March 7, 2018
HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS
Vol. XLVIII No. 50
The
House met at 10 a.m.
MR. SPEAKER (Trimper):
Order, please!
Admit
strangers.
Orders of the Day
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Government House
Leader.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
From the
Order Paper, I call Motion 1, to move that the House resolve itself into a
Committee of the Whole on Supply to consider a certain resolution for the
granting of Interim Supply to Her Majesty, Bill 36, seconded by the Minister of
Finance and President of Treasury.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Finance and President of Treasury Board.
MR. OSBORNE:
Mr. Speaker, I wish to inform
the House that I have received a message from His Honour the
Lieutenant-Governor.
MR. SPEAKER:
All rise, please.
I am in
receipt of a message from His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor dated 2nd of March,
2018:
As
Lieutenant-Governor of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, I transmit a
request to appropriate sums required for the Public Service of the Province for
the year ending 31 March 2019, by way of Interim Supply, and in accordance with
the provisions of sections 54 and 90 of the
Constitution Act, 1867, I recommend
this request to the House of Assembly.
Sgd.:_
________________________________
Lieutenant-Governor
Please
be seated.
The hon.
the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board.
MR. OSBORNE:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I move,
seconded by the hon. Government House Leader, that the message, together with a
bill, be referred to a Committee of Supply.
MR. SPEAKER:
The motion is that the
message, together with a bill, be referred to a Committee of Supply and that I
do now leave the Chair.
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.'
This
motion is carried.
On
motion, that the House resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole on Supply,
the Speaker left the Chair.
Committee of the
Whole
CHAIR (Warr):
Order, please!
We are
considering the related resolution and Bill 36, An Act Granting To Her Majesty
Certain Sums Of Money For Defraying Certain Expenses Of The Public Service For
The Financial Year Ending March 31, 2019 And For Other Purposes Relating To The
Public Service.
Resolution
“That it
is expedient to introduce a measure to provide for the granting to Her Majesty
for defraying certain expenses of the public service for the financial year
ending March 31, 2019 the sum of $2,806,552,200.”
CHAIR:
Shall the resolution carry?
The
Chair recognizes the hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury
Board.
MR. OSBORNE:
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr.
Chair, I rise in the House today to speak to Interim Supply. It's an annual bill
that we're required to pass in the House of Assembly to allow for the financial
administration of ongoing government operations during the interim period while
budget 2018 is being introduced, debated and approved by the Legislature.
When we
introduce budget 2018, we'll be seeking approval for funding to spend for the
entire fiscal year, but it normally takes time to allow for debate and approval
of the budget. During this interim period, we need to provide funding to the
government departments so that the ongoing work of core government and public
service can continue without disruption. This is the purpose of the Interim
Supply Bill.
Mr.
Chair, today we are seeking the approval in Interim Supply for the sum of
approximately $2.81 billion. This represents an increase of approximately $102.9
million from last year's Interim Supply bill. While Interim Supply is based on
the 2017-18 budget figures, in some cases allowances are made for anticipated
increases in 2018-19.
There
are increases in numerous areas through the normal course of business. The
primary increase relates to the anticipated severance payouts resulting from the
collective agreements which is currently being finalized, the one with NAPE, and
severance has led to an increase of $205 million for Consolidated Fund Services.
As I've
stated on numerous occasions, the removal of severance through our collective
agreement with NAPE is a significant achievement. Many governments have
attempted to eliminate severance through collective bargaining and have not
succeeded. We've been able to achieve this, and in doing so have eliminated a
significant financial liability.
A few
months ago, there was some misinformation spread about severance that I'd like
to address here. Severance has been recognized by our own Court of Appeal in
1997 as an earned benefit, and to suggest it is a gift is factually incorrect
and misinformed.
Our own
federal government spent approximately $3 billion to pay out accrued severance
starting in 2010 to eliminate their growing financial liability. The federal
government recognized how valuable this was, and so do we. While we are seeing
an increase as a result of this in our Interim Supply, I submit to the House
that the long-term benefit of this far outweigh the short-term increases.
This
legislation, Mr. Chair, must be passed to receive Royal Assent by March 23,
2018, in order to allow sufficient time to ensure payroll, Income Support and
other expenditures are funded effective April 1, 2018.
Interim
Supply provides departments and public bodies with the necessary cash to manage
expenditures for the period from April 1 to June 30, 2018; essentially, the
first quarter of the new fiscal year. This includes ongoing housekeeping
expenditures, including funding for upcoming pay periods and ongoing project
funding requirements applicable for the 2018-19 fiscal year.
This
Interim Supply bill makes provisions for the transfer of funds from the
Department of Finance to other departments for expenditures for compensation,
benefits and other associated adjustments; transfers from the Consolidated Fund
Services accounts to other departments for special retirement or other payments,
should they be necessary; and transfer of funds to and from various heads of
expenditures to facilitate expenditures for financial assistance, as may be
approved from time to time by Treasury Board.
Interim
Supply is an important bill that is intended to provide for the continuation of
ongoing government programs, services and projects. The bill needs to be passed
to continue routine and ongoing operations while budget 2018 is going through
the Legislature for debate and approval.
As we
approach budget 2018, our province continues to face a serious fiscal situation.
We, as a government, have been transparent about this since very early in our
mandate. I've said on many occasions that our government is taking a balanced
approach to fiscal management. Our focus, as a government, is on delivering
programs and services that are important to the public in smarter and more
efficient ways.
We know
that there are some services that people in the province rely on with great
regularity. Services such as health care, education, transportation and others
that affect the daily lives of people in Newfoundland and Labrador. As MHAs, it
is incumbent on us to ensure that the people we represent have access to the
services that are needed. This becomes a significant challenge in times of
fiscal restraint, but it is a challenge that must be addressed head- on.
For
measures such as reducing the size of our public sector, primarily through
attrition, through zero-based budgeting and implementing a risk-based approach
to estimating revenues, our government continues to look at creative ways to
correct the course without significant fiscal pain. The cost of delivering
reasonable services to a widely dispersed and aging population remains a cost
challenge.
Mr.
Chair, I know that it's a procedural motion, but it is nonetheless an important
one. The funds allocated under this bill go towards the work of our departments
who are moving forward with our balanced approach. We recognize that we need to
identify the best approach to secure better outcomes and provide better access
to programs and services. Successes in this area include actioning our vision
for health care on the West Coast, and advancing a much-needed long-term care
facility and new hospital in a manner that strikes a balance between the need to
deliver better services and our fiscal ability.
Another
example of smarter government is found within ServiceNL who have partnered with
other Atlantic provinces to secure a new service provider for driver's licences.
By working co-operatively, we've achieved cost savings and secured a product
with improved security that prevents identity theft and fraud.
This
replacement photo driver's licence system builds on other recent enhancements to
Motor Registration Division's services, including the introduction of online
driver's licence renewals, the move to a 10-year validity for driver licence
photos, continued discounts for online renewals of driver's licences and vehicle
registrations and a customer flow management system implemented at the Mount
Pearl location.
Guided
by The Way Forward we are supporting
job creation and industry growth in rural and urban areas. We are also making
investments in transportation, health and education, and many other areas to
create an environment of business success and job growth. Our approach to
economic development has also led to boosting new employment opportunities in
such industries as oil and gas, mining, aerospace and events.
Some
example include: Husky Energy's West White Rose extension, which will create
upwards of 5,000 person years of employment and economic benefits exceeding $3
billion over the life of this 25-year project. We have provided a $2.25 million
forgivable loan to Provincial Aerospace, which will help create 150 person years
of employment over five years; a $17 million loan to Canada Fluorspar,
supporting 3,000 person years of employment in the first 12 years of the mine's
operations, and another 525 spinoff jobs are anticipated to be created as a
result of the mine reopening.
Helping
to create new jobs and successful business is essential to strengthening our
communities, so too is investing in infrastructure projects that support the
delivery of public services and maximizes their potential to encourage greater
economic activity.
Over the
next five years we are allocating nearly $3 billion for new and existing
schools, health care facilities, roads, bridges, municipal infrastructure and
more. This sizable investment will help stimulate the economy, creating more
than 4,900 full-time jobs annually for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. It will
foster business development throughout the province and ensure access to modern
facilities where public services can be delivered. New facilities also help make
communities more attractive places to live which support efforts to increase the
province's population.
By
laying our solid plans to advance infrastructure initiatives, as well as
programs and services, we are open to finding new ways of doing things. It also
puts in a more strategic position for the province to balancing our goal of
supporting access to important services while stimulating the economy.
Mr.
Chair, I'm sure that there are other examples within our government and I'm sure
that the hon. colleagues in this House will take their opportunity to speak to
this bill and to highlight some of the successes that they've had this year. I'm
sure we'll hear from the Opposition as well, and I look forward to their
comments as we move forward with this.
With
that, I'll conclude my remarks by saying that it's an honour to have the
opportunity to speak to this important piece of legislation and I look forward
to hearing from all colleagues in the House of Assembly.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
CHAIR:
Shall the resolution carry?
All
those in favour, 'aye.
The hon.
the Opposition Leader.
MR. P. DAVIS:
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I know
it's early, Sir, I know it's early. That's the new glasses, Mr. Chair. I have a
feeling you may be going back and forth a bit today before you move to the next
question, but thank you for giving me a chance to address Bill 36 today.
Bill 36
is known as Interim Supply. For those people who are tuning in and not familiar
with Interim Supply, essentially Interim Supply grants funds to the government
to continue to operate as the government until a budget is approved.
Interim
Supply allows for the continuation of programs and services and very important
ones. I want to use this first opportunity just to acknowledge that it's
actually the public service who runs government on a day-to-day basis from snow
clearing to health care, to education to our justice system. It's the public
service and public servants individually who make that happen and make that
operate.
Mr.
Chair, without Interim Supply, our public service wouldn't be compensated for
the work they do and government would come to a halt. In the United States,
we've seen it happen a couple of times in recent months and over the last decade
there have been a few times it's happened where the federal government
essentially have come to a halt because they couldn't finalize budget
allocations to allow that to happen.
I
suppose theoretically that could happen here. If we were to continue Interim
Supply debate, which as an Opposition Party we can, and the process we have here
we can continue to debate in Committee repeatedly Interim Supply. If we were to
run the Interim Supply debate into April 1, then the government wouldn't have
any funds to operate. They wouldn't have an opportunity to continue to pay their
bills or keep the lights on for that matter.
That's
what Interim Supply does. It's an annual event or an annual bill that usually
comes through around early or middle of March. It then gives lots of opportunity
for the Opposition and government to have a debate and discussion about Interim
Supply, for the government to continue to operate and for public service to
continue to do the job that they have.
One of
the significant parts of Interim Supply debate that we're quite aware of is that
every year for budget debate there's a fixed allotment of time. I think it's 70
hours. Is it? I'm looking across the way if someone –
AN HON. MEMBER:
Seventy-five.
MR. P. DAVIS:
Seventy-five hours allotted
for budget debate. One of the interesting parts of that is that time used for
Interim Supply comes off the budget.
MR. HAGGIE:
(Inaudible.)
MR. P. DAVIS:
What was that, Minister?
MR. HAGGIE:
You don't have to use it all.
MR. P. DAVIS:
Don't have to use it all.
Okay. The Minister of Health says: We don't have to use it all. Maybe we'll only
use three or four hours. It would be better. However, I think we're going to be
close on 75 this year. I anticipate we'll be close on 75 hours this year, as we
are most years.
The time
used, Mr. Chair, on Interim Supply, on debate of Bill 36, is part of the budget
time. So it comes off the budget debate. Historically, Opposition Parties don't
tend to use a lot of that time because right now we don't know what the fiscal
plan is for the government for the year coming. We don't know what the plan is;
not only fiscal but fiscal plan drives the plans of programs and services for
the government in the coming year.
As an
Opposition, we don't know what that is yet. We quite often look and say we're
best off to use our time to use for the budget debate after we know what the
budget is going to contain, what's going to be in the budget and how government
plans on providing services and programs, some of the ones that I just
referenced, into the coming year.
We know,
Mr. Chair, that the government doesn't enjoy the price and value of oil as they
have in the past. Oil has stabilized and increased since the end of 2015. That's
been a benefit.
I
remember 2014 and 2015 when oil crashed. I quite often refer to Bloomberg when
I'm talking to people in the coffee shops and around the province. They talk
about all of a sudden the oil money went, can you tell me what happened. I'll
pull out my phone and I'll look up Bloomberg. I'll look at the price of oil,
I'll look at the five-year price of oil and you'll see the oil high above the
$100 mark.
Right
around the same time I announced I was going to run for the leadership, which
was the first of July – July 2, I think, was the actual date I announced I was
going to run for the leadership – 2014, around that same time the price of oil
started to drop, and there's a graph – I know we can't use props here in the
House of Assembly, but if you go on Bloomberg and look at the price of Brent
crude and look at the five-year pricing, you'll see the graph comes along over
$100. Then all of a sudden it dropped, and it continued to drop until the fall
of 2015.
Through
my time in the office as Premier, it dropped and dropped and dropped. Then right
after the election in 2015 things started to stabilize and came up. It was
nowhere near where it was, Mr. Chair, but it started to stabilize and come up.
That's good for the province because it provides more resources to the
government to provide those programs and services, and I'm sure it was a breath
of relief.
As that
stabilization continues, there's slowly a climb back which creates revenue for
the province and for the government and helps drive the economy. The reality is
we're tied to natural resources. That's what our province is tied to.
Recently, we hear talk of the province is going to go bankrupt. I don't believe
it for a second, Mr. Chair. I don't believe for a second the province is going
to go bankrupt. Bankrupt is when your debts exceed your assets, but if you think
about our assets –
AN HON. MEMBER:
It's not even close.
MR. P. DAVIS:
No, it's not even close, I
say to the Member opposite. It's not even close.
If you
look at our assets in Labrador, where he represents, there's huge, huge
untouched potential in assets in Labrador. A group of people, a workforce and a
community very well know how those assets are to be extracted and can be
utilized, and they're very, very good at it. They're very, very good at that.
There are untapped resources in Labrador.
If you
look at our offshore resources, which are probably two of the most
mega-resources we have today that we look at and talk about with our economy,
the offshore oil resources, only 2 per cent of expected or suspected reserves
offshore right now are tapped into. Only 2 per cent of the offshore potential.
In the
mapping that was done while we were in government, and I know the current
government and the minister will maybe speak to this at some time during Interim
Supply, but we know due to the work done and exploration done off the Coast of
Labrador, that there's the potential for oil fields larger than the Gulf of
Mexico right off our own coast in Labrador.
So when
you look at what we believe our assets to be and what they contain and the value
of those assets, there's no way our debt is reaching anywhere close to the value
of those assets, and that's what it is. What the province has today is they have
a liquidity problem. They have a cash flow problem. They have a problem whereby
you can't extract the value of those resources and assets today to meet the
demands of the province.
I
remember back long before I got into politics, I remember back in the '80s and
'90s. Times were tough back in the '80s and '90s as well. I was a public
servant, and I tell you, it was a hard thing to do to be a public servant back
in those days.
In
policing, I remember we had cars that weren't fit to be on the road. That was
the bottom line. Police cars we used to respond to emergency calls that
shouldn't have been on the road.
I
remember days, back in those days, Mr. Chair, sitting in the police station at
night waiting for someone to take a break so we'd have a police car to get in to
go out and respond to calls in our own area, because we never had enough police
cars to do the work back in those days, back in the late '80s and into the '90s.
That was reflective of the tough and difficult times the government was facing
at the time.
I know
back in the '90s, when the government was taking what was seen as a value and an
equity stake in the operations of Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro, instead of
putting that back into improving those resources had to use those for day-to-day
operations. Government was looking for every opportunity to put it into the
day-to-day operations.
We were
able over those years as a province, and this is not a partisan comment by any
means or anything, but as a province and as industry and so on were able to grow
and grow the economy, then things started to turn and become better for us.
Hibernia was probably the turning point for that. We look back now when we
talked about: Should we put more effort into exploration versus our focus on
production? Yes, we probably should have. If you look at what happened overseas
and how they approached it a little bit differently. Yes, it probably would have
been in the long run a little bit – but it's still there. The assets are still
there.
I know
the minister and the Premier have talked about expediting and speeding up time
from exploration to production. I fully agree with them. We worked on that as
well. We have to find a way to reduce that timeline and red tape and process.
You do that by establishing a standard of expectation for oil companies so they
know exactly what the rules are at play. Not do one-offs, but have a
standardized approach so that companies can be – but it has to be one that's
inviting so companies can know: Why should I go there and make investments?
We've
seen recent investments by oil companies here in property development and so on,
which shows they have a long-term view, that they're here to stay. I know if you
look historically through history and time, you'll quite often see that when the
value of oil drops off, companies are looking for that next opportunity for
exploration to get those wells going for long-term sustainability for their own
companies.
That's
where it's a great opportunity for Newfoundland and Labrador today. While it
does drive the economy, when exploration goes up – and we've seen good interest
in exploration over the last couple of years – that means people have to service
that industry and that drives our economy. Someone has to feed the workers and
supply the rigs and the drill rigs. That helps to drive the economy.
People
are true when you look at our economy that over our history it's gone like this.
That's the nature of being a society, an economy and a province that relies so
much on the vast wealth of natural resources that we have. Of course, what every
government has ever talked about is: How do we smooth that line out? How do we
stop those highs and lows and how do we smooth that out for longer
sustainability?
Alberta
tried that. They started taking some money and putting it away and saying when
times go bad now, we'll have this fund to help us. They burned through it so
quickly when oil dropped. They burned through so quickly but, fortunately, it
was a buffer. I don't think it's the answer in itself; you have to find those
stabilities.
We look
forward to the budget. We're going to speak some more on Interim Supply and some
of the things that the government has done recently. We're probably going to
give them some views. We've all attended budget consultation sessions.
There's
only one budget consultation session that we never had a representative from the
Official Opposition and that was one in Labrador. In fairness to everyone, I
think it was scheduled and cancelled twice. It was scheduled to happen and
cancelled. I think it was weather or some other reason for that, but I'm sure
there's a good reason. It was cancelled twice and it was finally held. We never
had anybody there but we had fully intended to have someone attend that one as
well. We did have someone at every budget consultation session other than that
one.
Between
now, through Interim Supply debate, and we get through budget debate, then we're
going to talk more about what we saw and what we heard during the budget
consultation process, which was an important one. It could have been done a
little bit differently and we're going to talk about that as well. We'll discuss
was it the right way of doing it and so on.
Governments come in and try things differently. Maybe next year they'll change
it, but they'll only change it maybe if they hear feedback that there might be a
better way of doing it in the future.
Mr.
Chair, I'm going to sit down. I've up my time at this point in time. As I said,
while our Interim Supply time comes off our budget debate time, we'll have some
comments to make during Interim Supply for some time. We're going to spend a
little bit of time in Interim Supply; it won't be just a give me and walk away.
It's important that we talk about Interim Supply and how it can be utilized, the
importance of our public service and some of the thoughts and ideas that we'll
have on the current operations of the government today.
Thank
you, Mr. Chair.
CHAIR:
The hon. the Member for
Placentia West - Bellevue.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. BROWNE:
(Inaudible) it's a pleasure to stand in the House of Assembly as always to
represent the people of my district. It's been a very exciting place as of late.
Of course, Marystown has been swept with Olympic fever, as I have so often said.
We're very looking forward to Kaetlyn's return back to Marystown, more details
to follow.
Mr.
Chair, there's much happening in the District of Placentia West - Bellevue that
I'm very involved with and very proud of: the ongoing collaborations that we
have between myself, the various ministers, municipalities and not-for-profit
groups. I want to provide an update to Members of the House on matters
pertaining to my district, one of the most, if not the most, industrious
district on the Island of Newfoundland, certainly.
I want
to talk about where we have come, where we are and where we are headed. Where we
have come, I think it's important to look back to two years ago when government
was formed. We're here discussing Interim Supply, a budgetary matter, Mr. Chair.
The people of the province were sold a bill of goods during the last election
and told there was a $1.1 billion deficit. I think it's important, not to cast
blame or aspersions on anyone else, but just to speak of facts and remember
where we were at that point of time in history.
We
discovered, upon forming the government, that number would have been $2.7
billion. I think it's important to recall that, Mr. Chair, because it colours
all of the other decisions that had to be made in terms of finding and achieving
savings and raising revenues. So swift, decisive action had to be taken. We had
to reassure bond rating agencies and lenders that we wouldn't go bankrupt, as it
was a concern at the time, Mr. Chair, and it was very difficult. It was very
difficult for many of us personally. It was difficult for the people of the
province. We understand that but it was necessary, unfortunately, due to the PC
mismanagement of a decade.
Mr.
Chair, there is more than doom and gloom in this province. In fact, there's a
lot of bright positivity happening and that's what I want to focus my time today
on. Despite all of those challenges, Mr. Chair, the Seniors' Benefit was
increased by some $250 and spread over quarterly payments. I've been getting
feedback from seniors in my district saying that this is helping them better
manage their finances and it's become easier for them. We've also introduced the
Newfoundland and Labrador Income Supplement for senior citizens, low-income
families and persons with disabilities for them to better achieve what they're
trying to do.
Also,
Mr. Chair, and I will preface this account by saying the Member for Burin -
Grand Bank and I, the Minister of Fisheries, the Premier
have been dealing with the issues surrounding surf clam on the Burin Peninsula.
It's something that we're very concerned with and very active on that file to
ensure that the people we represent, their voices are heard on that issue with
the federal government.
I do want to commend the federal government for the
many partnerships that we've had with them in terms of funding arrangements and
cost sharing. For example, in my district, over the last two years we've seen
nearly $10 million in capital works and infrastructure projects. We have secured
hundreds of millions of dollars in infrastructure spending from the federal
government that we've been able to do meaningful projects throughout many of our
districts, including my own.
We look at Marystown, Parkers Cove, Terrenceville,
North Harbour, Come By Chance, Arnold's Cove and Chance Cove, all of these
communities that benefited from agreements that we have signed with the federal
government to enable cost-sharing arrangements on those types of projects.
We've also announced economic development projects,
such as nearly $100,000 for expansion of the Marystown Industrial Park which
will, please God, be home of the largest aquaculture salmon hatchery in the
world that Grieg will hopefully build –
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR.
BROWNE:
We
have our fingers crossed. I know that some Members across the way are against
jobs on the Burin Peninsula and against that kind of economic development. I can
tell you not to take your leadership campaign down there because that's not what
the people of my district want to hear, I can guarantee you that, because we are
very supportive of sustainable, environmental and economic development. We
respect the environment but we also respect the fact that the people of the
province – we need jobs, Mr. Chair.
I can tell you as the MHA from Marystown and for the
Burin Peninsula and for Placentia Bay, I'm very concerned that we do things
right and we will be doing them right, and I'm very confident that this project
is going to be a roaring success.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR.
BROWNE:
Mr.
Chair, we've also made investments in tourism and culture and heritage; $68,000
I'd like to highlight for the Marystown museum and Jerome Walsh heritage site.
Mr. Chair, the Jerome Walsh Museum, as many who have visited Marystown would
know, is a living testament to Mr. Walsh and the stories that he told and
there's so much history there. We had a $155,000 for the 50th anniversary of
resettlement in the Arnold's Cove region. They even have an app, Mr. Chair.
I think this is interesting for all Members. They have
an app developed that you can download to your phone and as you're walking about
the community, different stories will be told of the different homes, of where
they came from, whether it was Bar Haven or Merasheen, or Tacks Beach or Isle
Valen, the number of communities that came into Arnold's Cove and it tells that
story, so it is a
really good example of intangible heritage.
We also
saw a very big investment of $814,000, Mr. Chair, into the Smallwood Crescent
Community Centre. It's in an area of Newfoundland and Labrador Housing units.
That's very important as well to invest in those types of community operations
and ensure they have a good, robust foundation moving forward.
Of
course, many of the investments that we made were in such good strong
partnership with our former MP Judy Foote. I just have to say again, I thank her
on behalf of the people of the province for her contributions.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. BROWNE:
Mr. Chair, there are other
investments being made, of course. My district is seeing over $10 million in
road maintenance and repair work.
We had a
great announcement, the Member for
Burin - Grand Bank and I, $1.3 million to
support shipyard workers in Marystown for retraining opportunities. As we bridge
from the Hebron Project, now many of them are engaged with Husky.
We had, as was mentioned by the Minister of Finance
just moments ago, a $17 million repayable loan for Canada Fluorspar in St.
Lawrence; such a success story happening in St. Lawrence. It's a file that's
been around for quite some time. I don't know why it didn't get off the ground.
I know that the former premier and her former Cabinet were there for a large
ribbon cutting in 2011. I have no idea why it took an extra five years to get it
off the ground, but we're very proud that we got that off the ground, took it
across the finish line and people are back to work.
Mr. Chair, where we are now and where we are going
there's much anticipation for the future. As I mentioned, the Marystown
Shipyard, we're working with a potential owner now, a new buyer to come in and
buy the shipyard. It will bring stable, meaningful employment back to Marystown.
The Cow Head facility now is undergoing the living module for the West White
Rose Project.
That's very important, Mr. Chair, but I think it's
important also to get back to our history of shipbuilding and have a stable base
of employment. Two hundred or 300 jobs at a shipyard over 20 years are more
positive in the long run than 1,000 jobs for one year on a megaproject. So we
want to have that stable base and still be able to accommodate the large
projects, but have that stable base.
We look at Bull Arm as well; there are two proponents
that are in lease negotiations with Nalcor. We're looking forward to expansion
there because there's so much opportunity that Bull Arm can provide to the
people of the province.
As I've touched on as well the Grieg project, Mr.
Chair. Something the Member for Burin - Grand Bank and I – we've worked like
dogs on this. How many calls on Sunday mornings did we have with Grieg trying to
settle a deal between government and them? Of course, we understand now it's in
the courts. We're awaiting that decision very anxiously. I certainly look
forward to the day when we can stand up and cut a ribbon on the Grieg project
and have sustainable
aquaculture.
