November 14, 2016
HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS
Vol. XLVIII No. 41
The
House met at 1:30 p.m.
MR. SPEAKER (Osborne):
Order, please!
Admit
strangers.
I
welcome to the Speaker's gallery Mr. Joseph Janson and Mrs. Margaret Janson
and I'll explain a little later why they're in our public gallery, but I will
say that they were here once before in the 1970s. So welcome back.
We have
two new Pages in the House of Assembly today. Mr. Mohammed Ali Bakshi, he's a
native of Kabul, Afghanistan, who is pursuing a master's in educational
leadership at Memorial University.
Welcome.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
And Ms. Tresha Moorhouse, a
native of Walkers Wood, Jamaica, who is also pursuing a master's of educational
leadership at Memorial University.
Welcome.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
And welcome back as well to
Crystal Snelgrove, who is now our senior Page.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
I rise today to pay tribute
to Ms. Elizabeth Duff, former Clerk of this House of Assembly, who recently
passed away.
Ms.
Duff, known to most as Bettie, had a long career with our civil service. She was
private secretary to Premier Joseph Smallwood for 23 years, following which she
served as executive assistant within the government, and then within the House
of Assembly and Speaker Gerald Ottenheimer.
In 1977,
she was appointed as Clerk of this House, a position which she held until her
retirement in 1991. Ms. Duff was well-respected by all parties.
It is
notable, that Ms. Duff was the first female Clerk of any legislature or
parliament in all of Canada. During her tenure as Clerk she became well-known
throughout the British Commonwealth parliamentary circles and is fondly
remembered for her achievement as Clerk and for her graciousness and mentorship
at all times.
Bettie
passed peacefully away on August 28 of this year, her 90th birthday, having
spent the day celebrating with her family.
In
particular, she leaves behind her nephew, Joseph Jansen, his wife, Margie, who
works in the Office of the Legislative Counsel, and their three children,
Joseph, Meghan and Maria, as well as numerous nieces, nephews and other extended
family in the United States who all miss her greatly.
We pay
tribute to Bettie.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
Statements by
Members
MR. SPEAKER:
Today we have Members'
statements for the Districts of Bonavista, Mount Pearl Southlands, Labrador
West, St. John's East Quidi Vidi, Harbour Main and Cape St. Francis.
The hon.
the Member for the District of Bonavista.
MR. KING:
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to
acknowledge Sonja Mills and Alicia MacDonald owners and operators of the Port
Rexton Brewing Company. These entrepreneurial young women have always had a
passion for craft beer, but gained their brewing experience in Nova Scotia's
craft beer movement.
Operating out of an old school house in Port Rexton, Trinity Bay, they realized
their dream of opening a craft brewery and taproom in July. At that time it was
only the fourth craft brewery in the province. Since their opening, business has
been brisk with demand often exceeding supply for both beer and merchandise. The
high demand saw new growth in their business, purchasing new brewing tanks in
September. This growth allowed for consistent growler service that allows
patrons to enjoy the brews in the comfort of their own homes.
Although
the taproom is closed for the season, that doesn't mean that Sonja and Alicia
are any less busy. They are still producing beer, supplying many local bars and
restaurants. As a testament to their hard work, they were awarded the People's
Choice Award for their T'Rex Porter at the Atlantic Canadian Beer Awards.
Please
join me in wishing them continued success.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for the
District of Mount Pearl Southlands.
MR. LANE:
Mr. Speaker, it's my
privilege to stand in this hon. House to recognize an individual who gave a
lifetime of service to the citizens of Mount Pearl. Richard Levandier moved to
Mount Pearl from Nova Scotia 44 years ago for what was supposed to be a two-year
work assignment. Shortly after arriving, he joined the Kinsmen Club of Mount
Pearl where he would subsequently hold numerous leadership roles and chair
numerous charitable projects in the community.
Outside
of Kin, he was a relentless defender of all things Mount Pearl and would be
regularly engaged in promoting, supporting and advocating for his community.
Among the many hats that Richard wore, was the role of president of the Mount
Pearl Men's Slowpitch Softball League. Earlier this year, he was recognized by
the city and the league by having the new softball facility named in his. The
citizens of Mount Pearl recently mourned the loss of our great friend Richard
who fought valiantly with ALS. Even in his final days, he insisted on continuing
his involvement with Kin.
His
final Kinsmen meeting took place in palliative care, with his fellow Kinsmen
gathered around his bedside. This speaks volumes to the type of individual that
Richard was: a Kinsmen and a dedicated volunteer right to the very end.
Mr.
Speaker, I would ask all Members of this hon. House to join me in offering
condolences to Richard's wife Deirdre and his family and in celebrating the life
of an individual who is gone but will never be forgotten by the people of Mount
Pearl.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for the
District of Labrador West.
MR. LETTO:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I rise
in this hon. House today to congratulate the Labrador City Fire Department on
their 50th anniversary. The Labrador City Fire Department is a combination of
career and volunteer firefighters, with a total of 45 firefighters on active
deputy protecting the residents of Labrador West, including the Town of Wabush,
the Iron Ore Company of Canada and response services to the Trans-Labrador
Highway.
Over the
past 50 years, training has been a top priority for the fire department, and I
can honestly say that the Labrador City Fire Department is one of the most
highly trained departments in the province. With three major forest fires and
several serious industrial fires in its 50-year history, their training has been
tested and proven beyond any reasonable doubt.
I speak
highly of the men and women of the Labrador City Fire Department because I have
seen them in action and witnessed their professionalism. The residents of
Labrador West are fortunate to have them.
I ask
all hon. Members to join me in congratulating the Labrador City Fire Department
on their 50 years of service and wish them well in the years ahead as they
continue to protect the residents of Labrador West.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for St.
John's East Quidi Vidi.
MS. MICHAEL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I could
never grow tired of celebrating the youth of our province. Today I am happy to
share the accomplishments of two boys from St. John's East Quidi Vidi who
received the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Awards last Tuesday in a ceremony at St.
John's City Hall.
Mayor
Dennis O'Keefe presented bronze awards to, among others, Adonias Mohammed from
the St. John's Boys and Girls Club and Colin Nolan from the Waypoints Leadership
Resilience Program.
The
Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award is the first of three levels for these awards. It
takes at least 26 weeks half a year, Mr. Speaker to complete, and often much
longer as teenagers balance all the competing interests in their lives.
Adonias,
Colin and all the other recipients have demonstrated their commitment to the
three core values of the Duke of Edinburgh Program, participating in
activities that fall under the categories of service, skill and physical
recreation. The program also includes an overnight adventurous journey or
expedition.
Mr. Speaker, our youth today face challenges many of us
cannot imagine. I invite all hon. Members to join me in applauding Adonias
Mohammed and Colin Nolan, Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award winners.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for the
District of Harbour Main.
MS. PARSLEY:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I rise
in this hon. House today to congratulate the participants of the 2016
Newfoundland and Labrador Summer Games. This year's games took place in the
scenic Town of Conception Bay South. The games were held from August 13-21 and
saw over 1,400 athletes and 600 volunteers converge on the region to show their
skills in various sports while promoting a healthy, active lifestyle and, above
all else, making friends and having fun. We were also delighted to welcome the
very first Aboriginal delegation to participate in the festivities.
I would
like to extend a big congratulations to all the staff and volunteers who made
these games possible, as well to this year's organizing committee within the
town and Mayor Steve Tessier for his council's outstanding support for this
year's event.
Without
such amazing community support, such as is found within Conception Bay South,
events like these would not be possible and would not have been such an
unforgettable event for the many athletes, coaches and parents that took part in
the games.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for the
District of Cape St. Francis.
MR. K. PARSONS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I rise
in this hon. House today to recognize the Pouch Cove Volunteer Fire Department
for 41 years of service to the residents of Bauline and Pouch Cove.
At the
firefighters' ball on 24th of September, it was nice to see a full house at the
Pouch Cove Lions Club. Departments from all over came out to celebrate with
Chief Derek Sullivan, along with the 32 members, four junior firefighters and
firettes. The firettes host many fundraising events throughout the year.
Fire
Prevention Officer Shawn Wall was presented with his 20-year pin for his
dedication to the department. Chief Derek Sullivan was also recognized for 25
years of service. He received a gift from the town, as well as the firettes.
The
Pouch Cove Volunteer Fire Department is very well trained and the members take
great pride in their work. The department also has a junior firefighters program
which encourages young people to get involved in the department.
I ask
all hon. Members to join with me in thanking the Pouch Cove Volunteer Fire
Department for 41 years of service to the residents to Pouch Cove and Bauline.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Statements by Ministers.
Statements by
Ministers
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Education and Early Childhood Development.
MR. KIRBY:
Mr. Speaker, I rise in this
hon. House today to recognize National Bullying Awareness Week, which takes
place November 14 to 20. This year's theme is
Stand Up to bullying.
Bullying
Awareness Week is an opportunity for students, educators, parents and
communities to discuss and learn about what we can do to prevent bullying.
Mr.
Speaker, it is the responsibility of all of us to speak up against bullying. We
encourage schools to review the Safe and Caring Schools Policy and its Bullying
Intervention Protocol; we also encourage students to
Stand Up when they witness bullying and to tell a teacher, a
friend or a parent so that together we can put an end to bullying.
Every
child and adult deserves to feel safe, protected and accepted for who they are
within the school environment, in the community and, indeed, in all aspects of
their lives regardless of appearance, gender, race, sexual orientation, gender
identity and beliefs.
Mr.
Speaker, our government supports a proactive approach to eliminating bullying.
Annually, the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development recognizes
students and schools for their work to promote Safe, Caring and Inclusive School
communities.
The
provincial Safe and Caring Schools Policy promotes the elimination of all forms
of bullying, harassment and inappropriate behaviour. The policy also provides
guidance on the development of a bullying intervention protocol and a school
code of conduct.
I ask
all hon. Members of the House to join me and promote National Bullying Awareness
Week.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for the
District of Conception Bay East Bell Island.
MR. BRAZIL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I thank
the minister for an advance copy of his statement. We, too, join with the
government in recognizing National Bullying Awareness Week.
Mr.
Speaker, much work has been done to create safe and caring schools in our
province, but we understand much more remains to be done. It is only with the
co-operation of students, staff, administration, parents and leadership that we
can rid our schools of bullying. We owe it to ourselves but, more particularly,
we owe it to our students and our children.
We know
children are better able to learn when they feel safe and respected. We must
ensure every child has that benefit afforded to them. As legislators, we, too,
can promote safe and respectful spaces ourselves. While unfortunately we stray
from those ideals sometimes in here, we should strive to be positive examples.
It is incumbent on us as leaders to lead by example.
I'd like
to thank the students and staff in my own district as well as all of those from
our various schools around the province for standing up to bullying. You are
creating the change we need. You are to be commended.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for St.
John's East Quidi Vidi.
MS. MICHAEL:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
I thank
the minister for the advance copy of his statement. We too often hear of
situations where it appears bullying is still going on in spite of all our
efforts, and also where children who have been bullied don't feel they've been
listened to and still feel afraid.
It's not
enough to have intervention protocols and codes of conduct, though we need them;
government also needs to provide sufficient resources to ensure they are fully
implemented and to bring more prevention programs into the schools as well.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Municipal Affairs.
MR. JOYCE:
Mr. Speaker, I rise in this
hon. House to commend the work of communities, residents and staff with Fire and
Emergency Services and the Department of Transportation and Works on working
together in the lead up and during the rainstorm on October 11 that affected so
many areas of our province.
I
congratulate communities and emergency management partners as they followed best
practices for emergency response and utilized their emergency management plans
to support residents in their time of need. This event demonstrated the
importance of sound emergency preparedness and highlighted the progress we have
made as a province in terms of our ability to respond to major events. Following
the storm, Premier Ball, along with the Minister of Transportation and Works,
all MHAs representing affected districts and I travelled to the impacted
communities to survey the damages and meet the families that were impacted by
the storm's devastation.
In the
response phase of this emergency, teams followed protocol and were on the ground
within hours of the event. We were in constant contact with officials throughout
the response. Services, schools and roads were opened quickly and individual
community needs were addressed efficiently.
Mr.
Speaker, we worked closely with the federal government to ensure an early
rollout of the Newfoundland and Labrador Disaster Financial Assistance
Program. All municipalities have been advised of eligible criteria requirements
under the Disaster Financial Assistance Program.
To date,
the Department of Municipal Affairs has received 145 private sector claims,
which include individual claims, small businesses and not for profit. All of
these claims are being processed by the Disaster Financial Assistance division.
Mr.
Speaker, the total estimated costs for municipal infrastructure damages are
between $6 million and $7 million. The province continues to work closely with
the federal government to ensure all necessary federal approvals are in place to
access federal funding.
I would
like also to thank local women and men who assisted their neighbours in their
time of need, and I want to acknowledge the hard work of all municipalities,
first responders, employees, town councils and the RCMP for their efforts. Our
government will continue to work with all levels of government, organizations
and homeowners in the recovery phase of this storm.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Before I recognize the Member
for Fortune Bay Cape La Hune, I remind Members of the Legislature that we can
only refer to another Member by district or their title.
The hon.
the Member for Fortune Bay Cape La Hune.
MS. PERRY:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I thank
the minister for an advance copy of his statement and for his prompt assistance
during our plight, along with our Premier, who came to visit right away. So on
behalf of myself and residents of Fortune Bay Cape La Hune, we thank you.
We, too,
in the Official Opposition office join with the government and express our
sincere appreciation to all those who provided assistance during the rainstorm.
From the emergency responders to those who helped reopen roadways and bridges,
and to the volunteer and not-for-profit groups who supplied hospitality to those
individuals stranded on our roadways, we offer you a heartfelt thank you.
Mr.
Speaker, my district was particularly impacted by the Thanksgiving rainstorm.
The rain and flooding caused serious damage to local infrastructure, roads and
bridges were washed out, and many communities were isolated for several days.
During the days that followed the storm I received many calls from residents
needing assistance.
On
behalf of those residents, I would like to thank the local officials, first
responders, service crews, volunteers and residents for their tireless efforts
and care. I would also like to extend a very special thank you to those
individuals who helped and are continuing to help restore the infrastructure in
Fortune Bay Cape La Hune and across affected areas of the province.
Thank
you all so very much.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for St.
John's East Quidi Vidi.
MS. MICHAEL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I thank
the minister for an advance copy of his statement.
Fire and
Emergency Services did great work during the recent October rainstorm. We all
commend them. I also congratulate municipalities for the support they provided
in their communities. With the advent of climate change there will be more and
more extreme weather events. I hope the minister has a plan in place to ensure
municipalities get all the resources and support they need as they face the
realities of climate change.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Further statements by
ministers?
Oral
Questions.
Oral Questions
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the
Opposition.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. P. DAVIS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr.
Speaker, for more than two years the Premier has been saying that he had a plan
for Newfoundland and Labrador. He promised the LEAP plan, the Liberal Economic
Action Plan. He promised a plan from The Road Ahead tour. He, through the
election campaign, promised A Plan for a
Stronger Tomorrow. And just last week they unveiled
The Way Forward: A Vision.
A full
year in office without a plan. The people of our province remain concerned about
the state of our province and the leadership of this government. They're worried
about heightened tax fees put on them by the Liberal government. They're worried
about the economy and the future of our province.
I ask
the Premier: Why should people buy into your latest promise?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Premier.
PREMIER BALL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Well, I
would guess one reason why they should buy into this commitment and this vision,
this plan that we put forward is because it's really the only one that they've
seen in the last 12 years.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
PREMIER BALL:
Mr. Speaker, what we laid out
to the public over the last number of weeks was really a part of a process that
started last January. It saw the engagement of over a thousand Newfoundlanders
and Labradorians from the business community, from the labour community, from
our communities in general. So there was quite a piece of work that went into
leading up to the release of a vision.
What we
did put in place very different than what we've seen from the previous
administration is actually put targets in place. What we would be doing in the
first six months, what would happen in six to 18 months, and then 18 months and
beyond. First and foremost, the foundation for any plan, I say, Mr. Speaker, is
to put in place a secure financial foundation. Because what we've known from the
past administration is one that was weakened by their mismanagement and their
poor planning.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the
Opposition.
MR. P. DAVIS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
So the
Premier hasn't provided any reason why people should actually buy into his plan.
He likes to go back in history lessons. We don't mind doing that as well, Mr.
Speaker, because I can tell you, there's a lot of good that happened over the
last decade. I don't mind standing here and saying that as well; but, Mr.
Speaker, no doubt there are challenges in the future for Newfoundlanders and
Labradorians and in the province. We are the only party who talked about that
leading into the election last year.
I ask
the Premier, on his new vision that he disclosed last week and shared with the
people of the province, he also took the time to highlight savings.
Premier:
What savings are you referring to, and what do they amount to?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Premier.
PREMIER BALL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
What we
laid out last week was indeed a seven-year plan to return this province to
surplus. That was laid out, and a matter of fact, just a few weeks prior to that
the Minister of Finance laid out where we were in the fiscal updates. So, Mr.
Speaker, there's an ongoing plan here, as we know, not only to reduce expenses,
to reduce the footprint of government. We've laid that out there. What we've
seen is we've seen a government prior to the last government change, is when you
had to deal with an issue, what they did is they opened up an office, and they
just continue to make a strategy about strategies, I would say.
So what
we continue to see is a footprint of government becoming much larger. We know,
based on the jurisdictional scan that we are doing, some of this, based on the
geography, merely of what we have in our province, this is a very expensive way
to deliver the services that people want. So we will always look for ways to put
in place good, efficient government services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the
Opposition.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. P. DAVIS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
So there
are no details on savings. If you can't provide details on savings, I ask the
Premier this: Are you confident that this plan is going to save taxpayers money
or will it cost them more?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Premier.
PREMIER BALL:
What we'll see this plan do,
Mr. Speaker, is it will create sources of revenue. We will diversify the economy
with this, but we've already put in place the previous administration, when
you look back at where we were, we had the same number of deputy ministers that
we've seen as the Province of Ontario. So we've been able to reduce that by 19
per cent. We've seen the same thing within the communications department where
we've reduced that by nearly 30 per cent. We've seen it also within the ADM
level.
So what
we've seen from the previous administration is a very expensive model to deliver
services. Quite clearly, I will tell you that people in all our engagements said
this: Do not waste our money. Make sure that the footprint of government is one
that fits the services that we depend on.
Mr.
Speaker, that is what we are doing with this
Way Forward vision statement.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the
Opposition.
MR. P. DAVIS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
So the
Premier can't say if it's going to save taxpayers money or cost them more. Mr.
Speaker, recently the Muskrat Falls Project was shut down for several days while
the Premier sat idly by.
I ask
the Premier: What was the cost resulting from the shutdown of the Muskrat Falls
Project?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Premier.
PREMIER BALL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Well, I
take exception to the fact that the former premier says we sat idly by. That was
not the case. We were involved in this for every minute, every hour that this
was an active file.
Indeed,
the former premier, after a 12½-hour marathon meeting that we had with our
Aboriginal leaders, should be ashamed to say that someone was ever sitting idly
by because if they had to have done their work and planned for this project, Mr.
Speaker, we would not be in this situation that we're into.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
PREMIER BALL:
Keep in mind, this is the
person the day after, prior to looking at this, said he wasn't familiar with the
issue around methylmercury as it affected Aboriginal communities. He didn't even
bother when he was the premier of this province to make himself familiar with
the science that was going on.
So I
take exception to the fact that this former premier thinks that someone was
sitting idly by. It was not the case.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the
Opposition.
MR. P. DAVIS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Premier,
there's no need to be angry here today. We're only asking questions on behalf of
the people. Your own minister agreed with our assessment and our plan on
methylmercury back in June, but changed his plan this fall, I say to the
Premier.
So,
Premier, if you can't tell us what the cost is resulting from the shutdown of
Muskrat Falls, are you able to provide the people of the province with an
updated timeline on the project itself and the construction of the project? If
you don't have the cost resulting from the shutdown, can you give us an update
on the timelines? Do you know that?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
I remind
all hon. Members that the only person I wish to hear from, especially during
Question Period, is the person that has been recognized to speak. I don't want
to start this session off on the wrong foot. I'm not going to tolerate Members
interrupting other Members' speaking time.
The hon.
the Premier.
PREMIER BALL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Well,
there's no doubt any time you see a major project that was shut down as a result
of the actions that took place on that project a few weeks ago, there were
significant costs. The costs are not fully developed or finalized yet. It's too
early to tell. What we do know is it will impact schedule and it will impact
cost. Once the numbers are determined, of course, these will be shared, as we
normally get with updates on the Muskrat Falls Project.
I would
also say, Mr. Speaker, when you look at what we've had to deal with on the
Muskrat Falls Project, it really anchors us back to the fact that they were not
prepared, the proper amount of preparation that was required on this megaproject
when you look at companies like Astaldi, the contracts that were put in place,
they were put in place, sanctioned by the previous administration.
