a terrible waste of potential infrastructure.
There is business, housing, health care, and long-term care
opportunities with that asset.
Mr. Speaker, they went on to say: opportunity for a
data warehouse and Labrador City as an employer is a way to diversify our
economy. I would ask this
government: What have you done on that idea that is coming from the ground
in Labrador?
People spoke to me about New Dawn, the agreement with
our Aboriginal neighbours. It
was supposed to provide opportunities but those opportunities, people said
there, have not always been realized.
Again, the topic of political interference and projects was brought
up by the people I spoke to last fall.
We spoke about benefits agreements, manufacturing, and
agriculture. We had
conversations in Stephenville.
We had conversations in Clarenville.
People talked about government red tape, the education system not
promoting business in an entrepreneurial lifestyle.
They spoke about the opportunity to celebrate our people and culture
and arts with the spirit of entrepreneurship that allowed jobs to be created
and opportunities to be found here in our Province.
Mr. Speaker, we spoke about the fishing industry and
that the Province needed to stop treating the fishing industry as an expense
and treat it as a potential industry to grow in rural Newfoundland and
Labrador.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS C. BENNETT:
Mr. Speaker, in Corner Brook we talked about exit strategies for succession
planning and the need to support and training for entrepreneurs as they move
into retirement and young entrepreneurs come in to take over those
businesses. We talked about the
cultural tourism sector and the need for true accurate data that small
businesses need to make critical decisions.
We talked about the need to have one-stop shopping for
information. We talked about the
shortage of the right labour at the right time constraining business growth.
We talked about workforce development and that people are losing
faith in the Newfoundland economy because of our population issue.
The data does not lie, but there is no secret as to why we are in
this positon we are in today.
We talked about technology and young generation
training, coding and digital distribution, fisheries.
We talked about diversifying and actually leveraging the fisheries to
be able to use it as part of growing our cultural industry and our tourism
industry. Mr. Speaker, the list
goes on and on and on.
Mr. Speaker, based on what I heard, based on what
people are telling me, our Province has succumbed to what Stanford
University Professor, Terry Lynn Karl, calls the Paradox of Plenty.
As an academic, the MHA for the District of St. George's –
Stephenville East has actually written papers on the subject of how
economies and governments are sometimes narrowed in their scope by
non-renewable resource discoveries, like the oil boom here in our Province.
What will Liberals do differently?
I will make it really, really simple so there is no confusion.
We intend on building a smarter economy, Mr. Speaker, a smarter
economy.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS C. BENNETT:
A smarter economy that maximizes the potential of our natural resources,
both renewable and non-renewable.
We will recognize that we need to address how the low literacy levels
in our Province have to grow so we can have a skilled workforce that sets us
up for success.
We will look at creating pathways to success that will
include pathways for our youth who all too often feel shut out.
That is why our leader, the Leader of the Official Opposition has
spoken regularly and frequently on the youth entrepreneur and retention
program. We will introduce a
strategy to engage our youth in entrepreneurship and help them create a
smarter economy of tomorrow for all of our communities.
In essence, identify what is possible and find the smartest way to do
it.
When we consider that Atlantic Canadians are the most
likely to start a new business, but sadly, the least likely to flourish, we
need to reflect on creating the conditions for businesses to succeed, and
providing the coaching and creating the mentorship opportunities for new
start-ups to de-risk their business plan and increase their chances of
success. Helping entrepreneurs
learn how to raise private capital for great ideas increases the access to
growth capital to foster start-ups and expand existing businesses.
Mr. Speaker, that is why the Leader of the Official
Opposition has also spoken about business investment tax credits to support
the growth of new business throughout the Province.
Why? Because we have to
create new jobs. The only way we
are going to improve and increase our population numbers is to create new
jobs.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS C. BENNETT:
Government's goal from economic development must be to create opportunities
for people to work, live, and raise their families in our Province.
We must have a conversation as a community about maximizing the
potential of our natural resources.
We acknowledge that some of them are non-renewable, absolutely.
Benefits agreements that are broad and far reaching, and look for
opportunities in both the start-up phase of the project, as well as the
operational phase of the projects by further extending supply chains for our
local businesses are opportunities to grow our local businesses with global
markets. We must challenge
ourselves on how we further leverage this economic engine I say, Mr.
Speaker.
Mandatory resource development requirements; I
challenge this government to ask how they have been accountable to the
mandatory resource development requirements and the sustainability in
benefits agreements. I do not
think anybody in this House would now be surprised that less than 4 per cent
of our employment comes from oil and gas, and less than 2 per cent comes
from mining. We need to change
that. In other areas we need to
grow our renewable economic drivers.
Mr. Speaker, we need to grow domestic markets in our
Province for locally produced goods and services – and yes, we can grow our
oil extraction and supporting services sector, but so too can we grow
others. We can do this by
working in partnership with industry and setting targets to grow market
share and work together to achieve those targets.
Mr. Speaker, the people on this side of the House, the
Liberal Party, under the leadership of the Leader of the Official
Opposition, we believe we can grow agriculture, forestry, fisheries,
information technology, manufacturing –
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS C. BENNETT:
– culture, the tourism sector, and we will grow our domestic markets so then
we can leverage that growth –
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MS C. BENNETT:
Mr. Speaker, I have obviously gotten the opposite side of the House very
excited with these ideas.
Mr. Speaker, we can grow our domestic markets that can
leverage the growth to grow our global market share.
We need to sell locally so that we can sell globally with simple,
practical things.
Here are a couple of quick ideas.
Are small businesses thinking virtually?
According to the BDC, only about 12 per cent of small businesses are
selling things online, when the majority of Canadians use the internet to
inform or facilitate consumption.
Exporting: Are businesses thinking globally about the
things that they are selling domestically, and how can we facilitate the
supports and mechanisms that they need to sell their products globally?
The fact that 86 per cent of exporting companies – this is a stunning
number: 86 per cent of exporting companies in Canada are small and medium
enterprises, and realizing how accepted this method of market share growth
actually is, is encouraging.
That is why we need to look at leveraging our small and medium businesses,
like the Leader of the Official Opposition has said.
Because do you know what?
Every small business that hires two people makes a big difference in the
community.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS C. BENNETT:
Mr. Speaker, I stood in this House for almost two hours yesterday and I
listened to the minister of Child, Youth and Family Services pontificate
questions about who is the boss.
Well, let me assure the minister, let me make it very clear to him, because
it is obvious that this government has forgotten exactly who the boss is.
The boss in this House of Assembly, quite frankly, Minister, is the
people of Newfoundland and Labrador –
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS C. BENNETT:
– and the sooner he remembers that, the sooner his government will start
showing some leadership.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS C. BENNETT:
Mr. Speaker, when we talk about thinking virtually and globally, in a way,
we can apply these concepts –
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER (Littlejohn):
Order, please!
Thank you.
The hon. the Member for Virginia Waters.
MS C. BENNETT:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
When we talk about thinking virtually and globally, we
can apply these concepts and thinking to rural economies and how to
revitalize them. How do we
utilize technology and overcome geographical challenges?
How can we reinforce relationships to overcome technological
challenges, such as a lack of broadband Internet in certain areas of the
Province? We have to ask
ourselves: Do the conditions for businesses to succeed differ in rural
Newfoundland than they do in urban Newfoundland and Labrador.
Growing markets requires thinking outside of the box
and we believe, our leader believes, that the spirit to try and the spirit
to succeed lives strong in the people of the Province of Newfoundland and
Labrador, but it does not live strong in this government, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS C. BENNETT:
There is a social economy and government is not doing everything it can to
grow our economy.
Other provinces in Canada have strategies in place.
We have seen in our Province successful social enterprises like the
Shorefast Foundation, SABRI, and DieTrac.
These social enterprises are examples of what is happening in rural
communities where jobs become a priority and people get to work.
Mr. Speaker, we can look outside of our Province and
see models that are working in growing economies, helping at-risk
populations find meaningful employment as previously mentioned.
We can look in our own Province at organizations like the Stella
Burry Centre and what that organization and that social enterprise is able
to do to provide employment opportunities for people who need those
opportunities, and then also use those jobs as a way to train those
individuals to have even much more amazing opportunities than they would had
they not had that opportunity.
Mr. Speaker, this Province developed an innovation
strategy in March of 2006. I
would ask: What are the metrics of success for the innovation strategy?
Has there been an increase in filing of patents?
Are we getting more in innovation and development tax credits?
Are we developing new products and services?
The answer is, Mr. Speaker, this Province does not know.
What we do know from the report of the Conference Board
of Canada is that Newfoundland performs poorly on indicators of innovation
including research, development, spending, and patent applications.
For Newfoundland and Labrador firms to be innovative,
they need to see a policy and regulatory environment that is alert to the
needs of the industry and agile in its response.
In the Throne Speech, government has said it has been working on lean
processes but has not even implemented themselves.
Mr. Speaker, we continue to hear stories about firms in
our Province that cannot bid on provincial tenders.
We need a policy and we need ideas that provide Newfoundland
companies an opportunity to bid locally so that they can get that local
market share so they can earn the reputation to sell their wares on a global
stage. We have to use
procurement to showcase the innovative products and services that are abound
in our Province. If government
really cared about procurement's ability to support local business, this
would have already happened.
Mr. Speaker, to manage economic benefits, we need an
intellectual property policy that is conducive to industry engaging with
MUN. Government needs to develop
greater linkages between firms, MUN, key government agencies, and
departments and regulators. Education
must meet the standard in terms of relevance and quality.
They are two different things: relevance and quality.
This must be met so we can compete in a global economy.
Mr. Speaker, setting targets for growth across a broad
range of economic drivers and not just two or three sectors is critical to
the future of Newfoundland and Labrador.
It is why we are in this situation today.
There were no targets and no accountability within government.
Tell us what sectors you had targets for and tell us what you
actually achieved in all of those industries.
The fishing industry has not changed as a contributor to GDP since
this government took over. Mr.