We were
down on the South Coast with the Cabinet committee on jobs and we toured the
sites down there. It's a wonderful story on the South Coast of the province, and
I congratulate that area for really taking it and running with it because I
believe there are many solutions for the future that we can avail of, that we
can focus on, that we can do it right in many ways and aquaculture is going to
be one of them.
We have
a shipyard on the cusp of development. We have a mine now at the construction
phase in St. Lawrence. We have the Grieg project, hopefully, coming through in
the next number of months. We have the Husky living quarters being built in
Marystown.
There
are a lot of good things happening in the economy, Mr. Chair. We've turned the
corner and as has been reported here in the Chamber, and I will continue keeping
Members informed, our Olympic spirits are being lifted, as well as our economic
ones, and we look very forward to having our hometown champion Kaetlyn Osmond
home in Marystown in April.
Thank
you very much.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
CHAIR:
The hon. the Member for
Conception Bay East - Bell Island.
MR. BRAZIL:
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
It's
indeed an honour to stand for the eighth time to talk to Interim Supply, after
eight years of being in this House, to talk about the budget lines that will be
proposed. As the Member for Topsail - Paradise had outlined explaining to those
who may be listening at home, the process of what Interim Supply is all about,
it's a financial support mechanism to ensure, until a budget is debated and a
passed, that there is adequate finances to be able to continue the operations of
government, to meet our payrolls, to meet our expenditures when it comes to our
contractors and to ensure that the civil service, which are the heart and soul
of how we operate government in Newfoundland and Labrador, are not having to
worry about where their paycheques are coming from or having to hold back on
projects or programs or services that they provide the people of Newfoundland
and Labrador with, as part of that.
I've had
the privilege of being, this coming fall, a civil servant in some way, shape or
form for 35 years and have very diligently followed every budget and, in a lot
of cases, sat in this House in the gallery as part as my responsibility in my
positions to look at interim funding and look at the debate that was going
around there.
Sometimes it's an opportunity for the government side to get up and tout all the
positive things that are going on and it's an opportunity for the Opposition to
get up and tout all the negative things that are going on. But for the
betterment of everybody in Newfoundland and Labrador, this is about ensuring
that the people who run our province, the people who on a daily basis provide
the services, who go out of their way to do due diligence to ensure that
Newfoundland and Labrador and Newfoundlanders and Labradorians move forward, and
that's what they do.
So we
need to ensure that there are no stress levels there, particularly at middle and
upper management because they're the ones who have to dictate exactly what
monies flow down to front-line services. And you can't start cutting front-line
services when there's an expectation, unless there's been a full, open debate.
So the norm has always been, give or take a certain amount of money, from 30 up
to potentially 40 per cent interim funding could be allocated to offset what a
particular budget may be. It depends on the time frames that you're expecting
your budget debate to go on.
I might
add – and the Member for Placentia West - Bellevue has outlined a lot of the
potential positive things that are coming, and I hope they all come to fruition.
Nobody more than this side of the House wants everything that's been outlined by
government and all the potential positive projects and the positive new programs
and services to work. And we're confident, there's no doubt. All these things
can be good, beneficial entities for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.
But we have to have an approach to make these work.
There's
no doubt through proper negotiations, through supports, through in some case,
compromise, to opening up dialogue and listening to what stakeholders
particularly have to say, you get a better understanding of exactly how we can
make things work, and what's in the best interests of Newfoundlanders and
Labradorians; but particularly, what makes us equipped to be able to compete
nationally and internationally so that it's not about us trying to go somewhere
to sustain a living, it's about us sustaining our living here, but drawing
people back to us. That our base here grows from what we do. One, we bring back
ex-patriots; two, we bring in, through immigration, new people who want to be
part and parcel here, but we give them opportunities.
It's a
simplistic approach; it may not be the easiest to do it because there are all
kinds of factors. But a proper plan and proper inclusion and proper dialogue can
make that happen. When we have conversations around developing an industry, if
we have conversations around partnering with other jurisdictions, these are all
positive things. When we talk about the one thing that we all have and we all
agree to, we have, by far, the most productive, the most talented, the most
committed workforce anywhere.
It's
unfortunate that a lot of those skilled individuals are working somewhere else
for companies outside of Newfoundland and Labrador, but with proper vision, the
proper investment in our economy and growing some of those industries, there's
no doubt – we saw what happened over the last decade when the oil industry
boomed, how many expats came back. How many of them used their skillset to help
grow Newfoundland and Labrador.
No
doubt, we've had a financial challenge the last number of years, and it has been
mentioned here, a lot of it, unfortunately or fortunately, depending on how you
look at it, related to the cost of oil and the revenues generated from that.
While that can be a blessing on one side and a scorn on the other, it's a
reality of what we deal with in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Every
government for the last decade and a half, and no doubt for the next decades
going forward, will have to take into play the revenues that are generated from
the oil industry and have a system in play, or plan in play, that fluctuates
with the upswing and downswing of the oil industry. That's part and parcel of
being prepared for good governance. That's part of that, and it's part and
parcel of talking about how you diversify your economy.
You
still have to do your day-to-day operations. That's what Interim Supply is all
about, the day-to-day things you're committed to. You can't deviate from them.
There are things that the taxpayers expect, the citizens expect, and that you've
committed to as a government, particularly for a period of time. Those periods
of time will deviate from 60 days, 90 days, 45 days, depending on the process
you're going to push out.
There's
no doubt, in budget debate – and I suspect now the budget line is done – of what
has been carved off as investments in new areas or decreasing spending in
another area, or an elimination of a program or services has to be taken into
mind when you determine what you're going to use for your interim funding.
That's how the process works.
There's
no doubt, there are negotiations that go on with the unions. That's already
taken place. There are other parts and parcels of that, that will unfold as the
months and the next year goes forward.
As we
talk about interim funding, the key to interim funding is let's be stable until
our budget is down which outlines the plan of action to address, particularly,
how we deal with – if it's a financial crisis, or if it's about overspending, or
if it's about investing in different avenues, or if it's about growing the
economy. In a lot of cases you take all of them into account, and it becomes a
happy balance in how you make that work.
As we
debate this, and we'll have an opportunity to talk about it. It's not only about
touting what's not working or what is working. It's having that holistic
approach here, that there's a balance of finding things that work in some
regions and may benefit those regions. That investment there might be an
immediate return and be of total benefit to the residents living there, and the
companies and the businesses and that, and even from a political point for those
who represent them, but the spinoff from that may be seen and felt five, six, 10
years down the road in other areas in Newfoundland and Labrador.
The same
way when we partner with outside entities, when they come in here and do an
investment – and I know the Northeast Avalon becomes the hub of a lot of the
initial investments, but the plan has to be that this is going to be the hub
where the discussions become and the partnerships are developed, but the
entities that are going to be able to deliver those services, and benefit from
them can be vast and geographically cover the whole part of this great province
of ours.
We have
to have these types of discussions and those types of plans when we look at how
we invest our money and how we set a plan that talks about diversification. That
means training in our educational institutions. I've seen a couple of the
institutions now that are doing wonderful work in trying to attract people who
come from an entrepreneurial background and have different approaches to
outlining what would be great services.
We're
talking about attracting back people who have been very successful in other
jurisdictions who are connected to Newfoundland and Labrador. It's about looking
at other types of industries that are out there, particularly high tech. We're
talking aerospace or biotech. Things that could be done here.
You do
not need massive manufacturing, but from revenue generating and from employment
based, can be very effective here. Because they bring back specialists who can
open up other kinds of avenues for diversification. They are also – in most
cases, if not all cases – extremely well-paying positions, which in turn means
more money into the economy, more taxes paid and more people then generating
part of the next level of our growth strategy and our population moving forward.
They bring a skill set then that adds to it.
As we
look at how we invest our money, and no doubt as we get into the debate on the
budget and it becomes fine-tuned as to exactly what programs are going to be
there, how government are going to outline their investments to move the economy
forward, we'll get a better understanding. I'll be the first to stand up and pat
government on the back if I see a program or hear of an investment that I think
is in the best interest of the residents of this province. I'll say kudos to you
guys, keep doing that, we'll support that. I have no problem, as part of that
whole process, supporting that if there are ones there that we're going to
question the challenges about a particular program that serves benefit to the
people here.
In any
case, and I go back to my days as a civil servant, when you were giving briefing
notes to executives or ministers, you would talk about – particularly in years
when there had to be cuts. When there was a spending challenge versus a revenue
income, that you'd have to say: While I understand it's easy to cut this
program, the benefit of cutting this program is only financial. It's immediate
financial. It's not financially beneficial in the long run because if you cut
here, it will cost you more down the road. Sometimes you have to be cognizant of
the balance on two of them.
Mr.
Chair, I will get a chance to speak to this again.
Thank
you.
CHAIR:
The Chair recognizes the hon.
the Member for Harbour Grace - Port de Grave.
MS. P. PARSONS:
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
(Inaudible) House of Assembly and it's, of course, my first time standing to
speak to Interim Supply this new fiscal year. As our Finance Minister outlined,
Interim Supply certainly is important to speak to and it's important that the
cash flows to our perspective districts to provide services and infrastructure
to our constituents and whatnot.
On that
note, having said that, I am certainly happy and excited to give an update on
Coley's Point Primary school replacement, the project. As we know, this is
something that's been ongoing, something that's been needed for years and years.
Well over a decade this structure should have been replaced.
Just a
little brief history again on the structure. As we know, this building exceeds
65 years. There are currently students in that building who can say my
great-grandparents attended school and were educated in this very building.
I made a
recent visit to Coley's Point Primary, as I do frequently, happy to be there on
National Family Literacy Day, the annual event. Of course, I'm invited to read
there every year and it's a great opportunity. When I go, I get to speak with
the young students, the staff and it's very, very exciting.
Let me
tell you, as a school community they certainly do their part in doing the best
they can to promote healthy living, education and whatnot. It's great to get on
the ground and actually have some fun.
Let me
tell you, there are young, bright minds coming out of Coley's Point Primary
School. The great feedback, of course, that was also given on full-day
kindergarten. I'm happy to say it was this government that brought that forward,
and lots of great, positive feedback. They say the learning level and the
success of the students who graduated from their first year of all-day
kindergarten, going into grade one, of course, they're very well prepared and
their reading levels are much higher than previously; before the time, of
course, that all-day kindergarten was introduced.
Again,
the building is 65 years-plus. We have a student population of just over 300.
The principal informed me that about 315 students are currently attending
primary school at Coley's Point. It services areas such as Port de Grave,
Bareneed, Butlerville, Shearstown, even Clarke's Beach. Some students come there
from Clarke's Beach and, of course, Bay Roberts proper and Coley's Point.
They're certainly looking forward to that.
As we
know, this will take several years and is a multi-million dollar project. Money
was announced last year of $750,000. I am reassured by the minister in a recent
meeting that this project is on track. As a matter of fact, I invited the Town
Council of Bay Roberts to attend a meeting with the minister and the department
and everything is on track. Hopefully, we can go to tender this fall, 2018, for
that school.
I also
outlined, and I will remind, in The Way
Forward document a multi-year plan for infrastructure investments. We have a
completion date of 2021 for Coley's Point Primary School. I'm certainly looking
forward to that. I'm going to speak about this until we turn the sod on that
project. I invite all hon. Members to come and to be part of this because it is
a long overdue, awaited event to happen here in the District of Harbour Grace -
Port de Grave.
Again, a
bouquet to that school community out there, the principal, the parents, even
surrounding residents. Everybody supports this initiative. I'm very proud of the
students coming from Coley's Point Primary and all schools in the district.
I'm also
happy to make a visit to all my schools in the District of Harbour Grace - Port
de Grave: St. Francis in Harbour Grace, St. Peter's of Upper Island Cove, Holy
Redeemer school in Spaniard's Bay, Coley's Point Primary, Amalgamated
Academy in Bay Roberts and, of course, Ascension Collegiate – the high school
where I graduated from – for teacher and education staff appreciation week. It's
nice to go around and to get feedback and to make those personal visits. It
certainly is appreciated on all ends.
I also want to talk about some good things that are
happening in Harbour Grace in particular. I want to talk about in Harbour Grace
we get to celebrate the second oldest continuing sporting event in North
America, second to the Royal St. John's Regatta, we have the Harbour Grace
Regatta. I'm happy to say that recently by working with the Minister of
Children, Seniors and Social Development and the volunteers on the ground in
Harbour Grace for the boathouse out there at Lady Lake, that I'm happy to
announce $10,000 to go towards equipment and infrastructure upgrades and whatnot
to support this committee.
Also at this time, I'd certainly want to throw some
recognition out to Mr. Bud Chafe. I used to be a rower actually back in those
days, in my high school days in Harbour Grace. Bud Chafe was by coxswain out
there, as well as (inaudible), a friend mine who I went to school with. It's
something that we can celebrate out there and, as I say, it's the second oldest
continuing sporting event in North America, the Harbour Grace Regatta.
So some well-deserved funds to head out there: $10,000.
If you have an opportunity, by all means, certainly drop out to the regatta.
It's a wonderful annual event, attracting rowers from all over the province. I
know that Placentia also has a rowing team out there and we have teams that come
from all over the Avalon and across the province that come out and take part in
this event. So happy to say that.
Also, as we know, roads are a major focus and the road
conditions across our province. I'm happy to say I've had regular meetings with
the minister and the department really lobbying and advocating for Cranes Road
and work on the Thicket Road throughout my District of Harbour Grace - Port de
Grave.
Cranes Road is certainly a major thoroughfare that
connects Spaniard's Bay to Upper Island Cove and even adjacent to the Thicket
Road, which connects the Town of Harbour Grace. I'm told that we will be getting
work on those roads this coming fiscal year. I know that the crew at the depot,
who I also visit regularly, the highway depot in Bay Roberts, they'll be happy
to hear that there will be good work, of course, moving forward on that.
I know that the residents and the volunteer
firefighters in Upper Island Cove are very excited as well. I'm happy to
announce that we just recently announced this past spring, myself and the
minister, a long overdue medical unit fire truck for the volunteer department in
Upper Island Cove. I will tell you about Upper Island Cove not only are this
crew responsible for the well-being and protection of properties and residents
in the Town of Upper Island Cove, but they're also responsible for the
municipalities of Bishops Cove, a neighbouring community, and also Bryants Cove.
Given the geography of this particular area, they
respond to a lot of medical calls and it's
proven record times that the
volunteer firefighters are able to respond actually faster than the ambulance in
the area, given the geography. So they've worked hard for this, the volunteer
firefighters: volunteer Chief Harvey Mercer, also Darren Mercer, just to name a
few. They are very dedicated to what they do, and they're very well received by
the residents. They're a big player and they help out the community. Everywhere
you can see them, you can see the volunteer firefighters if there's something
going on, whether it be a benefit, or whether it be a parade in a neighbouring
community, you'll always see them there. So I'm very proud of the volunteer
firefighters that we have throughout the District of Harbour Grace - Port de
Grave, and we can't wait to get the keys and get to that new vehicle.
Again,
as I mentioned, it is a medical unit rescue fire vehicle, so long overdue. I
know they have been lobbying for that for quite some time for years, but I'm
happy to say that it's our government and our minister that were going to be
bringing that forward. The minister just walked in; I know he made the trip to
Upper Island Cove out there and we got to make that announcement, and again,
it's something they worked very hard for, and we're happy to see these things
coming forward.
We know
we are arguable facing the most difficult time economically in the history of
Newfoundland and Labrador, but as the Member for Harbour Grace - Port de Grave,
and I can safely say it's the same for all hon. Members here in this House,
we're certainly dedicated to doing the best we can for our residents, bringing
the best services forward, advocating for them where possible. That's the number
one priority of any MHA or any elected official in any jurisdiction of the
world. You're here to represent your people and I'm certainly honoured and
grateful for the support that I continue to receive in the strong District of
Harbour Grace - Port de Grave.
So I
certainly will be keeping the House and the public informed about updates for
Coley's Point Primary school. Again, it's a long, long, long overdue project.
Like I said, a 65-year-old structure. We know it should have been done years
ago, years and years ago, but I'm happy to say it's this government that will
bring this forward. I look forward to the day where we will turn the sod on that
project, and again hopefully anticipating going to tender this coming fall,
2018.
On that
note, also, Mr. Chair, I want to make recognition to tomorrow is International
Women's Day, and as we look around we still need to increase the numbers of our
female politicians from every level, municipal, provincial and obviously
federal. Let's do what we can and when that opportunity comes up to take that
chance or to take that risk, let's doing everything that we can to advance women
and to reach out to other women who want to get involved.
So
tomorrow is International Women's Day. We certainly will be recognizing that. I
think the official colour is purple, so I'm sure it'll be a purple House of
Assembly here tomorrow. I'm happy to say I will be speaking at an event in my
district in Harbour Grace tomorrow to recognize this. So again, let's do what we
can. A great Canadian hockey player once said: We miss 100 per cent of the shots
that we don't take. To women out there everywhere, to our male colleagues, to
everybody: Take those shots, do what we can to advance the cause.
On that
note, Mr. Chair, I certainly will take my seat. It's always an honour to speak
and to represent the great people of Harbour Grace - Port de Grave.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
CHAIR:
The Chair recognizes the hon.
the Member for St. John's Centre.
MS. ROGERS:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Chair.
I, too,
am happy to stand to speak to this bill on Interim Supply. I listened very
closely to the words of the Minister of Finance where he talked about this is a
balanced approach to a fiscal situation and that they are looking at the cost of
delivering reasonable services. He said a few times this is a balanced approach.
Mr. Chair, I would like to speak to that in terms of one particular issue. He
said it's also about making smarter government decisions or making governments
smarter.
Mr.
Chair, I want to talk about the issue of bus passes for people who are in
receipt of income support or people who are in very, very low income. Last
month, a letter was sent to the Minister of Finance with a copy to the Minister
of Advanced Education, Skills and Labour, a copy to the Minister of Health and
Community Services, a copy to myself as MHA for St. John's Centre and a copy to
the St. John's Transportation Commission, Metrobus.
It was
signed by 60 individuals. A number of individuals are physicians who are serving
our citizens in the St. John's metro area – a number of doctors, a number of
nurses and nurse practitioners and a number of social workers. So these are
front-line workers as well as a number of community activists or people speaking
on behalf of community services throughout the St. John's metro area and Mount
Pearl, Paradise, Kelligrews, Kilbride, all those areas.
Mr.
Chair, it's a matter of urgency. It's a matter of human rights. It's a matter of
dignity. It's a matter of the social determinants of health and they're all
spelled out very clearly. So far they have received only one response, aside
from my response to them. I've been in touch with them a number of times.
If we're
talking about smarter government, if we are talking about balanced fiscal
decisions, a balanced budget and fiscal decisions that approach our financial
situation in a balanced way, this is a very serious issue because it is about
people having to access our health care system. As it stands now, the policy for
people in receipt of AES – and let's look at income support, the situation. If
you are a single person in receipt of income support, if you do not have a rent
subsidy, you may be paying the majority of your income support on shelter and on
heat and light.
Some
people are left with anywhere from $100 to maybe $150, or sometimes less, for
food, transportation, clothing, personal items, hair care, over-the-counter
drugs – because the over-the-counter drug program was cancelled in the last
budget. We're talking about senior women who need calcium to prevent
osteoporosis or those who are in the process of osteoporosis. People who need
iron supplements. If you need iron supplements, those are expensive. You may
then need stool softeners because of the effect of the iron supplements. Then
also the adult dental care program was cancelled. Some of these, government can
talk about saving money, but mostly it disadvantages in a disproportionate way
the people who are living in abject poverty. It further entrenches them in
poverty.
Now, the
issue of a bus pass, what is happening is that people have to prove they have at
least eight medical appointments a month in order to get a bus pass. If you only
have $100 a month for your food, for your incidentals, for your over-the-counter
drugs or if you have to get some dental work done, which you can't, so people
end up in emergency because they can't afford dental work because the dental
program has been cancelled, you have no money left. There is no money for buses.
One trip
in the metro area is $2.50. Well, that doesn't seem like a whole lot. But if you
do one return trip a day, that's $5. If you do that three days a week, that's
$15. If you do that three days a week, four times a month, that's $60. That
might be half or more than half of the money you have to live on. It's not
tenable; it's not possible.
So let's
look at what that means. It means people miss their medical appointments. It
means people are becoming incredibly socially isolated. Oftentimes, people in
receipt of income support are people with multiple problems. Sometimes it's
mental health issues. What we see then are people cannot get out to their
support groups, to The Gathering Place, for instance, where they can avail of
medical appointments, where they can avail of food. We have stories of people
not being able to go to the food bank to be able to get extra food that they
can't afford and bring it back home because they have no transportation. We know
that transportation is a basic human right.
We also
hear stories of people who are – I have people in my district calling me because
they can't get out at all; they have no transportation. They can't afford the
bus pass. We know that our buses are very underused, and that there is a
possibility to partner up with Metrobus, with the city, and with the province to
look at providing bus passes to people. Not just a little bit of extra money, or
not even a cheque for a bus pass, but again you have to have eight medical
appointments.
So we
see people going to their doctors and begging their doctors to write that they
will see them eight times a month so they can get a bus pass. Doctors are
furious about this because they are so aware of the social determinants of
health. One of the social determinants of health is poverty, isolation and lack
of contact with support groups. What happens is maybe a doctor will write on
behalf of – and the doctors are saying it in these letters. I would like to
table these letters, Mr. Chair, so that the Members of the House of Assembly can
see these are doctors who are saying that they know that the people they are
seeing need this assistance.
People
can say oh, well there you go; there's that bleeding heart again. This saves us
money in the long run. It keeps people healthy in terms of their mental health
because they are able to access programs all over the city. It means they can go
to food banks. It means they can go to The Gathering Place. It means they can
visit their family and their friends. What if your friends live halfway across
the city? Can all of us imagine not being able to get out to visit those who are
part of your social and family support network?
Again,
we're talking about some of the most vulnerable people in our society. If people
aren't seeing this so much as a human right, about a dignity situation, it's
economic justice, it's social justice, it's all about saving us money in the
long run. It's making sure people have the support that they need to be well and
to attend groups.
What
happens, we have people making multiple visits to their doctors in order to
qualify for a bus pass. What happens if you miss two of our appointments in
March? Does that mean then you no longer have your bus pass for April?
So we're
having people use very expensive services in order to get a bus pass that will
help keep them well. These are front-line workers: doctors, social workers, who
are begging government to do the right thing.
There is
also within this letter – and I would like to table this letter so all Members
of the House have the opportunity to read this letter. I know that our Minister
of Health and Community Services absolutely understands the issues of the social
determinants of health. I know he does because he has spoken to me about this.
He understands it. As having been the chair of the mental health and addictions
all-party committee, he had also heard these stories. He also knows how
important this is.
I
believe we can do the right thing here. This is about smarter government. This
is about fiscal balance. Mr. Chair, I can tell you that the additional comments
made by doctors, by health care providers and by social workers, who are added
to this letter, really reveal how important this is.
Mr.
Chair, I see that my time is up. Again, I beg my colleagues in the House to look
at these papers, to really get a good picture of what this request is all about.
Thank
you very much, Mr. Chair.
CHAIR (Reid):
The hon. the Minister of
Advanced Education, Skills and Labour.
MR. HAWKINS:
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
It's
certainly a real pleasure for me today as well to speak. This is the third time,
I guess, in three years in preparation of the budget that I've had an
opportunity to stand on Interim Supply. I know for sure, Mr. Chair, that the
time allotted will not be sufficient for me to talk about some of the issues and
concerns that I have.
I just
want to make a quick reference to the consultations that were held, and I think
the Leader of the Official Opposition made mention of it. I want to recognize
the fact that my hon. Member and colleague across the way for Fortune Bay - Cape
La Hune attended the consultation in Grand Falls-Windsor. It was very positive.
It was great to have colleagues attend that event as well.
I know
that the Leader of the Official Opposition said that he was going to bring
forward some ideas on better ways to do consultations. I hope he has better
ideas than they had when he was sitting in the previous government. As mayor,
Mr. Chair, I attended many of those consultations with the previous government.
I would
not consider them to be consultations because consultation gives you an
opportunity to discuss and talk about issues. That never, ever happened. All
that their idea of a consultation was to bring as many people in, sit down, give
you about five minutes to talk about what you want or what you'd like to see.
Then they would talk about – with their doomsday clock and everything else they
had up there – issues that concerned the government. That's not consultation.
I have
seen, from my experience in consultations prior when I was mayor of Grand
Falls-Windsor, that if you had seven people or six people attend these
consultations, you had a large number. Mr. Chair, in the last three years we
have done it differently. We have consultations where we engage stakeholders,
people of interest. We give them an opportunity, we sit into a dialogue and
we're seeing attendance increase.
In our
most recent one we had in Grand Falls-Windsor we were probably – I think if the
hon. Member would serve me correct on my memory – about 25 or 28 people which is
exceptional. Last year we had about 30 to 35 people. This is an opportunity.
These consultations work and I'm going to be anxious to see what other ideas the
Leader of the Official Opposition would bring forward to improve on what we are
doing versus what they did when they did their consultations several years ago.
As I
said, this is the third budget that we are preparing for. As I reflect on the
abysmal situation that we were faced back three years ago, and to see where
we've come three years ago to where we are now, it's been exceptional. We're not
there yet, Mr. Chair. We have many, many challenges we're facing. I know, beyond
a shadow of a doubt, that the last three years, as we've worked through these,
have been very, very difficult.
Mr.
Chair, it was unfortunate in a sense because sometimes you want to talk about
shock treatment. What we received when we were elected back in 2015, and then
trying to put together a budget for 2016, will certainly classify as shock
treatment. Nobody, I don't think – anybody, I'll use the term anybody – really
realized the impact that $2.7 billion had.
I know
some people argue and say Members of the Opposition who were in government at
the time should have known. That's okay, should have known. Maybe they didn't
know the full extent.
Well, I
know on this side of the House we surely didn't know there was a $2.7 billion
deficit that we had to address. We didn't have five years or 10 years to address
it. We had to address it within several months. That was an unfortunate
situation, Mr. Chair, and obviously from that we had to make some really, really
tough, tough decisions. I firmly believe that as we move forward, I believe we
do have a better future.
