The House met at 2:00 p.m.

MR. SPEAKER (Snow): Order, please!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SWEENEY: Mr. Speaker, the Business School at Memorial University has become the first in Atlantic Canada and only one of eight in the country to be credited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

This Association is one of the higher education's most prestigious and rigorous accrediting bodies. It stresses academic excellence and dedication to continuous improvement and it is the highest distinction offered to business schools nationally and internationally.

To achieve AACSB International Accreditation, business programs must satisfy the expectations of a wide range of quality standards relating to curriculum, faculty resources, admission, degree requirements, library and computer facilities, financial resources and contributions to research.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all members to join me in congratulating the Business School at Memorial University upon achieving this prestigious accreditation.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Roman Peddle of Gooseberry Cove on receiving the Canadian Forces Cadet Award for Bravery.

Mr. Speaker, on September 16, 1999, when Roman was only sixteen years old, he jumped into the water in Southport Harbour to save his young friend, Kayla Dean. She has fallen from the wharf nearby.

Roman was a member of the Royal Oak 2997 Royal Canadian Army Cadet Core in Little Heart's Ease. Mr. Speaker, Roman is an exceptional cadet and throughout his time as a member of that cadet core received many awards for his participation in both local and provincial events.

This award, Mr. Speaker, acknowledges an exceptional act of bravery and has only been presented twenty-four times since it was established in 1948, and Roman is only the third person in Newfoundland to receive this award.

Mr. Speaker, I would ask members of this House to join with me in thanking Roman for his heroic act and congratulate him for receiving this very prestigious award.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Burin- Placentia West.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS M. HODDER: Mr. Speaker, I rise in this hon. House today to congratulate a former resident of Marystown who has been named Chairperson of the National Adult Cystic Fibrosis Committee.

Dale Walsh, son of Pat and Mary Walsh of Marystown, was first diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at the age of six months. Now twenty-nine, Dale will work with other committee members to consider and resolve issues of concern to adults with CF on both a national and regional level.

Mr. Speaker, Dale is a former Vice-Regional Representative, as well as a Regional Representative for Atlantic Canada, and has been actively involved in issues dealing with CF for the last four years. He currently is working with our Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation and resides here in St. John's with his wife, Peggy, and one-year-old daughter, Regan.

On behalf of all members of this House, I congratulate Dale Walsh on being named Chair of the National Adult Cystic Fibrosis Committee and wish him well in the future.

Thank you, Mr. speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Placentia & St. Mary's.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. MANNING: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I take the opportunity today to inform the House of a special celebration that will take place in Branch, St. Mary's Bay, this coming Saturday night. It is a celebration of a community, family and friends of Austin and Agatha Nash, who will celebrate their Sixtieth Wedding Anniversary on April 28.

I have known Mr. Austin and Mrs. Agatha for many, many years. They are quite honest, hard-working people, who raised a family during some very hard times in a small fishing community of Branch, St. Mary's Bay.

I ask the Members of the House of Assembly on all sides to join with me and their family and friends as they celebrate a great achievement of sixty years of marriage for Austin and Agatha, and come together in the community hall in Branch this Saturday, and I would say it is going to be a time tonight.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Port de Grave.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. BUTLER: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise today to congratulate Bay Roberts author, Gordon Francis, on the recent release of Book II of the Jonathan Dreamed of Dragon series, called The Return of Ozon. This children's book provides enjoyment but also includes information about environmental pollution.

A former drama teacher, Mr. Francis has been given readings to Grade 3 classes where his book is part of the authorized list of resources. The author enjoys impersonating characters from his book to add to the imagination of his young audience.

Mr. Francis has published other books and is the co-author of Process and Purpose, the Language 3101 text used in Newfoundland and Labrador schools. He is due to retire from a thirty-year teaching career at the end of this school year, and is looking forward to working on Book III of the series.

Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate Mr. Francis on publishing this new book and encourage him to continue his work which brings enjoyment to so many young people.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. OTTENHEIMER: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Last night, Mr. Speaker, I had the privilege of joining with the Kinsmen and Kinettes to pay tribute to a project that celebrates the National Kinsmen and Kinette President's visit to our Province, the National Cystic Fibrosis Conference, National Organ Donor Week and Volunteer Week generally. The project is known as the Kin Organ Donor Awareness Campaign or Kin-ODAC.

Adopted right here in our home Province at Corner Brook's Odyssey 2001, during the National Kinsmen and Kinette Convention, it is a legacy to a young St. John's East Kinsman whose inspiration started it, a young man by the man of Andrew Hatfield. The program has enjoyed tremendous success all across Canada since its inception.

Since August, Kinsmen and Kinettes all over Canada have become ambassadors of the Organ Donor program in their communities, volunteering their time, and educating their families and friends, all the while further enhancing their faithful commitment to their national service project, Cystic Fibrosis.

Their CF fundraising efforts aided researchers in their quest for a cure, and now they are hoping that their Kin Organ Donor Awareness Campaign will mean more access to precious transplant options that have evolved from the success of that research.

I am sure I speak on behalf of all members, Mr. Speaker, when we say that we congratulate all the good work of all Kinsmen and Kinettes throughout our Province and we wish them well throughout this very important campaign.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

My question today is for the Acting Minister of Industry, Trade and Rural Development.

This morning, a representative from the St. John's Real Estate Board, which actually represents St. John's Metro area and the bulk of the Northeast Avalon, in an interview, said this: The housing market in this part of the Province is booming.

When asked why it was booming, he did not say it was because of people coming from outside the Province to buy homes; he did not say it was because of the oil and gas industry for people coming to buy homes; he said, one of the single biggest factors why the housing industry in this part of the Province is booming is because of the demographic shift of people from rural Newfoundland to this part of the Province to seek employment opportunities.

Wouldn't the minister agree that this is an indictment of this government's abysmal failure to grow and diversify the rural economy of Newfoundland and Labrador? And, is it also an indictment and a statement of fact that this government is void and has run out of any creative ideas to grow and create jobs in rural Newfoundland and Labrador?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Justice and Attorney General.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. PARSONS: Mr. Speaker, it is not a position of this Administration to indict anyone or anybody at this point. The Opposition House Leader asked a question - and I am tired of saying this - again, if you ask a question you ought to be courteous enough to allow me to respond.

As everyone knows, this Administration has a Jobs and Growth Renewal Strategy. The shift of demographics in this Province from rural to urban is not a phenomenon that is unique to this Province. Anybody who has checked any demographics across this country in North America, the shift generally in North America is from a rural based economy to an urban economy, but that does not make it right and that does not make it what we want it to be. Rural Newfoundland deserves a chance to survive and will be given a chance to survive by allowing this Administration a chance to implement the Jobs and Growth Strategy of this Province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

This government has gone a long way in the last little while to create a spin, to create a myth, to create a perception, that things in rural Newfoundland and Labrador in this Province are better than they have ever been. For example, Mr. Speaker, in this year's Budget Statement, Budget Speech by the minister, it was said that this year, for the first time, we have had more people employed than any other time in our history, and that the bulk of those people - 63 per cent of those jobs were created outside the Avalon. It goes against any and all of the indicators that economists are putting forward.

Let me ask the minister this: Does he stand by the statistics that his government used on Budget day and other days that say for sure that right now there are more people employed in full-time positions than ever in our history? Is that still your position?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Justice and Attorney General.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. PARSONS: Mr. Speaker, the information that I have available indicates, and this is done independently, that since 1996 there has been 23,000 jobs - in excess of 23,000 jobs actually - created in this Province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. PARSONS: We have the most people working in this economy ever, and of those jobs in excess of 23,000, 63 per cent of those jobs have gone to rural Newfoundland.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. PARSONS: Instead of preaching doom and gloom and being defeatists, this Administration's role is we want to be positive because if you do not believe in yourself, like we do, and if you have a negative attitude, like the Opposition has, we are never going to get anywhere if we don't believe in ourselves first. We do, and we believe in this Province and the people of this Province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

Mr. Speaker, the only people who believe, on that side of the House right now, are themselves and if you do not believe them, ask them. That is what I say. Any sound, sober analysis of what the government just said in terms of -

MR. SWEENEY: (Inaudible).

MR. E. BYRNE: What is the matter, guy? What is the matter with the Member for Carbonear-Harbour Grace? Stand up on your feet for the first time and say something as opposed to yapping in the backbench, because that is all you do.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. E. BYRNE: Mr. Speaker, any sound sober analysis -

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

I ask the hon. member now to get to his question. He is on a supplementary.

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible).

MR. E. BYRNE: He got some.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

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

MR. E. BYRNE: Mr. Speaker, any sound -

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

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. member on a point of order.

MR. SWEENEY: Mr. Speaker, I am not afraid to stand up and tell the truth.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

Again, I remind hon. members that during Question Period points of order should be kept until the end of Question Period.

The hon. the Opposition House Leader.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

Any sound, sober analysis of the employment statistics used by this government in the recent Budget Speech shows a completely different story. Mr. Speaker, the question is this: Wouldn't the minister agree that the $3.441 million emergency employment program, created for the statistics, 6,617 people who showed up as being employed in the Province when in fact they were only employed for two weeks? In short, the question is this: Wouldn't you agree that your own emergency employment program inflated artificially the numbers that led you to claim, and your government to claim, that you had the highest employment rate in the Province in recent time? Isn't that the fact, minister?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Justice and Attorney General.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. PARSONS: I take it from the comments of the Opposition House Leader that he is opposed, and his party is opposed, to the special incentive initiative that we had.

This Administration implemented a program here that would be of benefit to these people who are in desperate straits and needed some assistance. You can't preach doom and gloom on the one hand and then fault an Administration that is trying to help these people in desperate circumstances.

If you don't agree with a program that is intended to help people, don't fudge your words, stand up and say you don't agree with it, because we are into helping people over here.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. PARSONS: Perhaps you might like to ask, as well, in terms of what you are trying to do for people in rural Newfoundland: Does the Opposition disagree with what happened on the Burin Peninsula with White Rose? Do you disagree that the yard has been turned over to someone who is going to make people have a gainful livelihood? You can't criticize these things without wearing the backspin that goes with it. If you are going to criticize what we are doing in rural Newfoundland, I take it you will stand up and tell the people in Burin that you are opposed to what we are doing in Burin. I take it you will tell the people in Carbonear that you are opposed to the jobs that went out there and the call centre.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

I ask the minister now to conclude his answer.

MR. PARSONS: Those are signs of progress, those are signs of success, not signs of failure, as you would have everyone in this Province -

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

What we are opposed to is this government spinning, concocting, misleading, trying to convince people in rural Newfoundland and Labrador that things are better than they actually are.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. E. BYRNE: Minister, the people in this Province know exactly, the people in rural Newfoundland know exactly, what your government has not done for them. They don't need me or any other member to say it.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

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

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

As a result of artificially inflating the numbers, government then, Mr. Speaker, tried to hide behind and say, look what a great job we did, when they did very little.

I would like to ask the minister this question: How can he stand up and make the claim and the assertion that things in rural Newfoundland and Labrador are better than they have ever been in our history since Confederation, when 55,000 people packed up suitcases, packed up cars, packed up children, and went to Alberta, Nova Scotia, P.E.I. and other places just to find some gainful work for themselves and their families?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Minister of Justice and Attorney General.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. PARSONS: Mr. Speaker, we talk about spin; and the master of spin is at it again today. Nowhere has it ever been said as it has by the spin doctor, by this Administration, that rural Newfoundland is in the best shape it has ever been in its history. Nowhere has that been said by this Administration. Nowhere.