Speaker, these sectors drive the economic engine of our Province, or at
least they can.
I would ask the government: Who did you consult in the
community around the impact of HST?
Benefits agreements have the opportunity to create much
more business integration and networking opportunities than simply, but
importantly, building it and making the project construction work here.
We have been content in our Province to lay pipe and build things.
Quite frankly, Mr. Speaker, that is not enough.
Benefits should be providing something beyond just the project.
Mr. Speaker, we have an Office of Public Engagement.
I would ask, how is that office engaging with the people of
Newfoundland and Labrador who have ideas, who have a passion to grow our
economy, to grow industries and sectors that this government has chosen to
ignore because they were addicted to oil?
The Office of Public Engagement has become known as the department
that uses clickers. We intend to
utilize – and would utilize – public engagement in a real, meaningful way,
public engagement that is about driving our economy.
Let's talk about something simple about red tape.
Reducing risk for investors is important.
The current environment ministerial changes and the number of
ministerial changes have created policy and instability in that department.
Environmental assessment timelines are like spinning the Regatta
wheel, you never know when your number is going to come up.
We have to ensure that the risk is reduced.
Mr. Speaker, what about the obvious pillar in this
government's economic view and its view of what is going to be the legacy,
Nalcor Energy. Could we not have
figured out a way that Nalcor could use their major procurement decisions,
and when they go to other countries to purchase things that cannot be
purchased in Newfoundland and Labrador, that they might be able to connect
back to a local provider for products and services?
Tower steel when they went to Turkey; in Japan when they got
turbines; in Italy when they went to get project management.
Could they not have included our local business community to gain
from those opportunities?
We would like to have bulk procurement done locally.
If we have to go outside of the Province it is a good time to try and
open up relationships with other locations to allow the opportunities for
new markets and allow for reciprocal trade.
Mr. Speaker, there is net metering.
Net metering was promised by this government in 2007, and now it is
2014. We have committed to smart
metering. The reason we have, is
that local businesses would have been developed.
Manufactures and businesses that are trying to reduce their energy
cost would have been given that opportunity to do it.
Quite frankly, this government's policy on net metering has hampered
innovation. Development of
products that need to be developed, are not being developed.
The minister keeps saying he is doing it, but still it is not done.
Mr. Speaker, our intention would be to work with
winners. Help those winners,
help those companies that have the potential to employ many more people,
help them reduce the time to market, develop markets more quickly.
We understand not every company has global aspirations, but those
that do, we need to pay special attention to those firms.
I ask this government: What has been your trade
strategy? You have been in
government for twelve years.
Surely by now, after the Crown jewel, Nalcor Energy, was created, surely by
now you have created a trade strategy.
Mr. Speaker, these are all ideas, and the possibilities are enormous.
We see these possibilities where this government fails to see them.
We see them, and we see the urgency of acting.
Economic growth, growing jobs, growing our workforce
are linked to the single, biggest act of mismanagement oversight this
government has ever made. The
failure to protect and ensure there are future generations, let alone a
generations fund, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS C. BENNETT:
Let me be clear, it is our intention that our leader, who was elected by
12,000 people in the Province to lead our party – he believes in the future
of Newfoundland and Labrador. He
believes in the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, and with the innovative
ideas that we will passionately work to execute, we will get results, Mr.
Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS C. BENNETT:
It is our intention to bring electoral reform that not only addresses
campaign finance rules, something they failed to do, but MHA pension reform,
which they had a decade to do.
Mr. Speaker, even more, further reform will address the fixed election date
so floundering governments that lack a mandate from the people can never
again put our political fortunes ahead of the interests of the people of
this great Province.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS C. BENNETT:
Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned earlier in my remarks – yesterday, I believe – I
was doing some door to door in St. John's West this weekend, and a voter at
the door summed up this Budget for me.
She summed up this Budget for me when she said it was time for an
election. It is time for an
election.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS C. BENNETT:
Mr. Speaker, her reason was simple.
She had simply lost confidence, lost faith in this government to do
what needs to be done for the people of the Province.
Therefore, I, as the Member for Virginia Waters, moved
and seconded by the Member for Burgeo – La Poile, that all the words after
“that” be struck out of the Budget motion and be replaced with the
following: That this House condemns the government for its failure to
present a fiscally responsible program which addresses the immediate
economic problems of rural areas of our Province, as well as the serious
social needs that exist in this Province, and its failure to create a
climate of sustainable economic growth within the Province.
So moved.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
This House now stands in recess to review the amendment.
This House is now in recess.
Recess
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
After consideration, the amendment is in order.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
The hon. the Member for Virginia Waters, to continue
debate.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS C. BENNETT:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, throughout my remarks yesterday and today,
I have listed dozens and dozens of ideas on how to grow our economy and how
to grow jobs for people of the Province.
All those ideas come down to identifying, quite frankly, the right
priorities, creating solid business cases, executing on plans, using
accurate financial facts, and holding ourselves accountable to delivering
outcomes and getting results, and that takes me back to the Budget.
This document is a defining moment for our Province.
This document is a report card on whether this government after a
dozen years, whether the Progressive Conservatives have delivered results.
This government's budgeting process is ineffectual, short-sighted,
lacks accountability, and is driven by self-interest.
The consultation process they undertook was a PR
exercise, particularly this year, as it occurred long after government's own
internal process began. This is
not the transparent process the Premier committed to as part of his
leadership. Consultations need
to happen in a meaningful and significant way.
People have their ideas, people have their answers, people have their
questions, and that is what you need to fully understand the implications of
your idea or your opinion.
People in this Province are tired of being told what is
right, what the real story is, and what they do not understand.
Mr. Speaker, they are fed up with government's attitude towards
Labrador, towards the Aboriginal community, towards the disabled, towards
youth at risk, towards rural Newfoundland, towards our children's education,
and most recently, this government's attitude about what is right or wrong
for an elected member of this House to question.
Mr. Speaker, therein lies the problem.
Therein lies the real issue of this government.
They have lost their ability to question, to challenge, to query, and
to demand. Their decisions are
focused on their needs versus the needs of the Province.
We only need to look at one of the most recent PMRs that was debated
in this House of Assembly and that was the debate about parliamentary
assistants.
When former Premier Dunderdale announced her first
Cabinet in 2011, she got rid of two government departments and shrunk her
Cabinet from nineteen to sixteen – nineteen ministers to sixteen.
At the same time, she announced two parliamentary secretaries.
Just a year later, when she must have thought that everyone had
forgotten and she was trying to save money, she actually announced a third
parliamentary assistant, adding $81,000 to the bottom line.
At the time, this is when this government was doing belt tightening,
and they went from two to five parliamentary assistants a year later.
As we debated in this House regularly, Newfoundland and
Labrador is the only Atlantic Province with paid parliamentary secretaries.
There are Cabinets that are larger and smaller than ours and they
manage their affairs in other provinces without paying parliamentary
secretaries. The Premier in
other provinces takes on much larger portfolios than the current Premier in
Newfoundland and Labrador. Maybe
he could assume some more responsibility from his other ministers.
Mr. Speaker, I use this example very purposely.
This government came into the House of Assembly and defeated a motion
that the Official Opposition made, and you have to ask why.
Why did they not agree?
Well, it is simple, Mr. Speaker; this government has lost their focus on the
people, on the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, and instead are
focused on themselves.
Mr. Speaker, there is a fundamental principle of good
governance and that principle is that to govern well, you must be able to
see reality. This government has
become stale, blind, and ineffective, and the people of Newfoundland and
Labrador are looking for an alternative, an alternative that will put trust
and accountability back in the Province's finances.
I want to read from an independent commission on good
governance and public services, six key areas where governance decisions are
critical and demonstrate what governance looks like.
Number one, “Good governance means focusing on the organisation's
purpose and on outcomes for citizens and service users.”
Mr. Speaker, this side of the House of Assembly has been talking
repeatedly about the importance of outcomes, and that is why.
“Being clear about the organisation's purpose and its
intended outcomes for citizens and service users” are important, the report
goes on to say. “Making sure
that users receive a high quality service.”
“Making sure that taxpayers receive value for money.”
The number two criterion that describes good
governance: “Good governance means performing effectively in clearly defined
functions and roles.” Mr.
Speaker, as we have seen this government transition ministers in and out of
departments – the Minister of Health has changed in this Province fourteen
times in twelve years. Is there
any wonder that there has been a lack of good governmental oversight in the
Department of Health to ensure the supports and services that the people of
the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador deserve are in place – fourteen
ministers.
The third item they talk about in the report is, “Good
governance means promoting values for the whole organisation and
demonstrating the values of good governance through behaviour.”
Mr. Speaker, this government purposely brought in
legislation to try to keep information private.
Why? What was the reason
why? We are relieved and pleased
that the government finally listened to the people of the Province, to the
Official Opposition, to its critics, and brought in legislation that is
reflective of the values of people of Newfoundland and Labrador and not
reflective of the government of the day.
When you ask the question: Why?
It begs the question: What do they have to hide?
Why did they need to have this information kept quiet?
That is not the value that people of the Province expect their
government to reflect.
Number 4, “Good governance means taking informed,
transparent decisions and managing risk.”
Yet, we listened today to the most recent example, questions about
this government's decision around long-term care.
We asked the minister, we asked the Premier: What is the information
that you have? Share it with the
people of the Province. Share it
with the people so they understand why you are making that decision.
“Good governance means developing the capacity and
capability of the governing body to be effective.”
Well, Mr. Speaker, when divisions and departments do not have clear
leadership, or leaders constantly change, or strategic plans are several
years late, or we have strategies that are supposed to be put together so
our public sector understand what the government's priorities are and those
reports are not done and those plans are not made, that is not good
governance.
This is the last one.
“Good governance means engaging stakeholders and making
accountability real.” Yet, the
minister stood up last week and read out of his own Budget document about
the incredible economic opportunities in the Province to come, but he failed
to acknowledge the reality, which I have spent the last two days trying to
articulate.
