May 24, 2001 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS Vol. XLIV No. 31


The House met at 1:30 p.m.

MR. SPEAKER (Snow): Order, please!

Before we begin out routine proceedings, the Chair would like to welcome to the Speaker's gallery today, the hon. David Coutts, Minister of Government Services from the Province of Alberta, along with the Deputy Minister, Roger Jackson, the Executive Director of Consumer Services, Rick Solkowski, and the Executive Assistant to Minister Coutts, David Keto.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: As well, I want to welcome to the gallery thirty-four Grades 4, 5 and 6 students from St. Mark's School, in King's Cove, in the District of Bonavista South. They are accompanied by teachers: Mrs. Alice Lewis, Mrs. Kelly Marshall, and Mr. John Adams; a parent: Mrs. Patsy Harty; and bus driver: Mr. Bill Ryan.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

Statements by Members

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Trinity North.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. ROSS WISEMAN: Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Town of Clarenville as it celebrates fifty years as an incorporated community.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. ROSS WISEMAN: On June 6, 1951, the Town of Clarenville elected its first council and it was chaired by a gentleman by the name of Mr. Ernest Drover.

Since that time, Mr. Speaker, Clarenville has experienced many changes, they have enjoyed tremendous growth, and it has become a leading community in our Province.

Clarenville has benefitted from its strategic location and rapidly became known as the "Hub of the East Coast." However, the real credit for the success of Clarenville goes to the caliber of the people who live there.

The more than 100 volunteer councillors who have served on council since 1951 are to be commended for their vision, their strong leadership, and for making potential opportunities become a reality.

Clarenville is a great place to live, a great place to raise a family and to explore business opportunities, all because there is a strong network of dedicated, hardworking volunteers who are committed to improving the quality of life of our community.

To Mayor Fred Best, councillors and staff, and especially the citizens of Clarenville, I want to congratulate them on their 50th Anniversary!

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. member's time is up.

MR. ROSS WISEMAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Conception Bay East & Bell Island.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. WALSH: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise today to congratulate a hockey player whose roots are from Bell Island and who is making a name for himself in the Western Hockey League.

Scottie Upshall, a seventeen-year-old right winger with the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League, was born in Fort McMurray, Alberta. Appropriately, we have guests from Alberta today. His parents, Scott and Mandy, hail from Bell Island. His maternal grandmother, Marg Ash, and the Ash family, I consider to be close personal friends. Marg of course, is still a resident of Bell Island.

I am pleased to announce, Mr. Speaker, that Scottie was named winner of the Western Hockey League's rookie of the year award, the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy, on Tuesday.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. WALSH: Mr. Speaker, Scottie is the first player ever from the Kamloops Blazers to win this prestigious award, and he had a great season this year with forty-two goals and eighty-seven points in his rookie year. He is also eligible for the 2002 NHL draft and is expected to be a top pick.

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate Scottie Upshall on this achievement, and I am sure all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians will be looking forward to a bright future from this up-and-coming hockey star, with Bell Island roots.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Bonavista South.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. FITZGERALD: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I would like to rise today to pay tribute to a long-time resident of Bonavista South who passed away on Friday, a master shipbuilder for many years at the Clarenville dry dock, and in later years of his life opened up carpenter shipyards in Port Union, a gentleman by the name of Reuben Carpenter. Mr. Carpenter traveled to the Labrador Coast down in Postville, I say to the Member for Torngat Mountains, and built ships and designed ships on the Labrador Coast, and built them on the ice down there.

He liked to tell the story about the call that he got, when he built a particular boat, from the Government of Canada, that wanted him to delay the launching of the boat in order to get Mr. Rompkey down there. Little did they know that the boat was built on the ice and the ice had melted and the boat was already launched. He got a great charge out of telling the story, then he had a real problem with hauling it up again and allowing it to be launched so that Mr. Rompkey could take part in the launch.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Carpenter was also a boat designer. He designed and helped build boats that were known as the Splinter fleet which was built in Clarenville. In his later years he lost his eyesight but always maintained a very keen interest in not only provincial politics and the provincial economy but the Canadian economy as well.

I, today, would like to offer my sympathy to the Carpenter family, namely his wife Dulcie, who he has been married to for in excess of sixty years, and his eight surviving children.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. member's time is up.

MR. FITZGERALD: Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

Statements by Ministers

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Human Resources and Employment.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SMITH: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Earlier this year, it was my pleasure to announce that low income families with children will be able to earn more money and still qualify for the Newfoundland and Labrador Child Benefit.

As this session of the House draws to a conclusion, I wish to take the opportunity to remind families in receipt of the NLCB that these changes will take place effective July 1, 2001. The income thresholds that determine eligibility for the Newfoundland and Labrador Child Benefit and the amounts received will change. The adjustment is significant in the sense that it will provide an increase for approximately 5,000 families currently in receipt of the child benefit. It also reaffirms our commitment to addressing the issue of child poverty in Newfoundland and Labrador.

The change means that more families will be eligible for the full benefit, the income level at which the partial benefit ceases will be higher, and overall more families will receive full or partial coverage. This adjustment also ensures that families are supported in their efforts to obtain and maintain employment. It means that families leaving social assistance will continue to receive a child benefit, therefore easing the transition to work.

This is good news for families since this adjustment in the Newfoundland and Labrador Child Benefit coincides with a benefit increase and a similar adjustment to the income thresholds for the Canada Child Tax Benefit.

Newfoundland and Labrador is one of six provinces that has acted to create a child benefit for low income families, including low income working families. In doing so, this Province has been able to move income support for children outside of the social assistance program. This means that the child benefit does not cease when the family leaves social assistance.

Mr. Speaker, while much progress has been made since the introduction of the National Child Benefit and the Newfoundland and Labrador Child Benefit, there is still much more that can and should be done, if we are to reduce the depth of child poverty in Canada. Provincial/Territorial Ministers Responsible for Social Services recently met in Halifax, Nova Scotia to discuss the progress of the National Child Benefit and possible future directions. The National Child Benefit has been an excellent example of federal-provincial cooperation in pursuit of a common objective, providing low income families with a stable source of income support and reducing the barriers to work. Ministers are currently engaged in preparing a status report on the National Child Benefit for the upcoming Annual Premiers Conference.

This review is timely and I believe it provides an opportunity to consider further options to enhance the National Child Benefit. As Minister Responsible for Social Services in this Province, I will do my part to advocate for increased federal investment in the Canada Child Tax Benefit. Currently, the federal government has committed to growing the federal child benefit to $2,500 for a first child and $2,300 for a second and subsequent child by 2004. The partnership between the federal and provincial governments has been critical to the progress achieved thus far. We now need to set new targets for future cooperation.

Mr Speaker, I believe we all share a common vision of a country free of child poverty.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Opposition House Leader.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SULLIVAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We certainly endorse the aspects of this, in particular with the transition there. I think it is positive to enable people not to be deprived when they go out, and the opportunity to seek work. Also, a lot of people, I might add, in this Province are barely surviving and without the national child tax and the combination with the provincial one here, they would be going hungry. That is not an understatement at all, I say to the minister.

I agree with what is indicated here. The only thing I disagree with is that the news release they gave on March 22, 2001 was a little more in-depth and more detailed and this only includes part of that announcement that he made over two months ago when this House opened.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Labrador West.

MR. COLLINS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Poverty is certainly an issue that has to be dealt with in this Province and throughout the country. When it comes to child poverty, it is particularly disturbing when we hear in the news reports and see people in our communities who are living in poverty. I recall, not too many years ago, there was a unanimous resolution by the federal government to eliminate child poverty in this country by the year 2000; but we are all very much aware, Mr. Speaker, that did not happen. The problem still exists and it exists in numbers that are still large and disturbing to the general population. Any move at all that will do anything to help eliminate and reduce poverty to any degree is certainly welcome and it is something that governments have to pay attention to and work on in order to reduce it and live within the resolution that was passed in Ottawa to eliminate poverty all together.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. K. AYLWARD: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to inform my hon. colleagues that last night at the Attractions Canada Awards Gala in Halifax, our Cape St. Mary's Ecological Reserve received the national award for best Natural Outdoor Site with an area less than 100 square kilometres.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. K. AYLWARD: This is one of only seven national awards given by Attractions Canada.