Mr.
Chair, last week I attended the Newfoundland and Labrador Construction
Association, they had their 50th anniversary. I attended a function last week
where I spoke to a group of young people, apprentices, post-secondary students
that are looking at getting into the trades. I must say, I was so pleased with
the comments from Rhonda Neary and also James Loder. James was the chair of the
convention committee. I must say, hats off to James because he talked about the
fact that there is indeed a bright future for our young people. There is a
bright future in our construction industry.
Mr.
Chair, it's very important for us to realize that we cannot forever be talking
about doom and gloom. We've had too much doom and gloom, and doom and gloom does
have an impact on economy. Because if you do not have confidence in the markets,
if there's no confidence in the markets, if it's doom and gloom, markets are
impacted. As soon as you have a positive attitude, you'll see an improvement.
So, Mr.
Chair, it's time for us to start looking at reality and listening to industry
sectors. People who are out there that know and certainly are putting out
information, as Mr. James Loder has done, from the Newfoundland and Labrador
Construction Association, talking about a positive future for our young people.
Mr.
Chair, not only that, but over the last number of years the Premier has put
together a Cabinet committee on jobs. All of us in government, and I'm sure
Opposition agree, that it's important for us to work together in partnership. We
all have a job to do. I believe if we work in collaboration and we work in
partnership with each other, I believe in the end we will have results and they
will be positive results.
The
Cabinet committee on jobs are now looking at – we have gone through three very
successful summits. We started in Gander with the aquaculture summit where we
had the industry sector come together. We had a combination of young people. We
had a combination of people that are working in an industry. We had academia. We
had a partnership, a collaboration of people to discuss the future and look at
opportunities in the aquaculture industry. I believe we have a bright future in
the aquaculture industry. I believe there are significant opportunities, and I
believe we have a future for our young people.
Mr.
Chair, we went on from there, where we did the agriculture summit in Grand
Falls-Windsor. Again, a very similar format, a very similar setup, whereby we
had people who are in the industry. We had academia and we had people in
research. We came together and talked about how we can improve and how we can
increase opportunities in agriculture. I know our minister for forestry and land
resources is making a significant impact with regard to providing agricultural
opportunities for those that are interested in getting in the industry.
So, Mr.
Chair, I believe we have a bright future in the agriculture industry as well. I
think the challenge for us now is to encourage more young people to get involved
and to look at other opportunities and engage immigrants into the agriculture
field as well.
The
third summit that I consider to be very opportunistic for all of us is the
technology summit we held two weeks ago. It was a great opportunity where we had
industry; we had companies that are working day after day after day with our
young people, with young entrepreneurs to provide opportunities. One of the
glaring things they said is that we cannot find enough skilled workforce to be
able to provide the expertise we need to do the research and provide
opportunities.
Mr.
Chair, that is another opportunity. It's a significant opportunity for us to
find and work with the industry to provide opportunities for our young people.
Again, it's important for us to work with our post-secondary education to make
sure the skill sets are there for our young people to get into the technology
industry.
So, Mr.
Chair, that's just a couple, or three examples where I believe that we do have a
bright future for this province –
CHAIR:
Order, please!
MR. HAWKINS:
– and I am so pleased and
confident to be part of this government to do that.
Thank
you, Mr. Chair.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
CHAIR:
The hon. the Member for
Fortune Bay - Cape La Hune.
MS. PERRY:
Thank you so much, Mr. Chair.
It
certainly is a pleasure to rise in this hon. House on behalf of the fine folks
of Fortune Bay - Cape La Hune and bring the views of rural Newfoundland and
Labrador to this hon. House, Mr. Chair.
I'm
going to come back to my colleague and the conversation around doom and gloom in
just a second, but first I want to pick up where my colleague for St. John's
Centre picked up. She talked about the struggles and challenges of our seniors
in this province, struggles and challenges that have gotten far worse in the
last three years.
I was in
the Avalon Mall this weekend and I stopped to buy lunch. I still haven't been
able to get this gentleman out of my head. We struck up a conversation; he was
an elderly gentleman, perhaps in his eighties. We were talking about what we
were going to buy for lunch. I said: I think I might get a Mozza Burger. He
said: I'm going to have the Buddy Burger. I said: Yes, they're good too. He
said: Yes, and they're cheap. He said: I can afford a Buddy Burger because
they're only $2.50. He said: I have my drink because I bought it at the Dollar
Store before I came over.
It broke
my heart, Mr. Chair. I bought him an ice cream and I made his day, but to think
that an ice cream is a luxury for a senior is very, very disheartening. To see
measures in previous Liberal budgets that cut supports to seniors, cut their
diabetic strips, yet we continue to see money like $22,000 spent on a study to
ask people why they're not moving back to Newfoundland when we all know the
answer is because of higher taxes, Mr. Chair. That's the reason people are not
coming back to Newfoundland and Labrador.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MS. PERRY:
Going back now to my
colleague – and I've started the heckling, Mr. Chair. If you're going to raise
these points, then prepare to be countered because doom and gloom, I think, has
been perpetuated in this province far worse than it ever has under Liberal
governments.
In fact,
Mr. Chair, thank goodness I had no floods and fires this year in January and
February. I had the opportunity to sort through some old papers in my office. I
came across an article called the rural lament. I thought, oh my, Liberal times
are always about the doom and gloom. They like for people to think oh, the sky
is falling, that's why we had to raise your taxes. Not true, Mr. Chair, the sky
is not falling.
In 2007
and 2008, Newfoundland and Labrador was recognized as a star province because we
rode the downturn in the oil industry, which did happen in 2007-2008, all across
the globe, similar to what was happening in 2015. But this province threw its
tax incentives, tax breaks that fostered business growth, supported the private
sector, actually enabled us to ride that wave without doom and gloom. The last
three years, not so much.
He
referred to coming into an abysmal situation in 2015. Well, this government was
quite aware of the challenges that were coming in oil. That is why this
government was honest with the people of Newfoundland and Labrador and told the
truth. We stated HST would have to increase by 2 per cent. We stated an
attrition plan would have to be followed to reduce the size of the public
service. We did not want mass layoffs. We had a plan of attrition.
That was
the worst thing possible – the worst thing ever. We're not going to cut taxes.
We're not going to cut jobs. Lo and behold, what happened when they got in? None
of that was true. It was the slash and burn. Not only did they raise HST by 2
per cent, they introduced 300 more taxes, Mr. Chair. That is what created an
abysmal situation for Newfoundland and Labrador.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
CHAIR:
Order, please!
MS. PERRY:
I stand here today in the
face of all of this heckling from my colleagues and I say –
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
CHAIR:
Order, please!
I ask
all Members to show some restraint so we can all hear what the speaker has to
say.
MS. PERRY:
Thank you so much, Mr. Chair,
for your protection.
I can
honestly say that the people on this side of the House, all Members of
government opposite, believe in Newfoundland and Labrador.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS. PERRY:
We believe in the people of
Newfoundland and Labrador. We believe in the potential of this province and we
believe that in 2019 people will stand up and say: Do you know what? We're going
to vote with logic. We're going to vote in what we believe in. We're going to
vote in the people of the province and the future that we all know is there if
we all work towards it, Mr. Chair.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS. PERRY:
The message of doom and gloom
is not one that we believe in. We believe in the people and our ability to turn
things around, Mr. Chair.
There's
so much I want to talk about this morning and we don't have a lot of time. So
I'm also going to talk about the budget consultations.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
CHAIR:
Order, please!
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MS. PERRY:
Again, we have differing
opinions on what the budget consultations have been like in years past versus
years today. Like my colleague, I worked with a Regional Economic Development
Board and budget consultations were always a very big thing. We spent months
consulting with communities, municipalities, local stakeholders and we prepared
submissions to the government of the day outlining what the priorities of the
people were. What we're finding instead, in budget consultations of the last
three years, is we're being led to think a certain way and guided in a certain
direction by the nature of the questions that are there.
I,
personally, was very alarmed about the focus on ferries. Rural Newfoundland and
Labrador has contributed a great deal to the Province of Newfoundland and
Labrador. The capital city of St. John's exists in large part because of the
contributions of rural Newfoundland and Labrador. I, for one, will stand in this
House each and every day in support of our rural communities, which I believe
make up the fabric of who we are. I strongly believe in supporting them, Mr.
Chair. They will continue to hear me advocate on their behalf for their
continued existence and continued support.
I took
it upon myself to look at the budget consultation documents over the last three
years. There was a lot of talk in 2016 about attrition; in fact, there was a 30
per cent reduction target over three years. Here we are now, Mr. Chair, we're
two years in; we don't hear anything about these targets. One of the things that
I hope someone will stand up and tell us, over the course of the budget debate,
is exactly where we are with these attrition targets.
Have we
actually increased the number of employees in public service? Or have we really
gotten down to 20 per cent and we'll hit the 30 per cent mark by next year? I
don't know, Mr. Chair, because it's really hard to clarify that. It's very
difficult to get the facts. Hopefully, that will be discussed by Members
opposite and shown in their budget documents just where they are in achieving
those targets.
They
also talked about eliminating waste and identifying opportunities to do things
better and more efficiently. Again, Mr. Chair, we fail to see where this has
taken place. We certainly do hope this budget will bring some clarity to what
their plan actually is, because three years in we are still waiting to see what
that plan is going to look like for turning things around in Newfoundland and
Labrador.
I will
say we do have confidence in the people; we do have confidence in the
entrepreneurs.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS. PERRY:
It is the entrepreneurs who
will turn things around and it is the entrepreneurs who are going to make
Newfoundland and Labrador a better place for all of us to live in once again.
I plead
to the people who are contemplating leaving this province: hang in there, times
will get better. This province is robust with opportunity and abounds with
natural resources.
With the
right leadership, Mr. Chair, we will achieve the prosperity that Newfoundland
and Labrador has within its reach, and 2019 is only a year away, Mr. Chair. It's
time for everybody to really take a close look at what was promised versus what
was delivered and to look to a new government in 2019.
Thank
you, Mr. Chair.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
CHAIR:
The hon. the Member for
Windsor Lake.
MS. C. BENNETT:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Chair.
It's a
privilege to stand in the House this morning, particularly after such a
passionate oratorical from the Member for
Fortune Bay - Cape La Hune. There was some pretty interesting bits of
information that she threw out during her comments and I'll certainly look
forward to addressing those.
Mr. Chair, we stand here today talking about Interim
Supply. As Members of the House certainly understand, but for those who are
watching at home, this is really about a cash management practice. The budget,
as the Finance Minister had articulated earlier today, budget 2018 will be
brought into the House for all of us to debate. The work I'm sure is ongoing in
preparations for budget 2018. There's a huge amount of effort, and I'm sure
passion, being brought to the work not only by the public sector employees that
are involved but certainly by the Premier, by the Finance Minister, by the
Cabinet and all those involved in the decision-making process around the
upcoming budget.
I want to take this opportunity to wish the Finance
Minister strength and resilience as he does the hard work of leading
government's efforts to bring forward a budget, but I must address the comment
from the Member for Fortune Bay - Cape La Hune when she talked about her
government's choice in 2007-08 to spend money.
In 2007-08, I'd remind the Member opposite, was the
highest price of oil that we had seen in decades. The former administration, at
a time when the rest of the country was experiencing a recession, we weren't in
Newfoundland. There was no economic downturn in Newfoundland.
If you go back and look at the facts, you will see that
the economy in Newfoundland and Labrador during 2007, 2008 was
moving along as expected.
There was no recession in the province. The government of the day chose to spend
money – as a member of my district said to me one day – like drunken sailors.
Not only
did they spend that money, but they also had the responsibility and oversight
for public sector pension plans that at the time, in the course of a four-year
period, lost almost $2 billion. The same amount of money that I believe a former
premier stood up on the escalator at the airport and proudly displayed as the
cheque that he brought back from his lobbying efforts in Ottawa, Mr. Chair –
that same money evaporated from public sector pension plans.
The
Member for
Fortune Bay - Cape La Hune can go back and talk about history. What I'd
like to do today, Mr. Chair, is to talk about today's situation and the facts.
When we look at the cash flow challenges that this
particular government faces, which as the Minister of Finance reported in his
mid-year update, about an $820 million deficit –
AN
HON. MEMBER:
What did you say?
MS.
C. BENNETT:
An
$820 million deficit. I'm very proud to be a Member of a government that worked
hard to get the Roads Plan out –
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS.
C. BENNETT:
– so that contractors and the employees in this particular work can do a better
job of bidding and we can get a better return for taxpayers' dollars. That's
because of the work of this government.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS.
C. BENNETT:
I
was also pleased to hear recently the Premier say the fiscal targets that our
government established were important and remain a priority, and I have said
that to him. I am pleased that's his position.
Our government continues to be transparent around the
oil forecast, whether it's the price of the oil per barrel, whether it's US
exchange. Certainly, I look forward to hearing the production numbers when the
upcoming budget is released in the next number of weeks.
I'd also like to make clear at this particular moment I
have many constituents in my district that work in the offshore oil industry. I
want to say, in a very distinct way, that I support the actions of the C-NLOPB
in reprimanding Husky for its actions in allowing 84 people to be put at risk
because oil extractors put money before people's lives. Our responsibility as a
government is to call them on that.
While the Member
for Topsail - Paradise did a very eloquent job of talking about the history of
oil price, we know all too well on this side of the House, as do all the people
in the province, the impact of oil price as part of our revenue. That's why I'm
really proud of the transparency that our government has provided with that
information.
I'd also
say that I'm very proud of the transparency around the information we're
providing on debt. I respectfully disagree with the Leader of the Opposition
when he made reference to the comment he did while he talked about potential
bankruptcy. He didn't mention provincial debt, that I remember hearing him say.
Our
provincial debt is significant, Mr. Chair, but let's be frank about where that
debt has come from. I spoke about the 2007, 2008 spending from the previous
administration. Nobody in this House can deny that a project that doubled in
price and is going to be now laid at the taxpayers' and ratepayers' feet to be
able to pay for this is going to be a significant, significant, impact – $12
billion, Mr. Chair, for Muskrat Falls.
The
debts and liabilities that this province have are significant, Mr. Chair. When
we have to look at how the budget is going to impact the economy of the
province, we have to also take into account – as I'm sure the Premier is, as I'm
sure the Minister of Finance is, as I'm sure the entire Cabinet is – the global
economy.
When we
look at the impact on things around the oil price, for example, whether it's
fracking in the US, whether it's the global shift to more climate friendly power
sources, and the worlds understanding of climate change, we also need to
understand the global geopolitical environment.
As
recent as today, we're seeing stock markets react because one person left the
White House. One person who is rumoured to be holding the reins of a trade war
in our world that could significantly impact, not just Newfoundland and
Labrador's economy, the Canadian economy and the global economy.
Mr.
Chair, I have had many conversations with constituents in the last number of
months about the financial situation of the provincial Treasury, about the
provincial economy. I have many members in my district, many constituents in my
district who are raising young families who want their children to stay here. I
can tell you, Mr. Chair, that this government, that this side of the House is
going to do everything we can to ensure that mothers like me have the
opportunity to say to our children: Yes, this is a place for you to choose to
stay and live and work.
But hope
comes from action. That's what this government is going to continue to do to
make sure that the things that need to get done, like the roads program that I
mentioned earlier, like the investments in infrastructure that are going to be
driving economic activity in parts of the province that need that economic
activity, that those efforts are the ones that we focus our attention on.
Mr.
Chair, let's also be clear that as we face these challenges of deficit and debt,
that we also recognize the significant impact that demographics is having on our
province. Demographic challenges are going to continue to affect service
delivery. They're going to continue to affect how we provide the services such
as health care and education to the people of the province. Those are the
reasons why passionate debate is important and partisan rhetoric is important,
but the facts have to be dealt with and have to be addressed.
Mr.
Chair, as long as I'm sitting in this seat in the House and as long as I
represent the District of Windsor Lake, I will not forget that we have a
responsibility to the 5,000, roughly, young kids who entered full-day
kindergarten last year, who have their lives to live based on the decisions that
this House makes over the next coming weeks.
Thank
you, Mr. Chair.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
CHAIR:
The hon. the Member for St.
John's East - Quidi Vidi.
MS. MICHAEL:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Chair.
Everybody has trouble remembering the name of the new district, St. John's East
- Quidi Vidi.
I'm
happy to speak in the Interim Supply debate because it gives us an opportunity
to look at how we are spending our money. What we're doing here today is getting
ready to approve the expenditures that need to happen in the interim between now
and when the new budget is put in place. We can't have March 31 come without
having approval for monies to be spent after March 31. So for those watching,
that's what this is about.
It is a
time in looking at this bill, a bill that is going to be spending over $2
billion, that we look at the importance of assessing of how we spend our money,
not just looking at debt and deficit, which are going up under this government,
I would point out, but how we are spending the money and how we are taking care
of people. One of the issues that I want to talk about right now is something
that's very serious, Mr. Chair, and I hope that I'll be able to speak to it
without having to work my way through a wall of sound because we are dealing
with serious issues in here. What I want to talk about today does have to do
with health of women. In actual fact, I say to the government, what I'm putting
forward would actually be taking care of women and saving money at the same
time.
Recently, all of our caucuses, all three, had the opportunity to meet with the
medical students from Memorial University. Every year they have a campaign;
issues that they think are very important, serious issues. They come and they
meet with our caucuses and talk to us. I don't know if they've met with the
Minister of Health and Community Services yet, but they will be I think – yes,
he's nodding his head. That appointment is set up and they have met with our
caucus. I understand they also met with the Official Opposition.
The
issue that they are looking at this year is the issue of the fact that access to
abortion in our province is not something that's the same for women throughout
the province. If you live in the St. John's area, for example, in the general
area, then you can have access to abortion services both through the hospital,
Eastern Health, the Health Sciences, as well as through the Athena clinic.
If
you're living in rural Newfoundland and Labrador, it's a different issue. It
means paying money to come into St. John's, travel expenses, the expenses of
while the woman is here, being taken care of. It's very, very expensive,
approximately $1,500 for an abortion and an expensive process very hard on women
in rural Newfoundland and Labrador.
The
interesting thing and what has been presented to us by the medical students is
information about a pharmaceutical that is available here but it's not covered
by MCP. Mifegymiso is a pill; it's actually a combination of two pharmaceuticals
that can be taken within the first nine weeks of gestation and creates an
abortion that is non-surgical. So physically, it's much easier on the woman than
going through a surgical procedure.
The
pill, the cost of it, is $350 as compared to a surgical abortion, which is
$1,500. If this pill were used as it is in more than 60 countries in the world
and if it were available here, universally available under our MCP as it is in
six provinces in Canada – so it's universally available under the medical
program, our health care program, in six provinces in Canada, and in other
provinces there's partial coverage.
So what
the medical students are asking for is not for something that's strange. It's
for us to come on line with what's going on around the world and in our own
country. It is something that would be safer because when you have a surgical
procedure if you have to have a full anaesthetic – general anaesthetics are
always dangerous. So it's easier on the woman. Then the fact that it would be
able to happen in the woman's community, she does not have to go through the
stress – the financial stress, number one, of getting into St. John's and the
stress of travel, et cetera.
Now,
there's more to this than making the pill available. I think it should be made
available under our health care program. It should be on the list of
pharmaceuticals that are covered. We also have to make sure that – an abortion
is an abortion, and I would bet there's not one person in this Legislature who
doesn't know a woman who has had to go through the struggle of making a decision
about a pregnancy. It is not easy. It is not easy at all. And I know several
who've made decisions for abortions. And it's not a flip of a coin, it's
something they've put a lot of thought into, circumstances that cause them to
make the decision to have the abortion, and it has an impact on a woman.
We just
can't talk about abortions, whether it's surgical abortions, or whether it's an
abortion that's caused by the taking of this pharmaceutical, we can't talk about
it lightly. We know that there needs to be services provided to women who have
abortions. It doesn't matter how that abortion is caused. You need services
prior to help you make the decision, you need support while going through the
procedure and you need support after. That's a proven fact.
When you
have a clinic, like the Athena clinic, that's certainly what happened there. I
find that there's something very interesting going on in Corner Brook, and some
of my colleagues may know about it. In Corner Brook it was a combination of the
Corner Brook Status of Women Council working with doulas – doula is the name for
people, who are mainly women, who are birth coaches – to give them the
opportunity in Corner Brook to support women who get abortions. They've gone
through special training. The training they've gone through was through the
Atlantic Abortion Support Services in Halifax. They're specially trained to work
with women who decide to have an abortion. It's an extension of what they do as
birth coaches and I think it's an important extension.
What
these doulas are trained to do is exactly what I said a minute ago: to work with
women during the decision-making time, to be there with them when the procedure
is happening, which could be surgical or which could be drug induced and to be
there afterwards as a support for however long a woman may need that. Right now,
the drug is available and women can use it here in the province. It's just that
it's not covered by our health care plan so then it's limited. Low-income,
single women in rural Newfoundland, for example, are not going to have $350 to
pay for this drug.
In
Corner Brook the doulas, along with the Status of Women Council who worked with
them, are there and ready to put a plan in place so that they would be ready to
work with women who need abortions and be there for women, whether it was
surgical or drug induced. They can't go ahead with their plan, especially when
it comes to the support of the use of the drug – they can but they really do
need to know that they have support of physicians and they have support of
pharmacies. If it's going to be a universal service that they're offering to all
women who have decided to have an abortion, then they need to know this drug is
being covered by our drug plan.
I stand
here supporting what the medical students are saying. I think it's extremely
important. It's important, as I said, for uninsured, young, low-income-earning
women in rural communities in particular. I think it will be something that
would offer women some sense of security, not having to go through a surgical
procedure when they could go through this drug-induced procedure.
So I ask
the government to seriously consider what the medical students are talking
about.
Thank
you very much, Mr. Chair.
CHAIR:
The hon. the Member for
Bonavista.
MR. KING:
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
It's
amazing what you have to listen to on a Wednesday morning with that crowd over
there. At least the NDP had something sensible to say in both their speeches.
Just to let the Member for St. John's East - Quidi Vidi know, we, as a caucus,
will be meeting with the MUN medical students tomorrow morning at 10:30. We look
very much forward to having that conversation with them.
Getting
back to what the Opposition had to say, it's a revisionist history. The
Oscars were on Sunday and the original screenplay winner couldn't have come
up with a better script than they had come up with. I can't believe they
actually believe what they're saying.
The
Member for Fortune Bay - Cape La Hune can't actually believe that. She was
laughing the whole way through her speech. It was like an inside joke to get us
roiled up and pretend that the previous 12 years didn't happen.
The
Member for Conception Bay East - Bell Island gets up and says we have a shortage
of skilled trades here in Newfoundland and Labrador because they're all gone;
yet he is the one who signed the contract to build two ferries in Romania. Even
the Romanians wouldn't buy Romanian ferries, Mr. Chair. They've been lemons the
whole time and the only bought a one-year insurance policy.
I mean
if you go to Best Buy, they try to get you a three-year plan.
AN HON. MEMBER:
They forgot the wharf.
MR. KING:
Then they forgot to buy the wharf; yes, that's right. They bought the ferries –
my friend, the Member for Placentia West – Bellevue, talk about skilled trades,
all those skilled trades could have been kept here in Newfoundland and Labrador
if they built the ferries in Marystown.
You
wouldn't have to go to the federal government with your hand out and say can you
please forgive the tariffs because apparently they forgot to ask for that too.
Boy, oh boy, oh boy, make no wonder we're in the situation we're in today.
Then the
Member for Fortune Bay - Cape La Hune talks about how bad it is right now, how
bad the Liberals are. They wasted $20 billion of oil revenue.
AN HON. MEMBER:
How much?
MR. KING:
Twenty-five billion dollars in oil revenue and then another $4 billion in lost
tax revenues so Danny Williams could give his rich buddies a break.
That's
where it all went. It didn't go to the lower income people. The biggest
benefactors of that tax cut back in 2007 were the wealthy, the people who didn't
need it. And then they get up here and wonder why we're in the state we're in
today. That is why we're in the state we're in today. They spent like drunken
sailors, Mr. Chair, and I know a thing or two about drunken sailors.
AN HON. MEMBER:
You spend your own money.
MR. KING:
Oh, that's true. They weren't
like drunken sailors. At least drunken sailors spend their own money. They spent
the money of the taxpayers of Newfoundland and Labrador.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. KING:
Then we get into the boondoggle of Muskrat Falls. How great that was going to
be, it's going to bring clean energy to Newfoundland and Labrador, solve all of
our problems. Do you know what? It was going $6 billion but that's okay because
power rates aren't going to go up. They're only going to go up a little bit to
cover off a small cost.
Where
did that expand to? Twelve billion dollars, double. Where are power rates going
to go? They're going to double.
AN HON. MEMBER:
What about Humber Valley
Paving?
MR. KING:
Oh, I can go on and on about Humber Valley Paving.
They get
up so self-righteous and stand in Question Period and talk about what Members
over here do when they gave their buddy, a former leader, the pseudo premier of
the province of 2014, a $19 million writeoff for Humber Valley Paving. That's
the stuff they're at and they wonder why we're in the situation we're in today.
Then the
Member for Fortune Bay - Cape La Hune says well, times will get better, wait
until 2019. Well, times are already getting better. We've made changes that are
actually having a positive effect on Newfoundland and Labrador.
We've
seen great investments here in this province. We've invested $3 billion into an
infrastructure plan. We've created a five-year paving roads plan – that the
Member for Conception Bay South got up and asked a question last fall. Yes, he
actually asked that question. So if you're spending less money, how are you
getting more pavement? Because it's called having a plan. It's not doing 100
metres here, 100 metres there, a kilometre there and a kilometre there to try to
win votes, like they used to do. I can tell you from my district, they certainly
didn't do a very good job of it to see the conditions of the roads out there.
The worst roads where the former Finance Minister's roads, and we got to work on
that. Unbelievable the stuff they get on with over there.