Keep in
mind, we did not support this project; we inherited this project. There's a
significant investment made here now with public funds. Our job right now is to
get it back on track and get the schedule back in place.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the
Opposition.
MR. P. DAVIS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr.
Speaker, the Premier hasn't provided an update on cost or on timelines. Now, the
CEO this morning made an estimate; he said there was an impact of two to three
months on the construction project itself. He estimated a $200 million to $300
million impact. Now, obviously the Premier is not aware of this.
I'll ask
the Premier: When can you provide an update to the House of Assembly?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Premier.
PREMIER BALL:
Mr. Speaker, there's a big
gap between $200 million and $300 million. What he asked for was: What were the
costs? Well, I could easily say between $200 million and $300 million; that's
what was reported this morning, but that's a big gap. I'd like to have numbers
that is kind of like the way they budgeted before. Remember, it was them who
said it was going to be around $1.1 billion and it was $2.2 billion. So I'm not
surprised they would not be concerned about the details when it comes to
budgeting or a schedule, Mr. Speaker.
This
project right now, there's no doubt about it, has come with significant
challenges to the people of this province. Also, if you remember, it was a
previous administration that said we would not have to worry about borrowing for
Muskrat Falls because, as a government, they said this: We are flush with cash.
I wonder how he feels about that statement today.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Opposition House
Leader.
MR. HUTCHINGS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr.
Speaker, since Budget 2016 we've seen
reversals on closing of libraries, closing of courts and health care decisions.
I ask
the Minister of Finance: What is the net effect on
Budget 2016 and these changes, and where will these costs be made
up?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Finance and President of Treasury Board.
MS. C. BENNETT:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I thank
the Member opposite for the question.
As we
shared with the people of the province, and certainly the Members of this House
on October 27 as part of our fall fiscal update, we revised our deficit for this
fiscal year from $1.8 billion to $1.58 billion, which is a reduction of $250
million over what we had forecast.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS. C. BENNETT:
That number comes from an
improvement in revenue and also from an adjustment to the revenue risk
adjustment. As well, we've been able to reduce our borrowing requirements by
$500 million.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Opposition House
Leader.
MR. HUTCHINGS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
She
wasn't able to answer the question.
Mr.
Speaker, Budget 2016 identified cuts
of 450 FTEs in agencies, boards and commissions and 200 in core government.
I ask
the minister: How many of these 450 FTEs represented jobs? Have all of these
people been terminated and what is the net savings?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Finance and President of Treasury Board.
MS. C. BENNETT:
Mr. Speaker, I would take
exception to what the Member opposite said in his preamble to his question. The
information I provided to him was an explanation of where we are, at a very high
level on the expenses and on the revenues for the province as part of our fiscal
update.
I'll
take great exception to the fact that the Member opposite likes to refer to the
fact that he believes people can't answer questions. I'm very prepared to answer
his questions. On the information he asked around the FTEs, I will make sure
that I have the exact information for that Member and provide it to him in the
next day or so.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Opposition House
Leader.
MR. HUTCHINGS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
So let's
be clear, the Minister of Finance is telling us she had 450 FTEs in her budget
last spring that she was going to take out of the public service. Today she
stands in the House and she can't give us details on those 450 FTEs. No wonder
we're in the state we're in in the province, Mr. Speaker, right now over the
past 12 months.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
I'm restarting the clock.
The hon.
the Opposition House Leader.
MR. HUTCHINGS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr.
Speaker, I ask the Minister of Finance: Are the Liberal appointments of deputy
ministers, assistant deputy ministers and communication directors replacing
prior FTE cuts from Budget 2016?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Finance and President of Treasury Board.
MS. C. BENNETT:
Mr. Speaker, the Member
opposite is inferring that I'm not aware of information inside my departments,
and I can assure the Member opposite quite unequivocally that the operations
inside the Department of Finance, as well as the Human Resources Secretariat,
get my full and undivided attention. So much so that this year our government
has been able to say to the people of the province that we had a $1.8 billion
deficit that we expected we would be achieving, and we were able to come out at
the mid-year and say we had improved that number by $250 million.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS. C. BENNETT:
Quite frankly, I think that's
performance.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Opposition House
Leader.
MR. HUTCHINGS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
So on
top of it, she couldn't tell me what the 450 full-time equivalents were or if
they would be terminated based on the budget in 2016.
Mr.
Speaker, a budget is a plan, or may I say a vision of how to lead forward. In
Budget 2016 you advised people of the province of a supplementary budget to
address expenditures.
I ask
the minister: The Premier disagreed with this we understand, why the fiscal
change on this?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Finance and President of Treasury Board.
MS. C. BENNETT:
Mr. Speaker, let me assure
the people of the province who are watching this today, and the Members
opposite, that our government is extremely unified in how we intend to solve the
financial situation that we as a people must face.
Last
week the Premier announced the vision, The
Way Forward, which is a sustainable plan with 50 initiatives in it, Mr.
Speaker, that we will implement and we will report with a scorecard on our
implementation process as part of budget '17-'18. Quite frankly, Mr. Speaker, I
believe the people of the province the feedback has been positive, and with 50
initiatives with very clear outputs, we're very proud of that piece of work.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Opposition House
Leader.
MR. HUTCHINGS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr.
Speaker, Quebec is receiving $10 billion in equalization while forecasting a $2
billion surplus. Nova Scotia is getting $1.7 billion; yet, Newfoundland is
running a deficit and not seeing a penny in equalization.
I ask
the Minister of Finance: Have you made any effort to advocate for equalization
from the federal government for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Finance and President of Treasury Board.
MS. C. BENNETT:
Mr. Speaker, I'm very proud
to stand in this House of Assembly and speak to the incredible work that our
Premier and our colleagues on this side of the House of Assembly have been doing
with our federal counterparts successfully, I might add to help lighten the
burden of the financial situation that we're faced with in our province.
Recently, there was an announcement of a $2.9 billion enhanced federal loan
guarantee which will help reduce the costs associated with the Muskrat Falls
Project, Mr. Speaker. In addition to that, we've seen actions that are very
broad, including things like removing the tariffs from the boats that were
purchased by the former administration without even considering the tariffs on
those boats.
We have
been working very hard with our officials and colleagues in Ottawa and we will
continue to do that. We will continue to bring back results.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Opposition House
Leader.
MR. HUTCHINGS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The
minister didn't indicate if she was advocating on behalf of Newfoundland and
Labrador. All that she referenced in regard to funding from the federal
government, we certainly applaud that, but there's a federal program under
equalization that we should have access to.
In her
fiscal update, the minister talked it wasn't a supplementary budget, it was an
update. The minister herself acknowledged the unfairness of the current
equalization program.
So I ask
her again: Why are you not talking to the federal government about a fair share
of equalization for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Finance and President of Treasury Board.
MS. C. BENNETT:
Mr. Speaker, not only are we
advocating, but we're getting results. I just listed a large number of them,
including a $2.9 billion loan guarantee that this government has been able to
bring to fruition for the people of the province against the Muskrat Falls
Project which is a huge success.
When it
comes to equalization, Mr. Speaker, I would remind the Member opposite that the
equalization formula as it is implemented today was negotiated and agreed to by
the former administration.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Mount
Pearl North.
MR. KENT:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Economic
diversification was mentioned quite often in the Liberal's 2015 election
campaign. They even promised a LEAP plan which doesn't exist. One year later,
still no real plan.
I ask
the Premier: When can the people of Newfoundland and Labrador expect to see your
plan to grow our economy?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Business, Tourism, Culture and Rural Development.
MR. MITCHELMORE:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I thank
the Member opposite for the question. Our Department of Business, Tourism,
Culture and Rural Development is very active in taking on initiatives to talk to
business in the community, to grow the economy. With the Premier's
Way Forward and the vision statement,
we're taking on a number of initiatives to work to grow broadband in the economy
so that people have more competitive business.
Also,
we're improving our service standards, looking at our programming. We are
looking at ways of which we can attract and grow more business in Newfoundland
and Labrador in many cases throughout the province and we're seeing success.
We have
been working with the arts community as well when it comes to status of the
artist legislation. There are a number of initiatives that the Department of
Business is taking to grow and diversify the economy right here to deliver
tangible results.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Mount
Pearl North.
MR. KENT:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The
minister's department is indeed busy carrying out initiatives that were launched
by the previous administration.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. KENT:
I ask the Premier: What
specifically has your administration done to strengthen the economy since taking
office one year ago?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Business, Tourism, Culture and Rural Development.
MR. MITCHELMORE:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I can
speak quite candidly that we've delivered broadband Internet to 16 communities
across the province in Newfoundland and Labrador since January of this year.
We've also invested $6.2 million to leverage 20 additional million dollars in
various programs for market, business development. We've been working with a
number of business clients to grow and diversity the economy.
Our
tourism numbers this year have been tremendous when it comes to initiatives
undertaken. We did a new launch of a tourism ad. We've been taking a number of
approaches when we work with our operators.
We have
a vision to get through destination development planning and product development
to really grow and enhance our tourism industry, and all other aspects of the
economy. We're really going to be doing things on innovation.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Mount
Pearl North.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. KENT:
Mr. Speaker, the minister
talks about tourism and rural broadband. I thank the minister for proving my
point.
The
Liberals are projecting that our province will lose 33,000 jobs in the next five
years.
I ask
the Premier: Do you have a concrete plan to support job growth? Can you show it
to us, because it's certainly not in your vision statement?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Business, Tourism, Culture and Rural Development.
MR. MITCHELMORE:
Mr. Speaker, I would say to
the Member opposite that no government owns the tourism industry or owns an
infrastructure aspect.
We're
taking on a number of strategic initiatives that we're doing here as a
government when it comes to innovation, when it comes to regional pilot
projects. We're working with the small business sector because we believe that
small business is the backbone of the economy. We will map that out and make
sure there are additional jobs created with small business. Working with my
colleagues, the Minister of Advanced Education and Skills, when it comes to
looking at the College of the North Atlantic and how we modernize, and work with
business incubation, work with the social enterprise, when we talk with my
colleague for Seniors, Children and Social Development.
We're a
government that's working together as a team: Natural Resources, Fisheries and
Agrifoods. We're going to grow the economy.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Mount
Pearl North.
MR. KENT:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Today is
World Diabetes Day.
I ask
the minister: Can he please provide an update on the Liberal's promise of
diabetes prevention and management program?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Health and Community Services.
MR. HAGGIE:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
I
welcome the question. The program development is proceeding. The issue currently
with us is converting a registry into a database for diabetes management. We are
drawing on some legislation to try and deal with the privacy issues about
converting what is a database into a registry. The gentleman opposite will
remember some of those challenges from his time, I'm sure.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Conception Bay East Bell Island.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. BRAZIL:
Mr. Speaker, the Premier
campaigned on if you can't listen, you can't lead.
I ask
the Premier: Will you listen to the NLTA and the hundreds of teachers requesting
that you remove the Minister of Education from Cabinet?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Premier.
PREMIER BALL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Well,
the answer I will tell you now is no. I will not be replacing the minister.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
PREMIER BALL:
Mr. Speaker, I can give you
some very good reasons. In the minister's mandate letter we talked about
actually putting in place a Premier's Task Force on Improving Educational
Outcomes. The minister has done that. Also, around school board elections,
something that the previous administration said they were going to do, often
said they were going to do. Then they said they were going to do it again, but
guess what, never did it. The minister has delivered on that on November 22 of
this year.
We have
a number of people around our province that showed significant interest in this.
I encourage people to get out and participate. The minister has delivered on
that, also, on full-day kindergarten. So the minister has done a very good job
in some very trying times, but he has my confidence.
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Conception Bay East Bell Island.
MR. BRAZIL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
My
understanding is you're right, a number of people do want to run. It's because
they need to help fix the education system and the state it's in right now.
The
Minister of Education received a mandate letter from the Premier to act with
integrity in all aspects of his service. Based on the responses from the school
councils, the Child Care Coalition and the NLTA, does the Premier think that the
Education Minister has shown integrity when dealing with stakeholders?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Premier.
PREMIER BALL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
When you
look at where the education system is in our province, we've made a big
commitment. Education is a priority for us. As a matter of fact, if it wasn't
for the fact that we find ourselves in a situation where debt servicing is now
surpassing education, based on where they didn't prepare our education system to
where it is today, there would be more money to spend on education.
Education is a priority for us. We respect the fact that we have teachers that
are working very hard to deliver the education where we need to be in our K to
12 system as we do with early childhood educators, Mr. Speaker.
These
are very difficult times within the system right now, but the Minister of
Education is doing a very good job in these very challenging times. We've put in
place an offer to meet with the NLTA and that offer still exists.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Conception Bay East Bell Island for a very quick question.
MR. BRAZIL:
Mr. Speaker, when will the
Minister of Education meet with stakeholders, particularly those bus operators,
to ensure that all school buses carrying children are safe in this province?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Municipal Affairs for a very quick response.
MR. JOYCE:
Mr. Speaker, we take bus
safety very seriously in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. We thank all
the workers who are out inspecting our buses.
I'll
have a further question later if you want to question tomorrow on the
inspection process, Mr. Speaker. We all, on this side, take buses very
seriously, the safety of our children very seriously, Mr. Speaker, and we work
very hard with all stakeholders in the province to ensure that the buses are
safe.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for St.
John's East Quidi Vidi.
MS. MICHAEL:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
Last
week the Premier presented what he called a vision statement which says nothing
about job creation objectives. With 6,500 jobs lost last month and unemployment
increasing monthly, government speaks only of cuts and firings.
I ask
the Premier: After a year in power, what plans does this government have? What
is his vision to address the job crisis?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Premier.
PREMIER BALL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Well,
the plan did not just address where we'd need to be in putting in place a
leaner, flatter way of delivering services within our province, which is what
really taxpayers, the people that actually use their hard-earned money to pay
for the services, which they have told me in vast in many, many occasions in
making sure that you run an efficient government. They have said that
un-categorically, no matter where we'd go.
Creating
the new sources of revenue is really within
The Way Forward documentation in many,
many ways. We've put in place targets around agriculture, around how we would
use forestry, as an example; how we would work with our offshore industry, how
we would work with small business in general. That is within this document. As
has been mentioned, there are nearly 50 initiatives there; how we reduce health
care costs, making sure we have health in all policies, as an example, Mr.
Speaker. There are lots of good examples here of how we would create employment.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for St.
John's East Quidi Vidi.
MS. MICHAEL:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
Looking
for the word jobs in that statement is a real job, Mr. Speaker, I say.
In his
mandate letter to himself, the Premier says,
building a stronger, smarter
economy requires diversification, job creation and growth.
I ask
the Premier: After a year in power, what has he done of any significance for
diversification, job creation or growth?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Premier.
PREMIER BALL:
Mr. Speaker, when you look at
any business application, whether it's a community, it could be an association,
it could be a business, as an example, one of the things that you have to do is
establish secure financial footing. You have to do that. It is essential.
We have
worked very hard this year. When you look at where we were with a $2.7 billion
deficit, we would have seen debt-servicing costs in our province create further
we'd create more damage, I would say, and we would see more job losses, in
fact, I'd say, Mr. Speaker, based on where we were going.
So we
had to put in place a financial footing that could be dependent. Well, we've
done that. We've reduced from $2.7 billion currently down to just shy of $1.6
billion. That has been our focus this year, I would say, so far. We've done a
very good job. We're working with all Cabinet and caucus in getting that secure
foundation in place.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for St.
John's Centre.
MS. ROGERS:
Mr. Speaker, in September our
community was shocked by Scotsburn's announcement they were closing their ice
cream plant in St. John's Centre, losing over 170 well-paying jobs, also
resulting in a significant economic loss to the province.
Mr.
Speaker, I ask the Premier: Did he or any of his ministers meet with Scotsburn
management to see whether anything could be done to address the company's
concerns and prevent the loss of these valuable jobs?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Fisheries, Forestry and Agrifoods.
MR. CROCKER:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I thank
the hon. Member for the question. The answer is yes, as a department, we did
meet with Scotsburn on the closure of the ice cream plant here in St. John's;
and, like you, we were disappointed by the decision. Scotsburn did assure us
that this decision was one they made as a company and, at this time, they
weren't going to revisit the decision.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for St.
John's Centre.
MS. ROGERS:
Mr. Speaker, I ask the
minister: What was the outcome of his meeting with Scotsburn? What, if anything,
anything at all, did he do to try and protect these manufacturing jobs?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Fisheries, Forestry and Agrifoods.
MR. CROCKER:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Like I
said in the earlier response, we met with the company. The company made it clear
this was business decision that they weren't, at this time, prepared to revisit.
We're working with the dairy industry, the Dairy Farmers of Newfoundland and
Labrador, to ensure a successful transition as we move forward with the industry
in this province.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for St.
John's Centre, for a very quick question.
MS. ROGERS:
So, Mr. Speaker, I ask the
minister, what is he doing to concretely help these workers who have lost their
well-paying manufacturing jobs. What are they doing for their way forward?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Fisheries, Forestry and Agrifoods.
MR. CROCKER:
Again, thank you, Mr.
Speaker.
We're
working diligently with the Dairy Farmers of Newfoundland and Labrador to find
outlets for our industrial milk in this province. It's not easy, but we will
continue to work with the dairy farmers in the province.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The time for Question Period
has expired.
Presenting Reports by Standing and Select Committees.
Tabling
of Documents.
Tabling of
Documents
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Finance and President of Treasury Board.
MS. C. BENNETT:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Pursuant
to section 26(5)(a) of the Financial
Administration Act, I'm tabling 10 orders-in-council relating to funding
pre-commitments for the 2017-18 to 2022-23 fiscal years.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER:
In accordance with section
19(5)(a) the House of Assembly
Accountability, Integrity and Administration Act, I hereby table the minutes
of the House of Assembly Management Commission meetings held on September 22,
November 6 of 2015; March 16, March 23, May 30, June 29, July 15 of 2016.
Further
tabling of documents?
Notices
of Motion.
Notices of Motion
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Municipal Affairs.
MR. JOYCE:
Mr. Speaker, I would like to
give notice that I will ask leave to introduce a bill entitled, An Act To Amend
The Works, Services And Transportation Act, Bill 40.
Mr.
Speaker, I would also like to give notice that I will ask leave to introduce a
bill entitled, An Act To Amend The Highway Traffic Act, Bill 42.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Government House
Leader.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Mr. Speaker, I give notice
that I will ask leave to introduce a bill entitled, An Act To Create Safe Access
Zones Around Facilities And Homes Of Doctors And Service Providers Providing Or
Facilitating Abortion Services, Bill 43.
MR. SPEAKER:
Further notices of motion?
The hon.
the Member for Virginia Waters Pleasantville.
MR. B. DAVIS:
I'd like to give notice of a
motion for a private Member's resolution:
WHEREAS
the upgrading and development of road infrastructure is of paramount importance
to the economic future of Newfoundland and Labrador; and
WHEREAS
the traditional approach to road construction has led to momentous traffic
backups, delays and frustration for citizens, tourists and businesses alike; and
WHEREAS
it can be shown that night-time paving will significantly reduce the negative
impact of road construction through traffic slowdowns and travel delays;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that this hon. House supports the Government of
Newfoundland and Labrador's initiative to implement a pilot project early in
2017 which uses night-time paving as its primary method of completing of work.
This is
moved by the Member for Virginia Waters Pleasantville and seconded by the
Member for Harbour Grace Port de Grave.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Government House
Leader.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Yes, Mr. Speaker, pursuant to
Standing Order 63, the private Member's resolution just read by the Member for
Virginia Waters Pleasantville is the one to be debated this Wednesday.
MR. SPEAKER:
While it's unusual for
speakers to give notices of motion this is, I think, the first time for our
Legislature. But according to the legislation, I give notice that I will
tomorrow place a resolution before the House of Assembly as follows:
WHEREAS
section 85 of the Access to Information
and Protection of Privacy Act, 2015 provides that the Office of the
Information and Privacy Commissioner be filled by the Lieutenant Governor in
Council on resolution of the House of Assembly; and
WHEREAS
section 85 further provides that the Speaker establish a selection committee for
that purpose; and
WHEREAS
the Selection Committee was established and that Committee submitted a roster of
qualified candidates to the Speaker of the House of Assembly; and
WHEREAS
section 89 provides that the Lieutenant Governor may, on the recommendation of
the House of Assembly Management Commission, appoint an acting commissioner if
the office becomes vacant; and
WHEREAS
the office was vacated and Mr. Donovan Molloy was, on the recommendation of the
Selection Committee, appointed in an acting capacity on July 22, 2016;
NOW
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Mr. Donovan Molloy be appointed as the Information
and Privacy Commissioner.
Further
notices of motion?
Answers
to Questions for which Notice has been Given.
Petitions.
Petitions
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Mount Pearl Southlands.