What about the 500 jobs that are in Central? Do we discount those? Is that a failure as well? I would like to take this opportunity as well because there is a lot of talk here about doom and gloom, who does what and does not show their hand, and openness and accountability. I was asked a question last week by the Opposition House Leader concerning the consulting contracts and I will take this opportunity to clarify this for the public as well. I undertook to table these documents -

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

A supplementary, the hon. the Opposition House Leader.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. E. BYRNE: Mr. Speaker, if things are so great in rural Newfoundland and Labrador as this government would like to make out, let me ask the minister this question. Would he agree with a study by CIBC, a division headed by CIBC, from a well-known economist called Benjamin Tal, that said in the 1990s, particularly from 1996 to the period that they have talked about until now 2000, that Newfoundland and Labrador was the only Province in Canada that lost employees up to a maximum up to 5 per cent. The only Province in Canada. Would he agree with that study that was produced? If he does agree with it, because that is the fact, how can he then stand and assert that his government has done so much for so many over the last eleven years of Liberal administration?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Justice and Attorney General.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. PARSONS: Not only are we bereft of ideas, we are bereft of questions.

I think if anybody wants the facts, I will read a few statistics. The Province - and this is not compiled by our in-house spin masters as you would suggest; these are facts that are determined by independent people, independent indicators - the Province led Canada in GDP growth in 1998, placed second in 1999, shared the lead with Alberta in 2000. These are facts. This is not spin or a creation of figments of someone's imagination.

Again, unless everyone on the other side has missed the reality of the moratorium that took place in this Province, the most devastating blow that ever hit this Province economically, where most of our people were employed, and this Administration never turned its back on the people and said: Let the chips fall where they may. This Administration decided, as it should and ought to, that we have to create alternatives for these people, the vast majority of them who live in rural Newfoundland, not in urban centres, and that is exactly what this Administration has been about since the collapse of the fishery.

This Administration is intent on making it a success, not closing their eyes to the reality. Nobody is suggesting the job is finished. It is not finished. This Administration would never claim that it is over.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

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

MR. PARSONS: We have a lot of work to do, but there is one thing about it: this Administration intends to do it and intends to plough ahead and achieve what needs to be done.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

A final question to the minister. Would he not agree - and again these are not my statistics or anyone else's statistics; these are facts that have been demonstrated through economic studies and I might add, Mr. Speaker, information that comes from government's own departments - would he not agree that, in trying to create the perception that things are so great in rural Newfoundland and Labrador, that things are so good, that they have been the best in our fifty-year history, would he not agree with his own statistics which say that 80 per cent of new jobs created by this government are part-time, dominated mostly in the service sector, and are female dominant? Would he agree with those stats?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Justice and Attorney General.

MR. PARSONS: Mr. Speaker, we have no problem whatsoever with facts. I do not think anyone who has ever lived in Newfoundland will contest or criticize or misunderstand that most of our jobs in Newfoundland have been of a seasonal nature anyway.

As far as I know, and as long as I can recall, most of our industries in this Province are based upon seasonal types of activities. That is a reality. Call it what you want, you cannot spin that. There are lots of other economic indicators if you want them. The problem is, there is no reality on that side when it comes to seeing the facts for what they are. You always put a doom and gloom scenario on things, and that is not what is going to make this economy work. You people should be more creative and give us some ideas if you have any; but we suspect you are bereft of those ideas.

This government has a plan and we will see that the plan is implemented and fulfilled. We are not quitters and we are not simply just critics.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. E. BYRNE: A final supplementary.

Mr. Speaker, we have propped up this government too long with our ideas and the fact that they shouldered most of them are right here. Let me ask him this question, one final question: What can the minister tell a family from Middle Arm, who I talked to this morning, who are leaving - and they represent what Statistics Canada say, that another 35,000 to 40,000 will leave if things do not change in the Province. What can he tell that family today about GDP? Does it go good with gravy? Does it go good with mustard pickles? Does it go good with anything at all because they have not been able to eat it, which you have tried to shove down their throats for the last several years?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Justice and Attorney General.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. PARSONS: I trust, Mr. Speaker, that is not the same book or plan that they had when they were going to open seventy-five more fish plants in the Province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. PARSONS: Maybe that section has been deleted from the book.

I would tell those people, who he is talking about: Have faith, because we do not like the idea of them having to leave rural Newfoundland any more than they like having to leave. We are fully intent and determined that anyone who has had to leave because of poor economic circumstances, will, while this Administration is on watch, at least have some hope of returning, which is more than I can say for what is on the other side.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

My questions are for the Minister of Environment. Government has awarded the tire recycling contract without ensuring that the proponent was properly prepared to get the program up and running. Government failed to put the proper mechanisms in place to ensure that the program would operate smoothly. We have heard stories from municipalities that they are confused as to their obligations and responsibilities. There are tire retailers with stockpiles of tires. They are simply running out of space. Existing recyclers also have concerns.

My question for the minister is this: What does the minister intend to do to correct the problems that are currently existing in the tire recycling program?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Environment.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. K. AYLWARD: Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for the question and just to say, first off, it is a very good policy for the environment that we are proposing to do and that we are doing now. There is a scattered problem with it at this point, but for the most part we have over 240 landfill sites that we are dealing with. We have a scattered problem with some of the clarifications that we are dealing with, and it will be implemented. We are three weeks into the program that is going to be running forever in this Province. We need the program because we need to cleanup our landfill sites in the Province. I do appreciate the endorsement of the hon. member when the policy was announced. He does support the policy. It will be in full effect very shortly.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: A supplementary, the hon. the Member for St. John's South.

MR. T. OSBORNE: Mr. Speaker, among the tire retailers who have run out of room to store their tires we know of at least one example where the retailer has offered, at his own expense, to deliver the tires anywhere in the Province, even to Argentia, just to get them off his site because he cannot store any more. He has simply been told that he has to continue to store these tires until the arrangements have been made to do otherwise.

Mr. Speaker, what is the minister going to do between now and such a time that these arrangements are made to alleviate the concerns of this tire retailer, as well as others, in terms of liability and the lack of storage space?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Environment.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. K. AYLWARD: Mr. Speaker, within the next few days we are asking for some patience in some areas and basically, this program will be up and running in full course. We are working with all the retailers and we are dealing with individual issues on the short-term, but the overall plan will be full in effect very shortly. I can assure the member that any retailers who have trouble should contact the Multi-Materials Stewardship Board and we will deal with the issue. The overall policy, once its fully operational very shortly, is going to have a really positive impact on this Province. We are looking at making - I want to thank the former minister for bringing the policy forward and to say that this policy is going to create new opportunities. Also, we are looking at new recycling initiatives after this one is up and running.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

A final supplementary, the hon. the Member for St. John's South.

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

Because of a lack of planning, I say to the minister, tires are now being dumped outside the gates of landfills who are no longer prepared to accept them. Why would government announce and implement a tire recycling program before putting the proper planning and proper mechanisms in place to allow for a smooth and effective operation from the start?

Mr. Speaker, I ask the minister: Don't you think that it would have been better off to do the homework upfront before implementing this program as opposed to damage control after the program was implemented?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Environment.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. K. AYLWARD: Mr. Speaker, with 240 landfill sites, and we are implementing a new program, we are working through it, I assure the member that we are, on a daily basis, on an hourly basis, in contact with all the municipalities. All of the municipalities, Mr. Speaker, I can assure you, are supportive of this policy. We are just making sure, when we clarify the policy, that we deal with their concerns. So there is a little bit of extra patience required for the new policy. We are looking forward, Mr. Speaker, for it to be successful.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

Mr. Speaker, first I would like to thank the members on the opposite side of the House for their support today.

Mr. Speaker, there are over 900 kilometres of dirt road and some 1,500 kilometres of twenty-five-year-old paved roads in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The Minister of Works, Services and Transportation knows that over $300 million is required for provincial roads as soon as possible, Mr. Speaker, but only $18 million has been budgeted this year for provincial roadwork.

Can the minister tell us how he and the government plan to address this very serious situation, and the escalating concerns of the municipalities and the people of the Province about the very poor conditions of the roads in this Province?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Works, Services and Transportation.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. BARRETT: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I would like to thank the hon. member for his in-depth question. The minister has travelled on most of the roads around this Province, and there are a fair number of roads that are in fairly poor condition. This government has allocated $20 million this year for the Provincial Capital Roads Program. We will be in a position within the next couple of weeks to announce that program to address the most urgent needs around the Province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: A supplementary, the hon. the Member for Cape St. Francis.

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

It should be noted that he did not answer the question, and that my in-depth question has a bit more to it than his power point display to the minister in Ottawa when he was up there on February 5 at 5:37.

Mr. Speaker, does the Minister of Works, Services and Transportation agree with the Premier's statement on March 25 in this House of Assembly, that basically government would do less work on roads on the Island portion of the Province to accommodate for the $97 million they stole from the Labrador Initiative Fund to balance the budget? In other words, Mr. Speaker, the people in the Province who had a little chance of getting roadwork done this year, will have a lesser chance next year.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Works, Services and Transportation.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. BARRETT: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I want to remind the hon. member, ever since I have been in this world Labrador has been a part of this Province called Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. BARRETT: This minister, since he was sworn in, has travelled extensively in Labrador and has looked at the transportation needs in Labrador. As all roadwork in this Province, we do it on a priority basis within the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, which includes the great territory of Labrador. We have committed to complete the Phase III of the Trans-Labrador Highway, which is a top priority -

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. BARRETT: - presented to Minister Collenette in a proposal on February 5, and not a power point presentation as some people might suggest. As a matter of fact, this minister -

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

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

MR. BARRETT: - can stand here and say that I am fifty-four years of age and I have never done a power point presentation in my life, so therefore I do not know what the hon. member is talking about. Labrador is a top priority in terms of the Trans-Labrador Highway.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

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

MR. BARRETT: This government stands on record as being very committed to completing the Phase III of the Trans-Labrador Highway. The monies will be allocated in next year's budget to address road improvements and road constructions -

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

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

MR. BARRETT: - on the mainland portion of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador and on the Island portion of this Province.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. BARRETT: (Inaudible).

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

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

The hon. the Member for Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi.

MR. HARRIS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

My question is for the Minister of Mines and Energy and concerns the Electricity Policy Review of this government which has enormous implications for the future of Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro, including the potential loss of government's ability to direct Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro in the public interest.

There are no public hearings scheduled, Mr. Speaker, and this government's idea of what it calls public consultation involves private meetings by invitation with Wallace Read, the consultant, and with departmental officials.

Mr. Speaker, will this government support the call by the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour, by the IBEW, by consumer advocates and supported by the New Democratic Party, for a public information program on these various options, and full public hearings across the Province?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. MATTHEWS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We have put in place a process to hear from all who want to speak to the issues raised in the Electricity Policy Review. It was announced about thirty days ago. There is another thirty days left in that process. I can tell the hon. member, quite honestly, that we have had next to no representation with respect to the inadequacy of the process we put in place. Now, I do acknowledge that the IBEW, Bob Clarke and others, raised the issue publicly last week in a press conference, and I appreciate them doing it, quite frankly, because to the extent that they speak to the issue, in and of itself, has some value in raising public awareness that there is a process in place, and that activity is ongoing.

I have heard the comments. I have responded to it directly through the media, and I am happy to respond in the House by saying that at this point the process, in our judgement, is more than adequate, it is more than fair, and it will more than suffice with respect to the level of consultation that we believe is appropriate to deal with the issues raised, at what point it is concluded, and the Commissioner, Mr. Read, has brought forward recommendations. We will move forward with whatever action or activity or adjustments to the policy that we might think appropriate at a later time in the year.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: A supplementary, the hon. the Member for Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi.

