December 5, 2018 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS Vol. XLVIII No. 49
The
House met at 10 a.m.
MR. SPEAKER (Trimper):
Order, please!
Admit
strangers.
I would
like to catch up on some outstanding points of order. It's been a busy last few
days and why not tackle that right off the bat today.
There
were two points of order raised by the Member for St. John's Centre. At the
start of proceedings on November 21, 2018, the Member for St. John's Centre, the
Leader of the Third Party, rose on two points of order regarding comments made
by the Minister of Justice and Public Safety during proceedings, the proceeding
evening.
Point
number one: The first point of order was raised by the Member under Standing
Order 49 wherein she suggested that the minister had spoken of her in a tone
that was unconducive to the work that we do here. I have reviewed
Hansard and viewed the archived
broadcast and while the tone of the remarks was elevated, the words used by the
minister were not unparliamentary in accordance with the relevant Standing
Order. Therefore, I rule that there is no point of order; however, I would
remind all of our Members to please be tempered in their remarks and respect
each other in this hon. House.
Point
number two: In the second point of order raised by the Member for St. John's
Centre, the Member pointed out that in the previous evening's debate the
Minister of Justice and Public Safety referred to the Member for St. John's East
- Quidi Vidi as “the former Leader of the Third Party.” As with the previous
point of order, I reviewed Hansard and
viewed the archived broadcast. I find that the remarks by the minister were
historically accurate; therefore, I rule that there is no point of order.
One
further comment: I remind Members that a point of order must be raised at the
earliest possible opportunity in the course of debate. The points of order
raised by the Member for St. John's Centre were not raised at the earliest
opportunity and, therefore, were not in order on that basis alone.
Point
number three, raised by the Member for Cartwright - L'Anse au Clair: The Member
for Cartwright - L'Anse au Clair raised a point of order on November 21, 2018
respecting comments made by the Member for Fortune Bay - Cape La Hune. The point
of order was raised under Standing Order 49 and alleged that the other Member
used unparliamentarily language contrary to that Standing Order.
The word
in question was “corruption.” Again, I reviewed
Hansard and the webcast of the matter in question. Bosc and Gagnon,
at page 624, outlines the difficulty in characterizing unparliamentary language.
It says: “In dealing with unparliamentary language, the Speaker takes into
account the tone, manner and intention of the Member speaking; the person to
whom the words at issue were directed; the degree of provocation; and, most
importantly, whether or not the remarks created disorder in the Chamber. Thus,
language deemed unparliamentary one day may not necessarily be deemed
unparliamentary the following day.”
In the
current context, it is true that previous Speakers have made rulings respecting
the use of the word “corruption.” However, in this context, the intention of the
Member was based on a generality and was not directed to a particular Member or
government. I therefore rule that there is no point of order.
I thank
the Members for their attention.
Orders of the Day
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Government House
Leader.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I call
from the Order Paper, Order 2, third reading of Bill 41.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Government House
Leader.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded
by the Minister for Health and Community Services that Bill 41, An Act To Amend
The Canada-Newfoundland And Labrador Atlantic Accord Implementation Newfoundland
And Labrador Act be now read a third time.
MR. SPEAKER:
Wrong number.
MR. A. PARSONS:
I got to say it again?
CLERK (Barnes):
You got the wrong Order
Paper.
MR. A. PARSONS:
My apologies, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER:
No problem.
MR. A. PARSONS:
I did fourth reading on that
one.
I call,
still Order 2, Bill 35, third reading.
MR. SPEAKER:
Does that suffice?
CLERK:
Yes.
MR. SPEAKER:
Okay.
The hon.
the Government House Leader.
MR. A. PARSONS:
I move, seconded by the
Minister for Health and Community Services that Bill 35, An Act To Amend The
Workplace Health, Safety And Compensation Act, be now read a third time.
MR. SPEAKER:
It is moved and seconded that
the said bill be now read a third time.
Is it
the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?
All
those in favour, 'aye.'
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
MR. SPEAKER:
All those against?
The
motion is carried.
CLERK:
A bill, An Act To Amend The
Workplace Health, Safety And Compensation Act. (Bill 35)
MR. SPEAKER:
The bill is now read a third
time and it is ordered that the bill do pass and its title be as on the Order
Paper.
On
motion, a bill, “An Act To Amend The Workplace Health, Safety And Compensation
Act,” read a third time, ordered passed and its title be as on the Order Paper.
(Bill 35)
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Government House
Leader.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Yes, Mr. Speaker, I call
Order 5, second reading of Bill 43.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Health and Community Services.
MR. HAGGIE:
Mr. Speaker, thank you very
much.
I move,
seconded by the Minister of Justice and Public Safety, that Bill 43 be now read
a second time.
On motion, second reading of a bill, “An
Act Respecting The Provision Of Emergency Health And Paramedicine Services.”
(Bill 43)
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Health and Community Services.
Thank
you.
MR. HAGGIE:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
I'm
pleased to rise in this hon. House to open the debate on Bill 43, An Act
Respecting the Provision of Emergency Health and Paramedicine Services. I think
it's worthwhile to put this in the context of the legislative agenda from the
Department of Health and Community Services going back to 2016. The first bill
we had, which was enacted that session, was basically to redesign and
rationalize the legislative framework around hospital insurance and MCP.
Subsequent to that, there has been a sequence of bills. We have had legislation
around mental health and addictions, we have had secure detox and withdrawal, we
have had legislation for a prescription monitoring program and we have had
legislation on public health.
What you
see here is a pattern, whereby the foundations of the health care system in this
province have been rejuvenated or rebooted for the next generation to take them
from some of the disorder that had crept in over the years as the systems have
changed and evolved, to bring them up to, I would argue, in many cases, a
leading edge of Canadian jurisprudence.
This is
the last of those, in many respects, and it is the first bill ever, dedicated
legislation, for our province's ambulance program. We have referred to that,
however, in a broader title of emergency health and paramedicine services,
because that better describes the intent of the legislation. The definition
itself recognizes that it's no longer around simply providing emergency
road-side services, or picking up ill patients, but it also moves beyond
ambulance transportation into the realm of what is now described as pre-hospital
care and community paramedicine.
Currently, the program operates under various pieces of legislation, contracts,
standards and policies. And this is an evolutionary thing, simply based on how
the system evolved informally over the last several decades. At the initiation
of our ambulance service many decades ago, it was primarily a grassroots
initiative by communities that recognized the need to move sick and injured
people to a hospital or a clinic for service.
In fact,
funeral homes were in actual fact amongst the first operators, simply because
they had the ability to transport patients lying down rather than sitting up. In
time, these funeral homes purchased vehicles, communities fundraised and set up
community ambulance services, and over the course of time in turn they then
approached government and the department for funding to ensure viability and
sustainability.
So
today, Mr. Speaker, we have a system with 61 separate operators providing
ambulance services across the province. Twenty-two of these are community groups
or municipalities, 26 are operated by the private sector, and 13 are operated by
our regional health authorities. Because of the nature of this evolution, the
government of the day sequentially never really stepped back and considered a
strategic approach. They simply carried on with a piecemeal kind of activity.
In the
background, of course, industry policies and standards continually evolved and
progressed with no legislative authority or regulatory framework. This bill,
however, the future of the sector becomes grounded in best practices and
legislated mandate, and that past will be behind us. If you like, again, it is
another example of bringing some significant order from relative chaos.
Our
emergency health services, however, have also evolved from a simple
transportation system, for a health profession of their own with highly trained
practitioners with a whole sequence of advancing skills as they progress through
their training and through their certification. They provide time dependent,
life-saving care and are essential, a critical and essential component of our
health care system. We, our families, our communities take comfort in knowing
that that emergency medical service is there, that care is available, and
literally care starts with the arrival of these highly trained individuals and
an ambulance.
Our
residents rightly have an expectation that that service will be there when they
need it, and we agree with that. We wholeheartedly agree with that. However, if
you look at the reviews that have been conducted in recent years, we do not seem
to have a responsive, safe and high quality service that matches up to the
Canadian best practices. We have had concerns identified in sequential reports
with contract non-compliance, unacceptable response times, poor application of
provincial policies and standards, and all of these impact adversely on quality
and patient safety.
The
Fitch report identified the need to legislate standards. In addition, a 2016
report by the Auditor General found ineffective oversight with the program and a
lack of operator accountability. More recently, we've had the Grant Thornton
report which showed significant fiscal challenges, shall we say, in money
allocated to the program finding the home for which it was supposed to go. This
non-compliance has the potential to significantly affect every aspect of the
emergency service response time, care and recruitment, retention and service
delivery.
From a
fiscal perspective, on a grand scale the budget has grown from $14 million in
fiscal 2001 to over $60 million in fiscal 2016. We've managed to stabilize the
budget at that level of funding while we examine how we can do things better,
both from an improvement and quality perspective and sustainability.
It's
clear that we need authority to conduct better monitoring and oversight. When I
announced the findings of Grant Thornton's report, I committed to bringing
forward legislation to govern that program. Mr. Speaker, this piece of
legislation honours that commitment today. It's a key tool that will bring tools
to address the systemic concerns that plague our road ambulance program.
Firstly,
the bill provides the necessary government oversight for the program. It sets
out operator responsibilities, gives them the force of law and strengthens both
government and operators accountability to support patient safety and program
sustainability.
Second,
it actually consolidates various pieces of legislation and provides authority to
make policies, practices and standards related to the ambulance program.
Thirdly,
it enables us to better make program improvements such as establishing a central
medical dispatch centre, known as CMDC, a commitment we made in
The
Way Forward.
CMDC is
a centralized communications and coordination office that takes all requests for
emergency health services and dispatches the most appropriate emergency medical
vehicle and paramedicine provider to the scene. Such a centre also has a role in
collecting data that shows us, for example, where call volumes may be high at
particular times of day. It allows us to gauge shoot times, it allows us to
gauge response times. This information currently is difficult, if not
impossible, to obtain accurately with independent dispatch services for each
provider and currently a paper-base system. We need these tools for decision,
support and management.
Fourthly, and for the future – maybe most importantly – it allows us to move
into a modern emerging service with areas such as community paramedicine,
whereby paramedics can use their skills in the communities outside of the
traditional emergency response function; roles that they are now adequately
trained and perfectly prepared to provide, yet our system doesn't recognize that
ability or enable it be used to it's full. It has mutual benefits for paramedics
with the opportunity to maintain skills, and it has benefits for the
communities, particularly rural communities that have a need for outreach and
primary care services.
I'm
going to just use this opportunity to illustrate some of the key components of
the bill, but I'm not going to get down into the weeds because that's more of a
role probably for the Committee stage. One of the proposed legislation, the PUB
will no longer issue motor carrier certificates to operators under the
Motor Carrier Act. Currently, it
operates and issue certificates to an operator based on a particular region. We
have a section in the bill which allows Health and Community Services, instead,
to do that. We've heard from the PUB that this was an area they didn't want to
be in, in first place, and they didn't feel was a good fit with their mandate.
We have
another section, section 9, which outlines the requirements that operators will
need both a licence and an agreement with government to provide emergency and
paramedicine services. So this allows conditions to be placed around a licence
in terms of the services which an operator will be authorized to provide
emergency routing services and, ultimately, community paramedicine.
It
matches the ability to put a service where there's a need, and it also enables
us to ensure that that service meets acceptable quality standards. It does not
change how a vehicle is used to provide health and paramedicine services. The
licensing of the actual vehicle itself will remain under the
Highway Traffic Act with Service NL's
Motor Registration Division.
Section
10 outlines the operator responsibilities and requires, essentially, that the
operators comply with the act, its regulations, the conditions of its licence
and the agreement with government. This includes managing human and material
resources in conformity.
Sections
11 and 12 give the department authority to establish processes around issuing,
renewing, suspending or revoking licences. These might be engaged under
circumstances where the operators contravene the act, the agreement, or the
standards and protocols; or, for other reasons, is simply unable to comply; or
even where there are situations where the operator has just simply been
negligent.
In the
case of non-compliance, the department would require to give notice that they
need to take corrective action before taking any action that would affect their
licence. This time frame can be shortened however at the discretion of minister,
should there be a clear issue of public safety. These kinds of tools, these
levers, do not exist at the moment and we have heard very clearly that there is
risk from their lack.
It
provides the authority for government to establish standards for the management
and operation of emergency and paramedicine services, including the vehicles,
such as marking and mileage limits, as well as other features which fall outside
the Highway Traffic Act.
It
allows government then flexibility to designate in regulations other categories
of emergency vehicles rather than the traditional ambulances. Several
jurisdictions have different types of emergency response vehicles which are used
to separate triage and treatment from transport and it improved response times.
Rapid response vehicles such as an SUV actually exists, in theory, in Labrador
West, for example, but can't be categorized strictly as emergency vehicles
simply because the legislation is silent on that and it's a defect.
In an
emergency, the most important factor is to get the best care to the patient in
the best time possible. Most of the care paramedics provide actually occurs
outside of the ambulance; it's in the ditch or in the patient's house. Rapid
response vehicles are not designed or equipped to provide transport but they can
get skill, equipment and knowledge on site quickly.
These
vehicles are, in fact, emergency vehicles and must be permitted the scope
provided emergency vehicles, such as use of lights and sirens. Although after a
particularly unfortunate episode on the Trans-Canada Highway when I witnessed no
one except one vehicle out of eight prepared to pull over, I felt constrained to
take to social media to chastise the public.
We are
going to work closely with Service NL. There's obviously a level of integration
here in drafting the regulations to ensure that we get the right vehicles for
emergency response, as Service NL would then be responsible under the
Highway Traffic Act for some of their
mechanical kind of components. It also ensures that operators only use emergency
vehicles that meet the specs and use them only for the purposes outlined in the
regulations. They're not to be used to get ahead of the line at Tim Horton's.
In terms
of clinical services, Mr. Speaker, section 6 requires the appointment of a
provincial medical director to establish clinical protocols and guidelines for
patient care. There's a position already existing in Eastern Health and its
associated responsibilities will now have the force of legislation and
regulation. It legislates an existing practice and simply safeguards that.
The
director's responsibility would also include managing and providing a quality
assurance program and monitoring of compliance. The operators will then be
required to comply with quality measures as specified by the medical director.
They will also be required to report and disclose to the patient and family any
adverse event. That does not exist at the moment and that is inconsistent with
any other health legislation and policy we have in place across the RHAs, for
example.
The
current processing for professional licensing of paramedics is through Eastern
Health provincial medical oversight. That will remain unchanged in the short
term for sure, and it's legislated in section 15; however, the licensing process
is clarified in the bill to improve accountability and lessen uncertainty of a
paramedic qualifications and classifications.
We're
working with the Paramedic Association, however, because we feel and they feel
the ultimate goal of that profession is self-regulation. This bill would allow
that to happen when everybody feels that's the right time. It also allows a
paramedicine provider to enter premises by force, if necessary, if they believe
a person inside requires emergency medical services. Often, we find situations
of an elderly person with a locked door between the paramedic and the patient;
this gives them some comfort in knowing that they're not at jeopardy or at fault
legally if they have to use force to enter premises.
Section
27 also deals with another issue that we've had around advance health care
directives. When a paramedic is aware that they are in effect, they become bound
by the Advance Health Care Directives Act.
In the event the witness or an injury leaves a patient unable to communicate,
they can use the written documents as well. This clarifies their obligation.
Their obligation is to the patient, the client and their wishes under the
advance health care directive and not to any external pressure to deviate from
their wishes, which has happened in the past.
Sections
17 to 21 deal with the issue of inspections which, for us, is a monitoring and
oversight function which allows for an inspector to look at processes around the
provision of service, compliance with records and equipment as far as the
operation of this act and its regulations are concerned.
The
inspector would have the authority to enter a premise where anything is being
done related to paramedicine and emergency services to review records. The
operator, owner or individual in charge of those premises is required to grant
access. The exception to that, again, remains as with other legislation; if this
is a private dwelling house then a warrant would be required under those
circumstances, consistent with other legislation and the paramountcy of the
Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the
Constitution Act. The inspector would then be required to write reports for
the minister with a copy to the operator to outline any defects or issues.
So this
basically is a modern, comprehensive piece of legislation that takes best
practices across the country and puts them in a codified way. There's been a
wide variation across the country in how these programs are structured, and
we've done a lot of cross-jurisdictional work to try and find the best and craft
a made-in-Newfoundland-and-Labrador solution. We consulted widely as part of
process therefore with operators, community operators, private operators,
regional health authorities, the Paramedic Association and the general public.
We held six province-wide consultations: Labrador – Goose Bay, Corner Brook,
Gander, Grand Falls-Windsor, Clarenville and St. John's. We heard support in
every location from a wide constituency about the legislation and its approach,
and we had some very valuable discussions about making the drafts better, and
those are incorporated here.
The bill
is subject to proclamation, and will not come into force straight away. I have
directed on Royal Assent that that this would be a priority for our department,
as we view this as something that these regulations would need to be in place.
We think six months – I'm cautiously optimistic we could do it in five or four.
We shared the bill with OIPC to ensure it appropriately allows for compliance
with the Personal Health Information Act.
We continue to consult with them on the crafting of regulations.
One of
the initiatives we're currently involved in is a separate one, but related, in
the procurement of ambulance services. This bill does not comment or state
anything about procurement, but it's been structured in a manner that allows
complete flexibility for that process on an ongoing basis.
I want
to be clear: It won't change the current landscape. I think we've heard some
tentative worries that that there may be changes coming. The arrangement of
operators, the location of ambulances will not alter as a consequence of this
bill.
When it
comes into force, there will be little day-to-day change in the requirements for
providers or operators of these services. What it does do is allows us oversight
and accountability for monitoring. It provides provisions to exclude the act
from applying to students and other first responders such as police,
firefighters or lifeguards.
It also
excludes specific situations where emergency services are provided under either
the Emergency Medical Aid Act, the
good Samaritan act, the Emergency Services
Act or the Public Health Protection
and Promotion Act in the event of declaration of a public health emergency,
and that allows for protection of people involved under those circumstances.
It does
recognize the Labrador Inuit Land Claims
Agreement Act and that Nunatsiavut has the right to make its own legislation
in this area, and in the event of any conflict with this act, LILCA will
prevail.
There
are a number of consequential amendments that will apply to the
Motor Carrier Act and the
Highway Traffic Act, primarily
around definitions and the shifting of certain mandates around the licensing
from the PUB, for example.
I'd like
to take the opportunity, as I wrap up now, Mr. Speaker, to thank those
individuals working in emergency health services across the province. In the
days before paramedicine existed as a profession, I jumped into the odd ditch
from time to time myself, and it's quite a stressful experience, and my hat's
off to them.
The bill
provides a foundation that will build a far better pre-hospital care service
than we have currently and will better serve the people of this province. As I
say, it's a milestone in the evolution of the health care system, and I would
regard it as one of the final foundational pieces of my job as Minister of
Health over the last three years.
I'd like
to take my seat with a request that Members of this House support this bill.
Thank
you very much.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Thank you.
The hon.
the Member for the District of Conception Bay East - Bell Island.
MR. BRAZIL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
It's
indeed an honour to again stand in this House as we debate and redefine
legislation and policy that are relevant to improving the lives of the programs
and services and those individuals who provide those services to the people of
Newfoundland and Labrador. Today we will be debating and discussing the changes
or the full formation of Bill 43, An Act Respecting the Provision of Emergency
Health and Paramedicine Services.
Mr.
Speaker, I must thank the staff for the briefing that we had last week, or a
little over a week ago, and the outline itself, specifically around particular
changes that were there. We had some unique questions, because we were coming
from some totally different angles that may not have been first thought of or
may not be directly included in this but was food for thought.
We
wanted some clarification around the structure of licensing, the structure of
taking away licences, the key role here that the health providers, the
paramedics and the ambulance service employees play, not only when they respond
as a personal health technician on an ambulance, but the other roles that they
can play in our paramedicine. There was a great open discussion, and we went
from the regulatory outlines to some generic hypothetical situations about what
it is that we're doing and how we can make this more efficient.