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 residents of Newfoundland
and Labrador humbly sheweth:
WHEREAS
many students within our province depend on school busing for transportation to
and from school each day; and
WHEREAS
there has been a number of buses removed from service over the past few weeks
for safety reasons, calling into question the current inspection and enforcement
protocols for school buses in this province; and
WHEREAS
there have been concerns raised by members of the busing industry regarding
government's tendering practices as it relates to the provision of school bus
services in the province; and
WHEREAS
there are many parents throughout our province who have raised both scheduling,
as well as safety concerns, regarding the English School District's
1.6-kilometre policy, the courtesy-seating policy, the new double-bus run
schedule, as well as overcrowding on school buses;
WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the House
of Assembly to urge the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to strike an
all-party committee on school busing to consult with stakeholders and make
recommendations to government for the improvement of the school busing system in
our province.
And as
in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.
Mr.
Speaker, I think the petition is pretty self-explanatory. There are a number of
issues that have been raised now around school busing. In fairness to the
current administration, pretty much all of these issues existed when the other
administration was in power but changes weren't made. The issues continue today.
Certainly it's been exacerbated, the issue about the 1.6 kilometre rule, which
apparently wasn't being applied in a lot of areas of the province is now being
applied. There have been changes around that; implications on courtesy seating,
and certainly the new double busing run and the implications that is having on
families is a concern as well.
Whereas
there are so many issues around busing, they span different departments, Service
NL as well as Education, then it's suggested, Mr. Speaker, that the best
solution would be to have an all-party committee to look at all of the busing
issues in the province, make recommendations to improve it for the children of
Newfoundland and Labrador.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for St.
John's Centre.
MS. ROGERS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
To the
hon. House of Assembly of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in
Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents humbly sheweth:
WHEREAS
government has once again cut the libraries budget forcing the closure of 54
libraries; and
WHEREAS
libraries are often the backbone of their communities
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MS. ROGERS:
Mr. Speaker, I can hardly
hear myself here.
Thank
you.
WHEREAS
libraries are often the backbone of their communities, especially for those with
little access to government services where they offer learning opportunities and
computer access; and
WHEREAS
libraries and librarians are critical in efforts to improve the province's
literacy levels which are among the lowest in Canada; and
WHEREAS
already strapped municipalities are not in a position to take over the operation
and cost of libraries;
WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the House
of Assembly to urge government to keep these libraries open and work on a
long-term plan to strengthen the library system.
And as
in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.
Mr.
Speaker, this petition, this group of petitioners are from Greenspond, and the
idea of a public library in Greenspond was born at a public meeting on March 27,
1946. So that was quite a while ago, and they have the objective of creating a
sustainable memorial to five men from Greenspond who lost their lives in combat
during World War II. So for them, their library was an important, crucial part
of their community and they did it in honour of these men who lost their lives
in combat. It was officially opened as a war memorial on July 22, 1949.
Mr.
Speaker, one might think, why are people still signing petitions? Because they
have no confidence in this government right now to do the right thing and keep
their libraries open. We know there's been an ongoing consultation with many
communities about the roles their library plays, but most citizens were
absolutely shocked that this government decided to close half the libraries in
the province we, with the lowest literacy rate in the country.
So, Mr.
Speaker, the people of the province have no confidence in this government to do
the right thing. That's why they're still signing petitions, that's why they're
still having community meetings, and that's why they're still asking us to stand
in this House to speak on their behalf, to petition this government to do the
right thing and not close their very valuable libraries.
So, Mr.
Speaker, I think it's fitting to present this particular petition from the
people of Greenspond, because of the origin of their library. Why the people
invested their own time and money to open their library it was so important to
them and continues to be so.
Thank
you very much.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Fortune Bay Cape La Hune.
MS. PERRY:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
To the
hon. House of Assembly of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in
Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents humbly sheweth:
WHEREAS
the people of Fortune Bay Cape La Hune need to have access to adequate health
care; and
WHEREAS
the local clinics in rural areas are the main source of medical assistance for
our people; and
WHEREAS
the government has reduced funding and closed the Hermitage clinics and
downgraded services;
WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the House
of Assembly to urge government to reinstate the services to health care in rural
Newfoundland and Labrador.
Mr.
Speaker, since the clinic in Hermitage has closed, over the last few months
we've seen a significant increase in anxiety, particularly for our seniors who
now, with facing winter arriving, are very, very worried about what will happen
to their medical care.
We have
issues around people not being able to get to Harbour Breton to get their blood
tested, and they're on medications, Mr. Speaker, like warfarin. This type of
regressive cuts to health care will do nothing to improve our state of
well-being as a people.
Looking
at the vision document last Thursday, I have some fears and concerns about what
that means for health care particularly rural health care for the entire
Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. I encourage every, single citizen of this
province to take a keen interest and a close eye, and to voice your concerns
about what you see happening in health care.
We, in
rural Newfoundland, do not need more people who can deliver presentations or
more managers. We need more front-line nurses and doctors, and more nurse
practitioners. That is where we see, as livyers in rural Newfoundland and
Labrador, the greatest need for health care. You can send us a brochure about
how to eat better. You can send us Facebook notices and emails. There are all
kinds of ways of getting the message out.
What we
need in health care in rural Newfoundland and Labrador are doctors and nurses
and clinics. We need them to be open; we need them to be accessible. We are
geographically spread out as a province and we need those front-line services in
our communities, or certainly within close proximity, and I don't mean driving
an hour or two over highways that are not even snow cleared.
So, Mr.
Speaker, we call upon government to seriously evaluate what it's doing with
health care and to look at improving it, not eroding it.
Thank
you so much.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Conception Bay South.
MR. PETTEN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
To the
hon. House of Assembly of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in
Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents of Newfoundland
and Labrador humbly sheweth:
WHEREAS
policing is vital to the protection and the service of our province's
communities;
WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the House
of Assembly to urge government to increase the presence of law enforcement in
the Conception Bay South area.
As in
duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.
Mr.
Speaker, I'm not sure of the number, but this has been numerous, numerous of
these petitions I've presented. Through my travels through the district, it's
still a big issue.
Recently, a few months back, I spoke publicly on it. A lot of people in the
district had a lot of concerns, raised a lot of concerns. By a few recent, I
guess, serious crimes now, more policing wouldn't have stopped those crimes from
happening, but it just reaffirmed people's belief that they don't feel as safe
in their communities as they once did.
A lot of
that is the evolution of the town; it's one of the largest municipalities in the
province. And with that comes increased crime and whatnot. But most people in
the community don't feel there's adequate policing. There has been improvement,
there has been more presence, there's no doubt, but a town the size of CBS does
require I think it's earned the right to have its own dedicated detachment
office.
I know
there were some public comments made in the media shortly after I spoke publicly
on it stating that there was an office there that the public didn't use;
therefore, that's why it was closed. Just to add to that commentary, because I
never responded at the time, but I will now. That office was not really a public
office. There was a little sign over the door. It was more meant for officers to
come in and complete their work via computer.
As we
all know now, computers are readily accessible in the police vehicles; they no
longer require that building. But anyone requiring any service of any sort from
the RNC had to either go to Mount Pearl or Fort Townshend. That office didn't
provide service to the public as was stated. So that was somewhat misleading and
I just wanted to clarify it.
People
come to you and you speak to them on a daily basis not only daily, but I mean
you run into them and the topic comes up their views have not changed. And
there's an acknowledgement that there is an improvement in the number of police
vehicles patrolling the community.
Response
times are everything, Mr. Speaker. If anyone is familiar with CBS, if you have
an incident in Seal Cove or Topsail, both at various ends of the district, and
another police vehicle is already gone to Fort Townshend, you're operating most
times with two, three if you're lucky. The response times to get to those from
one end of that town to the other as we all know, it's a large district. I
think response times are a problem on certain crimes, not all, but it's just a
matter of more police presence. I believe that a town the size of almost 27,000
people does deserve the proper attention, to have its own detachment.
I call
upon government, as I've done many times in the past and I'll probably continue
to do with these petitions I have a lot of them to give some serious
consideration to that.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Cape
St. Francis.
MR. K. PARSONS:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
To the
hon. House of Assembly of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in
Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents of Newfoundland
and Labrador humbly sheweth:
WHEREAS
fisheries policy regulations link harvesting quotas to vessel length for various
species; and
WHEREAS
many harvesters own vessels of various sizes but, because of policy regulations,
are restricted to using smaller vessels, often putting their crews in danger;
WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the House
of Assembly to urge the government to make representation to the federal
government to encourage them to change policy, thus ensuring the safety of
fisheries harvesters in our province.
And as
in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.
This is
a petition that I presented several times in the last session. Mr. Speaker, I
know that this is important in your district, as recently we saw the devastation
in the community of Shea Heights where they lost four members of that community
out fishing in a small vessel. It seems like every year we come back to the
House of Assembly there's always a tragedy that we talk about on the water.
Some of
these tragedies can be avoided. It is so important I have friends of mine that
fish the crab fishery, for example, and they use six different boats to go out
and catch crab. The cost alone to getting those boats ready and everything else
but if you look at what they have in their vessels from the six boats from their
best vessel to the worse one they got, we should be ensuring that our fish
harvesters are out on the water in the safest vessel possible. It's too late
when we see what happened here in St. John's, and that could happen anywhere
else in the province when people are out in small boats and tragedy happens.
Again
like I said, the fishery today and I know the Minister of Fisheries, because
we spoke of this several times, does agree with me. I just want to see us put
regulations in place and encourage the federal government to put regulations in
place that our fish harvesters are safe. They have to go home to their families.
I have
family members that do fish and every time that they are out on the water, it's
always concern. It's not only in rural Newfoundland; it's right here in St.
John's. I was over to the Prosser's Rock there the weekend having a look at some
of the boats over there; the place is absolutely blocked with fish harvesters.
If you looked at the good boats that are there, you'd say, okay, I'd have no
problem going out in that one; but there are some boats over there that I
wouldn't want to be in when out on the water in rough seas.
I
encourage and ask government to really put this forward, the safety of our fish
harvesters the people who go out on the water every day should be paramount to
all of us. We should really encourage the federal government I understand why
some of these policies came in place. I understand when we went into the crab
fishery and shell fishery that they had to take care of different sectors, but
right now, we have too many fishermen out on the water in boats that are not
safe and they shouldn't be out there. They have vessels to be safe out on the
water. I encourage government to continue with the policy on this, please.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Conception Bay East Bell Island.
MR. BRAZIL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
To the
hon. House of Assembly of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in
Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents humbly sheweth:
WHEREAS
the education of children is one of the important and vital investments that can
be made in the success of our children; and
WHEREAS
the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador should be choosing educational
options that will provide all students of our province with a higher standard of
education and enhance the learning experience for our youth; and
WHEREAS
the government's decision to make cuts to teachers and to our education system
will have a negative effect on the students;
WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the House
of Assembly to urge government to reverse the decisions effectively immediately.
Mr.
Speaker, as we've heard here, there's a trend around some of the issues that are
going on within government and this administration has brought in recently,
particularly around education.
As my
colleagues here for Southlands, Mount Pearl North and also for St. John's Centre
had noted here, there are major cuts in our education system and there's a real
awareness here. There's a trend going on here. The trend is they're hearing it
in their districts. They're hearing it from school councils. They're hearing it
from administrators. They're hearing it from parents. They're hearing it from
the business community. Even the business community now are stepping up and
saying the investments that are being taken away from our education system is
going to have a detrimental effect in the next generation's ability to be
leaders in the education system but also in the business sector.
We've
heard it from every sector here around the impacts that we're having. We're
hearing it around changes to our busing, the impact that has on stress on
families. The impact it has on students being able to be part of extracurricular
activities; administrators themselves having to coordinate these types of
efforts. We're seeing it around safety. We're seeing around core French. We're
seeing it around the issues, particularly around blended classrooms and
integration in certain programs and services. We're seeing it from the direct
cuts.
There's
a trend here. There seems to be a commonality here around the fact that our
education system has stepped backwards in the last decisions made by this
administration, and everybody sees that. What they're asking is open up your
minds, open up your eyes and see that we need to take a different approach here.
There's
no doubt there are fiscal challenges here, but this is not the way to deal with
those. You're going to have an impact negatively on our society. It's not in the
best interests of students here. It's not in the best interests of parents and
definitely not in the best interests of our society.
We're
trying to attract families to stay here. The first key thing that people look at
from a family moving into a neighbourhood is the quality of education. One time
it was about the type of school you were in, the amenities it had; now it's
about directly the type of programs and services you offer.
If
you're not offering those to the quality that people expect here we've come a
long way in the last couple of decades, let's continue that trend. We can't do
it when we're continuously cutting education and when we're continuously not
open to listening to the stakeholders about their input to what should be done
and how we should better serve the education system here.
So I'm
encouraging the House, I'm encouraging the government, I'm encouraging the
Minister of Education to go back and look again at the cuts they've made, see
how detrimental they are to our society and ask that they look at the petitions
here and heed the advice given.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Government House
Leader.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Yes, Mr. Speaker, I call
Orders of the Day.
MR. SPEAKER:
Orders of the Day.
Orders of the Day
MR. A. PARSONS:
Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded
by the Minister of Natural Resources, for leave to introduce a bill entitled, An
Act To Amend The Judicature Act, Bill 39, and I further move that the said bill
be now read the first time.
MR. SPEAKER:
It has been moved and
seconded by the hon. the Government House Leader that they shall have leave to
introduce a bill, Bill 39, and that the said bill be now read a first time.
Is it
the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?
All
those in favour?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
MR. SPEAKER:
Those against?
Carried.
Motion,
the hon. the Minister of Justice and Public Safety and Attorney General to
introduce a bill, An Act To Amend The Judicature Act, carried. (Bill 39)
CLERK
(Barnes):
A bill, An Act To Amend The
Judicature Act. (Bill 39)
MR. SPEAKER:
This bill has now been read a
first time.
When
shall the said bill be read a second time?
MR. A. PARSONS:
Tomorrow.
MR. SPEAKER:
Tomorrow.
On
motion, Bill 39 read a first time, ordered read a second time on tomorrow.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Government House
Leader.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Yes, Mr. Speaker, I call from
the Order Paper, Order 1, Address in Reply.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for the
District of Bonavista.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. KING:
Mr. Speaker, it's an honour
for me to rise here today and give my maiden speech as a relatively new MHA for
the historic District of Bonavista. Being an MHA is a lifelong dream of mine
that came true on the evening of November 30, 2015 and was fully realized on
December 18, 2015 when I was sworn in along with the 39 others here today.
I'm
going to start with a little story, and I hope you get a chuckle out of it, but
my maiden speech is certainly not going to hold a candle to the Member for Fogo
Cape Freels. I think that was quite the maiden speech. Growing up I was a sea
cadet, and I'll talk about that further in my speech. After I finished my time
as a cadet, I decided I would help my corps whenever I was available because I
was going to MUN at the time.
Anyway,
in the spring of 2000, RCSCC Golden Hind had their annual ceremonial review in
Catalina. I was feeling pretty good about myself, wearing a beautiful blue suit
I got to get that out there for my friends across the floor that my parents
purchased for me for my cousin's wedding two years prior, and I was waiting for
the event to start.
One of
my friends who volunteered with the corps, Dexter Hicks, was always known for
his sarcastic remark or some put down, all in good fun of course. Figuring that
I would get some sort of put down or insult, I decided to get ahead of it by
saying to Dexter, It's amazing what a cheap suit and shower can do for a man.
His only response was, Yes, Kingy b'y, I spose. Thinking I dodged the bullet,
I had a conversation with Mrs. Jean Elliott who was the president of the navy
league, who'd I'd known for many years as a cadet.
Mrs.
Elliott asked me what I was up to these days, and before I could get the words
out of my mouth, Dexter said: King's a salesman for cheap suits. So here I am 16
years later, still wearing a cheap suit but instead of selling them, I'm
representing my district in the House and trying to sell my constituents on
legislation and government policy. I probably should have been a haberdasher.
Growing
up I lived in Catalina, Trinity Bay, which is where I currently reside.
Catalina, when I was young, was a very prosperous town until the collapse of the
cod fishery in 1992. Almost immediately you could see and feel the devastation
that the cod moratorium had on mine and neighbouring communities, which is in
some instances are still being felt today, 24 years later.
We went
from an economy where anyone who wanted full time, year-round work at good pay
and benefits could have it, to an economy where there are mainly seasonal jobs
at the minimum or lower income wages. This is the case for most of rural
Newfoundland. After sitting on the sidelines, I decided two years ago that I
wanted to become an MHA to try to make a difference in the lives of which I
serve.
As a
youth, I attended Catalina Elementary and Discovery Collegiate in Bonavista. My
interests included sports, mainly volleyball and hockey, the outdoors thanks
to my Uncle Max I became an avid fly fisherman, much like our Premier, and my
Uncle Bruce, a moose hunter politics and student government, and sea cadets.
Each of my four years at Discovery Collegiate I served on student council,
during which I was president in grades 11 and 12. That's one of the reasons I
got interested in politics, and I'll get into that interest in a moment.
My
biggest passion growing up was being a sea cadet with RCSCC #84 Golden Hind in
Catalina. I spent most of my free time for five years being active as I could
within the corps, becoming coxswain during my last year. As a cadet, I attended
sailing camps in Cornwallis, Halifax, and St. John's, finishing as a sailing
instructor with HMCS Avalon here on Quidi Vidi Lake in 1999. I had an
opportunity to do seamanship training off the interior coast of British
Columbia, Vancouver Island. As well, Golden Hind received a trip to Plymouth and
Bristol, England, as part of the Cabot 500 celebrations in 1997. All this led to
a pretty good career with the Royal Canadian Navy. I'll discuss this after I
speak to two very important people in my life.
My
parents have always been a big part of my life. Edward and Linda King are truly
two remarkable people who provided me with a wonderful childhood. They've been
there for me when times were tough, especially when I was battling with
depression and anxiety a few years ago, and they have made countless sacrifices
for me. Those sacrifices mainly come from my military deployments, including
Afghanistan and Libya, where their fear and worry was probably a lot worse than
what I was feeling. When in the theatre of war, your primary focus is on the
task at hand. It is those left behind that patiently wait for an email or phone
call to know that you're all right, pay the bills, and take care of all other
things that we're unable to do.
As a
single guy and an only child, it was up to my parents to man the home front. A
little over two years ago I found it necessary to invite my parents to live with
me in Halifax. My father had just had kidney failure and required dialysis three
days a week. Knowing the hardships they faced by travelling over an hour from
Catalina to Clarenville, I invited them into my home to ease their burden. That
was all well and good for six months or so, but I had other plans and my parents
would have to make another sacrifice. I was going to get into politics and move
back home to Catalina to seek the Liberal nod for Bonavista South; thus, they
would have to make the move back. Now don't feel too bad for them, they were the
ones who got me interested in politics.
A few
months after returning home, dialysis was opened in Bonavista. Getting back to
my interest in politics, in the early '90s my parents were active volunteers and
friends with former Trinity North MHA Doug Oldford. I vividly remember the
by-election in 1991, where I was nine years old going around knocking on doors
and hanging out in campaign offices throughout the district.
Once
Doug got the victory on that cold February night, I was hooked on politics. As I
mentioned, I was active in student politics in high school. I was also elected
as VP Academic for the Marine Institute Students' Union for the 2003-2004
academic year, often fighting tooth and nail against MI's administration on
numerous issues.
I'm
probably one of the most unlikely MHAs to sit in the Legislature here today. At
a recent social event our Education Minister said to me: Neil, tell me how you
did it. What he was referring to is the fact that when I announced I would seek
the Liberal nomination on July 28, 2014, I was living in Halifax and was a
relative unknown to most constituents in the old Bonavista South district and
within the Newfoundland and Labrador Liberal Party.
I wasn't
on anyone's radar, no one was courting me. What I did bring to the table was a
strong work ethic and an ability to relate and make connections with people in
over 20 years around party politics. I held several positions with my local
federal and provincial Liberal district associations in Nova Scotia, being
president of the Halifax Atlantic District Association during the NSLP rise to
government in 2013.
What I
gained most from this time was campaigning on both losing and winning campaigns,
both in Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia. You learn quite a bit on the
hustings and I brought that to my own campaign. My proudest moment prior to my
own election was the evening of October 8, 2013, when we helped get my friend
and mentor, Brendan Maguire, elected as MLA in Nova Scotia.
Anyway,
I've gotten off topic a little bit, but that's what politicians like to do, get
off track and talk about themselves. During the initial Bonavista South
nomination, there were five of us seeking the nod pretty hard odds to
overcome. However, based on my campaign experience I put together a strong team,
knocked on every door in the district and got out to as many events as possible
that I could to raise my profile and make myself accessible. I still do this
today because I truly believe that an MHA must be available for his or her
constituents.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. KING:
At that point, I had signed
up over 2,200 supporters. However, a day before our nomination was called, our
former premier who gained the position by a couple of hundred delegates in the
ballroom at the Delta decided he had a mandate to conduct electoral reform and
try to save his party's skin. We all know how that worked out.