Attractions Canada is a program spearheaded by Montreal-based Attractions Canada in partnership with the Canadian Tourism Commission, the Tourism Industry Association of Canada, Canadian Heritage and others. The purpose of the program is to highlight and promote the diversity of tourism and heritage activities, events and attractions, and to encourage Canadians to be tourists in their own country.

The Attractions Canada Awards Program has various categories for which the public and tourism industry can nominate provincial attractions and events. In total this year, there were ninety-eight winning attractions at the provincial and territorial level. The Newfoundland and Labrador provincial recipients include: The Colony of Avalon Archaeological Site, in the category of Developed Outdoor Site with an operating budget less than $1 million; Newfoundland Insectarium, for an Indoor Site with an operating budget less than $400,000; Annual Brigus Blueberry Festival, won the Cultural Event with an operating budget less than $350,000; Viking Trail Tourism Association-Vikings! 1000 Years, which our government was very proud to sponsor, also won the Cultural Event category in the operating budget of less than $350,000; TRI-FEST, a week long event surrounding the International Triathlon Union Cup in Corner Brook this past summer, which our government again supported last year, won for best Sporting Event with an operating budget of more than $110,000; Norstead: A Real Life Saga - took the award for New Attraction; and, again, the Cape St. Mary's Ecological Reserve also received the provincial award for Natural Outdoor Site.

A national jury made up of five individuals representing tourism, media and business circles were given the responsibility of selecting seven national winners from the ninety-eight provincial and territorial recipients. It has been a great opportunity to build Newfoundland and Labrador's profile and benchmark our products against the best tourism and heritage attractions in Canada.

Mr. Speaker, I know I join with my colleagues in congratulating the seven provincial winners from Newfoundland and Labrador and our management and staff of the Cape St. Mary's Ecological Reserve for their prestigious national award.

Tourism is a strong, vibrant and growing industry in this Province. I would like to encourage all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to make time this summer to visit the parks, the natural areas and scenic attractions throughout our Province and see the impressive and award-winning sites and sounds our beautiful Province offers.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. Barbe.

MR. YOUNG: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We, as the Opposition, are proud of the recognition the Province's scenic, recreational and historic attractions have been given by Attractions Canada. The winners of various categories come from all over the Province and represent a wide variety of attractions. It lends more support to the argument that I have been making that this Province's approach to tourism must be multi-facet and must not be merely a singular team celebration where towns are cut loose by the following year. It is time the Province got serious about providing a meaningful investment in the infrastructure needed to support our tourism industry, and that means road word that will allow people to access the Cape St. Mary's Ecological Reserve and many other attractions in the Province. It means supporting other forms of infrastructure that will allow towns to offer tourists a first class experience in their respective areas.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Labrador West.

MR. COLLINS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I, too, would like to congratulate the recipients of the awards. As the minister stated, tourism is a growing industry in this Province, but we are very much lacking in the infrastructure for tourism in the things that people can do and the places that they can - services provided to them along our highway system and throughout the Province, much work has to be done in that area in order to treat tourists better when they arrive in this Province.

I am proud to say that throughout the entire region of this Province, and the Labrador portion of the Province, that tourism is a vibrant industry. It is growing at amazing rates. We need to invest more into the infrastructure programs that will give them more to do when they arrive in this Province and provide better services to them as they travel throughout the regions.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Human Resources and Employment.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SMITH: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The hon. members opposite were so obviously moved by my initial statement, I can't resist the temptation to rise again.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SMITH: Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to tell hon. members that the transition from the old Janeway Emergency in Pleasantville to the opening of the new Emergency Department at the Janeway Children's Health and Rehabilitation Centre at the Health Sciences Centre site has been a success.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SMITH: As of midnight, last night, the Emergency Department at the Janeway in Pleasantville closed permanently. At the same time, the new emergency opened up on Prince Philip Drive for children and their families.

As of today, all children's health and rehabilitation services formerly at the old Janeway will be available at the new hospital. For the time being, however, Community Health services and the Janeway Hostel remain open in Pleasantville.

Mr. Speaker, the Health Care Corporation of St. John's has overseen the move of all Janeway services for several weeks now. Although a great deal of planning has gone into preparing and executing the moves, it is still a very exciting time for all concerned.

The people of Newfoundland and Labrador now have a brand new, state of the art facility, which will allow staff to continue the exemplary care carried out for the last forty-five years at the old Janeway.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SMITH: The official opening of the new Janeway will occur in June. However, I wanted to mark today's move by congratulating everyone involved and wishing them all the best as they become familiar with their new surroundings.

I know that concern for the safety of patients and their families has been uppermost in everybody's minds during the move. Now that testing of all mayor systems is complete, families can rest assured that their new facility is ready to meet the challenges that lie ahead. I hope the new facility offers a sense of pride for all and a sense of hope for families and their children.

Mr. Speaker, children will be better served by a facility designed specifically for them. The old Janeway had been a military hospital and was first opened as a children's hospital in 1966.

While it has been a staple in our health system over the years, we look forward now to a modern facility with all the bells and whistles of the 21st century. Children will have on-site access to sophisticated medical technology, such as the MRI, and to one-of-a-kind medical expertise. Mothers and ill newborns will be together in one setting, as compared to the former need to transport sick newborns from the Grace to the Janeway. Acute care and rehabilitation services for children will be fully integrated at the new facility. This process was begun more than four years ago when the Children's Rehabilitation Centre integrated with the current Janeway site. In addition, staff of the Child Health and Women's Health Programs will be able to strengthen research linkages with Memorial University at the new site.

I look forward to the official opening of the new facility when we can showcase this new children's hospital for all residents of our Province.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Opposition House Leader.

MR. SULLIVAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The former minister, and the former, former minister, sitting together there in health, know full well where I am on this issue.

I said that I support consolidation if it is not going to be spent -

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SULLIVAN: I would like to thank them for the applause. It is a lot more than they gave their own minister, I would say.

If it is not going to be spent on bricks and mortar, then it is going to be put into services. The minister had the audacity to get up before and say: It is on budget and on time. It was supposed to be in December of 1998 with a budget of $70 million. They had to borrow $130 million, not counting tens of millions of more dollars in addition, to purchase facilities, and other costs; double the budget, over two years behind schedule, and furthermore, the facility cannot accommodate many areas now that it should.

I spoke, just as recently as last week, with people who are cramped into the basement of that facility, in many instances not enough room to be able to serve the people there, the clients of the system. They have mismanaged it, they have mishandled it. We have a beautiful looking building, and we have seen in the news recently four mothers and babies cramped in one little room. They can't get sleep, can't get the rest they need. It has not met the needs to serve people properly within the system, and it is about time the government, when they are spending close to $200 million in total, spend it right, listen to the people who work there, take directions on what is needed in the normal working space, and serve the interest of the people who are going to be using that facility, not the bureaucrats and people sitting in government offices.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Labrador West.

MR. COLLINS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I guess if there is one thing that all members of this House will agree on, and the people throughout the Province, it is that there is nothing but goods words that can be said about the Janeway and the services that they have provided -

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. COLLINS: - to young children throughout this Province over the years, Mr. Speaker. I think it is important that, when we look at this centre, the children's hospital, the other thing that we can all agree on is the need for a new facility, when we look at the former Janeway.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. COLLINS: On the other side of the coin, as the former speaker mentioned, Mr. Speaker, there should have been more consultation with the people throughout the Province as that facility was being built, so that it can meet the needs of the people who will be using it.

Mr. Speaker, I have seen the building from the outside. I haven't been on a tour of it yet, but it does appear to be a remarkable facility that was much needed in the Province.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. member's time is up.

The hon. the Minister of Government Services and Lands.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. NOEL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to inform hon. members that the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador will host a meeting of federal, provincial and territorial Ministers Responsible for Consumer Affairs tomorrow, Friday, May 25.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. NOEL: To be co-chaired by our former Premier, Canada's Minister of Industry, and myself.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. NOEL: Over the past several years -

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please! Order, please!