The
minister outlined, and I go back a few years on some of the things here. We
talked about the Fitch report, and we talked about Grant Thornton, but
particularly we talked about, and he had noted, and it was a major concern for
me, the Auditor General's review of the ambulance service and the providing of
the services and the legislative regulatory processes that, in principle, didn't
exist to control and ensure that we get the best return on the investment and
that everybody involved would understand each role they have and have the proper
mechanism, the proper tools and the proper understanding of how you're going
best deliver that service.
I have
the privilege as the Chair of Public Accounts to be able to work with my
colleagues on Public Accounts to outline if there's a concern from the public's
point of view on the efficiency of a program that we're funding or the
efficiency to the outcomes of a program that we're funding to ensure it's done
properly. We have the ability to call the witnesses, as we call them, the entity
who provides those services, to come to the House and have that discussion. We
try to do it in an open concept so we ensure that the viability and the
information being shared is to be used for the betterment of providing the
particular service.
Sometimes it does get a little bit confrontational, because there may be a
differencing of what we, as the representatives for the people of Newfoundland
and Labrador, the elected representatives, and the provider may feel are
adequate levels of service, or the adequate process they use to ensure that
they're meeting their obligations.
We had
the privilege of calling in the department and the providers of the ambulance
service, or the contractors, as such, on the bigger picture from a regional
health authority point of view and, from the department, with the contractees
here, the providers, have a full-fledged discussion about how the monies are
being invested, are they meeting not only the particular needs, because there
may be a bigger picture here that the services are not being provided with the
adequate resources, from a multitude of ways, and it could be in recruitment; it
could be in training; it could be in the amounts of monies that are needed for
the actual physical asset, the ambulances and these types of things; it could be
in the partnering that's being done.
So we
spent a whole day, and myself and my six colleagues asked – I think at one point
I noted 94 different questions relevant to what would be the best approach or
the best ways that we could continue providing public and private and
community-based ambulance services but maximizing the return, from a health care
provider perspective, and from a community-based confidence by the general
public, that what we're providing is in the most timely fashion with the most
skilled people possible, who are themselves not overburdened with long shifts
or, for a multitude of reasons, are not happy in the environment because the pay
scales or being reimbursed for extra time. It becomes a hindrance to them.
These
are professionals, and so are the companies that run them, but the professionals
who provide the actual health services have to feel confident that, when they go
to work, all the amenities that they need are provided for them and, when they
do their service, that in return they should be remunerated accordingly.
I know
their first objective is to go and provide the best health possible, but to be
able to do that, you must have the confidence that your shifts are limited to
those that don't take away your physical ability to be able to provide the best
service, that you're being rewarded based on what you had agreed to sign up for
and that you have the actual equipment to be able to provide the best service
possible, not ambulances that you're worried about whether or not a battery is
going to go dead. You're not worrying about whether or not there are going to be
problems with getting up a steep hill because the tires are not up to standards.
All
things like that play havoc when you're trying to provide proper health care,
and there's stuff that we can very easily eliminate by having the regulatory
process and a checks and balance process that's in the best interest of
everybody.
I would
think and hope, and I'm confident, that everybody who's in the process of
providing health care want to be able to do it in the most efficient way
possible, want to be able to do it in the most timely way possible and also want
to be able to do it in the most financially viable way possible.
Now,
have no qualms, the private ambulance providers are business people. They, at
the end of the day, want to be able to provide the service that they're
contracted to provide and also sustain some type of profitability in what
they're providing.
So we
understand that and we've got to be cognizant when we do legislation on that.
But, primary, we've got to be cognizant of the people providing the health care
and the patients who are going to be acquiring that health care are given the
opportunity to (1) provide the health care and receive the health care in the
best modem possible.
What we
need to do here is look at exactly what are some of the challenges. This is
probably one of the better examples over the last five to six years where we
have a multitude of different perspectives on how we provide this service, and
how – more importantly – we put legislation in play so that everybody knows from
the start, from the get go, as they say, exactly what their roles and
responsibilities are, what they can expect from it, what their privileges are,
what the monitoring process would be, what the checks and balances would be, and
in some cases – and the minister mentioned this and I'm glad he mentioned this,
I think it was in the press conference itself – about self-policing to a certain
degree.
I'm a
real believer, as somebody who's worked in the civil service and somebody who
was a first responder and somebody who's worked from a business point of view in
the private sector also, that every industry, if you're a committed industry to
providing the services that you're contracted to do, or you're the provider
itself, the professional, you want to be able to have a certain degree of
self-policing because it's more accountability to that function, or to that
organization, or to that entity if your peers and those who represent that
particular entity have a certain set of standards that are acceptable. So that
everybody understands how those standards are achieved and how, if you start to
slip, before it gets too out of hand and it's detrimental to the service you're
providing, particularly this case, the health providing services, that you have
an ability to stop it there and then move it back up to where it's an acceptable
level. Those discussions, to me, would move it in the right direction.
We have
a number of agencies and organizations that are connected directly here. The
Paramedic Association, a professional group of individuals, who themselves would
know where there may be some gaps in services they need; that could be around
training. It could be in the time frames of how the system is done. It could be
in the geographic locations of how we do certain things. It could be in
dispatching. Having that input there and having that ability for the collective
partners to come together and discuss how we best find a solution here.
Self-policing to me, in certain categories here, that goes hand in hand with the
legislation. We've obviously got to have legislation because that becomes the
law and that becomes the standard, the minimal standard. I have no qualms with
organizations. I know a couple who, here's legislation, here's what you must do
from a minimal point of view, but they've added two or three more layers that
really make accountability and the importance of delivering a particular
service, or the ability to provide the best possible care, for example in this
case, or best possible product in some other cases to the people who would avail
of that particular product or service.
As was
noted here, this here really brings together three or four other components,
some were contracts, some were bills, some were policy, and puts it in a neat
package where at least now we have the particular sections and categories that
would outline roles, responsibilities and particular approaches to, if something
goes in a direction that's not acceptable and how you can stop it in midstream
and bring it back to where it needs to go.
Again,
we talked about the Fitch report that outlined a number of the challenges that
were taking place in Newfoundland and Labrador. And if you read that it's
cognizant of some of the unique challenge (inaudible) from geographics, to our
weather conditions, to the ambulance providers themselves – some of it is about
the culture – to the training components that we have, to our funding sources.
So there was a whole cognizant process there that we need to improve on. We need
to have something that fits neatly in a process so there's no confusion.
And you
want to eliminate a battle between providers, the business entity, the regional
health authorities, the service organizations that may represent particular
sectors in our society, be it seniors groups, be it health councils, whatever it
may be, and the Paramedic Association, the first responders who are working on
the ambulances. You want to have all of them, you want a cohesive organization
there.
They're
not always going to agree and there are debates about contracts and there are
debates about time frames and that but that's part of our collective bargaining
process. But this would be about everybody on the same page of how we provide
the best service.
To do
that, you first got to have a regulatory process so that there's no confusion,
there's no misinterpretation of definitions, there's nobody having hidden
agendas that can be delayed on implementation of the positive things that we're
trying to do here by their interpretation, or their legal definition of
something here.
So, as
we have debate, as the discussion is taking place, and I do compliment the
department and the minister with outlining the dialogue that they've had with
the particular stakeholders, it's always healthy. I've always said, in
government, it's a better process if you, unfortunately, have to delay a bill
for a month or two to get all the stakeholders because there's no doubt, 99 per
cent of the time you're going to go back and change that bill so it reflects the
best way that legislation can provide the best service for the people of
Newfoundland and Labrador.
In this
case, and the minister has noted he's been at it a few years, it's been
discussed before that, I know the former minister of Health had discussions and
was very diligently reading some of these reports as they were developed in the
2012, '13,'14 discussions there around how do we improve the service.
Unfortunately, the service had been provided for decades in a similar manner
that, as it evolved, bad habits, unfortunately, became bad practices and became
bad outcomes, and particularly around some of the services being provided. We
needed to modernize it, we needed to ensure that we had the best ability from a
holistic point of view to be able to provide those services. This gives us the
framework.
We've
been doing a lot of good work. I have no illusion. I gave a scrum one time and
talked about: We have a good health care system. We have a multitude of glitches
in it. We have some problems and there are some holes there that people fall
through the cracks. But in a general context, my concept there was we have very
highly skilled professionals. We have organizations that have, as their mandate,
to be able to provide the best service possible. We have, even the private
sector people, who have their understanding, their commitment to be able to
provide it, while they're making a profit on providing those particular
services.
What we
didn't have, and we need to get to, and this is the next step towards it, was a
fluent system where all of those who were in play would understand the roles
that need to be done. And if it meant some had to come back a step to providing
a better service, and if that was the providers, the ambulance providers
themselves, about how things have to be done, or redirect their investments to
ensure it's done. The role of the regional health authorities, if it was around
how they provide certain services, or a training mechanism, if it means talking
to our college systems, if it's also in conclusion of talking to our
organizations, our paramedic organizations, about what are the specific skill
sets that are needed, or the different levels of para-medicine that we will have
on a particular call on a given night, what are the skill sets that are needed
at what levels?
Do we
keep a standard and everybody's at this level? Sometimes there's over skill set,
particularly – I don't have a problem with an over skill set, I never see that
as an overabundance. It's like doing due diligence. You can never do too much
due diligence. But somewhere along the way you have to have a system in play
that makes sense and works and provides the service that you particularly want
to be able to provide.
So, this
here, as we look at it, gets to at least putting the framework in play. I mean,
as anybody knows, we have debate in this House of Assembly. The devil's in the
detail. The regulatory processes, the direct policies that are going to be
implemented themselves, have as much as an impact as the legislation does. The
difference is the legislation makes it law, so that once regulations and policy
are done, it's much easier for the regulatory body, be it in this case it could
be the minister, it could be the Department of Health, it could be a regional
health authority, it could be a collaborative organization made up of all the
entities who come together as an advisory component, who would oversee the
assurance that the act itself is being followed. And, as I said earlier, it's
not only self-policing – that's important, and I would hope self-policing would
be that you would raise the bar to another level.
But
under legislative regulatory processes, the policing is not self-policing, it's
regulatory policing; meaning if you do not follow the steps and the commitments
and the obligations, then there's a recourse, and there are processes outlined
here as to who or what entity has the ability to determine what that recourse
is.
In most
cases, it's about bringing you back to where you're supposed to be. If you've
strayed too far, or if you've strayed too far for particular reasons or it
becomes a continuous culture, then there's a real problem. Then the entity
involved here, be it the minister or the regulatory agency or, in some cases,
here it could be the chief medical authority for the province itself, that
individual or that entity would have the powers to cancel the providing of the
service; but based on a principle that you'll still be able to provide the
adequate service that was expected by everybody when this legislation was put in
play.
So we've
had an opportunity to discuss exactly the intent of why we're trying to do this.
As I normally say when I stand in this House, I will start – and I've gone
nearly 20 minutes into my starting point, but I want to start the way I will
finish it again by saying that I wholeheartedly and, on this side of the House,
we support this piece of legislation. We're particularly looking forward to the
regulatory part of it in the definitions in certain areas, so that providers
would have a clear understanding of how they can take their skill set or take
the service they provide and move it to the next level. And the next level,
obviously, for everybody in Newfoundland and Labrador – and I know these
providers – is up. So how do we do that? How do we do that through the skill set
and the supports that we give?
The
minister talked about our investment into paramedicine and the ambulance
services over the last number of decades has quadrupled, and rightfully so.
There's an expectation of the skills that are needed for those first responders
who arrive at a situation or at somebody's home, the equipment that needs to be
used, the training, and the overall process to ensure timely fashion and the
best quality of care is there.
We've
had discussions with a number of providers and even some discussion and a
briefing around things like central dispatch and that. I know that's not exactly
where we're going with this piece of legislation, but it's all tied. The
minister today talked in the press conference, and so did his officials, there
are a multitude of pieces of legislation that need to fall in play, because one
supports the other, which in turn supports the other, which in turn makes a
continuum that gets us to our end result: Better outcomes for the service we're
providing.
For
those at home who may not understand the process here, somebody might say: Well,
why can't you just come in and change it? It makes no sense why you provide a
service this way or why contracts are this way; or why we don't do more training
in this component or why a particular health professional can't offer this type
of service in our community. Because there has to be regulatory processes there.
I know
it's frustrating and it's no more frustrating for somebody like myself who came
from the civil service, who would make recommendations and it would be three
years later before you'd get a call and say oh, we need this input. No more for
people in this House of Assembly who sit back and when bills are brought
forward, they shake their head and say this has been around eight years; we're
only now getting to it. And no more for a minister – and I've been there as a
minister and I can understand the minister's frustration of trying to get a
piece of legislation to where you need it to be so that, at the end of the day,
you know you got the best piece of legislation that provides the best service
and protects the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, taking into account every
particular nuance that may be necessary to make that successful.
Now,
when you do it at the end of that, it's a living entity. It doesn't end the day
you proclaim it or we pass it in this House and become law. Because in that
short period of time, things evolve differently and you realize, in a
definition, we need to add another section or something we didn't think about
because now that we've brought attention to it, those providing a service or
those availing of the services have outlined to us other unique situations that
we never thought of and we didn't experience.
As the
evolution of our society changes and it could be the road network, it could be
communications, it could be the types of ailments that we're facing, it could be
the better use of technology that people don't have to be escorted in an
ambulance constantly or it could be end-of-life processes. The world has changed
on how we do things, so how do we provide those types of services?
So, the
benefit of legislation that is specific to certain clauses and definitions, but
it's still open to readily being able to be changed to meet the growing needs.
Once you got a piece of legislation, when you've got the act in, it's very easy
to amend certain parts of it as you come back, particularly if you got the crux
or the meat of the piece of legislation itself.
For
anybody who's not in the health profession, it's very encompassing when you get
all the definitions and the responsibilities for people. The minister has taken
people through most of it, so I'm not going to reiterate that again but I do
want to talk about some of the particular challenges that are around moving this
piece of legislation forward.
Because,
at the end of the day, we talk about paramedicine, what a great opportunity we
have now. We have skilled professionals who are now in a partnership, as
employees, with providers of an ambulance service who are, in turn, then in a
partnership with a regional health authority, who, in turn, are in partnership
with the Department of Health. So collaboratively, just look at all the
professionals you have there, all the information that you have at your
fingertips, all the ability to address new ways of providing health care.
In some
cases, and I know in my own district, we have health professionals, the
paramedics who for hours of the day are on call, are waiting, who have a skill
set that could be doing a multitude of other things. They've been trained;
they've taken it upon themselves to read new approaches to providing medicine
and these types of things, who could be used in particular areas to deal with
certain situations.
Also,
looking at, when there's a certain call, being able to assess the calls in
advance of responding, to what degree do you need to respond. Can the
paramedicine providers then at the end of the day in a particular household
provide a service that's a bit different than putting somebody on a stretcher,
taking them in an ambulance and then bringing them to some kind of health
centre? What are the types of services that can be provided there with the skill
set that these people already have?
So, it's
better utilizing the skill sets that we have and ensuring that the people who
want to provide those skill sets would have all the training necessary and all
the supports that would be part and parcel of it.
We've
talked about trying to keep, as much as possible, services within rural
communities, isolated communities as possible while, at the same time, being
able to provide the best services that we can. So we have an opportunity here,
once we pass this legislation, to take it to the next level.
With all
due respect, this is a good piece of legislation, but it's not the be-all and
end-all. There are a number of things here that will need to be added over the
coming months and over the coming years that will give a better opportunity for
the providers to move it to the next level and, as the evolution happens,
provide exactly what it is that's needed here for us.
I just
want to talk about some of the things here that we've talked about. We get beat
up internally and externally when we're the last, normally, to come onside with
some of these things. I understand that and, as we all say, sometimes you try to
defend it and sometimes you look at it that there's a process here that's a bit
unique. I accept the uniqueness of our great province here, but I also accept
the reality that we should not be the last to come on board on things that are
important to our society, and our residents here as part of it.
We're
getting to this point. We need to find a better way because this is only one
part of how we provide health care in Newfoundland and Labrador. We need to find
a better way that we can be leaders. We have the skill set second to none. We
have our own modes of research here that are second to none. We have now,
through communications, access to information and data that's equal to any other
jurisdiction anywhere in this world.
The days
of us having to catch up, we should try to find a way to put them behind. So if
it means we concentrate on getting our processes, our legislation, our delivery
of services to the acceptable standard, and then let's take them to the
Newfoundland and Labrador standards, which is beyond that, providing the best
services to the people in our province.
We need
to change our mindset also. Let's bring it up to the standard that Alberta has,
or BC has or Ontario may have. In some cases we even feel we don't need to go to
those levels because we're not in the same realm financially. Let's bring them
to Atlantic Canada. My argument to that is look, if you go back on other things,
we don't tout enough of the things we excel in, that we're the trendsetter and
that we're the leaders.
Health
care is another one where we could be. I've got full respect for those who
provide health care. I look at sometimes the level of care that's provided in
some of the dilapidated buildings we have, in some of the lack of new pieces of
equipment and that; yet, how our health care system, because of those who are
providing it, no matter what level they're at, are providing the best care,
equal to anything in this world.
So if we
can get to the next level, if we can get a more equitable, a more efficient way
of providing these services, then the monies we have to invest there can be done
in such a manner that we can provide additional training, other resources. So
that the bar we're trying to acquire to on some other jurisdiction, is not the
bar we aspire to. We set our own bars at a little bit higher. So there's nothing
stopping us from doing that, other than getting, as the old cliché goes, our
ducks in line. I do want to note again, this takes us to the next level of being
able to do that.
I want
to look at some of the things here that we're talking about. We're talking about
four-tier paramedicine professionals here. We know, the EMRs are here, the PCPs
plus the CCPs, all health professionals who have a different level of skill set
and a different ability to be able to respond and intervene in a particular
health situation.
What we
need to do now is to best maximize their skill sets in particular geographic
regions, or particular types of response calls or in a particular regional
process. And part of it could be one or all of these groups of professionals go
out and do particular training components within our society. It could be at
seniors' homes, for example. It could be with a group of school children. It
could be a group of athletes in some way of being able to identify or treat or
access certain things that may be more important or more fluent and more
beneficial in assessing particular ailments or interventions that may be
necessary. So we have that ability to do that.
We're
looking at authorities to create a central medical dispatch. I've met with the
Paramedic Association and I've met with the ambulance providers, and I get no
pushback from either one of those organizations. I met with two of the health
authorities who see this as a benefit, and even in the discussion with the
officials from the department, see it as a positive.
The
unfortunate thing, we've talked about this and we've talked about it and talked
about it, somewhere along the way somebody has got to take it and say okay,
let's sit down. Let's figure out what a central dispatch is and how it's going
to work. And if it's going to cost money, how if we invest money here we save in
the back end or we provide a better service.
We had
the same debate yesterday in a piece of legislation around PTSD. There are
certain monies you've got to invest. They're prudent investments, if you invest
them in the front end and you're going to save on the back end, because you're
providing better health care, or you're providing better piece of mind, or our
society's better off, or it encourages a better economic concurrency in our
society.
There's
a reason and a rationale why we do certain things. We can't be afraid that it
may cost money, and I know that becomes the first thing, but we need to look at
if it's going to cost us money, how do we still benefit? I know there's a
reality in life, you're restricted on X-number of dollars. There's no money
tree, as we used to talk about in the House of Assembly one time, that we can
just pick when we need. That would be great in a Utopia society, but it isn't.
The
reality is there are budget lines you have follow, but through the proper
dialogue and a proper discussion with those stakeholders –and there are a
multitude here – there's nothing that can't be achieved. It's just a matter of
determining how much you want to invest upfront, and what's the long-term
benefits down the road so that you can still sustain whatever restrictions you
have from a financial point of view.
I gave
the example yesterday when we talked about the pensions here, the teachers'
pension plan and the process we had used in the past and how relevant that is.
That when all the stakeholders sat down and said, what is it that you need us to
provide for you? That could be the same mechanism here.
From a
paramedicine point of view and the health professionals provided, to the
providers of the ambulance services themselves, to the regional health
authorities and any other service organization that may want to or may need to
have input: what is it that you want us to be able to provide?