What
we've seen actually in the District of Bonavista is some significant investments
in infrastructure. Through municipal capital works Clean Water and Wastewater
Fund, we've seen infrastructure investments in the district. The water tower in
Bonavista is one example of that, a multi-million dollar project that was long
overdue. It was announced by that crowd about two or three times but they never
did get around to doing it. Do you know what we did? We actually did it with
water and sewer upgrades through Phase I in Bonavista.
We had a
section in Bonavista, Route 235, the Birchy Place area, which had been without
water and sewer for 40 years. Where were your investments in water and sewer, I
ask you? There were none. This past year we had Phase I done and I've been
advocating very hard to get Phase II done. Hopefully we'll see that soon.
We're
seeing the replacement of the Bar Bridge in Catalina. I can tell you one thing;
if the former Member was there we certainly wouldn't see the Bar Bridge done in
Catalina. He read the riot act to council apparently.
We've
seen new lift stations in Trinity Bay North, a water line replacement in Trinity
Bay North, the second biggest community. We're going to see paving upgrades
there. We've seen water upgrades for George's Brook-Milton.
Now
imagine, they've had problems with the Lily Pond connection in Milton for about
four or five years. That was the former Finance minister's community. You mean
to tell me in four or five years that crowd couldn't get the funding when the
Member was the minister of Finance. Apparently, if you're a Cabinet minister on
that side then you can have as much money as you want.
AN HON. MEMBER:
That's how we got bankrupt.
MR. KING:
Well, that's true enough,
that's how we got bankrupt. Do you know what? We were able to get Milton finally
on a stable water supply through George's Pond last year; a $1.6 million
investment, Mr. Chair. We're looking at other upgrades for that area as well.
We're
looking at building upgrades in Port Rexton. We're working with the town of
Trinity to help them with a new town hall. We have emergency funding for Upper
Amherst Cove. Those are significant investments in infrastructure in
communities, in municipalities and local service districts in the District of
Bonavista, Mr. Chair. That's just two short years.
When the
Member for
Fortune Bay - Cape La Hune said: Don't worry, times are going to get
better, I think that's a pretty good investment. They haven't seen that in the
previous four years, that's for sure.
We've seen commitments to road and brush cutting. We
talked about our five-year Roads Plan.
To the Member for CBS, the reason we can get more
paving done for less is because we actually do bigger projects. We're not out
there looking for votes and trying to please everyone. We're taking a large
project and we're doing the works of it. One example of that is the neck across
from George's Brook over to the Bonavista highway. That's been bad for 20 years.
AN
HON. MEMBER:
Just 20?
MR.
KING:
Well, it's been bad for a long time.
A former
member for Trinity North and a former member for Bonavista South couldn't get
along, couldn't see the benefit of actually working together to get a good road
done. I got it done through our five-year Roads Plan, and lobbying hard for it,
within two years. It's unbelievable.
We've
seen road improvements along Route 230, another two kilometres in Port Rexton.
We've seen levelling done in Trinity East. We've seen another six kilometres
done at Father Morris Pond to Port Union. That was long overdue. It was supposed
to be done years ago, but due to political interference from that crowd, they
said, no, we'll go do something else. We'll do a kilometre here, a kilometre
there and try to win a few votes. That was long overdue.
I hope
to get another chance to get up and speak to the benefits of Interim Supply, and
I look forward to speaking again.
Thank
you very much.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
CHAIR (Warr):
Order, please!
I
recognize the hon. the Member for Conception Bay South.
MR. PETTEN:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Chair.
It's a
pleasure to get up after a couple of interesting debates, Mr. Chair. It's all
part of the process. I respect it and it's entertaining. I'll have a few
comments to make in a little bit, but I figured it was more appropriate in this
conversation on Interim Supply to talk a little bit about my district at first.
We all
get up and say – I know my colleague from Cape St. Francis has great pleasure in
getting up on the beautiful District of Cape St. Francis every opportunity, and
I respect that. I think we all represent beautiful districts and we live in a
beautiful province. My district is no different, Mr. Chair. Conception Bay South
is quite a beautiful district and I'm very proud to represent it.
I know
the Premier has the virtue this year of having the Winter Games coming out in
Deer Lake. We just, in 2016, had to showcase my own community. I think they did
a great job. I certainly hope, and I'm sure the community of Deer Lake will do
the same this coming winter and I wish them the best.
Mr.
Chair, we talk and we listen to a lot of rhetoric, and I may have a couple of
comments as time goes on. I'd rather try to keep it a little bit contained for
now, but we all come in this House and do our part, whether in Opposition,
whether on the government side, whether in Third, independent, whatever role we
play we all advocate for our own districts and do what's best for the people who
elected us to represent them in this House.
I get up
in this House and I'll ask the ministers or I'll speak to the minister regarding
roads, or I'll speak to the Minister of Justice regarding policing. I'll speak
to various ministers regarding any issue that's important to my district.
Because each one of us represent the area because it's important to the people
we represent and it's our obligation to the people.
In
saying that, I have an issue in my district. I know the Member for Bonavista was
just commenting on all the roadwork. He had pavement done in his area and he's
very, very proud of it. So he probably should be, but my district is in dire
need. The main route runs through my community and it's – I spoke in the House
on a petition the other day and I said there were 20 tires ruined, there's
probably more than that. That was in a 24-hour period.
People
come to me and I respond to them. It's one of the promises I made upon being
elected. I said I would never shy away. Sometimes those conversations are not
easy when you get people wanting their car fixed, this fixed or complaining
about the roads. They're coming to you wanting you to intervene. It's a
challenge but I've always been one of those people, I feel that – my virtue has
always been honesty will set you free.
Sometimes being honest is not the easiest thing. It's not the easiest thing to
do sometimes because people don't like the answer, but I always promised when I
used to knock on doors, you'll get an answer. You may not like it, but I'll tell
you the truth and I'll do my best. That's gotten me to this point and it's going
to carry me through, Mr. Chair, because I'm one of those people that conscience
– they're not providing the other alternative. So it's the only way I can be set
free. I live on those grounds.
I enjoy
the back and forth debate and I enjoy listening to some of the commentary. Fair
game, some comments are made against the former government and us. It's fair
play, and some of it you just tip your hat. You go in and you have your bout and
you tap gloves after the fight.
Some of
the commentary said opposite – I'd like to point out, and it's not meant to be a
to and fro, but the Member for Windsor Lake got up and spoke passionately after
my colleague from Fortune Bay - Cape La Hune had roiled up the troops across the
way. She talked about the gloom and doom comments and whatnot.
In
December of 2015, I remember it. People came to me and people remember the day.
She was part of the gloom and doom that came over the province in December of
2015. She was sat at that same table, at the news conference that said we're in
big trouble.
AN HON. MEMBER:
And you were.
MR. PETTEN:
No one is arguing if we were
in big trouble or not, Mr. Chair.
It's the
commentary; it's the lasting effect of those comments. I've heard it for almost
going on three years. We're in the third year now and people still talk about
it.
It put a
fear in people. People are afraid to spend. I hear people have money but they're
afraid to spend it. That's a line I hear, and I'm sure a lot of Members in this
House hear the same thing. They're afraid to spend, not knowing what the future
holds.
Consumer
confidence is down. We all know that. We hear all these anecdotal stories. We
hear it every day. Consumer confidence is down. You talk to business owners –
I'll give you a good example. I have an automotive garage in my district. I have
several, obviously. This one has been around for a long time, pretty reputable
place, always had what I consider decent business. It employs I don't know how
many people, probably half dozen people.
Several
weeks back I was talking to another automotive garage in my area and they said
this guy took in $300 last week – $300. It's a sign of the times. I guess people
are going elsewhere, they're not getting stuff done that needs to be done and
this was just one of the many stories that we hear.
Our
economy is struggling under this tax burden. I won't get into my rant. I could
go on about taxes and all that and everyone over there will be shouting. I don't
want to do that. What I want to try to do is speak from the gut on it because I
talk to people in the district – and everyone here in this House, I'm sure, does
the same thing. There has to be a better way.
We say
that all the time. I know people say this crowd here – and I won't point out the
Member for Bonavista. I always refer to the government as the government whether
you're Liberals, but you're the government. We are the Official Opposition, the
PC Party of Newfoundland and Labrador. I think that proper language in this
House should be referring to us in a proper tone. I don't think anyone here are
the other crowd. Anyway, I just wanted to correct him on that.
In
saying that, there has to be a better way. We go and we always argue
equalization and you listen to the debates going on and on. We don't have a
revenue problem; we have a spending problem. We've heard Members opposite
criticize that the money that the former administration wasted and whatever –
and I don't agree that we wasted that money, but that's the commentary that was
said in this House. But the spending has not changed. There's been some
tinkering. The spending has not really changed much, Mr. Chair.
It's
been reported you will not qualify for equalization because of the revenue; your
revenues are too high. You have to change the formulas and what have you. So
what else can you do if you're revenues – if you have a household and you're
taking in $200,000 a year and you can't afford to pay your light bill, what do
you do? The $200,000 is not changing. You got to do something with your
expenses. You got to cut that one vehicle or you got to cut the one phone or you
got to change how many times you're going out. You got to change your lifestyle.
You got to change your spending habits. Those are not easy decisions, Mr. Chair.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
CHAIR:
Order, please!
MR. PETTEN:
I don't advocate for people
to be losing jobs; I'm not one of them.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
CHAIR:
Order, please!
MR. PETTEN:
I don't advocate for those
things, Mr. Chair, but I know there are tough decisions. Governments, no matter
what stripe, are faced with those difficult decisions. I always say actions need
to match words. When I hear the opposite criticizing what this crowd –
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
CHAIR:
Order, please!
MR. PETTEN:
– as the Member for Bonavista
kept saying “that crowd,” but what's being done differently today when it comes
to that than what was done when the former administration was in power, I've yet
to see. I don't know what the answer is. I think that taxation is not the
answer. I'm not a believer in taxes. I never believed in excessive taxes. As
much as last week I stood in this House on a private Member's motion on carbon
tax because I don't believe in taxes.
Everyone
here can disagree with me. You can all have your opinions. I have big shoulders.
That's irrelevant. That doesn't matter. That's my opinion. We agreed as a
caucus, we felt that way. We're paying our fair share. We took a stance. Agree
with us or not, that's irrelevant. Three hundred taxes and fees were not the way
to rejuvenate this economy.
I'll go
back to my comment just a few moments ago there, people feel that there's lots
of money there – people have money but they won't spend it. That's the reality.
A 15 per cent tax on insurance is crippling people. That's a crippling tax.
I,
personally, in my whole household I have two daughters, vehicles, your home,
everything else. It's costing an extra $1,000 just in my household. Fifteen per
cent on taxes – I have two young girls driving, their premiums are not very
cheap, trust me. I think anyone here can attest with having children. That is a
burden upon us.
Again,
Members opposite can criticize and look and question me, that's fine, but I'm
not making this stuff up. Anyone here who has a young child or a young person
driving around, you're looking at $3,000 for insurance plus tax. That extra tax
is affecting businesses, not only young people, it's affecting families. The
remainder of the taxes – and you got the gas tax. The carbon tax could be coming
sometime, too, and that's going to affect everybody.
Those
are all features. Like I said, I could have gotten up and there's lots of time
in the budget debate, I'm sure I'll have a couple of rounds yet. I could have
gotten up and fired up the troops and done it, but I think the most important
thing, the message I personally feel – and I really feel it, it's not pretend –
that we have to try to find a better way to do things.
I don't
have all the answers, Mr. Chair, but I'm willing to provide input in finding the
right answers. I don't believe the way we're heading now is the right direction.
Thank
you very much.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
CHAIR:
The Chair recognizes the hon.
the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Environment.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. JOYCE:
Mr. Chair, I'm going to speak
pretty low because I don't want to be classified as a bully today if I raise my
voice a bit and speak up. People sometimes take things way out of context and
make statements which aren't true. I'm going to keep myself low so the Member
for Mount Pearl North won't have to feel bullied today. I won't bar any doors.
You can rest assured I won't bar any doors.
I heard
the Member who just got up speaking. We have a lot of issues. But do you notice
the one thing he never gave? One solution, not one. Do you want to talk about it
and tell us what we wouldn't have done? Muskrat Falls.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. JOYCE:
Do you want a second one? The
Roddickton pellet plant never developed one pellet. Why not talk about the big
oil down in Parson's Pond somewhere, the $10 or $12 million holes drilled? Not
one bit of oil.
Do you
want me to continue on? Do you want to talk about the $40 million for the
hospital in Corner Brook when there wasn't one piece of steel put into it? Do
you want me to keep going, of stuff you shouldn't have done?
Mr.
Chair, this is the kind of stuff that I try to stay calm because I don't want to
intimidate anybody, but you just can't take it because I lived through it. I
lived through the seven announcements for the hospital in Corner Brook when they
walked out there and made seven different announcements on the hospital.
I can
tell you one thing, the Premier of the province made a commitment while he in
Opposition that he will find a way. Guess what? The long-term care has been
awarded. Guess what? The RFQ for the acute care hospital has been put out. Guess
what? We're working on the Waterford Hospital. Do you know why? Because our
Premier of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador said he's going to do the
right thing for the people and not squander their money. That's why, Mr. Chair,
we support the Premier of this province.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. JOYCE:
I heard you talk about the
Member for Windsor Lake – doom and gloom. Do you know what she did? Do you know
what the Member did? She spoke the truth and you can't handle the truth.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. JOYCE:
When she stood up when she
was Minister of Finance and said here are the issues with the Province of
Newfoundland and Labrador, that was the truth. They did not walk in one day and
say there's a $2.7 billion deficit. That never happened overnight. You hid it.
Your government hid it and when we got into government, when we got it, about a
week later, the full amount of what the deficit was, it was unbelievable.
I can go
on and on, but I won't raise my voice because I don't want to make anybody feel
intimidated, Mr. Chair. That's the type of guy I am, I like speaking my mind but
I don't want – so if you want me to keep going, I'll just give you a few things.
The capital works programs and the Roads Program that were started and are
continued on. The business groups, they love it. There are plans put in place
that they know next year they can plan it out.
Mr.
Chair, I heard the Member talk about the roads. One of the things that I never
got over yet was the Member for Conception Bay East - Bell Island in 2015, there
was money allocated for the District of Bay of Islands, at the time, the Humber
- Bay of Islands, and they took all the money back in the tender, two days
before the tender.
AN HON. MEMBER:
Where'd they put it?
MR. JOYCE:
They put it out in some PC
district. I even pleaded with the minister. I put it in writing. I said, look,
forget the rest; there's one piece of road on Plant Hill, the ruts – I even sent
pictures in to show, please do this here. There are going to be accidents. It's
major, it's major. Do you know what they did? Nothing.
So don't
anybody over there tell me about how you treated people on this side. Don't do
it, because I was there. I wrote the minister seven letters on it. Seven
letters, pleaded with him. I'll forget the rest. I even went on
Open Line, I said I'll even stop
talking about it, just do this piece of road because it's dangerous. Guess what?
He laughed. So don't anybody over there tell me what happened to Humber - Bay of
Islands, I was there. I was absolutely there, Mr. Chair.
This is
why I'm saying when the Minister of Transportation and Works comes out with a
five-year Roads Plan and says 50 per cent of that is going to be done this year
or this year, it's done on priority, not on who you know and who's got the most
influence in this government. It has gone on need in this province. The
construction association, that's why they think it's the greatest plan that ever
came out in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Do you
know who came up with that idea? It was the Premier of the province, Mr. Chair.
He is the Premier who said we have to treat everybody equal. We have to put a
plan out for the business community, and we're doing the same thing in capital
works.
Mr.
Chair, I have to go on. The Member over there, he's laughing over there. Do you
want to know something else that was done? Get this now. They had a 20-year
program, from Municipal Affairs over three years. Guess what? Before the
election, do you know what they did? They spent the whole $60 million. That's
one thing. It probably went to some project. I know what districts it went
through. Don't worry, we never got too much over here; have no worries about
that.
Do you
know the part about it, you want to talk deceit? Do you want to talk about how
the people of the province were led down the garden path while holding your
hand? At the same time they had the $60 million spent, they put out
applications, asking for applications for capital works. There wasn't one cent
in the fund to put toward the applications they asked to see. And you wonder why
we're over here so happy that you're not in control anymore?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. JOYCE:
But just think about that.
The 268 municipalities in the province, gave out the applications, here are your
applications, bring it in, we've got money for you. There's no money there. It
was all spent.
Mr.
Chair, you think about $34.6 million from the federal fund sitting on the desk.
All you had to do was sign it off and the people of the province could have used
the funds. Would not sign it off, because you were mad at Stephen Harper –
wouldn't sign it off. It's unbelievable, it is unbelievable.
So when
we stand up and we make plans for the roads, for Municipal Capital Works, we
have to make tough decisions, Mr. Chair. I remember when we all met as a caucus
and we said here are some of the decisions that we have to make. Politicians
want to be liked in the province, but you have to do the right thing.
I always
remember Clyde Wells. I said this before about the Premier of the province,
Clyde Wells and our Premier. I said this before, he reminds me of Clyde Wells.
In 1992, Clyde Wells had to make some cuts. They were going to have a few
disturbances in the public, Mr. Chair, and I'll never forget this. Everybody is
saying we're going into an election in 2003, we can't have these big fights
going on; we can't have it.
Clyde
Wells said: No, we have to do it. I remember – and this is what reminds me of
this Premier of the province and I said it many times. People knew I was very
close to Clyde Wells and I spoke my mind to him. I went to him. I said: Premier,
a lot of people are concerned. We were going to a firemen's ball in McIvers, it
was in Gillams. I said: A lot of people are upset and concerned about that. His
exact words – and this is what reminds me with this Premier of the province and
I said it many times. His exact words: Eddie, he said, I'd rather lose with
honesty than win with dishonesty.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. JOYCE:
Those were the words that
reminds me so much. Mr. Chair, that's why when the Premier of this province said
we have to make the tough decisions, this is not for us in this room. We're all
going to make it. It's for our kids and grandkids.
If we
don't make the tough decisions, if we don't set the base now, if we don't end
up, Mr. Chair, in this province having a strong foundation, it's going to
finally whittle away. So when the people talk about decisions we made, I always
go back to decision that Clyde Wells made, that the premier of this province
said we have to be honest with the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.
We can't
put our heads in the sand. We can't put applications out if there's no funding.
We just can't say we're going to pave 100 feet here or 100 feet here because it
might get us a few votes or something, we have to do what's right for the
Province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. JOYCE:
I'll tell the people of this
province right now, Mr. Chair, I'll tell everybody in the province right now,
I'll tell all the caucus, I'll tell the people opposite, this is one Member
who's been around. This is one Member who's going to stand behind the Premier of
the province because I know what he's doing in this province is for the good of
the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Mr.
Chair, have you seen what's said in the polls? It shows people don't like what
we're doing, but they understand it and they know it has to be done. The people
of Newfoundland and Labrador are not hiding their heads in the sand like the
Opposition did for years, go spend like drunken sailors. I can name a hundred
examples.
I'm not
going to stand here on a regular basis and let the Opposition talk about what we
did. I can tell you what we did was a reaction from what you never did, which
was to be honest with the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. Put your head in
the sand, Mr. Chair, and just spend, spend, spend because you had one goal only:
get elected in 2015.
That is
why I am so proud to stand with this team over here, Mr. Chair, to do what's
right for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. If the polls show we're going to
move on, well we can walk away and keep our heads high, be proud because we did
what's right for Newfoundlander and Labradorians, not for the PC Party and not
to get re-elected, Mr. Chair.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
CHAIR:
Order, please!
The hon.
the Government House Leader.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I would
ask that the Committee rise, report progress and ask leave to sit again.
CHAIR:
The motion is that the
Committee rise, report progress and ask leave to sit again.
Is it
the pleasure of the Committee to adopt the motion?
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 Chair of
Committee of the Whole.
MR. WARR:
Mr. Speaker, the Committee of Supply have considered the matters to them
referred and have directed me to report progress and ask leave to sit again.
MR.
SPEAKER: The Chair
of the Committee of Supply reports that the Committee have considered the
matters to them referred and have directed him to report progress and ask leave
to sit again.
When
shall the Committee have leave to sit again?
MR.
A. PARSONS:
Tomorrow.
MR.
SPEAKER: Tomorrow.
On
motion, report received and adopted. Committee ordered to sit again on tomorrow.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Government House
Leader.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Yes, Mr. Speaker, given the
hour, I would move that this House recess until 2 p.m.
MR. SPEAKER:
In accordance with paragraph
9(1)(b) of the Standing Orders, the House is in recess until 2 o'clock this
afternoon.
Recess
The
House resumed at 2 p.m.
MR. SPEAKER (Trimper):
Order, please!
Admit
strangers.
In the
Speaker's gallery, I would like to recognize Mr. Shawn Best, Fred Best, Louise
Best, Betty Neal and Paul Neal. These are family members of Victoria Best, whose
life will be celebrated in a Members' statement today.
In the
public gallery, I would also like to welcome additional family members and
friends of Victoria Best: Major William and Marcie Hopkins, Dennis Pynn, Marion
Forsey, Robert and Daphne Best, Renee Best-Cooper, Joyce Best, Beryl Saunders,
Alex Saunders and Ruby Boone.
A warm
welcome to you all.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
Statements by
Members
MR. SPEAKER:
For Members' statements today
we will hear from the hon. Members for the Districts of Terra Nova, Ferryland,
Bonavista, Mount Pearl - Southlands and Mount Pearl North.
The hon.
the Member for Terra Nova.
MR. HOLLOWAY:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I rise
today to share the story of community advocate, tireless volunteer and
entrepreneur, Victoria Best. Victoria was a prolific writer who openly talked
about her personal struggles with mental illness, in the hope that others would
find support from her social media postings.
Victoria
was also an avid sports fan, for she loved to watch the New England Patriots.
She also volunteered at the local SPCA. Victoria had a special gift for music.
In 2016, she bought her first home and developed Belle Music Studio. She had the
ability to recognize the uniqueness in others, especially her students, so that
their individual strengths became their assets.
As part
of Canada's 150th birthday, Victoria was one of the first 20 recipients to
receive the 150 Faces of Clarenville Recognition Award. This prestigious award
recognizes individuals who have made a measurable impact on the community
through their contributions and accomplishments.
On
December 11, at the age of 27, Victoria lost her battle with mental illness. In
her honour, Pawsology, a local animal service dog support group, has named its
most recent recruit, Tori.
In such
a short time, Victoria accomplished so much.
I ask
all Members to join me in celebrating a life lived, applauding my friend,
Victoria Best.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Thank you.
The hon.
the Member for the District of Ferryland.
MR. HUTCHINGS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr.
Speaker, I rise in this hon. House today to recognize a young constituent of
mine from my district, a grade nine junior high school student from Baltimore
School in Ferryland.
Luke
Shannahan is the junior high winner for the Heritage Places Poster Contest. His
poster was unveiled on Monday, February 19, 2018 in St. John's. Luke's poster
was a drawing of R.J. O'Brien's General Store, which is a registered heritage
structure in Luke's hometown of Cape Broyle.
Luke's
school, Baltimore School, will also receive a monetary prize in the amount of
$300. Approximately 1,000 students from 50 schools across the province produced
submissions for the contest. The winning submission is featured on the
foundation's poster promoting Heritage Day 2018 in Newfoundland and Labrador.
I would
like to congratulate Luke on his accomplishment and recognize him for his talent
and the winner of the junior high school division.
Mr.
Speaker, I would ask all my colleagues of the House of Assembly to congratulate
Luke Shannahan and all the winners of the 13th Annual Heritage Places Poster
Contest.
Thank
you very much.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for the
District of Bonavista.
MR. KING:
Mr. Speaker, It's truly an
honour to stand in this House to recognize great people, organizations and
events from my district. That is certainly the case with the Tourism Excellence
Awards from Hospitality NL, where three of the eight award winners came from the
District of Bonavista. Long being a leader in the tourism and hospitality
sector, it is wonderful to see that key players on the Peninsula were
recognized.
The
Tourism Champion Award was received by John Norman of Bonavista. This award is
presented to an individual that has worked diligently to ensure that the tourism
industry prospers, and has given freely of their time and energy to champion
interests and enhance the tourism industry.
The
Tourism Innovator Award was received by Alicia MacDonald and Sonja Mills of the
Port Rexton Brewing Company. This award recognizes a company that demonstrates
ingenuity and creativity in their business activities.
The
Cultural Tourism Award was received by the Bonavista Biennale – Encounters on
the Edge. This was an innovative, rural-based, month-long contemporary visual
art exhibition, presented at 23 indoor and outdoor sites. Plans are already in
place for a return in 2019.
Please
join me in congratulating the recipients; their awards are well deserved.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for the
District of Mount Pearl - Southlands.
MR. LANE:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
It's my
privilege to stand in this hon. House to offer congratulations to two
individuals who have made a significant contribution to sport in my community.
The Mount Pearl Sports Hall of Fame was founded in 1995 by the Mount Pearl Sport
Alliance and, since that time, has inducted 82 tremendous individuals.
Today, I
would like to acknowledge the achievements of two others who have been inducted
into the athlete category. Noel Keough has been inducted, primarily for his
accomplishments in the sport of baseball as a tremendous pitcher, first baseman
and hitter, with such accomplishments as being the only Mount Pearl player to
win the Rookie of the Year Award in both St. John's junior and senior baseball
leagues in the same year. He also displayed great skill and enjoyed significant
success in the sport of ice hockey.
Derek
French is another all-around athlete who played soccer and baseball, but is
primarily noted for his skill and contribution to the sport of hockey in Mount
Pearl both on the ice, as well as a member of five provincial ball hockey
championship teams.
I would
ask all Members of this hon. House to join me in congratulating these amazing
individuals on this significant accomplishment and wish them all the very best
in their future sporting endeavours.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for the
District of Mount Pearl North.
MR. LESTER:
Mr. Speaker, in our own
community there's a great need for emergency food assistance. I rise today to
acknowledge the two food banks in Mount Pearl and their wonderful volunteers on
the valuable service they are providing by donating food when needed.