Anyway,
so that delayed our nomination and the newly minted District of Bonavista was
formed, which took in all of the old Bonavista South district as well as parts
of Trinity North and Terra Nova. I took a short break to recharge, going on a
trip with my friends to Montreal to see my beloved Habs. After that, I was hard
at it again for the next six months and, on July 9, I won the Liberal nomination
in the District of Bonavista, gaining over 65 per cent of the vote against two
other competitors.
The work
didn't stop there. My team grew and I grew as a person, because you are truly
affected by those you meet on the campaign trail. That paid off on November 30
when I was elected as the first MHA in the District of Bonavista, defeating
three other candidates, including the incumbent MHA. I won that evening with 67
per cent of the vote, but that's not a direct result of me, that is a direct
result of my campaign team and volunteers.
Words
cannot express how deeply thankful I am for your hard work and dedication. I
will do my best not to let you down.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. KING:
Everyone has a career before
becoming an MHA; I'm no different. My friend for Placentia West Bellevue is
the same as well; he had one. I proudly served as a Marine Systems Engineering
officer in the Royal Canadian Navy for 14 years. My path to being a naval
officer is almost as unlikely as my path with politics. In high school I had
given some thought to a career in the Canadian Forces by applying for the
Regular Officer Training Plan, ROTP, which would pay for my university degree,
with a five-year commitment to the military afterwards.
I went
to see my guidance counsellor and he told me not to waste my time applying
because I would more than likely not get accepted, so I didn't. I applied for
engineering at MUN and got accepted in the fall of 1999. In January of 2000, I
headed to the recruiting centre in St. John's for a cadet officer interview. I
wanted to help out my old corps and earn a few bucks teaching sailing at cadet
camp in the summer. I sat down with recruiting officer and he looked at my high
school marks, my extracurricular activities and the fact that I was taking
engineering in university and then proceeded to ask me to if I heard of ROTP.
I told
him about my high school guidance counsellor story and the recruiter asked for
his name. I'm sure he gave the counsellor an ear full. He told me to consider
the interview a formality and, less than six months later, I was accepted to the
highly competitive Regular Officer Training Plan.
Given
the length of my engineering program, I had to change it to fulfill the
obligations of my contract. So I completed a Diploma of Marine Engineering
Technology at the Marine Institute in 2003 and a Bachelor of Technology from MUN
in 2004.
In
January 2005, I moved to Halifax and my career in the navy took off. That
included training in Esquimalt, Halifax and Portsmouth, England. I had shipboard
postings to Her Majesty's Canadian ships:
Fredericktown, Halifax,
Charlottetown, Montreal
and St. John's. The
St. John's is where I finished my
career in October 2014 as head of the department for the Marine Systems
Engineering department, months away from being promoted to Lieutenant Commander.
I had shore-based postings at the Canadian Forces Naval Engineering School, the
Fleet Maintenance Facility and Engineering Operations with Maritime Forces
Atlantic.
I had
several people which helped me through my naval career and I feel I should
mention them. These people include Dave Hooper, Pete Lebel, Jean Francis Seguin,
Brad Pelley, Mark Brake, Bob Steeb and Bob Jones.
The
highlight of my career, which formed a lot of my perspective I have here today,
is my deployments. I've been deployed to West Africa and the Caribbean for
counter-drug operations in 2006 and 2007, the Coast of Libya for Op Unified
Protector in 2011 and to Afghanistan in 2009-10.
My
deployment to Afghanistan was truly remarkable because I was a naval officer and
I never thought in a million years I would end up there because it's a
landlocked country. B'y, was I wrong. Usually when you get called up to the
commander's office, you're in trouble; however, I couldn't think of anything
that I did wrong and I had just got an excellent performance review.
On July
2, 2009 I got called up to Commander Bob Jones's office. He broke the news to me
that one of my colleagues did not make it past his pre-deployment screening and
the Fleet Maintenance Facility would have to provide another officer. That
officer was me.
I
quickly got sent to Kingston, Ontario for three weeks of training and on
September 16, 2009 was on my way to Afghanistan as the interpreter manager for
Regional Command South in Kandahar.
Being in
charge of interpreters was like herding cats at the best of times; everyone
wanted their services but there were limited numbers with appropriate
qualifications to do different classifications of work. It wasn't the
easiest thing to do when you have to tell a higher ranking officer that they
couldn't immediately have interpreter services because there was a higher
priority. This was especially true for the senior British staff officers. To
them, their task was the most important, even when others have more pressing
matters. As well, they didn't like to be told no by a colonel navy lieutenant
and Dr. Haggie knows what I'm talking about.
The good thing is my boss and mentor Aussie Colonel David
Stanley always had my back. He would say Slick he called me that because I
once beat him at poker don't worry about it; you're doing a good job.
Two things stand out to me the most about Afghanistan. The
first is the ramp ceremonies, which everyone attends when a soldier that was
killed begins his or her journey home. The first day I arrived in theatre, I
attended a ramp ceremony for Corporal Jonathan Joseph Sylvain Couturier. There
would be 10 other Canadian soldiers who would be killed over the next six
months, as well as countless others from allied countries. They never get easier
and I often thought and still think about their families that they left behind.
The second thing that stood out was how little people
actually have. At the end of my tour, my replacement was in theatre early so I
had an opportunity to do some mentoring with the Afghan National Army. A couple
of times a week I would head from Kandahar Airfield, where I was based, along
with a few others and drive the two kilometres down to Camp Hero. Although only
a 10-minute drive and a couple of kilometres journey, it was very telling as to
how the Afghan people live. There were no big houses or condos, grocery stores
or department stores. They lived in buildings that were very, very modest, to
say the least. They bought their goods from little roadside vendors.
While working with the ANA, I had an opportunity to talk to
their sergeant major who, like me, was 28 at the time. I asked him what his goal
in the army was. He told me that he wanted to be a sergeant major in the Helmand
province, which he could have had if he paid the bribe. However, he refused and
it gave me faith that some great leaders were going forward in Afghanistan.
I have one final thing to share about my military career
before I finish off my maiden speech and spending some time on my district and
I'm getting a little short on time. While deployed with
HMCS Charlottetown off the coast of
Libya in the city of Misrata, the crew recognized the Battle of the Atlantic
with a service on the flight deck. This was done the first Sunday of each May to
remember Canadian sailors and ships that were lost during World War II. As each
name of the ship was being read and the bell rang in remembrance, I could hear
the bombs exploding in the background. This was the most surreal moment of my
life.
As we're
remembering those who lost their lives during World War II, there was Libyans
losing theirs at that very moment. Afghanistan and Libya gave me my perspective
that I have today in that things aren't always as bad as what they seem. Sure
things could always be better, but until you experience places where people have
absolutely nothing and constantly fear for their lives, you don't realize how
fortunate we are to live where we are.
As I
wind down my speech, I want to address my district. To the District of Bonavista
and I usually preference this with historic, I'm blessed to live in a district
that I called home growing up. We've had some ups and it seems like for the past
few years we've had more downs, but what is always great about my district is
the people that live there. I believe that the District of Bonavista is a great
place too and has the potential to grow and be so much more. We've seen this
over the past year as we've seen significant growth in our population, seen many
new businesses start and grow, and have seen unprecedented investment from the
private sector and from government.
When
John Cabot landed in Cape Bonavista in 1497, he tossed a basket off the
Matthew and pulled it up full of cod.
I believe that the fishery is our past, it is our present, and will be our
future. This fall is a great example of the return of the cod fishery, where
fishers are able to catch 2,500 pounds per week and many today are still at it.
As we
see crab and shrimp decline and our cod stocks grow, we must work with all
stakeholders to ensure that we have the appropriate balance in our fishery. The
Bonavista Peninsula has always had a great agriculture and forestry sectors and
I have and will continue to go to bat to ensure that we grow these sectors to
their full potential. We have learned as a province that we cannot put all our
eggs in the one basket and expect it to be sustainable. The fishery, agriculture
and forestry are three ways in my district where smart investments will help us
diversify.
Finally,
I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the tourism industry in the District of
Bonavista, which I believe is second to none. This past season was a banner year
for tourism in our region and next year it looks to be just as good.
MADAM SPEAKER (Dempster):
Order, please!
MR. JOYCE:
By leave.
MADAM SPEAKER:
By leave.
Continue.
MR. KING:
Okay. Just a couple of more
sentences, Madam Speaker.
This
past season was a banner year oh, excuse me, I just read that. I've got a bet
with the MHA for Lewisporte Twillingate about who would have the better
numbers, and I think I'll win that dinner. As MHA, I believe that we need to
continue to invest in this sector. We need to work with local stakeholders, the
people on the ground, and give them not just the resources but the tools to
provide long-term stability and growth.
I was at
a conference this past summer and I was explaining my district to some other
attendees. When I started to think about what I was telling them, it all of a
sudden hit me that I'm one lucky MHA to represent the district which I serve.
Most people pay thousands of dollars to visit, I have it for free by living
there. For that I am truly thankful and fortunate.
Thank
you, Madam Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MADAM SPEAKER:
Order, please!
The
Chair recognizes the hon. the Member for Harbour Grace Port de Grave.
MS. P. PARSONS:
Thank you, Madam Speaker.
It's
great to be back, of course, after a long summer and a fall, and it's certainly
an honour to stand here today to give my maiden speech. It's an honour and
privilege to stand here in the House of Assembly as the representative for the
strong District of Harbour Grace Port de Grave.
Firstly,
I would like to wish each and every one of you warm congratulations on becoming
elected to represent your districts, and, of course, for some of you it's a
successful re-election.
I grew
up in Spaniard's Bay. I was fortunate to experience a beautiful childhood with
my parents Ann and Wayne Parsons, and my younger sister, Erin. I can remember
the very first day of what I consider to be my life career, and this moment was
my first day of kindergarten. As I recall, prior to the school year my mom, dad,
Erin and I went out shopping for all the supplies I would need; my clothing, of
course, my Cabbage Patch book bag at the time. I remember we would meet friends
while out and about, and when chatting with my mom, mom proudly said, yes,
Pamela will be starting school soon. Then, I was asked, are you excited? Are you
looking forward to going to school? And I would say abruptly, no.
At this
time I knew change in my routine was coming. My mornings of
Sesame Street, nutrition snacks
prepared by mom, and following her around as she completed her daily routines
were coming to an end. Finally, that first day of school arrived. I started at
Holy Redeemer School in Spaniard's Bay, and Mrs. Joyce Bishop was my teacher. I
had my Care Bear with me. My mom and Erin were also there. I remember the meet
and greet with the teacher and the other students, and then the time came to
take our seats. The parents were leaving, but I wouldn't agree to that. That's
right, my mom and Erin, my sister, spent my first day of kindergarten with me in
my class. I wouldn't let them leave.
Just as
that first day of kindergarten, my family have been behind me, supporting me in
everything I do throughout my life. As each one of us here in this hon. House,
we each know firsthand, we could have not made it to here, to this very moment
where we are, without the support and dedication of our families and our friends
and the people who believe in us.
I
remember when I very first thought about politics and about someday offering
myself to the public, to run to hopefully become the representative for the
people, it was in political science class when listening to the professor's
lecture on Pierre Elliott Trudeau at the time. As we know, it is common for
university students to change their minds a few times before determining the
right direction with regard to a major. I changed mine several times, but it was
when I first attended my first political science class when I knew I was home.
Shortly after, I declared my major in political science for my degree. I knew
then that someday I would run.
It was
during my time as a student at Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax during
summers when I was a tour guide on the Harbour Hopper. The Harbour Hopper is an
amphibious tour in Halifax featuring land and water. The vehicle used is called
a LARC. It's a lighter, amphibious resupply cargo. They were used in Vietnam.
Like a frog, a boat or truck, it toured the historic downtown area and then
plunged into the Halifax Harbour; the second largest natural harbour in the
world next to Sydney, Australia.
It was
during my time as a tour guide when I realized I liked to talk for a living to
an audience. Upon graduation at university, I felt I needed to do something
else. Throughout my childhood and my high school career, I've always dreamt
about being on TV working in the broadcast industry.
So
following the completion of my degree at Mount Saint Vincent University, I
applied to the radio and television arts program at Nova Scotia Community
College, Kingstec, which is located in the Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia. I then
went on to start my program where I majored in journalism. The radio and
television arts program was a two year discipline. It was an amazing program
where I studied television production, radio production and journalism
broadcasting for both mediums.
Some of
the best times in my life were had during this time of my academic career. In
the second year, graduation was fast approaching and I felt that gravitational
pull as most Newfoundlanders feel, of course, when we're abroad wherever we
are to return home to Newfoundland. I knew without doubt, that this is where I
wanted to be, to utilize my skills and, of course, my education.
I had
three work-term placements at CBC TV in Halifax, CBC Radio in Halifax and CTV
Atlantic in Halifax as a student, but I put all of my energy and focus on
applying for employment back home here in Newfoundland. I was hired at CBC
Here and Now in St. John's by Doug
Letto in 2006 as a summer relief journalist, where I stayed actually for two
years reporting both for TV and radio at CBC. At the time, in 2006 CBC Radio was
located down in the old building on Duckworth Street here in St. John's.
Soon, an
opportunity at Rogers TV, Out of the Fog,
came up and I accepted the contract. And it was during this year, while
reporting for Out of the Fog, when I
was offered a producer position at Rogers TV in Owen Sound, Ontario. I knew it
was a valuable experience, but I also knew that I wanted to be in Newfoundland.
So prior to leaving for Ontario, I contacted Fred Hutton at NTV and arranged a
meeting. I explained how I was going away to avail of this experience but,
eventually, I want to come back home and, when I do, I'd like to work at NTV.
So, of
course, I kept in touch with Fred. He heard from me frequently. Within that
year, an opportunity at NTV Newfoundland Broadcasting brought me back home to
our province. Once again, I was homeward bound to embark on another leg of my
journey.
My job
as a reporter and a video journalist was to gather facts, truth and communicate
with people. And, in this way, I believe journalism and politics are the same.
It is our duty as an MHA to communicate and present the truth and facts to each
and every one of our constituents.
During
my time as a journalist, I was approached actually to run for a PC nomination
from the district of then Port de Grave. This was during the 2011 election
period. I wasn't quite ready to leave my journalism career at the time. The
timing wasn't right, and I felt it wasn't quite the right fit for me.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS. P. PARSONS:
So instead of running in the
election, I continued reporting and covered the election live that year from
then Shawn Skinner's headquarters. But, as time passed of course, my desire to
become involved in the public grew stronger and stronger.
Remembering my university days in Halifax and the lessons on Pierre Elliott
Trudeau, I felt in my heart and soul that the Liberal philosophy and culture
best matched my own personal values. I made the decision to jump into the
political world. I was hired to work on the robust 2013 leadership campaign and,
following this, I made the decision that I was going to seek the nomination in
my home district of Port de Grave.
There
were six strong candidates in total, and it was a long summer. With the help of
my supporters, my family and my team, I secured the nomination. Some other
colleagues who have become some of my best friends, the Member for Placentia
St. Mary's and the Member for Placentia West Bellevue, Mark and Sherry
AN HON. MEMBER:
Cape St. Francis.
MS. P. PARSONS:
And Cape St. Francis.
Well,
they've had similar experiences with their nominations. Finally, the three of us
secured our place to carry the banner for the upcoming election but, to our
surprise, we quickly learned that the nominations would once again open due to
an abrupt electoral boundary change to be squeezed in just before voters went to
the polls.
So it
was time to tackle yet another storm and like the weather in our great province
that we call home, politics, as we know, can be very unpredictable; but
fortunately, of course, we made it here and here we are to do the very best for
our people.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS. P. PARSONS:
The strong District of
Harbour Grace Port de Grave consists of many communities, colourful
communities, such as Hibbs Cove, Port de Grave, Bareneed, Coley's Point, Bay
Roberts, Country Road, Otterbury, Shearstown, Butlerville, Spaniard's Bay,
Tilton, Bishop's Cove, Upper Island Cove, Bryant's Cove, Southside, Harbour
Grace, Riverhead and The Thicket. Each town is enriched with history and pride
and a true sense of community.
As I've
gotten to know my constituents, of course, travelling around for the past
several years while working on the nomination and the election campaign and then
becoming the MHA for the district, I've witnessed the strong sense of community
spirit first-hand. Let me tell you if someone falls on hard times in any
community, those communities, they come together and, boy, we band together and
that helped is delivered.
There is
a lot of great history as well in the District of Harbour Grace Port de Grave.
As a matter of fact, the first time that the Stanley Cup came to the province it
was Riverhead, Harbour Grace native Danny Cleary who brought that cup home here
to our Island for the very first time.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS. P. PARSONS:
We also have a gold medalist
from Harbour Grace who happens to be my cousin, Mr. Jamie Korab. Amelia Earhart
graced her presence in Harbour Grace, Peter Easton, and, of course, our district
has a strong connection to the fishery, both the inshore and the offshore.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MADAM SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MS. P. PARSONS:
Also, as we know, with a
strong connection to the fishery and to the ocean in Harbour Grace Port de
Grave, I would like to take the time to recognize and to thank our Trudeau-led
federal government, the great relationship that we have with our federal
government, the reopening of the Maritime Rescue Sub-Centre
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS. P. PARSONS:
As a matter of fact, Madam
Speaker, there was a young fish harvester from the community of Port de Grave
who quickly realized how important it is to have a good, strong team of search
and rescue here in our province. As we remember I was a journalist at the time
when the Harper government ordered that our Maritime Rescue Sub-Centre be
closed down at a cost savings of only $1 million.
I
remember when Quebec was also slated to lose their Maritime Rescue Sub-Centre.
That didn't happen; however, we sure lost ours. I was a journalist; I was
assigned to cover the rallies and the stories leading up. And it was amazing to
witness first-hand how Newfoundlanders and Labradorians came together to rally
for that important cause. Because as we know, it's an essential service that we
need and we live here in a beautiful province surrounded by water. So who better
to need those services than Newfoundlanders and Labradorians?
It was a
great day last week to hear our counterparts Minister Dominic LeBlanc, Minister
Foote and our Premier there to reopen that centre. So a round of applause for
that.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS. P. PARSONS:
And thank God for the great
relationship that we do have with our federal counterparts, the Trudeau
government.
Not only
is politics a blood sport, as they say; it is a team sport. No one can get
elected all by themselves. I would like to sincerely thank Ivy Anthony who has
strongly supported me from the very beginning; George and Donna Warford; Debbie
Hutchings; Mike and Paula Reynolds; Rubin Peach; Kay, Jordan and John Crane;
Donna and Mike Hewson; Patrick Whalen; Hayward Butler; Judy McCarthy; Carol
Hunt; Rosalyn Greenlen now a little story about Rosalyn.
Roslyn
is an older lady living in Coley's Point, her and her husband Gordon. And they
were strong Liberals. They have a long history of supporting. And I must say,
they stood behind me and they were amazing. Unfortunately, however, they both
passed away from the time I started as a candidate to the time I became an MHA.
But I know they're still here in spirit and I'm really grateful for the support
that I had from them.
Also, I
would like to thank Mr. Howie Smith and Marilyn Smith; Lorie Lynn and Darryl
Sharpe; Eileen Smith, my constituency assistant and of course our office is
located in Bay Roberts Glenn Thorne; Ken LeDay; Ryan Steeves; Tonya Power; and
the many supporters who helped me in every way. I certainly could not have done
it without you. We got out there in all sorts of weather because we experienced
every season a couple of times before it was time that the election was finally
called.
To my
family, my mom, dad and Erin: my circle of genuine support started with you, and
this started the day I was born. I'm blessed to have you.
To my
grandmother, Nora Healey: I'm grateful, at age 94, you are still here to see me
in the House of Assembly, and to have been there by my side on the nights of my
nomination and my election.
My other
grandmother, Emmy Parsons, passed away at age 68 when I was in university. But
I'll never forget she used to babysit us, my sister and I, and me being, I
guess, a mommy's girl, I would go to bed when nanny was babysitting. I figured
the sooner I went to bed, and when I woke up my parents would be back home. That
necessarily wasn't the case at just 10 or 11 o'clock at night. I can remember
those nights when nanny was babysitting and I would come down over the stairs to
see her watching Peter Mansbridge, the news. I'll never forget her keen interest
in news and politics. Although she is gone from this world, I know she's still
watching me.
Colleagues, whether we think we can or we think we can't, we are right. Because
what we dream about, what we think about, we can bring about. I sincerely
believe that.
To all
the young women out there, the young girls with dreams of taking on careers,
their wildest dreams, whatever they want: I encourage you, don't ever give up on
those dreams or aspirations. Have your courage. We may have setbacks, we may
make mistakes but we'll learn from them. They make us strong. They contribute to
the people that we become.
I am
proud to say that I am the very first female representative, female MHA for the
District of Harbour Grace Port de Grave.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS. P. PARSONS:
Thank you.
So, of
course, by working together we achieve the greatest results.
To my
caucus team, and to my colleagues across the House: I am committed to working
with each and every one of you to do the best we can for our province.
To the
Harbour Grace Port de Grave District: I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
It is a true blessing to be your MHA. I look forward and I hope to work with you
for many years to come. The promise I will make to you is that I will work hard,
I will be honest, I'll be your voice and I will certainly do the best I can.