When we
have those discussions, and it could be the regional health authorities with
clinics they have or cottage hospitals or further larger tertiary care
facilities, what is it that you want us to provide? Now, let's talk about what
that's going to look like. Then let's talk about what it's going to cost. Now,
let's talk about everybody's role. How do you fit within that costing and model
to be able to provide those services?
As we
found with the pension plans for all of our civil service here in Newfoundland
and Labrador, we came up with something that worked, that made it sustainable.
And that's no different than what we're trying to do here. We're trying to make
health care sustainable and equitable and accessible by all across the province,
and there's nothing restricting us from being able to do that if we follow the
right mechanism.
As we
adopt our piece of legislation, and as the bill itself, Bill 43, becomes law,
then if you don't have a particular entity come voluntarily, now they're coming
by legal jurisdiction. Once you get them in a room and say this is not a
particular attack on any one agency or organization or group to say you're not
doing your job in the right manner or the service you've been contracted to
provide is not being provided in the right manner, it's the opposite – pure
opposite.
This, I
see, comes – and we've had a discussion, and I've challenged the minister to a
certain degree when he said there's a blank sheet. That may be more about the
procurement of the ambulance service. Again, I say in this province blank sheets
are not where we need to go. Too many good things have happened.
Are
there some shaded areas on the sheet that need to be cleared up? Without a
doubt. Are there some things that need to be erased on the sheets? Without a
doubt. But we've done too many good things to erase them and not look at what
has worked, but, more importantly, what hasn't worked. So we ensure when we do
it now we get it right.
So
there's an opportunity to do that. The definitions that we've talked about here,
it clearly outlines what roles each of the entities would play here. I do like
the fact that paramedicine is given a much bigger role, and it's very fluent
with the whole process here. I think that's a very positive step forward. I
think it's very progressive. It's thinking outside the normal box in
Newfoundland and Labrador.
It may
be the standard somewhere else, or it may be acceptable, but because of some of
the challenges in Newfoundland and Labrador, it probably wasn't the way most
would have thought of it. But now that we're thinking that way and there's an
openness to evolve that through some pilot projects – and I understand there's
at least one and maybe a couple of more in the works that will start in the very
near future that will give us an understanding of how we adjust and continue the
process forward.
The fact
that the open dialogue here talks about the inclusion of the major stakeholders,
it particularly talks about the definition so there's no confusion around if a
union group are included here or involved here. They would know exactly what the
regulatory process would be if they're negotiating, if there's a particular
grievance, if there's a particular set of public account issues they want to
bring forward. That could mean coming to the point where they may want to,
themselves, have public forums on how health care is provided but, in this case,
how the ambulance services and the services that are provided by the ambulance
providers themselves are done in a particular area.
It also
gives an opportunity for the other stakeholders, and we forget sometimes – and
I've talked about community groups – about the municipalities. Now
municipalities would have an understanding of – sometimes it's a bit confusing
between we talk about the public providers and the community providers and the
health providers themselves when it comes to the ambulance service. Somewhere
along the way, we've got to find the medium where everybody gets the same level
of training; the same level of service; the same response times, being cognizant
of geography and a few of the other things; but the same level of acceptance on
how we access our health care here.
There
are a multitude of definitions here. Three key things I noted when going through
the briefing. One was that paramedicine is elevated to a higher standard here in
the sense of acceptance, support and definition on how this can expand and
become a holistic avenue and an alternative avenue or another process to
providing health care in regions for our people. The second was that the
regulatory process ensures now that every part of the group are accountable, but
particularly, and this is not to pick on them right now, but 90 per cent of the
last three reports we've had have been around the ambulance providers and the
standard there.
We know
in every scenario and every avenue of life, or every provider of whatever
service, there are certain ones that fall down on the standard, but in this
case, the accountability is there, the accountability for self-policing but,
particularly, the accountability for an authoritarian control mechanism here
that makes people accountable. The minister has that from his perspective. The
health authorities would also have that. The department would have it. The chief
medical officer would have it. We have various mechanisms there that would put
in play the reliability and accountability to ensure that we move this to what's
an acceptable level.
One of
the other things that needs to be noted, too, and we had this discussion on how
you would provide a service if you revoked a licence from a particular entity,
and we've already had experiences around that. It's happened recently in another
part of the province, where the department had to step in, or the regional
health authority, and cancel a contract with a provider and then look at
providing another service.
I know
they already have a protocol in play, but here I would see, as we define some of
the regulatory processes here, and the policies themselves and the definitions,
it would be more explicitly spelled out, so there wouldn't be let's look through
50 things and understand this definition, that definition. Here would be the
protocol is already written, I would assume, and I'm fairly confident it does,
in the regional health authorities and with the department, but now every
definition related to that would be part and parcel of what happens here.
The
other thing, and there have been some questions, and we even had the same
question because, as you know, there's been a lot of discussion about the Public
Utilities Board, and they're the umbrella to oversee and represent society in a
larger point when it comes to accountability around procurement, to a degree,
and licensing and these types of things in providing particular services. Very
few people in the general public, other than, I guess, the ambulance providers,
would've known that the Public Utilities Board are the ones who give them the
licence to be able to operate as part of that.
A year
or so ago, when I was made aware that that was the case, I shook my head, too,
in saying is that really the best mechanism to use from a holistic health point
of view. When it was proposed in this piece of legislation that they would be
taken out of equation, and there's no disrespect to them, but if you want to
have a fluent process, the providers themselves should know all of the
regulatory things should be all in line, so if they're in a meeting to talk
about the equipment on a particular ambulance, or the training, then that should
also be part and parcel of their licensing regulatory process; whereas the PUB
would do one part of it, and then there would be another section, and another
section, or another group of individuals separate from that.
Working
in isolation of two entities that really don't have a day-to-day collaborative,
cohesive working relationship, to me, didn't make a lot of sense, and it makes
sense to put it here so that the full licensing is part of this piece of
legislation that falls under the Department of Health and becomes part of what
we do in this House of Assembly as part of that.
Some of
the other things that I do remember having some discussion around was the
emergency health services and how we could change the approach by better
utilizing the ambulance services and the professionals that we have there. That
led into the whole discussion about thinking outside the box and providing
services in particular rural areas that might be in the best interests of using
the service that we have, keeping in mind a lot of cases may not have an
ambulance service or may not have a facility, be it a hospital or clinic, that
can provide certain services, but they still have those skill sets with those
individuals who work on the ambulance services themselves. Being able to better
utilize that itself will be something that's in the best interest of everybody
else.
The
other thing that I note, it streamlines the whole ambulatory services as
required to action in current request for proposals. It makes it more efficient
when there's a call for proposals to the general public for the providing of
services. This makes it a more efficient way of doing it.
In
certain cases here, we could be gone for expression of interest, request for
proposals; we could be going to direct procurement, depending on what the
process was. This here makes the existing legislation or bills that we used,
which sometimes got confusing and, in some cases, as it was explained to me, the
left hand didn't know what the right hand was doing, because there were two
entities that are on different sides of the fence for various reasons would not
know, so that cohesive, fluent, timely process here wasn't met in a lot of
cases.
We have
the ability to do that now with the new process, and we know there are going to
be big changes coming in 2020. Most contracts are up then. Obviously, and the
minister noted, this is not about the procurement of the ambulance service, this
piece of legislation, but in my opinion, and I would think most, this does have
a major impact on the procurement of the ambulance service as the contracts come
forward, and it should, because it should set the tone and the regulatory
process for what would be expected when we come for the procurement of ambulance
services, what's that going to look like. We have a little over a year to frame
out, from this piece of legislation and the positive things that we'll learn
from this, and probably some of the nuances that we haven't addressed yet in
this particular legislation, to move forward to ensure that the procurement
process gives us the best entity, or the best structure, to be able to provide
the services with the health professionals that we have.
Again, I
noted there about the Public Utilities Board here, one of the things – and I
checked into this after the statement, and I spoke to somebody at the board.
Unfortunately – and this was their words – and realistically, and I think it
probably would have been the consensus, they just rubber-stamped it in a lot of
cases. They weren't particularly skilled, or that wasn't particularly a
priority, while it was a responsibility. It's a big difference between a
responsibility and a priority in a particular entity, and we all know that from
whatever we work at, but I know that as a former civil servant and as a former
minister.
The
difference between what you're responsible for and your priorities, two
different things. And if it's a priority, well, it's going to go front and
centre; you're going to put everything into account as much as possible; you're
going to be able to do what you can. But if it's not a priority and it's just a
responsibility, then it probably doesn't move to the next level, as part of what
you need to do.
So, that
process there, I think, cleans that up, moves that, puts it in the framework
that it should be, that it could now be cohesive with what the legislation
itself is noting here as we talk about that.
Ambulatory services, too, I mean, defining the terms of that, another positive
in this piece of legislation. It brings the services here from a negative light
because that's all we've been hearing, it's unfortunate but it's a reality.
Media are not going to pick up on the positive things we're doing in providing
services and that's, I suppose, maybe it's not their job. I would think it would
be part of their job but they only have so many stories, they're going to get
stories that at least give more attention to it and brings it to the general
public.
In this
case here, now what this act does and the discussion we're having here and the
collaborative approach and the dialogue that's happened with the stakeholders,
now everybody is aware of exactly what the intent is, what we're trying to
achieve. Nobody is hidden behind the fact that, or hidden the fact that there
have been some challenges, some major challenges.
As I
mentioned at the beginning of this, there have been three major reports that
have said we're not going in the right direction and if we continue to do this,
it's going to be detrimental financially and, unfortunately, it's going to have
an effect on the delivery of health and maybe to an extreme situation that
nobody wants to face at this point. From this perspective, just having that
dialogue now has improved where we are in the next little period of time.
As we
move this forward, I am looking very closely at the definitions and outlining
exactly what the policy would be in the future. Again, there's a number of
things here that – we're not suspicious of anything, that's not what this is
about. It's about clarification though, because it would be better if, when we
get into the regulatory process, the definitions are responsive and
understanding of what the stakeholders and the providers understand so that
we're not delaying anything in advance.
So, as
we have those definitions, I do encourage the minister and his officials and all
the other key players to ensure that as definitions are being defined and the
policies are being rolled out, that there is a full-fledge inclusion with the
other providers here who've gotten you to this point. I mean, the invaluable
information and dialogue that they've had and statistical information has been
the framework for putting together this piece of legislation.
Now, we
need to continue it because the legislation itself just becomes the law in the
House of Assembly. The actual operational, the bricks and mortar, the rubber to
the road, is in the legislative definitions, the regulatory definitions. So we
may need to ensure that if we're going to define that, and they're the
regulatory processes, that they reflect exactly what it is that we're tying to
do here, and that we're going to get the best response and the best return from
doing that.
Again, I
was very much educated when I met with a number of the key stakeholders involved
here, particularly the paramedics, about some of the challenges that they faced,
some of the things that they could provide that I would've never ever thought
of. I suspect those who are not directly in the health care profession and, all
due respect, some who are in the health care profession, didn't understand or
didn't accept that this could be a role for the paramedics, particularly around
paramedicine.
So, it
gave me a different perspective, and I even backed off a little bit from some of
my perspectives of what I thought was the best way to move forward, and started
to re-read some of the reports, and got a better understanding and saw a better
approach by using that skill set.
Again, I
come from somebody who operated a business for a period of time, so I do
understand the business model, too, has to be workable if we're going to provide
a service by individuals because we have a very unique setup here. Unless we
change the full structure, which is, again, that's an open dialogue as we move
forward on this process. But a key message here now is that the dialogue we've
started, that got us to a good place with a good piece of legislation, it's not
the end of the legislation because the regulatory outlines and the
implementation of the policies have to be defined, and I would hope in an open
and transparent manner so that everybody's aware of it in advance.
If we're
going to be able to implement this by the end of the fiscal year, then over the
next three months all those involved would know because some may have to invest,
from a business point of view, financially, up front, some may have to invest
from a training point of view, be it the professionals providing them. The
regional health authorities may have to invest from a human resource point of
view, or from a structural point of view, or from an accountability point of
view. The department itself, we may have to look at again how this is going to
be done from a financial point of view. Are there going to be resources that are
necessary in the regional health authorities to monitor this, to put the
regulatory things in play from an inspection point of view, for example?
We
talked about the PUB is not going to be looking at the licensing. Well then what
process is going to be engaged there with Service NL, for example, on inspecting
ambulances as part of that? Who, within the health care system, would be looking
at the equipment that's on the ambulances themselves? Who will be looking at the
licensing part for the paramedics who are there?
Then as
we move to one of the other key components here, the key (inaudible) components,
how we're going to do the paramedicine in particular areas, how do we monitor
it? How do we look at the success of that? How do we make a determination
whether or not that has worked and how do we continue it? More importantly, how
do we expand it? Once we find something that's working how do we expand it to
other parts of the province?
There's
a multitude of things there that need to be looked at, that need to be defined
but I don't say that in any negative way. I say that holistically in a positive
way that we're moving this in the right direction. It's just in a three-month
period, is that ambitious? I don't know because, again, I'm not privy to exactly
all the information that has been shared, all the dialogue that has gone on, but
I do know the door is open for all the stakeholders to have that dialogue and to
continue it.
So,
there should be no restrictions or no major barriers in defining what the
regulations are going to be, how they are going to be enacted and, particularly,
what resources or what entity is going to be responsible for the oversite in
those particular areas. We have that ability to move that to the next level.
After
this, too, we looked at some of the definitions and I've said it before, I used
to be a big proponent of not wanting to give the minister holistic control in a
lot of cases because I always felt there are other entities out there that
should be consulted in advance before a decision is made. Now, I know, at the
end of the day, somebody has to make a final decision.
But the
last couple of bills, I've looked at it and maybe I'm just reading, maybe
there's a difference in the type of bills, but what I've read in the last number
of ones, while the minister still has particular authorities, and rightfully so,
that they're tempered, not taken away from them but they're tempered to the
point where there's a bigger engagement process before the final decision is
made, or the information is gathered in advance before it gets to that point, or
there's another entity that advises.
I see
that as a positive. I see that you want to be able to ensure every perspective
has been looked at before you make a decision that's going to be detrimental to
a particular region, or to a provider, or to a group of staff when you implement
something.
I looked
at that and I saw that as a positive. I thought automatically – I remember a
piece of legislation we had a year ago, I spent most of my discussion – for want
of a better phrase – attacking the minister on having too much control and too
much influence over this, but the couple of bills I've seen as being very
positive and moving towards looking at how that works.
I do
know there are a number of other departments that would have to be engaged here.
Obviously, we're talking contracts, and one of the issues here is about
accountability and if you pull back a contract from somebody what does that mean
from a legal point of view? Because you've got to have all your i's dotted and
your t's crossed to ensure you're not spending money that is going to be good
money after bad, or that you're not punishing somebody and you didn't do due
diligence.
You'd
want to ensure that you have the regulatory process in play, but you also have
the legal advice that would ensure, at the end of the day, you have provided the
service, and you've done it; the person or the group who wasn't providing the
service were accountable. If their accountability is seen to be shrouded in
controversy or unacceptance of their responsibilities, then you have the right
to remove them from the equation and put in somebody who's willing to provide
that service based on the regulatory process you have. So I like that.
If you
read it, some would say it could be even – it's a little stern on some cases,
but we need to have more of that. I said that when I was minister in
Transportation and Works. Government needs to have more authority.
When
people are not living up to their commitments, be it staffing, be it
particularly outside entities that we contract with, that we would have a fluent
process that's not time restraining. That we could eliminate that barrier and
move in someone or some group or some other entity that can provide the service
at the level we need. The people of Newfoundland and Labrador deserve that. The
taxpayers deserve to ensure the money being spent is being spent in the way it
was contracted.
We need
to send a message that while we're open for business, we're open for business
for those who will follow the processes, follow the intent of their contracts
and live up to their obligations. That's fairly simple. And if those obligations
mean staff are to be paid at a certain level in a timely fashion and additional
staffing that are necessary are paid, or the hours that are put in by staffing
are reimbursed at the levels that are comparable in the industry, wherever they
may be.
We can't
say at one point we want to bring legislation to here, but how we treat the
people who provide the service we keep it at here. That can't work. You're
destined to have failure. You're destined to have confusion and you're destined
to have revolt, and we don't want that. That shouldn't be that. We should be
able to come up with systems that continuously move forward and meet the goals
that we want, improving our health care.
So we've
got an opportunity to do this. We've got an opportunity with how we've outlined
this piece of legislation, how we've seriously included the industry into what
needs to be done, how we've also talked about expanding the type of services
that are being provided out there, but also how we talked about resourcing
whatever may be needed.
In 2020,
when we look at the whole atmosphere of this, there may be a whole different
picture on how that's provided. Maybe there are built-in mechanisms for
additional training monies for the providers, or maybe they're not part of that
process. Maybe it's the Paramedic Association or the regional health authorities
or another entity that's given that ability to provide particular training, if
there's a new type of intervention we're going to use or new approach to it.
So we
have an opportunity here because this is stage – probably stage three or four,
because I think there are two or three pieces of legislation that's come into
play that have started to move forward that are very positive. This is another
one. As we get to the procurement of the ambulance services here and some of the
services that will be provided through that or some of the pieces of legislation
that may have to be changed, that will have a major impact on what happens
there.
As we
continue to move towards that process, I just wanted to note one of the last key
components of support here and that's particularly around the regional health
authorities having a more influential stake in providing the direction to the
services that need to be here. I know the minister, obviously, has the umbrella
in charge of the regional health authorities, but, again, the particular
differences in Newfoundland and Labrador – and you don't want to segregate how
we do things, but you want to be cognizant of being able to be flexible on
providing the service in a particular area that may have some particular
challenges.
In here,
the health authorities, through the dialogue with the minister, has the ability
to be able to do that. That's why we talk about some of the paramedicine pilot
projects and how they can be either farmed out to other parts of the province or
new ones can be developed that are unique to that particular area.
So, at
the end of the day, I think this is a very positive step forward. We joke
sometimes when we say it is housekeeping. It's housekeeping, but not in the same
manner that we talk about in some of the other bills here that it's just a
change of a sentence or a word or a definition. It's housekeeping by bringing
everything together under one neat package, defining exactly the process and
then setting the tone for setting the regulations that are going to be very
important to make sure all the stakeholders have the ability, the understanding,
the commitment and the resources to provide the best health care that we can in
Newfoundland and Labrador, particularly around our ambulance services.
Mr.
Speaker, on that note, I will sit by saying that I will be supporting this bill
when we get to that and I will be asking some questions in Committee, maybe a
multitude of those. I probably gave a number of them to the minister already in
the conversation because I know he was taking notes, day in and day out. So
he'll probably be able to answer when he speaks again.
Anyway,
thank you, Mr. Speaker, for that.
MR. SPEAKER:
Thank you very much.
The hon.
the Member for the District of St. John's Centre and Leader of the Third Party.
MS. ROGERS:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
I'm very
happy; I really am very, very happy to stand and speak to Bill 43, the
Emergency Health and Paramedicine Services
Act.
Mr.
Speaker, this is a bill that is 20 years in the making. It's about time, and I
think that I would like to applaud the minister and his staff for doing this
work. I'd also like to thank those who were involved in developing this
legislation. I understand there has been much consultation.
Mr.
Speaker, have we ever heard throughout the past – I don't know – six years since
the Fitch report was done, and prior to the Fitch report, we have heard from so
many people in the province. We have heard from individuals. We've heard from
town councils. We have heard from service providers. We've heard from people in
the medical field. We've heard from people in emergency services and
paramedicine. We've heard from everybody. Then this government has done that all
over again by doing their consultations.
What we
know, Mr. Speaker, is this is so necessary and this is so welcome. Of course,
we'll see how it rolls out and how it works on a day-to-day level and on a
community-to-community level. That's yet to be worked out. Some of the
regulations are yet to be worked out, but I would like to thank those who gave a
very thorough briefing. The briefing was about an hour and a half. So I'd like
to thank those who took the time to do that.