The food
banks serving Mount Pearl are both run by the St. Vincent de Paul Society and
are operated out of Mary Queen of the World Parish and St. Peter's Parish. Food
is provided to families and individuals in need without regard for race,
religion or national origin. Families are asked to provide identification and
proof of residence in the community and may return monthly if needed.
Mr.
Speaker, these food banks provide vital services and allow people to make ends
meet when it may not be otherwise possible.
I now
ask all Members present to join me in recognizing and thanking the St. Vincent
de Paul Society food banks for all they do to help when needed.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Statements by Ministers.
Statements by
Ministers
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Justice and Public Safety.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
On March
16 the Department of Justice and Public Safety will host its third justice
summit. Similar to the previous summits held in St. John's and Happy
Valley-Goose Bay, the upcoming event in Corner Brook will bring together key
players in the criminal justice system to identify issues and determine possible
solutions and action plans for improvements.
Mr.
Speaker, I believe our justice summit in Corner Brook will be just as
informative as the previous summits we have hosted, and I am very much looking
forward to hearing what my colleagues on the West Coast have to say about how we
can make our justice system stronger.
Having
such a diverse group of front line and management employees in the same room,
including judiciary, police, mental health advocates, representatives of
indigenous organizations, staff from various justice and public safety
divisions, as well as other community members, is crucial to addressing the
challenges that we face.
To
directly hear about the experiences these people have working in the justice
system in our province has been enlightening. While the views expressed and
experiences described are often different, they are all connected, Mr. Speaker.
I believe we can all work together to make the justice system in Newfoundland
and Labrador stronger by examining it through these different perspectives.
In St.
John's, participants discussed underlying issues with offenders, lack of
alternative processes, and court-related delays.
In Happy Valley-Goose Bay, participants discussed lack of
alternatives to the current criminal justice system, delays within the courts,
and the recruitment and retention of staff.
Also, at our summit in Happy Valley-Goose Bay last fall, we
were fortunate to welcome the hon. Justice Malcolm Rowe, Newfoundland and
Labrador's first Justice named to the Supreme Court of Canada, to participate in
this discussion. The results from that summit will be available on our website
in the very near future and people can see what was discussed and the issues
that have been identified by participants.
Mr. Speaker, it's important that we continue these
conversations on how our work is connected and how we can better co-operate to
improve the justice system. These constructive dialogues will inform us as we
determine the most efficient policies and practices moving forward.
Thank you very much.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
MR. P. DAVIS:
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
I thank the minister for an advance copy of his statement
today. We're quite pleased to see government reach out and seek options on ideas
from outside stakeholders, such as this this summit that's being held on the
West Coast in Corner Brook. Anytime government includes and engages with the
public, it's certainly beneficial and quite often brings great value to public
service and to how our justice system will operate.
I would be remiss, Mr. Speaker, if I didn't, on a personal
perspective – everyone knows my background in law enforcement within the justice
system, but I spent five years of my career actually serving the people of
Corner Brook and the West Coast. I'm sure they'll greatly appreciate the
opportunity to participate in such a stakeholder session locally in the area.
I wish the minister and the department all the very best. I
hope the summit is helpful and informative.
I'd like to take the opportunity, very briefly, to
acknowledge all those who work in our justice system in Newfoundland and
Labrador because I know firsthand, that sometimes and quite often it can be
very, very challenging, very, very difficult and I wish them all the very best.
We thank them for their service.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for St.
John's Centre.
MS. ROGERS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I, too,
thank the minister. I was fortunate to attend both these summits and heard very
clear messages, especially from indigenous governments and agencies about how
the justice system is failing them. The issues range from not enough indigenous
court liaison workers and translators, to lack of treatment for mental health
and addictions issues while incarcerated and after release, and lack of
affordable safe housing for people being released from prison and poverty.
Every
correction facility is overcapacity and there is no relief in sight. There is
something very wrong with this picture. It is imperative that government put
into action the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that
are in our scope.
Yes,
let's keep meeting and talking, but we also need to see action.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER:
Further statements by
ministers?
The hon.
the Minister of Natural Resources.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS. COADY:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I rise
in this hon. House today to feature Newfoundland and Labrador's presence at the
Prospectors and Development Association of Canada (PDAC) conference in Toronto
this week where I heard it exclaimed on the floor of our province's pavilion
that “discussions were being had and deals were being made.”
An
example of a project with good news was Minfocus Exploration which extended its
zinc portfolio on the Great Northern Peninsula with an agreement to earn 100 per
cent interest in their Round Pond Zinc. It was an exciting time at PDAC with in
excess of 25,000 participants representing over 100 countries.
I, along
with the parliamentary secretary for Natural Resources and MHA for Labrador
West, met with over a dozen exploration and mining companies as well as
international leaders interested in learning more about Newfoundland and
Labrador's mining industry and the opportunity here.
We were
happy to celebrate Newfoundlanders and Labradorians who received awards during
the PDAC conference. Acoustic Zoom Inc. was the winner of #DisruptMining 2018
after they impressed judges with their ultra-high-frequency 3-D drill hole
seismic imaging. Heather Bruce-Veitch of IOC won the Women in Mining Canada
Trailblazer Award – the first of its kind to recognize the achievements of women
who have made a significant contribution to Canadian mining.
I also
joined the federal minister of Natural Resources to announce the development of
a national framework for a Canadian Minerals and Metals Plan.
Mining
is a major contributor to the Newfoundland and Labrador economy, with a forecast
in 2018 of 6,000 people employed in the industry over $3.4 billion in mineral
shipments. Just recently, the Fraser Institute ranked Newfoundland and Labrador
11th worldwide in its 2017 international mining survey as one of the most
attractive jurisdictions for investment. That's quite an improvement, Mr.
Speaker, from the ranking of 25th just a couple of years ago.
We'll
continue to work with industry for responsible development of mining in
Newfoundland and Labrador.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Opposition House
Leader.
MR. HUTCHINGS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I
certainly thank the minister for an advance copy of her statement. Our caucus
wishes to congratulate our Newfoundland and Labrador companies such as Minfocus
Exploration who, through the PDAC conference, acquired new markets and promoted
their products.
I also
wish to congratulate Acoustic Zoom Inc. on winning the #DisruptMining award and
Heather Bruce-Veitch of IOC for winning the Women in Mining Canada Trailblazer
Award.
The
mining industry of this province is a bright spot in our economy. We have
dedicated exploration in mining companies who are continually making new
discoveries and exporting our metals and minerals all around the world.
However,
I would be remiss if I did not raise concerns about our ability to export iron
ore with the potential for tariffs on steel being imported in the United States
and, certainly, about NAFTA. It is important that our government strongly lobby
the Trudeau government to take the necessary action to protect our industry.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the
Third Party.
MS. MICHAEL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I, too,
thank the minister for the advance copy of her statement. But I must point out
that last night workers at IOC voted to go on strike, citing draconian changes
to sick leave, pensions and retirement. These are only a few of the issues
workers have been facing since IOC was taken over by Rio Tinto.
Disregard of Canadian labour values by multinationals was identified in the 2011
report of the industrial inquiry into the strike at Voisey's Bay. I say to the
minister that government must ensure that an erosion of workers' labour rights
is not what would be an attractive thing for people to come here and use our
resources.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Further statements by
ministers?
Oral
Questions.
Oral Questions
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the
Official Opposition.
MR. P. DAVIS:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
Mr.
Speaker, $400,000 of taxpayers' money was awarded by the Liberal government to a
company owned by the Premier while he was Premier and a sitting MHA. The Premier
has said that he sought a conflict of interest opinion from the Commissioner for
Legislative Standards back in 2016 on this $400,000 grant.
Will the
Premier waive privilege and table that 2016 opinion today?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
PREMIER BALL:
First of all, Mr. Speaker, I
think it's worthwhile to remind people what the former premier is actually
talking about. This was his announcement. This was something that his government
approved. As a matter of fact, his minister announced it. His CEO that he
appointed announced this.
Mr.
Speaker, I proactively disclosed my connection to this company. That was widely
known when they had made the decision which they did make. As we all know that
when we form government, part of the requirement for me becoming Premier was to
set up a blind trust. In doing so, I reached out to the Commissioner for
Legislative Standards. He could go and speak to whoever he wished on the issues
that connected to my business interests. He did this. Mr. Speaker; everything
was suspended.
Some of
the things that have said publicly by the Leader of the Opposition, things like
money flowing, completely false I say, Mr. Speaker. That did not happen. The
finalization was done by the CEO that he put in place, and I'll be more than
willing – once the Commissioner for Legislative Standards finishes his work,
that will be publicly released.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the
Official Opposition.
MR. P. DAVIS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Well,
what I say to the Premier is what he said is false. It's not so, Premier, that
it was approved in 2015. It was conditionally approved in 2015, subject and
meeting the conditions. It wasn't finalized until he was in the Premier's office
in July 2016. That's a fact, Mr. Speaker.
Yesterday, the Premier stated that he actually suspended the process while he
was Premier to make sure that there were belts and braces in place – his words,
Mr. Speaker.
I ask
the Premier: Why have you refused to make the 2016 opinion on conflict of
interest public?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Premier.
PREMIER BALL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I think
right now what we've done, what the Member opposite has asked for is to let the
Commissioner for Legislative Standards come in and do a complete review from
start to finish. Mr. Speaker, I've made it quite clear that we will make that
publicly available once the Commissioner does his work from start to finish,
which is a complete review of the decision that he made and anything that would
have been made subsequent to the conditional approval that his government gave
to this particular company.
I will
say this, too, Mr. Speaker. When we talk about what is outstanding and all the
language that's been used in the last few days, I will this: When it comes to
benefits, it goes to the people that live in those units. That loan still exists
on that company.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The Leader of the Official
Opposition.
MR. P. DAVIS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
All
MHAs, all Members of this House of Assembly, including ministers, are required
to submit an annual disclosure of personal and business interests. MHAs are
going through that very process right now as part of their annual process. Maybe
that's what the Premier is talking about. Maybe he didn't seek out an opinion on
this particular matter at all.
If the
Premier proactively disclosed the details and got an opinion from the
Commissioner for Legislative Standards then why is it, Premier, that you're
withholding this opinion from release?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Premier.
PREMIER BALL:
As I said, Mr. Speaker,
everything was proactively disclosed to his government before they made the
decision, before they made the conditional decision on this particular issue.
I've
also said that this loan that they have put in place would still exist. It
exists simply, Mr. Speaker, so that people that live in those units, the seniors
and so on – as you would in any of the affordable housing units in this
province, they get a lower rent than market rents.
The
benefit to this, the loan is still there. Not forgiven as the Member suggested,
still there. The benefits, Mr. Speaker, go to the residents that are actually
living in those affordable housing units.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The Leader of the Official
Opposition.
MR. P. DAVIS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
A
$400,000 grant was given to the Premier of the province while he was Premier of
the province. It was given to him by his own government in July 2016 while he
sat in the Premier's office, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. P. DAVIS:
Mr. Speaker, the Privacy
Commissioner was not consulted by government on Bill 35, the
Public Inquiries Act. Section 112 of
ATIPP 2015 legislation requires the ministers to consult with the Commissioner
on proposed bills that could have implications to access to information and
protection of privacy.
I ask
the minister: Why did you not consult with the Privacy Commissioner on this
important piece of legislation which will impact the release of information by
government involving this inquiry?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Premier.
PREMIER BALL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I have
to address the preamble because the Member opposite knows – he clearly knows –
that the language he used a few minutes ago or a few seconds ago is wrong. It is
factually wrong, Mr. Speaker.
This was
not a grant, and he is well aware of this. He is deliberately using this
language, which is not factually correct. That is a loan. It still exists as a
loan, and the Member opposite is acutely aware of the conditions and the
criteria. So what he just said is absolutely false.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the
Official Opposition.
MR. P. DAVIS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Well, if
he wants to split hairs, he's saying it's a loan. It's a forgivable loan, Mr.
Speaker. That means it will be forgiven and then it becomes a grant. So it's a
grant for $400,000.
I'll
once again ask the Minister of Justice: Why did you not consult with the Privacy
Commissioner? This is a very important bill before the House that deals with
information. The debate yesterday afternoon was significantly focused on access
to privileged information and protection of privileged information.
I ask
the minister: Why did you not consult with the Privacy Commissioner, as required
to do under section 112?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Justice and Public Safety.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The
Member opposite was wrong in the language he used in asking questions of the
Premier and he's wrong in this. His interpretation of section 112 is actually
incorrect.
Again,
this is not just mine, what I did was actually seek the guidance of various
lawyers within the Department of Justice, civil servants, public servants who
have been there for some time. What they have clearly said is there was no duty
under section 112 of this piece of legislation to do that consultation because
it is not an information issue. It's a privilege issue, for which there's no
duty to report. Again, this I something I answered last night as well.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the
Official Opposition.
MR. P. DAVIS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
He just
said he sought the opinion of officials in Justice. If you have that opinion,
will you waive privilege on it and table it in the House?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Justice and Public Safety.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
What I
can say, and I'm not trying to be facetious here, but we can go out and get an
opinion. He could actually seek out some of his lawyer friends – Mr. John
Ottenheimer, he could probably ask him and he'll probably get the same opinion.
It's a pretty simple interpretation of section 112.
Now, we
had another piece of legislation where he disagreed with our interpretation and
it was the Information and Privacy Commissioner that came out and said he was
wrong. He was wrong then. He's wrong now.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the
Official Opposition.
MR. P. DAVIS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Well,
let's talk about the Privacy Commissioner because in his annual report he
referenced in his own report and reinforced what section 112 says, where
ministers are required to consult with the office of the Privacy Commissioner on
all proposed legislation that could have implications to access for information.
The
Privacy Commissioner actually went on to say that the office of the Privacy
Commissioner will review, if requested, any draft legislation, as it is
sometimes challenging for drafters to identify potential implications for access
to information or protection of privacy. That's the words of the Privacy
Commissioner.
The
discussion and debate yesterday was heavily focused on information. I ask the
minister: Why did you ignore your duty to consult?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Justice and Public Safety.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I'm
certainly aware of the debate yesterday; I participated in it. What I would say
is that the first speaker to the debate from PCs who didn't attend the briefing
spent an hour saying stuff about the bill that was completely inaccurate.
So I
have no doubt that they have a misunderstanding of that piece of legislation,
and they have a misunderstanding about a lot of legislation. What I'm saying –
and this is coming from solicitors within the Department of Justice whose
expertise lies in this – is that section 112 does not apply.
But let
me reiterate to the general public. We called an inquiry into the Muskrat Falls
Project. We are going to put all the information over and we are going to
participate fully. I hope that co-operation exists on the other side as well.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the
Official Opposition.
MR. P. DAVIS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Yes, the
government did call an inquiry, only after we and others pushed them to do so.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
Please
proceed.
MR. P. DAVIS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Bill 35,
while providing –
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. P. DAVIS:
I'm sorry, Mr. Speaker, I
can't hear myself.
Bill 35,
while providing an opportunity for government to share important information
with the commissioner for the Muskrat Falls inquiry, it also allows government
to decide themselves what information will be shared, no matter if it's
information that was produced prior to the election of 2015 or information after
the election of 2015.
I ask
the minister: What safeguards are in place to ensure that the current government
cannot politicize this very important inquiry?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Justice and Public Safety.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The
Member opposite continues to impress me because he stood up with a straight face
and said: Thank us for making this inquiry happen. But I'll tell you what I
won't thank him for, is for making the Muskrat Falls Project happen, the biggest
debacle –
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. A. PARSONS:
To stand up with a straight
face and talk about this inquiry is absolutely amazing.
But
again, we made the inquiry happen. We're going to put all the information there
and that information is going to go from 2006 up to now. There's no cut off at
November 30. This government didn't sanction it; didn't stand up on this side of
the House proclaim it and say it was the best thing since sliced bread. We're
putting it all out there.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the
Official Opposition.
MR. P. DAVIS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I'm glad
the minister is taking the time to acknowledge and confirm the words said
earlier because the Premier has told us that they have nothing to hide. I've
said we have nothing to hide. We want to put all the information on the table,
Mr. Speaker. They can send it all to the commissioner. I'm glad they're doing
it.
The part
that I don't like is that government holds the sole decision power to decide
what actually is waived for privilege and what's not waived, and herein lies the
problem.
I ask
the Premier: Will you follow through with your promise and ensure that all the
information is made public?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Justice and Public Safety.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Mr. Speaker, the Member
opposite can be assured that we're going to put all the information out there.
And I can tell you what, I don't lose any sleep at night over it, I can
guarantee you that.
Now just
so people know, this is legislation that's found in Ontario, that's found in
British Columbia and it's found here. It's probably the biggest access to
information request ever made in the province's history. There are 36 gigs of
data just from this department. By putting in this piece of legislation, which
we will be supporting in third reading tomorrow, we're putting all that
information out there in a timely fashion so this inquiry can happen, it can
have all the information and it can be done within the time period, which is
what Justice LeBlanc wants.
Again,
if the Member opposite is worried, I can guarantee you all the information's
going to go out there.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the
Official Opposition.
MR. P. DAVIS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
It is
interesting the minister raised BC and Ontario, because yesterday in debate I
asked him what are the similarities or differences in the legislation they
proposed versus what BC and Ontario are doing, and he didn't know. He didn't
know what the difference was or what the similarities were.
I asked
him: What will the process be to decide what privilege is waived and what
privilege is not waived? He didn't know, Mr. Speaker. So he wonders why we may
have a concern with it, because we want all the information out there.
Minister, I'll ask you: What safeguards are in place to ensure a fair and
balanced approach, other than just your government deciding?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Justice and Public Safety.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The
Member opposite, again, I guess he wasn't listening to the briefing that was
provided to him or maybe he just didn't ask the questions. It's funny, in fact,
because in some cases the Opposition sends their researchers and they agree with
what we're doing, but then when the Opposition Members hear it they disagree.
Maybe there's a bit of confusion going on over there.
The
legislation is virtually identical between Ontario, BC and Newfoundland and
Labrador with this amendment. The process has been outlined. All the information
is going to go over there. What we're doing is we're protecting solicitor-client
privilege so we avoid any future disasters for this government. I know the
Opposition doesn't care, but they just gave us the biggest one in our province's
history. This government is going to make sure that we protect it, we're going
to co-operate and I hope that satisfies his concerns.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Mount
Pearl North.
MR. LESTER:
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the
minister met with representatives from Port Blandford Council and the Concerned
Citizens group, after which the community group made a statement that no
information will be released or published until a public meeting took place this
coming Thursday. However, soon after the meeting concluded the minister spoke to
the local media.
Why
would the minister not respect the wishes of the community to consult and share
with the residents before going public?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Fisheries and Land Resources.
MR. BYRNE:
Mr. Speaker, what an
excellent meeting we had, the Town of Port Blandford with the action committee
and with the local Member of the House of Assembly. We had a fantastic meeting
because we spoke about the opportunities to compromise, the ability for not only
those who make their living from the forest – this is an active forest, a
working forest – but also the needs of the community itself.
In fact,
Mr. Speaker, there was never any discussion about whether or not we should come
forward and express those kinds of positive messages. I was contacted by the
local newspaper, The Packet, and
offered those just a general consensus or a general review of the overall tone
and tenor of the meeting.
I found
it to be an absolutely excellent discussion and an exchange of great ideas. I
appreciate the hon. Member's question.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The Member for Mount Pearl
North.
MR. LESTER:
Mr. Speaker, in that
interview the minister said he had personally met with wood harvesters.
I ask
the minister: When did these meetings occur? How many harvesters were involved?
MR. SPEAKER:
The Minister of Fisheries and
Land Resources.
MR. BYRNE:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
They
happened the day prior. There were about 17 different harvesters that actually
came and wanted to meet with me. It was basically on the same issue itself as to
whether or not there would be permissible forestry activity.
As the
hon. Member is aware, there was a process in place, through the environmental
assessment, through our own management strategies. We produce a five-year
forestry management plan for each and every district. This came forward as part
of that five-year planning process. We had previously engaged with the Town of
Port Blandford. Some of them had put forward some amendments to the five-year
plan.
Now, of
course, we have a situation where they'd like to see some further amendments. I
am fully prepared – fully prepared – noting that this is a working forest, to
look at and consider any compromise options.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The Member for Mount Pearl
North.
MR. LESTER:
Mr. Speaker, last December I
asked the minister if government had given any consideration to lifting the
rental subsidy cap. The minister replied: They are going through a full review
of all programs and services offered by Housing and there will be something
coming in the very near future.
Could
the minister update us on her progress?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Service NL.
MS. GAMBIN-WALSH:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I guess
the Member opposite is asking about the
Residential Tenancies Act and where it is. We are moving forward on the act.
I expect to enter it into the House of Assembly soon, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The Member for Mount Pearl
North.
MR. LESTER:
Actually, Mr. Speaker, if I
could clarify my question, it was specifically regarding the rental subsidy
issue to seniors. If you could clarify that, please.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Children, Seniors and Social Development.
MS. DEMPSTER:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I'm
always happy to stand and answer a question regarding housing in the province
because safe, stable, affordable housing, as we all know, is fundamental to the
social and economic well-being of the residents of our province. We have just
gone through a thorough review of our programs and services looking for
efficiencies, looking how to deliver better services.
Rent
subs is something, Mr. Speaker, that we have heard information back, we have
listened and I would say to the hon. Member, stay tuned for positive news coming
on that.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Cape St. Francis.
MR.
K. PARSONS:
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
Minister, we understand that the Five Nations Clam
Company president issued a statement yesterday stating that the company has
signed MOUs with indigenous communities in Quebec and each of the Atlantic
Provinces.
Can you confirm this?
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Minister of Fisheries and Land Resources.
MR.
BYRNE:
(Inaudible.)
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Member for Cape St. Francis.
MR.
K. PARSONS:
Minister, it is reported that there is a Labrador indigenous group with former
Liberal MP Todd Russell may be partnered with the Five Nations Clam Company.
Can you confirm that?
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Minister of Fisheries and Land Resources.
MR.
BYRNE:
No,
Mr. Speaker, we have received no official notification of any such signing of a
formal arrangement or contract.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Member for Fortune Bay - Cape La Hune.
MS.
PERRY:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Yesterday, the Department of Children, Seniors and
Social Development said that the number of children and youth in Level 4 care
has doubled since 2014.
Can the minister provide this information for Levels 1,
2 and 3 care as well?
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Minister of Children, Seniors and Social Development.
MS.
DEMPSTER:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I'd first like to correct for the record here, the
number of children in care have not doubled, Mr. Speaker. The number of
placements may have doubled over a period of time, but the number of children in
care has stayed relatively the same when we look back over the last number of
years.
Mr. Speaker, when we talk about children and youth in
care it is a very complex issue, and the safety and well-being of those children
is a fundamental core value with this government.
Mr. Speaker, we continue to work with families.
Whenever we have to take children from homes, the number one goal is always to
reunify those children with their families.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Member for Fortune Bay - Cape La Hune.
MS.
PERRY:
Of
the increased number of youth who have been removed from their homes in Level 4
care, how does this break down across regions of the province?
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Minister of Children, Seniors and Social Development.
MS. DEMPSTER:
Mr. Speaker, the number of
children and youth in care, we get updates every quarter. I mentioned it has
stayed relatively stable. The number of children and youth in care, the numbers
are actually down a little bit. The latest stats we have are that we have 1,005
children in care in our province, Mr. Speaker.
We will
continue to work as a department with our social workers to look at what are
some of the – many of the issues, Mr. Speaker, are very complex. My colleague,
the Minister of Health, is doing a lot of wonderful things around drug
addictions. He's working with different types of crisis and mental health
issues.
Mr.
Speaker, the Department of Children, Seniors and Social Development often find
themselves dealing with those children of those people.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Fortune Bay - Cape La Hune.
MS. PERRY:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The
department offers a wide range of programs to provide support and keep children
and youth in their homes.
Minister, given that the number of placements outside of their homes is
doubling, do you believe that these programs are fulfilling the needs of our
children and youth?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Children, Seniors and Social Development.
MS. DEMPSTER:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I think
the Member – I don't know how thorough her research is, but it's important for
the record here to note, 75 per cent of the children that my department works
with are in foster care or we're working with them in their own homes – 75 per
cent of the children are in foster care.
So what
we're talking about is there are 25 per cent who have very complex issues or
they're large sibling groups, Mr. Speaker. In the best interest of the children,
sometimes, to keep brothers and sisters and those people together, we have to
find alternate living arrangements for them.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Fortune Bay - Cape La Hune.
MS. PERRY:
Have you ordered a review to
determine what is going so wrong?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Children, Seniors and Social Development.
MS. DEMPSTER:
Mr. Speaker, we are always
reviewing the work that we are doing in the Department of Children, Seniors and
Social Development. Since I came to this department, I have been out, myself, in
eight or nine different offices. I have visited a number of indigenous
communities. I have been on First Nation Reserves, meeting with staff to deepen
my understanding, going through the records, always with a view of when a child
has to be removed for their own safety and protection that is always with a goal
to reunify them back with their families.
When we
have to take them, we continue to work with that family to provide wrap-around
services, but not always a two-minute answer here can really explain what we're
dealing with, with some of these complex issues.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Conception Bay East - Bell Island.
MR. BRAZIL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The
Liberals promised a cardiovascular center of excellence in their campaign red
book. It was in the minister's mandate letter in 2015 and again in 2017.
I ask
the minister: What have you done to fulfill your mandate letter with respect to
cardiac disease?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Health and Community Services.
MR. HAGGIE:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker, a good question.
I have
met on several occasions with cardiologists across the province, including those
in St. John's. The Member opposite may know that there were some indicators from
CIHI suggesting some issues with our cardiac surgery and cardiac care program.
There is
an outside team from Kelowna, the best performing centre on the CIHI data, who
have come in to Eastern Health who runs the cardiology program, to examine it.
When that report is delivered to me I think it would be then appropriate to have
that analyzed and to see how best we can feed that in to the concept of a centre
of excellence.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Conception Bay East - Bell Island.
MR. BRAZIL:
Cardiac disease affects one
in three Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, killing more people in this province
than any other disease. Based on that stark reality, we need action.
