The House met at 1:30 p.m.

MR. SPEAKER (Wiseman): Order, please!

Statements by Members.

MR. SPEAKER: Today we have members' statements from: the hon. the Member for the District of Humber Valley; the hon. the Member for the District of St. Barbe; the hon. the Member for the District of Conception Bay East – Bell Island; the hon. the Member for the District of Terra Nova; the hon. the Member for the District of Bonavista North; and the hon. the Member for the District of St. John's Centre.

The hon. the Member for the District of Humber Valley.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. BALL: Mr. Speaker, I rise in this House today to commend two sisters, Jennifer and Jocelyn Barnes, two young women from the Deer Lake area. Jennifer and Jocelyn will be travelling to Haiti in late April to help in the Karen Huxter Orphanage, which houses eighteen youth from the ages of infancy to sixteen years. They are travelling as part of the mission team Hands Across the Sea. This mission is dedicated to helping the children of Haiti.

Mr. Speaker, this is the second year for the sister team in raising funds, not for their air travel, but rather for the upkeep of the orphanage. Again, this year these two young ladies have created a unique T-shirt design and have been selling the T-shirts with all proceeds to the children.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all members of this hon. House to join me in commending Jennifer and Jocelyn, and in wishing them every success on their mission.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. BENNETT: Mr. Speaker, today it gives me great pleasure to showcase Rocky Harbour and the Rocky Harbour winter carnival. Rocky Harbour is best known as the administrative centre of Gros Morne National Park.

Rocky Harbour, however, is about much more than just summertime tourism. With 1,000 year-round residents, it is the largest town in St. Barbe district. In Rocky Harbour you can find banking, hotels, restaurants, garages, building supplies, groceries, federal and provincial government offices, a police station, a great high school, and even a fish plant that sells to retail customers. Home building is constant, giving consumers a choice of either a brand new home or one with experience. Little wonder that the newest MHA for the District of St. Barbe elected to establish his constituency office in Rocky Harbour.

In contrast to summer tourism, this weekend is Rocky Harbour's winter carnival. I have the pleasure of attending opening ceremonies on Friday, March 9, and I extend an invitation to other members of this hon. House, as well as to the public in general, to come out and enjoy the Rocky Harbour winter carnival this year. I wish to commend the organizers on keeping the spirit of winter and community mindedness alive and well.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for the District of Conception Bay East - Bell Island.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. BRAZIL: Mr. Speaker, I stand in the House today to acknowledge the Portugal Cove-St. Philip's Heritage Committee.

Mr. Speaker, in late February of 2011 I had the pleasure of attending a public meeting to discuss promoting the heritage of this unique corner of the world. While I assumed this would be poorly attended, as it may not be of interest to a large sector of the community, I was pleasantly surprised when over 150 residents attended with every intention of preserving and celebrating their history.

This past week, the Portugal Cove-St. Philip's Heritage Committee released the Our Heritage Document. This was developed under the leadership of Mr. Winston Fiander, and a very talented, dedicated committee and a researcher who researched the educational, historical, employment and social history of the community. This document sets out the framework which will drive the establishment of a permanent museum to house the many artifacts donated by the residents of Portugal Cove-St. Philip's.

Mr. Speaker, the committee with the financial and moral support of the town council are looking forward to preserving permanently the 500 years of history.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all members to acknowledge the Portugal Cove-St. Philip's Heritage Society for preserving and celebrating their history.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for the District of Terra Nova.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. S. COLLINS: Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to rise today in this hon. House to congratulate an organization in my district on its recent accomplishment. During the 2012 Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador Conference and Trade Show held in Gander back in late February, the Eastport Peninsula Heritage Society was announced as the winner of the prestigious Doug Wheeler Tourism Award. This award, as many of my colleagues would know, is presented annually to an individual or group who has made a significant contribution to the tourism industry in this Province.

This society which is made up of volunteers runs the Beaches Heritage Centre in Eastport. Simply put, Mr. Speaker, this centre is a cultural gem, not only in my district but certainly throughout our Province as a whole. It showcases traditional music and arts, develops and offers cultural and historical programming, organizes a number of festivals and promotes the vast tourism product that this area has to offer.

Mr. Speaker, and while the product that the Eastport Peninsula offers in terms of tourism potential is great, what is equally as great is a strong and dedicated group of volunteers that make up this society. It always amazes me how much time and effort these folks put into the operation of the facility and it is through their hard work that the centre realizes such overwhelming success.

This past summer, I was fortunate enough to have the former Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation and our Premier attend the centre's grand opening, and I think it is safe to say that all of us were thoroughly impressed.

I ask all hon. members to join with me in congratulating the society on their accomplishment, and in the same breath, Mr. Speaker, thanking them for helping to keep our Province's priceless cultural fabric vibrant and alive.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for the District of Bonavista North.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. CROSS: It is with, indeed, great pride today, Mr. Speaker, that I stand in this hon. House to congratulate the Town of Centreville-Wareham-Trinity on receiving a Torngat Municipal Achievement Award at the most recent MNL convention in Corner Brook, in 2011.

Some of the things I am going to mention, Mr. Speaker, may not seem important to larger centres in the Province but to a smaller community some of these things are very significant. Mr. Speaker, this town has seen a very significant amount of growth and economic development, and town spirit. The newly elected council of 2009 inherited a significant financial challenge. They undertook a full financial review, and as a result, reduced their DSR from 30 per cent to 13, and by negotiating a much lower interest rate on outstanding debt, they qualified for over $400,000 capital works funding to install a new chlorination system to get rid of an eighteen-month boil order in their water system.