Then I'd
also like to thank all those folks who all over the province have provided
ambulance services, paramedicine services, the public providers, the private
providers, the community providers for oftentimes doing work under really,
really tough circumstances. The work they provide and the service they provide
are often sometimes life and death situations.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Just a little bit more quiet,
please.
Thank
you.
MS. ROGERS:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
I do
appreciate that.
So they
often provide services that might mean life or death. We've heard from
paramedicine workers, from paramedics, all the categories of those who provide
this kind of emergency services, about PTSD and how difficult it is at times for
first responders. Imagine, Mr. Speaker, doing that work, that in and of itself
is so difficult, and then often under a system that they know is not working
well. That it has been a real patchwork system.
So we
have challenges. We have absolute challenges around this area of service
provision in the province because of our geography, because of our aging
population, because of our fiscal situation, because of the patchwork kind of
system that we've had. That includes public, private, community, not-for-profit,
for-profit, well-educated and at times not educated enough to provide the
services. So imagine the people who do provide these services, which are so
crucial and so critical, and at times very difficult, under a system that really
wasn't working really well.
So
again, this has been 20 years in the making, and thank goodness that we have
this here today, as we begin to wrap up this session of the House, to know that
this piece of legislation has come before us and is so necessary. One of the
officials in the briefing said: To move to more modern systems of emergency
care, you need more modern legislation, and I believe that that's what this
legislation reflects.
The
ambulance system, the delivery of emergency and paramedicine services, has
needed these changes for a very, very long time, and hopefully what we will see
is a more – it's not just about efficiencies. Sometimes government or political
watchers talk about how do we make our systems more efficient, and they're often
talking about how you cut costs. I'd like to say, really, the question we need
to be asking is how we make it more effective, because that's really what we
want.
We want
the best bang we can for our dollar, we want the best service possible we can
get from our people who are engaged, so how do we make it more effective? And
hopefully, Mr. Speaker, that's what this bill will do. It will make our
emergency health and paramedicine services more effective and serve the people
of the province more effectively and more securely because, again, it's such an
important service.
So our
challenge is, again, our geography. In a number of provinces, the challenges
they have comes with having such a large population. Our challenge to provide a
real effective service is because of our small population in relation to our
geographic mass. When we look at different parts of Labrador, when we look down
on the southern coast, when we look in Central, when we look at Eastern, the
West Coast, the Northern Peninsula, the real geographic challenges that we face,
but also because our population is so small and so spread out, and because we
have an aging population. It is my hope that it will address some of those
challenges.
We, in
the NDP, our party has been calling consistently for a high-quality service
across the province, and perhaps this bill is a step in the right direction. The
name of the bill reflects the fact that we do, in this province, have emergency
responders who are also, at times, not paramedics, and that proves its
challenges as well. So we will be supporting this bill, Mr. Speaker. We do have
some questions, and I look forward to Committee where we can ask – we just a few
questions, really.
The
Fitch report came out in 2013. After a real, extensive study, looking at the
provision of emergency health and paramedicine services in the province, it came
up with some very solid recommendations that really sat on a shelf somewhere. We
didn't see them implemented, and some of them were really solid and really
supported by communities, because this involves municipalities, it involves
town, it involves service providers, the medical field.
We've
all heard stories of inappropriate use of our medical transportation service.
Sometimes not because of ill intent, but because the services just weren't
provided in a way that really met the different level of services that they
needed to provide. For instance, someone needing to come into St. John's for eye
surgery, who would walk from their house to the ambulance and then lay down
because that was their only transportation in.
Also
what's reflected is our lack of a really good overall public transportation
system, and so sometimes some of the services were used inappropriately, again
not necessarily for ill intent, but basically because, again, the challenge we
face with a small population spread over a huge geographic area and an aging
population; perhaps people who cannot drive or do not have family members here
because family members are in Fort McMurray and so they don't have the community
supports they need in order to be able to avail of medical services.
Fitch
had 10 recommendations and the very critical recommendation that they had was
calling for the immediate creation of one central medical dispatch system which
can track where all of the province's ambulances are to ensure the nearest
available one responds to a call. Really, nothing has been done about that.
In
section 5(1)(c) of the bill says: “establish one or more communication centres
for the dispatch of paramedicine providers and emergency medical vehicles
throughout the province.” So, hopefully this is pointing to a real, strong,
robust central dispatch system which will make the whole system more effective.
It's
critical that people can rely on a high-performance, reliable ambulance system
and this is a service where response time can literally save lives. We don't
know how much it's going to cost. In 2014, the cost to implement the central
dispatch had been pegged at $5 million by industry observers. So, it will be
interesting. I look forward to asking the minister about that, what he thinks it
might provide and asking him for a little more description on how he sees
central dispatch.
Then
Grant Thornton, in September 28, pointed to some real challenges again in the
whole system. They weren't able to get all the information they needed around
the spending, so that would be also a matter of efficiency but, again, what
we're looking for is effectiveness.
So, the
bill really puts everything under the control and the authority of the minister.
That's where our health services belong. They really do belong under the
ministry of Health and Community Services.
We know
that a number of the contracts are up in 2020. The minister said that this
particular act is not dealing with procurement, but there are some concerns
about really what's going to happen. Will there be a change in providers and
operators? We know that different communities and different businesses have a
lot invested in providing these services. It's a time of uncertainty right now
in what this might mean. We will see, Mr. Speaker.
There
are rumours floating around about the possibility, as in the rest of the
Atlantic provinces, of a Medavie Blue Cross providing these services to the
provinces. Will that happen? Is that the direction that government is going in?
We don't know, but we know that that is a concern. Medavie is supposedly a
non-profit organization that provides these kinds of services across the
country, primarily in the Atlantic provinces, so we'll see what government's
plans are in that area.
I'm
happy that the government has done such an extensive form of consultation, both
in the community and with service providers, and that, as the minister said in
his opening statements, they are looking at providing the best possible care at
the best possible time. That's what we all want. That's what effective services
will be.
The
appointment of a provincial medical director with broad powers looks like a
really good thing. Again, we need that expertise in directing any kind of
change. The provision to have a mandatory five-year review – we see the field of
medicine is changing so rapidly, also the demographics in the province are
changing quite rapidly, so I would even like to see that review done a little
bit earlier than five years.
Also,
looking at the areas of the expansion of the scope of practice for emergency
health workers and for paramedicine workers, we've seen that happening in a
number of jurisdictions, where they do a number of different kinds of services,
and we have to look at that. Our paramedicine personnel, what kinds of services
can they provide? How can we, again, make their jobs more effective in the
delivery of a health care system? For instance, in some places they do house
calls to do blood work and take blood pressure measurements, et cetera, so maybe
we will see the expansion of services, the expansion of the scope of practice in
that way. Again, to be able to use the best of our people in the best way and
deliver the most effective services is really what we all hope for.
So, Mr.
Speaker, I have no more to say to that. I do have some questions that I will be
asking in Committee. Again, I would like to thank the minister and his staff for
this robust piece of legislation. I feel hopeful – we have to feel hopeful –
that we will see some of the changes that we have so desperately – desperately –
needed to make our emergency health and paramedicine services more effective.
Thank
you very much, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER:
Thank you.
The hon.
the Member for Mount Pearl - Southlands.
MR. LANE:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
It's a
pleasure to stand just for a couple of minutes and offer my support for Bill 43,
An Act Respecting the Provision of Emergency Health and Paramedicine Services
and, really, what we're referring to as ambulance services in the province.
We've
seen a number of issues over the years arise when it comes to provincial
ambulance services, problems when it relates to a number of the providers in
different parts of our province and issues that have arisen in terms of possibly
inappropriate use of ambulances at times, service that was supposed to be
provided, staffing levels that were supposed to be provided that actually didn't
happen and so on. We saw the issues that were uncovered by the Auditor General.
I think
it's in the best interest of the province as a whole that all these matters be
addressed and that we have an ambulance service that's going to be appropriate,
that's going to be appropriately staffed and resourced, the appropriate
training, providing the services that are required for the people when they need
it, different levels of service and so on. It's also important that it's done in
not just an effective way, but we have to bear in mind costs and so on as well.
Really what we have here is a piece of legislation that's sort of bringing all
the pieces together under one umbrella. It's adding a lot of accountability,
which is very, very important, and oversight to ensure that our people actually
receive those services they require and they receive them in a timely manner.
From
that perspective, I certainly support this bill. The only thing I would say is
that, as I said to the other bill we had here in the House not too long ago
around public health and so on, we can write all the legislation we want and put
it here on paper, we can pass it and so on, but at the end of the day, the devil
will be in the details. It will flow not just from the legislation, but really
the details will come out in the regulations and in the policies. Of course, the
regulations and the policies are things that nobody in this House of Assembly
has control over, so to speak, other than the minister, so we have to trust the
minister of the day, whoever that might be, that those regulations and those
policies are going to be appropriate and that they're going to be effective and
so on.
We won't
really know until all this rolls out. We can only trust that it will be done. As
this rolls out over time, if we see issues that arise from said regulations and
policies, then obviously it would be up to us as Members of the House,
particularly on the Opposition side, to bring those issues forward in this hon.
House and any other way we can to make sure that the issue is brought to the
public light and that it gets addressed.
With
that said, in terms of this actual bill itself and what's contained within it
and the overarching guidelines and so on that are contained in this – as I
indicated, the accountability mechanisms and so on that are contained within
this, I certainly do support that in principle. As I said, hopefully, as all
this rolls out, it will go the way that we all hope that it will. Again, it will
come down to policies; it will come down to regulations, and it will come down
to resources.
One of
the complaints that we've heard over the years when we've seen issues arise with
private ambulance services, and so on, that were contracted out through the
procurement process – and we've seen issues where services weren't provided as
they were supposed to. What we hear from ambulance operators – at least their
side of the story, and I know that's just one side of the story – is the fact
that quite often it's with the public procurement process.
No
different than the school buses, by the way. School bus operators would argue it
all comes down to the low bidder. As a result, ambulance operators – no
different than school operators – would argue it's certainly hard to maintain
the appropriate levels of staffing and equipment and training and everything
else if the only thing the government is going to be interested in is who can
provide the absolute lowest bid, as opposed to looking at who can provide the
best service and the most reasonable service.
I would
certainly hope that, as this unfolds, the whole concept around ensuring that any
operators, whoever they may be, that are going to be providing the service and
who are going to be ultimately expected to be in compliance with this piece of
legislation and the powers vested in certain individuals under this legislation,
I would hope that whoever those organizations are, that as government decides to
contract that work out, that they bear in mind that it should be about who can
provide appropriate service. While cost obviously has to be a factor, because
all of us as taxpayers have to pay for it, it can't just simply be about cost
and cost alone.
If
companies are bidding on things and the bids are obviously unreasonable, then
someone is going to do the due diligence to figure out, well, how do you intend
on doing this? Are you going to be cutting corners? Are you going to have
equipment that's going to be up to spec? Are your operators going to be trained
and so on? What are the response times going to be like? That would be the only
thing which is sort of related to this bill but not contained directly in this
bill.
I would
say to the minister, that as all this rolls out, we got to make sure we get the
appropriate services. This bill provides a guideline for that, but this written
on paper means nothing, so to speak, in terms of if someone is in some part of
Newfoundland and they call for an ambulance, whether they get it or not, whether
they show up on time, whether the appropriate staff are on that ambulance,
whether they're trained, whether the vehicle they show up in is fit to be on the
road and so on. Those things, while in a general sense flow from this, the devil
will be in the details. And the details in many cases, will come from that
procurement contract.
So doing
this is great, but the other pieces that will follow after this are probably the
most important, and I certainly encourage the minister to keep that in mind.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER:
Thank you.
The hon.
the Member for Mount Pearl North.
MR. LESTER:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
It gives
me great pleasure to rise to speak to Bill 43, An Act Respecting the Provision
of Emergency Health and Paramedicine Services.
This is
a great bill. As my colleagues from both Mount Pearl - Southlands had said and
the Leader of the NDP, it's a bill that's been a long time in the making and
definitely a necessity that we need to put in play as the demographics change
within our province to a more elderly population and a population that will
require more immediate services.
In
efforts to keep people in their homes, we also have a responsibility to make
sure they have access to basic and emergency medical care. The intent of this
act is to provide those parameters that will enable government and service
providers to have a document and a mandate to do that. It also provides an
element of front-line efficiency.
Our
emergency departments, everybody is hearing the long waits at the Health
Sciences' department and other emergency departments throughout the province.
Yes, there are severe emergencies at times, but a lot of the issues that are
showing up at our emergency departments are issues that could be dealt with at
home if they were acted on appropriately or monitored appropriately.
These in
particular, the ambulance staff are highly-trained, skilled and quite capable of
administering some pre-emptive medical care and some pre-emptive medical
observation. I always say, well, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of
cure. So every time we can prevent those people, especially the elderly or those
who may be of compromised health, from having to go actually to the emergency
department, that goes a long way to reducing the burden upon our health system
and upon the provincial Treasury, of course.
This
bill also puts in protocols and parameters of the oversight that is necessary to
operate a system such as the paramedicine services. Everything from outlining
the powers of what the minister can do and can condone and also can condemn.
That is very important, because in bureaucracy it's often a question of, okay,
well whose job is it to do this? It very clearly outlines that the minister is
the one with the ultimate say and ultimate power. That is very important,
because you really do need the go-to when there's a crisis or when there is a
situation where a decision has to be made. It's very, very clear within the act
that the minister is the one with the ultimate power.
Another
thing we should really look at, too, is the non-application of the act. “This
Act does not apply to (a) a person providing emergency medical services or first
aid assistance in circumstances to which the
Emergency Medical Aid Act applies;” – sorry, does not apply – is
“(b) a person based outside the province providing a service for the
interprovincial transportation of patients; (c) police, firefighters, lifeguards
and other persons prescribed in the regulations who are not paramedicine
providers; (d) a person providing an emergency service during (i) an emergency
declared under the Emergency Services Act,
or …” Emergency Health and Paramedicine
Services Act.
Actually, just to speak to that, it was only last week that I received a text
message as part of our provincial alert system as it pertains to the
Emergency Services Act. It's great to see we're testing these
systems and we do have those in place, because as our world evolves and we
become more of a transient population, we're basically exposed to all health
concerns throughout our globe. We need to be able to react to that.
Once
upon a time we were a sheltered population and were largely immune from global
effects, but because our population is so movable and can get from places so
quick via air travel or whatever it may be, even a terrorist threat could show
up in a priority post or a courier package. You have a huge issue show up, and
it's wonderful to see this service act is in place and we're prepared for it.
Some of
the powers of the minister that we'd like to speak to are the establishment of
standards for the management, operation and use of emergency vehicles.
Obviously, the vehicles are the conduit of the personnel and the patient. It's
very important that those vehicles are, at all times, kept in the highest level
of maintenance, routine maintenances done and inspections are carried out, not
periodically but mandatorily on a frequent basis.
It
doesn't take long for a vehicle to deteriorate, especially – I know on my farm I
always say, well, a vehicle sitting idle is almost worse than a vehicle working
every day because that's when the issues manifest themselves. As the vehicles
are sitting up they become a little bit stiff and we have issues with
transmissions, issues with engines and even issues with doors.
When
somebody shows up to deliver paramedicine services in the form of an ambulance
in an emergency situation, you don't want to have to be comprised on delivery of
service because the vehicle is not maintained properly.
Mr.
Speaker, as our population does become more centralized, it's going to be
impossible to keep primary health care facilities in everybody's town, in
everybody's neighbourhood. We're going to see more of a centralization of
services because, number one, it's obviously becoming very costly and skilled
professionals are going to increase their rate of pay. Unfortunately, we can't
have a hospital or an emergency department in all locations throughout our
province. I'm sure we all would love to have that, but we only have so many
dollars and it's becoming more of a burden on the taxpayers' contribution to
deliver those services. And so we will see more of a role for paramedicine as we
have no choice but to streamline our health care system.
These
paramedicine providers will be the liaison between the patient and a more
advanced health authority. And not only will they provide immediate physical
medical care – but especially in the case of our elderly or people who live
alone, often things are overlooked or gradually build up over a course of time
and quickly develop into an emergency situation. By having a regular focused
visit by the paramedicine providers, a lot of these issues will be able to be
mitigated before they get to the crisis point. But when it does get to that
crisis point, we do want to have the service there and it has to be reliable.
The people of the province have to be confident that when they are faced with an
emergency medical situation that there is someone on the way.
As I
said, that's going to have to evolve into more of a focus, because as we
centralize our, I guess, emergency centres and emergency care and advanced care,
it's going to be more on the shoulders of the people and the services outlined
in this act. Other jurisdictions have already started centralizing their health
and, I guess, while our situation is far different, I would like to refer to the
model in Australia where, of course, the air ambulance is a big component of the
paramedicine services. You have far out cattle ranches, sheep ranches or mining
installations. Obviously, we can't have emergency facilities out in those areas.
But instead of providing those services there, they have focused on a very, very
efficient, well-maintained air ambulance service that can get people to the
services that they need in their time of crisis. Not only that, they also do
provide regular checkups and some primary care and pre-emptive care to those
individuals in outlying areas.
So that
facility of paramedicine services works quite well in such a large geographic
area as Australia. Australia is basically the size of Quebec and Ontario
doubled, so Newfoundland and Labrador would be a very, very small portion of
that. So if that type of facility and that type of service is attainable in such
a large continent, well I'm sure that the virtue of this act will enable us to
provide the same type of care to our citizens as that of Australia and anywhere
else that does operate a more centralized care system with fantastic
paramedicine services.
Something that we also have to address, of course, is when an operator does
deviate from the standards of what we have outlined, as a government within this
bill, as acceptable and standard practices, there has to be facility there to
move in and suspend the licence or provide a probationary period. But that also
has to be outlined, because one of the worst actions when a problem occurs, in
any situation, is no action. We have to be able to have a clear directive as to
what we can and cannot do.
This is
also outlined in the act in section 12(1), and under the authority of the
minister, it may vary, but basically the minister can suspend or cancel an
operator licence. It's clearly identified in such a case where “the operator
contravenes this Act, the regulations, any other Act or regulations of the
province or of Canada ….” So this goes beyond our provincial regulations; it
also refers to federal regulations.
I can
only imagine what kind of bureaucratic nightmare that must have created for the
producers of this document to coordinate between provincial and federal
regulations and jurisdictions. That's something that we have to take more of an
aggressive approach to because so often not only do we see it in this service,
but we also see it in our fishery, our offshore where there is a convoluted line
whether we have federal or provincial jurisdiction. So it's great to see that
issue has been addressed and it's outlined how we will deal with that.
The
minister basically has the final say. When the minister is satisfied that the
operator is unable to comply with the terms and conditions of the operator
licence, the minister has the complete and utter authority to cancel that
licence. And so should it be, because the minister and, of course, the
government is responsible for the health of our people. If someone is committed
to providing a service and they are not providing the service that they agreed
to, we as stewards of the taxpayers' dollars have to be able to step in there
and act quickly and make sure that the true intent of this service and contract
is fulfilled. Yes, there will, no doubt, be legal challenges at times. But our
ultimate goal and directive and mandate is to provide this service in the
respect that is outlined in this document to the people of our province.
While I
look and read this, I can see that it's not only just a primary paramedicine
services act, it's also about improving our general health in our province. That
is about taking care of ourselves, taking care of our elderly, taking care of
those who are unable to get back and forth on a regular basis to their doctors
because of geographic or personal situations. So this is really a major step
forward in looking after the overall health of the people of our province. And
for that reason, I will personally be supporting this bill and I thank you very
much for the opportunity to speak to it.
MR. SPEAKER:
Any further speakers to the
bill?
If the
hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services speaks now he will close
debate.
The hon.
the Minister of Health and Community Services.
MR. HAGGIE:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
I was
delighted to hear such loquacious praise for the bill and I look forward to the
Committee stage. I would just highlight two things: one, it's not just about
ambulances, it's far bigger than that; and, the second thing is that the passage
of this bill will considerably reduce uncertainty within the sphere of operators
in paramedicine.
MR. SPEAKER:
Is the House ready for the
question?