The hon. the Minister of Government Services and Lands.

MR. NOEL: Over the past several years, Government Services and Lands has placed increased emphasis on consumer protection and education and this conference will contribute substantially to our efforts in this regard.

Mr. Speaker, we are dealing with a rapidly changing marketplace. Every day, consumers face new ways of doing business, especially as a result of new technologies. Our challenge as Ministers Responsible for Consumer Affairs is significant. We must work together to improve consumer protection programs and services, and strive to ensure that consumers have the information and skills they need to protect themselves.

During our meetings we will discuss modernization and harmonization of consumer legislation and policies, marketplace practices, e-commerce, and consumer information and education programs.

I am happy to welcome ministers and officials from across the country to discuss these important issues. I welcome them to our Province and look forward to a successful conference.

I would like to thank Minister Coutts and his colleagues for joining us this afternoon.

Thank you very much.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. John's South.

MR. T. OSBORNE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. T. OSBORNE: Mr. Speaker, despite the insolence of our members across the House, I would like to welcome our guests to our Province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. T. OSBORNE: Obviously, the minister can stand tall today. The role of consumer affairs, Mr. Speaker, is obviously a very important role in this Province, and I hope that the conference tomorrow will help solve some of the problems that are facing consumers in the Province, as well as throughout the country.

Even more importantly, we have to focus on the business climate within this Province and the difficulties that businesses and people have in dealing with government. We have to try to cut through the bureaucratic red tape, the bureaucratic maze that is created within the Province, and the climate that is displayed throughout the Province in people dealing with government. That is really where we have to focus.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. member's time is up.

MR. T. OSBORNE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Oral Questions

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. E. BYRNE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I have to comment. If the House were open yet another week, with the continuance of the number of Ministerial Statements we have seen today, to my hon. colleague from the pulp and paper District of Windsor-Springdale, you would have no worries about number seven shutting down.

Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Premier today. This being the last day of this sitting of the Legislature for the spring, before we sit again in this House, the fate of Friede Goldman Halter will likely be resolved and, with it, the fate of the Marystown Shipyard and the fabrication facility at Cow Head, and ultimately and most importantly, the economy of the Burin Peninsula.

In a filing with the U.S. Securities Commission, Frieda Goldman Halter said they were negotiating with the Newfoundland government to waive the $10 million in penalties for failing to maintain minimum employment levels at the shipyard. I would like to ask the Premier, obviously, is that right? Is the Province considering waiving that $10 million penalty? If so, on what terms? And what has been the Province's official response to Friede Goldman Halter?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Carbonear-Harbour Grace.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SWEENEY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Government is monitoring the overall situation with Friede Goldman on a daily basis. As of today, while we are here in the House, the minister is in Mississippi meeting with Friede Goldman.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: A supplementary, the hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MR. E. BYRNE: I thank the private member for Harbour Grace. My questions were for the Premier.

Yesterday, Friede Goldman, in a release, indicated -

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible).

MR. E. BYRNE: It has nothing to do with fairness. Cabinet ministers answer questions in this House. My question was for the Premier, not for a backbencher, I say to the minister.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

I ask the hon. member now to get to his supplementary.

MR. E. BYRNE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

AN HON. MEMBER: A point of order (inaudible)

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible).

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

There is no point of order.

I ask the hon. member to get to his question.

MR. E. BYRNE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Yesterday, Friede Goldman Halter liquidated its engineering products facility in France for $33.5 million in order to get some operating capital for its core operations in the United States. I would like to ask the Premier this: Based upon the discussions that I know you have been personally involved with, based upon the discussions with Friede Goldman Halter, is it possible that they may liquidate the Marystown and Cow Head facilities to get more operating capital? If they are telling you this, on behalf of the people of the Province, and in particular the people of the Burin Peninsula who depend on this very important industry, what is your response on behalf of government to them?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Carbonear-Harbour Grace.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SWEENEY: Mr. Speaker, Frieda Goldman has advised the government that it has no intention of liquidating or removing any assets from Marystown.

MR. SPEAKER: A supplementary, the hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MR. E. BYRNE: Mr. Speaker, it is very clear that yet once again, on another important economic issue facing the Province, the Premier is frankly not even interested enough to stand on his feet and answer the question.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. member is on a supplementary. I ask him to get to his question.

MR. E. BYRNE: Let me ask him this question.

MR. MERCER: (Inaudible) shame.

MR. E. BYRNE: It is shameful, I say to the Member for Humber East. It is very shameful that your leader will not stand and answer the question!

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

I will just remind hon. members that questions are directed to government and it is the government that decides who answers the question. Parliamentary Assistants in this Legislature, in the past, have responded on behalf of members.

I ask the hon. member to get to his question.

MR. E. BYRNE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, my question again is for the Premier. Friede Goldman Halter obviously is desperate for operating capital. I have their quarterly report filed at the bankruptcy commission. For the first three months of this year, it incurred operating losses of $344 million compared to $140 million in the year 2000. This company is in bad shape. It is in bankruptcy protection from its creditors. It cannot secure lines of credit. It cannot get operating capital.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. member now is on a supplementary. I ask him to get to his question.

MR. E. BYRNE: The only way, Mr. Speaker, it can get operating capital is by selling off its assets to protect its core operations in the United States.

I would like to ask the Premier this question: What is government's plan? What is your strategy to keep the shipyards in this Province going? After all, it was your government that sold this shipyard for $1 and it has a value of somewhere in the vicinity of between $50 million and $70 million. Mr. Speaker, the question is again: What is your strategy?

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. E. BYRNE: What is the Premier's strategy and this government's strategy -

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

I ask the hon. member now to take his seat.

MR. E. BYRNE: - to keep this very important asset and the economy of the Burin Peninsula alive, Mr. Speaker?

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER GRIMES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I appreciate the line of questioning being orchestrated by the puppet master for the puppet today.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

PREMIER GRIMES: I expect, based on the last question, I am assuming, I can understand from that, and the people of the Province would understand from that, because we do have a situation where the Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party has indicated that he plans to tell the people of the Province absolutely nothing about what his positions are on any issues until there is a general election in about two-and-a-half years time.

Do I understand, Mr. Speaker, from the last question, and should the people of the Province understand from the last question, that the official position of the Official Opposition in Newfoundland and Labrador is that they would still be operating, as the government, a particular shipyard in Marystown, paying a subsidy from the taxpayers in the range of $30 million to $40 million to $50 million each and every year? Is that what we should understand, that the position of the Official Opposition is?

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

PREMIER GRIMES: Are that going to go to the Burin Peninsula and -

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

PREMIER GRIMES: - suggest to the people that if they were the government, they would take back the Marystown Shipyard -

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

I ask the hon. the Premier now to conclude his answer.

PREMIER GRIMES: - and operate it, as the government? Is that what the people of Newfoundland and Labrador should understand from that question?

MR. SPEAKER: A supplementary, the hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. E. BYRNE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

What they should understand from the question is that it would not be this side of the House or this party that would have given away a $100 million asset without protecting it from the type of situation that it is in today!

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. E. BYRNE: What he should understand from this question is that it would not be this side of the House, or any member on this side of the House, that would sell out and sell off an asset like that, thus leaving the backsides of an economy and the people of rural Newfoundland in jeopardy. That is what this Premier should understand, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. member is on a supplementary. I ask him get to his question.