Mr. Speaker, people of the Province expect their
government to act in the best interests of the people of the Province.
This is a fundamental principle.
As I said earlier, to govern well you have to see the reality.
This government has become stale, blind, and ineffective.
I think the people of the Province are tired of a government that has
run out of ideas and run out of energy.
What would Liberals do differently, is the question.
Well, I can tell you one thing we would do.
We would have used a cautious method with budgeting for revenue that
was out of our control. Oil
royalties are out of the Province's control.
We would have had a small reserve fund set up to smooth out the times
of volatility. What we will do
is we will plan, based on financial facts that target outcomes.
We will execute those plans and ensure we get the results.
Mr. Speaker, we would act more quickly on the 100 or
more recommendations of the Auditor General to save taxpayers money.
More importantly, we would have diversified the economy, focusing on
small and medium businesses, creating opportunities for people to work and
growing our population.
Mr. Speaker, earlier this afternoon I started to share
some of the feedback people from the Province had given me when I had spoken
to them about growing and diversifying our economy.
I think it is important to continue to hear what those people said
for a moment.
In Corner Brook last October we spoke about exit
strategies, succession planning, and the need for support and training for
entrepreneurs who are retiring so they can transition their business,
transition that wealth, and transition those job-creating entities to future
generations. We have seen time
and time again in our Province businesses close because the connections
between the retiring business operator and the young person who wants to
operate their own business has not been made.
Last year in Corner Brook we heard about the need for
accurate data. When businesses
are planning small and medium businesses, they need to know the accurate
information. They do not need to
know the government spin. They
need to know the facts of their industry so they can make decisions about
investments, decisions about future job growth, and decisions about the
future growth of their company.
They need to know government is there to provide one-stop shopping for
information. That is what their
words are, Mr. Speaker. That is
what they are looking for.
Mr. Speaker, we spoke about the fishery and the need
for species diversification and processing.
We talked about the ability to leverage our fishing industry to
further support cultural industries and the tourism industry – all ways to
integrate sectors and grow them.
In Clarenville, we spoke about small businesses and the
need to help our young people understand risk management, and to educate
them and have them embrace risk, but managed risk.
We talked about agricultural markets and how we need to open up the
domestic market right here in Newfoundland and Labrador to our own farmers,
and how we need to train farmers to be even more savvy entrepreneurs than
they are today.
Mr. Speaker, we spoke about tourism, and tourism
operators spoke about the concern they have about succession planning in the
tourism industry. Business
evaluations will not go up, and reinvestment will not happen unless
succession planning is happening.
That is a symptom of the issue I spoke about earlier, which is the
population pyramid, and the fact that in our Province we have a population
pyramid that is inverted.
We have more people at the age of retirement, more
people at the age where they need long-term care, and more people at an age
where they are moved out of the workforce.
We do not have opportunities – this government has not created
opportunities for those young people that we need to keep and retain here.
We talked about the fact that this government has not
looked at seniors in a way to encourage seniors to participate in our
workforce, that they are a valuable labour component, and that many seniors
would like to continue to work and like to continue to contribute to our
economy, but it needs to be their choice.
In Grand Falls-Windsor we talked about the need to have
an attraction plan so that people will come back.
Because we are not going to get them back if there are no
opportunities here and we do not communicate to those people who left our
Province over the last decade.
We talked about the opportunity of making our economy
leverage one of the biggest realities about our economy, which is health
care; leverage that to grow businesses that support health care innovation
in our Province so that we can create technology, create learning, and
create systems and processes that allow us to sell that to other markets.
In St. John's we talked about the need to celebrate the
importance of the private sector and government thinking that the business
community is important and needs to be celebrated.
They talked about investing in innovation, investing in technology,
investing in employees, mentoring and encouraging entrepreneurship.
Entrepreneurship was the single most consistent theme that came out
of all of the conversations.
These people spoke about government red tape and
agriculture, and that in the agriculture industry sometimes it can take up
to five years to be successful.
The normal start-up time phase for business is three years, and how do we
close that gap. We talked about
child care and the affordability and the availability of child care.
Then they wanted to speak about benefits from the oil
business and how those benefits agreements needed to include more
consultation with stakeholders and, going forward, that there needs to be a
better mix and balance when it comes to supporting the projects and ensuring
that there are opportunities for Newfoundland and Labrador companies to grow
through servicing the oil industry here so they can be competitive on the
global market, and focus on where our competitive advantage is they told me.
We talked about the mismatched workforce, something
that this government has failed to address.
As I spoke about yesterday, they still continue to not acknowledge
the fact that we have a mismatched workforce in our Province.
Even when they have their own examples of the mismatched workforce in
not being able to open a long-term care facility because they cannot staff
it, yet we have people unemployed in our Province that have not had the
opportunity to be trained and job ready for those opportunities, Mr.
Speaker. That is what a
mismatched workforce is.
People talk to me about what they call the silver
tsunami, succession planning and mentorship for wealth transfer.
They talk to me about the need for innovation and better systems and
processes inside their businesses, but more importantly inside government.
One idea was how do we include business entrepreneurship in our
schools, in our universities, in our private colleges, and in our college
system, so that everybody who has a trade, everybody who has a skill can
figure out how they themselves can grow that into a business opportunity and
hopefully look to employ other people.
Mr. Speaker, as I said earlier, what would the Liberals
have done differently? I can
tell you that we would have planned on financial facts and with targeted
outcomes. We would have executed
the plans and gotten results.
Plan after plan after plan after plan that this
government has said they are going to execute, we still wait here.
People of the Province wait here for the results of those plans, even
their own, the biggest plan ever, the Energy Plan.
People are still waiting to feel those results alive in the
communities throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.
Mr. Speaker, I can tell you that Liberals would be open
and transparent and honest with the public.
Unlike this government, who have presented a Budget based on future
wishes instead of the facts of today, Mr. Speaker, we would look to do
things like aligning the Budget and Estimates process and develop annual and
public budget cycles while developing a culture of accountability.
Clearly, there is absence of leadership in departments,
which is impacting not only their ability to manage the affairs of the
Province, but, quite frankly, it is impacting the ability of our public
service and the culture of our public service by driving down morale, by
increasing stress, and lowering productivity.
That is the absence of leadership, what this government has created
in our public sector workers.
We will take every opportunity we can, every
opportunity that we are afforded to in this House, to speak to this Budget
because this is a turning point in our Province.
It is really, really important that the people of the Province
understand the extent of this financial mess, how the Tories mismanaged us
into it and how the Liberals will get us out of it, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS C. BENNETT:
How the Liberals will get us out of it.
The Liberal solution goes well beyond the scope of the Tory's tunnel
vision. This government would
let you believe there are only two options: tax or borrow.
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals take a more strategic view
because there is a need to reduce waste and get our Province's finances
under control. We do not support
an increase in the HST. This
will only stunt our already weakening economy and make it more difficult to
build a life here and leave the people of this Province paying for the
Tory's mismanagement.
Mr. Speaker, Liberals would better manage expenses and
we will grow the economy. If
necessary – I want to be crystal clear because the members on the opposite
side of the House seem to consistently forget this.
Liberals would better manage expenses, grow the economy and, if
necessary, would borrow over increasing consumption taxes so we do not risk
the revenue side of the ledger, Mr. Speaker.
Quite frankly, if the minister understood that – if he does not
understand that, maybe he does in fact need to brush up on his own math
skills after all.
Today, our economy is struggling, with all indicators
pointing in the wrong direction.
This Province cannot risk another Tory misstep or do over.
No more Tory missteps, no more Tory do overs.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS C. BENNETT:
Economic analysts may have differing opinions on whether we are in a
recession or not, but there is one thing that people on this side of the
House in the Official Opposition understand and that is the people across
the Province are feeling the effects of economic change and this
government's inability to see it and inability to actually address it.
Led by the Leader of the Official Opposition, this
team, a team of energetic and passionate leaders in our Province who are
eager to get to work and put our business acumen to work to create
opportunities for people across our Province in every single industry, not
just oil, Mr. Speaker. We will
do the work that this government has failed to do for the last decade.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS C. BENNETT:
Mr. Speaker, I want to be clear, I am very, very, very optimistic about the
future of our Province. Not
because of the Tory plans, not because of what they did but because of what
people told me in the communities as I toured last fall about their ideas
for growing our economy. One
thing is clear; we need our economic policy better managed in this Province.
We need better management in this Province.
Because Liberals are more experienced, we can get
Newfoundland and Labrador out of this Tory mess.
We are going to do that by executing on the plans, using actual
accurate financial facts, holding ourselves accountable to delivering
outcomes, and getting results.
We cannot afford anymore to get it wrong.
There are no more Tory do-overs anymore, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS C. BENNETT:
It is time for better management in this Province so we address the
challenges we are facing today and finally reach our full potential.
We cannot afford to get it wrong for ourselves or for our kids.
Liberals, under the leadership of the Leader of the
Official Opposition, will build up a generation.
It is time for strong management, long-term planning, and an open and
caring government so we can create an economic change and finally reach our
full potential.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the members of the House
on both sides for their indulgence over the last number of days.
I find it interesting that members on the opposite side of the House
feel that discussing the future of our Province and the decisions we make in
this House of Assembly, they continue to want to talk about it in jest.
Mr. Speaker, when I decided I was going to enter
politics, I did it because I was tired of talking to this government with
ideas and suggestions that were rebuffed and were refused.
I was stunned to find out that there are hundreds and hundreds of
thousands of people in this Province who feel the same way as I do.
That we will not stand by any longer and watch this government
continue to waste opportunities when we know there are solutions to the
problems that our Province is facing today.
Mr. Speaker, I can assure you that the conversations
about this Budget will continue, will be targeted, will be specific, and
will continue to challenge what this government says has been their success.
The people of the Province do not believe this Budget is the right
one for this Province. They
clearly understand that the reason we are here today and we are faced with a
plan to move the debt of our population to $14.85 billion is this
government's failure to plan, and they are not going to tolerate it.