The
motion is that Bill 43 be now read a second time.
Is it
the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?
All
those in favour, 'aye.'
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
MR. SPEAKER:
All those against, 'nay.'
The
motion is carried.
CLERK:
A bill, An Act Respecting The Provision Of Emergency Health And Paramedicine
Services. (Bill 43)
MR. SPEAKER:
This bill has now been read a
second time.
When
shall the bill be referred to a Committee of the Whole House?
MR. A. PARSONS:
Now.
MR. SPEAKER:
Now.
On
motion, a bill, “An Act Respecting The Provision Of Emergency Health And
Paramedicine Services,” read a second time, ordered referred to a Committee of
the Whole House presently, by leave. (Bill 43)
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Government House
Leader.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded
by the Minister of Health and Community Services that the House resolve itself
into a Committee of the Whole to consider Bill 43.
MR. SPEAKER:
It is moved and seconded that
I do now leave the Chair for the House to resolve itself into a Committee of the
Whole to consider the said bill.
Is it
the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?
All
those in favour, 'aye.'
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
MR. SPEAKER:
All those against, 'nay.'
Carried.
On
motion, that the House resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole, the Speaker
left the Chair.
Committee of the
Whole
CHAIR (Warr):
Order, please!
We are
now considering Bill 43, An Act Respecting The Provision Of Emergency Health And
Paramedicine Services.
A bill,
“An Act Respecting The Provision Of Emergency Health And Paramedicine Services.”
(Bill 43)
CLERK:
Clause 1.
CHAIR:
Shall clause 1 carry?
The
Chair recognizes the hon. the Member for Conception Bay East - Bell Island.
MR. BRAZIL:
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Just a
couple of questions here for clarification and to further the process.
I just
ask the minister: Will there be further consultation in the development of the
regulations over the next couple of months?
CHAIR:
The hon. the Minister of
Health and Community Services.
MR. HAGGIE:
Yes.
CHAIR:
The hon. the Member for
Conception Bay East - Bell Island.
MR. BRAZIL:
Mr. Chair, that's good hear.
We're moving in the right direction.
Can the
minister outline just some of the paramedicine services that he sees on a
go-forward basis that would be positive for the province?
CHAIR:
The hon. the Minister of
Health and Community Services.
MR. HAGGIE:
Thank you very much.
Currently paramedicine is defined by protocols and algorithms developed by the
Provincial Medical Oversight office. The possibilities around scopes of practice
for paramedicine would really depend on whether or not they went down the route
of self-regulation, but certainly they run from community paramedicine,
traditional first responder roles, and right through to advance care
paramedicine and critical care transport paramedicine, any and all of those. So,
the scope is quite wide.
CHAIR:
The hon. the Member for
Conception Bay East - Bell Island.
MR. BRAZIL:
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
That's
good hear that there's an opportunity here, as we talked about earlier, to think
outside the box and provide better health care in particular areas.
The
appeals process for an ambulance provider whose licence may be revoked or there
may be some restrictions on that, can you just outline exactly the process there
for that individual or group of companies to be able to appeal, or is there an
appeal process on being able to either reinstate or have an operational process
where there are some regulatory conditions attached to it?
CHAIR:
The hon. the Minister of
Health and Community Services.
MR. HAGGIE:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Chair.
The idea
in the act that when an issue is identified, currently, there is a built-in,
60-day period during which the operator would have time to put in place
corrective or remedial activities. What happens after that, really would rather
depend on the nature of the defect and how egregious it may or may not have
been.
We can
certainly look at putting in an appeal mechanism other than that, but our prime
concern around enshrining these time limits in the act was concerned with
patient safety and rapidity of action.
CHAIR:
The hon. the Member for
Conception Bay East - Bell Island.
MR. BRAZIL:
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I thank
the minister for that answer. I only have one last question here: Does the
minister anticipate any additional revenues being needed by the regional health
authorities or particular branch of his department or another entity outside,
maybe Service NL or some other contracting or partnering entity there when it
comes to implementing the legislation and particularly the regulatory process
afterwards?
CHAIR:
The hon. the Minister of
Health and Community Services.
MR. HAGGIE:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Chair.
Short
term the answer is no. This simply enshrines practices that we currently have.
As we go forward with program development through the newly revamped
paramedicine services, then obviously that would feed into a regular budgetary
process.
CHAIR:
Shall the motion carry?
All
those in favour, 'aye.'
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
CHAIR:
All those against, 'nay.'
Carried.
On
motion, clause 1 carried.
CLERK:
Clauses 2 through 37
inclusive.
CHAIR:
Clauses 2 through 37
inclusive, shall they carry?
All
those in favour, 'aye.'
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
CHAIR:
All those against, 'nay.'
Carried.
On
motion, clauses 2 through 37 carried.
CLERK:
Be it enacted by the
Lieutenant Governor and House of Assembly in Legislative Session convened, as
follows.
CHAIR:
Shall the enacting clause
carry?
All
those in favour, 'aye.'
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
CHAIR:
All those against, 'nay.'
Carried.
On
motion, enacting clause carried.
CLERK:
An Act Respecting The
Provision Of Emergency Health And Paramedicine Services.
CHAIR:
Shall the title carry?
All
those in favour, 'aye.'
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
CHAIR:
All those against, 'nay.'
Carried.
On
motion, title carried.
CHAIR:
Shall I report the bill
without amendment?
All
those in favour, 'aye.'
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
CHAIR:
All those against, 'nay.'
Carried.
Motion,
that the Committee report having passed the bill without amendment, carried.
CHAIR:
The hon. the Government House
Leader.
MR. A. PARSONS:
I move, Mr. Chair, that the
Committee rise and report Bill 43.
CHAIR:
The motion is that the
Committee rise and report Bill 43.
Shall
the motion carry?
All
those in favour, 'aye.'
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
CHAIR:
All those against, 'nay.'
Carried.
On
motion, that the Committee rise, report progress and ask leave to sit again, the
Speaker returned to the Chair.
MR. SPEAKER (Trimper):
The hon. the Member for
the District of Baie Verte - Green Bay and Chair of the Committee of the Whole
House.
MR. WARR:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The
Committee of the Whole have considered the matters to them referred and have
directed me to report Bill 43 without amendment.
MR. SPEAKER:
The Chair of the Committee of
the Whole reports that the Committee have considered the matters to them
referred and have directed him to report Bill 43 without amendment.
When
shall the report be received? Now?
MR. A. PARSONS:
Now.
MR. SPEAKER:
Now.
When
shall the said bill be read a third time?
The hon.
the Government House Leader.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Mr. Speaker, I would ask
leave of my colleagues to proceed to third reading on this bill today.
AN HON. MEMBER:
Leave.
MR. SPEAKER:
You have leave, Sir.
MR. A. PARSONS:
I thank my colleagues for
providing leave.
Mr.
Speaker, I would call from the Order Paper, Order 5, third reading of Bill 43.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Government House
Leader.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded
by the Minister of Health and Community Services, that Bill 43, An Act
Respecting The Provision Of Emergency Health And Paramedicine Services, be now
read a third time.
MR. SPEAKER:
It is moved and seconded that
the said bill be now read a third time.
Is it
the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?
All
those in favour, 'aye.'
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
MR. SPEAKER:
All those against?
The
motion is carried.
CLERK:
A bill, An Act Respecting The
Provision Of Emergency Health And Paramedicine Services. (Bill 43)
MR. SPEAKER:
This bill is now read a third
time and it is ordered that the bill do pass and its title be as on the Order
Paper.
On
motion, a bill, “An Act Respecting The Provision Of Emergency Health And
Paramedicine Services,” read a third time, ordered passed and its title be as on
the Order Paper. (Bill 43)
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Government House
Leader.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Mr. Speaker, I call from the
Order Paper, Order 3, third reading of Bill 45.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Government House Leader.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded
by the Minister of Health and Community Services, that Bill 45, An Act
Respecting A Pension Plan For Teachers, be now read a third time.
MR. SPEAKER:
It is moved and seconded that
the said bill be now read a third time.
Is it
the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?
All
those in favour, 'aye.'
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
MR. SPEAKER:
All those against?
The
motion is carried.
CLERK:
A bill, An Act Respecting A
Pension Plan For Teachers. (Bill 45)
MR. SPEAKER:
This bill is now read a third
time and it is ordered that the bill do pass and its title be as on the Order
Paper.
On
motion, a bill, “An Act Respecting A Pension Plan For Teachers,” read a third
time, ordered passed and its title be as on the Order Paper. (Bill 45)
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Government House
Leader.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Yes, Mr. Speaker, given the
hour, I would move that we recess until 2 p.m. today.
MR. SPEAKER:
This House stands in recess
until 2 p.m.
Recess
The
House resumed at 2 p.m.
MR. SPEAKER (Trimper):
Order, please!
Admit
strangers.
We have
some special guests in the House of Assembly today that I'd like to introduce to
the Members.
Today, I
am very pleased to welcome a friend of mine from the United States Consulate
General, Ms. Marcia Seitz-Ehler. She has brought with her the Book of
Condolences for the 41st President of the United States, George H. W. Bush,
whose funeral is occurring as I speak. I would invite all Members of this House,
and the public, to please sign the book established in the main lobby – as this
man was a good friend to our country and truly loved our province.
Welcome
to you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Also in the Speaker's gallery
today, I would like to welcome representatives from the Newfoundland and
Labrador Construction Association: Rhonda Neary, Susan Casey and James Loder, as
well as Paul Rose, Dave Pike and Bill Smith from the Mazol Shriners. They will
be mentioned in a Ministerial Statement this afternoon.
Welcome
to you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
In the public gallery today,
I would like to welcome Dr. Donna Hardy Cox, Dean of the Memorial University
School of Social Work, and Dr. Sherry McConnell from the Memorial University
School of Social Work. They are joined by representatives from the CSSD Regional
Operations and Provincial Office and are here for a Ministerial Statement.
Welcome
to you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Also joining us in the public
gallery are representatives from the Canadian Federation of Students-NL:
Chairperson Sofia Descalzi and organizer Alyse Stuart.
A great
welcome to you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
And one more, I would also
like to welcome to this House of Assembly Mr. Tony Keats, who's President of
Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador and Mayor of the Town of Dover.
Welcome
to you, Sir.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
Statements by
Members
MR. SPEAKER:
For Members' statements today
we will hear from the Members for the Districts of Conception Bay South, St.
Georges - Humber, St. John's Centre, Stephenville - Port au Port, Exploits, and
Waterford Valley.
The hon.
the Member for Conception Bay South.
MR. PETTEN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Recently, I had the privilege of attending the 45th anniversary of the
Conception Bay South Fire Department.
At the
time the CBS Fire Department was formed in 1973, it was totally a volunteer
service. Over the years the department continued to expand and has become a
composite service, operating with a combination of career and volunteer
firefighters.
During
the Firefighters' Ball, several firefighters were recognized for their
outstanding work and dedication. The Provincial Long Service Awards for 20 or
more years of service were awarded to: firefighters Sean Nugent, David Smith,
Wayne Courage, Fred Kennedy, Albert Butler, Kevin Whelan, Trevor Fagan and Chad
Murphy.
In
addition to the Firefighters' Ball, the department also unveiled the newly
redesigned Vincent H. Fowler Memorial Wall at Station 1. Local artist Morgan
MacDonald of the Newfoundland Bronze Foundry helped recreate this focal point at
Station 1 by honouring members who are no longer with us.
Mr.
Speaker, I ask all hon. Members to join me in congratulating and extending best
wishes to each and every member of the Conception Bay South Fire Department and
thank them for their dedication, hard work and commitment to ensuring the safety
for all residents of Conception Bay South.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Thank you.
The hon.
the Member for the District of St. George's - Humber.
MR. REID:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I rise
today to congratulate Mrs. Freda Gillis who is celebrating her 108th birthday
today. She is amongst the oldest, if not the oldest citizen of our province.
Freda
was born in Cartyville on the West Coast and has seen many changes in her life,
and she's seen many major events as well. She remembers veterans returning from
both the First and Second World War. As well, she has memories of the Great
Depression.
Mrs.
Gillis had many wonderful events in her own life. She married Tommy Gillis in
1931 and they had five children. They lived in the Highlands where they owned
their own farm and made or grew everything they required.
In the
1950s, her and her husband started a business which employed many people in the
area and supplied pulpwood to the Bowater's Mill in Corner Brook. Freda carried
out all the administrative work with the business.
Mrs.
Freda Gillis is still very active, she cooks, knits, does crossword puzzles and
reads the newspaper to follow what we're doing here in the House of Assembly.
I ask
all Members of the House to join with me in wishing Mrs. Freda Gillis a very
happy 108th birthday.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for the
District of St. John's Centre.
MS. ROGERS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The St.
John's Status of Women Council is making a difference again. This time it's
their Domestic Violence at Work survey project, a critically important survey on
the impact of domestic violence on workers and workplaces in Newfoundland and
Labrador. Their theme is: what we don't know is hurting us!
They
received a much coveted grant to allow them to partner with University of
Western Ontario's Centre for Research and Education on Violence Against Women
and Children. This is very innovative and groundbreaking work and makes them
leaders in this country on this issue.
Already
thousands have made their voices heard, as staff travelled the province to
engage women and community groups. All workers over the age of 15 are invited to
respond to the survey.
The
survey is online at sjwomenscentre.ca until January 2019.
Bravo to
Jenny Wright and her amazing team of fierce feminists, and good work.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Thank you.
The hon.
the Member for the District of Stephenville - Port au Port.
MR. FINN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Today is
International Volunteer Day. Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, as we know, are
community minded and filled with pride. Each year, over 200,000 people within
our province volunteer. I stand today to recognize and congratulate one
absolutely incredible volunteer from Kippens.
Rosie
Ryan has been a volunteer coach to hundreds of young athletes across the
province for the past 35 years. In fact, 10 years ago she co-founded the Bay St.
George Special Olympics chapter. Over the last decade she has taken our Special
Olympians all across the province and country.
Last
Thursday night, in Toronto, she was acknowledged for her remarkable dedication
and contribution to the Special Olympics community and was formally recognized
as the 2018 Special Olympics Canada Female Coach of the Year.
I've
known Rosie since childhood, and having had her as a coach, I can attest to the
inspiration, sportsmanship and passion she has instilled in young athletes and
in the Special Olympics Newfoundland and Labrador organization.
We look
forward to hearing more about her upcoming travels to Abu Dhabi, as she is an
association coach with Team Canada at the 2019 Special Olympics World Summer
Games.
I ask
all hon. Members to join me in congratulating Rosie on this prestigious
achievement and award.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Thank you.
The hon.
the Member for the District of Exploits.
MR. DEAN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I rise
today in this hon. House to recognize the recent induction of four Grand
Falls-Windsor natives into the Newfoundland and Labrador Baseball Hall of Fame.
Rob Finn
competed at the national championships with his Dartmouth, Nova Scotia team,
currently residing in Halifax. Rob won many awards as an outstanding pitcher and
was a member of the Newfoundland Terra Novas.
Gary
Furlong, a member of the Newfoundland Terra Novas, now resides in Halifax as
well. Gary is one of the very best baseball players ever produced in
Newfoundland and Labrador.
Robert
“Wattsie” Goulding, an outstanding outfielder, also a member of the Newfoundland
Terra Novas.
Lastly,
Mr. Speaker, the current Mayor of Grand Falls-Windsor, Barry Manuel. Barry was a
star athlete who excelled at multiple sports, but was brilliant on the baseball
field. Barry has coached on many levels and continues to do so with the Grand
Falls-Windsor Minor Baseball Association.
Mr.
Speaker, I ask that all hon. Members join with me in congratulating these four
exceptional baseball players and gentlemen, Rob Finn, Gary Furlong, Robert
Goulding and Barry Manuel, on their induction into the Newfoundland and Labrador
Baseball Hall of Fame.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for the
District of Waterford Valley, who will seek consent before he speaks.
MR. OSBORNE:
Yes, I'm looking to present a
statement, by leave of the House.
AN HON. MEMBER:
Leave.
MR. SPEAKER:
Thank you.
Please
proceed.
MR. OSBORNE:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Today, I
pay homage to Hal Barrett who passed peacefully away on Tuesday, December 4.
Mr.
Barrett served as MHA for the constituents of St. John's West for three
consecutive terms from June of 1979 to April of 1989.
After
serving as Parliamentary Assistant to the Premier in 1984, Mr. Barrett was named
to Cabinet in 1985 accepting a number of different portfolios, including
Minister of Finance and Minister of Development.
Before
entering politics, Hal worked as an RCMP officer. He then transitioned into the
insurance business where he spent decades employed in many different executive
roles including: Manager of Adjusters & Appraisers Limited, Managing Director of
R. C. Anthony Insurance, Partner at Bar-Wood Insurance Limited and former
President of Crosbie Reed Stenhouse Limited.
Hal was
also very generous with his personal time and served his community in many
different capacities including: former Chairman of the Newfoundland Dockyard
Association, Regional Director and Commissioner of Boy Scouts Canada, past
Commodore of the Newfoundland Yacht Club, past Commodore of the Newfoundland &
Labrador Sailing Association and past Commodore of the Newfoundland Cruising
Club.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker, for allowing me to pass on condolences to the family of Mr.
Hal Barrett and to celebrate his life.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Thank you.
Before
we proceed with Ministerial Statements, I would like to recognize I overlooked
someone in the Speaker's gallery. I'd also like to welcome today Ms. Holly
Hicks, who is here joining us today.
Welcome
to you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Ministerial Statements.
Statements by
Ministers
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Transportation and Works.
MR. CROCKER:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr.
Speaker, I rise in this hon. House today to acknowledge the Newfoundland and
Labrador Construction Association for their tremendous contributions to our
province.
In my
time as Minister of Transportation and Works, I've certainly had an opportunity
to acknowledge the association for its role in our construction industry. For
more than 50 years, the association has made substantial contributions for the
benefits of the industry, our provincial economy and to the residents of our
communities. The work of the association members provides critical
infrastructure, generates employment and drives the industry forward, all of
which make for very real differences in the lives of Newfoundlanders and
Labradorians.
But
today I rise to commend the association on yet another of its important
contributions.
Mr.
Speaker, in addition to all the industry association does to move this province
forward economically and socially, the association also dedicates considerable
time and resources for charity. The association has contributed hundreds of
thousands of dollars to charitable organizations over the years. In fact, over
the past 12 years the association has contributed close to $400,000 to the Mazol
Shriners children's transportation fund, which has gone towards helping children
and their families connect with life-changing care for a range of conditions and
injuries such as severe burns, bone and muscle issues to spinal injuries and
other significant challenges.
Mr.
Speaker, we are tremendously grateful for the contribution that organizations
such as Mazol Shriners make to our province.
As the
holiday season approaches, I encourage all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to
reflect on what is most important in life, and to find it in their hearts to be
inspired by such examples of giving throughout 2019 and beyond.
Thank
you very much, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Thank you.
The hon.
the Member for Conception Bay South.
MR. PETTEN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I thank
the minister for an advance copy of his statement.
Mr.
Speaker, we are pleased to recognize the Newfoundland and Labrador Construction
Association for the many contributions it makes throughout our province. The
contributions to charitable organizations that is being recognized today is
perhaps one of the many that people are unaware of, but it certainly does not go
unnoticed in organizations such as the Mazol Shriners, who depend on this
funding to carry out its very important work.
Mr.
Speaker, I commend the construction association for its charitable
contributions, and I would also like to take this opportunity to recognize the
many other wonderful organizations for the tremendous work they do to benefit
the residents and communities throughout the province each and every day.
Thank
you very much.
MR. SPEAKER:
Thank you.
The hon.
the Member for St. John's East - Quidi Vidi.
MS. MICHAEL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I, too,
offer my congratulations to the construction association.
The
people of the province have a reputation for giving to charity, and StatsCan has
proof of that. When companies such as the construction association and
individuals give money and their time, they allow charities such as the Mazol
Shriners to do so much more of the important work that they do.
I join
with the minister and encourage anyone thinking about helping out a charity to
do so, and what better time to do it than during this holiday season.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER:
Thank you.