MR. E. BYRNE: Let me ask him this question, in view of the fact that he did not answer the last one and very few in this entire sitting.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. E. BYRNE: The yards at Marystown, Mr. Speaker, are a bonanza for Friede Goldman. They received it for $1 without any protection put in place in the agreement by this government. Let me ask him this: Do you have any explanation for the people of the Province, that Friede Goldman Halter can now sell the assets worth $50 million to $100 million, which they only got for $1? What is your explanation to the people of the Burin Peninsula that your government, which you were a minister of, which you are now Premier of -

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. E. BYRNE: - has not filed any protection to protect the asset and has not protected the economy of rural Newfoundland and Labrador on the Burin Peninsula. Offer us some explanation to that Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER GRIMES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Now that we have the Leader of the Opposition appropriately excited and exercised, maybe we can again find out: Is it now the position of the Leader of the Opposition that they - for the public record, when this arrangement was made some three years ago - suggested that it was the wrong thing to do, Mr. Speaker? My recollection of the public debate in Newfoundland and Labrador when the arrangement was made with Friede Goldman is that the Official Opposition, with this leader, suggested it was the best deal and agreed, Mr. Speaker, that it was the best arrangement in Newfoundland and Labrador at the time. So now because we have a new leader of the party does that mean that the position has changed because the one man show has told you to think differently on this issue, just like you now think differently about issues like Main River and how you now think differently about issues like FPI -

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

PREMIER GRIMES: - because you are told to think differently than you did three years ago.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

A supplementary, the hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MR. E. BYRNE: The position of this party has been consistent for the last five years. It has been consistent on this issue. The Premier knows it, Mr. Speaker, the government knows it. The fact of the matter is that it was this Opposition that asked questions on: where is the contract? It was this Opposition that forced that government and that crowd to table a contract for all the public to see!

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

I ask the hon. member now to get to his question. He is on a supplementary and he ought not to have any preamble.

MR. E. BYRNE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

And it was this Opposition that forced that Premier to release the information that nobody on that side would release.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

I ask the hon. member to get to his question. He is on a supplementary and there ought not to be a preamble.

MR. E. BYRNE: Mr. Speaker, is the Premier aware - he should be - that the Newfoundland Offshore Industries Association, commonly known as NOIA, is extremely concerned. Is he aware of that, about what may happen at Marystown? Is he aware that they are concerned because Friede Goldman (inaudible) has never said anything publically that would show that those assets will not be stripped out of Newfoundland? Is he aware that NOIA is also very concerned because this government has offered no public assurance that those assets will not go? Can he answer those questions and stand up to the concerns that people are putting out there publicly and ultimately? Stand up for the people of rural Newfoundland, which you have failed so miserably to do on this very important issue.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER GRIMES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is good to see that the Leader of the Opposition is following instructions carefully as given. You will note, Mr. Speaker, and I think the people of the Province will note that he, like the new leader of the party, will not state either what the position of the Progressive Conservative Party is with respect to whether or not they would run the shipyard in Marystown or whether they would like this government, Mr. Speaker.

MR. E. BYRNE: (Inaudible).

PREMIER GRIMES: So you would not run. Now, Mr. Speaker, we have an answer.

MR. E. BYRNE: Point of order, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

No point of order.

I ask the hon. Premier now to get on with his answer.

PREMIER GRIMES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I would suggest, Mr. Speaker, that the Leader of the Opposition should be careful because he has now gone against instructions and blurted out an actual position. The position of the Official Opposition is that they, if they were the government, I understand it, would not run the shipyard in Marystown. I hope that is an accurate reflection of a position given.

Mr. Speaker, we did not wait for NOIA or any other group to express concern. We had worked -

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

I ask the hon. Premier now to get on with his answer.

PREMIER GRIMES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We have worked every single day on behalf and with the people in Marystown, with the workers and the unions, which is why the Deputy Premier and the Minister of Industry, Trade and Rural Development is in Pascagoula today meeting with the Friede Goldman representatives because our only interest, Mr. Speaker, is not to play politics with this issue but to actually provide the security and the protection that the people of Marystown and the Burin Peninsula need and deserve; and that is what we are about today, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Cape St. Francis.

MR. J. BYRNE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Today my questions are for the Minister of Mines and Energy.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday when questioned on hiring practices at the Terra Nova project the minister asked for examples of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians being discriminated against and/or treated unfairly, and that he would bring redress to the issue.

I have a few examples. Why is it that a saturation diver from Newfoundland, who worked on the project last year, who was trained in England at a cost of $25,000 to the government, who has the same credentials as the British divers, is not called back this year while workers from outside the country are working in his place? Minister, what are you going to do about that?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Mines and Energy.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. MATTHEWS: Mr. Speaker, as I said yesterday in the House, the projects that we have had as a result of the Hibernia and the Terra Nova development - and future projects, we hope - all of these projects are extremely important to the people of the Province in terms of the economic benefits they bring. They are important in terms -

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The Chair has recognized the hon. the Minister of Mines and Energy.

MR. MATTHEWS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

They are important in the context of the training and employment opportunities that they have brought to the people of this Province. We intend, on this side of the House, as government, to ensure that the Atlantic Accord requirements are respected and are met. We are committed to ensuring that, in as far as we have jurisdiction, the CNOPB board does the right job and the best job on behalf of the people of the Province.

To the specific question that the hon. member asked, and to the situation that he has alluded to, I am looking forward - because I asked him yesterday to give me examples, specific concrete examples of individuals who believe that they have not been fairly treated in the context of the legislation that we have. I am looking forward because I anticipate this will happen. I am looking forward to meeting the hon. member outside of the House as soon as Question Period is over so that he can provide me in greater detail and with more specific information on the situation he has raised. I undertake to look into it, and to the extent that there is something we can do about it, if in fact we can do anything, we will do it. If, in fact, it is a circumstance that is outside of our control or that the circumstance of a particular person's employment is not exactly as he portrays, we will confirm that that is the situation.

In any event, I look forward to meeting him outside of the House. I ask him to bring the information to me. I challenge him to do that, and I will give him, again, the undertaking of yesterday, that we will do every due diligence to anything that he brings forward in the interest, and the greater interest, of the people of the Province, whether it is one individual or many individuals.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

I ask the hon. minister to conclude his answer.

MR. MATTHEWS: Our concern is singular and our concern is just as great, on behalf of individuals, as it is the masses.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Member for Cape St. Francis.

MR. J. BYRNE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Another example - by the way, his office has been contacted by some of these individuals, Mr. Speaker, as have opposition members on this side of the House. He knows. The problem is you haven't been doing anything in the past!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. J. BYRNE: Mr. Speaker, why is it that Newfoundland pipefitters are being laid off when hours before they were laid off they were asked to work overtime, and in the same week some fifteen workers, who appeared to be students from outside this Province, were given orientation to do the commissioning work which these local pipefitters could do? Minister, what are you going to do about that example?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Mines and Energy.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. MATTHEWS: Mr. Speaker, if I heard the hon. member right, he said: the minister knows and has been contacted about the situation.

AN HON. MEMBER: You are wrong.

MR. MATTHEWS: The hon. member said: the minister has been contacted and he knows about the situation. I accept that he meant my office, and on that basis I will not question him. But, I do want to say to him again, that if there are circumstances and situations that I am not aware of, and that my officials may or may not be aware of, not withstanding that, if there are specific situations bring them forward and let me deal with them, or let the appropriate department of government deal with them.

It is one thing, Mr. Speaker, to want to ask questions for purposes of politics on the floor of the House, but the issue of employment for our people and the people of this Province is too serious an issue, I say quite frankly, to be playing politics with and to be trying to score political points on.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. MATTHEWS: I would hope that the greater interest of the people of the Province, whether it is one or more individuals, would be the overriding concern for the hon. member and that he will do the proper thing by coming and seeing me, as soon as he gets the opportunity -

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

I ask the hon. minister now to conclude his answer.

MR. MATTHEWS: - so that we can deal with things substantively, rather than on the floor of the House politically.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

A supplementary, the hon. the Member for Cape St. Francis.

MR. J. BYRNE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Yes, Mr. Minister, this is a very serious issue and that is why it is back here today. Yesterday, you were the one who said in this very House that this was not happening, and that is why I am using these examples here today.

Mr. Speaker, why is it that in Newfoundland, an assistant life support technician who is qualified, trained in England, worked at the site before, is not hired this year, while people from outside the Province are working at the same job? What are you, as minister, going to do about the situation? When are you going to insist that the C-NOPB strictly enforce the benefit requirements of the -

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Member for Cape St. Francis. I ask him to get to his question.

MR. J. BYRNE: I will finish the question, Mr. Speaker.

When are you going to insist that the C-NOPB strictly enforce the benefit requirements of the Atlantic Accord for Newfoundland workers and Newfoundland businesses?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Mines and Energy.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. MATTHEWS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Minister of Mines and Energy.