They are not going to tolerate, and nor should they, Mr. Speaker.
As the Budget debate progresses, I will look forward to
continuing to add to the commentary in the debate here.
I would ask those members on the opposite side of the House – I have
to be really sincere, many, many people in this House, all of them, I think
all of us have put our names on the ballot to come into this House to do the
right thing and to make the decisions that are right in the best interest of
the Province.
I would ask the members on the opposite side of the
House, as they have listened to me debate for the last couple of days, think
about when that vote comes to the floor, when we decide what is going to be
the faith of this Budget, that every member dig deep into their conscience
and think about their responsibility and their accountability to this
Budget, Mr. Speaker.
I would ask every one of them to think about their boss
and who the real boss is for each and every one of them as they sit in those
seats over there. Their boss is
the people who elected them, the people who gave them the privilege to sit
in this House of Assembly, and I would ask them to think long and hard about
whose interest they are going to put first: their own or the people of the
Province, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER (Cross):
The hon. the Minister of Municipal and Intergovernmental Affairs.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. HUTCHINGS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
It is a pleasure to rise and speak to Budget 2015,
Balancing Choices for a Promising Future.
It certainly defines where we are going to go.
It clearly outlines for the people of the Province over the next five
years, not just this fiscal year, but it lays out a plan, Mr. Speaker, for
the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, what we are going to do and how we
are going to lay it out.
Mr. Speaker, I was elected in 2007.
I have certainly been involved in quite a number of budget
discussions over those years. I
always get up, and I always want to recognize the people of the Ferryland
District who give me the honour of serving here in this Legislature as the
Member for Ferryland. It is a
privilege, for all members of the House wherever they serve and whomever
they serve, it is certainly a privilege to be here and represent the people
of Newfoundland and Labrador for a particular district in this House.
Mr. Speaker, this year, as was articulated by our
Finance Minister last week, outlined a long-term plan for the people of this
Province regarding where we are today in regard to our fiscal situation;
certainly able to do that and to outline that it is important to go back and
reflect on where we have come and how we have moved as a Province over the
past ten years since the Progressive Conservatives came to power in 2003.
What we have seen in this Province has been a
transformation in terms of us as a people and our Province.
All aspects of our society in Newfoundland and Labrador have changed
over the past ten years.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. HUTCHINGS:
Mr. Speaker, to do that has required vision, it has required innovation, it
has required the ability to think outside the box, and to drive different
avenues of who we are as a people, reflecting on our past, reflecting on our
history, reflecting on our traditional industries, but also looking to the
future, looking to how we expand, how we take advantage of those
opportunities we have.
Mr. Speaker, as everybody knows, from a natural
resource point of view, we are very much commodity driven.
We have our fishery which settled our harbours and coves some-400
years ago, certainly our forestry industry and those industries that brought
us here and brought people – immigrated from all over the world to come here
to build our communities, to build our regions, and to build who we are
today and give us that strong culture.
I know coming from the Southern Shore, from a strong
Irish background on the Southern Shore, like many parts in the Island,
French and other parts of the Island, and all over the world that came to
settle our community. That
certainly makes us who we are today as we look forward and to build on our
communities and our economy, socially as well, and we drive what we do.
So as a party, as a government since 2003, recognizing
our past and how this Province has evolved, we have continued to grow the
Province over the past ten years; and again, with what we have laid out in
this year's Budget 2015, taking stock of where we are, the progress we have
made over the past ten years, and laying out probably unprecedented for the
Province a five-year plan in terms of our financial situation for this
financial year, but for the next five.
Certainly recognizing there will be milestones, there will be checks
and balances as we go forward in terms of hitting markers, financially, on
where we are going to be each year for the next five years at Budget time,
and we will be able to reflect on that each year as we go through.
Now, when we talk about leadership and vision and what
we need in terms of a government and our Premier, and the vision and
direction he established on where he wants to take this Province, it is very
clear from his leadership and on now as Premier and the team that is
assembled around him – the Finance Minister articulated very well the
direction that we will take. It
will be about leadership, it will be about measure choices, it will be about
balance, and it will be about a plan.
That is the approach we have taken.
There are many approaches that could be taken here, but we have taken
the approach that we will go with a balanced approach.
We need to raise some revenues, based on our financial
situation, but we also need to generate extra activity in our economy.
We have done that, we will continue to do it, but we have gone
through an attrition program to look at our public service.
Look at it over the next number of years as people – we know
statistically about what we have learned: so many people come out of the
public service each year. As
they move over the next five years through an attrition process, as every
ten comes out, there will be eight opportunities for people going back into
the public service to be hired into the public service, to do the work that
is so important for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.
Every eight that goes in, two will not, and through attrition we will
reduce our public service, reduce the cost of the public service.
Again, we will be innovative in terms of looking at how
we deliver services and doing it more effectively and certainly doing it
more efficiently. That will
allow us to continue to grow and to continue to need to do the things that
we have identified that we need to do over the next five years of the fiscal
plan that we have definitely laid out.
Mr. Speaker, we will take this approach to fiscal
management because it is required.
We have taken that leadership to do it, and we have laid it out for
people to see. As we move
forward over the next number of weeks here in this House, we will have
debate back and forth on the choices we made and the plan we have outlined
for the people of the Province to see.
When we do that, and over the summer as we move into
the fall and go to a general election, we will be quite clear to the people
of the Province. This is our
vision. This is our leader.
This is our plan. You
have to choose. We will leave it
to the people of the Province in terms of determining who it is they want to
lead the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, based on the success we have
had over the past ten years, based on the five-year plan we have laid out.
They will decide in the fall who will lead this Province of
Newfoundland and Labrador.
Now, we heard reference from the Finance critic, in her
speech, she talked about the fact that they would lead and her leader would
be the Premier. Well, we will
leave that to the People of Newfoundland and Labrador, Mr. Speaker, in the
fall. We will go to the people.
We will lay it out. The
people should always decide.
They will decide in the fall who will serve them from the next four years as
the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. HUTCHINGS:
Mr. Speaker, we know now there are fiscal challenges and we have defined a
clear path as to how we would deal with those challenges at this point in
time. Obviously, the
geopolitical events in terms of oil, oil availability, pricing in the world,
has certainly affected us. At
times, over 40 per cent of our revenues come from the oil sector.
It has dramatically reduced over the past year and it
has put us in a situation where we have to reflect, certainly, on where we
are, lay out a plan, and how we would come back to surplus.
Continuing to do the things we need to do, providing services to the
people of Newfoundland and Labrador, but, as well, continue to grow our
economy and do the things that are important to allow all of our people the
secure well-being here in the Province.
That means securing a well-being in the fact that they have the
services they need to live in any area of the Province, but they also have
opportunities.
Opportunities, when we speak about our youth, we have
done tremendous work over the past number of years to make opportunities
available for our youth, everything from post-secondary education to driving
new technology and innovation.
Things like our engineering school.
We have continued to promote the engineering facility in terms of
increasing the number of seats that are in our engineering school.
We look at our pharmacy school.
We have continued to expand on.
Our medical school we have invested in.
We just recently opened a new genetics centre that builds on that
research capacity in the Province, which is about sustainability, but also
about being innovative and, certainly, branching out in our economy in
different area and what we can do.
So it is all very important.
That is all significant investment that we have taken and invested in
various areas of our economy.
From non-renewable resource royalties – we hear the comment: Where did it
go? Well, there are some areas
where it went in investment in institutions to drive opportunities for our
youth and drive other opportunities to attract other industry, build
capacity in areas, such like research, which is so important to long-term
stability in terms of continuing to grow our Province.
As I said, 2015 – this Budget is about choices.
As I said, it is a balanced approach.
We certainly look at putting people first.
We could have gone in and slashed and cut – it was often being
suggested on the other side of the floor, but we decided not to do that.
We decided to take the balanced approach.
That is what was reflected in the Minister of Finance when he
delivered his Budget.
These choices we are making – as I said, our detailed
plan, a clear focus on management over an extended period of time with our
finances. We are able to do
this, Mr. Speaker, because of the fact we have made strategic investments
over the past number of years.
We have invested in hydroelectric development like the
Muskrat Falls Project. So we
know that we will have clean energy, almost 100 per cent.
That will be a revenue generator.
That is an enormous investment.
We will invest almost $3 billion over ten years.
By 2025 that will return to us.
After that, it is a revenue stream for us, for our Province, and for
next generations.
Very simply put, my district in Petty Harbour has one
of the first hydro plants, or I think the first hydro plant ever developed
in the Province. We do not hear
much about it, but the water keeps running.
It keeps generating electricity, just like Muskrat Falls is going to
do and keep generating wealth and revenues for generations to come in
Newfoundland and Labrador. That
is a sound investment for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, Mr. Speaker, I
would say.
As we move forward, as I said, we have laid out a clear
plan over that five years in terms of how we can do it.
Over those five years we have not stopped investing.
We have not stopped investing in the people of Newfoundland and
Labrador and what is needed to continue to make strategic investments in all
areas of our Province, even look at infrastructure.
We will continue to invest in health, education, and significant
areas where we have made significant investments certainly in things like
poverty reduction, and on the social side of things to make sure that those
who are vulnerable in our society are taken care of and we have the supports
and programs to do that.
As I said, we have invested heavily in infrastructure
over the past number of years.
As part of the Budget documents that were released – solid investments in
provincial infrastructure from 2004 to 2015.
A great document that outlines – for those critics who say you
squandered our oil revenues; you did not invest.
Well, this reflects on where it is invested.
It is invested all over the Province.
Without sound infrastructure and what we found when we came to power
and out dealing with that, we cannot continue to grow our communities.
Without the infrastructure you cannot grow your communities, quite
simple. You have to have the
infrastructure.
When we came we had such a huge deficit in
infrastructure. We invested.