We will
accomplish wonderful things, from infrastructure, agriculture and our fishery.
And I look forward to finally celebrate the day when we have our
long-anticipated Coley's Point Primary school.
Well,
colleagues, thank you very much.
Thank
you, Madam Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MADAM SPEAKER:
Order, please!
The
Speaker recognizes the hon. the Member for Gander.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. HAGGIE:
Thank you very much, Madam
Speaker.
I'm
going to try and not be too controversial and stick to the UK style of maiden
speeches. It seems very much that the place for me to start is with thanks. It
may turn into a little bit of an autobiographical romp later on, but I think no
one, as my colleagues have said, gets here by themselves. We can talk about how
that process started, but certainly the campaign of last week in the news made
me kind of revisit my own campaign. Although, it was nowhere near as nasty or as
harsh. In actual fact, we had so much fun with the nomination we did it the
second time with an even more spectacular win.
To list
off all the people who were involved in our success in Gander would be invidious
and I think rather than try, I'd use a short hand and I'll use for the
campaign team, Randell Mercer was my manager and put in long hours, as did
everyone else of what was a small but mighty team. I think that reflects the
level of support I had in the community.
I think
a short hand for friends and family, I would have to give credit to my partner
and mentor in many respects, and fashion consultant, Jeannette. She is the short
hand for, again, a small but really enthusiastic group of friends and family. A
modest in size group but, again, we all get here by different routes. I think to
try and list off a long list of names would only embarrass me by leaving
somebody out, and I'd feel bad about that.
So I
came here via a different route. As you might notice from the accent, this is a
really old Newfoundland accent.
I grew
up in an extended, blended family in a very urban area in Manchester; population
three-quarters of a million. So it's not exactly a small town. It might come as
no surprise for people who regard me as maybe controversial and a bit
provocative to know that my maternal grandmother was brought home more than once
by the local constabulary in the '20s for wielding signs. Actually, I think she
hit a constable over the head with it, which said: Give women the vote.
She got
the vote. She got it first in her 30s because she was a married woman; married
to someone with property, and that was gradually rectified over the time. She
was the politician in the household. We'd get into it on a Sunday over lunch and
that would cause agitation with everybody else.
My
father passed away when I was young. I was raised by my mom and her younger
brother, who is an historian. He's the last surviving member of the clan. That's
why I often start spouting history, much to the sort of eye rolling of my
colleagues behind sometimes, but I find it useful, and I blame him.
I was a
local recruit to medical school. In those days you would get direct entry from
high school. The idea was that you would be recruited locally. They had this
big, new medical school and you would stay there and practice locally. It, kind
of, sounds familiar. It's a thing that keeps cropping up; but, in actual fact,
it worked because I stayed in that area, in general, in Manchester for 10 years,
thereabouts.
Apprenticeship was more of the word for surgical training in the UK at the time.
It didn't have any defined end. At some point it was felt appropriate that I
should actually go into full-time research for a couple of years, and I did
that. In actual fact, that's the MD degree that you see behind my name. It's a
medical PhD. It's not a registerable the basic qualification in the UK is
slightly different.
MR. BYRNE:
You'll get there one day.
MR. HAGGIE:
I'll get there.
Anyway,
what happened after that was, it was suggested that I try academic surgery as a
career. So I moved to Liverpool. It was a disaster, quite frankly. I learnt an
awful lot about politics within the department of an academic surgical unit, who
to talk to about what and who not to talk to, or at least not let on whom you
had spoken about things. I was awful.
That was
the final straw that made me look elsewhere. Fondly enough, in the '80s I had
been in conversation with a fellow from a place called Carbonear, which I had
never heard of at the time.
MR. CROCKER:
Hear, hear!
MR. HAGGIE:
For one reason or another,
connected with family, I decided not to set foot there. Nothing personal, it's a
lovely spot.
MR. BYRNE:
What a fantastic recruiter.
MR. HAGGIE:
That's right, yes.
Anyway,
some years later, I answered an ad for a group called the Grenfell Regional
Health Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. HAGGIE:
After a visit one January,
actually, to look around the place, and a couple of snowmobile rides which I
thought were really great; I had never been on one of those before the rest,
as they say, is history. I arrived in St. Anthony just about the time or just
after the time the cod left. I don't know whether the two were connected in
other people's minds.
A lovely
place, but the nearest girls dress shop was 6½ hours' drive away. With three
daughters, that wasn't going to cut it for any great length of time. I had a
blast though. I actually went and did clinics up in Labrador. I'd go to Nain. I
wasn't allowed off the plane in Davis Inlet for all sorts of reasons I never
really understood, but I think that was down to Grenfell, the RCMP and the band
at the time. There were some disagreements there which I never really
understood. Hopedale was my other favourite place.
Amongst
other experiences, I remember taking a medical student from London, England,
caribou hunting with Jimmy, the maintenance man from Hopedale. She never got
over that and I never saw her again after that. Punching a caribou on the ice
was something that was quite outside what she had expected to see. She wasn't
particularly good in the OR either, so I think surgery probably wasn't her
forte.
But,
anyway, a chance
AN HON. MEMBER:
Did you leave her?
MR. HAGGIE:
No, I put her on the plane.
We shipped her back out to the UK.
AN HON. MEMBER:
Do not tell your knitting
needles story.
MR. HAGGIE:
No, I won't tell the knitting
needles story.
Anyway,
a chance vacancy ended up with me going on to the board of the Medical
Association in the province. Part of it was because I couldn't understand how
the system worked, so I kept on asking questions. And then I realized nobody
else knew how it worked either. But I did think somewhere there would be a room,
a committee, where the answer would appear. I haven't found it yet, but that
started the quest.
So I got
involved with the system in the province and learned a lot. Then, that kind of
led on to the national level, the Canadian Medical Association, and that I
really enjoyed. But the catch is from a political point of view, it was very
much a non-partisan affair. I came out of the Liberal closet only after I was
off the executive of the CMA to avoid any disconcerting revelations for them.
But it did get me used to the role of advocacy and communications and the use of
the media.
I went
back to work thinking surely something is different than when I left two years
ago, and really the final straw there was that things hadn't changed. Between
the jigs and the reels and a fellow called Scott Simms that was how I ended up
going the provincial route. I really have absolutely no regrets about it at all.
Whether or not people on the other side share the same view or will share the
same view and whether my district will in four years, three-and-a-bit years'
time, I don't know; but I'm trying to do this from the point of view of what
actually was 11 months ago to the date when I was sworn in as a Cabinet
minister, an opportunity, again, once in a life time. I'm trying hard not to
fool it up.
In terms
of the district, I represent a kind of different district. It's rural, but it's
actually a very compact district. It's not many rural MHAs who can drive from
one end of their district to another in just over an hour and really only has
five communities, but it represents a whole diversity of traditional industries.
We have logging and guiding and hunting, all the way up to aviation and some
really new non-traditional exciting opportunities. I mean, one of the things
that I really reveal in, at the moment, is learning about the new things I get
exposed to.
I
retired from surgery, hung up my knife, much to my colleagues delight because I
keep telling him stories about when I hadn't hung it up and he doesn't like
that; he gets nervous. Gander was founded on aviation, but the things I've
learned about birch sap in the last couple of weeks are absolutely astounding.
There is a $9 billion global market out there on birch sap and the last great
stand of birch trees on the Island in the centre is smack in my district.
It is
really exciting stuff. So you talk about opportunities that I would never have
known about; there is one of them for sure. Craft brewing, another subject close
to my heart, is on the horizon there. There's a family physician's husband who
is a pilot and is a brew hobbyist who's looking to start that. And again, I
don't know an awful lot about the brewing industry. What's really interesting
from my point of view is one of my constituents actually wants to grow grapes
and we'll have some red wine.
I know
there is a berry wine in Twillingate but the idea of grape-based produce really
appeals to me, personally. I'm looking forward to getting intimately involved in
the helping forward with that.
AN HON. MEMBER:
(Inaudible.)
MR. HAGGIE:
I'll do the quality control;
that's right.
Really,
for me, moving from one career to another has been a real interest. It's been
exciting. It's a challenge. I was a person whose previous career I could have
told you exactly what time of the day it was and what day of the week it was by
what I was doing. It was that regular and that organized and regimented. I now
come into the office in the morning when the House is not sitting, I really
don't have idea, with any certainty, of where I'm going to end up in a couple of
hours' time.
The
parade of people who come through, who I get a chance to see, both in my
district office and through the department, are a fascinating crew. I realized,
looking back, that one of the things you do, even as a surgeon and some of my
family physician colleagues would take exception to the idea that surgeons
actually talk to people. But you do develop an affinity and an enjoyment for
that. And certainly it's given me a chance to put that set of skills into a
completely different perspective.
I
suppose, in a sense, I'm the ultimate Come from Away. I was one of the 25 per
cent of international medical graduates who actually stayed beyond the two
years, which is fairly typical. And really, I have to say that where I live and
work now has never made me feel Come from Away. I don't think anyone has ever
mentioned that to me. It rolls into one other thing, which I think has been
highlighted recently, and I don't know how many of you I know the Member for
St. John's Centre, let me get that right, actually had the opportunity to attend
the Come from Away performance in
Gander at the arena there. They did two performances. It was an interesting
genesis as to how this musical came about, but it started out life as a project
for a performing arts college up along and they have really run with it.
It's
been a raging success on the stage. What they did was they adapted this to what
they call a concert venue. So instead of having the scenery and all the rest of
it, they have the band at the back and they had the 12 performers lined up with
their microphones, a quick change of clothes, a cap or a jacket just to
highlight a change. And it was incredible. There were other people here who were
there and enjoyed it.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. HAGGIE:
It was a marvelous thing.
I think
it wasn't just about Gander, though. It was actually about the whole province. I
think the mayors of the communities that actually were mentioned in it and some
of whom were caricatured in the performance very well, I might add were very
keen to point out they were just examples of, not the only ones who did.
I think
it opens tomorrow night in Toronto and then, in February, there will be a run-up
to a Broadway launch sometime in March. I've certainly been very keen in my
discussions with colleagues from tourism that once that hits the screen people
actually have come to me and say: We didn't believe Gander existed. We didn't
believe there were people like this. It was a real eye-opener.
My sole
contribution to 9/11, along with an obstetrician and gynaecologist, was actually
making a chili and that was probably the single biggest health hazard that most
of them had in their entire five-day stay in Glenwood at the time. But the story
of the chili came out from Nav Canada in the end because they made more chili
for more people and it was Gander not Glenwood, but we won't go there.
Again,
I'm very proud of the district I serve. I have regrets that I can't spend as
much time sometimes as I would like to there. Certainly, it's always a challenge
when the House is sitting. Again, like my predecessors at the microphones, I
think it's really important that I state here now that they are reason I am
here. The other titles I have, courtesy of the Premier, are an honour and a
privilege too, but I am here in this House only because I was elected to do a
particular job and that's to represent the people of Central Newfoundland,
specifically the District of Gander, not just the Town of Gander. To the people
who elected me, thank you very much.
I'm not
going to prolong the agony this afternoon. I think you've heard enough of me
now. I'm reaching the limits of what I can say and not be controversial or
provocative. So the best thing to do now is probably for me to thank again the
people of the District of Gander and my family and supporters, and assure you I
will continue to work for as long as you put me here.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MADAM SPEAKER:
Order, please!
The
Speaker recognizes the hon. Member for Cape St. Francis.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. K. PARSONS:
Thank you very much, Madam
Speaker.
It's a
privilege to get up there today as I always do and always say to represent
the beautiful District of Cape St. Francis. It's also a pleasure here today to
listen to my colleagues across the way give their maiden speeches.
When I
go back to my first maiden speech, I wasn't used to getting up in assemblies and
doing any speeches at all. I can remember the night before being pretty nervous.
My colleague for Ferryland, as I was ready to get up, he went over and snapped
off the speaker in front of me and I made a roar at him and asked him to put it
back. He said, oh, he better do it because I looked pretty nervous at the time.
I want
to congratulate these speakers today for getting up. The Member for Bonavista; I
listened to your speech, as I do. I try to listen to all the speeches here in
the House of Assembly, especially your maiden speech. It really tells you who
you are as people and the reason why you want to come here.
He
mentioned his parents, his family and everything else. That's such an important
part as MHAs that we do have support of our families. My mom and dad are gone
now but I know when I became an MHA, they were the two most proud people in the
world for me to do it. I'm sure your parents are proud of what you've done here
and representing the areas that you represent.
You said
in your speech that you are probably the most likely MHA to be sat here in the
House of Assembly. I'd argue with you because if people told me 30 years ago
that I'd be an MHA in the House of Assembly, I'd say they were nuts. Most of the
people down in Cape St. Francis would also say the same thing.
You have
a lot of interests that I do, the same thing, and I'm going to speak a little
bit about it today now. We talk about the fishery and rural Newfoundland. I
don't consider my district really rural Newfoundland. But there are a lot of
things that are in my district that are in all districts and I'm going to talk a
little bit about it today.
I want
to congratulate the Member for Harbour Grace Port de Grave. I've got to know
her over the last little while. She's a hard-working MHA just like we all are in
here. Her concerns about her district, you hear it every day. Good for her to do
the job that you're doing there.
You
mentioned the people that helped you along the way. I'd have to do a list. I
think it'd be I don't know hundreds of people to be able to thank. But it's
nice to be able to hear you thank the people that helped you get where you are
today. Again, you mentioned about family and the fishery. I will talk about the
fishery a little bit in my speech too.
The
Member for Gander, the surgeon and he talked about the caribou. We could have
probably used you up the fall punching the moose for us. It will probably be a
good idea to have you around. I'm sure it was a great experience up with the
caribou and everything else. I congratulate you on your speech.
The
similarities to mine, you said you have five communities in your district; I
have five in mine also. My district is a little shorter than yours. It takes me
only about 25 minutes to get from one end of her to the other end.
This
weekend with the Remembrance Day celebration, I have five communities and
everybody knows which community I'm going to be in because I do it every time
whenever I get time. I'm in Pouch Cove this year, next year it's Bauline, then
it's Torbay. That's how we do it and get out to all the communities, but five
communities, we are very fortunate to be able to only have five communities
because there are MHAs in here with a whole lot more than what I got, and it's a
job to get around, like you said. So I want to congratulate them on their
speeches today.
In case
people are looking at this on TV and might say: Why are they all up today? Today
we're doing Address in Reply. Address in Reply is basically a response that we
have, a chance to get up on your feet, and it's like a money bill. You can talk
about anything. You can talk about your district and you can talk about
anything, but it's a response to the Throne Speech. Like I said earlier, there
were a lot of similarities with previous Members that got up, and I'm going to
talk a little bit about the fishery.
The
fishery is very important to me. I grew up in a household where, during the
summer months when the cod traps were out, we ate fish every morning. And many
parts of Newfoundland and Labrador enjoyed the fishery, enjoyed the putt-putts
going out through the harbour and listened to the 4 Acadias or the 6 Acadias. It
was the sound that you heard all over Newfoundland.
It was a
proud sound. It was a proud people that went out on the water and fished every
day and went to haul the cod traps, or if they had gill nets or trawls or
whatever, but the sound and the hustle and the bustle in rural Newfoundland
not only rural Newfoundland, I don't know if you consider Flatrock and Torbay
and Pouch Cove really rural, we're pretty close to St. John's, but those were
the sounds that we heard. And the pride of our fishermen and the pride of our
people that took part in the fishery are still there today. We have to be aware
of what's happening in the fishery. There are some big changes coming in the
fishery, and my concern with what's happening in the fishery today is how
prepared we're going to be.
I have a
brother who's involved in the crab fishery and I know this year down to, we call
the South Coast, but they call the south area of where they catch crab to down
off Fermeuse and that area, the crab this year was minimal, none. They had a
very small quota down in that area and never caught any crab. In other areas the
crab was good; the crab was fairly good on the inshore part down off our area, I
call it, off the east end, but on the north coast I spoke to a colleague
across the way it was very, very spotty.
When you
look at what's happened to the crab fishery, fishermen will tell you that the
crab and shellfishery, they don't combine well together. We caught a cod this
year and when we cut the cod open, there were eight small crabs inside the cod.
So as the groundfishery comes back, what happens is that the shellfishery is
going to be hit really, really hard. That's what's happening with our fishery
today. If you talk to fishermen today they'll tell you as the cod comes back,
there's going to be a huge effect on the crab fishery, shrimp and crab mainly.
What
we're seeing now is with the quota cuts that were done even in the shrimp; we
moved the shrimp quotas that were in the P6 area. That area got cut big time
this year. The reason being is because of what's happening with the ground
fishery coming back.
My
suggestion to the government and to the minister, and I've spoken to the
minister and I'm sure all rural MHAs and people like the Members that got up
today and talked a little bit about the fishery, explained to the minister how
important this is for our districts.
In my
district right now, we've never had a fall fishery like it is today. We have
boats going out right now on Friday one of the boats went out and had 1,500
pounds of fish in four gillnets. At this time of year that's unheard of. It
really is unheard of to see the cod still around and so much cod to be around at
this time.
The
biggest problem the fishermen have in the area, and I talked to a good few of
them this weekend, is they have nowhere to sell the cod. The markets they had
the fall was mainly a fillet market. They can sell their fish off the wharf now
to most people and that was it, but there are no markets. We have no fish plants
that are able to do large amounts of cod.
Next
year when the quota comes into effect, I think you're going to see the crab
quota really cut. Maybe in some areas it will stay to where it was this year but
there are other areas where they are going to have to cut the crab because
there'll be no fishery in the future, but we're not ready. We're not ready for
the cod fishery to come back or the ground fishery whatsoever to be ready. It's
so important that we can count on and say it's the federal government's
responsibility.
I know
last year both the processors and the union got together and did a huge
announcement saying that they're going to develop markets and they're going to
develop this. We're a very small portion, a very, very small portion. We may
think we're large when it comes to the fishery worldwide. Our markets that were
there in the '70s and '80s when we sent most of our fish to the New England
market, that's all gone
We need
to make sure we have something in place because our fishery is going to come
back. Listen, we're always looking for diversification. Government is looking to
diversify the economy. People are looking to say, what can we do? We understand
the oil industry is only going to be there for so long.
We
understand the effects a barrel of oil has on our economy, but the fishery is
something that we as a culture, it's who we are as a people has been there
since John Cabot came to our shores and put baskets over and started hauling it
in. It's coming back and we need to be ready. Right now, we need to develop
markets. The markets are going to be a little bit different. They're going to be
a different market. Quality is going to play a major role in the fishery market
of the future.
The days
back in the '70s and '80s when people were out catching cod in abundance I can
remember boats in my district coming in with 35,000 pounds of fish in a boat and
then hauling it up on the wharf and getting it in the back of a truck. I used to
drive one of the trucks, actually. There used to be the grey tubs in back of the
truck. You'd put a little bit of ice on it and you'd go to the fish plant up in
Witless Bay or Bay Bulls is where we trucked most of our fish. You could be
there sat down in the truck for four or five hours. The fish would come out, get
put into the plant and by the time that fish was processed, it could be up to 20
hours.
Today
that market and the market that, I think, the processors are going to be looking
for is going to be a fresher market. It's going to be a market where you're not
going to be able to come in with 35,000 pounds of fish. You may have to come in
with 1,500 pounds or 2,000 pounds, but the fish is going to have to be better
quality. The fish is going to have to be iced. If we want to compete with
Iceland, Norway and these companies that are sending fresh fish to the American
market which is the biggest market in the world right now that we can send to
we need to be able to compete, but we need to put something in place.
As the
Department of Fisheries, we should be working with our stakeholders; we should
be working with the fishermen on the wharves. We should be working with whatever
union is involved. We need to be working with the processors and understand that
these are the markets that we're my fear with the fishery is that I think
people think it's four and five years away. I believe it's only a couple of
years away. I believe the fishery next year, once they come down with more
quotas this year they increased the quotas to all of the commercial fishermen
in the area and they had no problem catching it. There was lots of fish.
I think
that we really need if we want to diversify our economy, if we want to save
rural Newfoundland like we've known it for years, to bring back the culture, to
bring back that buzz that I talked about in our rural areas, not only in our
rural areas, in communities like I'm from, Flatrock and areas like that. I can
remember on the wharf cutting out tongues. I can remember the hustle and bustle
everybody felt in that area because it was an industry. It's an industry that we
can put forward and can be very proud of like we were in the past and we're very
proud of today.
Our
fishermen today are harvesters, and they're professional harvesters. They're
professional people that go out and catch fish. I had the first opportunity of
my life. I went down one day, my brother asked me to go get him a net down on
the side of his garage. I went out and I got the net. I brought him out to
process rock and they were going out to set a gillnet. I went out and said, gee,
I've never seen a gillnet getting set before, and I've been involved in the
fishery all my life.