MR. MATTHEWS: Mr. Speaker, I heard the hon. member suggesting that we should lighten up. This is too important an issue, I would suggest, to be light about. This is too important an issue to make light of.

MR. J. BYRNE: A point of order, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

On a point of order, the hon. the Member for Cape St. Francis.

MR. J. BYRNE: Mr. Speaker, I know I should not be on a point of order in Question Period, but the minister is deliberately misquoting me here. I was referring to the members on the other side of the House making jokes about our position (inaudible).

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

There is no point of order.

The hon. the Minister of Mines and Energy.

MR. MATTHEWS: Mr. Speaker, to the hon. member's question - because it is a rhetorical line of questioning and it is about the issue of whether or not the benefits that should be accruing to the people of this Province on the basis of employment opportunities and training opportunities are occurring - I say to the hon. member that the C-NOPB, as per their mandate and as per the jurisdiction that they have, are doing, as far as I know and in my judgement, an appropriate level of enforcement and monitoring. If there are circumstances that do not fit in the hon. member's mind within that scope of appropriateness, then I would ask him again to come and see me and lay the information before me.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

I ask the hon. minister now to conclude his answer.

MR. MATTHEWS: Mr. Speaker, he has never, ever in his life, taken the opportunity to pick up the phone or come to my office on this particular issue. In my previous portfolio, I would say that the hon.-

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

I ask the hon. minister now to conclude his answer quickly.

MR. MATTHEWS: Yes, Mr. Speaker.

I would say this to the hon. member: To his credit, in previous portfolios that I have had in this government in health, in works and services, and particularly in municipal affairs, this hon. member did not find it very difficult in coming to see me (inaudible).

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

I ask the hon. minister now to take his seat.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for The Straits & White Bay North.

MR. TAYLOR: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Yesterday, the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans in Ottawa announced the northern shrimp management plan for 2001. As everyone knows by now, the Total Allowable Catch for the northern shrimp will not change this year, despite scientific advice that would allow a 20 per cent increase and despite the advice of the industry for such an increase. Mr. Speaker, everyone suspects that the decision was not made because of conservation reasons, but solely because of political reasons and to avoid controversy in the Maritimes and Quebec as a result of any increase.

Mr. Speaker, the FRCC, this morning, announced it recommendations on 2J+3KL cod, a fishery of huge importance to the survival of our small boat fishermen. On both of these important fisheries we find ourselves in a tragic situation once again of praying to our Father, who art in heaven, to give us this day our daily bread.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

I ask the hon. member now to get to his question.

MR. TAYLOR: Yes, Mr. Speaker.

This is my question to the Minister of Fisheries: What does he plan to do over the coming months to enable this Province, and the industry, to have more input and influence on fishery policy decisions so that the right decisions can be made for the right reasons and for the benefit of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. REID: Mr. Speaker, I think this is too important an issue to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, rather than try and play cheap politics with it here in the House of Assembly.

I have listened to the hon. member across the floor. Mr. Speaker, it has been our position since 1989, it is our position today, and it will remain our position, that the stocks adjacent to our shores should be for the benefit of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. REID: Mr. Speaker, that was our position, that is our position now, and that will remain our position.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: A supplementary, the hon. the Member for The Straits & White Bay North.

MR. TAYLOR: Mr. Speaker, that might be their position, but they are doing a poor job of relating it to Ottawa.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. TAYLOR: Mr. Speaker, the problem is that there is no strategy for the industry in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Will the minister commit to the people of the Province that he and his department will develop a strategy for this industry, one that can be presented to the people as a plan that deals with regional disparities, one that provides vision and stability, and one that can be presented to the federal minister as the Province's position on the allocations of and access to fish resources off our coast?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. REID: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

He talks about the adjacency principle. I stood in the House last week - the hon. Member for Conception Bay South mentioned it last week. I asked the Member for Ferryland if he agreed that all the fish caught on the Northern Peninsula should stay on the Northern Peninsula. His answer to me was: I am not the fisheries critic; I am the finance critic.

I asked the previous fisheries critic, from Bonavista South, if he agreed with that principle. He said: I am no longer the fisheries critic. That is what he said to me.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. REID: He talks about us not having any direction in where we are going. Yes, Mr. Speaker, we do have direction. We know where we are headed in this fishery. We have also made numerous representations to the federal minister on what he should do with the shrimp resource.

I made at least five, six or seven of those, that we should have had the increase in the northern shrimp allocation by the 20 per cent that the scientists recommended yesterday. I have relayed that to Ottawa time and time again.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Labrador West.

MR. COLLINS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

My question is for the Minister of Health and Community Services.

As the minister is aware, police lock-ups are now used to detain people under the Mental Health Act, because of the absence of proper short-stay psychiatric facilities.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. COLLINS: A proposal was made by mental health advocates to renovate the space at the Waterford Hospital, but no money was budgeted to address the problem. This is happening in many areas of the Province, Mr. Speaker, including Labrador, where people suffering a mental health crisis are, in some cases, left for several days in police lock-ups until they can be transported to St. John's for psychiatric assessment. I ask the minister how his government is planning to deal with this very important issue?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Human Resources and Employment.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SMITH: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank the hon. member for that question, which certainly touches on a very important issue, an issue that is important, as he has pointed out, to all the people of this Province.

Indeed we, as a government - it is a issue that we are concerned about and it is an issue that we are looking at closely. When we sit down as a government, and as the officials of my department sit down and look at establishing the priorities for our department, I think first and foremost what we have to recognize - all of us in this hon. House, and I am sure the people of this Province - is that this government has always made health care a number one priority. The fact that this year we have committed $1.4 billion speaks to the commitment that this government has to health care for the people of this Province. Certainly, in the area of mental health, as the hon. member has pointed to, we recognize there are still some needs there and we are working and moving towards resolving those in the very near future.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: A supplementary, the hon. the Member for Labrador West.

MR. COLLINS: Mr. Speaker, hospital emergency rooms are not staffed in a manner that will provide the supervision and security needed in situations where an individual is detained under the Mental Health Act. Even the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary Association opposes the use of lockups, saying people waiting for an assessment need to be looked at by a regular psychiatric physician or nurse. I ask the minister: How long would a wrong facility be used to hold people waiting for treatment of mental illness, and when will this government make this a priority?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Human Resources and Employment.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SMITH: Mr. Speaker, I apologize to the hon. member for my thoroughness in the first answer, because obviously I answered his supplementary in my initial response.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Bonavista South.

MR. FITZGERALD: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I will wrap my questions up into one. My question is for the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs. The Premier stood here yesterday and talked about the wonderful job the minister did in getting the right line in the Laurentian Sub-basin, so we came out a winner.

I would like to ask the minister what is involved, and if he has being representing the views of the people of this Province on gun control registration? Number one, I would like to ask the minister if he has held public consultation? Number two, I would like to ask him what the feedback is? Number three, I would like to ask him, if it is not the wish of the people in this Province to have gun control registration then why should it be the wish of the government of this Province?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Government House Leader.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. LUSH: Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for that very important question, a very urgent question of public urgency, and to say to him that the Department of Intergovernmental Affairs is making every effort that it can to work in this area. This department is never found wanting in any area in which it is supposed to be engaged. Never found wanting, Mr. Speaker!

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. LUSH: Busily, enthusiastically and eagerly working for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador to try and improve their lot in life; and if that involves gun control, we are there!

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

Question Period has ended.

MR. LUSH: On a point of order, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

On a point of order, the hon. the Government House Leader.

MR. LUSH: Mr. Speaker, I think this is an appropriate time to stand on this point of order, this being the last day. We hope that members will get geared up for the next session.

I have noticed, particularly in the last little while, many members breaching the rules of Question Period. The rules that we have made, and that is what makes it so important. Hon. members may not know, but one of the most serious things that we can do is breach the rules of parliament. Why? Because we are the people who made them. We are the people who make the rules of parliament. There can be no more dishonour to a parliamentary institution then for its own members to break the laws that we, ourselves, have imposed upon ourselves.