Further
statements by ministers?
The hon.
the Minister Responsible for the Status of Women.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS. HALEY:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr.
Speaker, on Friday, November 23, I joined with community partners to launch the
annual Purple Ribbon campaign to increase awareness and responsiveness to
violence against women. As part of the launch, we raised the Purple Ribbon flag,
which will remain in place until December 10, Mr. Speaker, coinciding with the
International 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.
In the
last year, our government has implemented a number of legislative changes aimed
to help women and girls who are facing violence, including changing the
definition of family violence in the
Family Violence Protection Act, implementing a new Harassment Free Workplace
Policy for those working in the public service, amending the
Labour Standards Act to include family violence leave and passing
legislation on the protection of intimate images, Mr. Speaker.
We are
now looking at how to continue with violence prevention in Newfoundland and
Labrador. In the coming months we will be working with stakeholders and partners
to hear their perspectives on violence prevention and the needs of the
community. I look forward to those discussions and moving to the next phase of
the initiative.
We all
have a responsibility to address this issue, Mr. Speaker. We must all work to
end violence so that all women and girls can live, work and play in a society
where they feel safe and can pursue their full potential.
I ask
everyone in our province to not only continue the conversation, Mr. Speaker, but
to take action against violence.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Thank you.
The hon.
the Member for the District of Fortune Bay - Cape La Hune.
MS. PERRY:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I thank
the minister for an advance copy of her statement.
On
behalf of the Official Opposition, I join with the minister in recognizing the
Purple Ribbon campaign and the International 16 Days of Activism Against
Gender-Based Violence.
Mr.
Speaker, gender-based violence is not acceptable and we must all do our part in
creating a safer society. While the changes to the
Family Violence Protection Act, the new Harassment Free Workplace
Policy and the amendments to the Labour
Standards Act help, much more work still needs to be done.
Mr.
Speaker, we must consult with community partners and organizers who work each
and every day to prevent gender-based violence and who help provide support to
victims of violence. These community partners have first-hand knowledge and
experience which we can all benefit from.
I look
forward to having more conversations in the future as we all work to eliminate
gender-based violence.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for St.
John's Centre and Leader of the Third Party.
MS. ROGERS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I thank
the minister. I thank all those working to eradicate gender-based violence
against women and girls, especially those in the community who work with such
expertise, passion and compassion.
Gender-based violence does not happen in a vacuum but is a result of systemic
inequalities and the intersection of misogyny, poverty, racism and more. It is
time this government took concrete actions to eradicate poverty among women by
implementing a minimum wage of $15 an hour working towards a living wage, and
applying a real gender-based analysis to all budgets and programs. To do less is
to perpetuate this inequality.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Thank you.
Further
statements by ministers?
The hon.
the Minister of Children, Seniors and Social Development.
MS. DEMPSTER:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I rise
in this hon. House today to congratulate Memorial University's School of Social
Work on 50 years of professional social work education in Newfoundland and
Labrador.
The
School of Social Work plays a critical role in preparing social workers for this
challenging, yet fulfilling profession, through education and personal
development.
I am
also proud to say that the provincial government has been an integral partner in
the evolution of social work education in our province.
Just
recently, several provincial government departments received awards from the
School of Social Work for our long-term commitment to the field education of
social work students.
Recognizing that social workers in child welfare require a complex skill set
that includes practical experience, my department's offices throughout the
province are pleased to serve as teaching facilities for social work students.
This
would not be possible without the commitment of many of our professional social
work staff to be field instructors.
In fact,
through this commitment and our partnership with the School of Social Work,
students will be able to complete their field placements in Indigenous
communities in Labrador beginning in January 2019.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS. DEMPSTER:
Mr. Speaker, I am also
pleased to share that Lenora Barry, Clinical Program Supervisor in our Labrador
City office, has been recognized as one of the first six field instructors in
our province to be designated as a Professional Associate of Memorial
University's School of Social Work.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS. DEMPSTER:
The Irish poet William Butler
Yeats said: “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a
fire.”
I wish
to express my appreciation to the Memorial University School of Social Work and
all the social work field instructors who, like Lenora, help light that fire.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for the
District of Fortune Bay - Cape La Hune.
MS. PERRY:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I thank
the minister for an advance copy of her statement. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the
Official Opposition I join the minister in acknowledging the valuable work of
Memorial University's School of Social Work. Through their ongoing research,
teaching, skill development and community development of the school, our future
social workers are being prepared to carry out their often challenging roles
with the compassion and professionalism which the role requires.
Mr.
Speaker, I also want to congratulate Lenora Barry on her designation as a
professional associate of the school. Field instructors such as Lenora play a
vital role in helping to prepare social work students for their careers. I also
wish to remark on and congratulate the School of Social Work on their field
placements in Indigenous communities.
I look
forward to hearing success stories from this program in the future as well.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Thank you.
The hon.
the Member for St. John's East - Quidi Vidi.
MS. MICHAEL:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
Thanks
to the minister for the advance copy. Congratulations to the School of Social
Work for 50 years of excellent training of professionals. Now that field
placements will extend to Indigenous Labrador communities, I look forward to
seeing more Indigenous students seeing social work as a way to go in their
profession.
I also
commend the School of Social Work for its role in research and public education
on the issues of poverty and social determinants of health. The school has been
a valuable resource to the university, the government and communities, and I
wish them all the best for the next 50 years.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER:
Thank you.
Order,
please!
I
understand that there may be a rumour we could conclude our session today, and
the Member for Humber Bay of Islands has asked to have leave to speak to a
Member's statement.
Does he
have leave?
AN HON. MEMBER:
Leave.
MR. SPEAKER:
Thank you.
Please,
the hon. the Member for Humber - Bay of Islands.
MR. JOYCE:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I thank
all Members for the leave, and I think it's going to be worth listening to.
I have
the privilege today to rise in this hon. House to recognize Mrs. Lillian Mae
Wells of Cox's Cove who will be celebrating her 106th birthday tomorrow.
Mrs.
Wells was born at Gillams in the Bay of Islands in 1912 and was the oldest of
five children born to Edmund and Margaret Blanchard. In her younger years, she
worked in the woods with her father, cutting wood and bringing it out by oxen,
and helped out with whatever else needed to be done. She also worked in the
herring store, operated her own convenience store and also took boarders in
every winter.
In 1949,
as a young widow, she moved to Cox's Cove with her five daughters to work as a
housekeeper for Benjamin Wells; a widower with four children. In 1953, they
married and had two more children. She has 23 grandchildren, 33
great-grandchildren, 20 great-great-grandchildren and one
great-great-great-grandchild.
Mrs.
Wells still resides in her home and loves for company to drop by and have a
chat. She still loves to have a little dance in her kitchen and enjoys going for
a drive. What a milestone to reach and what life experiences and memories she
has shared with all her family and friends.
On her
100th birthday we had a waltz; on her 105th she did a little jig for me. I asked
her what she's going to do for her 106th and she told me I'd have to wait and
see.
Mr.
Speaker, I ask all Members to join me in wishing Mrs. Wells a very happy 106th
birthday and I look forward to seeing her this weekend.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Oral Questions.
Oral Questions
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Fortune Bay - Cape La Hune.
MS. PERRY:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Through
Access to Information two copies of a staffing action to place Carla Foote in
the role have been made public. The first copy did not contain a reason for
staffing.
I ask
the minister: Why did you feel it appropriate to sign a staffing action without
all of the details?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation.
MR. MITCHELMORE:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I can
assure the Member opposite that the appropriate hiring practices were followed
when it came to the appointment of Carla Foote and the appointment of Anne Chafe
to these executive level positions at The Rooms. Both of these women are highly
talented, highly capable, and have the experience to be in these leadership
roles. And, I certainly support both of them having these positions and the work
that they do to support the strategic plan and the direction of The Rooms, and I
had no issue with signing the request for staffing action to have these people
in those roles.
Thank
you.
MR. SPEAKER:
Thank you.
The hon.
the Member for Fortune Bay - Cape La Hune.
MS. PERRY:
The date on the second
staffing action was the end of October, after questions were raised publicly
about her hiring.
Minister, was the revised action a result of public backlash?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation.
MR. MITCHELMORE:
Mr. Speaker, what I can say
is that the appropriate hiring practices were followed when it came to the
appointments of both Carla Foote at The Rooms – this is a lateral move, she was
in an executive position prior to working in government for three years holding
the top position for communications –
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Excuse me.
Order,
please!
Can I
have some quiet please?
Thank
you.
Please
continue.
MR. MITCHELMORE:
Mr. Speaker, she was in the
top communications position and responsible for marketing and brand, and was
transferred to The Rooms to deliver on their strategic plan. This was all done
in the appropriate process and means.
What the
Members opposite have been doing, they have been playing politics with this
particular matter, no different than what they've been playing with our
framework for the cannabis industry where they're picking out one particular
deal on Canopy but not wanting to discuss the benefits as well of Biome. These
are good deals and they make sense for the people of the province.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Fortune Bay - Cape La Hune.
MS. PERRY:
We're not playing politics,
Mr. Speaker, we're trying to get accountability for the people of Newfoundland
and Labrador.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS. PERRY:
Minister: If this position
needed to be filled so quickly, why didn't you temporarily assign Ms. Foote to
the job, then do a legitimate public competition so that she, as well as the 77
people that applied previously, could apply and you could be assured of a fair
and transparent process?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation.
MR. MITCHELMORE:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
This
position that she's referring to is not the same as a director position, it's an
executive position. The person who was elevated from Director of Museums and
Archives was serving in that role, Anne Chafe, and has been elevated to the
Executive Director of Museums and Art Gallery as well, because she is quite
capable and competent to do that and determined based on the scope of work.
Ms.
Foote, as well, had a significant role in government in being able to transform,
through The Way Forward and through
the Marketing and Brand Division, to be able to do communications and marketing.
So this is a transfer of a position to an executive role.
What the
Member opposite is doing, she's being very selective and being very partisan in
her approach.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Thank you.
The hon.
the Member for Fortune Bay - Cape La Hune.
MS. PERRY:
Well, we know from the public
record there are at least 77 other people that may very well be just as
qualified.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS. PERRY:
In June, the Finance Minister
said: “Government probably are not the best managers of a ski hill,” as he
released an RFP for private investment into Marble Mountain, which closed on
August 3.
I ask
the minister: What is the status of this RFP process, and how many applicants
were there?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation.
MR. MITCHELMORE:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I want
to go back to the question that was asked previously as well by the Member
opposite, because when this question first came to the House of Assembly and it
was raised by the Leader of the Official Opposition about the hiring of Ms.
Foote, I had read a commentary and quote from his father's book, John Crosbie,
No Holds Barred. It talked about how
somebody in the Opposition had asked questions and how he had his own sons, one
who failed law school twice, and how this was brought up and how he was being
charged with partisanship for giving them a role here in this, and that this was
the most hurtful, vindictive and vile aspect to his whole career. This is very
unfortunate that the Member opposite is taking the same approach that is
damaging to people's professional careers.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Thank you.
The hon.
the Member for Fortune Bay - Cape La Hune.
MS. PERRY:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The
minister evaded answering that question, so I will answer it again – ask it
again, sorry.
In June,
the Finance Minister said they would be releasing an RFP, and actually it closed
on August 3.
So I ask
the minister: Can you tell us the status of this RFP process, and can you tell
us how many applicants there were?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation.
MR. MITCHELMORE:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I'm
happy to report that when it comes to the Marble Mountain Development
Corporation – and we've highlighted that, for quite some time, there have been
some financial challenges at Marble Mountain. The Members opposite know that as
well, because when they had run the operation they had seen that lightning had
struck the ski hill and that they were uninsured, costing the taxpayers $4.6
million for the replacement of the lift.
What we
have done is we've worked very closely, we've engaged with the public. We've
done stakeholder consultation to get feedback, to improve the service and
delivery of Marble Mountain. We issued an RFP. There were multiple applicants.
There were three applicants that came forward, and those are being reviewed.
When we have more information on that, we will do so publicly.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Fortune Bay - Cape La Hune.
MS. PERRY:
Minister, will you disclose the shareholders of any business who is a part of a
successful proposal for this RFP? Because we are hearing that it's once again an
anonymous numbered company.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation.
MR. MITCHELMORE:
Mr. Speaker.
When the
Government of Newfoundland and Labrador does business with an individual or a
client – and Members opposite would know this, some of them are former ministers
of the department of which I sit. When we enter into contracts we would release
those details that we have that will be available, because we could find out
that information.
The
politics that has been put forward when it comes to Canopy, and what the Members
opposite have tried to state, we have no relationship with this numbered
company. Government does not have a contract with them. So we have no ability to
go out and request or ask for that information of a company we're not doing
business with. If we are doing business with a particular company, we can get
that information and we can make it public.
Thank
you.
MR. SPEAKER:
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Opposition House
Leader.
MR. HUTCHINGS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
On
November 20, the Premier indicated that his understanding now, as early as the
following Tuesday, there would be an arbitration that would allow for some of
the transfer of funds related to Astaldi.
So I ask
the Premier: Can you please provide an update on the arbitration, if Astaldi
workers will receive the payments that they are indeed owed?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Natural Resources.
MS. COADY:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
This in
indeed difficult for Astaldi workers, and we empathize that they are going
through such a difficult time. It's my understanding that this has gone now to a
court process. Astaldi filed a court process November 14. It has gone to that
process. It is before the courts. My understanding is it won't be concluded
until – perhaps even as late as after Christmas.
We can
say that we know they are – all wages were paid for all workers up until October
20, both union and non-union workers. There were some non-union that did stay
after the 20th, and that's the period of time in which we're speaking.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Opposition House
Leader.
MR. HUTCHINGS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The
information given by the Premier at the time, on November 20, that that Tuesday
there would be arrangements made. Some indication was given to these workers
that they would be paid. I understand the information is now available to
Nalcor.
So I ask
the minister or Premier: Why aren't actions being taken now so that the monies
outstanding for these individuals will be paid to them before the Christmas
season?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Natural Resources.
MS. COADY:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Again,
we empathize with Astaldi workers, all of them. Non-union are also owed some
benefits, as well as pension. That is before the courts. We know these
non-unionized workers are looking for post-October 20 wages, as well as bonuses
and payments as well.
I can
say that it is before the courts. There is an ongoing court process that is
happening, and we have to await that because the funds that Nalcor was using on
the lines of credit are being held in that court process.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER:
Thank you.
The hon.
the Opposition House Leader.
MR. HUTCHINGS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The
federal Minister of Natural Resources, upon learning about the SeaRose FPSO oil
spill, asked how the oil rig could start production in the large waves and
adverse conditions. We asked the same question here in the House.
Given
these comments, I ask the minister: Has she reached out to the federal minister
to discuss the C-NLOPB powers in making stop-start decisions as it relates to
restarting production in what is believed to be horrific sea conditions?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Natural Resources.
MS. COADY:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I indeed
have had a conversation with Minister Sohi around the whole issue of the oil
spill. We had been in communication, it's very important that we were. So we are
awaiting the results of the investigation into this unfortunate oil spill that
did occur. It's very difficult that it did occur.
We're
going to monitor what occurs in that investigation and make any changes that are
required to ensure that safety and environmental protection remain paramount for
our offshore oil.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Thank you.
The hon.
the Opposition House Leader.
MR. HUTCHINGS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I thank
the minister for that.
I'm
asking the minister, based on what the federal minister indicated in regard to
changes to the C-NLOPB authority, does she support such a direction?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Natural Resources.
MS. COADY:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I indeed
support the investigation. I think it's very important that we await the outcome
of the investigation to determine the facts that occurred, what happened during
this very difficult and unfortunate incident.
We have
to ensure that the responsibility and accountability and the liability remains
with the operator in these instances, Mr. Speaker, and we want to make sure that
what we see and what has happened and occurred, we make whatever changes are
required to ensure just that.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Thank you.
The hon.
the Member for Mount Pearl North.
MR. LESTER:
Mr. Speaker, the minister
issued two five-year commercial cutting permits to Timberlands International.
The mayor of Roddickton is fearful that her town and others on the Northern
Peninsula will shut down, and I quote: “Our main industry is forestry and
without that, it's just as well to cut the road off at Plum Point.”
I ask
the minister: If an operator wishes to start up the Roddickton plant, will they
be given the same access to timber?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Fisheries and Land Resources.
MR. BYRNE:
A single tree, Mr. Speaker,
cannot be cut twice. A single fish cannot be taken twice out of the ocean. We
have commercial forestry permits that have now been issued to AEG, along with
seven incumbent, existing sawmill operators. What the Alternative Energy Group
company has indicated publicly is that they foresee a sawmill in Roddickton;
they're prepared to work with interests to put a sawmill in and operate a
sawmill in Roddickton. That's very, very good news.
But the
real, the real great news about this is that instead of putting $12 million into
a $20 million project and seeing it fail, as the previous administration did,
this government has seen a project and seen it through with no government money
(inaudible) –
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Thank you.
The hon.
the Member for Mount Pearl North.
MR. LESTER:
I ask the minister for
economic development and the MHA for the area: Can you confirm for this House
that without timber allocations you're shutting the door to the industry and the
pellet plant in Roddickton and surrounding area?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Fisheries and Land Resources.
MR. BYRNE:
Mr. Speaker, that's the very
same kind of thinking that got Roddickton into a whole lot of trouble a long
time ago. When there was a decision taken by that government, by the PC
Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, to take a $20-million project and to
give $12 million cash, with a shortfall of $8 million, to complete it, and go:
Jeez, I can't figure out why that didn't work.
Well, do
you know what? We now have a project. We have a project that's on the Northern
Peninsula. We've put permits in place to harvest resources. There's not one dime
of government money going into it. The company has already indicated that they
see Roddickton as having a very, very significant footprint in future in that
operation.
MR. SPEAKER:
Thank you.
Order,
please!
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Mount
Pearl North.
MR. LESTER:
Once again, the minister
shows extreme passion. I would wonder how come he didn't exhibit that passion
for the people of Central Newfoundland when projects were at his door then.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Fisheries and Land Resources.
MR. BYRNE:
Mr. Speaker, I wonder where
the Member was when there was confusion when harvesters from the Bonavista
Peninsula wanted to operate on the Bonavista Peninsula and he was filing
petitions. I have a letter on file that asks a question of me to ask to that
hon. Member. Does he support the harvesters of the Bonavista Peninsula? Does he
support the projects of harvesting forest fibre on the Bonavista Peninsula?
He has
stood up repeatedly and said, along with his henchmen, Mr. Collins, to suggest:
You know what, really, we should end the forestry practices of Newfoundland and
Labrador, and we really should take into consideration other values first.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Conception Bay South.
MR. PETTEN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr.
Speaker, over three weeks ago I asked the Minister of Transportation and Works
if he would table a list of all surplus real property that his department had
disposed of since December 1, 2015. The minister responded: I have no problem
with tabling, he's quoted as saying.
So,
Minister, it's been over three weeks. Are you going to table that document
today?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Transportation and Works.
MR. CROCKER:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I have
no problem tabling the document, Mr. Speaker. We're a busy department in TW and
sometimes we have to prioritize the work we get done, the safety of motorists
and making sure our roads are clear. But we have been able to put that document
together.
I can
add for the Member opposite, that we've done a little bit of extra work for him.
We went back to 2003, Mr. Speaker, and what he is going to find is that
throughout the last 15 years there have been numerous transactions in this
province with land sales. That's something that the province has long been
doing, and some of them have been to numbered companies, and not on our watch.
So, Mr. Speaker, yes, I have no problem tabling that list today in this House.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
The hon.
the Member for the District of Conception Bay South.
MR. PETTEN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
When I
asked the Minister of TW if he or the Premier's office had given direction to
officials in the Department of Transportation and Works to sell land on Mews
Place in St. John's to the numbered company 80521, the minister responded:
Absolutely, positively not.
I ask
the Premier: Did anyone in your office direct Transportation and Works officials
to sell that parcel of land on Mews Place?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Transportation and Works.