MR. HARRIS: Mr. Speaker, it took government four years to complete initial review and it is allowing only sixty days for public consultation by invitation only, I say, and some of the options put forward here could be categorized as creeping privatization and others could lead to huge increases in electricity costs for the people of the Province. Will the minister not acknowledge that the reason that people have not been talking is because they do not know about the proposals? There has been no public information process, other than a press conference he held several weeks ago, and people have not been given an opportunity to respond. Even routine rate applications hearings, or rate increase hearings -

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. HARRIS: - have public hearings. Why will the minister not schedule public hearings for this important process?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. MATTHEWS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the process has been very well publicized, is very well known, in addition to the information that we have made available, directly in press handouts and in the release of the document. We have put the information on our Web site. We have written, literally, every stakeholder that we have any idea might have an interest in speaking to this. We have invited all, through the media, to come forward and ask for a copy of the document if they want it. We have done it on a direct basis with all the stakeholders that we can identify. We simply believe that the process is adequate and it will accommodate the fundamental requirements and obligation that we have to seek input. Once the consultation period has expired we will move forward and take appropriate action.

With respect to his comments on the issue -

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

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

MR. MATTHEWS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

With respect to the issue of creeping privatization; the document, press release, and communication that we have put out have been squarely categorized and prefaced by saying that this has nothing to do with privatization of Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro, it is not on the agenda, it is not an issue, it is not an option.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Question period has ended.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Justice and Attorney General.

MR. PARSONS: Mr. Speaker, I was asked by the Opposition House Leader last week in this House about tabling reports or contracts by the Department of Industry, Trade and Rural Development concerning consultants. I indicated in successive Question Periods last week that it would take some time to get that information.

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible).

MR. PARSONS: Yes, I had the criteria as well, the guidelines. These guidelines were in fact - and I have them all here to be tabled, as well as the consultants contracts. These guidelines were implemented in 1985, have been used by successive administrations. The information, by the way, that the Opposition House Leader had was not released to him by way of a freedom of information request, as was indicated. There was a request made, I understand, by the Member for Kilbride directly to department officials without the assistance or need of an FOI request and the information was provided based on that, because it was freely asked and freely given.

I would also point out that if there is anything in any of these contracts that is not understood by the Opposition House Leader, I would certainly make myself available and departmental staff to review anything that he has any concerns with about any of these consulting contracts. Again, I do not think there is any need of being cloak and daggerish about this. When you talk about things that are open and transparent, we want to be and will be open and transparent. By all means, I will table this information for the House and for the Opposition House Leader.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: It being Wednesday, Private Member's Day, under the Orders of the Day the hon. the Member for Conception Bay East & Bell Island, I believe, has a resolution.

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. WALSH: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am pleased to rise today to introduce this Private Member's Resolution on an industry that is making a significant impact on the economy of Newfoundland and Labrador. The motion which was read into the record yesterday is:

WHEREAS the film industry in Newfoundland and Labrador has grown significantly over the last number of years due to the creation of the Newfoundland and Labrador Film Development Corporation and supported by such measures as the Telefilm Equity Investment program and the Telefilm Industry Tax Credit Program; and

WHEREAS the Newfoundland and Labrador Film Industry has reached a level that provides a foundation for significant future growth but needs further infrastructure to increase local and guest film and television productions; and

WHEREAS recent large scale film and television productions such as The Shipping News, Rare Birds and Random Passage will enhance the profile of Newfoundland and Labrador to a worldwide audience and may encourage other filmmakers to film in this Province; and

WHEREAS the enhancement of the local film industry to a higher level was one of the areas supported by the Final Report on the Renewal Strategy for Jobs and Growth; and

WHEREAS the impact of film and television productions can enhance the economies of both urban and rural Newfoundland and Labrador;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador continue to support initiatives that promote the continued growth of the Newfoundland and Labrador Film Industry; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, in conjunction with local film industry representatives, continue to lobby the Federal Government for funding to support this growth industry.

Mr. Speaker, the resolution that comes forward today I believe is significant because we have to look, not just at what has happened in the last one year in this Province, not just look at the films that have made us all very much aware of the production and the economic possibilities in our Province - and those I mentioned, such as The Shipping News, Rare Birds and Random Passage. I think what we have to do is take a look back also at opportunities that we have missed.

Many of us remember thirty years ago when -

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible) Orca.

MR. WALSH: Yes, when Orca was produced, when The Rowdyman was produced, John and the Missus and A Whale for the Killing. We had an industry that was on the verge of thriving and creating an impact in Eastern Canada that could have made us number one. It could have taken us, at that point in time, to a stage where the industry in Newfoundland would have leaped forward in, I guess, leaps and bounds. Unfortunately, we missed that opportunity. Those productions are films that we all remember, hold dearly and cherish. However, we were not able to take advantage of it.

Now we have seen yet another explosion in terms of quality films being produced in our Province. It is customary, in the last six or eight months, indeed the last twelve months, to see stars such as Kiefer Sutherland and Kevin Spacey actually sitting and relaxing in our restaurants and, I guess, our lounges in Newfoundland. I remember one story of Kevin Spacey this past year while in Trinity. He was up at a local establishment, the people of Trinity were there relaxing, and someone said casually, as you would say to a neighbour: Kevin, would you like to shoot a game of pool? The man felt relaxed enough that he came over, he enjoyed the evening with them, and joked on national and international television afterwards that he felt awkward knowing that there were actually security people there in the Province to look after him; that he understood how to pronounce Newfoundland. He understood what the people of this Province were able to bring to him and to the character that he portrayed.

I think when we look at the potential, we have to realize that in Newfoundland and Labrador today there is an explosion of energy. The individuals who were involved in the productions that are taking place are developing their talents, developing their skills, and preparing themselves for greater and indeed lasting careers.

I think when we look at the vitality of these individuals, we fully understand that Newfoundland and Labrador is alive in the film industry. There are the spinoffs that sometimes we do not realize. There are the potentials that we do not see simply because a movie has come here. I believe the best example of what can happen anywhere is the movie A River Runs Through It. It is a Robert Redford production. It was produced in Montana. It did not win an Academy Award but it was a critic's choice and was enjoyed by people who thought that movies can be made today without guns and bullets and bodies everywhere. It was a nice folksy movie.

Within a month of its release, the area in which the motion picture had been produced received some 300,000 requests for either places to stay; was there land available; what could they do to have a part of what people saw in this movie? Three hundred thousand requests. That is an economic impact that could happen in Newfoundland simply because of the kinds of movies that are being made here.

I am told by people in the Department of Tourism that in January after the release, I think, of The Shipping News, requests went up by 38 per cent. I am told that John Fisher of Fishers Loft in Trinity, today is scrambling trying to find ways to accommodate the people who are calling him to look to stay with him. In actual fact, a number of people, and I do not want to dispel the fact that there is no availability of space in Trinity, but there are places in Trinity that are already booked for this season. It is hard to think of the tourism industry in our Province, knowing the kind of weather that we are experiencing today outside this House and outside this Legislature, but they are booked. They are booked for the summer.

The increase in information packages to companies such as Maxxim Vacations that have now, because of the movie industry, planned tours for individuals who wish to come to our Province to enjoy what people are now seeing.

I look back in terms of trying to figure out the approach to the movie industry that was lost some thirty years ago but that now has rebounded, and I think, really, that Mark Vaughan-Jackson of The Telegram probably said it best in the 30^th Annual Business & Industrial Review. The headline that he used said: Slow and steady pace is the winning ingredient for the Province's movie sector. And it is.

I believe that when we look at the success of Random Passage, that was filmed in the Trinity area, and when it was broadcast on the CBC they averaged some 1.5 million viewers, one of the largest audiences that the CBC has been able to generate. Rare Birds is yet another example of what can happen in Newfoundland in terms of the movie industry. In terms of Rare Birds, many critics have written and one, I think, in particular, with the Toronto newspaper, The Toronto Star, or The Globe and Mail, said that in the movie one of the rare birds was actually Andy Jones, and Andy Jones is a treasure in this Province. William Hurt said it best: The movie would not have been the success that it is today unless Andy had been there.

That kind of a compliment, to come from the William Hurts of the world, says to us that the opportunity is there. Knowing full-well that we had a 38 per cent increase in our tourism inquiries says that the film industry can do more for this Province than simply the short period of time that they are here.

I do not know if people realize it or not, but if you take what the film industry can do in Newfoundland - and I had the opportunity to spend some time in the last little while and indeed today with Leo Furey, who is the executive director of the industry. Leo said that the statistics are showing that the film industry in Newfoundland, evolving as it is, could equal, without a doubt, that of a small paper mill. It could equal probably that of three or four fish plants around our Province. The nice thing about the industry in Newfoundland and Labrador is that it is not stationed in a situation where it is bogged down in a city like St. John's. In actual fact, the majority of the productions that have taken place in Newfoundland over the last number of years have taken place outside of the major urban areas, and I think the film industry bodes well for that.

We have seen a number of films that we have heard about that had critical acclaim, and we mentioned those a little earlier, such as The Shipping News and Rare Birds, but we had other such as the Bingo Robbers, which was a production here in Newfoundland, done in digital video. That has received not only acclaim across Canada but in other jurisdictions where it has been shown. It is currently showing on the movie network and, in itself, is gathering momentum.

What about the possibilities for the future? Well, we have a number of them. Our local filmmakers are looking at concepts and ideas that will bring other major attractions to our Province. I had an opportunity last fall to discuss an idea in terms of even a documentary film that an individual, who was a part of The Shipping News, said that she would love and would welcome the opportunity to develop a documentary on VOWR. I see that as an example of something that I believe would be welcomed not only in the Province but I think it would auger well anywhere in Canada, the radio station VOWR, and what it has been able to accomplish and what it still is accomplishing today.

We have been successful in other areas of our film industry. One of the areas, of course, that comes to mind is the St. John's International Women's Film and Video Festival. That is a yearly event. In actual fact, that yearly event here in the Province has been named by Attractions Canada as an important cultural event for anyone who may wish to be touring, or are touring, our area.

When we look at some of the other films, smaller films and their filmmakers, we showcase a number of them. It showcases, more importantly I guess, the talent that is available to this industry in Newfoundland and Labrador.

We have to grab a hold to this industry and make it grow. We all know that Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver have established themselves as they call, Hollywood of the North. We know that, and that some $2 billion is spent annually in those particular markets.

In Atlantic Canada, Nova Scotia has moved faster than any other province in Atlantic Canada in establishing themselves as the leader in the movie industry and production in Atlantic Canada. Last year, Nova Scotia saw $130 million spent in movie and TV production. This year, in Newfoundland and Labrador, we had a boom in the sense that some $22 million was spent. Next year we should not expect that much, from what I understand from those involved in the industry. What we should expect is a lower amount, but that amount will come in at around $12 million to $14 million.

I know of one particular case when they were shooting some scenes here in St. John's for a particular movie that it began to rain. The producer simply turned to somebody and said: We need eighty or ninety - I cannot remember the exact number - raincoats. Go get them. They came back within an hour, and someone had generated a $4,000 sale just to meet the needs of the productions that afternoon.

We should not be disappointed when we hear the numbers next year dropping from $22 million to $14 million. That is a far cry from where we were three years ago when the Film Industry Association of Newfoundland and Labrador was established and we had barely $3 million in production.

We have lost, as well, some productions that could have given our industry a greater visibility. We lost This Hour Has 22 Minutes, I am told, because somewhere along the way various governments could not find $50,000 to help them do their pilot. It was lost to Nova Scotia for $50,000.

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible).

MR. WALSH: I am not sure, it was one of ours. It may have been around the same time that we were coming and you were going. I am not quite sure, but it was lost.

The point I am making is to reflect, not upon why it was lost or who lost it. I make the point only to emphasize the need for us to ensure that this industry has the support that it justly deserves.