I just want to very quickly say, Mr. Speaker, one of the most important principles in Question Period - and a lot of members might not know it - is brevity, being brief, and not using preambles. Some of the rules re Question Period - this is very important -

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible).

MR. LUSH: Maybe if the hon. member would listen, he might know more of the rules.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. LUSH: Mr. Speaker, some of the rules regarding Question Period have fallen into dispute, particularly since we are having television. But, one of the rules which never has fallen - which is as current as lunch an hour ago. I quote for hon. members from Marleau and Montpetit, the 2000 edition. He is drawing on a ruling made by Speaker Jerome. He says: "Mr. Speaker Jerome, in his statement 11 years ago, put his view with regard to the first principle of brevity so well that I would merely quote it: There can be no doubt that the greatest enemy of the Question Period is the Member who offends this most important principle. In putting the original question on any subject, a Member may require an explanatory remark, but there is no reason for such a preamble to exceed one, carefully drawn sentence." In conclusion, Mr. Speaker, he says: "It is my proposal to ask all Hon. Members to pay close attention to this admonition and to bring them to order if they fail to do so. It bears repeating that the long preamble..." and I am reading this, Mr. Speaker, because -

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible).

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. LUSH: "It bears repeating..." -

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. LUSH: It is no wonder hon. members, Mr. Speaker, do not know the rules because they do not want to listen to them. I am finishing this -

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Government House Leader.

MR. LUSH: Mr. Speaker, it says: "It bears repeating that the long preamble or long question takes an unfair share of the time, and invariably..." - very important - "...in provoking the same kind of response, only compounds the difficulty."

In conclusion, Mr. Speaker, this long preamble is spreading right throughout the whole group over there. What they are doing is debating questions. There is not one answer but they are sneaking in a debate. Question Period is not for debate and if hon. members do not follow the rules of Question Period and other rules, this House will fall into disrepute very quickly!

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Opposition House Leader.

MR. SULLIVAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The minister made certain points that may have a degree of validity but I want to say that he does not add any credence to it when he takes five minutes out of six for the preamble - to spend one minute getting to tell us what brevity is. I think that is part of our problem here in the House.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

To the point of order, it is indeed a very important point that the hon. member has raised. The Chair has, from time to time, reminded members and have interrupted members that their questions have been lengthy, that preambles for supplementary questions ought not to be - there ought not to be any preamble but the Chair has allowed a sentence or two for members to get to their questions and to explain their questions but, again, questions have been lengthy. That is why the Chair interrupts and asks members to get to their question. Likewise, of course, answers have been lengthy and the Chair has interrupted members when they are responding. I think with the event of television, we ought to probably get together at some point in time and look at some of the other things that we may want to do with regard to Question Period and other activities in the House.

Again, it is a very important point that he has raised. I think we all should reflect on it and consider it, and the Chair will be dealing with it further in the fall before we return.

Petitions

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. Barbe.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. YOUNG: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am presenting a petition signed by residents on the Great Northern Peninsula.

To the hon. House of Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador, in the legislative session convened, the petition of the undersigned residents of the Great Northern Peninsula;

WHEREAS many fish processing plants on the Great Northern Peninsula are not able to access raw resources harvested in waters adjacent to this coast;

WHEREFORE your petitioners urge the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador: (1) to put in place a true adjacency plan that will see processing plants on the Northern Peninsula have priority access to the raw resources harvested in waters adjacent to this coast; and (2) to pressure the Government of Canada to begin respecting the principle of adjacency, as in duty bound your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr. Speaker, I have presented a petition of behalf of the people of Black Duck Cove before. In presenting this petition, I would like to make a couple of other points that the people of Black Duck Cove feel very strongly about.

The Minister of Fisheries has said there is more shrimp being trucked to the Northern Peninsula for processing than is being trucked off, yet residents who are blocking the roads on the Northern Peninsula today have yet to stop one truck load of shrimp which has not been landed on the Northern Peninsula.

Mr. Speaker, the people of the Northern Peninsula look at Labrador and observe that there exists a plan for the resources adjacent to Labrador to be managed for the benefit of the people of Labrador.

In all fairness, Mr. Speaker, the people of Black Duck Cove are asking this government to put a plan in place for them also; a plan which will ensure that the resources adjacent to the Northern Peninsula be used for the benefit of the residents of the Northern Peninsula. The people of Black Duck Cove are asking for a plan where they will not have to witness trucking out of unprocessed fish on such a scale as has never before in this Province while fish plants on the Northern Peninsula sit idle.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. John's South.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. T. OSBORNE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I have today another petition on behalf of the residents of Shea Heights who wish to petition the Minister of Municipal Affairs regarding the need for wheelchair accessible housing units in that neighborhood. I will read the pray of the petition:

We, the residents of Shea Heights, wish to petition the hon. House of Assembly to address the need for wheelchair accessible housing units in the Shea Heights area. We are asking the government to consider the fact that people with disabilities and their families need to be able to utilize the support of family and friends within the community of Shea Heights. If persons are forced to live in units outside the community it compromises the help and support families so vitally need. We are asking that serious consideration be given to the construction of wheelchair accessible units in the Shea Heights area so families with physical disabilities may avail of essential support networks.

Mr. Speaker, I have presented a number of petitions over the past several months on this very issue. I have spoken on this issue in the House on a number of occasions. The importance of the issue is just as important today as it was six months ago, when I presented the first petition on this particular issue. The residents of the community of Shea Heights need to stay in that area where they are close to family and friends, and people who they can rely on to help in times of need. The people in the community of Shea Heights, the residents of Shea Heights, who are confined to wheelchairs, are asking very simply that government put a number of wheelchair accessible housing units within that community so that the residents of that area, the residents of Shea Heights, can remain in their community, the community in which they grew up, in which their family and friends reside, in which they want to stay.

The very fact, Mr. Speaker, that the Newfoundland and Labrador Housing list in the Shea Heights area is one of the areas that is perhaps in most demand throughout the entire Province speaks to the fact that people wish to stay in the community of Shea Heights. It is a community, Mr. Speaker, that is comprised of approximately 1,800 people. It is one of the largest communities in the Province, although it is a part of the City of St. John's. It is a very large neighborhood and the people of that neighborhood, the residents of the community wish to remain in the area of Shea Heights.

I am speaking on their behalf today, as I have on a number of occasions in the past, to ask that the government give very serious consideration to allowing the residents of Shea Heights to remain within their community where they have family and friends, and where they can more easily access the help that they so vitally need.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Orders of the Day

MR. SPEAKER: Before I recognize the hon. Government House Leader, yesterday the Chair of Committees reported to the House that there were a number of amendments to bills. We did not complete that process. We did not read the amendments the first and second time, so with the indulgence of members I would like to revert to the report of yesterday and have the first and second reading of the amendments. That is the normal process but we did not complete it yesterday.

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible) so what are we supposed to do?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. member reported the amendments and we accepted the report. Following that, we should have -

AN HON. MEMBER: Voted.

MR. SPEAKER: Yes, we should have voted on first and second reading of the amendments.

AN HON. MEMBER: Of the amendments.

MR. SPEAKER: Yes, the amendments only, and we did not do that.

MR. SULLIVAN: So we will revert and do that now?

MR. SPEAKER: Yes, I am just asking to call the amendments now. I am asking to call the amendments for the first -

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible).

On motion, amendments to Bills 4, 7 and 10 read a first and second time, bills ordered read a third time presently, by leave.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Government House Leader.

MR. LUSH: Mr. Speaker, Orders 3 through 11, third reading of Bills 5, 6, 13, 15, 11, 1, 14, 12 and 16.