What
evidence can you provide that shows you're any closer to setting up a
cardiovascular centre of excellence as was outlined in your mandate letter?
MR. SPEAKER:
The Minister of Health and
Community Services.
MR. HAGGIE:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
Indeed
this morning I was speaking at a forum at Memorial on chronic disease, among
other things. We have initiated a Chronic Disease Action Plan. We have, through
the Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Health Information, set up a chronic
disease registry. Under that, our first limb of that registry is a diabetes
registry, the single biggest chronic disease in this province numerically; over
11 per cent of the population has diabetes. That diabetes registry is up and
running.
It is
the difference, Mr. Speaker, between a telephone conversation and an answering
machine. We can go out, we can proactively start looking at diabetics and making
sure their care is up to the best standards nationally.
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.
The
Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development said yesterday in the
House that the English School District is changing its policy with respect to
the Safe and Caring Schools protocol and government is looking at changes to the
Schools Act to support that. We
seem to have a chicken-and-egg situation here.
I ask the minister: How does he expect the school district
to do its work before the changes are made to the
Schools Act which is the legislative guide for the board?
MR. SPEAKER: The
Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development.
MR. KIRBY: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
As I said in the House of Assembly yesterday in Question
Period, we have tried – the previous administration and this one – to do our
best to eradicate bullying in our schools. As I said yesterday, sexual
harassment and this sort of abuse is dehumanizing.
When individuals treat each other that way, it is
absolutely dehumanizing and the most extreme form in manifestation of bullying.
We will do whatever we can to work with our partners in the
school district, across the
departments in government, to ensure that we provide the best support we can to
survivors of sexual violence. We will not stop, we will be relentless and we
will see this through.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for St.
John's East -Quidi Vidi.
MS. MICHAEL:
Mr. Speaker, the minister
said yesterday the department is bringing in amendments to the act to make clear
to the school districts what their policies and practices should be.
I ask
the minister: If the changes to the act are so important, why is he not moving
quickly and in a coordinated manner with the school board, whose protocols get
authority from the legislation?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Education and Early Childhood Development.
MR. KIRBY:
Mr. Speaker, we are working
in coordination with the school district. We have been since mid-January when
this came to the attention of the Department of Education and Early Childhood
Development. We have met with stakeholder groups including the Provincial
Advisory Council on the Status of Women, the Newfoundland and Labrador Sexual
Assault Crisis Centre.
We've
been engaged in a continuous conversation. I didn't say any of what the Member
just said yesterday. I said that we will be making changes to the
Schools Act in response to her
question. I also said, in tandem with that, in coordination with that, at the
same time the school district is reviewing their policies on the Safe and Caring
Schools anti-bullying protocols. That's what I said yesterday. They're not
separate from one another; they're very much in mesh.
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for St.
John's Centre.
MS. ROGERS:
Mr. Speaker, government has
created confusion and chaos with their totally unrealistic and unworkable
approach for cannabis sales. Bizarrely, government clearly stated their
preference was for tier-one, stand-alone retail stores, but made it impossible
for local, small businesses to become sustainable tier-one stores.
Given
the meager 8 per cent commission a store would need to sell over 500 grams of
cannabis in single gram quantities every day just to cover expenses, no one
except Canopy Growth who is a grower could absorb that loss.
I ask
the minister: How can he keep his commitment to no co-location of alcohol and
cannabis in a retail space, except in extenuating circumstances, when he has
made it economically impossible for a tier-one retail space to even cover its
expenses?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Finance and President of Treasury Board.
MR. OSBORNE:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr.
Speaker, this is, as I've said, a brand new area of business for the NLC. As a
regulator of controlled substances, they were the best choice to take on this
role of selling cannabis. I trust that they know what they're doing with the
sale of regulated products, Mr. Speaker, but I did give the Member opposite the
assurance that we will continue to monitor this as it rolls out. I'm just as
interested in making sure that these businesses are successful as you are.
We all
want to ensure that these businesses are successful, Mr. Speaker, and we'll
continue to monitor the 8 per cent, we'll continue to monitor the number of
people that have replied to the RFP and the number of people that are interested
in setting up shop.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for St.
John's Centre.
MS. ROGERS:
Mr. Speaker, Ontario is doing
further public consultation in order to establish reasonable, workable and
enforceable laws regarding where cannabis can and cannot be consumed. Our public
engagement process did not deal with this issue. Arbitrarily, government decided
that cannabis can only be consumed on private property. People are concerned and
have many questions. For instance, can people smoke cannabis at their campsite
where they currently are allowed to drink beer and smoke cigarettes?
I ask
the minister: Will he commit to additional public consultation to determine what
the people of the province believe is the best approach?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Justice and Public Safety.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I
certainly appreciate the questions on cannabis because we all know this is the
biggest public policy debate that we've had in decades. It's a huge issue and
one that every province has been dealing with, and in many cases it's something
that, it's not a province that has decided to do it, it's the feds.
I
disagree with the notion that there hasn't been enough public engagement in the
sense that we had an online public engagement process that was the most
successful one this government has ever done. There were thousands that took an
opportunity to participate. One of the issues we did discuss was where cannabis
could and could not be used, and there's more to determine.
What I
would say is a big component of this will be education. That's going to be put
out there into the public soon, led by the federal government, and we will do
what we have to, to encourage the public to be educated as well.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The time for Oral Questions
is over.
If I
could have Members' attention, please.
Order,
please!
I would
like to welcome to the Speaker's gallery today – I'm very pleased to welcome
Inuk Elder Emma Reelis. As most of us know, she led the House of Assembly this
morning in very wise words and prayer as our MHAs are today fasting and
supporting the Moose Hide Campaign. This is an indigenous led initiative
addressing violence against women and children. Nakummek, Emma.
I also
want you to know I have a special message that's just been delivered to and for
you from British Columbia thanking you for your efforts. You have some good,
solid friends in BC wishing you very well.
Thank
you very much.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Presenting Reports by
Standing and Select Committees.
Tabling
of Documents.
Notices
of Motion.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Finance and President of Treasury Board.
MR. OSBORNE:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I think
I was supposed to do this under the Tabling of Documents. If I could have leave?
MR. SPEAKER:
Okay, you can.
I can
back you up.
Tabling of
Documents
MR. OSBORNE:
Thank you.
Pursuant
to section 265(a) of the Financial
Administration Act, I'm tabling one Order in Council relating to a funding
pre-commitment for the fiscal years 2018-19 and 2019-20.
MR. SPEAKER:
Further tabling of documents?
Notices
of Motion.
Answers
to Questions for Which Notice has been Given.
Petitions.
Petitions
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Fortune Bay - Cape La Hune.
MS. PERRY:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
To the
hon. House of Assembly of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in
Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents of Newfoundland
and Labrador humbly sheweth:
WHEREAS
a year has passed since the tragic event of January 17, 2017, where our school
was completely destroyed; and
WHEREAS
we have 250 people in a building which is only equipped to handle 150; and
WHEREAS
we do not have a science lab, library/resource room, cafeteria, computer room,
student support suite, no wheelchair accessibility washrooms and no
multi-purpose room; and
WHEREAS
we have classrooms which require co-programming but this cannot happen because
of space issues in the building; and
WHEREAS
government has a legal responsibility to ensure our students have access to the
best education;
WHEREUPON your petitioners humbly pray and call upon the House of Assembly to
urge government to commit to a new state-of-the-art K to 12 school for the
students of Bay d'Espoir, announce funding in the 2018-2019 budget to begin the
design and tender process, and we would like the construction to be expedited.
And as
in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.
Mr.
Speaker, I'd like to start by thanking the minister for rising to his feet last
week when we presented this petition and informing us that $13 million has
become available from the insurance. It certainly was a moment of great elation
for all residents of Bay d'Espoir; but, Mr. Speaker, this issue is very, very
important to us. There's nothing more important than our children, and nothing
should be more important than ensuring they have the best quality of education
possible.
On
Friday, there was a Telegram article
that caused the elation to turn to fear, Mr. Speaker, because there is grave
concern there might be some rebuilding of the burnt 60-plus year-old structure
that's still standing.
Mr.
Speaker, I have been asked to bring forward, by the school council, the fact
that the students of Bay d'Espoir cannot endure being put back into a wooden
structure that is 60 years old, that has burn damage. A new school, Mr. Speaker,
that will take care of the children for the next 50 years and provide them with
the best possible education is the only acceptable solution.
One
thing for certain, both sides of the bay are in consensus in wanting a brand new
school. Anything less than a brand new school, Mr. Speaker, is totally
unacceptable to them.
As a
parliamentarian and as a person who represents both communities, first and
foremost I represent the children. This decision can't be about emotions. It
must about the children and what is best for them.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Further petitions?
The hon.
the Member for Conception Bay East - Bell Island.
MR. BRAZIL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
To the
House of Assembly of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in Parliament
assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents of Newfoundland and
Labrador humbly sheweth:
WHEREAS
the Bell Island ferry provides a vital transportation link; and
WHEREAS
the Bell Island ferry is only eight minutes from port at any given time; and
WHEREAS
government's recently implemented policy relating to mandatory exiting of
vehicles will put people at a higher risk of injury than the possibility of
having to evacuate the vessel due to an emergency; and
WHEREAS
Transport Canada regulations do not require individuals to exit their vehicles
during this commute;
WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the House
of Assembly to urge government to conduct a full and thorough risk assessment to
clearly identify all risks and liabilities associated with such a policy
decision, after which public release any and all results and details of the
review.
And as
in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.
Mr.
Speaker, I've talked about this over the last period of time about the
importance of really looking at safety. Nobody more than me understands the
necessity of ensuring people, when they travel, are safe in their endeavours.
The
issue here becomes, as was noted here by this petition, at any given time these
vessels are eight minutes from port. They're not out in the North Atlantic 500
kilometres off where there would have to be a helicopter come in to get them.
They're eight minutes from port with the ability and trained personnel to be
able to do an evacuation in a timely fashion.
Most
timely fashions, the evacuation of the boat to deploy the lifeboats and that are
20 to 30 minutes, keeping in mind the vessels are only of a certain size. But
when you take into account the physical ailments that a number of these people
have who travel back and forth for this eight minutes from being from port –
some are going for dialysis on a daily basis, some are having cancer treatment,
some are having surgeries.
As a
result, due to the ferries themselves – getting in and out of cars, going
upstairs, having to take an elevator that only gets them to one level, then
they've got to walk to areas where there are other stairs to get to another part
to be part of the muster station – puts them at more peril than the odds after
over one million trips of never having to evacuate one of the vessels of a
physical ailment or a physical condition that would be detrimental to their
health.
What
we're saying is do a full-fledged risk assessment. I know we've pushed; we used
that as leverage when we held the boat back in November. That was one of the
things I managed to negotiate that it would be done. The previous minister had
committed to it. I know the present minister is committed to it, too, and I know
it has gotten delayed and we're pretty close to it now being awarded and put out
there, but it has to be expedited. Eight months later, we've seen people who
have gone through unbelievable hardship in having to get in and out of vehicles.
We've
seen hundreds – not hundreds, thousands of stories about the impact it's had on
their loved ones and the impact it is having on health. We have people who will
not travel because, physically, it's impossible for them to have to get out of
their vehicle for that eight minutes. The impact it has on their lives has a
detrimental effect.
Mr.
Speaker, I'll get to speak to this again in the near future to talk about we
need to expedite this and get it done so people can travel in the fashion that
it is not only safe, but it shows a bit of dignity and it helps their
livelihood.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
The hon.
the Minister of Transportation and Works, for a response.
MR. CROCKER:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
I thank
the hon. Member for the question. As committed to last fall, we are doing the
independent risk assessment with a third party, and we should have the results
of that by the end of this month. But, Mr. Speaker, it's important to note here,
this is a provincial-wide policy. The Member referenced an eight-minute ferry
ride. We have a three-minute ferry ride on the West Coast of this province where
people are expected to get out of their cars.
Mr.
Speaker, these are vessels where the lifejackets and lifeboats are on a separate
deck. For the Member to get up here today and say a million trips and nothing
happened. Well, Mr. Speaker, I'm not willing to take numbers of something
happening because it didn't happen, one in a million. There were people in Long
Harbour two weeks ago that went to bed and didn't know they were going to win
the lottery, but it happened.
For the
chance to us to take people's safety – just think about it, you're on the deck
of a boat and that boat begins to list, the elevator becomes inoperable and you
have to get to another deck. If you asked people who were involved in the
tragedy in British Columbia a few years ago how long it took for that vessel to
list and capsize, I'm not willing to take that risk with people's lives in this
province.
Thank
you very much.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
Orders of the Day
Private Members'
Day
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
This
being Wednesday, I now call on the Member for Torngat Mountains to introduce the
resolution standing in his place, Motion 1, and I also would like to again
express appreciation to our elder for participating in this debate.
Thank
you.
The hon.
the Member for Torngat Mountains.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. EDMUNDS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
It's an
honour today to reintroduce such an important private Member's resolution. I'll
start by reading the resolution again, and it was seconded by my hon. colleague
the Member for
Stephenville - Port au Port.
WHEREAS
gender-based violence remains a reality for many women and girls in Newfoundland
and Labrador; and
WHEREAS indigenous women across the country experience
a rate of violence three times higher than non-indigenous women and are murdered
at a rate six times higher; and
WHEREAS the Moose Hide Campaign is a grassroots
movement of indigenous and non-indigenous men taking
a stand against violence
against women and children across Canada; and
WHEREAS
the Moose Hide Campaign promotes the wearing of a small piece of moose hide
signifying the wearer's commitment to honour, respect and protect the women and
children in their lives, and to work collaboratively with other men to end
gender-based violence; and
WHEREAS
the Moose Hide Campaign movement has spread to over 350 communities across
Canada and distributed over 1 million moose hide pins;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that this hon. House encourages all Members of the
House of Assembly to support the Moose Hide Campaign and work toward ending
violence against all women and girls in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Mr.
Speaker, it was an honour this morning, when we started the kickoff of this very
important PMR, to have hon. Members from all sides of this House of Assembly
join in the Speaker's office to begin the process of the Moose Hide Campaign.
Part of the Moose Hide Campaign is to start a non-violent protest in the form of
fasting. I was glad to have everyone there join us for breakfast and that we
would not eat anymore until the close of business today.
I was
especially proud to welcome an Inuk elder to join us to give a prayer and words
of wisdom, and to hand out the moose hide pins. Along with you, Mr. Speaker, I'd
like to welcome Emma Reelis to the Speaker's gallery and to thank her for taking
part in this campaign this morning.
It was
also enlightening to get a message from the founders of the Moose Hide Campaign,
from the Lacertes, who actually addressed our group while in the Speaker's
Chamber this morning. It had a personal touch to it. It was actually very nice
to hear them recognize us as a supporter of the Moose Hide Campaign.
When we
look at some of the statistics, they are very moving. Not only in our province,
not only in our regions, but across the country. Those stats are more alarming
when you differentiate between women and children in our province and go to
Aboriginal or indigenous women and children in our province. Those stats become
much more alarming.
Just to
go back to talk about how this Moose Hide Campaign was founded and how it went
about. As I said earlier, it's signified by wearing a square piece of moose
hide. I'm glad to see that everyone in this hon. House today is wearing the pin
and supporting this campaign.
The
inspiration for the Moose Hide Campaign actually came from a hunting expedition
in Northern BC. Paul and Raven Lacerte were hunting moose on Highway 16, which
is a highway in Northern British Columbia that's also known, unfortunately, as
the Highway of Tears and it references some 40 Aboriginal women who've
disappeared along this stretch of highway in Northern BC.
As this
family was harvesting the moose, they kind of got the idea. Why don't we use the
moose hide from this animal to try and emphasize or address the violence against
women that's going on in our country. They took it upon themselves to launch
this campaign.
If you
look at some of the reasons why this idea came to them at this particular
location in 2011 is because the highway itself has been the site for a string of
murders and disappearances in BC that stems back to the late 1990s and into
2000. As I said earlier, the number of Aboriginal women who are missing from BC
and this particular area are as high as 40. I guess where Paul and Raven were in
close proximity to this area, it was the very issue that sparked the idea that
moose hide could be used as a symbol to end violence.
I guess
they thought about it a little more and they decided if they take the moose hide
and they tan it and they cut it up to little squares, they would give it to men
as a token of their commitment to end violence against women and children in
this country, and as a promise to never commit a violent act towards women and
children in our lives.
You ask,
why moose hide? Once you look at many of the pins and many of the emblems that
represent different chapters in our lives – we've had pink ribbons, we've had
many, many different kinds – I guess the hope was that seeing such an unusual
pin, that piece of tanned moose hide, it would spark conversation, it would
generate interest. It would focus on violence against women as an indigenous
effort and an effort on behalf of many in our communities.
If you
look violence against women, as I said earlier, there are some concerning stats,
some statistics that we're not happy with, but they are there. We can't deny the
fact that some of these statistics about violence against women in our regions
and in our country is not something that we can be proud of. This whole campaign
is another initiative that I'm hoping will increase the focus on addressing
violence against women.
Indigenous women, Mr. Speaker, experience violence at a rate that's almost three
times higher than violence reported by non-indigenous women. In our country,
every six days there's a woman that's killed by her intimate partner – every six
days. That is not something that we can be proud of in a country as free and as
good as Canada is.
In
colleges in our country, Mr. Speaker, one in four women will be sexually
assaulted by the time they graduate. Twenty-five per cent of our women in
college will be sexually assaulted before they graduate. The rate of domestic
violence is likely much higher than reports indicate. Reports indicate that 70
per cent of spousal violence is not reported to police. An extremely disturbing
fact from the RCMP is that there are over 1,200 murdered or missing indigenous
women in Canada.
As I
said earlier during the Moose Hide Campaign, that fasting is an important
ceremonial practice because it demonstrates a personal commitment to honouring
and protecting women and children in our country. The Moose Hide Campaign men's
fast is simple; they fast from sun-up to sundown. The fasting begins 20 minutes
before sun-up and it ends 20 minutes after the sun goes down to ensure that
there's a full fasting day. It's a symbol of a strike or a public protest, a
non-violent protest that shows that we are supporting this cause. We don't
condone violence against women or violence against children, and this is our
form of protest, a non-violent protest to work towards that.
Paul and
Raven, their initial vision was to have a million men fasting with them to end
violence against women and children in Canada. It was also their goal to
distribute 100 million of the moose hide pins across the country in order to
raise awareness. They've actually, on the 15th of February, presented their one
millionth pin. The whole campaign is growing.
This
morning with my colleagues on both sides of the House in the Speaker's
boardroom, as I said earlier, it was really good to see a united effort and a
common stand against violence from this Legislature. When we look at the numbers
of people that are getting on board – like today, this Legislature is the fourth
in Canada to stand and support the Moose Hide Campaign, and I couldn't be more
proud than to see us jump on board. The other three provincial legislatures have
stood in support of the Moose Hide Campaign: British Columbia, Alberta and
Northwest Territories.
In our
communities in our province, I think the communities of Happy Valley-Goose Bay
have climbed on board with this campaign. The Friendship Centres in St. George's
and Stephenville have hosted support events on Valentine's Day, I think, on the
14th.
In
October of last year, the federal government announced that it would be
supporting the Moose Hide Campaign and a national day of fasting and support.
They encouraged all men to abstain. Prime Minister Justice Trudeau delivered a
congratulatory message to the Moose Hide Campaign stating its purpose and
especially how important it is as government moved forward with reconciliation
and the Inquiry into Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women. Mr. Speaker, it's my
hope that after today's event, communities right across Newfoundland and
Labrador will join this campaign and help eradicate violence against women and
children.
I guess
in my closing remarks – and in the opening, Mr. Speaker – I'd just like to point
out that bringing this private Member's resolution forward today is very timely
and coinciding with some special events that are ongoing in our country and in
our province. For example, tomorrow marks International Women's Day. It's an
honour to bring forward a resolution that campaigns against violence against
women leading into the day that we honour the women in our country.
My last
statement, Mr. Speaker, is that the inquiry for murdered and missing indigenous
women is actually in our province. They're in Happy Valley-Goose Bay. The
inquiry started today. I'm certainly looking forward to actually going up to
Happy Valley-Goose Bay tomorrow to take part in this inquiry and to lend my
support on behalf of all hon. Members in this House.
In
closing, I'd just like to thank everyone for being there today and to ask
everyone in the province to do their part in supporting the Moose Hide Campaign
and ending violence against women.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Fortune Bay - Cape La Hune.
MS.
PERRY:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I'd like to thank my colleague for Torngat Mountains
for bringing forward this very important resolution to the House of Assembly
here today. We are certainly quite pleased to stand here as the Official
Opposition in support of your motion here today. Mr. Speaker, it's very alarming
that in this day and age we still have to shine a light on violence against
women, but we will continue to do so until such behaviour is eradicated from our
society.
More and more people are learning about the Moose Hide
Campaign which started several years ago as a grassroots effort of an indigenous
father and daughter, as has been outlined by my hon. colleague for Torngat
Mountains. For those
of you who'd like to know more about it, you can find out more online at
www.moosehidecampaign.ca. It's a worthwhile site for everyone who has an interest in this topic
to go online and check it out.
They
were on a hunting trip, actually, Mr. Paul Lacerte and his daughter, Raven. They
were hunting, as my colleague as outlined, along the Highway of Tears, which is
the stretch of highway in Northern BC where many women have been murdered or
gone missing. They harvested a moose and as the daughter was preparing it, they
had a moment of inspiration to tan the moose hide and cut it into squares to
engage men in efforts to end violence against women and children.
The
inspiration came from the land, from the loving relationship between the father
and daughter, from the stretch of highway where violence has taken so many loved
ones and from the spirit of the moose. It's quite heartening to hear my hon.
colleague say they have distributed their one-millionth pin, Mr. Speaker. That's
quite a feat to have accomplished and hats off to them.
Prince
Rupert is on the BC coast about halfway up the length of the province
immediately south of the Alaska border. The highway travels inland around the
Skeena River through mountainous territory and winds its way almost to the
Alberta border. The route itself is beautiful, but the stories of women who have
disappeared along that highway are deeply etched in people's minds.
The
Highway of Tears is just one of the roadways across this country where women
have encountered violence. Many have found it in their own homes or in places
they considered to be safe. When we hear about the #MeToo movement and the
TIME's UP campaign, we need to link them to all the other campaigns that are
shining a spotlight on violence. It's not enough to be aware, though that is the
beginning; it's important to be active and vigilant, to draw the line in the
sand and send a clear message that things need to change.
This is
a difficult time for our society. As people speak up about hidden pain and
suffering, it's difficult for many to know what to do. The only thing that's
certain is that not doing anything, or doing the same old thing, will no longer
be tolerated.
This
campaign comes against the backdrop of the National Inquiry into Missing and
Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. In response to calls for action from
indigenous families, communities and organizations, as well as non-governmental
and international organizations, the Government of Canada launched an
independent National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and
Girls in September 2016.
The
inquiry's interim report issued last November stated: “There is no doubt that
the loss of Indigenous women and girls to all forms of violence is a national
tragedy. It has traumatized generations of families, and it will continue to
traumatize communities if we do not commit to action and change.
“Shining
a light on all the causes of violence, murders, and disappearances is a daunting
task.”
It also
stated: “With all the information we have, we still don't know how many
Indigenous women and girls are missing or have been murdered. We don't know what
happened to many of them, or how to make sure we don't lose any more Indigenous
women and girls to violence.” These words are haunting and terrifying. Imagine
the nightmare situations that they found themselves in.
I
believe that it's by trying to imagine their plight on that Highway of Tears
that Paul Lacerte and his daughter, Raven, decided to do something about it. The
Moose Hide Campaign is about inspiring people to make it personal. The Moose
Hide Campaign is a grassroots movement of indigenous and non-indigenous men and
boys who are standing up against violence towards women and children.
Wearing
the moose hide pin signifies your commitment to honour, respect and protect the
women and children in your life and speak out against gender-based and domestic
violence. Participating in the campaign is also an act of reconciliation.
The
Moose Hide Campaign is an indigenous-led initiative rooted in culture and
ceremony. What started as a movement to get men involved in ending violence
against indigenous women and children, has since grown into a national campaign
to engage all Canadians in ending domestic and gender-based violence. To date,
as my hon. colleague has said, there have been 1 million pins distributed.
Again, I say hats off because that is such an amazing feat. We have to continue
in our pursuit to increase the awareness and take the action to make sure
violence is eradicated.
Violence
against women and girls touches every community, every ethnicity and every
nation. It is not confined to any one of them. It touches every profession,
every religion and every socioeconomic stratum of our society. It can be overt
and extreme or subtle and insidious. It can be something that anyone would
recognize to be wrong, or something that led some to believe to be tolerable,
not really all that bad in the greater scheme of things. It can be a single
incident or a progression of incidents. It can be committed by someone under the
influence of drugs or alcohol, or by someone who is stone-cold sober, but it is
never okay.
People
need to reflect on what this means. They need to learn what's not okay and what
crosses the line. They need to be educated and they need to make a personal
pledge not to do it, and as well not to stand by when someone else does it. They
need to be a part of the solution. This campaign is solution-oriented. The
fasting aspect of the campaign adds gravitas to the experience. Fasting focuses
the mind. Fasting in groups focuses conversation.
As my
hon. colleague outlined – and it was nice to see the House picture this morning
– at sundown there was a fast breaking meal that reinforces the sense that
something has changed. That happened right here in our House of Assembly, Mr.
Speaker, and it's a very important step. But we also need to realize that it's
not going to be enough. It is just one step of many. More steps will be needed.
I'm
reminded, Mr. Speaker, of the story of Loretta Saunders. Loretta was upset about
the missing and murdered indigenous women and girls in this country and she
vowed to make a difference. She was working on an honours thesis on this very
topic. On February 13, 2014 she was trying to collect rent money from her
tenants. For the sake of $430, she was murdered. They dumped her body along a
highway in Nova Scotia, where she was found two weeks later. She was trying to
make a difference to help others who are missing and murdered and, in the end,
she herself was missing and murdered.