Halifax has been able to get the jump on us as well simply because the major production studio, CTV's Atlantic office is there, Telefilm Canada's Atlantic office is there. Because of that, they have a little greater opportunity to grab a hold of things that are happening.

What we have been able to prove to the film industry across Canada is the fact that we have been able to provide individuals and talent that the movie industry did not know existed here. We have also been able to provide them scenery that is unsurpassed anywhere in North America; whether it is the mountains, the valleys, the lakes, the streams, the coastline, the shoreline. We have been able to offer them something that is visually acceptable to people around the world to the point of wanting them to be here, wanting them to come here.

I do not anticipate that we will see, in our lifetimes or any lifetime, I guess, of those of us who may even follow in our footsteps, that we will reach the $2 billion in productions that are happening in Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec. But I do believe that we can carve out a portion of that in specialty films that will allow the industry to grow here and allow those who have decided in their chosen walk of life, that the film industry and production industry is where they would like to be, that they, themselves, will be able to, not just eke out an existence but will be able to live comfortably, will be able to grow in stature, will take their talent, their enthusiasm to other parts of Canada and, indeed, as other Canadians have, to Hollywood where productions are made and they, themselves, will come back to enhance what is happening here.

Some of the major companies that are producing in Canada today, such as Alliance Atlantis, are producing some of the most watched television programs in the United States. CSI is one of the most popular programs in the United and States today and is virtually all Canadian. Alliance Atlantis has also been able to take productions that are produced in Canada and find venues for them around the world.

I think, Mr. Speaker, we can only imagine the potential that exists in Newfoundland and Labrador if our industry is able to develop, if our industry is able to grow. I think we need to recognize that, as an industry, it will only flourish if it has the support of those of us who sit here in the Legislature to help them with their financial needs, but also to help them encourage and, through ourselves, encourage Ottawa -

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

I just want to remind the hon. member that his time is up.

MR. WALSH: By leave, I will just take a moment.

MR. SPEAKER: Does the hon. member have leave to finish?

AN HON. MEMBER: By leave.

MR. SPEAKER: By leave.

MR. WALSH: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I will take a moment just to clue up and then allow other participants.

I think what we have to do is look at giving them the opportunity, and we can do that as legislators today by saying yes to this industry and by helping carve a path for them, and with them, through to Ottawa so that we can take advantage of those kinds of monies.

I was at a federal-provincial Finance Ministers Conference some years ago, and the Finance Minister for Ontario at the time was Ernie Eves, and they were looking at ways that we could develop things across Canada. He mentioned that the amount of money that, in actual fact, goes into Ontario in the film industry or in other provinces across Canada is equal to, almost, what we see coming in equalization to Newfoundland. He said that that is one more door that we could open. I appreciated his comments at the time because it was a door that we could open into more funds that exist within the cultural departments in the Province.

I will, in my closing remarks, refer to some of the new productions that are hoping to come to this Province which will involve many new areas in the Province, including one that is being looked at - and I guess I announce it publicly here - even for Bell Island; but being there for others, and I will come to that eventually.

I was asked by one of colleagues about a sound stage. In the entire preamble of what I am doing here in the beginning is to open the door for my colleagues to refer to the sound stage, which I will emphasis more in my closing comments.

Mr. Speaker, thank you, and thank my colleagues for the indulgence of allowing me to go a moment or two longer.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Placentia & St. Mary's.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. MANNING: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I stand today to make some comments on the resolution put forward by the Member for Conception Bay East & Bell Island and say unequivocally, on this side of the House, we fully support the resolution put forward by the member because we believe also, on this side of the House, that the film industry in Newfoundland is a growing industry, that it is an opportunity to create jobs in the Province, an opportunity to sell ourselves to the rest of the world, Mr. Speaker, through film. It is an opportunity for us to put our name on the map.

The member put forward a resolution that we have no problem whatsoever in supporting, Mr. Speaker. As the member touched on, there are many positive things that have happened in the Province over the past number of years, and just recently in the past year or so. We, on this side, as did many people in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, watched the movie The Shipping News. I watched the film myself. It was an enjoyment just to have the opportunity to watch that.

Rare Birds; we all know the accolades that have been sent Newfoundland and Labrador's way on Rare Birds and indeed, to the actors who took part in that film. Andy Jones, as the members opposite know, is a treasure; is one of Newfoundland and Labrador's treasures. As a matter of fact, I had the opportunity to meet Mr. Andy Jones on Sunday night past. I attended a fundraiser at the LSPU Hall on Duckworth Street for Agnes Walsh who lost her home to a fire out in my district a few weeks ago. The people involved in the industry here in St. John's - Agnes is a playwright and has done some incredible, incredible work out on the Cape Shore area over the past couple of years and brought stories of the Cape Shore to life in plays that she has put off; most noticeably: Answer Me Home. Another one that she did was The City of Point Lance and her latest creation last year, Mr. Speaker, was A Man That You Don't Meet Everyday, the story of Patsy and Bride Judge of Patrick's Cove. Andy Jones was one of the people who made an appearance at that fundraiser on Sunday night, along with many others, and it was a pleasure to meet the man and have a chat with him and certainly to congratulate him on the great efforts in Rare Birds.

Random Passage; certainly another great opportunity for Newfoundland, Mr. Speaker. Somewhere in excess of 1.5 million viewers per night took in Random Passage. Once again, it was a great show about our past and where we have come from. It is so important, Mr. Speaker, to look back at the past and to be assured that we came from a solid background and it helped us go forward in the future. Random Passage was something that received accolades throughout the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, but indeed throughout the country of Canada.

I talked to several family members who are away and working in different parts of Canada who took in the show and were delighted with it. Hopefully, the site of Random Passage in Trinity, can be developed into a major tourist attraction over the next little while. I am sure, with the foundation that has been laid in the past couple of years, we will see more opportunity to create films in this Province, more opportunity to involve our local people, and more opportunity to give some of the smaller communities in our Province, especially the ones in the rural parts of the Province that are finding it tough - it gives those communities and those people an opportunity to partake in the new and emerging industry, but it also gives them an opportunity to show the talents that we have in this Province. I think I would be remiss if I did not mention Gordon Pinsent and his role in Random Passage, and a godfather of film in Newfoundland and Labrador and another provincial treasure that we all hold dear; Mr. Gordon Pinsent, who took a tremendous part in Random Passage.

We, on this side of the House, see the benefits of the film industry. We see the benefits of this new and emerging industry that has come to our Province; what it does for the economy and what it does, as I said, especially for the rural parts of our Province. We welcome anything that gives us an opportunity in rural Newfoundland to enhance the economy, and certainly the film industry is one of the ways to go.

Mr. Speaker, as I looked through the resolution put forward by the Member for Conception Bay East & Bell Island, I am a bit weary about one part of it, and I say that in all honesty. As a matter of fact, it is the last line in the resolution. I am sure the member will have the opportunity, when he gets on his feet - I will go back to the second last paragraph, it says:

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador continue to support initiatives that promote the continued growth of the Newfoundland and Labrador Film Industry.

Again, there is no problem with that part of the resolution. I fully support it.

AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, in conjunction with local film industry representatives, continue to lobby the Federal Government for funding to support this growth industry.

Again, we fully support that lobbying effort, but what we are concerned about on this side of the House, and which we have been concerned about over the past few weeks, is the fact that the impression that has been left with the federal government for funds that already have been allocated to this Province, that have already been allocated to this government, and what the government has done with that.

Mr. Speaker, I will refer, if I could for a moment - and it is a very serious matter because if we are out looking for money from the federal government for the film industry, for the fishing industry, for any part of our tourism industry, if we are looking to Ottawa for money for roads, if we are looking to Ottawa for money for development of infrastructure throughout our communities and our Province - it is like: Well, how are you going to spend that money? Is it going to be spent wisely? There are always those questions. I am sure the federal government, even though they have been raking in millions and millions of dollars, Mr. Speaker, of surplus this past year, are still concerned about how their money is spent.

We have to go no further back than just a few weeks ago, Mr. Speaker, when the Minister of Finance brought down her Budget, and we were informed that an agreement that had been signed, the Labrador Initiative, that the government opposite was planning on taking $97 million out of that to help with this year's deficit in this Province. Why that concerns me is because we have the MP for Labrador, Mr. Lawrence O'Brien, who is very skeptical.

Mr. Speaker, I quote from a comment Mr. Lawrence O'Brien made. I will just read the quote if I could. "The province has fumbled the ball badly on this file. They broke the trust of the federal government, but more importantly, the trust of the people of Labrador and the province." That concerns me, because we are going off to Ottawa to look for funding, to look for money, to enhance the film industry in this Province, and a few years ago we signed an agreement worth $340 million. That agreement was signed, sealed and delivered for Labrador, Mr. Speaker, and to take that $97 million out of that agreement and put it into the general revenue of the Province, and then we are saying here that we continue to lobby for money for the film industry, we have to ask: Is the federal government going to look at this Province and say, well, we can't trust you, we can't trust the government, because if we give you money for the film industry in the Province you may go spend it on something else. You may put it towards the deficit. You may put it towards some other idea or some other plan you have, not the one that you laid on the table before us. Mr. Speaker, that is the concern that we have on this side of this House. That is the concern that we have espoused on this side of the House for a number of weeks now.

I go back to the MP for Labrador and his comments, Mr. Speaker. He says, "If the province doles out tens of millions of dollars on the basis of a PowerPoint slide show, is it any wonder they are so far in debt that they have to steal from the Labrador Transportation Fund?". I mean, this is heavy, heavy stuff, Mr. Speaker, when you have the MP for Labrador standing up and making comments of this nature, when at the same time we have a private member's resolution before us trying to get everybody in the Province to lobby and look for money from the federal government. At the same time we have a member of the federal government, a member of the Liberal federal government in Ottawa, who is very, very concerned that the money they are sending down here, the agreements that they sign, are not lived up to, the agreements that they sign and put forward here with the Province are not adhered to, and they are not fully brought through. That is the concern that we have on this side of the House.

We certainly will continue and do what we can on this side of the House, Mr. Speaker, to lobby the federal government for any funds to help the industry here in the Province, but, at the same time, we have to ask the government opposite, that they follow through on the deals that they sign with Ottawa. If they don't follow through we are going to have the likes of MP, Lawrence O'Brien, upset again, and he is going to be going back to Ottawa and saying: Well, we can't sign deals with the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. We can't sign deals with the government down there, for the simple reason they don't live up to their part of the agreements.

Then, Mr. Speaker, we get the Minister of Labrador of Aboriginal Affairs who is supposedly dealing with the MP for Labrador in the federal government, and that creates its own set of problems. That is why I think it is necessary that we revisit that issue today because it concerns me that we have a situation here where the federal government and a representative of the federal government are very concerned about agreements that are signed here in the Province and the fact that these agreements are not lived up to by the provincial government, and that we have the MP for Labrador who says that, basically, they stole $97 million from the Labrador Transportation Fund to put towards general revenue to try to do something with the Budget this year to make it look much, much better than what it really is. At the same time, we have a private member's resolution before us today, asking us to lobby the federal government for funding to support this growth industry.

While we have no problem supporting the lobbying efforts of the government, while we have no problem supporting the lobbying efforts of the film industry, Mr. Speaker, we are very concerned that the situation would be, once again, when we go to Ottawa with cap in hand, that we would not receive the proper presentation, we would not be given the proper opportunity to put forward the concerns we have for the simple reason that the federal government would be skeptical.