On motion, the following bills read a third time, ordered passed and their titles be as on the Order Paper:

A bill, "An Act To Amend The Prepaid Funeral Services Act." (Bill 5)

A bill, "An Act To Amend The Income Tax Act, 2000." (Bill 6)

A bill, "An Act To Amend The Liquor Corporation Act." (Bill 13)

A bill, "An Act To Amend The Aquaculture Act." (Bill 15)

A bill, "An Act To Amend The Chiropractors Act, The Dieticians Act, the Pharmaceutical Association Act, 1994 And The Social Workers Association Act." (Bill 11)

A bill, "An Act To Establish The Order Of Newfoundland And Labrador." (Bill 1)

A bill, "An Act To Amend The Provincial Court Act, 1991." (Bill 14)

A bill, "An Act To Amend The Medical Act And The Medical Care Insurance Act, 1999." (Bill 12)

A bill, "An Act To Amend The Workplace Health, Safety And Compensation Act And The Occupational Health And Safety Act." (Bill 16)

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Government House Leader.

MR. LUSH: Mr. Speaker, Order 12, third reading of Bill 17.

MR. SPEAKER: Order 12, third reading of Bill 17, An Act To Amend The Financial Administration Act.

The hon. the Opposition House Leader.

MR. SULLIVAN: Mr. Speaker, I just have a brief comment on this one.

I said before that the reason this bill should not have ever been here, that we should not have had the Health Care Corporation borrowing $130 million. It is a capital expenditure, it is paid out of this Province, it is funded out of this Province, and it should be on the books of this Province and not transferred out to the books of the Health Care Corporation. Now, they have to come back to us and look at dealing with the debt management of that debt now, when it should not have been there in the first place.

That is a piece of legislation that should not have had to take place. It is a waste of time having the events that made it necessary to take place. Therefore, we should not have had the time here in the House to have to even deal with this. It should have been done in the beginning as we do with other expenditures of government. If we are out there building hospitals in other parts of the Province and we are funding these, we funded these out of the provincial government Treasury and so on. We carry on our books a lot of expenditures in the past. Why are we now reverting to transferring the cost of these on the Health Care Corporation?

It wasn't necessary. It does not complement a policy that government has moved in the past. It is done so we can transfer out and look at $130 million less debt showing up on the books of our Province. You certainly do not hide it on bond rating agencies, because they look at contingent liabilities and all other debts pertaining to your Province. I don't see any reason for doing it. Why were there events that necessitated this here in the first place?

MR. SPEAKER (Mercer): The hon. the Minister of Finance.

MS J.M. AYLWARD: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

As I have explained to the member opposite in a private conversation when the bill was being introduced for the second reading, the reason we are doing this is because the expertise for managing such a large amount of money rests with the government's trustees, and for that reason it was thought to be in the best interest of the Health Care Corporation. Also, it was a recommendation that they made to us to ask for our assistance in managing the debt and the debt management.

Mr. Speaker, that is why we did it. We don't have the ability to do that without providing the legislative changes required through this House of Assembly. That is why the proposed changes came forward, to allow us to manage the $130 million debt that, admittedly, is on the books; however, we also know that it is there for all to see, whether it be the Auditor General or through any other reporting mechanism to the House.

MR. SULLIVAN: (Inaudible).

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

Before I recognize the member, could I ask the members to my left to keep it down. There are those of us who are listening to the debate. If they wish to have a chat amongst themselves, perhaps they should remove themselves outside the Chamber.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Opposition House Leader.

MR. SULLIVAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I just want to make sure on a point that the minister must have understand what I said, because in previous readings of this bill, I made it quite clear and I indicated that I am not opposed to the Province handling debt management. That is where is should be handled in the first place. It should have never been gone to the boards. Why should they be entrusted with that? If they did not have the loan on their books, they would not have to do the debt management. I support the bill, but the events that led to having to bring this bill in, in the first place, should never have been.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Government House Leader.

MR. LUSH: Mr. Speaker, Orders 12 through 20, third reading of Bills 17, 18, 19, 8, 20, 9, 4, 7 and 10.

On motion, the following bills read a third time, ordered passed and their titles be as on the Order Paper:

A bill, "An Act To Amend The Financial Administration Act." (Bill 17)

A bill, "An Act To Amend The Labour Relations Act." (Bill 18)

A bill, "An Act To Amend The Shops' Closing Act." (Bill 19)

A bill, "An Act To Amend The Schools Act, l997." (Bill 8)

A bill, "An Act To Amend The Provincial Court Act, 1991 No. 2." (Bill 20)

A bill, "An Act To Provide For The Recovery Of Tobacco Related Health Care Costs." (Bill 9)

A bill, "An Act Respecting Petroleum Products." (Bill 4)

A bill, "An Act Respecting Municipal Elections." (Bill 7)

A bill, "An Act Respecting The Appointment Of A Citizens' Representative For The Province Who Shall Have The Powers Traditionally Conferred On An Ombudsman." (Bill 10)

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Government House Leader.

MR. LUSH: Mr. Speaker, I want to make sure that we have all of the legislation done. Can somebody verify that we have everything done, Orders 1-20, that we have not missed any.

MR. SULLIVAN: Yes, sir, I can verify that now.

MR. LUSH: Mr. Speaker, with that done I will ask hon. members if they would agree to recess for half an hour or thereabouts, we will call members. Will we ring the bells or will they come back at 3:30?

AN HON. MEMBER: Ring the bells.

MR. LUSH: We will ring the bells when His Honour is here.

MR. SPEAKER: This House is now in recess.

Recess

 

MR. SPEAKER (Snow): Order, please!

SERGEANT-AT-ARMS: His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor has arrived.

MR. SPEAKER: Admit His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor.

Mr. Speaker leaves the Chair.

His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor takes the Chair.

SERGEANT-AT-ARMS: It is the wish of His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor that all present please be seated.

MR. SPEAKER: It is my agreeable duty on behalf of her Majesty's dutiful and loyal subjects, Her faithful Commons in Newfoundland and Labrador, to present to Your Honour a bill for the appropriation of Supply granted in the present session.

CLERK: A bill, "An Act For Granting To Her Majesty Certain Sums Of Money For Defraying Certain Expenses Of the Public Service For The Financial Year Ending March 31, 2002 And For Other Purposes Relating To The Public Service." (Bill 3)

HIS HONOUR THE LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR (A.M. House): In Her Majesty's name, I thank Her Loyal Subjects, I accept their benevolence, and I assent to this bill.

MR. SPEAKER: May it please Your Honour, the General Assembly of the Province has at its present session passed certain bills, to which, in the name and on behalf of the General Assembly I respectfully request Your Honour's assent.

CLERK: A bill, "An Act To Amend The Prepaid Funeral Services Act." (Bill 5)

A bill, "An Act To Amend The Income Tax Act, 2000." (Bill 6)

A bill, "An Act To Amend The Liquor Corporation Act." (Bill 13)

A bill, "An Act To Amend The Aquaculture Act." (Bill 15)

A bill, "An Act To Establish The Order Of Newfoundland And Labrador." (Bill 1)

A bill, "An Act To Amend The Chiropractors Act, the Dieticians Act, The Pharmaceutical Association Act, 1994 And The Social Workers Association Act." (Bill 11)

A bill, "An Act To Amend The Provincial Court Act, 1991." (Bill 14)

A bill, "An Act To Amend The Medical Act And The Medical Care Insurance Act, 1999." (Bill 12)

A bill, "An Act An Act To Amend The Workplace Health, Safety And Compensation Act And The Occupational Health And Safety Act." (Bill 16)

A bill, "An Act To Amend The Financial Administration Act." (Bill 17)

A bill, "An Act To Amend The Labour Relations Act." (Bill 18)

A bill, "An Act To Amend The Shops' Closing Act." (Bill 19)

A bill, "An Act To Amend The Schools Act, 1997." (Bill 8)

A bill, "An Act To Amend The Provincial Court Act, 1991 No. 2." (Bill 20)

A bill, "An Act To Provide For The Recovery Of Tobacco Related Health Care Costs." (Bill 9)

A bill, "An Act Respecting Petroleum Products." (Bill 4)

A bill, "An Act Respecting Municipal Elections." (Bill 7)

A bill, "An Act Respecting The Appointment Of A Citizens' Representative For The Province Who Shall Have The Powers Traditionally Conferred On An Ombudsman." (Bill 10)

HIS HONOUR THE LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR: In Her Majesty's name, I assent to these bills.

His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor leaves the Chamber.

Mr. Speaker returns to the Chair.

MR. SPEAKER (Snow): Order, please!