We make no apologies for investing in the communities, towns and
cities of Newfoundland and Labrador, Mr. Speaker.
It needed to be done and we did it.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. HUTCHINGS:
Again, Mr. Speaker, look at what that was in.
You look at fees and textbooks in schools for our children, building
infrastructure, building communities, building health care facilities,
building all of that, programs for our seniors, the drug program we have,
home care. The list goes on and
on in how we invested, and infrastructure and service and programs for the
people of Newfoundland and Labrador.
We continue to recognize the public service and the
investment we made in their salaries.
I think somewhere in the range of 33 per cent or 34 per cent over our
time, the average wages have increased.
That was our commitment to the public service in recognizing that
when we had wealth we would invest it and make sure they were recognized,
and to be competitive. Because
to grow our Province we need a competitive public service, and that is what
we did. We reached in and made
sure they were taken care of and that is the respect we showed to the public
service of Newfoundland and Labrador.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. HUTCHINGS:
Mr. Speaker, I mentioned earlier about Muskrat Falls and the investments and
long-term returns. Nalcor, as we
know, is a company that was created, brought together – all would say
natural resource development brought in under Nalcor.
In 2007, we announced our Energy Plan.
Look at the maximum development of our natural resources for the
benefit of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.
Muskrat investments; Nalcor will be self-sufficient by
2017. Every penny we have
invested in Nalcor will come back to us in returns.
That is a long-term investment, visionary, and returned to us by
2025. That means long term.
We could get it, invest, and get it back to the Province.
Again, as that water runs, we continue to get that revenue that is
generated for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians which is so important.
A broad spectrum of investments to think about as our
way forward now. When we talk
about managing through this difficult financial time or fiscally this year,
we reduced our deficit over the past number of years, paid down debt.
So the position we are in now, and based on the investments we have
made and returns we would get from our equity share in oil fields, as I
said, hydro development. That
was an investment that reduced our debt but also made strategic investments
so in future years we will have our returns, have those returns.
With the five-year plan we are laying out now that will bridge us to
that and get us through these couple of tough years we see in terms of the
fiscal situation and some of the effect that oil has had on what we have
done.
That is strategic, that is thinking long term.
I think one of the greatest initiatives of this government and what
we have accomplished is since we have been in power is thinking long term,
not one or two years, but long term in investments and making sure it is
generational and it is coming back in the future for the people of
Newfoundland and Labrador. That
is extremely important.
Mr. Speaker, last week one of the initiatives we
announced in the Budget, certainly as Minister of Municipal and
Intergovernmental Affairs, I am very pleased to be able to work on that with
our communities, towns and cities across Newfoundland and Labrador, is the
new fiscal framework. It is
Community Sustainability Partnership worked on in terms of all of those.
The past two years, in 2013 we announced in the budget
that we would work in partnership and collectively with Municipalities
Newfoundland and Labrador, all of those municipal leaders and communities
and everybody who wanted to be part of that to discuss how we would move
forward. Part of it was about
our revenue stream but other issues were issues that are faced by
municipalities, and how collectively to work together to deal with some of
those. I am very pleased to have
worked on that since last October as Minister of Municipal and
Intergovernmental Affairs.
I want to recognize all of those over the past couple
of years who worked so diligently and put so much investment into it.
Certainly Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador, who are quite
pleased and indicated with this new unprecedented partnership on access to
new revenues for our municipalities, the work they had done.
Their folks there with their municipalities, the staff of Municipal
and Intergovernmental Affairs and the work they did in bringing this all
together and to fruition to the point last week, as I said, we talked about
that and announced for our municipalities.
The feedback is certainly strong in terms of what we
announced. It was all about a
partnership, working and listening together, working through a range of
items that allow us to move forward on that plan.
I have spoken to some folks.
I had the opportunity to attend the symposium for Municipalities
Newfoundland and Labrador on Friday and Saturday.
I had great discussions with municipal leaders and municipal
councillors. One comment was
from the Burin Peninsula, when a municipal leader said this is something
that has been talked about for twenty years.
Twenty years ago no one ever thought we would be looking at something
like the HST rebate or something like gas tax and access to those kinds of
funds as new revenue generators, and that is what it is.
Churence Rogers, the head of MNL, talked about the fact
that revenue is good, but it is also about the other initiatives and that
partnership. Now you have a
framework to build on. That
framework was a long time coming, but it was this Premier and this
government that established that we are going to do it.
We took the leadership, we did it, and we concluded it.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. HUTCHINGS:
Mr. Speaker, I would be remiss if I did not mention my colleague, the Member
for Gander who originally, in 2013, initiated this program, or initiative in
2013.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. HUTCHINGS:
He played a critical role in seeing this through.
Other ministers too have worked on it, but I guess he was the
catalyst to start it and move it forward.
So I congratulate him on that.
I just want to talk about that because it is so
important. We talk about
sustainability of our region and predictability.
It is so important that our communities have strong revenue sources,
but also have a good partnership with the provincial government.
I want to talk about some of the parts in regard to that.
I mentioned the revenue streams in regard to the HST
rebate, as well as the gas tax.
That is an investment of about $46 million over the next three years in
terms of new dollars. Mr.
Speaker, that is $46 million over and above the changes we made to the
Municipal Operating Grants in 2014.
In 2014, we changed our Municipal Operating Grants
formula. With that change, 80
per cent of the municipalities in Newfoundland and Labrador got an increase.
That is an increase for 80 per cent of our municipalities.
None got a decrease. What
we are seeing with this new announcement that we made, the Community
Sustainability Partnership, there is an extra $46 million revenue stream
that will now go to those same municipalities to help them in terms of their
community.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. HUTCHINGS:
That could be municipal infrastructure, helping with administration, and
staff. There is another
component here I will talk about in regard to a water and wastewater
initiative, in terms of supporting those types of things and training, which
is all very important.
As well, one of the big things we heard in the
consultations with MNL – and certainly we listened – was predictability in
terms of funding. As the
Province budgets each year, they try and project what they can allocate in
our Budget. Government allocates
each year and then municipalities become aware of that.
What we have heard is we need long term – they
requested. We need
predictability in terms of what funds we are getting, how many years we are
getting, and those types of things.
We listened to that.
As I said, in 2014 we brought in a new MOG formula.
That was $22 million and we have adopted it since.
What we committed to this year was that for the next three years, we
will provide predictability that they have asked for.
We will secure that $22 million each year for the next three years
for a commitment of $66 million, Mr. Speaker.
So that is significant again.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. HUTCHINGS:
That is significant again in terms of identifying those funds that are
required for towns and municipalities.
The other issue that came up in the discussions over
time was access to Crown lands.
As many know here, it could be for social or economic development in our
municipalities. Oftentimes,
there is a requirement for access to land.
Right now if a town came forward and said they needed access for a
municipal building, to build a fire hall, to build a municipal building,
that would be transferred over.
What we are looking at in these cases would be issues
for economic development where a town, a municipality, may have some
business interests that want to come in, but they are not sure; it could be
over a period of time. The way
it is now for market value they would have to purchase all of that upfront.
What we have proposed and agreed to is that we would identify an area
maybe of land and we would freeze that land, if you will, and as the town
developed and wanted to develop that land for economic development, they
would pay at fair market value as they move forward.
It would not be all upfront.
So as they generated revenue from some of that property, then they
could purchase this as they go forward.
That would be over a five-year period.
That would allow them to do that.
Again, it would be predictable for them and certainly I think would
go to the sustainability of not having to pay all that upfront.
That is something that MNL, Municipality Newfoundland and Labrador,
we talked about. They were
pretty excited about that component of it as well with their members again.
I talked about some of the revenue generators and the
opportunity that poses for municipalities with the new revenue streams and
what they add up to in regard to $46 million, and as well the $22 million
that we have committed with each year for the next three years.
That is significant in terms of their ability to run their towns and
to generate economic activity.
I said that was revenue stream but there are other
aspects too that are important and goes to capacity building.
Over the next year we will look at a pilot project in regard to
regional water and waste water operations.
That is significant. When
you go back and look over the past number of years and our infrastructure
that we have built, we have put a tremendous amount of money into especially
water infrastructure, a variety of communities, larger cities, towns, and
even small communities in terms of putting in various water facilities, and
worked very hard at that.
We have identified through our consultations, through
working with Environment and Conservation, Municipal and Intergovernmental
Affairs, and Health there is often a capacity issue in our smaller
communities in regard to being able to operate and have the expertise that
is required. Even through the
Department of Municipal Affairs, we do provide and help organizations to
provide training, but oftentimes there is a shortfall.
So what we saw, collectively, as a partnership we
needed to do, we need to continue to develop that and work on the ground
with municipalities in regard to water and safe water.
This project will look at that specifically.
We will have three operators who will work with the three regional
service boards: Eastern, Central, and Western, and identify communities that
do have challenges in regard to safe drinking water.
They could have boil water advisories.
Advisories could happen where there is runoff and you have an
advisory but you could come off that shortly thereafter.
What we have found is that oftentimes the expertise to be able to do
that may not be available. This
process will allow that to be developed.
It could be standard operating procedures that could be needed.
While through Service Newfoundland and Labrador, we do
a great job in terms of testing and identifying.
We have to, on the other hand, assist in terms of coming off those
boil water advisories. We will
provide service and help there to do that.
Like I said something like operating procedures, those types of
things, and working with them and building that capacity on the ground,
which is so important.
Oftentimes it could be the water infrastructure is
there. It may not be operating
properly. Maybe the procedure is
not there to operate it. It
could be a chlorination issue, but all of that needs to be looked at.
That is what we are committing to, to work with our municipalities to
do. It is greatly supported by
Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador.
That is all about bringing together that whole water piece we talked
about.
The other side of that are the waste water regulations,
to look at those that the federal government has introduced.
There are requirements to meet those with waste water and what
municipalities have to do, and will have to do over the next number of
years, based on their outflow, they may have to make adjustments or changes
by 2020, by 2030 or 2040.