Mr. Speaker, I quote right from Lawrence O'Brien, himself, "Forgive me for being sceptical..." That is the MP for Labrador saying that. Further down, the MP says, "They have come to the table with their feet dragging, and they always leave their wallet behind." These comments are very, very important today as we sit here and debate a private member's resolution asking us to call on and to lobby the federal government for funding when we have a situation where the MP for Labrador is upset of the fact that we had a deal struck before that wasn't adhered to, we had deal struck before that was not followed through on. I am sure, as most members in this House are aware, that this situation is over yet and that the federal government will be taking into consideration what has happened in Labrador when it comes to finding funding from the federal government, finding funding for the film industry in this Province, Mr. Speaker.

At the same time, Mr. Speaker, we have a situation out on the West Coast of the Province where we have another MP upset. I really have to ask myself how the lines of communications operate, because out on the West Coast of the Province we have another MP upset, MP Gerry Byrne, who is very, very upset about what is happening and the fact that the Member for Bay of Islands made some derogatory comments against Mr. O'Brien in regards to his role at ACOA. Once again, we have a situation where we have another MP upset with some of the people in the caucus opposite. I have to ask myself how do we go, with cap in hand, to Ottawa looking for funding for our film industry, which is an important industry in this Province, which is an important aspect of the growth industry in this Province, when we have the MP, Mr. Gerry Byrne, very, very upset with the Member for Bay of Islands.

Once again, throughout the media last week, we heard the comments of the Member for Bay of Islands and MP Gerry Byrne, and on April 18, 2002, on CBY Morning Show in Corner Brook, we have an interview carried out by Dorothy King and it says, "Good morning, gentlemen." Mr. Joyce said, "Good morning, Dorothy." Gerry Byrne said, "Good morning, Dorothy. Hi, Ed." That was the last of the niceties. This goes on for seven or eight pages and that was the last of the niceties.

We have a situation here where we have people who are representing us in Ottawa, are representing us sitting in the caucus of the Liberal Party, are representing us sitting in the Liberal Cabinet in Ottawa, Mr. Speaker, who are very upset with comments coming from across the House on this side, very upset with negative comments that are going their way on initiatives they are putting forward.

MR. SPEAKER (Mercer): Order, please!

The hon. member's time is up.

MR. MANNING: By leave, Mr. Speaker, just for a minute to clue up?

MR. SPEAKER: Does the member have leave?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: By leave.

MR. SPEAKER: To clue up, by leave.

MR. MANNING: I just say, Mr. Speaker, it is very important that we take the opportunity to do what we can for the film industry, but in order to get the film industry's house in order, I advise the members opposite, especially the Cabinet ministers, to get their own house in order first.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

I was caught a little bit by surprise. I was expecting someone on the other side to speak to this, Mr. Speaker, but I will certainly take advantage of the time.

I want to say a few words on this private member's resolution on the film industry, Mr. Speaker. When you think about it, I suppose, you would say there are many issues in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador that could be coming forth in this House of Assembly as a private member's resolution. I find that this resolution is timely, in actual fact, with respect to the industry itself, because one night this week I was watching a television show and the Member for Conception Bay East & Bell Island was saying we should take advantage of the opportunities here. He talked about thirty years ago when we had some missed opportunities when we had the movie Orca being done here, the movie The Rowdyman and others. Maybe we did have some missed opportunities.

It was only the other night I was watching a show on television, one of the information shows, and it was comparing the film industry in Hollywood to the film industry in Canada. Now, Mr. Speaker, apparently many of these production companies now are moving north through Canada to Toronto and to B.C. to film movies. For obvious reasons, of course, the exchange rate within the country of Canada and the U.S. and the salaries of the people who work on these productions, it is much cheaper, apparently, in Canada. So, the Hollywood industry is fading. The film industry in Canada is being promoted and is being built all the time, and a lot of work from the people down in the States.

It was only recently, as the Member for Conception Bay East & Bell Island stated, that we had, this past year, the movie Rare Birds and Random Passage and The Shipping News. I saw all three, Mr. Speaker, and I was impressed, let me tell you, for a number of reasons which I will get into in the next little while.

I think that we should, as a Province now, try and be even more competitive with places like Toronto and Ontario and B.C. if, in fact, what that show was saying the other night was right when they compared Hollywood and Canada in the film production industry, Mr. Speaker. In Newfoundland and Labrador, we have the opportunity now to take advantage of that situation.

Now, with the movies themselves that were done here in the past year or so, I want to talk a bit about the industry itself in Newfoundland and Labrador and the chance to enhance the economies in rural and urban Newfoundland.

In rural Newfoundland, for example, he talked about Random Passage being done in Trinity. The show was a series on television and, with respect to that, it is not only the workers themselves and the building of the sets and the industry itself, but we have the actors and actresses in those productions.

In Random Passage we had some local actors, of course. The one I was most interested in, Mr. Speaker, is a young lady from Logy Bay, in my district, a young girl who went to school with my son at St. Francis of Assisi in Outer Cove. She played the part of Fanny, the young girl who was associated with the native Indian there. She played that part very well, was very professional, a very, very good actor, I would say to the Members of the House of Assembly, and she should be congratulated for that, as other local actors should be congratulated. I know this young girl personally and she did a great job. Everybody from that community was so proud of her and, of course, all of Newfoundland and Labrador. She actually played the part where she died on the beach. That was so real. She did a very professional job on that. Mr. Speaker, her name was Sarah Power.

The issue with respect to Rare Birds, the movie itself, that production, again, the money that was brought into the Province was new dollars put into circulation: new dollars for the actors, the actresses, for the sets, for the manufacturing of the different stuff that they used in that movie. Rare Birds itself, some people may not know that a fair portion of that was actually filmed and done in Logy Bay. I just happened to be on that set a number of evenings when that was being produced and being filmed. The set that was in Logy Bay was the shed itself, Mr. Speaker. William Hurt was in this movie. The shed where the submarine was built, that the actor Andy Jones built, of course -

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible).

MR. J. BYRNE: Yes.

- the set itself was on my father-in-law's property in Logy Bay, Mr. William Power. We were on the set many evenings watching this being produced. The final scene, the explosion, was done just down behind his house, believe it or not. I remember some people staying up until - I will tell you a little story, now, and this happens to be true. That night - and this happened - a number of people were on the set waiting for the explosion that night to be done. It was going to be at 1:00 a.m., then it was going to be at 1:30 a.m. This will tell you some of the trials and tribulations of the people putting off those productions. This scene was supposed to be at 1:00 a.m., then 1:30 a.m., then 2:00 a.m., 2:30 a.m., then 3:00 a.m. I stayed up for this. I stayed up on the set, as well as a number of other people from the community. Anyway, 4:00 a.m. came. I said: I have had enough of this. I am going home and going to bed. I live just down the road from this. Four o'clock in the morning I went home and went to bed. What happened? I never had my head on the pillow and I heard the explosion. There it was. I missed it, that part.

The submarine itself was in his shed where he constructed it, where he had his fire going and he had the different product that he had to get rid of in a hurry when the police came by. And, by the way, with respect to that, when you talk about people involved in these productions, there were members of the RNC involved in this production, Rare Birds. The St. John's Regional Fire Department was involved in this production. The rental of properties, the construction of the sets, all of these lend to the industry, Mr. Speaker, and it is something that should be promoted.

The Member for Conception Bay East & Bell Island, by bringing forth this resolution and getting support from this House of Assembly to lobby the federal government to put money into this field, it is a positive thing.

I was listening to the Member for Placentia & St. Mary's and he was making the point, a very good point, that the government should be very careful when they are asking for money for certain things - as they did for the Labrador Initiative Fund where there was $97 million taken out of that fund and put into general revenues. I think that this could make the federal government very wary of putting money into certain things that they are afraid -

MR. WALSH: (Inaudible).

MR. J. BYRNE: Now the Member for Conception Bay East & Bell Island is saying it is terrible what we are doing to this resolution. I do not know if he heard all my words.

MR. WALSH: (Inaudible).

MR. J. BYRNE: Well I hope he was. I don't know what he is saying. I am only agreeing with the point that the Member for Placentia & St. Mary's made, I say to the Member for Conception Bay East & Bell Island. It was a logical and legitimate point, and I happen to agree with the point that he was making.

With respect to The Shipping News; again, it is a good movie -

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible).

MR. J. BYRNE: It is too bad that the Minister of Fisheries can't take this resolution seriously. The Member for Conception Bay East put a good resolution forward. We happen to be agreeing with it. The Minister of Fisheries is over there making comments now, asking if I applied for any parts. I would say, Mr. Speaker, the real actors in this House of Assembly are the members on that side of the House, not on this side of the House. So, no, I did not apply for any parts, I say to the Minister of Fisheries. Maybe, if he wants to speak to it, he could get up and speak to it, I say to you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. BARRETT: (Inaudible).

MR. J. BYRNE: Again, the members on the other side of the House are trying to interject here and get me off my topic. The Minister of Works, Services and Transportation should be more inclined to keep appointments that he makes with Members of this House of Assembly than trying to interject on the other side of the House.

MR. T. OSBORNE: (Inaudible).

MR. J. BYRNE: By the way - I was just reminded by the Member for St. John's South - the former Premier applied for a part. He was in a part for Random Passage. He did not say much, but he was there.

This is a thing that goes on with all the Liberal Premiers. We had the present Premier on the stage down at the Junos with the Ennis Sisters trying to gain political points, which was so crass, it was unreal. Then the federal minister was up trying to talk about giving money to the Junos and the film industry at that time, which was out of place, I thought. Anyway, I thought it was quite crass.

The movie The Shipping News - and the Member for Conception Bay East & Bell Island spoke to this. He talked about Kevin Spacey and the part he played, and the Member for Placentia & St Mary's talked about Gordon Pinsent and the excellent part that he played. Again, he made the movie. Gordon Pinsent made that movie, as did Andy Jones made the movie Rare Birds.

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible).

MR. J. BYRNE: Again, Mr. Speaker, it is too bad when we are on our feet over here trying to make some good points that the Minister of Fisheries continues to interject, but that's it I suppose, it is the nature of the beast.

The movie The Shipping News was on and it had quite an acclaim in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. I seen that movie and I saw Kevin Spacey and heard the stories. I actually saw him on television - as did the Member for Conception Bay East & Bell Island who spoke to this - on some of the talk shows promoting Newfoundland and Labrador. He talked about the scenery, the Province itself, and he talked about the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. He was basically saying how cooperative and nice, down-to-earth, good, solid people here in Newfoundland and Labrador. I do not think they are used to this, where they could come here and maybe walk down the street here, like George Street, Water Street or Duckworth Street in St. John's, or through Trinity, Bay Bulls, or whatever the case may be, be recognized but not be hounded. I think they appreciate that, these individuals, and appreciate the way that we treat them here in Newfoundland and Labrador.

The Shipping News; again, I seen that. Another very good production. The thing that amazes me is how they put these productions together where they can film in one location and you would not know but it is ten miles away somewhere else. I seen that firsthand with respect to Rare Birds.

I am not going to take much longer. I just want to say that the Member for Conception Bay East & Bell Island has brought forward a private member's resolution that I think is timely, that I think the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador should now start promoting itself even more so, especially in light of the fact that Canada is getting film productions from Hollywood. I do not know if the Member for Conception Bay South seen this show the other night where, as I said earlier, the film productions from Hollywood are moving north to B.C., to Vancouver, to Toronto, and maybe we can draw more of them here and take advantage of that. As the member said, we missed the opportunities thirty years ago and maybe now, if this is handled right, if the provincial government and the federal government can come together and support this - I expect the Minister of Tourism is going to say a few words on this. I would think they would.

MR. JOYCE: (Inaudible)

MR. J. BYRNE: Mr. Speaker, again, I have to say that the members on the opposite side of the House are fairly quiet today, but there are a few over there, the Member for Bay of Islands is trying to interject here again. I expect the Member for Bay of Islands to get on his feet and say a few words on this very serious resolution that the Member for Conception Bay East & Bell Island has put forward. Again, I do not see him on his feet that often in this House of Assembly. I hear him heckling often, but I do not see him on his feet very often speaking to the very important issues that we deal with in this House of Assembly.