There
are so many stories that break our hearts. We have to be outraged. We have to be
mobilized. We have to change something fundamental about the society that we all
live in. Some of these changes will be hard to adjust to for some, but things
just can't go on as they have. No one has all the answers. No one is completely
sure what will work and what won't, but the status quo is not working for a
great many of women and girls. More, it turns out, than many have realized.
Stories
are being told that were kept under wraps for year. Many were simply not
believed. Imagine being victimized and not being able to tell for fear of not
being believed. Imagine being victimized and not being able to escape because of
the power structure of the relationship or some other reason. Imagine your loved
ones disappearing, never to be heard from again. Wouldn't you move heaven and
earth to find the one you love?
Loved
ones are missing right now, and families are distraught. Some of our loved ones
who aren't missing are suffering because of things that were done to them. We
cannot be in every dark corner of this world, but we can unite to make less and
less room for darkness. Our resolve to stop the violence and adjust attitudes
about behaviour can make our communities safer and more sensitive to what's
going on, more vigilant and interventionist, and less willing to turn a blind
eye to bad behaviour.
Mr.
Speaker, I think that is one area in particular where each and every citizen has
a responsibility. Turning a blind eye is not acceptable. Things will never
change if we sweep things under the rug and we turn a blind eye.
I know
we're going to be bringing in legislation later in this session dealing with
sexual harassment, for example, within core government. For the record, I'd like
to state again, I really don't think there should be any time limit on when a
person comes forward.
These
circumstances are very traumatic and people have various reasons why they may or
may not feel comfortable coming forward. I think things like imposing 90-time
limits is going to restrict the number of people to come forward. I believe we
should do everything we can to encourage as many people to come forward because
that's the only way it's going to stop, Mr. Speaker, is when we hold
perpetrators accountable for their behaviour.
Mr.
Speaker, I'm going to conclude my comments here today by, once again, commending
Mr. Paul Lacerte and his daughter, Raven, for the one small idea that turned
into a million people across this country wearing a moose hide pin in honour of
missing and murdered indigenous women, and in honour of making a commitment
towards ending such violence. It's a small piece of moose hide. Shared
experience can make a difference, so let's all embrace it.
I
commend my colleague for Torngat Mountains. I'm quite pleased to stand here with
him and all Members of this hon. House because I am extremely confident that it
will be supported by each and every one of us. I truly look forward to each and
every one of us not just speaking to this today, but by demonstrating in our
actions that violence will no longer be tolerated and that we will see the legal
system, over time, strengthened to demonstrate that violence towards women and
indigenous persons will not be tolerated.
Let's
tell the story to others in our indigenous and non-indigenous communities and
encourage people to participate. Let's all make a resolve to put an end to
violence wherever we can find it, Mr. Speaker.
I can
certainly assure you that all Members of the Official Opposition will stand in
support of this motion. We thank the Member for Torngat Mountains for bringing
it to the House today. We all commend the work of Paul Lacerte, his daughter,
Raven, and the million people who wear these pins and stand up and say time's
up.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Order, please!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. Member for the
District of
Stephenville - Port au Port.
MR.
FINN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
It's certainly a pleasure to stand today. A heartfelt
thank you to the Member for Torngat Mountains for taking me to second the
private Member's resolution we're debating this afternoon.
Mr. Speaker, in addition to being the Member for the
District of Stephenville - Port au Port, I'm actually an Aboriginal myself and a
founding member on the founding members list for the Qalipu First Nation Band.
My grandmother was actually a first generation Mi'kmaq originally born on Woods
Island.
At the time – and it was many years and even up until
before she passed in 2005 at the age of 102 – it was shunned upon. The identity
that her and her family had was something that was shunned upon. It's only
through the last number of years, the last 10, 11 years in particular, through
the Federation of Newfoundland Indians and then on to the formation of the
Qalipu First Nation Band, that there is some recognition and acceptance amongst
many others.
As a
result, I've actually now had the great opportunity to meet relatives I never
knew existed throughout this process, so as a young Aboriginal man it's a
pleasure and honour to support this motion today.
I
actually first learned of the Moose Hide Campaign just over two years ago. I'm
not sure what the numbers of the amount of hides distributed at the time were.
Just over two years ago a good friend of mine – from the district of the Member
for
Fortune Bay - Cape La Hune – Kayla Stride, a young Aboriginal artist from Conne
River said: If you're into politics, John, you'll be wearing a number of pins
and I would like you to have this one. At the time she presented me with that
pin.
Over the next year or so I started to see it more and
more, particularly at various gatherings of Qalipu and various sharing circles,
amongst many other areas. As I wore mine it did exactly what it was intended to
do. You'd be surprised how many people – and people in the Legislature will soon
to come to know if they wear the hide – how many people ask you: What is that
for? The common response is: That's exactly what it is for. The intent is so you
can ask me what it's for so we can begin a conversation about how we can end
violence against women and girls. It's certainly done a good job of that.
In addition to originally learning of the campaign
there, Mr. Speaker, you may recall you had brought this in your former role as a
minister with government and debated at our caucus. I indicated to you at the
time that I was certainly aware of the campaign. It was something we had
discussed and quite proudly, as well. Again, since then, to see this campaign
now move to some over 350 communities across this country and with, as the
Member mentioned previously, 1 million hides presented just last month, is
certainly astonishing.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for having us for a breakfast
as we begin our fast. They call it a simple fast. I guess there's no real way to
define anything about fasting as simple, but I think it's the very least we can
do as a commitment, as a recognition and as you had mentioned this morning, to
acknowledge some of the pain felt by those who have suffered violence at the
hands of men. There's no place for gender-based violence in our society.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR.
FINN:
There's no place for it.
I think it's extremely important for us, as leaders and
as legislators, to take a stand and to make this commitment. It was an absolute
pleasure to join – as the other provinces mentioned: BC, Alberta and the
Northwest Territories – as now the fourth Legislature in the country to support
this campaign.
As the
Member mentioned, indigenous women are more susceptible to violence and
experience violence at a rate that's three times as high as those non-indigenous
women. It's a very serious issue in our society and a serious issue in
Newfoundland and Labrador as well.
It's an
issue that our government is committed to addressing. There are a number of
things we've done as government over the past short while, if you will, and
there are a number of great initiatives. I have to applaud the Official
Opposition, while they were in government, with some of the initiatives under
the Violence Prevention strategy as well.
I'll
mention a few and I understand my colleague, the hon. the Minister Responsible
for the Status of Women, will perhaps acknowledge some of the initiatives that
our government has undertaken as well. This one started with the former
administration and it certainly moved into ours, it's the Action Plan for the
Prevention of Violence in Newfoundland and Labrador. In this, Mr. Speaker, is
just another startling statistic. The Member for Torngat Mountains had mentioned
some statistics and this is just something to ponder for a moment.
Between
2006 and 2014, there were 46,830 violent crimes reported against adults over the
age of 18. That's over 46,000 incidents in an eight-year period that were
violent in nature. The majority of victims of these violent crimes were women
and children, representing some 55 per cent of all adult victims. It's
absolutely astonishing.
Unfortunately, the more troubling piece from that statistic, Mr. Speaker: Sexual
offences, as well as kidnapping, hostage taking and abduction, in those
categories female victims outnumbered male victims 87 per cent and 89 per cent
respectively. It is absolutely disturbing. We can certainly do better.
In that
action plan are a number of initiatives that have been outlined. I'll touch on a
couple of those in a moment, particularly as they relate to the District of
Stephenville - Port au Port and some of the groups that are doing some wonderful
things to address violence against women and children.
In
addition to the action plan, we recently had the Minister of Justice and Public
Safety establish the Minister's Committee on Violence Against Women and Girls.
Mr. Speaker, there were a number of priorities identified; in fact, there were
actually over 2,000 thoughts and ideas that were recorded by volunteers when
this committee first met.
The
committee was with representatives from all sides of the House. It was with
representatives and ministers from the Departments of Health, Education and
Early Childhood Development, Children, Seniors and Social Development and
Advanced Education, Skills and Labour.
Mr.
Speaker, violence against women and children touches every single department in
this government. Members from government, members from the community alongside
Linda Ross, who is the president of the Provincial Advisory Council on the
Status of Women, have gotten together over 2,000 thoughts recorded. Of the four
priority areas that were noted, one of them in particular was around what we can
do with indigenous communities.
So,
certainly, to that end, I know the minister's committee is moving forward. I
understand they're looking forward to some legislative changes. They're also now
having established a steering committee, a website and feedback can continue to
be inputted.
In
addition to the action plan as noted, and in addition to the minister's
committee, we've also had the Premier most recently, just a few short weeks ago
in February – the hon. Premier came out and announced a harassment-free
workplace policy for departmental government employees. In reviewing this
particular policy and understanding that implementation and training will take
place now by June 1, it's going to put Newfoundland and Labrador as a leader
when it comes to other jurisdictions in a harassment-free workplace.
In
addition to that, the Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development has
also stated – and, in fact, he stated just this afternoon here in Question
Period – that there will be changes forthcoming to the
Schools Act as we look at how we can work with our school district,
our schools, our administration and how we can ensure that our children are safe
in our schools. They'll be looking forward to some changes coming on that note
as well.
Mr.
Speaker, in the District of
Stephenville - Port au Port, prior to myself
taking office and having the great opportunity to represent the folks there in
the Legislature, I spent five years working with housing and homelessness. In
that five years I actually sat down and helped many women who were fleeing
violent situations find and secure safe and affordable housing, but I didn't do
so alone. I have to give the highest compliment to the Bay St. George Status of
Women and the Bay St. George Women's Centre.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR.
FINN:
It's very exciting for the Bay St. George Women's Centre. Tomorrow, for
International Women's Day, they're actually celebrating the end of their
mortgage of the building.
The Bay St. George Status of Women was actually founded
30 years ago, incorporated in 1987. Then some five years later in 1992, they
purchased their own building. It was an emergency housing shelter for women and
children fleeing violent domestic situations.
Twenty-five years has passed. So tomorrow they're
actually having a very exciting celebration in which they're going to take out
the original mortgage documents and they're actually going to burn them, Mr.
Speaker. They're calling it a mortgage-burning ceremony. It's a celebration and
it happens to fall on International Women's Day. I'm very proud of them there.
They
also work very closely with the Southwestern Coalition To End Violence. The
People of the Dawn Indigenous Friendship Center, as the Member for Torngat
mentioned, have also supported the Moose Hide Campaign. There are two Friendship
Centers. There's one located in St. George's, the neighbouring district of mine,
the hon. Member for St. George's – Humber, and the other Friendship Center is
located in Stephenville. The folks there have celebrated this campaign as well.
I'd also
be remiss if I didn't mention the Newfoundland and Labrador Aboriginal Women's
Network and some of the great work they do there. The office that they have
there is actually in partnership with the Friendship Center. I've had the great
opportunity to volunteer with NAWN and the representatives there over the last
couple of years in various capacities as well.
Mr.
Speaker, that's just a few things and a few groups, if you will, in the District
of Stephenville - Port au Port that are doing what they can to make a
contribution towards the eradication of violence against women and children. As
a government, we have to continue our support to these groups.
I
understand that our Women's Centres across the province, in
Budget 2016 and in Budget 2017 did
receive an increase in funding. I also understand that the Southwestern
Coalition To End Violence has received some additional funding and sustained
funding as well.
It's
important for these groups. The Coalition To End Violence, in particular, just
recently – if it wasn't in latter December I'd be mistaken, it may be in early
January – the violence and action awareness training, and the initiatives that
they provide – and they just don't take in your commonly known stakeholders in
the community, they also include our youth and the Community Youth Network.
They're a group that are heavily involved with the Coalition To End Violence and
some of their initiatives as well.
Mr.
Speaker, our indigenous groups, and as I mentioned being a member of the Qalipu
First Nation Band – there are also other bands in the area, the Flat Bay Band.
The Member for St. George's - Humber and I, actually just last week, had a
chance to sit down with Elder Calvin White, who is one of our newest recipients
of the Order of Canada. Calvin White and Chief LaSaga sat down with the Member
and I for a great conversation around some of the good initiatives that they're
doing. Odelle Pike, another individual and prominent elder, working with NAWN
and the folks at our Friendship Center, also a recipient of the Order of Canada,
Mr. Speaker. Certainly these individuals are making a difference each and every
day. I don't think that we would be able to do our job as effectively as we are
without being informed and led by the information that they provide to us.
Mr.
Speaker, on that note I'm going to conclude my remarks. I'm very pleased to be
here today to discuss this important campaign. It's exciting to see we have
co-operation from our Members opposite and I'm certain we'll expect some
co-operation from the Members of the Third Party as well.
For
those who may be listening or may be watching or tuning in at home, if you wish
to learn more about the Moose Hide Campaign: moosehidecampaign.ca. It's as
simple as that; it's a one-click Google away. If you go to the site there's a
very profound and moving video about eight minutes in length. There's also some
information around the foundation, the campaign and how it began. I won't get
into those details as the Member previously alluded to them.
Without
Paul and his daughter, Raven Lacerte, I wouldn't be on my feet today talking
about this. To think that in seven years with a vision to distribute 1 million
moose hides and they've already achieved that, and now they're on the way for
the goal to distribute 10 million, is just certainly astounding.
I think
by taking this step today in our Legislature, as leaders in our province, we are
certainly setting the foundation. I would expect nothing less and if anything,
Mr. Speaker, in your role as Speaker of the Legislature, to reach out and
encourage the other legislators across the country to embrace this campaign as
well.
With
that, Mr. Speaker, I'm very pleased to support this campaign. We certainly can
do better, we will do better and we must do better to end violence against women
and children.
Thank
you very much, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Mount
Pearl North.
MR. LESTER:
Mr. Speaker, it is a great
honour to rise to support this resolution. I'd like to commend the Members
opposite, of Torngat Mountains and Stephenville, for leading the charge on this,
as well as yourself, Sir, for your interest. I would also like to thank the
respected elder for making time today to come in and facilitate our feast this
morning in observance of the fasting.
Mr.
Speaker, I had the privilege of living in a small rural community in another
province which shared a boundary with an indigenous group 40 years ago. At that
time, I was just going to school. I was in grade one. Many of the children that
were in my class were from this indigenous community. While I was a child there
were a lot of situations that, now, looking back on, I realize the challenges
the people of this community were experiencing.
I
remember there was a little girl next to me. Her name escapes my memory. Many
days she would come to school and she would cry the whole day. I look back on it
now and I wonder what kind of torment and situation that child had. I used to
share my lunch with her every day and by the end of the school year we had
become good friends. But now hearing these statistics that we've been exposed to
today, a big concern of mine is: Is my schoolyard friend one of these missing
indigenous women? That's why I stand here today to support this.
It is a
very beneficial campaign and we have to move forward with it. It's something
that for far too long has been not ignored, but not given enough attention. The
thoughts of the young women walking down that Highway of Tears, while many
people would drive up and look at the scenic landscape along it but, then, when
you picture those individuals standing there alone and what their future held
for them, it was very short. That's a big, big issue that we all have to take
responsibility for.
The
initiative of the Moose Hide Campaign began in 2011. It's absolutely commendable
that we're up to 1 million pins distributed. We're very close to getting that
participation goal of 1 million men fasting, but it goes beyond the scope of the
indigenous communities, it goes beyond the scope of our own Legislature. It is
important to note this campaign and this resolution applies to all communities
in our country.
No
community bears the scourge of violence alone, it is all our responsibility.
It's everywhere. It is not about overt violence, it's also about attitudes and
behaviours that hurt in other ways; this lack of respect and consequences have
taken centre stage around the world in recent months. I really hope it will
empower more people to not only come forward with their issues and their stories
of their own past, but others to rally around those who do. In that, I would
like to acknowledge the strength and the courage of the people today sitting in
Labrador participating in the federal government's commission on indigenous
violence.
This
campaign is one vehicle for mobilizing people at the grassroots to take
ownership of this issue and in their own lives. Since the Moose Hide Campaign
began in 2011, as I said, there have been hundreds of Moose Hide Campaign events
across Canada. The vast majority of these events have been self-organized at the
community organization level, with little or no direct engagement with the Moose
Hide Campaign organization. This is great news.
Key to
the vision of the Moose Hide Campaign is that the individuals become inspired to
do something about the tragic reality of gender-based violence and domestic
violence, and find their own ways of sharing the campaign with their friends,
families, communities and organizations. This is what continues to happen all
across Canada. If you're thinking of hosting a Moose Hide Campaign event, know
that very successful events have been held in all kinds of contexts and all
kinds of ways, from a small group of men coming together to hundreds of people
gathering for the day.
The
campaign identifies four elements that will be central in the campaign's
success, the foremost being learning. Campaign events are an opportunity to
learn about domestic and gender-based violence and how people can help prevent
them. They're also cross-cultural learning opportunities. To build understanding
of indigenous cultures, learning can take place in many ways including through
elder teachings, workshops on a range of topics and group discussion.
Experiential; Moose Hide Campaign events have the capacity to impact people on a
deeper level because participants are engaged in various practices such as
fasting, witnessing, ceremonies and sitting in circle. Most moose hide events
can be a transformational experience for participants.
Thirdly,
the culture; the Moose Hide Campaign is rooted deep in indigenous culture and
the spirit of reconciliation. Respect for local protocols, elder guidance and
indigenous practice will help ensure the intent of the day.
The
Moose Hide Campaign is a grassroots movement of indigenous and non-indigenous
men and boys who are standing up against violence towards women and children.
Wearing the moose hide pin signifies your commitment to honour, respect and
protect women and children in your life and speak out against gender-based
domestic violence. Participating in the campaign is also an act of
reconciliation. The Moose Hide Campaign is indigenous-led, rooted in culture and
ceremony.
Violence
against women and girls touches every community, ethnicity and nation. It is not
confined to any one of them; it touches every profession, religion, ever
socio-economic stratum of our society. It can be overt and extreme, subtle and
insidious. It can be something that anyone would recognize to be wrong or
something that some people convince themselves is intolerable and not really all
that bad in the greater scheme of things. It can be a single incident or it can
be a progression of events. It can be committed by someone under the influence
of alcohol or drugs or by someone who's stone cold sober. Do you know what? It's
never okay.
People
need to reflect on what this means. They need to learn what's not okay and what
crosses the line. That falls on all of society to make sure people stay within
those lines. They need to be making a personal pledge not to do it and not to
stand by while someone else does. They need to be part of the solution. Each one
of us in this Legislature needs to be part of the solution.
The
fasting aspect of the campaign adds gravitas to the experience. Fasting focuses
the mind. Fasting in groups focuses the conversation. At sundown, there's a
fast-breaking meal that reinforces the sense that something has changed. This is
an important step, but we also need to realize that's not going to be enough.
It's just one step. More steps will be needed.
This is
something that has to go beyond the walls of this House. It has to go beyond the
walls of our own houses at home in the community. It has to be something that we
proudly are willing to stand up for; something that we cannot tolerate any
further in our communities, in our homes or in our whole country.
I'm
proud here today to stand with all the other Members of this Legislature and the
Member for Torngat Mountains and support this resolution.
I can
relate to the power of a daughter-father relationship. I also have a very close
relationship with my daughter. We do some pretty, I guess, adventurous things at
times on the farm. We often reflect on different issues, and violence against
women is definitely one of them.
Every
time my daughter walks out the door, it's always one of my concerns: What is she
going to be faced with in this world today? One day I hope to watch my daughter
walk out that door and not have to think about that. This is one of the first
steps to do that.
Once
again, I congratulate us all and I'm proud to support this resolution.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister
Responsible for the Status of Women.
MS. COADY:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
It's an
honour today to stand to speak in favour of this resolution. I certainly know
and I'm hearing that everybody in this House feels strongly that this is an
important, a very important private Member's resolution.
I honour
my colleague from Torngat Mountains for raising it. I honour the Speaker for
hosting us this morning and for ensuring a very personal ceremony. I also want
to thank the Member for Stephenville - Port au Port for seconding this, and all
Members, really, for speaking so eloquently to this very important issue.
Mr.
Speaker, it seems over the last short period of time this issue of violence
against women, harassment and any form of bullying has now seen the light of
day. Mr. Speaker, we need to continue to talk about what's happening and we need
to continue together to find solutions to those problems.
Mr.
Speaker, I support, obviously, the Moose Hide Campaign. It's a grassroots
movement, a very important one, of indigenous and non-indigenous men taking a
stand on violence against women and children across Canada.
I
listened intently when the Member for
Torngat Mountains was talking about the
significance of the moose hide and the Highway of Tears. I was moved, Mr.
Speaker, to think about the women who have been harmed along the Highway of
Tears and all the women and all the children that are currently being harmed.
The Moose Hide Campaign promotes the wearing of a small
piece of moose hide signifying the wearer's commitment to honour, respect, and
protect the women and children in their lives, and to work collaboratively with
other men to end gender-based violence. I thank us all in this House for
recognizing the significance of this event today.
Gender-based violence remains a reality for many, many
women, children and girls in Newfoundland and Labrador. We all must work
together to end it. Indigenous women are particularly susceptible to violence.
Indigenous women across the country experience a rate of violence three times
higher than non-indigenous women and are also six times more likely to be
murdered. I'll let you sit and just think about that for a moment – six times
more likely to be murdered.
Mr. Speaker, it's shameful. As a society, we can do
better and must do better. As a government, we support campaigns such as the
Moose Hide Campaign which brings awareness and support to these very real issues
of violence happening in our communities. Since the Moose Hide Campaign began in
2011 there have been hundreds of events across Canada. Three other provincial
and territorial legislatures have stood in support of the Moose Hide Campaign
including British Columbia, Alberta and the Northwest Territories. I think
Newfoundland and Labrador is proud to stand with them and work towards a better
tomorrow.
The campaign has also garnered national support. In
October of 2017 the federal government announced it would be supporting the
Moose Hide Campaign's national day of fasting and support in encouraging all men
to abstain from eating and drinking for the day. Prime Minister Trudeau
delivered a congratulatory message to the Moose Hide Campaign last month. He
drew attention to the alignments with reconciliation and the need to do better
with the Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.
In Newfoundland and Labrador organizations have also
shown their support for the Moose Hide Campaign. The People of the Dawn
Indigenous Friendship Centre in St. George's hosted an event in support on
February 14, 2018. I
was really happy to follow my colleague from Stephenville - Port au Port and to
hear his expressions of support and the work that's being done in his community.
However,
Mr. Speaker, we have to continue to ensure that we're collaborating, that we're
working together as a community and as a government to prevent and eliminate
violence with all the measures that target this issue on all fronts. We provide
support, as you know, to community organizations. At the same time, we partner
within government to make progress on policies and programs which result in more
inclusive communities for everyone in Newfoundland and Labrador.
In
particular, Mr. Speaker, I'd like to draw attention to the continued
implementation of the Working Together for
Violence-Free Communities, our action plan for violence prevention
initiatives. Progress has been made within that plan and we are now moving
towards the next opportunity to refresh that plan. It is a living document and
we'll continue to work within that plan.
The
action plan has helped to guide our work in preventing and eliminating violence
in the province. It's just one of the ways government works with partners to
identify areas that need further efforts. While we've implemented many of the
actions of the plan, we know we must continue our work to prevent violence and
harassment in our schools, in our workplaces and in our communities.
I've
stood in this House often, Mr. Speaker, and said harassment, violence and
bullying is not acceptable in any way, any shape or any form in our homes. It's
not acceptable in our communities. It's not acceptable in our schools. It's not
acceptable where we play or where we work.
Working Together for
Violence-Free Communities
is a living document, as I said, which is responsive to the needs of our
communities. This allows us as a government to respond when action must be taken
to prevent and eliminate violence. This year we'll begin to explore how we can
build on our progress so far.
One way
we can do that is by working with other departments on policy and program
change. To that end, Mr. Speaker, we've established a ministerial committee
comprised of many of the ministers here in government responsible for: Justice
and Public Safety, Education and Early Childhood Development, Health and
Community Services, Children, Seniors and Social Development, Service NL and
Advanced Education, Skills and Labour. They have all come together in this
ministerial committee. It's chaired by myself as Minister Responsible for the
Status of Women. It really is an oversight to many of the initiatives that are
happening within government to ensure that we're progressing on timely basis.
The
Women's Policy Office provides ongoing support to other departments; for
example, in efforts to address violence. Some recent examples include working
with the Department of Justice and Public Safety on the new Justice Minister's
Committee on Violence Against Women and Girls and working with the Department of
Education and Early Childhood Development to implement reforms to the
Schools Act which will better support
girls and boys who have experienced violence.
We also
work to address root causes through initiatives such as the mental health and
addictions initiatives, including implementing recommendations from
Towards Recovery, a report of the
All-Party Committee on Mental Health and Addictions; through housing, including
the upcoming provincial housing plan to end homelessness; the Poverty Reduction
Strategy and other measures to reduce income inequality.
Mr.
Speaker, there is much happening with community partners who do essential work
in the field of violence prevention. Every day staff and volunteers of community
organizations are providing front-line, much-needed and important services
directly to the survivors of violence. I'd like to take a moment to thank them
for their efforts. It is a difficult task, it's an emotional task, but it is one
that they do willingly, caringly, and lovingly, if I can use that term, because
they are caring for people who are in much distress.
The
Women's Policy Office provides annual funding to organizations throughout the
province that provide valuable services to our communities. It includes eight
women's centres, 10 regional violence prevention Newfoundland and Labrador
committees, the Transition House Association of Newfoundland and Labrador, the
Newfoundland and Labrador Sexual Assault Crisis and Prevention Centre, the
Newfoundland Aboriginal Women's Network, the Multicultural Women's Organization
of Newfoundland and Labrador and Safe Harbour Outreach Project. They're very
important organizations in our communities, Mr. Speaker. These organizations
undertake great work in our communities. We're proud to partner with them to
improve the economic and social status of women in our province and to continue
to prevent violence.
We also
recognize that indigenous women and girls are particularly susceptible to
experiencing violence. That's why we provide specialized support to our
indigenous organizations and work with them to find culturally appropriate
approaches to violence.