As we look at that and move down the road, there is
tremendous infrastructure required for that.
We have certainly, and I as minister, have called on the federal
government to step up in that area and provide additional funding to that
because based on what the requirements are and what we will need to do, that
will be enormous in terms of the amount of dollars that will need to be
invested in that. We certainly
expect the federal government to step up.
What this will allow us to do is an analysis of what is
required and give some indication of the amount of infrastructure that would
be required and the preparatory work that is required as we move towards the
first phase of that, which in 2020.
We will look at some issues again in terms of metering.
Metering that outflow, we have started work with some municipalities
to do that and we will continue to do that, but this Budget 2015 certainly
commits to that and works in partnership with our municipalities to do it
again.
Any time you give out new revenue streams to
municipalities, it is always important to have accountability measures.
With this new announcement, we have introduced these to the process
in terms of operating grants and access to gas tax revenues.
We will require municipalities to do a summary of any taxes that are
receivable or balances to the Department of Municipal and Intergovernmental
Affairs, and we will have to make sure that taxes are collected where they
can be; there is certainly an effort made to do that.
As well, from the new revenue stream, a town will not
be able to reduce its revenue level on a per capita basis.
We do not want this funding replacing funding that is already in
place, or revenues that are generated.
We want to build on what they have in their communities and regions,
and continue to build the infrastructure and provide the services and
capacity that are required for the residents in their area.
Also what is important as we look at the infrastructure
that we have developed and worked with towns, we certainly start to look at
– we have done some – municipal asset management framework where we know
exactly what exists in terms of municipal infrastructure, what the shape of
that municipal infrastructure is in, and how then we use that to plan
forward in terms of replacing and building new infrastructure and that gives
us a clear understanding then of what the requirements are.
Then we look at investments from the provincial
government that we do now in terms of our budgeting, municipal capital
works, as well, areas that we can access additional funds, areas like the
Building Canada Fund, which was just renewed recently for another ten years.
So, collectively through that we will identify asset management,
infrastructure requirements, and then we can meet those needs as we move
forward, which is important.
Those are some of the highlights of our Community
Sustainability Partnership that we announced in Budget 2015.
As I said, it was a collection of a lot of work for a lot of people.
Just out at the symposium last Friday, I certainly spoke to a number
of municipal leaders, Board of Directors of MNL, and it is very positive in
terms of the new revenue streams and the ability for capacity building in
the communities and regions this would allow.
We are certainly very delighted to support it.
It shows our commitment to the process of engagement, the process of
partnership, working together.
Five of the priorities, I think, Mr. Rogers indicated in the press
conference we had – out of the five priorities, four were met.
I am quite pleased with that and it certainly showed a commitment to
us and through municipalities.
When we look back over the past number of years in
dealing with municipalities, there has almost been over $800 million in
various projects, which is the total in infrastructure that has been spent
over that period of time. The
last three years another initiative of this government was to commit to a
long-term funding stream of $200 million because it was about predictability
and sustainability for municipalities in terms of what monies they had from
Municipal Capital Works.
That $200 million went from 2014-2015 to 2016-2017.
That would include the cities and towns that have multi-year funding.
They would get that for three years.
Then the other smaller communities would receive MCW on an annual
basis if they were to apply for it.
It is very important in terms of our communities and making that
available.
We also announced as well, recognizing the commitment,
we would commit to a second three-year period after 2016-2017 of $175
million looking out beyond the next couple of years.
Recognizing the importance of municipalities having access to
municipal infrastructure and dollars and those types of things, we made
again a long-term commitment to renew a new three-year period of $175
million which is extremely important for our municipalities.
Mr. Speaker, as I said, I reference a document we have
here: Solid Investments in Provincial
Infrastructure. If you go
through this you can see never-ending indications of municipal
infrastructure that was built.
It was built out of those revenues that were generated here in our Province.
Outside of that –
AN HON. MEMBER:
(Inaudible).
MR. HUTCHINGS:
Yes, $6 billion in total right through.
It is not only municipal infrastructure in those communities and
towns, we have built new health care facilities, we have built new schools,
we have built new recreation, and we invested in economic development.
If you look at my colleague from the Department of Fisheries and
Aquaculture, you look at areas of wharf infrastructure and what we have done
in areas of the South Coast in terms of talking about diversifying our
economy, sustainability.
I mean what has happened on the South Coast – and I
certainly encourage anybody who has not visited to certainly visit.
I had the pleasure when I was Minister of Fisheries to do it a couple
of times and speak to the entrepreneurs down there, the business leaders,
the community leaders, municipal leaders, and just residents there who have
seen an amazing turnaround in terms of where it was ten years ago and where
it is today.
We have been there and we have invested.
I think we have invested wisely based in that industry and attracted
a number of players to the industry.
My understanding is there is still interest for other players to
come. They are very excited
about coming to that area, based on our pristine waters and the production
that has happened down there recently in the past number of years.
Now, there have been some challenges.
Like any industry, there are challenges, and we have certainly
invested as well. We look at the
state-of-the-art research science facility we have in St. Alban's, which is
second to none, and provides that scientific approach that is so important
for that industry. When
investors are coming and they see that you have invested there and you have
the expertise there on the ground that makes it very inviting to come.
As well, that is very strong investment in the industry to allow it
to grow.
Again, as I said, you go down and you can see small
businesses have been started.
There have been spinoffs for many areas in regard to that, and not just down
on the South Coast. I know I was
with my colleague in Bishop Falls and – what was the name of the company?
AN HON. MEMBER:
Newfoundland Styro.
MR. HUTCHINGS:
Newfoundland Styro and it provides many of the packages and everything that
is required. It is just an
example of how we diversify the economy and have spinoffs from investments
and it is a great example of that.
There are others as well in the area, companies that have grown
because of the aquaculture industry.
That is how you diversify.
That is wise investment.
I think, to date, we have invested somewhere around $30 million, a little
over $30 million. It is probably
well over $150 million that is invested in the private sector.
We provide the seed money, private sector comes in, we
have the environment, we have an opportunity there for economic development
and we seize that, and we certainly do it and continue to do it.
Mr. Speaker, as well, we talk about the fishery and
somebody talked the farmed industry; we are looking now at the wild fishery
in terms of what that is and how important it is to our Province.
Overall it is well over a billion dollars in the last couple years.
It continues to be extremely important, but we have invested heavily
too in regard to the science portion of that.
We have known over the past ten years the federal government has
unfortunately gotten out of the science and research part of our industry
here, especially in the ground fishery, and we have stepped in.
We have certainly stepped in with big dollars, millions of dollars,
and that is again where we have taken that money from our royalties and
returned and we have invested it in very strategic places to grow our
industry.
The minister mentioned today about the
Celtic Explorer that is in port
again. I think it is the fifth
or sixth year in terms of the research that has been done – the fifth one,
but we saw a void there or a gap that needed to be dealt with and we did it.
We stepped in and we thought it was needed to be done.
Really, in all of Canada, we probably have the best cod science and
research ongoing anywhere in the country right now.
It is supported by the Marine Institute.
The work they are doing up there, the masters and Ph.D students, who
are Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, a great number – maybe about fifteen
now if I remember correctly.
That is all part of the strategic investment of taking those dollars and
investing in today but certainly seeing a great return in future years as
well because we build that capacity.
Through that and through that information, we use that
as we work with the federal government and DFO in regard to developing good
policy in terms of developing the resurgence of our cod industry.
It is a different industry than it was thirty or forty years ago when
it comes back, but all indications are it is doing quite well.
It continues to grow.
With our other species, we compete nationally and internationally now all
over the world in terms of our shrimp, crab, and other species we produce
here. We can compete anywhere in
the world and as the ground fishery comes back and cod comes back and we
have the resources here and the knowledge and expertise to develop that, we
will do that and we will compete in the international market again.
That part of our industry will certainly revitalize and grow.
As a shellfish industry – crab industry again this year
is good. We have some challenges
with the shrimp in regard to the resource, but again this year I do not
think it was what we expected.
In both, the price this year has been very good in crab and shrimp.
It is good for harvesters, good for processors, good for people who
work in the facilities, so that is something our investment again continues
to grow and it is important to us.
We need to continue to do that.
As I said, much like laying out the five-year plan that
the Minister of Finance and the Premier have overseen to lay out, we have
strategically invested in infrastructure and spent that money and revenues
that we generated, not for the immediate future but for long term to grow
our communities and do what needs to be done, as I said, for the
sustainability for our communities.
The other thing, initiatives we have taken over the
past number of years – and I mentioned a little bit about research and
development. I mentioned the
genetics centre that was recently opened but also our Research & Development
Corporation which we developed over the past number of years and, again,
took revenues, some from obviously our non-renewable resources and invested
in research and development here in the Province.
That again modeled much like Norway did when they
started their oil and gas sector some years ago.
That drives the partnership between science, research, and the
private sector. The corporation
has made tremendous success in terms of meeting that challenge, building
that partnership, and certainly leveraging dollars from that industry to
allow greater research to be done.
That becomes applied research so if there is an issue – I remember
when I was Minister of Innovation, Business and Rural Development,
responsible for RDC, there was an actual reservoir drilling requirement.
There was lateral drilling that needed to be done.
There was a research chair set up between one of the
oil companies and Memorial University to look specifically at that.
It had to do with how you extracted more oil from the reserve.
Obviously, if you can increase that technology and that expertise,
the company gets a greater return and the Province gets a return through
royalty. Those are well spent
dollars on R&D and a partnership with the private sector that gives greater
returns to all concerned. That
is very important.
When you look at the investments we have made in the
oil and gas sector in terms of equity, in terms of return on that equity,
and the operating wells we have out there now, we look to Hebron and that
coming on stream in 2017, again helping us through that.
That will bring us greater production in terms of oil and increase
our revenue. In late-2017 is the
first start of Muskrat Falls. In
regard to return on that investment, we will see a revenue stream from that
again. Just looking at being
strategic in terms of where we are investing and how we are investing the
people of Newfoundland and Labrador's money.