Just in conclusion, Mr. Speaker, I would like to say to the Member for Conception Bay East & Bell Island, it is a timely resolution. I support it. I think most members of this House of Assembly will support it. Some people might question that there might be more serious issues to be addressed here, but then again, this has the possibilities or the makings of a very serious productive industry in Newfoundland and Labrador where we can employ people in all aspects of that industry from acting to the construction of the stages themselves, or the scenes and whatever the case may be.

With that, thank you for your time.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Environment.

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

I just wanted to have a few minutes to speak about the resolution put forward so ably by my colleague and friend from Conception Bay East & Bell Island. He gave a very good overview there of what is occurring out in the industry.

We have had a very good rebirth of this industry in the last three or four years. I was just over in a portfolio where it was being worked on in the last year. We seen some very good success with film companies coming into the Province, being able to develop new film productions and also working with the film industry in the Province, who have been, themselves, much more organized in the last three or four years with the creation of the Newfoundland and Labrador Film Development Corporation a few years ago by the provincial government. That has seen a more organized industry in this Province. Many of the directors here, and the very highly qualified technical personnel that we have in our Province - I can think of Mr. Pope as one, who is a director and has done a tremendous amount of work. Amongst others, these people also now have some backup. They have some equity investments, tax credit programs that they can take advantage of to develop local films. There has been a real abundance of local film production put forward in the last period of time, Mr. Speaker, and that has helped grow the industry locally. We have also, with that, seen the major film studios looking at our Province in a different way. They have discovered what a lot of other people are discovering about this place: that it is a special place to do business. It is a special place, with its people, where you can come to do business and get a lot of co-operation. We are welcoming people.

This industry, what I would like to say about it also, is a clean industry. It is an environmentally clean industry in that sense. In my new portfolio, I welcome that. It is an industry that can take advantage of our scenery, of our wildlife, of our outdoors. As a matter of fact, National Geographic has done some films here in the past and one of the areas that we are asking the film corporation to look at was to concentrate also on going after the national geographics of the world to look at doing wildlife films. We have an outstanding science director in our government with wildlife, Mr. Shane Mahoney, who has been involved in some film production with some of the major broadcasters in the world, one including the BBC, where we had a great film production done here of our ocean resource back about four years ago. I think the hon. member, Mr. Walsh, was the Minister of Tourism at the time. That People of the Sea video was shown to hundreds of millions of people around the world but it was made off our shores. It talked about what happened here with our ocean, with some of our fish resources.

Film production can have a major benefit for us, more than just producing the film itself. It has other values for us as a Province. That is the thing that our film people are also telling us, and that is also what our own people are discovering, that you can see a film made in Toronto or Vancouver, downtown, or that could be made in New York or Boston or wherever. It doesn't really matter because it all looks the same; but in our place here, it is very different.

The other thing about our place that is attractive and can become more attractive to the film industry is the fact that the history and the archeology that is here, a lot of that could be incorporated as potential film development, as themes for potential film development. The history of the place rises up and can be taken advantage of, Mr. Speaker.

There is a different reason why we need to promote this industry and to get it more active. I really give credit to the film corporation, to the officials who have worked on that, but more so to the entrepreneurs who are in the film business in this Province. They have done a great job of getting this place on the map in a different way.

I had the privilege of being at a couple of film premieres, and I believe that the former Minister of Education was involved when she was Minister of Industry, in the development, I do believe, of The Shipping News and getting that here. We had a premiere in Toronto a few months back, about December or January of The Shipping News and a couple of other films. The reviews about the way that they were treated - the films themselves were getting reviews, but the review about the way they were treated was also something to hear. You hear that from people who have come from away. As my colleague was saying earlier, when Kevin Spacey speaks so highly about our place, that is very positive for us because we are talking about international stars who have been here on our shores in Newfoundland and Labrador. They have only seen some of it, and what they have seen they fall in love with. So we can have more out of this film industry and that is what we have been doing, taking advantage of it. We need to do more, and that is what this resolution talks about.

The other part of the resolution that I like is, it is asking the federal government to get more involved in this industry in this Province. They have the ability to do that, and I was seeking more of their interest a few months ago, trying to get them more involved here because they are involved in some other provinces in a bigger way. They have set up a couple of corporations that are involved in developing the film industry in Canada but, again, we have to get them to pay more attention to Newfoundland and Labrador. The federal government has to look at this place differently in the future on a whole range of areas and a whole range of industries, in particular in the film industry, as an example, where our history and our archeology and our wildlife, and so much of it is so special that we need more investment by the federal government in this industry, in this place. I like that in this resolution today because it really does say what we need to do, and we need to continue to work to make this industry grow in the Province to make it happen, and to see our Province on the big screen and having the credits showing that it is produced in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, and the scenery that we have, also spreads the good word about this place.

It is not just a direct employment of the film industry. It is not just a direct investment of the film industry. It is also about the tourism and marketing values that we get out of it. It is also about letting people know what is in this place, and that is really important. So, this is an industry that is on the move. We need to do more. We have done a lot so far together and we are going to more in the future, Mr. Speaker.

When you look at the outstanding wildlife resources that we have, that is an area of special interest that I think we need to get more attention on when it comes to the film industry. I was just reading a book, and I am just about finished it: Lament for an Ocean. I tell you, I think the feds could help finance a film about what they have done with the offshore in taking care of our fish resource offshore. That deserves a film to be done, because that is an environmental nightmare, an environmental problem that we have to deal with. I was talking with my colleague, the Minister of Fisheries, about that issue recently. So, there are good, sustainable development themes that could be used in the film industry that I am going to start reaching out to the film industry about, because that one in particular is one that needs to have a documentary done because of what has happened, and what is continuing to happen offshore.

The film industry, for us, can have more value. We have to take advantage of it, and we are, and I support the resolution.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi.

MR. HARRIS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I want to speak for a few minutes about the resolution before the House concerning the film industry in the Province and, in doing so, first of all I would like to pay a little bit of tribute to the people in the Province who have built the industry here. I know members have spoken about recent successes with films like The Shipping News, which is a Newfoundland story written by an American and produced by an American company; and, of course, Random Passage was a production of Irish-Newfoundland, a co-production, produced by Barbara Doran, and films like Rare Birds, I think, is probably the quintessential Newfoundland story put on the screen in very short order, a very entertaining book made into a movie. Even though the producer was Lions Gate Films from British Columbia, it really was, I suppose, the first commercial level Newfoundland film which has been a real success in the box office; and a great job done by the writer, Ed Riche, who also wrote the screenplay. That was not his first movie, Mr. Speaker. It does not happen that way.

Ed Riche also wrote the script for a film called Secret Nation, one that perhaps the Royal Commission on our relationship with Canada should have a good close look at. It is a story about Confederation and about the secret nation - sort of fictionalized account about how Confederation came about and the secret nation that exists despite the fact that the vote was counted a particular way; quite an interesting story.

But even back further than that, Mr. Speaker, we had films like The Adventures of Faustus Bidgood going back to the 1970s, a film done by Mike Jones and Andy Jones, some of the Codco people; a very interesting film made with great difficulty, I have to say, with great difficulty over a long period of time. These are the people who were the foundation of the film industry in Newfoundland. Mike Jones is a renowned cinematographer who cut his teeth on the big screen with the Faustus Bidgood production.

We had films like Undertow, a Francine Fleming film done in the 1970s, as well. I, myself, was involved in the 1980s in a company called Red Ochre Productions. I played a minor role and was executive producer on one of the films, but that company under the leadership of Ken Pittman, who has done a tremendous amount to contribute to the film industry of the Province and is widely regarded by all those, not only in the film industry but in the arts, as a former director of the Arts Council and a person who taught at NASCAD in Nova Scotia.

He came back here and decided that you could really actually make a living making films in Newfoundland. It was terrifically difficult, it was tremendously difficult. Ken used to talk about the $700 cup of coffee, and the Member for Conception Bay East & Bell Island mentioned the difficulties of getting film financing. We were dealing with Telefilm Canada which was in Montreal, and the $700 cup of coffee, Mr. Speaker, was the price of getting to Montreal to have a cup of coffee that somebody who lived in Montreal could have for seventy-five cents. I think, that is what coffee cost in those days. It cost someone in the film business in Newfoundland and Labrador $700 to have that kind of a contact with the people who were financing the industry, who were the movers and shakers, who you had to have contact with if you were going to get your film produced. You needed the support of Telefilm Canada, you needed the support of a broadcast license, you needed the support of private investors, you needed the support of actors and film crew and camera people and directors who were willing to work for part of their salary, for only part of their fee, and take the rest in investment in the film, because that is the way it had to be put together; bits and pieces and bits and pieces to make a film work.

The first feature film that was produced by Red Ochre Productions was done in the summer of 1987, a film called Finding Mary March, a wonderful story. It was shot in Buchans mostly. A wonderful story written by Ken Pittman, a story about the Beothuck Indian and a fiction about a modern day descendant of a Beothuck who was in fact finding her roots and the history of the Beothuck and the story of the Beothuck people in Newfoundland and Labrador; all tied in with quite a wonderful story. Red Ochre Productions also produced a book called No Apologies another of Ken Pittman production; and a wonderful television show called, There's No Better Place Than Here, a half hour piece for a national series on stories about Canada. We have had lots of films leading up to the successes that we recently have seen.

In addition, we have tremendous documentary filmmakers and talented people about. There is a beautiful documentary called The Last Days Of Okak, done by Ann Budgell and Nigel Markham, about the consequences of the flu epidemic after the First World War on the Inuit in Okak, many, if not most, of whom died as a result of not having any defenses in their immune system to that flu.

We have lots of talented Newfoundlanders and Labradorians who have developed their skills making films throughout a large number of years. I am thinking of people like Ken Pittman; like Mike Jones; Paul Pope, who is also, I think, involved in a film called Undertow with Francine Fleming; Bill MacGillivary who has worked on a number of films here in the Province, a Newfoundlander living in Nova Scotia; Barbara Doran; and I have mentioned people like Debbie McGee. We have young directors like Mary Lewis who won awards for a short film called When Ponds Freeze Over, a beautiful film, a beautiful story on film. We have very talented crews. We have people like Derek Norman, a very skilled film editor. We have camera people, we have producers, we have people involved in making films work and making things happen. It is a very distinct type of business, Mr. Speaker, that it takes a lot of time and a lot of energy to get the skills to play a role in, and that has been done.

I can't talk about the people who have developed the film industry in this Province without talking about an organization called NIFCO. I think this is an organization called the Newfoundland Independent Filmmakers Cooperative here in St. John's that is kind of a cooperative of people involved in producing, and film editing. They put on courses for high school kids, for young people, they train people in the film arts, they operate a studio, they have editing facilities, and they have had a lot of help over time.

I remember back in the 1980s, the people who were involved with NIFCO had bought one building down on King's Road, and the individuals, who were actually film artists, spent their time with pick and shovel digging out down below ground, and they have below ground on King's Road a film screening studio, because they didn't have enough room in the building that they had. They literally dug themselves another room and space down below where they were, in order to be able to have a screening room so they could show films. That is the kind of dedication that you saw and the commitment to the art that you saw amongst people in this Province who wanted to make the film industry work. They believed in themselves, they believed in their art, they believed that there were stories to be told and that those stories could be told on film.