I went
out and we set the gillnet. I was very interested in how it just went off the
boat and where they put it to. They made sure it was going a certain way against
the tide and everything else. The next day they were leaving at 6 o'clock in the
morning and I was on the wharf because I wanted to see what was in the net when
we got back. When we hauled the net, we were back in at 8 o'clock, and the net
was full. There was that much fish there, it was unbelievable.
I
believe if we're looking as a province and we're looking as a government, that
we really have to put the emphasis back on our fishery. I think it's too often
that this government across the way doesn't bring it up. It's very small in your
book that you brought out last week, your vision. We should be talking about
what the fishery can do to rural Newfoundland. We should be talking about what
it can do to our people, what it can do to bring back the pride that we always
had.
I
believe that we look at a lot of young people that want to move away and stuff.
I believe if the fishery becomes what I think it can become, that we'll see
people want to stay in the fishery. We'll see young people want to go out on the
water. It's who we are as people. It's who we are as Newfoundlanders and
Labradorians. It's almost like it's bred into us.
I'm very
active in the food fishery. I want every chance that I can go out and catch a
cod during the food fishery, I'm gone. I have my own boat. I just love getting
out. I had some Members out with me here on the other side and they enjoyed it.
Anytime you take anybody out it's just a feeling of you bring back the pride
of who we are as Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. Our fishermen and our sea is
who we are.
I did a
Member's statement today earlier and I talked about vessel size. There are too
many issues in our fishery today that we can't control. I believe as a province
and as a government, and as Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, we should have
more control of our fishery. We should have more control of our stocks. We
should have more control of our quotas.
I talked
today about vessel size. I know of harvesters that are out there with six
different boats to go catch crab. Some of the boats are great boats, are great
vessels on the water. Some of them are not. Some of them I wouldn't want to go
out in myself to be able to go fish. I'd be nervous out there.
So we
really need to make sure we get control of our fishery. I believe our fishery is
the key to survival of Newfoundland and Labrador. A lot of people look and they
say how bleak the future is. I don't look at it that way at all. I believe the
fishery is going to come back. I believe it's going to be an industry that it
was in the past. I think it's a way that we can really make Newfoundland and
Labrador world renowned again when it comes to fishing and comes to their
fishery.
I want
to talk a little bit about the food fishery this year. I went to the Capital
Hotel there last week and went up and listened to the proposal when it comes to
the new food fishery that they're talking about and the tag system and the
licence system.
Now, I'm
not teetotally against tags or am I teetotally against the position of having a
licence to be able to go out and catch cod. I believe that it's very important
that we have some mechanisms in place that we know what we're taking out of the
water so we don't go back to what happened in the moratorium in '92. We want to
make sure that we're all on the one page and know where we're to and we should
be seeing what the size of the fish is.
I can
remember before '92, like in my previous job, that the fish were getting smaller
and smaller every year. People should have realized that. What are we doing
catching all these cod under (inaudible)? So I agree with the tag system and the
licence for some way for the federal government or the Department of Fisheries
to understand what's coming out of the water, but I don't agree for
Newfoundlanders and Labradorians having to pay for that study.
If you
want to give people that are going out on the water, give them tags, give them a
book so that they can register and say, okay, I went out on July 15 or 16 and we
caught our 15 cod and we tagged them and the sizes were. I'll do it and I'm sure
most Newfoundlanders and Labradorians will go and they will do a registry or
whatever needs to be done. But I don't agree with us and the only province in
Canada having to pay for tags and have to pay for a licence to go out and catch
fish off our waters.
I went
in that night and I listened to most of the people. Most of the people were like
myself, they talked about going out and catching cod and giving it to their
neighbours, going out and catching cod because they knew how much the senior
down the road enjoyed a feed of fish. That's who we are as Newfoundlanders and
Labradorians. I know that I did a lot of fishing in the food fishery this
year. If anybody wants a feed of fish, there's not much left in my deepfreeze
because I've given it all away. That's what we are. That's who we are.
I
believe that the tag system and I hope that the Minister of Fisheries will
listen to this and say it's not fair for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to
have to pay the cost when Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, PEI and the rest of Canada
don't have to do it. I mean, I have no problem for them to tell me to take a
book and to write down the size of the fish that I'm catching, the amount of
fish that I catch and stuff like this.
Again,
we don't know what the tag system is going to be. The big question that a lot of
them had: How many fish am I going to be allowed to catch? There were no
answers. Now if you looked at last year the food fishery was open for 46 days,
so you would think it would be 230 fish and that would be the number of tags
that a person will get, but there were no answers to that or there were no
answers to if the tags are going to cost us money. There are no answers to
licences and stuff like this.
When you
look at what we are, Newfoundlanders now, there will be some people who will
do the wrong things out on the water, but I look at all the things that happened
this year, the infractions that happened out on the water and people who were
out on the water this year, most of the people I know down in the community I'm
from, they avoid it by catching five fish per person, 15 fish in a boat.
It was
our tradition, it was out way of life, but we appreciate going out on the water.
It's part of our culture. It's part of who we are. It's part of the pride we
take as Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. The fishery is a very important part
of who we are.
I'd love
to see this government put a whole lot more emphasis on our fishery. I think if
you're looking at diversifying the economy, if you want to see Newfoundland and
Labrador survive I'm very positive; I think the fishery is going to be the
biggest industry. It is a big industry: $1.2 billion in sales last year. It can
be bigger. It can be the thing that Newfoundlanders and Labradorians will go
back to and it will make rural Newfoundland and Labrador a stronger place to
live. It will bring back who we are as people. It will bring back the pride and
everything else.
I just
urge this government to put more emphasis on our fishery. Put more emphasis on
something that can help rural Newfoundland and help Newfoundlanders and
Labradorians and make our economy a better place to live.
Thank
you very much, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER (Warr):
The Chair recognizes the
hon. the Member for Burin Grand Bank.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS. HALEY:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
As I
rise to address my colleagues on both sides of this hon. House, I am truly
humbled by the trust the electorate of the District of Burin Grand Bank has
bestowed upon me. The journey to a seat in this prestigious Legislature is a
momentous trek and the destination for those of us who have been successful
should not be seen as a prize but as a commitment to those who work diligently
to get us here. A commitment to those who saw fit to put their faith in us on
election day when casting their ballots and, indeed, a commitment to work for
every resident of our districts, regardless of a political affiliation.
Mr.
Speaker, I send my heartfelt thanks to the dedicated team of workers who gave
countless hours of their time to ensure my success almost one year ago, as I do
to the almost 4,000 voters who supported me. I could not have been successful
without them.
As I
said on election night in addressing my supporters, from Confederation Street
where I live in Fortune to Confederation Hill in St. John's, I'm ready for the
challenge.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS. HALEY:
Mr. Speaker, I made no
promises back then, except to work hard and demonstrate that their efforts and
support were not in vain.
As
appreciative as I am of all who were there for me during the campaign, and on
election day, there are those whose guidance over the years has been so profound
I would be remiss in not singling them out here today. First and foremost, my
mother; no words can describe the support she has given me over the years, Mr.
Speaker. She is the epitome of strength. I wouldn't be standing here today if it
weren't for her support and guidance.
Though
very young when I lost my father, it was his example that profoundly impacted my
life. He was a man who believed deeply in friends, family and community. It's
his example, Mr. Speaker, I try to follow as I lead my own life and which gives
me a sense of direction.
Mr.
Speaker, I was first exposed to politics at a very young age and that was
directly due to my grandfather, the late Gable Parsons. He was absolutely
passionate about our party and it was through listening to him and working side
by side with him on numerous campaigns that I too grew very passionate about
what some would call this province's favourite sport: politics.
I know
my grandfather and my uncle Charl are both smiling down today approvingly. Uncle
Charl was an ardent supporter right up to the time of his passing five years
ago, Mr. Speaker.
And, to
my partner Craig, thank you for your many years of support and understanding as
I have immersed myself in this political world. I come to this job with my eyes
wide open. We all realize the stresses and strains of public life, and Craig's
support has been unwavering for me and I am truly thankful.
Mr.
Speaker, a person whose mentorship was largely responsible for my gaining the
confidence to seek public office from the very beginning was the hon. Judy
Foote. As her special assistant for many, many years I learned the true meaning
of public service. It was during that time I became aware of the true needs of
constituents, of the passion that is required to get the job done.
I spent
and continue to spend countless hours in conversation with Judy, not just as my
former employer but as my best friend. Undoubtedly, her knowledge and zeal for
the job help mould me into who I am today. Thank you, Judy.
The
District of Burin Grand Bank was constructed of the entirety of the former
Grand Bank district, as well as parts of the former Bellevue and Placentia West
districts. I acknowledge the work done by the three former Members who, until
last year's election, represented the people I now represent. I honestly believe
that regardless of political stripe or ideology, practically everyone who offers
himself or herself for public service does so for the same reason. We love our
province
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS. HALEY:
We love our province and we
feel we can make a difference in moving Newfoundland and Labrador forward. Rest
assured I will work diligently on behalf of the communities that comprise the
District of Burin Grand Bank. Ours is a district located on the southern and
western parts of the Burin Peninsula, or the boot as it's commonly known, and
part of the Heritage Run.
I invite
all my colleagues to visit this part of the province, a region steeped in
history where not so long ago fishing and trading schooners plied the waters. A
place where you can still see the occasional orange or yellow Grandy dory tied
to wharf or pulled up on the beach as the sun glistens on the still waters of
Fortune Bay East or on the waters between my hometown of Point May and the
French islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon, a little more than a stone's throw
away, Mr. Speaker.
Next
door there's Lamaline, where I attended St. Joseph's Academy, along with my now
colleague, the hon. Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS. HALEY:
So much to see, the beauty of
Burin and the surrounding towns; Grand Bank where several of its houses even
today are topped with a widow's walk. Fortune, the gateway to the French islands
and having the prettiest and most colourful cluster of fishing stages you'll
ever want to see, Mr. Speaker, or stop by and read the storyboards that tell of
the tidal wave that decimated much of the area in 1929.
Storyboards that tell of the tragedy and heroism of the
USS Truxtun and
USS Pollux disaster in 1942, Mr.
Speaker. Storyboards that tell of mining fluorspar in St. Lawrence, and road
signs that direct you to communities such as Jacques Fontaine and Bay L'Argent,
Point au Gaul and Port au Bras, Lamaline and Lawn, to name a few whose names
remind you of the French presence when the area was first settled, Mr. Speaker.
If you
happen to be in Lord's Cove, you owe it to yourself to visit the research centre
where ground-breaking work is being carried out into wave energy and land-based
fish farming. Yes, Mr. Speaker, so much to see, so much history and beauty, so
many friendly people.
From
bakeapple festivals to rolling seas festivals, from mummering and planking her
down on Tibb's Eve, to potluck dinners on the menu of practically every
restaurant and takeout, come visit for a truly unique experience. With the hard
work and tenacity that mark the many trail associations in the area, it's only a
matter of time before you can leave your car behind and take in an even more
unique experience via your ATV or snowmobile.
Mr.
Speaker, this past summer my colleague, the Member for Placentia West
Bellevue, and I hosted three ministers on the Burin Peninsula. If the Minister
of Business, Tourism, Culture and Rural Development hadn't already known about
the tourism and business potential of the Peninsula, he knows now after the
whirlwind tour we took him on in a 24-hour period he won't soon forget. How good
is that, when you can take a Minister responsible for Tourism to Lord's Cove and
a whale graces us with his presence about three or four metres on the wharf
where the minister was standing? He got a chance to see what we have to offer.
I have
to mention our stop in Burin, where the minister had the opportunity to see the
tremendous work being carried out there in developing its tourism potential. One
of the visionaries for that work was Burin native and well-known entrepreneur,
the late Tom Hollett, who was tragically killed in a motorcycle accident this
past summer, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Hollett will be missed, and I'm sure all Members
join me in again sending our condolences to his wonderful family.
Mr.
Speaker, the minister made a second visit to the Peninsula this fall when he was
guest speaker at the Burin Peninsula Chamber of Commerce Awards banquet.
MR. SPEAKER:
(Inaudible.)
MS. HALEY:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I hope
you were as impressed with your visit as were the people of the area with you
during your time spent with us, and I'm sure you'll never forget Sandy Cove.
Later in
the summer, the Minister of Children, Seniors and Social Development also paid
us a visit, and I was pleased she could take time out of her busy schedule to
visit the Miner's Museum in St. Lawrence where she experienced first-hand how
the skilled workers at 3L Training and Employment go about producing beautiful
jewellery from local fluorspar.
I know
she was extremely impressed by what she saw, as was the staff with her
willingness to try her hand at the equipment. Thank you, Minister. Your visit
with the workers at 3L Training and Employment was undoubtedly the highlight of
their summer.
Mr.
Speaker, we also played host to the Minister of Municipal Affairs. His visit was
much appreciated by the good people of my district. He helped to officially open
the new community centre in Lamaline. Thank you, Minister, for taking the time
out of your busy schedule to be with us.
But I
did more than play hostess to ministers this summer, Mr. Speaker. This wasn't a
summer for me to bathe in the sun and relax. I, along with my colleague from
Placentia West Bellevue, have been very busy on files that have the potential
to put the Burin Peninsula back on the economic map in this province.
Construction is underway on the infrastructure that will be needed to return St.
Lawrence to its rightful place as a major player in the mining industry in this
province. We have worked diligently on another file that has the potential to be
a game changer for our area, the Grieg Seafarms project. We have also been
involved in bringing parties together to get a deal struck on the Marystown
shipyard, Mr. Speaker, and very hopeful that that will become a reality soon.
There
has been much concern over the last few months that our fiscal situation will
see everything grind to a halt in this province. As we have seen with the many
announcements for infrastructure projects, this is not the case, Mr. Speaker. We
now have a new government in Newfoundland and Labrador and a new government in
Ottawa who often see eye to eye and are determined to work together to
revitalize this province.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS. HALEY:
I was pleased to be able to
announce several important projects this summer and I know there will be many
more to come.
Mr.
Speaker, like all assembled on the floor of this hon. House today, I, too,
recognize the tremendous challenges we as legislators are facing as we strive to
steer our province through a very difficult economic time; however, we should
not forget that ours has been a history of struggling against what often seemed
insurmountable odds, yet surviving and on occasion even flourishing.
The area
I represent is a prime example of this, Mr. Speaker. In the heyday of the
fishery, the Burin Peninsula was the crown jewel in that industry as people from
around the Peninsula took to draggers, their own inshore boats or found steady
work at some of the finest fish plants in Newfoundland and Labrador or at the
shipyard in Marystown.
With the
collapse of the cod fishery, the workers of the Burin Peninsula did what so many
of their fellow Newfoundlander and Labradorians have done for generations, they
looked to the manufacturing centres of mainland, Canada, to the oil fields out
west, to our own burgeoning oil industry, but they did not forget the place they
call home. Our communities did not die because our people would not let them
die, Mr. Speaker.
Now, Mr.
Speaker, we are in the midst of another economic downturn, but as always in time
of stagnancy there is also opportunity. The downturn in the offshore oil
industry should serve as a wakeup call to us all.
The
proverbial all eggs in one basket scenario can only breed complacency and bring
us to the point we are today. I know there are many cynics who cringe at the
expression, diversify the economy. That idea has been bandied around so long
with with less-than-stellar results. But all good ideas have their day and I
believe, as do my colleagues, now is the time to look at other opportunities to
grow our economy, Mr. Speaker. We are a province rich in resources and we now
have an obligation to develop those resources for the entire population.
Mr.
Speaker, the economic downturn that has left the country reeling has seen much
of our workforce without employment; however, this is not a time to throw our
hands in the air and give up. I am convinced that through working with industry
and hand in hand with my colleague for Placentia West Bellevue and indeed with
the whole of caucus, the Burin Peninsula can and will be revitalized and regain
its position as an economic stalwart for this province. We are already seeing
this starting to take shape with the projects I have already mentioned. I know
through talking to my colleagues on this side of the House that each and every
one of them has embraced that same attitude and is determined to work hard to
rebuild every region of this province.
Our
economic rebirth will take time, but the time to start that process is now, not
waiting for the price of oil to rebound to some desirable level. It will take
the commitment of every Member of this Assembly, every civil servant in our
province and, in fact, a commitment from every Newfoundlander and Labradorian,
Mr. Speaker. Our people do care and are only too willing to share their ideas
and do their part to put us back on sound footing. We cannot allow negativity to
rule the day.
Mr.
Speaker, we are no strangers to rough times, sometimes made even rougher by
tragedy, as we saw seven years ago with the crash of Cougar Flight 491, a solemn
anniversary marking the loss of 17 lives, including Burch Nash and Wade Drake
from my district. An anniversary commemorated every year on March 12. The
tragedy that was the battle at Beaumont-Hamel where hundreds of Newfoundlanders
and Labradorians fell and which marked its 100th anniversary on July 1; the
tragedy of countless mariners and sealers lost at sea and on the ice fields,
lost but not forgotten. A stunning memorial such as those at Grand Bank and
Elliston attest. Yes, we have seen our share of rough times, but we will
persevere because perseverance is endemic to the Newfoundland and Labrador
psyche as the salt water off our coast, Mr. Speaker.
We are
sailing rough waters right now. Rough waters can be scary but made much less
scary when one realizes there is a competent captain at the helm. Our Premier is
known for his unassuming calm and collected style of leadership, yet underneath
lies a passion and determination to steer Newfoundland and Labrador in the right
direction and to get us back to calm waters. It is my belief, Mr. Speaker, as it
was the belief of over 90 per cent of delegates in Gander recently, that our
Premier is the right man at the right time.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS. HALEY:
His message is simple: By
working together, much can be accomplished.
Mr.
Speaker, in closing, I do not come blindly to this job. I know the task for all
40 of us is immense, but it is job to which I am looking forward and my only
pledge is to not shirk from my responsibility to work hard on behalf of those
who elected me and, indeed, the whole province.
We can
choose to resign our province to a state of perpetual despair, or we can roll up
our sleeves and do the work we need to put our province on the path to a bright
future. Mr. Speaker, I choose to do the latter.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
The
Chair recognizes the hon. the Member for Conception Bay East Bell Island.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. BRAZIL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
It's
indeed an honour to stand in the House as we sit again for our fall sitting and
welcome everybody back, but particularly congratulate and thank those Members
who gave their maiden speech. It was very positive, very open, no doubt very
engaging and very thankful for those people who helped them get to this point,
their families and obviously the people in their districts who supported them
over the process.
Six
years ago when I got elected to the House and when I had an opportunity to
speak, I never really got to give a maiden speech; I had to respond to the
Speech from the Throne. So it was a little bit more technical about what that
speech was all about. I never really got an opportunity to do what my hon.
colleagues across had the opportunity to do today. I compliment them,
particularly for outlining those people who were instrumental in them getting
elected, and their focus and their views on wanting to improve their districts
and improve this province; it is honourable.
No
doubt, we all come for that same reason. We all come to want to be able to do
our part to ensure that the next generation and the existing generation has a
better quality of life. There is no doubt, as has been outlined here, there are
challenges. My six years in the House, I've seen challenges. I've seen decisions
made that, no doubt, had a negative impact on people, but we collectively have
to look at the real impact it is going to have and how do we look for a better
future and how do we move things forward.
I'm
happy to say that my tenure in the House of Assembly and where things have moved
during that period of time, particularly in my own district, was an eye-opener,
to get an understanding of what people's priorities were and exactly what was
the particular things that would influence their quality of life and their
ability and their want to be able to stay in this great province of ours, and
particularly in my district.
As other
Members have outlined here, I have a unique district similar to a number of
people; half urban, half suburban and a lot rural and restricted and isolated.
When you look at my district itself, Bell Island is a very historic part of our
province, a boom-and-bust community for a number of times, one of the elite when
it came to incomes for a period of time. Then, the bust period which,
unfortunately, people with no sustainable industry had to either rely on income
support or had to leave their respective community. When a population goes from
16,000 to less than 3,000, then obviously you know you're in a boom-and-bust
community.
But I
give credit over there, they're very diligent. Their resiliency is about
providing a good quality of life for those citizens who are still there. And the
one thing about it in Newfoundland and Labrador, when we leave, we never really
leave. We're always still from there. People who have been gone 50 years in
Ontario, Alberta, BC or in the United States always talk about where they're
from and that's where they're from. So that's again a testament to the people in
this province, but particularly the testament from my home community of Bell
Island.
When you
look at the rest of my district here, Portugal Cove-St. Philip's is one of the
largest walk-through communities. It's very large. From Bauline Line and Indian
Meal Line right up to St. Thomas Line right up to Thorburn Road. A very unique
community because it was two communities for nearly 50 years, that 20 years ago
joined in amalgamation, joined to come together and provide better services for
the residents in that area. And it's been a mishmash of getting people, the
former livyers, to understand we need to become one community, as has happened
up in the community of Conception Bay South.
I
remember going up doing work there years ago as a civil servant and the ultimate
eight or nine communities were all separated and had their own identity and had
their own needs and, no doubt, had their own priorities. But I've noticed in the
last number of years how they've come together as a community. It's now CBS.