MR. CROCKER:
Mr. Speaker, the hon. Member
is back at it again today, I guess. I'll just go back to
Hansard from yesterday, and it's from
the Leader of the Opposition, and he says: “… we know that Canopy is leasing
land and did not purchase land.” That was yesterday in Question Period, Mr.
Speaker.
The
reality is if myself or somebody in the Department of Transportation gave a
direction to sell land, it would be sold. The Member can go down on 59 Elizabeth
Avenue and see that the land on Mews Place is government inventory. That being
said, if he is aware or if anybody is aware of a business that wants to come to
our province, set up shop, employ Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, add to our
economy, our department is open for business and we will sell excess land if we
have the opportunity.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Conception Bay South.
MR. PETTEN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I remind
the minister, my question is: Did someone direct officials? I never said the
sale happened. I'm asking: Did you or someone in the Premier's office direct the
sale? Because we're hearing someone did. So come clean with the House.
MR. SPEAKER:
I remind the Member to direct
your questions to the Speaker, please.
Thank
you.
The hon.
the Minister of Transportation and Works.
MR. CROCKER:
Mr. Speaker, the
unparliamentarily language continues and I'll address that after QP.
But, Mr.
Speaker, the reality here is if the direction to sell land was done, the land
would be sold. I'll go back to Hansard
again from yesterday: “… we know that Canopy is leasing land and did not
purchase land.” Mr. Speaker, I don't know what we need to tell the hon. Member.
But in my department, if I would have asked officials to sell land, we would've
sold the land. There was no deal, Mr. Speaker. I'm lost where he's going again
today.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
The hon.
the Member for the District of Cape St. Francis.
MR. K. PARSONS:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
Three
weeks ago the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Environment said a consultant's
report on environmental assessment for the Marystown Shipyard was due in a few
days. Can the minister confirm whether he received this report and, if so,
what's the cost of the cleanup and who will assign the liabilities for the site?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Municipal Affairs and Environment.
MR. LETTO:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
That's
an issue that we're dealing with very seriously. We have received some reports.
We're assessing what we have received and a decision will be made on the
Marystown Shipyard very soon.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. LETTO:
But, Mr. Speaker, we will
make sure that our due diligence is done and due diligence is done right so that
we are not in a place that they were with Abitibi.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for the
District of Cape St. Francis.
MR. K. PARSONS:
I'll ask the minister again:
Have you received the final report and who will assume the liabilities on the
site?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Municipal Affairs and Environment.
MR. LETTO:
Mr. Speaker, we have received
the report and we are reviewing the report. But I can tell the hon. Member that
no decision has been made on who is accepting any responsibility for this
project. Again, I will say, Mr. Speaker, this is a very important project for
the people of Marystown and the Burin Peninsula.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. LETTO:
We will do our due diligence
and the right decision will be made, Mr. Speaker, in the end, in the best
interest of the people of Burin Peninsula, for the people of this province and
our government.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Thank you.
The hon.
the Member for Cape St. Francis.
MR. K. PARSONS:
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
Has the
Minister of Municipal Affairs and Environment authorized the Town of Marystown
to borrow for the purchase of the shipyard and how much was it?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Municipal Affairs and Environment.
MR. LETTO:
Mr. Speaker, again, I have to
say we have received a lot of information on this transaction that's in the
works. We have not made any decision on anything at this point. But as soon as
the decisions are made they will be made public for everybody to see, but they
won't be made – again, I will say, they won't be made without doing our due
diligence and we make sure that we make the right decision.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Cape
St. Francis.
MR. K. PARSONS:
I'd like to remind the
minister that the Member sat on the side of him said the deal was done.
Minister, the province is provided – will the province be providing a loan
guarantee to the Town of Marystown for the purchase of the shipyard?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Municipal Affairs and the Environment.
MR. LETTO:
I will say, to address the
preamble, Mr. Speaker, that this project is very important to both MHAs that
represent the Burin Peninsula, because it a very important economic driver for
the area.
Again, I
will say, Mr. Speaker, we have not made any decisions on the Marystown Shipyard
at this point regarding environment, regarding loans, regarding anything. No
decision has been made, but we are doing our due diligence, and in the end, the
right decision will be made.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Thank you.
The hon.
the Member for Cape St. Francis.
MR. K. PARSONS:
Marbase, the company looking
to lease the former Marystown Shipyard, is advertising for a general manager
with a background in aquaculture and ship repair. Is the proposed aquacultural
hub going to be a ship repair business as well?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Municipal Affairs and the Environment.
MR. LETTO:
Mr. Speaker.
We
received the business plan from Marbase, and we are looking at it. Again, no
decision has been made, and we are taking the information, and we are reviewing
it very carefully.
I'm not
in a position to say what Marbase is doing or not doing at this point, but we
will make our decisions for the Marystown Shipyard – again, I will say – based
on doing our due diligence and making sure that we have the right decision going
forward.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Thank you.
The hon.
the Member for Cape St. Francis.
MR. K. PARSONS:
Thank you very much.
The
Minister of Fisheries recently, the last couple of days, had the opportunity to
meet with the federal minister on many occasions. I'm wondering if he had a
commitment that there will be no surf-clam quota taken from the people in Grand
Bank?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Fisheries and Land Resources.
MR. BYRNE:
Mr. Speaker.
There
were many, many discussions that we held with the federal minister. It's an
opportunity that we enjoy, on this side, that was never, ever enjoyed my Members
on the other side. The relationship between the federal government and the
provincial government of the day was pretty sour – pretty sour, indeed.
While we
have many disagreements, we have many, many thing to celebrate. One of those,
Mr. Speaker, was an $18-million announcement just a few short moments ago. The
Premier and I announced, with our federal colleagues, $18 million to support our
fisheries and aquaculture sector, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. BYRNE:
This is the kind of things that we're bringing to the table, and the benefit is
for Newfoundland and Labrador.
MR. SPEAKER:
Thank you.
The hon.
the Member for Humber - Bay of Islands.
MR. JOYCE:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
There
have been issues raised in the media in the past few days regarding patients in
the Western Memorial Regional Hospital who are waiting to be transferred to St.
John's for cardiac testing and treatment.
I want
to thank the minister and the Member for Baie Verte - Green Bay for their help
in bringing this to the attention and helping solve the problem.
I ask
the Minister of Health and Community Services: Will you continue to work with
the regional health authorities to ensure that patients on the West Coast will
be seen at their earliest possible time and ensure all patient information will
be communicated property to Eastern Health to ensure timely treatment and
testing?
Thank
you.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister for
Health and Community Services.
MR. HAGGIE:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
It's an
important question and very topical. I'd just like to start off by
congratulating the staff at Western Health. They received a 98 per cent mark
from Accreditation Canada, literally the highest in the province. Hats off to
them.
To
address the specifics of the Member's question, we have been working both with
Western and Eastern Health. As of the last two months, we have introduced a
fourth team to the cath lab; we've seen a 20 per cent increase in the number of
patients going through on a daily basis and a 50 per cent reduction in the
number of people waiting for cardiac catheter. I have a meeting scheduled with
the cardiac care team and the cath lab to discuss how we can make this even
better and particularly address the concerns of the Member opposite.
Thank
you.
MR. SPEAKER:
Thank you.
The hon.
the Leader of the Third Party.
MS. ROGERS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The
Canadian Federation of Students NL is concerned about the staggering rates of
sexual assault and harassment at our post-secondary institutions. One in five
women at North American post-secondary institutions is sexually assaulted, and
it's no different in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Women
need to be safe when going to school. Five provinces have legislation, and one
has an MOU requiring post-secondary institutions to have stand-alone sexual
assault policies. Memorial does have one, a policy, but the colleges do not.
I ask
the Minister of AESL: Will he commit to legislation requiring all post-secondary
institutions, both public and private, to have stand-alone sexual assault
policies?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Justice and Public Safety.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank
you for the question. It's certainly a very important one, and I know there's a
number of Members on this side that would like to stand and answer it.
I had a
very informative, positive meeting with the Canadian Federation of Students
yesterday, and in fact, we have their presentation here. What I've committed to
them is that we'll continue working with our colleagues in Advanced Education,
in Justice, with the Status of Women and across government and with agencies.
We need
to look at this. I appreciate the fact that they came very prepared and brought
forward a jurisdictional scan showing that this is happening in other provinces,
and without giving any commitment here today, I'd like to think that we can
continue to work together to move this issue forward, as we've shown that we are
able to do in the past.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the
Third Party.
MS. ROGERS:
Mr. Speaker, it's commitments
that will protect women. These six provinces require their institutions to
report on the number of sexual assaults, to train faculty and staff to be
supportive, set up complaints procedures and provide resources for prevention
and support. The policies create safer environments for students and must be
available.
I ask
the minister: Will he ensure that all post-secondary institutions in this
province have sexual assault policies with mandatory reporting, training,
complaints procedures, prevention and support and commit – they're looking for a
commitment, Mr. Speaker. We're all looking for a commitment – to supply the
necessary funding for this.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Justice and Public Safety.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Again,
happy to stand and speak about this because this stems directly from a meeting
that I had with this same group yesterday. In fact, I know the Minister of
Advanced Education has one scheduled in the next week or so, and it's something
that he looks forward to.
Again,
what I would like to first say is that I've made a number of commitments in this
House when it comes to ending sexual violence, when it comes to ending violence
and harassment, not just within our institutions but across this province. I
think we've shown that we're not only willing to make the commitment but we're
willing to work together to make this happen.
This is
something that we just had this discussion on, literally 24 hours ago. What I'm
committing to right here now is to working with Members of this House, members
of government departments and members of these groups to try to end this issue.
Thank
you.
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.
In order
for women to be safe they need economic security. Women in this province earn on
average 63 cents for every dollar earned by men. This government promised pay
equity legislation, but we have seen nothing as yet.
I ask
the Minister Responsible for the Status of Women: Is she committed to pay equity
legislation in this province and when will she deliver?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Finance and President of Treasury Board.
MR. OSBORNE:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Again,
an important question by the Member opposite. This is an issue that government
is working on. We've got a number of individuals from a number of departments, a
committee put together. It's something that's being examined, Mr. Speaker, and
we await the results of the working they're doing.
MR. SPEAKER:
Thank you.
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.
Women
make up 57 per cent of minimum-wage workers and 66 per cent of part-time
workers. The number of women over 25 earning minimum wage is increasing. Women's
financial insecurity is a huge barrier to leaving situations of intimate-partner
– leading to situations of intimate-partner violence.
I ask
the Minister Responsible for the Status of Women. Will she support an increase
in the minimum wage to $15 an hour as supported by 87 per cent of the population
to ensure that women earn a better wage in this province?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. Minister Responsible
for Advanced Education, Skills and Labour.
MR. DAVIS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I'm
pleased to stand up and address the question from the hon. Member. As we've
mentioned before, we're very committed to providing increases to minimum wage
and it's tied to an economic indicator. Through reaching out to the people of
the province, through consultations, we've been able to establish that we are
tying it to an economic indicator, the Canadian Price Index, to allow openness
and transparency. Obviously, we're going to be looking at ways we can improve on
this over time as well.
Thank
you very much, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for St.
John's East - Quidi Vidi for a very quick question, please.
MS. MICHAEL:
Given the precarious economic
status of many women in this province, I ask the Minister: What gender-based
analytical tool is she using for the 2019 budget process?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Natural Resources for a quick response, please.
MS. COADY:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
I'll
take the question because, indeed, I've been following along and, as you know,
last year I was responsible for the gender-based analysis of the budget, and the
new minister is equally informed and concerned about this issue.
I did
table in this House of Assembly last year the tool kit that we used to analyze
all documentation. I can assure this House that every single budget submission
goes through a gender lens and will continue to do so, and continue to use the
tools that are available to us to ensure equality for women in this province.
MR. SPEAKER:
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Oral Questions has ended.
The hon.
the Minister of Transportation and Works.
MR. CROCKER:
A point of order, Mr.
Speaker, section 49.
Mr.
Speaker, during Question Period, and for the second time in the last number of
weeks, the Member for Conception Bay South has actually looked at me and said
come clean with this House.
I take
great pride in my integrity, Mr. Speaker, and I would ask you to review what the
hon. Member said because it is unparliamentarily, in my opinion. I take great
pride in the job that I do for the department that I work in and for the people
that I represent, Mr. Speaker, and for my family.
What
we've been through here in the last six weeks, for that Member to stand up here
and challenge me to come clean is unacceptable.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Thank you.
In the
interest of time, I will review the point of order. I need to proceed, if I can.
Presenting Reports by Standing and Select Committees.
Tabling
of Documents.
Tabling of
Documents
MR. SPEAKER:
As required under section 51
of the House of Assembly Accountability, Integrity and Administration Act, I am
pleased today to table the 2017-2018 annual report of the House of Assembly
Management Commission. This report includes audited financial information of the
House of Assembly service and statutory offices, as well as a report of the
activities of the Commission during the reporting period.
Further
tabling of documents?
Notices
of Motion.
Answers
to Questions for which Notice has been Given.
This
being Wednesday, and it's 3 o'clock, I look to the Government House Leader for
direction.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Yes, Mr. Speaker.
Normally
at 3 o'clock on Wednesdays, we would move to the private Member's resolution,
but there are a few circumstances here that I think warrant my request to my
colleagues for leave to dispense with the private Member's resolution and to
move forward with a different agenda, which would include a visit by the
Lieutenant-Governor to grant Royal Assent, as well as some comments by my
colleagues as it relates to the coming holiday season.
MR. SPEAKER:
Does the Government House
Leader have consent?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Yes.
MR. SPEAKER:
Okay, thank you.
Please
proceed, Sir.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
What I
would note is it's a bit of an unusual request but it's one that was warranted,
I think, given the fact that through our – we put in an extra two weeks this
session prior to the commencement of the House which allowed for us to get some
work done. We've had, I think, a very productive legislative session, and
through our co-operation we managed to finish the work that had to be done, that
was on our agenda, and my colleagues were gracious enough to give leave to do
third reading.
By
coming back here tomorrow to do one third reading is not an issue for us as
legislators, none of us have a problem being here, but I would note we have four
Pages who have exams that start tomorrow. That was one issue that I think – I
know they're all willing to study and wanting to study and to get good marks,
and I think we all encourage that.
The
other thing I would note is that winter is upon us. Winter is coming, as they
say in Game of Thrones, and the fact
is we have a lot of Members stretched out across this province who will
hopefully be able to get moving earlier and have a safer travel than going
through the anticipated storm.
Again,
what I would note is we will move forward without the private Member's
resolution. I know Her Honour has been contacted to grant Royal Assent to our
legislation. Perhaps what we can do while we are waiting for that is – usually,
I think it's customary for the Leaders and the House Leaders to say a few words.
So maybe we can move forward with that and anticipate the arrival of Her Honour.
In
closing, as Government House Leader, in my remarks I would just like to thank my
colleagues for their co-operation in doing this today and for helping us get the
legislative agenda moving.
So thank
you very much, I really do appreciate it.
Thank
you.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Opposition House
Leader.
MR. HUTCHINGS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I'm glad
to rise in response to the Government House Leader, recognizing the time of the
year and the drawing and conclusion of this particular session of the fall
sitting.
I just
want to take an opportunity on behalf of the Official Leader of the Opposition,
the Member for Windsor Lake –he and his family are dealing with a particular
issue right now and we certainly wish him, his wife and daughters best wishes
with that. But on his behalf, I'm certainly privileged to stand and make a few
comments at the end of the session.
As
always has been said in this Legislature, there are a lot of people that put a
lot of time and energy in to making sure we can do what we do here as
parliamentarians in this legislative environment. I want to recognize all of my
colleagues, certainly my colleagues on this side of the House, my Third Party
colleagues, as well as the independent Members and the Members of government on
the other side.
While at
times we have debate, and oftentimes at various levels and extremes, but at the
end of the day we're here to serve the people of Newfoundland and Labrador in
our individual districts in making sure that everything we do here is in the
best interest of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians today, and certainly in the
future and for future generations. I think that's extremely important, and it's
important that we recognize that.
I
specifically, as well, would like to thank the staff of the House of Assembly.
You, Mr. Speaker, as well, for your oversight and dialogue in terms of running
the Chamber here. Your interaction back and forth at times, I certainly
appreciate it as Opposition House Leader. At times we don't always agree, but we
do come to conclusion and we do collaboratively move along to have this House
run, and run the way it is. I thank you for your participation.
For the
Table Officers, for our Pages, for all those that are associated with the
running of the House, we say thank you very much. For those that are involved
with the communications and the broadcasting as well, we say thank you for your
time and efforts and all that you do.
We're
into December month, and as the days move toward the Christmas season, certainly
on behalf of us and our caucus, I want to thank all for everything people have
done. I ask people to take time over the coming days and the Christmas season to
enjoy that time with family and friends. It is a time to slow down somewhat of a
hectic pace and be able to take that special time to share with those people
that are special to us, recharge the batteries a little bit and look forward to
the coming year of 2019.
So with
that – I will mention, too, as well, a very – we passed yesterday a motion
related to the Privileges and Elections Committee on some of the work that was
done. I just want to highlight that experience and what it's been like for me to
be part of that, and with the Members of the House of Assembly here. It was
somewhat of a new initiative in terms of that involvement of a legislative
Committee and the type of work that's been done and the future work that's going
to be done.
So I
congratulate my colleagues with that, and those in the House for that, and I
look forward to similar processes in the future. I think it would help the
Legislature here in the operations and how we do it. So I think that was a very
positive initiative.
I
certainly look forward to 2019 and seeing everybody back here in 2019. My last
comment to everybody here is enjoy the holidays. As I said, take time with
family and friends to share those special moments, build memories. What we do is
important. There's nothing more important than family and friends and that time
to take with one another and to appreciate this great province and the great
country of Canada we live in. Sometimes I don't know if we really take that,
give it the highest praise that we should, but it is a privilege to live here
and we should remember that and certainly enjoy the holidays. From our side, the
very best to everybody and we'll certainly see you in 2019.
Thank
you very much.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for St.
John's Centre and Leader of the Third Party.
MS. ROGERS:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
I'm very
happy to stand and to say basically how lucky are we. How incredibly lucky are
we to be able to be in this House and do the work of the people. And how lucky
are we to have such incredible support in the work that we have been asked to
do.
I'd like
particularly to thank you, Mr. Speaker, and your office. I'd like to thank the
Table Officers, particularly nights when we work late, particularly at times,
too, when things were really hot and heated in this House. I'd like to thank
them for their work as well. Then all the work that is involved in the Committee
work. We've done extraordinary Committee work in this sitting, particularly when
you think of some of the very difficult issues that we all worked on together.
I'd like
to thank the security people. They're everywhere, in all shapes, sizes and
backgrounds. I'd like to thank them, whether it be the Commissioners or the
current, active police force, or the retired police officers, I'd like to thank
them. They stand a lot, they watch, they listen and I'd like to thank them. The
Pages, some of you are new and it's been so good to have you. Good luck on your
exams. I know you'll all be real rock stars; you'll do it. I hope that this has
been a learning experience for you, and you will learn how to do it and maybe
also you will learn how not to do it. That you will, hopefully, come up with
better ways of doing it.
The
people in the Broadcast Centre who work so hard to try and make us look good and
make sure that people all over Newfoundland and Labrador can hear every word we
say, see our faces and make sure that our democracy and what happens in this
House is available to everyone. I know that there are a lot of seniors,
particularly, who watch the House of Assembly.
I would
like to thank as well Hansard. I don't
know how those folks do it, Mr. Speaker. It's one thing to listen, but it's
another thing to listen with the real intent to hear and then write it all down.
Hopefully, we all listen as much as we can, but we don't always listen with the
real intent to hear. So, those folks up in Hansard, they deserve chocolate, they
absolutely do.
The
cleaning staff who make sure that everything is working, that we have a pleasant
environment to work in. There's a lot of work that happens behind the scene when
legislation comes to us, and it's all the folks in the various government
departments who work so hard and so painstakingly to make sure to get the
legislation right and to make sure that the legislation reflects what the people
of the province need.