That is the basis of the film industry in Newfoundland. That has been added on, and we are all delighted. I know everybody involved in NIFCO, everybody involved in the film industry, was delighted to see The Shipping News being shot primarily in this Province, and to see Random Passage on the screen, a beautiful story, some of which was shot in Ireland, of course, because they participated in the financing along with CBC, but much of which was shot, of course, in Trinity, in the Trinity area, Old Bonaventure, and other places within the Province. We have seen, with great delight, Rare Birds shot entirely in this Province. A terrific story and a great bit of fun, and a wonderful adaptation by Ed Riche of his own novel which was published a couple of years ago and was itself, a great piece of entertainment and story.

So, we have our culture now being able to be expressed with our own artists, with our own talent, with our own writers, with our own film crew, with our own assistants. Anybody who has seen the end of a film can see how many people are involved in a film because it takes several minutes to roll, very quickly, up the credits of all the people who were involved. People in this Province were finding out, what is a best boy and a key grip. All these things people were learning in the 1980s and 1990s.

We have a lot of talented crew around here but one of the things that is happening now - and I want to get to my second point to make here - that we have a maturing film industry in the Province but we need to go to the next step. We need to have a continuity of work for people who are involved in this industry because if we do not, we are going to lose them. They are going to go to Nova Scotia, they are going to go to New Brunswick, and they are going to go to Toronto. They are going to go elsewhere and bring those skills with them. It is same sort of argument that we make sometimes about Marystown and having people who are skilled in shipbuilding and working in that industry. If you do not have work for these people they are going to find their way to Alberta, or to British Columbia or to somewhere else where there is steady work.

We do have to maintain availability in this Province if we want other films to come here. Instead of bringing all their crew with them, the crew people, the trained people, are here. They need to have a continuity of work to be available to be here. So that is the stage we are at now, Mr. Speaker, where we have a tremendous amount of energy, a tremendous amount of commitment - I mentioned Ken Pittman and Red Ochre Publication. We have a whole host of production companies around this Province today who are doing tremendous work, a lot of creative ideas and a lot of talent just waiting to have an opportunity to explore those talents and to put those talents to work.

We need to have something that Nova Scotia has had for a number of years. One thing that they did have - when we talked about the film development corporation here, we were slow off the mark, I have to say. It was a long time coming, to have a dedicated film development corporation. There was support from Newfoundland and Labrador. There was financing support from the government through just general financial support - and I can't think of the name of the organization, I don't know if it exists. The Newfoundland development corporation provided film financing and film support, but it was a case of fitting round holes in square pegs many times. It was not dedicated financing for film, and the financing of film is very different than the financing of manufacturing or the financing of other types of enterprise activity. It was necessary to have our own film development corporation, and that did come a little later than other provinces like Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick.

What we now have to do is play a little bit of catch up because we have to get to the stage of having our own sound studio. I know the Member for Conception Bay East & Bell Island is going to talk about that, but it is something that is on the minds of everybody involved in the film industry in Newfoundland and Labrador.

There are at least three sound stages in the Province of Nova Scotia, all of whom were supported by large infusions of money from the Government of Canada. What has happened is that films like The Shipping News, which had large parts of it shot here, actually went to Nova Scotia afterwards to do the sound studio work. They had some of the money spent here, some of the work spent here, there was some crew from here. They brought some crew in. There are whole issues having to do with the availability of equipment, specialized equipment, specialized lighting, specialized support for the film industry. All of these things tend to centre around a sound studio. The more post-production work that you can have in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador the better able you are to maximize the benefits from an industry.

Many people have spoken about the tourism side of it. That is something that is a spinoff. That is a spinoff that I think we all value and recognize the importance of. We like people to see our beautiful landscape. We like people to understand our culture. We like people to be attracted by what interests many people about Newfoundland and Labrador. I have to say that that is secondary. It is a good reason to support the industry, but the industry can stand by itself as a productive industry employing people on a significant basis with a lot of dollars spent in this Province that get regenerated and is part of economic development and economic activity.

The sound studio is a must, and the sooner we are able to put in place a first rate sound studio in this Province the sooner we are going to be able to sustain the level of critical mass that will allow more people and more film production companies to be able to come here. Because gathered around that studio will be the key grips, the people who put together the sets, the carpenters, the people who are able to organize the logistics. There is a tremendous amount of logistics that goes into making a film. If you have so many days to make a shoot, and if you can't do it all in the day and the time that you have, everyday it is costing you an additional $10,000, $15,000, or $20,000. So the logistics -

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. member's time is up.

MR. HARRIS: If I may have a couple of minutes to clue up?

MR. SPEAKER: Does the member have leave?

AN HON. MEMBER: By leave.

MR. SPEAKER: By leave, to clue up.

MR. HARRIS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank members for leave.

All of these people who are involved in making the film industry will be attracted to be a part of an area which has a sound studio. As a result of that, people who are scouting, film companies who are doing a production, whether it be from Hollywood, or whether it be an independent from other parts of the United States, Canada, or elsewhere in the world, who are scouting locations are also looking for places where they can make their film at a reasonable price with the people around. If we have a sound studio here - it is going to cost a fair buck and it is going to require a commitment from this government, but it is also going to require an effort by this government to get support from the Government of Canada, which they have done in Nova Scotia on three occasions, and we would like to see that here.

I think we have to get a consensus around that as the next step to develop a critical mass, to make this industry work, to do all the things that it does for the local economy, plus the tourism industry, and develop our stories, our talent, our culture. It is a great industry, and I look forward to the comments of the Member for Conception Bay East & Bell Island when he closes the debate later on this afternoon, and other members who might want to contribute to it.

I gather the Minister of Tourism will speak in a moment. It is very important to our tourism awareness of this Province but it is also an industry in its own right that deserves to have support for economic development reasons and for generating a tremendous amount of money. I do not have the statistics on how much money was actually spent on film in this Province, but I know even a small film, like Rare Birds, spent $2 million or $3 million in a very short period of time, which obviously benefits local employees, local workers and also the economy as well.

So, thank you, Mr. Speaker, for the indulgence of the House for a few extra moments, because this is an important industry. I commend it to you for your support.

MADAM SPEAKER (Hodder): The hon. the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation.

MS BETTNEY: Thank you, Madam Speaker.

I am very pleased today that my colleague from Conception Bay East & Bell Island has chosen to bring forward this motion to provide this highlight and this spotlight on what is such a very important part of our economy, and a piece that has such excitement, that is fundamental to the industry. We have all had the pleasure in recent months of seeing that really highlighted and intensified through all of the recent productions that have taken place. I think everyone of us, in the House here today, would reflect and feel the same pride that I felt when you watched the credits go up showing these Newfoundland and Labrador productions with all of our local artists and producers, and scriptwriters and so on. That is one of the real benefits that we have from this industry. So I think that it is important that we continue to support this industry, as the member has put forward in his resolution, but more so, that we also continue to pursue the federal government in their involvement in promoting and developing and strengthening this industry in our Province.

Madam Speaker, we all know that Newfoundland and Labrador has a wealth of talent in this Province. All of us are familiar with our many artists who reside here. You can think of the names that other members have mentioned like Andy Jones, and I think of people like Marion White who has done such tremendous writing and with her production a few years ago of The Untold Story which is an absolutely tremendous chronicle of the women's movement in this Province. We all delight in the skill and expertise of people like Mary Walsh as she performs national and international audiences. Of course, I would also mention people like Gerry Rogers who has won awards throughout North America for her film, just two years ago, My Left Breast, which is still being used, not only to create information and awareness amongst women and people, families throughout our country and elsewhere, but also for entertainment because if there was ever a film that you watched that you laughed and you cried, and you came away from deeply touched, that was one of them.

We know that our writers, our actors, our comedians and directors, our film crews and our producers, are tremendously talented. I do believe I am right in saying that, per capita, we probably have the most talent of this nature, of any other province in this country.

Every time a visitor comes to our Province, we have an opportunity to display that talent to them. They are so often struck and so often have said to me, in different settings, commented on the amount of talent, the musical talent, the acting talent, the dancing, the singing. This is something that we take for granted, that we know it has been part of us all our lives; but when others come here and are exposed to it, they are so tremendously impressed.

As the Member for Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi has indicated, a lot of development has gone into the film industry and where it is today. There are many, many people throughout our history who have contributed their energies and put their time into trying to build this industry. I think that shows in the quality of what we have today.

From a provincial perspective, Madam Speaker, I believe that 1997 was a milestone, a very significant milestone, when we actually, as a government, created the Newfoundland and Labrador Film Development Corporation, because it is since 1997 that we have been able to put together the programs, the Equity Investment Program, the development loan program, and the marketing supported program that has provided close to $10 million to help foster this industry in the Province. We have been able to provide support to people like Gerry Rogers, to producers such as Paul Pope and Ken Pittman, and to Barbara Doran, as well as to scriptwriters and crews. Being able to provide that seed money, to provide that investment, is the stimulus that causes this to happen and allows our industry to take another step forward. That is what we have seen in the past five years.

We know, as a provincial government, that this industry is certainly very important to our Province. It is labour intensive. It is export oriented. We know, as my colleague, the Minister of Environment, indicated, that it is very environmentally friendly and it really does not compete with other industries in this Province. As a side benefit, it also promotes tourism and rural as well as urban activity. Because, one of the things I noticed in looking at the information associated with this industry is that there is equally as much activity taking place in this industry in rural parts of our Province as there is within the urban centres. That really gives us a chance to move out towards the rural areas, some exciting new job opportunities and some exciting new spinoff benefits from this kind of activity.

Madam Speaker, we do know that, of course, the film and the video industry is a global industry. It is a very large one, and it is only one part of a worldwide entertainment business, but every aspect of this industry contributes so significantly to our gross domestic product here in this Province. Even though it is a small industry at this point, it is small but it is growing and it creates hundreds and hundreds of jobs when it is operating at the level that we have seen this year.

There are many stages to film development. There is obviously the development itself of what the story will be, what the production will be. Then there is the pre-production phase. You go into production and then, of course, there is the post-production phase which my colleague from Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi also referred to.

If you look at the number of different types of people who are employed throughout all of that, the list is really impressive. When you go from the writers and the directors to the production managers and casting directors, you have all of the editors, sound editors, composers, musicians, and film crews, the list goes on and on. We know that we have wonderful talent to be able to fill all of those positions here in this Province and to really be able to do quality work.

We also know, of course, that it draws upon so many goods and services that it also contributes to our economy in an indirect way as well. Those people in the Trinity area would tell you that the indirect contribution to their economy was quite significant through the productions that they have had in the past year.

The other aspect of the film industry, though, which I think is so important to us because of its connection with tourism is, that it really does support the cultural creativity of our own producers and it gives them a chance to tell our story but also to showcase our Province. I believe my colleague from Conception Bay East & Bell Island mentioned in his comments the level of increase of inquires that we had in tourism connected with these recent productions and with the Junos.

I know, for the Junos themselves, we found that the level of inquires the week before it took place, even before it happened, had increased by 67 per cent. In the week after, it increased by 37 per cent from this time last year, this day last year. As an average there has been an increase of 40 per cent in inquires on our 1-800 number.

People who have seen this land of ours and have been so impressed by it and have taken the time to pick up the phone and try to find out, what can I find out about this part of Canada? What can I learn? How can I get more information? How can I come and visit and see for myself what this has to offer?

These stories are enticing tourists to our Province, and I know that in England, for example, where The Shipping News has been so popular, we are just now starting to see some real increase in the inquires coming from Great Britain and from England itself as a result of just that one show, The Shipping News. There are a lot of benefits to us, to our bed and breakfasts, to our hotel and accommodations industry as well, as a result of this.

Madam Speaker, with the Newfoundland and Labrador Film Development Corporation, which we put in place in 1997, we set a five-year mandate for the corporation. We indicated, in setting it up, that we would have specific objectives, we would provide it with financial assistance, and then, at the end of five years, we would evaluate it to determine whether or not those objectives had been achieved and how well the industry and the corporation had performed in terms of its mandate.