The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER GRIMES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I just wanted to make a few brief comments in line with what the Government House Leader was talking to us about earlier on a point of order. I will try not to belabor the issue, but to take a minute to thank all hon. members for their full participation and cooperation during this session, that we are very proud, on this side of the House, to have participated in. With respect to passing a Budget for the year, in which we were pleased to see no questions from the Opposition with respect to the Budget, because they could not find anything to criticize. They didn't want to praise it up so they decided not to mention it.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER GRIMES: Mr. Speaker, interestingly enough, earlier today outside the Legislature, in speaking to the media, they admitted themselves that they did not even have any questions about it. They just asked: Can you do it next year? Which is a wonderful endorsement by itself.

We are proud of the initiatives that were supported by all parties in terms of passing the Budget: the K-12 initiatives with the teachers for another year, with no reductions; the funding for the per-pupil grants, that there will hopefully be less fundraising on behalf of students, very important initiatives; the post-secondary issues to relieve student debt; the idea of having lower tuitions at the University; the additional money in health care, $50 million for the boards themselves, the institutional boards; additional increases for home support workers is critically important; the raises that were supported here by all members, long overdue and much deserved for our public servants. Unfortunately, we had an interruption for a week.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER GRIMES: Mr. Speaker, with all due attention given to that, I do appreciate the examination that was given in the Committee stage and all the work that was done in giving a full review, seriously, to the Budget. Then, on top of that, the attention that all members paid to scrutinizing what would be, under any normal set of circumstances, a legislative agenda that would probably fill up a full fall session. To do that on top of a full Budget examination is certainly very much appreciated by the government, and we do respect the full scrutiny that was given by the Opposition.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER GRIMES: Mr. Speaker, we are proud to have participated in this particular session, as a government, with some of the bills that were named by the Clerk and signed by His Honor today. We appreciate his attendance. I know that the Member for Bonavista South is glad that he was here, as well, along with all the rest of us.

Mr. Speaker, issues that are long overdue in Newfoundland and Labrador, like: the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador; the Citizens' Representative, or the Ombudsman, as people would commonly refer to it; the education accountability piece, in line with what the Auditor General is recommending to the government; changes, significant changes, to workers' compensation to ensure that the system provides the protection it needs for injured workers; changes to the Labour Relations Act, significant, to give us a better, stronger environment to move forward with development here in Newfoundland and Labrador; the tobacco recovery legislation, just to name a few. So, it was quite an active session.

It was a little surprise, just on one account, to see the Opposition vote against the fuel price regulation, the petroleum pricing piece of legislation. Because my recollection, having been the minister, was that when I was the minister and saying no, my recollection, unless I missed it altogether, is that they were up asking, why were we not doing something, and even presenting petitions on behalf of people who wanted regulation, Mr. Speaker. Then, a couple of years later, we find them voting against this particular piece.

Mr. Speaker, we do appreciate the full scrutiny and attention paid. It has been a very useful and productive sitting and session of the Legislature. I want to commend, just in case we do not see the Leader of the Opposition in that particular seat in the fall, to thank him again for his tenacious questioning of the government on behalf of the Opposition, particularly as the Opposition Leader, because I understand his wish, which he stated over a year ago, was to get out of that job and do something else. We will see whether or not that happens between now and next fall.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. E. BYRNE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I want to join with the Premier -

MR. BARRETT: Do you have a CD for us today?

MR. E. BYRNE: No, but if you would like one, just put in your request, Percy, and we will accommodate you some time in 2010.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I want to make a couple of comments on what the Premier said. We made a commitment at the Throne Speech, publicly, that we would not be obstructionist for the sake of being so, that we would not hold up legislation if we agreed with it. It think the record bears out that we did not do that. The record also bears out that where we felt strongly about certain pieces of legislation, we worked to try to achieve some consensus, and I think we did. Those pieces that we disagreed with, we stood in our places and disagreed with them.

On the issue with petroleum products, to remind the Premier - he said maybe it is his recollection; I can assure him that it is - that our position has been that if we want relief and lower gas prices, that regulation would not accomplish that. That was our belief and it still is. That is why we voted against the bill.

On a much lighter note, I want to say to the Premier: In 1993, when I first came here, I was given the task of being his critic when he was the Minister of Employment and Labour, and I have questioned him for eight years on a variety of matters. A number of times we have asked for by-elections to be called, and he has given us no answers on that. I am going to make a personal appeal to him, a personal appeal to the Premier of the Province: Look, you once said that there are only forty-eight of us here. For the love of God, I have been eleven-and-a-half months trying to get out of this job. If, for no other reason, will you call it for that reason alone, Premier?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Government House Leader.

MR. LUSH: Mr. Speaker, before -

AN HON. MEMBER: Keep your hands in your pockets.

MR. LUSH: I have them in my own pocket, thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. LUSH: And that is where they will remain.

Mr. Speaker, before introducing the motion, I just want to again thank hon. members for their cooperation in what, in my view, was a very productive session, both from the point of view of the Budget and the legislation.

I have one regret - just one. I have not made a lot of it, and I do not intend to, but I have one regret, and that is that we did not meet the parliamentary calendar. Most members will know that my yen is to carry out the rules of the House because, as I indicated earlier, we make the rules. When we make the rules there is an onus on us to carry them out.

Mr. Speaker, I did my very best to cooperate, to ensure that we met the calendar but we were walking in unchartered waters. It was the first time that we had done it. We did it in the fall but we did not have a Budget; I realize that. We did it in the spring with a Budget and with a very heavy agenda. So, it wasn't unreasonable to think that we might go a day or two over. I am just advising hon. members opposite, in the future we ought to aim to abide by the parliamentary calendar. I do not say tit-for-tat because it was done this time now that we are going to do something the next time. That is not the way it works. We will work as hard as we can to abide by the parliamentary calendar because they are rules that we have made to govern our lives here in this House.

Mr. Speaker, having said that, I want to wish all hon. members a happy break. I don't know what things will go on during that break but I am sure there will be lots of work. I look forward to carrying out my activities over the next little while, to do the work for the benefit of the Member for Bonavista South that the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs is supposed to do; did not have time to do in this session but will get them done during the summer.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the staff for the great work that they have done.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. LUSH: I thank the pages for their jobs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. LUSH: I thank the Sergeant-at-Arms (inaudible).

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. LUSH: All the people in Hansard, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. LUSH: Also, of course, the news media up there.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. LUSH: Leaving as I thank them; and all the people who come to the galleries to see us -

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. LUSH: - to witness, Mr. Speaker, the greatest event in the land.

With that, Mr. Speaker, I will concede the floor to my hon. colleague, for the moment.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Opposition House Leader.

MR. SULLIVAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

On behalf of the Opposition we certainly echo thank yous that the House Leader has done. I will not repeat all of these.

We, too, believe in conforming to a parliamentary calendar. In fact, as indicated too, we felt we have done our part in that, and the House Leader would know that we were sure that two weeks before we would have all the bills so we could have an opportunity to look at them. We had over twenty bills. Nineteen went through and got royal assent here today; nineteen of those bills and supply bills earlier, and Interim Supply. We have dealt with over twenty bills here in this House in a short period of time, some of which we only had two and three days notice before we discussed them.

I think we can conform to a parliamentary calendar, and it is imperative that we have access to legislation. I know it is difficult for the House Leader to get legislation from ministers on times. I know that may be difficult, but is difficult for us to deal with legislation on two and three days notice. We need to look at them. We need to research them. We need to look at whether it is flawed, because too often we see legislation back here in this House in the fall, in the following year to make amendments that we talked about in the very first place. That would permit a smooth flow of legislation through this House and it would facilitate in keeping with a parliamentary calender.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Government House Leader.

MR. LUSH: Mr. Speaker, it is moved that this House adjourn and stands adjourned until the call of the Chair. The Speaker, or in his or her absence from the Province, the Deputy Speaker may give notice and thereupon the House shall meet at the time stated and dated by the notice of the proposed sitting.

It is moved, Mr. Speaker, that this House do now adjourn.

On motion, the House at its rising adjourned until the call of the Chair.