Late
last year, the Women's Policy Office, in collaboration with the provincial
Indigenous Women's Conference steering committee hosted the 10th annual
provincial Indigenous Women's Conference. This year's conference brought
together women representatives from indigenous governments and organizations to
discuss the direction of the three-year empowering indigenous women for stronger
communities project funded by Status of Women Canada. The conference provided an
opportunity for indigenous leaders to discuss and identify strategies related to
four issues acknowledged as priority areas in indigenous communities: Violence
against women, mental health, homelessness and reconnecting generations and
engaging youth.
Another
way we support indigenous women, as well as men, girls and boys, is through the
Indigenous Violence Prevention Grants Program. This program provides project
funding to indigenous organizations and governments to identify and implement
culturally appropriate responses to violence. Over $200,000 in project funding
was announced in February during the province's Violence Prevention Month for
this important program.
Many
projects are eligible to receive funding through the program, including those
with a focus on developing violence prevention action plans, public awareness
and education materials or activities, providing healing programs in relation to
the effects of violence, improving programs and services at shelters for
indigenous women, developing community capacity in leadership and improving
cultural strength of indigenous communities with the objective of reducing
violence.
These
grants engage indigenous men and boys in the prevention of violence, much like
the Moose Hide Campaign, Mr. Speaker. It's essential that we all work together
to recognize, address, prevent and eliminate violence. Oftentimes, it's through
movement like today – the Moose Hide Campaign and comments like today – that
really does shine a spotlight on the serious challenges we have around violence
against women, harassment and bullying. That's why it so important we support
innovative initiatives such as the Moose Hide Campaign, which specifically
engages men and boys and calls upon them to take a stand against violence.
I'm
encouraging all Members of this House – and I don't think I need to encourage
them. I think they're really willing to bring forward their strength and their
commitment to support the Moose Hide Campaign and work towards ending violence
against all women and children in Newfoundland and Labrador.
It's
time, Mr. Speaker. I think the hashtag #TimesUp says it all. It's time for us to
really focus on violence against women, to stop harassment, to stop violence and
to stop the bullying. I know the Women's Policy Office also funds the Intimate
Partner Violence prevention unit by about $500,000. They really do help to
follow protocols and working to ensure that both RNC and RCMP officers are
working in tandem to ensure intimate partner violence is addressed.
Mr.
Speaker, there is so much more that we, as a community, have to do. There's so
much more that we, as a government, have to do. But we're taking steps; we're
working towards that end. I implore all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, and
indeed all Canadians, to join with us today in this House of Assembly to
recognize that violence against women is still very prevalent in our society, to
recognize that harassment and bullying are not to be tolerated.
Tonight
I'm going to be joined with my female colleagues on this side of the House.
We're having dinner in advance of International Women's Day to talk about how
much more we can do and how the TIME'S UP campaign and the #MeToo campaign are
really driving societal change. Mr. Speaker, so is the Moose Hide Campaign.
I thank
you for your leadership; I thank the Member for Torngat Mountains for his
leadership. I thank my hon. colleagues in this House for standing together to
address this very important issue.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for St.
John's Centre.
MS. ROGERS:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
I feel
honoured to have the opportunity to stand and speak to this private Member's
motion. I, too, would like to thank the Member for
Torngat Mountains; nakurmiik for introducing this private Member's motion.
What we are talking about today, Mr. Speaker, is a very
harsh reality for the majority of women and children in Newfoundland and
Labrador, for the majority of women and children in the country of Canada. One
of the harsh realities, when we speak about violence against women, is it
doesn't just happen out of thin air. We have to talk about the harsh reality of
violence against women and children. The harsh reality is that it is male
violence against women and children.
It means it's our brothers, our uncles, our
grandfathers and our sons. It means it's our neighbours and our colleagues,
sometimes a stranger; more often than not, not a stranger. That is the harsh
reality we face, that we are talking about male violence. We're not talking
about monsters, we're not talking about tigers; we're talking about the men in
our lives, the men in our communities. It's only by acknowledging where the
violence is coming from that we can truly address the problem.
It is only by working together, like the Moose Hide
Campaign. Their goal is for men to take responsibility. Their goal is for men to
use their resources, for our brothers to use their
resources, their systemic
power, their love and their passion and their compassion to address this issue.
We as
women, as feminists, have been speaking out, have been organizing, have been
voting, have been dedicating our time, our expertise and our money to solve this
problem. We know we cannot do it alone.
That's
what the Moose Hide Campaign is about, Mr. Speaker, and I celebrate that today.
I celebrate that today on the eve of International Women's Day and I also
celebrate my indigenous sisters for making representation, who are speaking to
the inquiry for murdered and missing indigenous women and girls in Happy
Valley-Goose Bay at this very moment.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS. ROGERS:
All day today on the eve of
International Women's Day, all day tomorrow on International Women's Day and it
is tough. It's not an easy thing to do because some women will talk about their
own experience and oftentimes women who have spoken again and again and again,
women who have told their stories again and again and again, stories of rape,
stories of battering, stories of poverty with courage.
Women
who are speaking, although their voices are trembling, they are speaking with
courage, with the trust that those who have been tasked with listening, with the
task to listen with the real intent to hear will actually effect change. It's
not enough for us to keep telling our stories of rape, of violence, of poverty,
of homelessness again and again and again unless we see direct action.
Hopefully, that is what's happening in our House here today as well. We cannot
one day a week or two days a week listen to stories and say thank you and then
move on. We have to effect real change.
I also
want to say thank you to elder Emma Reelis who joined us today. She joined us
today because we have made a social contract with her. The women are speaking
out today in Happy Valley-Goose Bay because we have made a social contract with
them, that we are listening with a real intent to hear and with a commitment to
social change.
Our
justice system is not working well for women. Particularly for women who have
been sexually assaulted, it is not working well for them. We know the
statistics. We've said them again and again and again in this House. They're in
the papers, they're on the radio, they're on the TV. We know the statistics.
It's very hard to stand up and criticize the justice system but we know the
justice system does not work for women who have been sexually assaulted. There
must be change.
We also
know our economic system is not working well for women. Newfoundland and
Labrador women have the highest gender wage gap in the country. Women in
Newfoundland and Labrador on the average make 69 cents for every dollar that a
man makes.
We also
know our social safety nets are not working well for women, that we still do not
have universal accessible child care, which is one of the very foundational
pieces of equality for women in our province. We still don't have it. No matter
how many stories we tell, we still do not have it.
We also
do not have enough safe, affordable housing for women, another foundational
piece that makes it possible for women to live safely and affordably in our
communities. We know that's a problem, and we know often that women will stay in
abusive situations because they know that at least there's a roof over their
heads but, more importantly, they feel there's a roof over the heads of their
children. Women put up with social determinants of health, with the social
determinants of justice to house their children, to feed their children.
We
cannot talk about violence against women unless we also address the issues of
poverty. Unless we do what we need to do to lift women and children out of
poverty, they will not be safe.
I am
happy and I am encouraged, Mr. Speaker, that my brothers here in the House,
because of the private Member's motion brought forth to this floor by the Member
for Torngat Mountains, I am happy that my brothers, along with the women here in
this House, have said: We also will not stand for it. This is not good enough. I
am assuming they are making a social contract with the women of Newfoundland and
Labrador to do everything in their power as elected representatives to tackle
this issue of violence against women and children.
I thank
you, Mr. Speaker, as well for identifying this program and introducing it to the
House, for bringing the Moose Hide Campaign here.
Women
want to live side by side, work side by side, love side by side with our
brothers in Newfoundland and Labrador. What can they do for us? It's not enough
simply to wear your moose hide. I know my colleagues here in the House know
that, but there are some very specific things men can do on our behalf to work
side by side with us.
First of
all, please listen. Please listen, not just to our stories, but please listen
with the intent to really hear because those who are closest to the problem
often know are closest to the possible solutions. Hear what we have to say about
our justice system. Listen to us and hear what we have to say about our economic
system, our education system. Hear what we have to say. Hear some of the
solutions. Listen to some of the solutions we are putting forth and listen.
The same
as indigenous women; indigenous women testifying before this inquiry today and
tomorrow have some very clear ideas on what is needed in our society in order to
tackle the horrendous, horrendous situation of violence against indigenous women
and girls. So listen to us.
If you
are at the table where decisions are being made, look around that table and see
who is missing. Are there indigenous women at the table where decisions are
being made? Are there any women, period, at the table where decisions are being
made? Who is missing? Use your voice and raise that issue and say: Just a
minute, there are no women at this table, there are no representatives from
indigenous communities at this table, there are no representatives from the
disability community, there are no representatives from the LGBTQ community, or
racialized people, or people who have become immigrants.
Look
around the table and see who is missing and make sure that their voices are
brought to the table. Speak to other men. That is one of the goals. Don't
tolerate any kind of sexism banter in the workplace, or among your friends.
Speak to other men and, for God sakes, teach your sons how to be good men in
this world. Also, be the role model to your daughters to show them what a
compassionate and a loving man can be in our society. Teach them to settle for
nothing less than a man who respects women, who loves women, who is willing to
work side by side for women. Be champions with us on our team,
And
lobby – use your position, whatever it is, to lobby, to change our justice
system, to ensure that we have equal pay for work of equal value, to ensure that
we have pay equity, to ensure that our daughters have the same access to
education, to ensure that our daughters have the money that they need to fulfill
their own dreams of what they may want to be, whether it's firefighters, whether
it's fish harvesters, or whether it's politicians.
In your
own parties make it a safe place, an encouraging and a supportive place for
women to run in your parties because when we look around this House there are
still only 25 per cent of women who are elected in this House. This is where a
lot of decisions are made. So please, look at who is not at the table and do
something about that. The majority of minimum wage earners are women which means
we have women, sometimes single moms with children, who are living in poverty.
We need
a task force. Women across the province in the last few days in preparation for
this debate and in the last few days in preparation for International Women's
Day, I've spoken to women's organizations across the province and they are
almost without exception calling for a task force on violence against women and
children because they know the urgency. We're talking about lives. They know
they have the expertise. They have seen the good work that has been done by the
educational task force and, once again, they ask the Minister of Justice to
strike a task force to deal with this crucial problem.
Mr.
Speaker, I have to take my seat. I want to say, once again, that I am heartened
by my brothers here in the House who have committed themselves to work on this
issue. It is a social contract that you have made with the women and children of
Newfoundland and Labrador.
Tshinashkumitin, Wela'lioq and Nakummek.
Thank
you.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Harbour Grace - Port de Grave.
MS. P. PARSONS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
It
certainly is an honour to speak to such a private Member's resolution and I want
to commend, of course, my colleague for Torngat Mountains. I know his wife, Lori
Dyson, is very proud of him for bringing this forward and to commend all
speakers for this because this is something that, obviously, we are unanimous
on. It's a no-brainer.
I'm also
proud to partake today in the Moose Hide Campaign. Again, it's simply not a
campaign that lasts a day. It's something that should last a lifetime in
everything that we do. When we see an example or we witness this for ourselves,
the onus is on us to stand up – women and men, boys and girls united.
I want
to speak to my experience. Prior to becoming an MHA representing the District of
Harbour Grace - Port de Grave, I was a journalist for about 10 years. As a
journalist, and many journalists can attest to this, there are some stories that
will stay with you forever. There are a few of those stories that I would like
to talk about today.
One that
comes to mind is the case of Ann Marie Shirran. If you think back, it was the
summer of 2008, 2009, around that time, a woman was reported missing by her then
common-law husband. I remember as a journalist, we were sent to the area, where
search and rescue were searching, for the media scrum. This went on day after
day, week after week, for a number of weeks throughout the summer. Every day,
this was my assignment. So I became very familiar with the victim's family, with
the situations surrounding this case. This lady had a new-born baby. I'll never
forget that. I'll never forget that little boy, at the time, who will grow not
knowing his mother.
Lo and
behold, first reported as a missing person's case, but it was then later
determined, some months later, when campers from out of province, out of
Newfoundland and Labrador, discovered remains in a gravel pit in the Town of
Cappahayden, and we'll just never forget that.
Also,
one of the very first stories that I covered as a young journalist starting off,
I was sent to the Supreme Court of the province and I believe it was an
Aboriginal woman who was killed and murdered and her body was stuffed under a
staircase by the man she was seeing. So these are just some examples. Everyone,
every hon. Member in this House, our friends, our neighbours, we can all attest
to this; we've all experienced it whether directly or indirectly. In this time
we see a movement now, the #metoo movement, which we see started in Hollywood.
We see it at the Oscars, just this past Sunday night, the Oscar Awards. The
Emmys, the Grammys, celebrities everywhere are standing up and it's time that we
all stand united against this, women and men.
I'll
also use an example of a popular band in the United States, the Dickie Chicks.
One of their biggest hits is “Goodbye Earl.” It's a great song. It's a great,
fun melody, but let me tell you that message in that song, those lyrics, they
came from somewhere. They came from an experience. And it's not funny, but it's
time that we stand up, the onus is on all of us here, every one of us here in
every profession to stand up for this, violence against women and children, or
anyone for that matter, is not acceptable whether it be bullying, whether it be
sexual harassment, sexual misconduct. We must stand up. It is 2018.
Again,
I'm proud to speak to this PMR. I'm not going to take all my time. I know there
are some other Members that want to speak to this very important cause. Again,
thank you to the Member and I look forward to the support of all Members of this
hon. House to support this private Member's resolution.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Labrador West.
MR.
LETTO:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
It's a pleasure for me to rise here today to have a few
words on this very important private Member's resolution. Private Members'
resolutions or PMRs, as we know them, are entered into this House every
Wednesday, and some are more important than others. I think today's PMR is one
of utmost importance to us and this House of Assembly as we embark on the Moose
Hide Campaign.
I want to thank my friend, the Member for Torngat
Mountains, for bringing this PMR forward today. As a representative of many
indigenous people in Labrador, it's certainly appropriate for him. I know that
you, as Speaker and before you became Speaker and as a Member for Lake Melville,
have been involved quite heavily as well in this campaign. I want to thank you
for what you've done with regard to bringing this to our attention and to the
House today.
I think
a lot has been said today. There's not much I can add. The only thing I want to
say – this is why I stood here today – is that it's okay to enter a PMR. We
started this debate at 3 o'clock today. It will end very, shortly, at 5 o'clock,
which is two hours debate, and a lot of things have been said. I think the fact
that we now need to put what we've said, in the last two hours, into action.
Unless we do that, then everything that we've done here today is in vain. We
need to take action.
We all
know that violence against women and children is not acceptable in today's
society. The speakers who have spoken before me today have certainly said that
very well and have gotten their message across quite well. So I need not say
more about that, but the fact that we stood here today and offered our support
to this very important issue is a testament of our commitment that we must do
more, as a society and we must do more as leaders in this House of Assembly,
leaders in our province, to advocate for the many women and children who
continue to be abused and harassed in our society. It's time that we stand up
and be counted and put our words into action.
In
closing, Mr. Speaker, I just want to say, thank you to you, thank you to the
people in British Columbia who initiated this initiative. I want to thank you
and the Member for Torngat Mountains for pushing this issue through and making
sure that this issue came to this floor of the House of Assembly.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Conception Bay East - Bell Island.
MR. BRAZIL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I'll
just take a few minutes, not that this is not an important issue that could be
debated for hours and supported, it's because I know there are other Members
here who want to speak to this very important issue. I want to thank the Member
for Torngat Mountains for bringing this forward because the experience this
morning sharing with yourself, the Speaker, and my colleagues here in the House
was second to none when it comes to an awareness.
I think
we've done a great thing in society over the last decade or so in awareness
around violence against women and, particularly, indigenous women. I don't think
we've done anywhere near enough to start solving that. That becomes the real
issue here. We need to start moving things forward, faster, with more support
from every sector of society, but, particularly, the male sector. They have to
take onus on this. Not only onus for those who are the abusers, they need to be
addressed in different manners, but particularly those who see abuse taking
place and stand back and do very little or nothing about it. We need to take a
stake in what is happening in our society. It's part of our responsibility in
life as it is.
This
morning was moving for a number of reasons. One, when you got to see how this
movement happened, how the Moose Hide Campaign happened. I remember being – when
I was Minister of Transportation and Works – in BC to speak at one of the
conventions out there, driving along, seeing the signs and having very little
idea of what it meant. I had heard in the background but really didn't know what
it meant. Obviously, when we were sitting down after with the delegation and
we're having a drink and having a discussion, I asked the question what it
meant, really, at the end of the day and so explicitly how it was explained to
me because they were living it.
That was
the highway where it all began. Even though it's happened for decades and
centuries and people have been around, that's where it became so relevant that
this is not just an isolated situation. This is something extremely serious
here, that for some reason, whatever way, shape or form, some demented mind here
has it embedded that women are being physically abused and murdered, that it
wasn't going to be acceptable and that a campaign had started.
When I
heard the story of how a father and a daughter had come together and came to a
unified approach that they were going to work together to start a campaign to
stop violence and make awareness to the rest of the country and start something
with little steps. I thought then, you know, there are little things that can
happen that make big results.
What I
saw this morning was – because I hadn't really kept in touch with what had
happened. Unfortunately, in our lives we get too isolated from that component of
it, but to really realize that this movement has gone so far, that one million
tags are being used and worn today out of respect and support.
It tells
us that our society does have the ability to change things, to change people's
lives, do the right things, but we have to do that on a unified front. People
have to take the lead in it. People say: I'm only one person. I'm only one
community or one group. I can't do too much. That couldn't be further from the
truth. This is an example of what we saw happening here today, us being unified
here in this House, all speaking and supporting something that we know is to the
benefit of everybody.
This
morning when the elder spoke and talked about the impacts, when she said a
prayer for us all, we were all united here. Politics is secondary to doing the
right things. This is a movement that does the right thing, makes proper
awareness, but more importantly – as my colleagues here have very eloquently
talked about – finding ways that we prevent this from happening to anybody else.
Not only
is it unacceptable. It's something that should not even be thought of. We
shouldn't have to have these debates and this discussion, but it's a part of
reality. How do we prevent that 10 years down the road we don't have to have
this anymore? We're celebrating that everybody is treated equally, everybody is
treated fairly and nobody is in fear, particularly, indigenous women or women
from any race, as part of that, and anybody in our society.
We all
have a responsibility. We all have a stake in this, but when you look at a
particular program like this and a campaign that signals out, there's no
political gain for anybody. There's no big financial support from corporations
and that. It isn't somebody putting their stamp on it. It's grassroots that
talks about moral beliefs that people should have and the way that we should
conduct ourselves as human beings.
No
doubt, as part of the male race, we have to take a big part of the
responsibility here because it's part and parcel of the group that we're
connected to, who are the ones who are causing this turmoil or causing the pain
and suffering to families and individuals, for no cause. It's absolutely mind
boggling of why people get to that level and why they have that mindset.
We need
to make a stance out there. We need to start with our younger kids. I coached a
lot of hockey, particularly, the late teens, early 20s, and every now and then –
and it's alarming, it's confusing and, in some cases, it makes you push back –
you'll always find one individual who shows a lack of respect for females and,
unfortunately, doesn't realize what message they're sending out there. Every now
and then, it's our responsibility, when that is identified – it's our
responsibility all the time, but every now and then you have to stand up and
call that person out and make it be seen that it's not acceptable. It's not
acceptable at any level and we all have that responsibility to do that.
I,
myself, have two daughters in their 20s and, as my colleague had said earlier
and we've all talked about that, the fear that they wouldn't be treated with
total respect and that in any way, shape or form they would be fearful of
anything in their life when it comes to any kind of violence, but when we look
at it and we're talking 10 and 20 and 30 times the norm that indigenous women
and children are having to face violence, then it makes you more aware that we,
as a society, have to make a bigger effort to improve exactly what's happening
here.
I just
wanted to touch on some of those points and say, again, we all support what's
happening here. We all need to do more. We've come a long way but, hell, we have
a long way to go and that's reality when you're dealing with something that's so
devastating and has such an impact on people.
I just
wanted to again thank the Member for bringing this forward. No doubt, listening
to everybody who had support for this, what it means to our society and what we
need to do to ensure that we eliminate, now, this devastating plight on our
society. I thank you for that, Mr. Speaker.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Torngat Mountains to close the debate, please.
MR. EDMUNDS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I would
like thank all speakers for their, I can't say anything but overwhelming support
to this resolution.
I'd like
to touch on a little bit of what Members had to say in their support of this.
The Member for Fortune Bay - Cape La Hune talked about the trauma and the
daunting task ahead for the inquiry into murdered and missing indigenous women,
and I'm hoping to take part in that inquiry tomorrow.
She
talked about questions remain on the numbers of Aboriginal women that are
murdered and missing and how the stats are alarming. She talked about the
different levels of where violence can occur. She talked about the different
races, different cultures, different religions and the levels of severity in
violence against women.
She
referenced Loretta Saunders, who is the most recent and the most impacting
example of violence against women, especially for this young lady who was quite
a spokesperson in an anti-violence campaign. It's unfortunate to see such things
happen.
My
colleague for Stephenville - Port au Port talked about quite a few of the
initiatives that are happening in his district and his colleague's district:
Daughters of the Dawn, the Newfoundland and Labrador Aboriginal Women's Network,
and the South Coast Coalition on Violence Against Women.
So there
are a lot of issues that we take part in in our own districts that work toward
our provincial efforts, and certainly there is not enough time here today to
mention them all.
He
talked about some of the elders, like Odelle Pike, Calvin White, and Chief
LaSaga who are working together to bring that Aboriginal initiative forward.
The
Member for Mount Pearl North commented on the one million pins that are handed
out, such a vast accomplishment from such a small, novel idea. I noticed many of
the Members touched on that, this little idea that's turned into something
that's growing bigger and bigger.
The
Member for St. John's Centre spoke very passionately about the harsh reality,
and the reality is these men are their fathers, their brothers, their
colleagues, and they're not those monsters that are out there. These are our own
people. Women have been standing up for this issue for a long, long time but
they can't do it alone. They need help. It's important why this little, small
men's initiative, if you may, towards ending violence against women has gone so
far. I'm certainly glad to hear mention of that and take sides with it. She
talked about the shortfalls, and my hon. colleague from Lab West talked about
the need for action.
We heard
the Member for Harbour Grace - Port de Grave share some stories of some of the
cases that happened in her district that she was part of during her role as
media. She talked about, that not only is this an issue coming from Aboriginal
people or non-Aboriginal people, celebrities are jumping on board. She
referenced some of the people in Hollywood. They had the bands that are taking
an initiative on this stand against violence.
My
colleague, the Minister Responsible for the Status of Women, talked about some
of the initiatives we're doing as a government. I was glad to listen to her
talking about programs like Working Together for Violence-free Communities. She
talked about the departments that are on board: Justice; Public Safety; Early
Childhood Development; Health and Community Services; Children, Seniors and
Social Development; Service NL; Advanced Education, Skills and Labour.
She
talked about the Department of Justice and Public Safety under the new
minister's committee on violence against women; working through some of the
concerns that came from the all-party committee on mental health and the plan to
end homelessness. The women's centres in our province, the 10 violence
prevention NL committees, I'm proud to say that my wife actually chaired the
violence prevention committee chapter in Labrador, and I was very proud of that.
There
are a lot of initiatives that are out there, and the echo we seem to hear is
that we need to do more. I'm glad to see that as a government we are stepping
up, we're working towards this initiative. Is it going to happen overnight? No,
we all know that, but every little initiative like the Moose Hide Campaign is
going to work towards it.
Mr.
Speaker, we often talk about the time when society didn't recognize women as an
equal part of society. It took a lot of work but we got there. So why can't we
do the same with this Moose Hide Campaign? Why can't we do the same to end
violence against women and children in our province?
I'd like
to reference two people who are very important in my life who have, I guess,
played a major role in addressing violence against women in my area. One is my
mom who passed away a couple of years ago, who was the first, I guess, president
of the Labrador Inuit Women's Association. She stood her ground on many
occasions protecting the rights of women. The other one is Charlotte Wolfrey who
actually lost a daughter to murder. She is in Goose Bay and actually presented
at the Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women this morning.
In terms
of stories, I went to a vigil last fall here in St. John's where they read out
the names of murdered women in our province. What struck home to me, Mr.
Speaker, is when they got up around the 1970s and up-to-date, I was surprised
that the names that were read out were people that I knew, people that I grew up
with and people that I went to school with.
Mr.
Speaker, I'd like to talk about a couple of them. Henrietta Millek, who actually
led me around the university grounds when I came here in 1981 to go to
university. She went missing the second year after that. To this day, no one
knows where she went. Sharon Murphy, who I went to school with and grew up with
on the North Coast. Loretta Saunders, as I mentioned earlier, is another one.
There are others like Susie Merkuratsuk and Ida Kohlmeister who were friends of
mine that I knew.
I think,
Mr. Speaker, we all share this common approach now that we support this
initiative. I'm reaching out to everyone in our province to jump onboard, go to
the website and get engaged.
Just to
follow up in my closing remarks, I'm actually going to be travelling to Happy
Valley - Goose Bay tomorrow morning. I will be taking part in the inquiry and
lending support to those people who I represent who are probably going to be
presenting.
When you
talk about such tragedy in your life, we've all faced it at one time or another,
we look around for supports and we look around for programs that will help end
it. Certainly, we'll all be looking forward to the recommendations that do come
out in the inquiry.
With
that, Mr. Speaker, I'd like to thank everyone who stood and spoke on this topic.
I'd especially like to reach out and thank you, Mr. Speaker, for your hosting
the event, and your former role played a lot in getting this PMR brought
forward.
Last but
not least, I'd again like to thank our Inuk elder who came in, Emma Reelis, who
offered words of wisdom and kind prayers.
Thank
you, everyone, for your support in pushing this PMR forward.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
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.
I guess
just from my own perspective, I would like to say that I think there was one ask
of myself, as the Speaker, and I will be very pleased to reach out to my
counterparts across the country and share with them the experience of today.
I'm very
proud to be a Member of this House of Assembly with all of you today. I would
invite you – as you participated this morning – to join me in the hallway and we
will break the fast together.
It being Wednesday and consistent with Standing Order 9, I now adjourn until tomorrow at 1:30 o'clock.