Madam Speaker, we have now completed our review of the Film Development Corporation. I am very pleased to say that our review of the corporation shows that these objectives that they have, have been met. They have done a tremendously good job of achieving what government envisioned for them to achieve. It has shown that the industry has generated up to $20 million of activity in this Province, and we believe that it can grow even larger than that. This is a very good start and we are very pleased with the progress that we have made, but we would expect that in another five years' time that can be increased by at least 50 per cent, that we could have a $30 million industry and more. The potential is there to grow this industry. Socially and economically, the film industry can provide those kinds of benefits in our Province.

The study recommends that there are a number of things that we have to do if we are going to be successful in continuing to grow the industry. It indicates that government - our government - must continue its support through the equity investment program; that we must continue to support the development of scripts because, of course, that is the starting ground for being able to develop an idea that can be sold for film, and that we have to support a stronger market-based approach to the industry as well as supporting business development requirements of productions.

In my last few comments I would just like to highlight this. One of the most important recommendations they have made is the need to create this indoor production facility, and I know my colleague, in closing the debate, will also provide more detail on this and speak in greater length on the need for a sound production facility in this Province.

We know that this is a major piece of infrastructure for this industry which, up to this point, is not available here in this Province; and, as other members have said, as a result of that, we have not been able to capitalize, in some cases, on certain productions. We have also lost certain productions which would probably have preferred to have been done here, but because the sound stage is available in Halifax, and that is the closest one, the productions moved there. This is a piece of infrastructure now that is absolutely essential to taking the film industry in this Province to the next natural level. That is why I am so encouraged with the motion that is put forward here today, that it encourages the federal government to continue and to increase its investment and its support for the film industry in this Province.

I believe that we have all of the other assets that we need. We have, certainly, the creative talent and the people who can provide the skills that are needed for this kind of industry. We certainly have the setting. We have our dynamic Province, our breathtaking scenery. We have just a world-class setting to offer to the film-making industry for the setting of productions and films and backdrops. We also have the stories that we can bring to the world, and know, as we have seen this year, that others will delight in them and will share our enthusiasm for them.

Madam Speaker, on that note, I will conclude my comments and thank members opposite for their support, as well, for this very, very exciting part of our industry and our economic development in Newfoundland

Thank you, Madam Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. ROSS WISEMAN: Thank you, Madam Speaker.

It is a real pleasure today to be able to rise and speak to this motion, because I think this is an industry that has a tremendous amount of potential in Newfoundland. I rise particularly because some of the successes that we have experienced in the last couple of years in the film industry, a lot of those productions, and two of those productions in particular, were filmed in Trinity North. It is a real pleasure for me today to be able to talk a little bit about those two productions, and I am talking about Random Passage and The Shipping News that were filmed primarily in the communities from New Bonaventure to English Harbour and in that general area, ten or eleven communities in the Trinity, Port Rexton area of Trinity North.

Madam Speaker, I want to take this opportunity now to be able to commend the people of that area and to thank them for being such great ambassadors for the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, and for having done such a tremendous job in playing host to two major film productions. Two productions that had gained international attention and have brought international attention to the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, and it is in no small part a result of the great hospitality and the great talent and the great people who live in those communities; because they, during those periods of production, basically reflected what Newfoundland and Labrador was all about, reflected the kind of talent we have in this Province, and reflected the kind of potential that exists for film production in this Province.

Just to give you some sense, and to give the members of this House some sense, in a real way of what impact this has on communities, the minister made a comment a moment ago about how some of this success and some of this wealth is distributed throughout all parts of Newfoundland, urban and rural.

Madam Speaker, during that period of production, what we saw in those communities was a transformation that occurred. As you drove through those communities, there was a beehive of activity. Tremendous amounts of employment got created as a result of it. All the bed and breakfasts were filled. All the restaurants were extremely busy. I ate in a restaurant in Port Rexton earlier this week and one of the ladies who worked there was telling me stories about the orders that they would receive, unprecedented. They were doing more in a day during those productions than historically they would do in a period of a couple of weeks. It had a tremendous impact on the economy. It made a tremendous boost to local businesses and created a tremendous amount of employment for people who otherwise would not have been employed during that year.

I chatted with a gentleman the other day from down in Bonaventure, who was a part of the creation of the set. Because of the experience he gained during the filming of Random Passage, and because of the skills he has and the training he got during that process, he has travelled now to other production projects outside of the Province because he has developed the skill and the knowledge to be able to do that kind of work which is a very specialized kind of process.

Madam Speaker, that is the kind of potential. It is not just one-shot kinds of deals. There is a tremendous economic benefit and we saw that in a real way in Trinity North during the filming of those two major productions.

One of the other tremendous benefits that we cannot overlook, it is an easy way to promote the Province. We have just heard, recently, an announcement by ACOA of an infusion of money they are going to put into promoting tourism in the Province, and promoting the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. When we have those kinds of international productions, or productions that get that kind of international recognition, you cannot measure the amount of promotion value that gives us. Not only does it stimulate the economy but, at the same, using it as an opportunity to promote the Province, we cannot underestimate the tremendous promotion potential that gives us.

It gives us the chance - the advertising of the movie, what were they doing? They were talking about where it was filmed. During the reviews, after the movie's debut, what did they talk about? Where it was filmed. And, it continues on after The Shipping News. Listen to particularly the American stations, listening to the people who were a part of the cast talk about their experience, talk at length about the great people that they met and what a great place it was. We have had experiences where some of the people who were part of that cast have been back.. There is an example of where one of them have actually purchased a summer residence in that area, all because of the tremendous experience that they had.

One of things we need to recognize, Madam Speaker, is that these people who participated in that are out there telling their friends, telling their colleagues about their experiences in our Province. We cannot buy that kind of promotion, Madam Speaker. That makes such a tremendous contribution to our efforts to promote tourism in this Province.

The other thing, Madam Speaker, that this had a tremendous impact on is the local talent. It created opportunities for local actors and actresses to be able to participate in a world-class production, to be able to refine their skills, open new opportunities for them, open doors in theater that they normally would not have had the opportunity to participate in. Madam Speaker, that is a tremendous enrichment of already a very rich culture in Newfoundland.

We have talked about, in this House, the tremendous talent that we have in the Province, the rich history, the great culture. Those kinds of talents and skills need an opportunity to blossom. They need a place in which to grow and provide opportunities, and this kind of industry brings to our doorsteps the kind of opportunity, the kind of potential that a lot of these people need to be able to pursue careers in production and stage.

Madam Speaker, one of the things that we have heard comments about is, what is the next level? Madam Speaker, back in May and again in August of this year, our leader, Danny Williams, has proposed the creation of a centre for training in film production to be established at the Grenfell site and in Corner Brook. Madam Speaker, if we are to have the kind of skilled production people in this Province to be able to attract those kinds of productions, we need skilled trained people, and what better to do that than to build upon the fine arts program that already exists in Corner Brook, and to be able to expand that program into production skills.

There has been mention, Madam Speaker, of the motion picture film production studio that we are talking about. The group that is spearheading that commissioned a study. I just want to give you some sense - they commissioned a study that was done by a local firm, Gibbons Hampton Architect's and DW Knight Associates here in St. John's. Here is what the study determined: That $18 million of production, in the year 2000-2001, created $34 million in local economic activity. It created 500 direct and indirect jobs. That was the result, plus, Madam Speaker, there was a tax base of over $4.5 million created as a result of an $18 million production industry in one year. When you start looking at the potential, it is enormous.

One of the things that this committee has said is that it has plateaued. The Minister of Tourism mentioned a moment ago about the tremendous investment that this Province has made in creating this industry, helping to grow this industry, and investing in this industry. But, Madam Speaker, the industry has plateaued, and that becomes the next step. As I understand it, that group right now is trying to raise money to put together a business plan to be able to present that business plan to ACOA, to be able to fund and to acquire an existing complex and to do some major renovations. The only thing that they are waiting on right now is an investment of a small amount of money to develop a business plan to be able to go forward to ACOA and to the federal government to look for the necessary funding.

I would suggest, Madam Speaker, and I suggest to the Member for Conception Bay East & Bell Island, and to the Minister of Tourism, that we all acknowledge - all the speakers on this resolution today have clearly indicated that they support the resolution by the member, and that they support and acknowledge the tremendous potential that exists for this industry in this Province. If we are able to comment today and suggest that the only thing that is holding up their moving forward was developing a business plan that will allow them to demonstrate very clearly the financial viability of this project, to be able to demonstrate very clearly the tremendous impact it will have on the economy of this Province, the tremendous impact it has for tourism and the development of cultural industries, if the only thing that we are waiting on is the development of the business plan, my suggestion would be to the minister, that in addition to the $10 million that she has alluded to, that has already been invested, a small investment of several thousands of dollars today by the provincial government could help overcome the next, and the only, major hurdle really to getting to the federal government and asking for the funding. In as much as I support the member's motion that we, in fact, encourage and continue to lobby the federal government for financial support for this initiative, my suggestion would be that for a small financial contribution to the organization right now, it would help them overcome this next major hurdle.

Madam Speaker, just in closing, I again want to compliment and commend the member for introducing the motion because I think it speaks to a tremendous amount of potential that exists. I also want to, once again, thank the people and commend the people of Trinity, Port Rexton, New Bonaventure, Old Bonaventure, Trouty, English Harbour, the Champney's, all of those ten communities in that area who worked for two years in a row to, in fact, present Newfoundland to the world stage and to promote our Province in a very big way. They have done, I think, a great service to this Province in, once again, confirming that this Province has the potential to be able to compete internationally in this type of industry and to be able to attract these types of people to the Province, and to grow an economy in an area that we have a tremendous potential. I want to thank the people of that area of the Province, the Trinity area of the Province, for having made that contribution.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

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

I remind the hon. member that if he speaks now he will close the debate.

MR. WALSH: Thank you, Madam Speaker.

I want to thank all of those who participated in the debate this afternoon on my private members' resolution, and to thank them for the comments that they made in terms of the industry itself.

You know, when I look back at just a short period of time, our own provincial government, through its equity fund, has invested a million dollars this past year. By creating the tax credit of a 40 per cent rebate on labour, that has also invited and enticed many companies to come here. We do have to move forward and make one more step. The next step that we have to go to has been alluded by a number of members, and that has been the sound stage. That is the next step forward for this industry. I want to serve notice to all who are involved in the industry that we are prepared to work with them to achieve that goal.

I would remiss this afternoon if I did not congratulate, publicly, the efforts of Mr. Leo Furey, who is the Executive Director of the Newfoundland and Labrador Film Development Corporation. I believe that he should be complimented on the work that he has done to foster this industry in all its aspects.

I think also, Madam Speaker, in my closing remarks, I have to say that, to the actors, producers, directors and the many talented individuals who are involved in the industry of Newfoundland and Labrador, your efforts have not gone unnoticed. We here, in the House of Assembly today, have shared with you our thoughts on your industry and our beliefs of where you can go with the industry and how far you can advance with it.

Again, I want to thank all members for their participation this afternoon, and I look forward to all members unanimously supporting this resolution.

Thank you, Madam Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MADAM SPEAKER: Does the resolution carry?

All those in favour, ‘aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.

MADAM SPEAKER: Those against? Carried.

On motion, resolution carried.

MADAM SPEAKER: The hon. the Government House Leader.

MR. LUSH: Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Just an announcement here regarding the Estimates Committees. The Resource Committee will meet tomorrow morning, April 25, at 9:00 a.m. in the House to review the Estimates of the Department of Labrador & Aboriginal Affairs.

MADAM SPEAKER: This being Wednesday, this House will now adjourn until tomorrow, Thursday, at 1:30 p.m.