It's not Seal Cove or Kelligrews or Manuels, any of that, it's CBS. They're a
resident of CBS.
So I'm
hopeful that Portugal Cove-St. Philip's will become that in the near future too,
the next generation. But to do that, you've got to have the amenities; you've
got to have a connection to it. The biggest challenge we've had in Portugal
Cove-St. Philip's has always been their schooling is done outside. They have to
go to St. John's to be part of it. So their connection to the community, their
connection to representing the community in competitions, in sports, in academic
competition is relevant to a city school and a city name that has no attachment
to their community.
So I'm
happy to be able to say that we're moving to that. The junior high school is
only months away from being completed and opened. It's state of the art, second
to none in Portugal Cove-St. Philip's. The next object, then, is a high school,
which would be one of the priorities, to have a community like that
self-contained. It's a full education process. It has its recreation facilities
all in play. It's moving forward on a great business plan around attracting the
amenities of a business sector and a community square; so all these things are
very positive things.
It has a
gateway to Bell Island with the new ferry that should arrive in the next few
hours, the Legionnaire. That will be a
great attraction for Portugal Cove-St. Philip's and a great partnership between
them and the community of Bell Island; so a lot positive things are happening
there.
Then
when I move to the other part of the district I'm responsible for: Paradise.
Now, there's a very dynamic community, growing in leaps and bounds. It has moved
completely into one of the top five communities here when it comes to attracting
young families, having the amenities you need for a community, having the
ability for growth, having a sustainable plan.
Only
last week I had the privilege, myself and my colleague from the District of
Topsail Paradise, to meet with the town council and have a great open
discussion about what their plans are, how they've gotten to where they are
right now and some of the challenges they faced, but particularly a discussion
around how do we move things forward and still be cognizant of some of the
challenges they're going to have.
You have
old parts of Paradise and new parts of Paradise. There has to be a good balance
there. I give credit to the council there. Myself and my colleague have had a
great working relationship, and my former colleague who represented part of it
too from Mount Pearl North. We always managed to be engaged with the council
itself to find out the best routes to go, what the priorities would be. Would it
be infrastructure? Would be it recreation? Would it be education?
We
managed to do a balance so that you could still draw the citizens you wanted,
you could still expand the community and you could still make the business
sector want to invest. We've seen that greatly improved over the last number of
years. Particularly the last three years, where big box stores have come in
there, where small business grow, where manufactures the manufacturing unit up
there is second to none. It's growing in leaps and bounds. It's paying millions
of dollars of taxes, but our discussions last week were around completing the
other infrastructure.
When you
have a community that's growing so fast, how do you not only engage the citizens
but give them the infrastructure necessary to be able to move it to the next
level. One of the key things is completing our education system, needing a high
school to be able to address the needs so that our kids are not spread out in
various other communities. That has to be one of the priorities. That's a
priority of the town and I know of the school councils there.
It was
also a combination of talking about their sister communities. One of those is
the other part of my district, as I mentioned earlier, Portugal Cove-St.
Philip's, having a working relationship and ensuring that for every action there
is a reaction. If you do something with a road network in one community, it
probably affects one in your neighbouring one. So I like the fact they were
having a discussion around how do we engage the other communities.
We have
that in my district. There's no doubt, I would hope and think it happens in most
other districts here, that we can't do it in isolation. That was one of the
processes we tried to start a number of years ago, about regional services and
the benefits they have for people.
There
are certain areas, there's no doubt, regional services don't work just because
of the nature of isolation or the restriction to those communities. I have to
note one of those. It's about libraries, how you can expect people in Fogo
Island, Change Islands, Bell Island or in Cartwright to get to the nearest
community, which is hours away, and has restrictions and has challenges, to be
able to avail of that service.
I'm
totally pro about regional services, collaboration and finding a better way to
do things; and the old clichι, get more return on your investment. I have no
problem with that, but there are certain things we have to be cognizant about
and certain responsibilities we have to provide certain services. So we need to
have a better dialogue with people, a better opportunity to engage their
particular needs here, but particularly ask people around, how would we best
sell this?
One
thing I found about Newfoundlanders and Labradorians as a civil servant for over
a quarter of a century, travelling to every small community and every large
urban centre, and comparing that to our colleagues in other jurisdictions and
other countries, Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are very open to having that
dialogue. If you ask them to help you solve a problem, they'll be the first one
to jump up and give you a solution. It's not always a self-serving solution.
Sometimes they're willing to take a hit because the right thing needs to be
done. We have to find that opportunity to do that again, that opportunity to
engage those communities and say here are our restrictions, here are our
challenges. We've got these; these are real.
Most of
our challenges are due to no control of ours but they're internationally woven.
So how do we take that, use our citizens, our 500,000-plus citizens here who
have all kinds of knowledge, all kinds of experience, all kinds of understanding
about what the priorities are and ask them to be engaged, ask them to help solve
our problems. You'll get a much better response. You'll get a better
understanding.
There's
no doubt, not everybody is going to like every decision, but the decisions will
be, no doubt, best set out to be able to make sure the next generation and the
generations beyond that are better off than the generations before. It's a good
way to do it. It's a good way in business. It's a good way in a family having
dialogue. It's definitely a good way in politics.
I've had
the fortunate process over the last number of years, in my district things have
taken off naturally. The partnerships were easily developed, and we managed to
invest where it was needed. There was no frivolous things spent that weren't
necessary. We spent dramatically in education to improve the quality of life so
that you draw young families, so our young people would be as competitive as
anybody anywhere in this world.
Have no
illusions, there's no doubt it's healthy to review our education system or any
other system. We do our health care system and that. But I can tell you, our
education system and I've talked to administrators and I've watched them and
I've talked to parents, but more importantly, I see the graduates. I see the
quality of the people that graduate from our school system. So we are in a good
place.
No
doubt, there's room for improvement. There's no doubt there are new approaches.
There's no doubt we need to develop new partnerships. Again, to do that we've
got to have the proper dialogue with those people, the key stakeholders and
they're the parents' groups, they're the community leaders, they're the
administrators, they're the educators, they're the people who serve the special
needs students. Those are all the stakeholders we have in this province that
need to be engaged to best address how we move our education system forward.
So
another opportunity for all of us here in the House of Assembly to engage our
constituents, engage our responsibilities, and engage those people out there who
are offering another way of doing something that works in the best interest and
uses the taxpayers' money in the best interests so that we have additional
monies to put wherever our other priorities are. No doubt about that.
I know
you can't invest in every bit of infrastructure immediately. It takes time.
There's no doubt, 20 years ago if you knew David Brazil and I was the chair of
the ferry users committee, I was screaming and bawling that we needed new
ferries. Everybody needed them, no doubt about it, but reality was you didn't
have half a billion dollars to do that. So you started out with a process, and
we're coming close to the end of that process.
I'm
happy to be able to say when the Minister of Transportation gets to sign off on
the Legionnaire and a few other things
that I know the department are adjusting on the smaller ferries for the South
Coast, and when they address some of the issues in Labrador, we'll be in a much
better place to be able to service those communities who deserve services, but
it's not only about deserving services. It's about giving the supports to be
able to grow those communities.
Have no
illusion, most of these communities, if it's around industry, if it's around
tourism, if it's around proper investments, have the ability to be very high
contributors when it comes to our tax base here and our manufacturing and our
draw as a community. So we need to be able to ensure that what we invest is
spread out. You can't help urban Newfoundland and Labrador survive if you don't
help rural Newfoundland and Labrador survive. One can't survive without the
other. It's a reality. If you look at our history for the last hundreds of
years, the rural communities sustained the urban centres.
The
world has changed somewhat. The urban centres now are helping sustain the rural
centres. We need to find that balance. Our investments around businesses,
incentives, if it's food security, if it's the fishing industry, if it's
manufacturing, if it's high technology, whatever it may be, there can be a
balance between how rural Newfoundland and Labrador plays in it to what urban
Newfoundland and Labrador plays in it, but to do that we have to have a full
balance of engagement again. There are people out there who have that knowledge.
So I'm
encouraging the government here and I know we've been doing it as a caucus
here, and I know the NDP have been doing it asking their constituents, asking
the interest groups out there: What do you think, what are your challenges, but,
more importantly, what are your solutions? Knowing that there are no blank
cheques no blank cheques out there. When you're upfront with people and honest
with them there are no blank cheques. Tell us how we can best provide the
services or what are the priority services that we first need to prioritize.
Again, I
keep reiterating, people are very open to that in Newfoundland and Labrador. We
all want more, there's no doubt about it, but when we're given the opportunity
and given the reality of where we are, people will give you some heartfelt,
genuine advice as to what would be the best things to get us over this hump. So
let's engage those people out there. Let's have that opportunity for our
citizens. Let's have that dialogue.
Over the
years, too, we've been fortunate enough and I look at Bell Island. I keep
saying that because I think Bell Island can be the jewel here. We've now
improved the infrastructure. If you notice what's going on over there with some
of the new things that have been built, some of the investments by the private
sector, there's a balance over there that people would have never thought 20
years ago. It's the first time in 50 years since the mines closed that the
population has stabilized. It's not just retirees coming back but there are
families with two and three kids.
There's
a balance for that. When you can do that in an isolated community that had only
one supportive business and that was a mining industry that doesn't exist
anymore, then it tells me you can do that in the Straits of Labrador, you can do
the North Coast of Labrador, you can do it on the Bonavista Peninsula, you can
do it in the Burin Peninsula. Anywhere in this province it can be done, we just
need to be able to find the proper mechanism and the right ideas. And they're
out there. They're out there for the taking. It's just a matter of getting the
people to give us those ideas and let them develop the partnerships.
Government is supposed to be the mechanism for things to prosper, not the people
who write out the cheques or tell you what needs to be done. We're the
mechanism, we're the support mechanism. The old clichι of a hand up versus a
handout; that's where the government is supposed to be around when it comes to
policy, when it comes to implementing support services and this type of thing.
We need to get back to that.
No
doubt, part of that whole process is, again, deciding where we're going to be
able to offer the best types of services in which part of the province to ensure
that everybody in this province of ours has equal access to particular services.
If it's health care, if it's education, if it's recreation, if it's training;
whatever it may be that's necessary, we need to be able to find that happy
balance.
I would
hope as we sit for the next month or so here in the House of Assembly, and as we
do to continue over the next number of years in the House of Assembly, that's
the debate we're going to have here. And between us all, that we come up with
the solutions. Because if I present a petition or a Member from the government
side presents a petition, that it reflects the needs of people. They're giving
us an opportunity to have an open discussion around how we solve some of these
issues. They're not driven just by politics. This is a House of politics, I
realize that, but it's the House of the people, and the people should get the
most influence on what we get back from it. We have that opportunity.
There's
no blame on any administration, be it whatever party it was in the past. We'll
leave that for the past. This is the present and we have to look for the future.
The future opportunities we have here are, again, that open dialogue. We're not
always going to agree. I have priorities that my colleagues here in caucus don't
100 per cent agree with. No doubt, they have some that I wouldn't agree with. No
doubt it's the same on that side.
When it
becomes philosophical about policies on particular political parties, there's no
doubt there are going to be debates and arguments. But the more evidence that we
show and the more information we put forward that citizens be it my
constituents, be it constituents from my colleagues in Lab West that they are
on the same wavelength, then we know we're on the right track. We just have to
ensure our policies and our investments meet those needs.
Sometimes there's no doubt, you have to say right now here's a priority and the
priority is in this area for this particular need. And no doubt, people will be
a little bit perturbed for that period of time. But I found in my history as a
civil servant and as a business person, and even as a politician the last six
years, people get over that pretty quickly when they know you're being sincere
and they know at the end of the day there's going to be light at the end of that
tunnel. That's what we're asking here.
Any
vision, any leap of hope, any plan needs to be shared. There needs to be open
dialogue. It needs to have that opportunity to ensure people give you the best
piece of advice.
And I
say we flawed in one particular area here, but we've got an opportunity to fix
that. And that's around the libraries. I'd be remiss if I didn't talk about that
because it's something that's sincerely heartfelt for me because I look at the
needs for libraries. I had an opportunity to meet with a number of the
communities that have been slated to close their libraries and got a better
understanding. I thought I knew a fair bit about the impacts libraries would
have and what they offer people, but even I couldn't touch the surface until I
started to talk to people.
And I
had some of my colleagues from the government side. We attended one of the
sessions and got a real understanding of, not only the history of it and
history is fine and history is very important, but history has to be built into
a process where there's a benefit to people. Every story people told about the
history of libraries and the impact, had an outcome. And the outcome was
somebody was better off, somebody was better educated. The community benefitted
from it, the schools themselves were of benefit. The leaders in the community
benefit from it. It was an overall sense that not only their communities but the
region had seen the benefits of those libraries being open.
I say
that the flawed part of it and this is not an attack on anybody in any way,
shape or form. The process here would be and most of those people we talked to
realized there has to be a way of streamlining the business we do in government
and the libraries are one example of that. Having a dialogue to point out how do
we better use technology, how do we develop better partnerships with the private
sector. How do we use our existing education system to better promote libraries
and get the better use? How do we partner with existing government programs to
ensure that process saves us money, improves our services?
In some
cases, maybe there has to be an amalgamation of satellite units versus a
full-fledged unit. I didn't hear anybody adverse to that. What I did hear them
adverse to was don't cut us without understanding the benefits, because you're
going to lose money in the end and you're going to hurt the people that you're
set to support.
So I do
ask in my closing note that we open up better dialogue and find a better way to
do things for the people of this province.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Cartwright L'Anse au Clair.
MS. DEMPSTER:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
It's
nice to be back in the House after an absence. Only it doesn't seem like five
months ago, just the same, since we walked out after that four-day filibuster
and here we are. My grandmother had an expression she had many expressions,
actually, and she influenced my life greatly. She used to say time and tide
waits for no man.
I
thought about that last night as I thought about it seems like yesterday I ran
in a by-election in 2013 and joined a small caucus of five. I am now starting my
seventh sitting, Mr. Speaker, and the only thing constant as my colleagues
have heard me say many times since then has been change with the seven
by-elections and the great results of the general election and then, I'd be
remiss if I didn't say, a bit of a rough spring. But I think the tide is
turning.
I'm not
going to talk about the Liberal convention here, but I have to mention just
coming off a great convention in Gander, 500 people at the dinner, and the
momentum. I hope it put to bed some of the things that we were hearing in the
media about is the party united and is the party behind the leader. I think, as
somebody mentioned already today, coming out of that a leader, the Premier, with
over 90 per cent of the vote, I hope that people know that we've rolled up our
sleeves, we're here in the tough times. We're united and we're going forward
together, just like our recent Way Forward
paper indicated.
So I
want to say welcome back to everybody. Welcome back to my team and welcome back
to the Members across the way. The Member for Cape St. Francis, I always enjoy
listening to him. He talked about the fishery, which is near and dear to my
heart. The fishery plays a very, very vital, crucial role in my district, the
beautiful District of Cartwright L'Anse au Clair.
L'Anse
au Clair starts at the Quebec border and my district goes north as far
Cartwright. Then I have the three unconnected communities of Norman Bay,
William's Harbour and Black Tickle. So as I was listening to him mention the
fishery, I wanted to say that myself and the Minister of Fisheries will be
making our way on Wednesday morning, if all goes well, up to my district to
attend the Shrimp Company's biennial. It is a huge event; they're a very key
player in my district. It is companies like the Labrador Fishermen's Union
Shrimp Company that are driving the success of the fishery in the Province of
Newfoundland and Labrador. I'm very proud, Mr. Speaker, that they are from my
district; 35 years now, revenues of well over $80 million annually; definitely
one of our success stories.
I think
that the Shrimp Company is a shining example of Labrador's potential and how the
values of community, partnership, co-operation and passion can allow a region to
be the best that it can be economically and socially, Mr. Speaker.
While
I'm just mentioning the fishery, I want to say that the Liberal Party and we
saw a number of resolutions while we were in Gander has always highlighted the
fishery as a fundamental pillar of the economy and as a crucial renewable
resource, a vital source of rural economic development and a sustainable engine
of wealth generation for our province, with enormous potential for growth.
So I'm
encouraged that I'm on a team that recognizes that the fishery is one of the
fundamental pillars. I mean when we look at all of the rural areas that we have,
and my district is probably as rural as any, so many challenges and the cost of
providing service to these areas people have heard me say before and I've said
it in the media; I have communities, some wondering about their future. I think
people have a right to choose to live where they want to live, Mr. Speaker, but
it is not possible to have the same level of service everywhere you live.
With
that in mind, we have to do all we can to support the industries and people like
the Shrimp Company that are such key players in those little areas that don't
have a lot of opportunity with other industries.
I want
to mention right off the top that this is World Diabetes Day. That's why I'm
wearing my little blue pin, like many here in the House. Diabetes is near and
dear to my heart. It came to live under our roof about 13 years ago and it's
only when it hits close to home that you fully understand the complications. The
Minister of Health would certainly understand the expense and the burden that it
plays on our province.
I want
to mention Guy Poole, also from my district; I am very proud of Guy, a man who's
72 years old and in September we got to walk the final steps with him towards
St. John's. He walked from Labrador West to St. John's. He walked across sea ice
in my district. He's just one man doing what he can. He lost his life's partner
through diabetes complications. He's raised more than $100,000. He's promoting
awareness
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS. DEMPSTER:
around diabetes and he's
letting us know that you don't have to have money. No matter what walk of life,
we can all get out and do our part to live a more healthy, active lifestyle. In
turn, we're not only doing ourselves a favour we're spending about 40 cents on
every dollar in health care in our province.
I take
that serious, Mr. Speaker. Even myself as an MHA, I think all of us as leaders
that it's incumbent upon us that we model some of that health and well-being.
How can you expect people to go the way if we don't really show them the way? I
digress, and I'm good at that too, Mr. Speaker. I want to toss a bouquet to Guy
and I want to recognize that it is World Diabetes Day. I started my day in blue
for World Diabetes, but once you get in here and you're in court garb, I didn't
have it on.
It's
been a very busy summer since we left here in June. All of us have been out and
about to our festivals and my district no different. I have lots of fantastic
things that happened in my little area, from the bakeapple festival in the
Labrador Straits; 37 years now these people have been doing a fantastic event to
celebrate the bakeapple which, by the way, Mr. Speaker, the Labrador
bakeapples are the best. I may be biased, but I think they are. Every time I
come in people are saying can you bring me some bakeapples.
We have
the Crab Festival in Mary's Harbour that has celebrated 20 years; some
communities with small volunteer populations that have been doing this for a
long, long time. It is commendable. Then we have the cod festival, the Golden
Cod there in William's Harbour.
Mr.
Speaker, I want to say, when we talk about out and about at festivals, sometimes
people say you're out, you're kissing babies again and you're shaking hands, but
what they don't realize is two things. When we're out and about, that's when we
get to engage with our constituents. How many of us have people come up to you
and say I was going to give your office a call or I was wondering do you know of
a program for my grandmother or my grandfather? So it's very, very important
that we get out and about.
Also, in
this job, you work for the people. It's a very high honour. For me, I had a
by-election. I had a heavily contested nomination. I just had the general
election. I take it very, very serious. It's an honour to be one of 40 people
who stand in this Legislature and represent one of the 40 districts. I take that
serious.
Once you
go to work for the people, there's always the balance, Mr. Speaker. I think
we'll all agree that we can spend seven days a week sitting at our desks and
trying to push the community files and the individual constituency issues, but
it's always that balance of getting out and about so that the people who elected
you can see you and they appreciate seeing you at events.
We're
just coming off the heels of Remembrance Day. I attended the ceremony this year
in a little town of Lodge Bay. I think the population is just over 60. They have
at least 20 per cent of their population that serve in the army, in the navy or
in the military. Communities from all over Southeast Labrador converge on Lodge
Bay for remembrance. It was a tiny group of military moms, 14 years ago, that
decided they wanted to do something because their sons were out serving. The
event has been growing and growing commendable. The whole back wall of that
community centre is pictures of their young men and women that go out and serve.
So I was really happy to be a part of that. I just wanted to mention that, Mr.
Speaker.
What I'm
really happy to talk about over the minutes that I have left is we took the
reins of government at probably the most difficult time in the history of
Newfoundland and Labrador. Some of us, more than others, have had a very
difficult time dealing with that, managing the people's expectations. I think
that my team has done a very, very good job thus far.
I want
to talk about Cartwright L'Anse au Clair and some of the funding that has come
into that district. As I look down through the list, I thought about Minister
Foote when she was speaking in Gander last weekend. She said somebody said: Oh,
there's a lot of money coming to Newfoundland and Labrador. Good for you; you're
dragging it in. And she said: Why shouldn't I drag it into Newfoundland and
Labrador? Why shouldn't it come to our province? We've been in the wilderness
for 10 years.
I
thought about that when I was gathering some notes for myself to get up.
Cartwright L'Anse au Clair has been in the wilderness for a long time, Mr.