Through all of this, I have talked about oil and gas
and talked about the fishery.
One that we hear across the floor oftentimes is innovation.
I have mentioned the Research & Development Corporation but others
too, our post-secondary institutions.
I reflect on the Genesis Centre and the new developments, the new
companies that are flowing out of our engineering, and the Marine Institute
as well. Technology and science
is about making available to our youth and having them exposed to it.
When you look at the past number of years in terms of
our tuition fees and how we have transferred from loans to grants, that side
of things. I mean all of that,
our investments in residences in the campus here in St. John's and our
investments on the West Coast in Grenfell.
You look at the Marine Institute and what we have done there, and the
College of the North Atlantic in terms of developing infrastructure and
making it top notch.
All of that allows our youth to access these resources
to make sure they are well equipped, have opportunities to meet the needs of
the labour force here in the Province, and elsewhere as well.
Whether that is in any new industry or we say the more traditional
industries, they can certainly meet the needs in that.
It is very important that we do that.
That has allowed us to do it.
I will get back and keep coming back to the same point.
People say where did the money go?
How did you invest it? We
invested in infrastructure, invested in our people and services, but
invested, too, a large part in infrastructure and education for our youth,
that they have those opportunities and they can maximize those
opportunities, which is really so important.
That is long term again.
I started off by talking about long-term investments.
You are looking at today and next year, but you are looking at years
to come and how we can maximize the opportunity for all concerned.
We look at capital investment and what is going to
happen over the next number of years.
There will be somewhat of a downturn, but as the Premier said, we
will be just fine. We have laid
out a strong plan in terms of the next five years fiscally.
Where we were, where we are today, and where we are going to take us
over the next five years to get us to surplus again.
Through all of that, though, we will still be investing.
Capital investment; we will still be investing in
services, still have a pretty good economy in terms of how the economy is
doing. All of that,
collectively, will put us in good stead as we move forward.
As the Premier said, and under his leadership, we will do just okay.
As the Minister of Finance has laid out, it is a plan.
It is laid out, people will know what it is.
That will let the people of the Province know where we are with it.
We will have a debate on it here in the House over the next number of
weeks, no problem. We will go
back and forth on different visions, different views, and different choices.
No one will have to wonder where the Progressive
Conservative Party of Newfoundland and Labrador and this government stands
on what our plan is that we have made.
We will lay it out. We
will certainly encourage others to do it as well, Mr. Speaker.
So we can look at who they are, we can debate them, look at who they
are and see where it goes – and that is good, because that is good public
debate. That is what you want.
You want people to lay out what their vision is, what they believe
in, what their policies are. We
can talk about those. We can
compare them and have all kinds of discussion on them.
Ultimately, at the end of the day you have to lay them
out. You have to lay out what
your plan is, and then we can talk about it and go through.
That is important. We
have to do that, Mr. Speaker, as well.
I want to just touch on in our Budget, Budget 2015, a
number of areas we have recommitted and committed in other areas that we
think are important as we move forward over the next number of years.
Obviously, I spoke a little bit about Advanced Education and Skills
and post-secondary. The
investments we have made and made over the past number of years, and
certainly continue to make now as we move forward to pursue post-secondary
education, and encourage people to engage in and have access to
post-secondary.
We want high-skilled graduates.
We have that in the Province.
We continue to produce very highly-skilled graduates to drive the
Newfoundland economy. We also
have very competitive rates in terms of tuition from outside the Province
and internationally. We continue
to do that. With any increase,
we will still be more competitive nationally.
Undergraduates will not change.
We are still the most competitive in the country in regard to that.
That is a commitment by our government.
We will continue that commitment this year in Budget 2015.
I had an opportunity to be in the former Department of
Innovation, Business and Rural Development, and in that I saw first-hand the
amount of inward investment, nationally and internationally, and also
locally. The entrepreneurs we
have here, the innovation we see and being adaptive.
Being able to grow maybe in their current area, but certainly grow in
areas they did not before.
Particularly in areas where we see major projects, whether it is Vale or
some of the other mining projects, or some of the oil and gas development
that is going on.
In innovation, I know ocean technology is a fascinating
area from what we have seen from young entrepreneurs and researchers and
developers here in the Province.
We have developed a huge niche in terms of ocean technology.
It is second to none.
ROVs, underwater digital imagery – there is a company
in Clarenville. I met with them,
a couple of young gentlemen. It
is unbelievable what they have designed, built and, basically,
commercialized right here in Newfoundland and Labrador.
They did it here.
So innovation is alive and well, and supports through
Business, Tourism, Culture and Rural Development continues.
We continue that commitment in Budget 2015.
Over $200 million in terms of nurturing that and being competitive in
terms of the business community and business environment.
That is extremely important.
We have done well over the past number of years but we
continue to need to be competitive, and oftentimes provide those supports.
Sometimes business does not need it.
Sometimes government just needs to get out of the way.
We do that as well, but where they need supports or we need to have
seed capital – recently what was announced in terms of a venture capital
fund for the knowledge-based industries, we have seen, as well, significant
growth.
The venture capital fund that was set up through
Business, Tourism, Culture and Rural Development allows capital equity for
those knowledge-based companies to grow and prosper right here in
Newfoundland and Labrador. We
have had some to date that has done tremendously well, grown right here in
the Province.
We continue to support it through the Atlantic ventures
capital fund and, as well, our own local fund here for those entrepreneurs,
as I said, usually in a knowledge-based industry.
Based on the type of industry it is, there is not a lot of capital
involved but this venture capital and access to it allows them to grow those
companies right here in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Again, we are developing a cluster of those companies and that is
another part of diversifying and using those funds that we get from
royalties or from our non-renewable resources that we reinvest for diversity
to help us continue to grow our economy and make greater opportunities.
Child, Youth and Family Services in Budget 2015 – we
have continued to revitalize the child protection system in the Province,
supporting out-of-home care options for children and youth.
Many have seen the Foster a Future campaign, which has been extremely
successful since that started.
Again in 2015, we reinvest in that campaign which is so important.
There has been a lot of work done in that department
with regard to dealing with children who need care.
I congratulate those in the public service for the work they do in
regard to this. This program has
been extremely successful and we continue to support it again this year.
Again, it is an area where we invest those dollars to make sure that
the services are available for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.
Health and Community Services: Obviously, as people
know, it is the biggest department in government, with significant budget.
When you think about health care, all of us are touched by health
care either in terms of illness or sickness from any point in our life,
either individually or people we know who are a part of us, so health care
is something that touches everybody and everybody is certainly familiar with
it and the importance that it is.
We have done that over the past number of years since being in power
in terms of our commitments to health care and what we have done.
It has been a focus for us, better health outcomes, and
provide better care and produce best value for our money, which is so
important. We know we have the
highest per capita cost in Canada for the delivery of health care.
The Premier talked about when he was running for leadership and in
creating the new department of wellness, to talk about a greater
responsibility for everybody in terms of our health care and working and
being innovative in terms of some of the indicators we have in our Province
in terms of health standards.
They are not where they need to be, but we continue to work, we continue to
invest; and certainly make sure that we have the infrastructure, we have the
programs, we collaborate and we work with all health care providers in
communities to make sure that we continue to improve.
We will continue to improve, Mr. Speaker, without a doubt.
We have a Province of over half a million people.
When you look at the amount of infrastructure we have, fifteen
hospitals, twenty-two community centres, 119 community clinics, and
twenty-three long-term care facilities, since 2004 we have continued to
improve and build on those services of $1.5 billion in health care
infrastructure, including some of those facilities I have talked about,
repairs and renovations to existing facilities.
All of that and even more so, even new equipment – based on
technology in the medical field, new equipment, and new drug formula.
Again this year we added, I think, two new drugs to our drug formula
just to make sure that within our fiscal capacity, we are on the leading
edge and we can do what we need to do in regard to meeting the requirements
of those facilities.
We will continue to invest in these areas.
They are extremely important to us.
To those who question: Well, where did the money go?
It is quite clear. We
have invested in people, we have invested in infrastructure, and we
certainly invested in our communities.
We continue to do that without a doubt.
It is very important to do it.
It is about sustainability and maintaining our communities, and not
only maintaining but growing our communities which is so important.
I mentioned earlier Seniors, Wellness and Social
Development – I know the Member for Bay of Islands is really attentive
there. He is really enjoying my
talk. I know I only have eight
minutes left. I know he is
pretty excited, so I will try to finish off here now with a bang.
Mr. Speaker, I mentioned before Seniors, Wellness and
Social Development which was a hallmark now of the Premier in terms of
bringing that together, developing it, and focusing on healthy, active, and
engaged citizens living in their own homes and making sure that we have
age-friendly communities. I know
in my area – talking about age-friendly communities and the support we have
given to seniors groups in the Province in terms of various grants for
healthy aging, healthy activity, all of those, there are a number in my
district.
I certainly salute them and the seniors for all the
work they do in terms of engaging and bringing youth together for various
events, socials, and just being active, and even some seniors who live
alone. I know that groups get
together and get them out, and get activities a couple of times a week which
is so important for both their physical and mental well-being.
Hats off to them; those groups are all over the Province of
Newfoundland and Labrador.
Through the Department of Seniors, Wellness and Social Development I mean
there is great support given to them.
We recognize the work they do.
As a government we view that was money well spent as well, Mr.
Speaker.
The other area in terms of Transportation and Works –
we have done tremendous investments over the past number of years.
Again, we will continue to invest this year in roads, infrastructure,
all of those things we need to grow our Province both from an economic point
of view and just for the people who live in all our communities, so that
they have access to – whether it is to travel to education facilities,
health care, wherever it is that we continue to invest and we will continue
to do that.
Mr. Speaker, just to wind up, I had an opportunity to –
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. HUTCHINGS:
I know they are pretty excited on the other side, but I will have a chance
to get up again, so I will say stay tuned.