Sometimes the legislation doesn't quite get there but that's not their fault,
I'll blame that on the ministers across the floor here. Also all our staff in
the caucus offices who do research, who write reports, who connect with the
community. I'd like to thank as well the community activists all over the
province in different associations who push us and push us and push us to do the
best that we can and to always keep in mind the needs of the people of
Newfoundland and Labrador.
I speak,
Mr. Speaker, on behalf of my colleague the Member for St. John's East - Quidi
Vidi. We feel very lucky to be able to do this work on behalf of the people.
Then, all of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, who care as passionately
about our province as all of us in this House do. Because that's why we're here:
We care so passionately.
We've
done a lot of important work, just the bills recently that we've had: Bill 32,
the Labour Standards Act to introduce
leave for employees or a person to whom an employee is a parent or a caregiver
who has been subjected to domestic violence; really important legislation. We
are a little bit of leaders in that area and we can be proud of that
legislation.
The
Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation
Act that was amended to include presumptive post-traumatic stress disorder
coverage for all our workers; again really important work. The Provision of Emergency Health and Paramedicine Services Act, 20
years – 20 years – in the making; great work that we did here today.
I'm
disappointed, Mr. Speaker, that we still haven't gotten anywhere on the motion
for democratic reform because that, in fact, will be a key area in how we change
the way we do our democracy in our province and it's time to do something about
that. I'm disappointed we didn't get to that, but I believe that we will.
Of our
roles and particularly my colleague for St. John's East - Quidi Vidi, we always
talk about how important it is to keep a lens on everything we do that that lens
is about the benefit of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, and the need
for jobs and economic prosperity and also collaborative work and finding
different ways of doing politics.
I also
want to acknowledge all my colleagues here in House, some who drive six, seven,
eight, in some cases, almost 10 hours one way to get back to their districts and
then to get back to this House of Assembly to do the people's work. I can walk
to my district; it's so much easier for me. Then when I look around this room,
how many of you spend so much time away from your families because of the great
distances? That takes such love and such commitment to the people of
Newfoundland and Labrador. And I have to say, Mr. Speaker, I am in awe of those
Members here in this House and their staff who travel like that, again because
they care so much, and because it matters. What we do in this House matters.
So we've
dealt with some really difficult issues; we've dealt with some extraordinary
issues. I am so looking forward to this holiday season that is about light, it's
about peace, it's about connecting with people, it's about renewal and rebirth,
and I can hardly wait to chow down on a good turkey dinner, but also to spend
more time with people that we love and to spend more time with the people in our
districts. I can't wait to spend more time in pyjamas, and I look forward to
seeing everybody again in March. I'm sure many of us will bump into each other
throughout the province during these next few months.
Again,
Mr. Speaker, I'd like to reiterate, how lucky are we to have the honour to do
this work on behalf of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER:
Thank you very much.
The hon.
the Premier.
PREMIER BALL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
We keep
reflecting on where this year has went and we had a trip to Labrador last week,
as you would know, and as you speak to many of the community groups it is really
the time of the year to reflect, not just on the last session of the House of
Assembly but really indeed the last year.
A lot of
us, I think, as MHAs, and I know as Premier of this province, this is really the
time of the year to reflect on what the past year has looked like. I would say,
Mr. Speaker, as a government, we have seen much progress in our province. As you
go around the province, you would actually see a lot more enthusiasm and energy
in people looking forward to the future that they see in front of them. But, I
think it is short term. In the next few weeks, there are a lot of people looking
forward Christmas in 2018.
Speaking about this session, it's been a very productive session. As the
Table Officers, as they usually do, keep track of this, told me that we are
upwards to 20 pieces of legislation. Mr. Speaker, it's just not about the
numbers of pieces of legislation, it's really about the impact of people in our
province on the legislation that, as a government, we are bringing forward.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
PREMIER BALL:
Mr. Speaker, when I look
at things like the health care changes that we are making to improve health care
in our province, and in Labrador just last week and on the Burin Peninsula and
places around the province, as you know, one of the things that we've been
working very closely with is that indeed of mental illness.
There's no other time of the year when people that suffer in silence for
so many years around mental illness, that it's the Christmastime of the year
when we often see people that are troubled the most. It's really the time of the
year when people find themselves gathered around with family and friends; there
are others that are even close to those families that suffer in silence.
Mr. Speaker, we are committed. I'm sure every Member in this House of
Assembly is committed to making those changes. Some pieces of legislation that
we brought in in this session will make a difference.
When I think of yesterday's announcement of PTSD for all workers, Mr.
Speaker, it's important when you see the testimonies and the stories of people
that have been impacted by workplace trauma and it's led to PTSD, it's important
for us, as we try and deal with the economic issues that we have to deal with in
Newfoundland and Labrador, we must never forget that there are a of social
issues out there that we must continue to deal with as well. And we look forward
to doing more of that in 2019.
Mr. Speaker, when I reflect on this session I think of the staff – and
many people have mentioned this already – the people that sit at those tables.
In the fury of debate that occurs in this House for many, many hours these are
the people that just sit there stoically, just looking and listening to every
word that is being said. So I thank our staff once again.
It has been mentioned already, the people that put this all together, in
Hansard, of words that we sometimes – as we read and we go back and reflect in
years in the past of the messages that have been sent, and I do it a bit, when
you look at what you said basically back in 2011, '12 and so on, that is what
Hansard can do.
The Pages, some of which will have exams tomorrow as has been mentioned
already by the House Leader – I get the opportunity to see many past Pages as I
travel around the province, and get a chance to write letters on their behalf
from time to time as well. I will tell you, it's always a privilege for me
because we have created some long-term relationships of people who have sat in
your chairs. And sometimes, they go from these chairs to these chairs. I could
speak to our Member there from Bellevue - Placentia West, Mr. Speaker. So, these
are the things that would happen with young parliamentarians. Who knows what the
future of those Pages will be?
Mr. Speaker, I also want to mention the Broadcast Centre. I get messages
every day from viewers across this province: Boy, you gave it to them today, or
they gave it you today. These are the kind of messages that we get sometimes,
but it shows that what we are saying and doing in this room, people are indeed
watching every action of our MHAs. We encourage them to do so, because that's
the level of scrutiny and so on that can actually influence decisions that we
make in our future.
Now, as
most people would know, I work in this building, I have a district of people,
the constituents of Humber - Gros Morne, that give me the privilege to sit in
the chair that I do. So I do spend a lot of time away from my district, simply
because of the role that I play. But it's the security that's been mentioned
already that they are there. I never leave or come into this building without
there's not someone there to say good morning or good night to when I leave. The
security – I think we should never forget that they are the ones that put in the
early mornings and the late hours as well.
For the
House Leader, for his remarks on behalf of his Leader of the Opposition, I can
tell you our thoughts are with the Leader of the Opposition as, from time to
time, we have faced challenges in our life, and all of us here in the roles that
we play, we think of families that are impacted. So, to the House Leader, please
pass on our thoughts today, and thank him for his remarks that he would've made.
As we go
through sessions like this, as we work together on the legislation that we've
been able to deal with. To the Leader of the Third Party and to the independent
Members, I want to thank them, too, for the debate that we've had here and their
engagement into what we've done. It's been mentioned already. This has been a
really an unprecedented session. We've dealt with things in this session for the
first time in the history of Newfoundland and Labrador. As legislators that sat
here, we have dealt with issues that are unprecedented and in unprecedented
ways, I would say, Mr. Speaker, so I thank everyone for their input.
Mr.
Speaker, before I sit down, I want to thank the caucus that we have here. This
is a group of people, I would tell you, that has stood behind me and have
brought the message from people in their districts, and I want to thank them for
their support – unwavering support that we've seen in the last few weeks from
Members of this caucus.
Mr.
Speaker, to you, yourself, who've had to deal with some trying times as well, as
you sit in the chair and make decisions. And it's true, it's been said already
that your job is when you try and find that balance. If you're always right for
one side, you know that there's someone else that will be upset. So, I thank you
for the job that you do.
The
public sector workers – it goes without saying, we see questions in this House
of Assembly related to health care, education, the conditions of our roads. As
the Leader of the Third Party has mentioned, while we get the opportunity on
Christmas Day to sit and enjoy the people that we associate with, our friends
and family, there will be public sector workers – it is never lost on me; they
work 24 hours a day, and we hear the stories of services from people that avail
of the workers that work so hard on behalf of all Newfoundlanders and
Labradorians. So I want to thank them and wish them a very Merry Christmas over
the coming season.
So to
everyone here and those that are watching, I want to wish everyone a Merry
Christmas, take some time to spend with family and friends, and let's get ready
to go for 2019. I am looking forward to it and continue to make improvements for
Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.
Thank
you very much.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Thank you, Premier, the
Opposition House Leader and the Leader of the Third Party.
I also
wanted to pass along some remarks. As you say, Sir – I am reflecting back – it
seems like just a few weeks ago I was standing here in 2017 and reflecting back
on my first four months as Speaker.
I think
we are tired. As the Government House Leader said, we did start two weeks early.
My staff, I can feel it, and for the first time in my three years and four days,
I locked myself out of my office yesterday. I was here at 7 in the morning and
it's interesting, because there is a division between the Executive and the
judiciary and this Legislature because no one else had a key except for Kala.
That was the only way I could get in to my office at 7 in the morning yesterday.
So, yeah, we are a little bit tired.
But it
has been an interesting year, and I did want to reflect back on just a few
things that have gone on this year, from the perspective of the Legislature.
Again, I want to thank all of you for the support you endorsed with myself to be
an emissary of the province to go to Turkey and work with the Turkish government
towards the caribou monument at Gallipoli. As you know, we've had great success
and making great progress, and I now look to the government and wish them all
the best as they go to implement this and finally achieve something we've all
been waiting for, for some 100-plus years.
I felt
another great accomplishment in terms of reaching out on the diplomatic circle
this year – it was reaching out to Quebec. And for the first time ever, we now
have a bilateral arrangement between our legislatures. It was a great honour to
lead multi-party group of you, the Members, to Quebec City in June where we
walked into the Assemblée nationale du Québec to a standing ovation. I really
feel that this is so important and a great role for our office to support that
diplomacy to help keep those doors open. Get them open, maybe, in the first
place, but help keep them open while governments work together on policy and
other issues.
Certainly the challenge of the harassment and the Code of Conduct allegations
have really been an interesting test for all of us, and I'd just like to share
with you just a couple of snippets from the perspective of the office. Some of
the things that we encountered, some of the decisions we had to make as we went
along that way were without precedent. I look to the fine people in front of me
who reached out to their networks around the world as we sought guidance on just
how does one bring a stranger onto the floor and ask them questions. We had some
pretty funny looks from the rest of our colleagues in this amazing,
international Westminster system.
As the
Leader of the Third Party – and I heard the Opposition House Leader also say – I
look forward to – and I think it was indicated yesterday that this really is a
game changer. The interim report from the Privileges and Elections Committee is
going to change the way that we engage ourselves and look to our own behaviour
into the future. We'll look back on this, and I think that's all a very good
thing.
I
mentioned, just recently, we now have a constitution for the press gallery of
this Legislature. I enjoy that rapport and that enhanced level of
professionalism that we enjoy with all the members of the press; perhaps there
are some here now, but they're certainly always watching, and it's great to have
that.
We had
some special ceremonies here: the installation of a new Lieutenant Governor. We
had the Moose Hide Campaign, and I hope to again initiate us back into the House
in March with a recurring theme on that. That was a great day back in early
March of this year. We also had the hanging of the 43rd Speaker, and it was
great to oversee that. I often look to my right to make sure he's there guiding
us all along the House as well as the other 42 that are up on the wall.
In terms
of looking ahead to the future, I'm not sure if most of you are aware, but this
province will be hosting the Canadian Parliamentary Association, the presiding
officers, so the Speakers of the country are coming to this province in January
and February, and I am going to be hosting them in Happy Valley-Goose Bay. I'm
very proud to do that. Working with our staff, we're going to show them some
interesting times, including some snowmobiling and some other events. I'm
looking forward to that amazing honour.
We also
will be hosting a reciprocal visit, and I look to my Francophone-influenced
friends to join me and others when we welcome our colleagues from the Assemblée
nationale, probably next June. We'll confirm a date.
I hear
there's a provincial election sometime next year. I'm sure we'll have a few
things to do around that.
I did
want to thank the staff. I'm so fortunate to be inside – and I look to number
43. He knows what it's like to sit in this office and just continue to respect
the wisdom, the guidance, the knowledge and the professionalism that exists
here. I get to see it everyday, and I feel very honoured. Sandra Barnes, I'm
sure she's out working. I think she's outside. Elizabeth Murphy, Kim
Hawley-George, Wayne Harnum, the Sergeant-at-Arms sitting in the back, who keeps
a good eye on us.
I also
want to mention some folks behind the scenes: Bobbi Russell, Kim Hammond, Wanda
Lee Mercer, Yvonne Power, Maureen Dooley and many others. The Pages that are
around us, we have Katelyn, Jeremy, Ben and Alden here with us today, but we
also have Frankie and Tamsyn, who do just a great job. As the Premier said, it
is very exciting to see this next generation getting ready to show us leadership
in our province.
I also
need to think back in to Labrador and my own executive assistant – first of all,
she's here – Kala Noel, who is a great baker and cook and keeps us all
organized, as well as my constituency assistant, Bonnie Learning. I'd like to
thank you all. It's just a great rush to have this opportunity to serve as your
Speaker.
Finally,
and on behalf of my wife, I would like to thank all the Members, my colleagues
here in the House of Assembly, staff, people of the province, including my
District of Lake Melville. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy new
year. And a final note to my wife: I'm on my way home to help her move around
that two-plus, three metres of snow.
Thank
you very much.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Deputy
Government House Leader.
MS. COADY:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I
understand that Her Honour is en route and will be arriving shortly, so I
suggest we recess until her arrival.
MR. SPEAKER:
Okay. Thank you.
MS. COADY:
Thank you.
MR. SPEAKER:
This House stands in recess
until the sound of the chimes.
Recess
SERGEANT-AT-ARMS:
Mr. Speaker, Her Honour, the Lieutenant Governor, has arrived.
MR. SPEAKER:
Please admit Her Honour, the
Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador.
All
rise.
(Her
Honour the Lieutenant-Governor takes the Chair.)
SERGEANT-AT-ARMS:
It is the wish of Her Honour,
the Lieutenant Governor, that all present be seated.
MR. SPEAKER:
May it please Your Honour,
the General Assembly of the province has at its present session passed certain
bills, to which, in the name and on behalf of the General Assembly, I
respectfully request Your Honour's assent.
CLERK (Barnes):
A bill, “An Act To Amend The
Revenue Administration Act No. 2.” (Bill 9)
A bill,
“An Act To Amend The Arts Council Act.” (Bill 28)
A bill,
“An Act To Amend The Forestry Act.” (Bill 29)
A bill,
“An Act to Amend The Private Investigation And Security Services Act.” (Bill 30)
A bill,
“An Act To Amend The House Of Assembly Accountability, Integrity And
Administration Act.” (Bill 31)
A bill,
“An Act To Amend the Labour Standards Act.” (Bill 32)
A bill,
“An Act To Amend The Public Sector Compensation Transparency Act.” (Bill 33)
A bill,
“An Act To Amend The Assessment Act, 2006.” (Bill 34)
A bill,
“An Act To Amend The Workplace Health, Safety And Compensation Act.” (Bill 35)
A bill,
“An Act To Amend The Workplace Health, Safety And Compensation Act No. 2.” (Bill
36)
A bill,
“An Act Respecting The Protection And Promotion Of Public Health.” (Bill 37)
A bill,
“An Act Respecting The Reporting Requirements Of Public Bodies.” (Bill 38)
A bill,
“An Act To Amend The Highway Traffic Act No. 2.” (Bill 39)
A bill,
“An Act To Amend The Housing Corporation Act.” (Bill 40)
A bill,
“An Act To Amend The Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Atlantic Accord
Implementation Newfoundland and Labrador Act.” (Bill 41)
A bill,
“An Act Respecting The Provision Of Emergency Health And Paramedicine Services.”
(Bill 43)
A bill,
“An Act To Amend The Management Of Greenhouse Gas Act And The Revenue
Administration Act.” (Bill 44)
A bill,
“An Act Respecting A Pension Plan For Teachers.” (Bill 45)
HER HONOUR THE LIEUTENANT
GOVERNOR (Judy May Foote PC, ONL):
In Her Majesty's name, I
assent to these bills.
You've
been busy; 19 pieces of legislation passed in the fall sitting. Congratulations
to each and every one of you.
For
those of you who don't know, one of the first things I did when I went to the
Government House was to ask that there be a TV put in the office, because, you
see, I like following legislation, I like the debates. I have to tell you that
in watching all of the debates – not quite all of them, but most of them – and
the back and forth, I was particularly taken with the Protection of Intimate
Images Act, and the work that you did on that, congratulations to each and every
one of you; An Act to Amend the Labour Standards Act, An Act to Amend the
Workplace, Health, Safety and Compensation Act and the
Public Health Protection and Promotion Act.
What
really struck me about that was that it enables the province to address gaps in
legislation enacted 50 years ago. The fact that you worked together to see this
come to fruition and pass this particular piece of legislation was really
important, but what was also interesting was how you talked about looking at
practices in other provinces and in other countries.
I think
we all need to be aware of how important it is to learn from each other, that we
don't always have to be reinventing the wheel. There are good things happening
in other parts of the country and other parts of the world. So I was delighted
when I saw that with respect to the health act.
I was
also delighted, of course, to see that we now have a standalone portfolio for
the Minister Responsible for the Status of Women. That, for me, was really
important, being the first woman Lieutenant Governor, to see that particular
piece of legislation, to know that we now have someone who has total
responsibility for making sure that everything pertaining to the women in our
province is front and centre and gets the attention that it needs.
Congratulations, Premier, on that appointment, it was really important.
I know
you're all going off for Christmas break. I remember when the opportunity came
to go back to the riding or to the district and how important it is to take the
time to listen to those who you are representing. You're all so really busy, you
do that every time you return to your districts and every time you return
anywhere in the province, particularly if you're a Minister of the Crown, or if
you're a parliamentary secretary, or if you're a critic, you go back and you
listen to what's being said by the people of Newfoundland and Labrador and you
bring that forward. I think the fact that you're able to use that in your
debates, speaks volumes of how comprehensive the legislation can be.
I want
to say to each and every one of you, though, take time for yourselves, because
we don't always do that. Sometimes the consequences are less than what we'd like
them to be. So spend time with your families, spend time with your friends; take
some down time. You're going to have a busy new year so make sure that you come
back, you come back refreshed, you come back full of new ideas, come back
wanting to do even more than you've done in the fall sitting but, at the same
time, take care of yourselves. It's so easy to forget that.
To each
and every one of you, His Honour and I wish you all the very best. Thank you for
your hard work. We wish you a Merry Christmas, we wish you happy holidays and we
wish you all the best in the new year.
Thank
you so much for all that you do on behalf of the people of Newfoundland and
Labrador.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
SERGEANT-AT-ARMS:
All rise.
(Her
Honour the Lieutenant Governor leaves the Chamber. Mr. Speaker returns to the
Chair.)
MR. SPEAKER:
Please be seated.
The hon.
the Deputy Government House Leader.
MS. COADY:
The words everyone has been
waiting for.
First of
all, thank you to all of you for all your hard work, your diligence, your
friendship, you camaraderie throughout this very busy season. I want to wish you
all a very Merry Christmas on behalf of myself, my family and my family in this
room as well.
Mr.
Speaker, I move, seconded by the Minister Responsible for the Status of Women –
proud to say we have a standalone one as well – that this House do now adjourn
until Monday, March 4, 2019.
Thank
you.
MR. SPEAKER:
It has been moved and
seconded that this House do now adjourn.
Is it
the pleasure of the House to adopt this motion?
All
those in favour, 'aye.'
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
MR. SPEAKER:
All those against, 'nay.'
This
House does stand adjourned until tomorrow, 1:30 o'clock on Monday, the 4th day
of March in the year of 2019.
On
motion, the House at its rising adjourned until tomorrow, Monday, March 4, 2019.