Speaker. We have a long way to go. We have our challenges. I know that there are
services that we have in urban areas that we will never have in Cartwright
L'Anse au Clair, but I can tell you over the last 3½ years, especially when the
House is sitting and when I leave here on a Friday morning and I fly back into
my district, I am just in another world. We have a long way to go.
So we
started in June with an announcement in Mary's Harbour: $63 million. That was
cost shared by the feds. That's going to see two 80-kilometre paving tenders in
my district, hopefully, by the end of the next calendar year. That is not just
going to benefit Cartwright L'Anse au Clair, Mr. Speaker. That is going to
benefit the entire province. And I'm going to talk in a couple of minutes about
the tourism numbers that are up in the district.
People
now, Mr. Speaker, now that the road is connected on through to Goose Bay and
Labrador City, the numbers are growing exponentially of tourists that's coming
in maybe across the Strait of Belle Isle on the
Apollo and heading on north and going out through down Lab West in
the district that my colleague represents. So that $63 million is certainly an
investment into the entire Province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
I'm
always amazed with the number of emails that I get from people that live outside
of Labrador that comment on the road, or when is your road being finished. So I
think we're on track for 2019-2020 to have that done, and I certainly look
forward to the day. So right now we're going to be doing 80 kilometres of paving
north of Red Bay and Charlottetown branch south, we're doing 80 more.
In
addition to that, Mr. Speaker, I've been working closely with my colleague, the
Minister of Municipal Affairs. I am more than delighted I think it is 10
projects that are happening in my district. Ten projects where maybe around $4
million has been the provincial contribution. I'm just going to run through some
of them for the benefit of the people that might be watching.
We have
Red Bay, a World Heritage UNESCO site, that I want to say is up 26 per cent this
summer in the number of visitors the highest it's been to date. They saw
11,000 visitors, which was an increase of 26 per cent over 2015. Red Bay is
receiving, for the paving of roads in that community, a provincial contribution
of over $400,000. L'Anse-au-Loup is receiving a contribution of over $200,000
for sewer upgrades essential, basic work in that area. On down to Mary's
Harbour we see under Clean Water and Wastewater Fund again, federal-provincial
cost shared $680,000 in pump house repairs and over $200,000 in lift station
repairs.
Mr.
Speaker, I'm delighted that we have a minister that recognizes that, in 2016,
there are seniors that still do not have running water. We talk about
communities and the life of communities and the future and the sustainability
and you have to consider all that before you make an investment; I understand
that. But these are connected by road, communities that will be around for a
long time, yet those communities did not have water, did not have sewer, could
not turn on a tap things that we take for granted every single day.
Lodge
Bay, I just mentioned, where I attended the Remembrance ceremony $123,000 into
Lodge Bay, with a provincial contribution of $49,000; a new water and waste
water system for Port Hope Simpson, a $348,000 provincial contribution. Here we
have a situation where we had sewer that's been running out over the road for
the last number of years, a health hazard, deplorable, children that live in
that area. I'm so pleased again that the minister took that project and sent it
up and got funds matched. The community is very excited to see this project
finally funded.
Sanitary
sewer lift station in St. Lewis, a provincial contribution of $74,000;
Charlottetown, my home community, we have a well drilling project and a phase of
water and sewer happening in that community, with a provincial contribution of
$268,000 and $143,000. So, Mr. Speaker, significant investment into communities
in the most basic of infrastructure when we're talking artesian wells which,
by the way, we're learning that not everything has to be a phase of water and
sewer, which is the most expensive way to go in these communities. We can have
well and septic, and we can do some drilling of wells. It's a more
cost-efficient way of giving Aunt Nellie or Uncle George water that's running
from their tap.
In
addition to that, we had a number of other wonderful things. My colleague, the
Minister of Transportation and Works, who's very familiar with seeing my face,
we had a number of extra crossings put on just because the traffic is up and we
needed those extra crossings. I was pleased to see him do that. Just from May to
October, we have had more than 75,000 people in that short window this summer,
more than 75,000 people that went across the Strait of Belle Isle on the
Apollo. Not just tourism, we have some
big megaprojects happening in Labrador as well.
In
addition to that, Mr. Speaker, a number of my other communities have benefitted
financially over the last few months; Pinsent's Arm, another little town where
the kids get on a school bus and they drive 29 kilometres in to Charlottetown to
go to school. I throw a bouquet to the Minister of Transportation and Works for
recognizing that the road was a hazard; it was almost grown over. It was like
driving through a tunnel with brush. He approved $182,000 for those kids to be
able to get on a bus and drive twice a day on that road safely back and forth to
school.
I had a
number of communities that received fire equipment, very essential, Mr. Speaker.
My own community, when I look at what they have done I mean, these are little
fire brigades that are doing everything they can to try and help themselves.
They're having their cold plate sales and their hot turkey suppers, but
sometimes they need that little bit of extra help.
In my
community of Charlottetown, we have the only shrimp processing facility in
Labrador. So we have all of these boats that are tied to the dock, we have the
shrimp plant and we have the neighbouring community of Pinsent's Arm that
depends on them. It is so vital that we help them get some of the resources they
need in the event something like a fire should happen.
Speaking
of fires happening, the southern part of my district, L'Anse au Clair, lost a
community centre which was a focal point in their community. We have been able
to help them do some design work with the engineering piece and they are well on
their way to putting a new building back into that community, Mr. Speaker.
Black
Tickle, Mr. Speaker, has covered a lot of miles in the media. We thought
initially that Black Tickle would be losing their nurse. I'm very pleased that I
was able to work with my colleague, the Minister of Health and Community
Services, and we were able to maintain medical services in that community in a
more efficient, fiscally, prudent manner than was happening before.
Everything you'd seen with the prior administration, money was easy come easy
go, and nobody really had handles on anything or how much money was going out
the door. It looked like, for that community to have a nurse, it was going to
cost us quite a bit more than we could afford but we worked through a number of
things and I'm very pleased to say that I talked to the local service district a
couple of days ago and things are working really well with the new model of
health care in the community of Black Tickle. They're quite happy to have a
nurse there, Mr. Speaker, in that community.
I see my
time is running out, Mr. Speaker. I had a whole lot more I wanted to say, but
I'm just going to skip over. I have to make a comment on a question that came in
Question Period where the Leader of the Opposition asked the Premier: What was
the cost of shutting down the Muskrat Falls Project for those few days?
Mr.
Speaker, I want to tell you, as someone who was in the middle of that upheaval,
I'm going to tell you whatever it cost to shut it down was far less than the
cost of keeping it going the way it was. Here we were just hours and days before
impoundment, and there were so many unresolved issues because the proper work
was not done upfront.
Mr.
Speaker, I couldn't be more proud of the team I work with and led by the
Premier, that 12-hour meeting with the Aboriginal groups where we definitely
broke new ground, because we recognized the fact that this project had ballooned
$5 billion more than what they had initially said it would, that the health of
the people of Newfoundland and Labrador trumps everything, Mr. Speaker. That's
why we broke new ground and made sure that proper measures were in place so that
the health of the people would not be compromised.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER (Osborne):
The hon. the Member for
Fortune Bay Cape La Hune.
MS. PERRY:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
It's
certainly an honour and a privilege for me to rise in the House of Assembly here
today and speak to Address in Reply for the Speech from the Throne.
As I
heard my hon. colleague talk about a little while ago, she said this is her
seventh session. This is my ninth year, I guess. If you're talking in terms of
two sittings per year, I'm getting close to my eighteenth time here in this
House of Assembly. It really is quite an honour for each and every one of us to
stand here on behalf of the wonderful people of Newfoundland and Labrador that
we represent.
Mr.
Speaker, I would like to use some of my time here today to speak to the recent
Thanksgiving storm. What an incredible experience it was. I've experienced many
things since I've been in politics. My husband likes to sit down with me
sometimes and talk about the many different experiences we have had. I will
never say, well, nothing else can happen, because I didn't imagine in a million
years that I would be MHA at a time of such massive destruction throughout my
entire region. It was quite an eye-opening experience, Mr. Speaker, for each and
every one of us.
Towards
the end, I guess, I'll talk a little bit about some of the after effects, but
during the storm event itself and I want to say again, in addition to the
minister, in his Ministerial Statement today thanked everyone for their response
effort. I want to say again a huge thank you to all the people that really rose
to the challenge in a time of critical need.
It was
about 1:30 on Monday afternoon when we got the call from Fire and Emergency
Services. They notified me as MHA and the mayors of the various communities that
we knew would be impacted over the next 12 hours. To see the work that was done
by the volunteers and local community officials was absolutely incredible. None
of them were afraid to go out and brave the danger, and it was quite dangerous,
Mr. Speaker, for several hours that evening.
They
took proactive measures in some communities where they actually got out ahead of
the rain flooding houses and actually dug culverts and diverted some water
routes, and in the process saved probably 50 or 60 homes from being flooded as
well. So it was certainly very proactive measures on their part to minimize the
damage that was coming our way. Yet, none of us were prepared for or expected
the extent of damage that we saw. In fact, it wasn't until the Premier came on
Wednesday and we were touring the region that we discovered the actual number of
washouts. We knew we couldn't get from Hermitage to Seal Cove because there was
a washout on that end and there was another washout from Seal Cove towards
Hermitage. That day we discovered a third washout in between, Mr. Speaker.
We had
four communities isolated for days. Kids couldn't get to school. We went to the
store and I never experienced anything like this in my life. One of the
storekeepers said there are a thousand people who live in the community, the
store opened for a few hours two days after the storm and a thousand people went
to the store during that few-hour period. There wasn't a loaf of bread to be
bought; there wasn't a can of milk to be found. Even flour was flying off the
shelves, Mr. Speaker. Everyone was resorting to the realization that we might
have to make our own bread because there was no way in and no way out. Our
bridge completely collapsed.
Now,
that leads me, though, to something that's very, very, very important and that
is the need for maintenance of critical infrastructure. I know and I will
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Fortune Bay Cape La Hune.
MS. PERRY:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I lost
my train of thought there then, Mr. Speaker, but certainly, like I said, I've
never experienced that feeling of panic before of not knowing if there was going
to be something to eat. We really didn't know how long we were going to be in
that situation.
Officials, Mr. Speaker and I think there's a lesson to be learned in all of
this. Certainly what happened in Marystown a few years ago, I'm sure we learned
a lot of lessons from that. As we move forward, it is absolutely crucial that
our existing infrastructure is maintained.
I have
mayors in my community very, very concerned about some of the bridges. The
reality is it's a miracle that nobody died during that rainstorm event that
flood. There was a vehicle about to cross that bridge when they heard a huge
rumble. They thought they had a flat tire so they stopped. Had they inched along
further they would have drowned, undoubtedly, Mr. Speaker, because the bridge
went in one fell swoop, the whole thing gone. It eroded from the edges.
The
councils had been expressing concern for some time. We still have a number of
bridges in the region that we're equally as concerned about, some of them with
drops of well over a hundred feet should anybody be on them in the event of a
natural disaster. So it is crucial that our infrastructure be maintained
throughout the province and I, for one, would certainly support increased
investment into our road networks throughout the province, Mr. Speaker. These
are things that must be done in a timely manner. We cannot afford to wait.
It
affected everything the fish plant, nobody could go to work for a week. We
had, I have to say, some incredible employers. There was no money coming in,
there were no sales being made, there was no business activity, but employers
continued to pay their employees for the duration of that week and didn't impose
further hardship on the people, and it was quite impressive to see.
As we
went through the storm event, Mr. Speaker, one of the things I'd really like to
talk about here today is what we saw about the good in people. It was really,
really encouraging for me. You live in the political world and sometimes you get
a bit cynical about things. Events like that really emphasize for you and point
out to you just how many good people there really are in this world. Absolutely
incredible, the people that rose to the challenge, brought food for their
neighbours. As the firefighters were out working all night long, there were
people home baking bread and buns and muffins and bringing coffee and tea and
cooking meals. Everyone chipped in to clean out the houses that were flooded.
Mr.
Speaker, there was a flash flood in Morrisville and, by the grace of God, again,
there were no deaths. What had happened, a few hours before, the culvert had
blocked up and a few hours before that, though, there was some sewer backing up,
which was actually a fabulous thing, in hindsight, because it enabled people to
get out of their houses. Had they been in their houses, they would inevitably
have drowned in that flash flood. It happened, the water levels rose eight feet
in less than a minute. It was quite a scary situation for the community. Cars
were halfway out the bay, Skidoos out in the middle of the ocean, sheds in the
middle of the ocean all taken by a flash flood from a culvert that was plugged
up above Morrisville.
So, Mr.
Speaker, as we move forward we certainly have to pay greater attention to
routine maintenance as well in keeping our roadways safe and keeping our
communities safe. But again, the people rose to the challenge and were
incredibly, incredibly supportive of one another.
There
wasn't a sense of panic, like you would expect, because everyone knew we were in
good hands with the volunteers and officials from both on the local ground and
provincially who all stepped up to the challenge and were there to help
everybody out. So hats off to each and every one of you, and I'll speak a little
bit more about that again tomorrow.
I'd also
like to talk a little bit about the aquaculture industry. During those four or
five days, when we couldn't get our fish out of the region, we certainly felt
the loss of business for those four or five days. Aquaculture is an incredible
industry with significant potential for rural Newfoundland and Labrador. It's a
growing industry. It's still not without its challenges.
We
started aquaculture down in my region in the '80s, Mr. Speaker. It was a lot of
years of growing pains throughout the '90s. We've learned a lot and we've
perfected, I guess, a lot of the methods of growing the fish, but we're nowhere
near there yet. The potential for growth in my region alone, let alone in other
parts of the province, but just in the Coast of Bays, we, alone, can produce up
to 50,000 metric tons.
In the
vision document that was recently released, I certainly would like to see a
higher target because that number of 50,000 metric tons really encompasses my
area because we have the capacity to grow to that and we have the infrastructure
to grow to that. We have the existing companies in cage manufacturing. We
certainly don't want to see any negative impact to an industry that has been 30
years in the making, that employs well over 2,000 people and needs continued
support as we move forward and continue to grow the industry so that we, as a
Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, are global contenders in the food
production industry for farmed salmon.
There
are two trains of thought about farmed salmon versus wild salmon. I am certainly
a proponent of farmed salmon, farmed chicken, farmed vegetables, any kind of
farmed food because we cannot rely on having a food supply unless we farm.
Farming of fish is going to be crucial if we are going to meet the demand for
food consumption by 2040, especially fish protein, because we don't have enough
of it in the wild. It's essential that we learn how to farm that fish as quickly
and as cheaply as we can so we can ensure there is a continued supply of food
for consumers of fish products as we move into the next century. So it's
certainly an industry I strongly support and one that I know has very good
footing in this province. We need to ensure it continues to receive support, Mr.
Speaker.
I'd also
like to talk a little bit about health care. As we look towards the future, I
recognize that we have to look at every aspect of where we have expenditures,
but health care in particular is crucial. It is so crucial. And health care in a
province like ours cannot, cannot, cannot be regionalized. Sure, it makes sense
to me that you can't get chemo treatment down where I live in the Coast of Bays
region. It makes sense to me that I have to drive to Grand Falls or St. John's
for that level of service; but, my gosh, if I'm having a heart attack, I need to
know that there's a doctor within half an hour ideally, closer that would be
able to save my life. That is the critical issue that we face in rural
Newfoundland and Labrador. When we hear of regionalization it is very, very,
very alarming, especially in the absence of not knowing what that looks like. We
need health care professionals. We need the doctors, the nurses and the nurse
practitioners.
All of
the other aspects are well and good, and we need education I have no doubt
about how to live healthier lives, but that education doesn't need to come in
the form of a $100,000 salary scattered here and there and everywhere all across
the province. That education can come from many other forms of media at a much
cheaper cost.
We need
the money that health care dollars have allocated to them being spent in
front-line services. We need it being spent where we can detect the cancer, we
can detect the aneurism, we can detect the heart attack, we can stitch that
wound which is eight centimetres long in the back of someone's head these are
the kinds of things that happen in the middle of the night that you need doctors
nearby for.
You
can't drive an hour with your head split open and expect to survive. These are
the practical issues that we face living in rural Newfoundland. And it's well
and good for people who live in larger centres and, in my mind, there are
parts of rural Newfoundland that I don't consider rural, like Grand Falls and
like Gander. In my mind, if you have a streetlight, I don't know if that really
constitutes you as a rural community, I really don't. But rural Newfoundland
needs to have that front-line level of care and all of the tertiary services, if
they want to be funnelled out to us from a regional centre, well and good.
But we
don't need managers of managers of managers. We need doctors and nurses and
nurse practitioners. We need clinics to be open. Mr. Speaker, we have now in
Hermitage a situation where 600 people have to drive over an hour to see a
doctor. On many occasions they get there only to be told, oh, sorry, your
appointment is cancelled. They have to turn around and drive back. These are
seniors who probably had to pay somebody $40 to drive them to Harbour Breton in
the first place. If it's one of their children, they probably had to take a day
off work to get there. These are the types of issues, Mr. Speaker, that we're
seeing happen with the closure of the clinic in Hermitage.
They
will happen in other areas across the province as well as you lose your clinics.
I truly hope, Mr. Speaker, that that is not the direction government takes
because that is not going to improve the health care of Newfoundlanders and
Labradorians. I firmly believe in rural, remote regions like ours, we won't be
able to save as many lives as we can now with our health care where it is. We've
seen a lot of cuts and we've seen a lot of erosion of health care and there
really is no more room for any further erosion of health care in rural
Newfoundland and Labrador, Mr. Speaker.
So these
are some of the key issues that we face in Newfoundland and Labrador today. I
truly hope that the people of rural Newfoundland and Labrador stand together and
stand strong, that we will stand for no further erosion of health services to
any of our rural communities, Mr. Speaker, or to any of our centres overall. I
am sure there are many ways to find efficiencies without shutting down clinics
and having people drive over an hour to see a doctor. There are other ways of
finding these solutions, I have no doubt about it, and I am sure that any
citizen can probably cite three or four of their own things they've seen over
the years as examples of places to save money.
I'm
going to wrap up, Mr. Speaker. My time is coming short on my Address in Reply.
I'm going to talk a little bit as well about maiden speeches; my congratulations
to those of you who delivered your maiden speeches here in the House today.
Like my
colleague from Conception Bay East Bell Island, I never did a maiden speech
either here in this hon. House of Assembly. I am sure I've told the story many
times, but on my way to the House for the first time I made it as far as Butter
Pot Park, flipped over a few times and I spent the next four months in a neck
collar. But I did come to the House of Assembly, Mr. Speaker, against my
doctor's orders. I was supposed to be bedridden and not moving and not lifting
and not doing anything for six months, but against my doctor's advice because
I really felt terrible.
I felt
here I was, elected as an MHA, you're new, you're energetic, you're all excited
and here I was, I couldn't even move. I couldn't even lift my arm. I didn't have
the strength to roll over. I couldn't even do that. Someone would literally have
to roll me for about two weeks until some of my strength slowly, slowly, slowly
started coming back. But I came to this House of Assembly, Mr. Speaker, every
single day for Question Period.
God
bless my beautiful sister, who happened to be off that year. She took the year
off to help look after our mom. Our mom passed away and she ended up spending
the year looking after me, unbeknownst to both of us that that would happen. She
would drive me every day. She had to do everything for me. I couldn't even feed
myself. She would dress me and she'd do my hair. We'd come and I'd sit in my
chair for an hour, and after Question Period I would leave.
Every
day I did that, I took a risk, Mr. Speaker. Because if someone rear-ended us, my
fracture was less than a millimetre from my spinal cord, so I could have easily
become a paraplegic with any accident during that four-month period, but I felt
so strongly about being here to represent the people. It was quite an
experience, but I have to tell you, when I came back then and spent the whole
afternoon here in my fall sitting, it was quite a different experience and I was
saying it wasn't so bad. I felt a little lost then too because first reading,
second reading, third reading, I was a little bit behind everybody else because
I wasn't on the learning curve that everybody else was.
I guess
my point in all of that is how special of a privilege it is to be here, to
represent the people you have. I never did my maiden speech, so I want to say
thank you at this opportunity to all of those who have supported me, especially
my parents. I think our family does influence us a lot when we take the path
down to political life. Many of us are shaped by our siblings or parents. My
brother, Pat, actually ran during the Peckford era. I blame him to this day as
to why I am here in politics.
Thank
you to all of my volunteers as well. You've been fabulous. Hopefully, we'll be
around for a whole lot longer yet because this province deserves good
representation. I think each and every one of us genuinely believes that we have
that to offer.
Thank
you to the people of the province for supporting us.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Government House
Leader.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Mr. Speaker, given the hour
of the day, I move, seconded by the Minister of Natural Resources, that the
House do now adjourn.
MR. SPEAKER:
The motion is that the House
be now adjourned.
All
those in favour, 'aye.'
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
MR. SPEAKER:
All those against, 'nay.'
This
House now stands adjourned until tomorrow at 1:30 in the afternoon.
On motion, the House at its rising adjourned until tomorrow, Tuesday, at 1:30 p.m.