I just wanted to bring it all together and say, as a
government, we have laid out, as I said when I started, a plan over the next
five years recognizing the fiscal situation of the day.
It is visionary.
Basically as we go through each Budget over the next number of years, we set
targets of where we expect to be.
We will follow that through.
We have continued to invest and we will continue to invest over the
next number of years in infrastructure, whether that is health care,
education, transportation, our people of the Province, through all means
that we have done in the past.
As I said, there is a great document here that answers
the questions of those who ask: Well, where did the money go?
Well, the money was invested, and it was invested in the people of
this Province to make it a greater Province than what it is today.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. HUTCHINGS:
Mr. Speaker, as I said, it has been strategic investments.
I talked a little bit about R&D, research, innovation, and how we are
expanding into other industries as well, and growing a cluster in other
areas, as well as supporting our traditional industries that is part of who
we are, but we will use that collectively now with other industries we have
developed to grow our economy, to continue the things we need to do to make
sure that the future is bright for all of Newfoundland and Labrador as we
move forward over the next number of years.
With this Premier, certainly with the Finance Minister
and how he has laid it out, we have been clear, we will articulate our
vision here in the House over the next number of weeks in regard to the
Budget as we move into the summer and into the fall into an election.
We will clearly lay it out for the people of Newfoundland and
Labrador.
As I said when I started, it will be about choices.
Who do you think can lead this Province?
Who do you think is the best team?
Who has the vision? We
will lay that out for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, Mr. Speaker,
and I am sure they will make the decision when the time is right on who has
the vision, who is going to continue to grow this Province of Newfoundland
and Labrador –
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER (Verge):
Order, please!
MR. HUTCHINGS:
– who has done it over the past ten years, and who is going to do it for the
next ten.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Burgeo – La Poile.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I guess I am blessed to be able to stand here and speak
to Budget 2015. I am not happy
to speak to some of the aspects of Budget 2015, but I am happy to have the
opportunity to stand here as the Member for Burgeo – La Poile and speak to
this – my fourth Budget here in the House.
One of the things on this side that we have had the
pleasure of seeing is – again, this is my fourth Budget.
We have some members that this is their first Budget that they have
been a part of. I know that they
are excited and will get an opportunity to speak to it.
One of the things we passed on, and you can tell people
how the process works. One of
the things I have talked about is we will probably get a number of
opportunities to speak to the Budget.
So, generally what I have done in the past is speak generally to the
Budget itself. I like to speak
about my district, the effects of the Budget on my district, and hopefully
what I would like to see.
We also get an opportunity to speak to our critic
roles. In my case it would be
Health and Community Services and the Department of Justice.
So, I will get a number of opportunities.
Unfortunately today, due to the time, I will only get an abbreviated
opportunity to speak, but I do want to speak very generally to the Budget as
a whole.
I listened to the member across the way, the Minister
of Municipal Affairs, speak and talk about a number of things in his speech.
One of them he just talked about was laying out this vision and what
the government plans on doing, what their vision is for the future.
One of the things I found interesting, actually, we
heard this Budget unfold last Thursday here in probably what was one of the
longer Budget Speeches I have ever heard.
It was long, but one of the things – of course, after the Budget was
unveiled the ministers get an opportunity to do various media outlets.
One of the things that struck me was that the Minister
of Finance, the head of Treasury Board, the person who is responsible for
Finance, I guess you could say the economy in this Province, one of his
quotes in an interview that he did, I believe it was on CBC – and this
scares me as a citizen in this Province.
He actually said: we have no control over the spot we are in right
now. That is scary.
That is a scary thought to think that this government, who tell us
that we should trust in them, believe in them and trust their vision, right
now they are saying, we have no control over where we are right now.
I compare it to a ship, and right now there is no skipper is
basically what is going on here.
The second question I have is, if you have no control,
what are you doing over there?
What are you doing over there?
Seriously, it does not sound like you are needed.
We want, I want, the people I would imagine in this Province want a
government that will take control and make choices for the betterment of the
people. Not one that will take
control of government, reap the benefit of billions in oil royalties and
then when they do not plan they say, don't blame us.
I have no control on this.
I do not have any idea how we got to this position, but trust me when
I say things will be better in five years' time.
Quite frankly, I do not think that is going to work.
I do not think that is going to work with the people of the Province
when you try to sit there for ten years, when you reap the benefits of oil
deals that you never negotiated, you never had a part of – you have more
money coming in than any government in the history of our Province
previously, more money, and then you sit there and say, sorry, we are going
to get it right the next time.
That is not acceptable.
We only have to go back a year to see how this
government operates. It is a
government that is obviously oil dependent.
There was no plan. We sat
here last year during Budget 2014 and it was like, well, it is a tough year
this year but wait until next year.
Next year things are going to be great, things are going to be
better. It is just a coincidence
that it is supposed to be an election year, but things will be better next
year.
Now this is next year.
We are here and things are worse than they were the year before.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. A. PARSONS:
Somebody just said the phrase, and it is perfect: kick the can down the
road. Kick the can down the
road, and that is exactly what is going on here.
If the best that the gentleman in charge of the
finances of the pocketbook, the bank book of this Province can say is hey,
we have no control over this. I
would say it is time for you to vacate the premises and move on.
Let somebody get in there who is willing to take control, willing to
make the right decisions, willing to put the plan in place that the people
of this Province want to see. It
is something called responsibility.
Now, I heard somebody over there say, what is the plan?
I do not know if it was the Attorney General.
Now, this is a person – again, I am not going to get into it because
this person may speak to the Budget, he may not, but we know that his
intentions are not to be here the next time.
We know that. We will see
how that goes.
If he wants to talk about a plan, this is the gentleman
who put us through Bill 29 where we spent a million dollars fixing up the
mistake that he brought in and forced down the throats of the people of this
Province.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. A. PARSONS:
Again, I would say, look, that was last week, we have been there.
I want to talk about this week. I
want to talk about the Budget.
Now, there are so many areas we want to get into.
There is so much to cover off here.
Unfortunately, I have a little bit of time left here now.
One of the things I want to talk about, and this is a combination of
both of my critic roles but a number of departments.
One of the big things we have heard over the last number of years is
infrastructure announcements. I
am going to list off just a couple.
There was the new courthouse in St. John's.
There was the new courthouse in Stephenville.
There was the Corner Brook hospital.
There was the new penitentiary here in St. John's.
I think there was a health facility out in Bonavista.
That is just some of the big buildings.
That is just some of them.
I may be missing some.
Oh, I forgot one; we just talked about it in the House
today: the Waterford, that great relic that was built in 1854 and is still
serving the people of this Province today.
It is a priority – mental health is priority in this Province, but we
are not going to see that Waterford.
I am willing to bet we are not going to see it until the next decade.
Why would I guess that?
Because we heard the government say when our fiscal situation
improves, then we will un-pause infrastructure builds and we will move
forward. Well, according to the
Budget, you are not going to see a better fiscal situation, because of their
actions, until 2019-2020. So
that is great news for the people of this Province to know that the
infrastructure – they would stand up and they love to have the big press
conference and make these big announcements and then there is nothing there
and we are sitting there still waiting for it.
I was actually at one of the announcements.
It was down in Courtroom No. 7, down at Atlantic Place.
One of them was the new courthouse in St. John's.
Now, let's not forget that when the announcement was made there were
no details then. Not a single
detail, just a big announcement.
We are going to do this.
It is funny to note that when that announcement was
made – someone can correct me if I am wrong – I am pretty sure that oil was
roughly in the $60 a barrel range, between $60 and $70.
Roughly the same as what it is now.
So you are telling us that that much changed between then and now.
Why did you even make the announcement if you did not
have any opportunity – you knew you could not do it?
Why would you do that to the people who are going to use this
facility and work in this facility and rely on this facility?
Why would you do that?
That is just one example there of an announcement.
Last year, we had the announcement about the courthouse
out in Stephenville. Again, I
have practised in the current courthouse in Stephenville, which is a
horrible courthouse. Anybody who
has ever been in there can tell you it is not great.
There was a big announcement made.
I believe a number of members on the other side flew out there.
They had the big announcement: Yes, we have the new courthouse in
Stephenville. Guess what?
That one is on hold too.
Actually, I had a call from the media out in Bonavista;
Bonavista is pretty upset because I know that their health care facility
that they were promised in 2014 is on hold too.
That one is on hold.
AN HON. MEMBER:
Which one?
MR. A. PARSONS:
Out in Bonavista. There was lots
of talk in Budget 2014; Budget 2015, not so much.
Now, one more – and again, I am going to get lots of
opportunity, not as much as the Member for Virginia Waters.
I have to tell you, it is great to sit down and listen to someone
with actual business experience talk about the economy of the Province.
I have to tell you, it is great to hear somebody who actually knows
business –
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. A. PARSONS:
– talk about the financial situation of this Province, talk about the
economy of this Province. Do you
know what? It is good.
We have the luxury – we have the Member for Virginia Waters, but we
also have our leader who has significant business experience as well and can
talk about the economy. Because,
do you know what? They have
employed people, but that is another topic that we are going to have to talk
about later. That is the thing
called jobs. We have seen lots
of them gone in the last little while, lots of them gone with this
announcement and according to this crowd over here, there is going to be
more gone in the next year but stay tuned for that.
On that note, given the time of the day, I am going to
adjourn debate now, Mr. Speaker.
AN HON. MEMBER:
(Inaudible).
MR. A. PARSONS:
Seconded by the Member for Virginia Waters.
MR. SPEAKER:
The motion is that debate be now adjourned.
All those in favour, 'aye.'
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
MR. SPEAKER:
All those against, 'nay.'
Carried.
On motion, debate adjourned.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Government House Leader.
MR. KING:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Given that my colleague has adjourned debate and the
hour of the day, I move, seconded by the Minister of Municipal and
Intergovernmental Affairs, 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.'
The House stands adjourned until tomorrow at 2:00 p.m.,
Private Members' Day.