Mr. Speaker, as a result of the improved financial picture, the town was able to improve technology at the town hall by installing computer systems, Interac, and credit card, and on-line payments, which resulted in more timely and efficient payment of taxes by residents. Mr. Speaker, the town introduced new group benefits and RRSP packages for their employees and committed to significant employee training, which resulted in more efficiency and a greater understanding of the town's infrastructure by its workers.

Mr. Speaker, the town council also hosts quarterly public town hall meetings which enhance openness and transparency. These meetings have witnessed more than two hundred in attendance, which approaches 30 per cent of the town's voting population. Mr. Speaker, I could elaborate more on their accomplishments, but I feel this is enough to reinforce why this town has received this very distinguished award, the Torngat Municipal Achievement Award, from MNL.

I wish to congratulate Mayor Rogers, Deputy Mayor Pickett, and all councillors and residents of the town on behalf of hon. members of this House, and thank them for their unselfish and tireless efforts to improve life in their town and deliver good, local governance.

Thank you for the opportunity, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The Member for St. John's Centre.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS ROGERS: Mr. Speaker, I stand today to pay tribute to the many women who have worked so hard on a dream that was finally realized last week.

Eight years ago, the St. John's Status of Women Council had a vision of a new facility that would combine the Women's Centre and its wonderful programs with supportive housing in a women-centred environment.

Last week, I was so happy to attend the official opening of Marguerite's Place, the realization of that dream. This welcoming and accessible building, in the heart of my District of St. John's Centre, is a physical reminder of what can be accomplished when people work together. Thirty years ago, when I was coordinator of the Women's Centre, we could never have imagined such an incredible thing to celebrate.

So, Mr. Speaker, I ask all hon. members to join with me in congratulating the supportive staff of Newfoundland and Labrador Housing, Canada Mortgage and Housing, and especially the St. John's Status of Women Council and all of the community groups and businesses who helped out who worked so hard to make this happen.

During International Women's Week, it is only fitting to say: Bravo, Marguerite's Place! Well done!

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Statements by Ministers.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Mr. Speaker, February 6, 2012, marked the sixtieth anniversary of the accession of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to the throne as Queen of Canada. It gives me great pleasure to rise in this House today as Her Majesty's First Minister of Newfoundland and Labrador, to honour the sixty-year reign of a sovereign who has dedicated her life to the service of others and who has demonstrated great pride and affection for Canada.

The Diamond Jubilee provides an opportunity to highlight those in our community who, like Her Majesty, have dedicated themselves to serving family, community, and country. Through the Diamond Jubilee medal program, Canadians are recognized for their significant contributions. Diamond Jubilee medals will be presented to Newfoundlanders and Labradorians during ceremonies that will take place across the Province throughout 2012.

The Diamond Jubilee is also a wonderful opportunity to honour our traditions and history. Events and activities will take place in our Province this year, which will highlight how Canada has evolved during Her Majesty's reign.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage all hon. members, as well as all residents of Newfoundland and Labrador, to join in the many celebratory activities that will take place throughout our Province. A list of Diamond Jubilee activities will be updated throughout the year on the Government House Web site. That said, Mr. Speaker, there is no need to wait for an activity to be announced. Groups are encouraged to organize their own celebration or commemoration: perhaps an essay contest or an art show, a garden party or a tree planting, a croquet tournament or a high tea.

Mr. Speaker, I invite all those interested to sign the congratulatory message book currently located in the main lobby of Confederation Building. It will travel across the Province throughout the year and in due course be delivered to Her Majesty. What better way to send our own personal thank-you to Her Majesty by adding our own names to the book that will undoubtedly become an important part of the legacy of Queen Elizabeth II, and part of our history.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. BALL: I thank the Premier for an advance copy.

Certainly, as we have grown up in Newfoundland and Labrador, we all have very special memories of royal visits to our Province. I know in my own community back in the late 1950s, I will say I can remember Queen Elizabeth and her visit. I have very strong and very vivid memories of that.

What is really nice about this particular statement is that the Diamond Jubilee award will give us yet another opportunity to recognize people who actually build and volunteer in their communities. I know in my own District of Humber Valley we have already started this process. There are many people who we have already identified as potential winners.

I did notice the Premier had signed the message book. That is something I have not done yet, but I will do that before it leaves here.

I thank you once again and I encourage everybody to participate in all of the activities as they go around the Province this summer.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. Leader of the Third Party.

MS MICHAEL: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

I too thank the Premier for an advance copy of her statement.

I too remember as a little girl here in St. John's being quite excited when we marked Queen Elizabeth's ascension to the throne with fireworks. I guess they had to have been down at Quidi Vidi. I remember they had a picture – the fireworks ended with a picture of the new Queen. It was really quite exciting. I always remember that image.

I am very glad too that we as MHAs have been honoured to celebrate the Queen's Jubilee by nominating constituents from our districts for medals, and I am looking forward to hoping that those I nominated are going to get medals. It will be a great moment.

The sixtieth anniversary Jubilee celebration provides an opportunity for all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to mark the Queen's lifetime of public service, and I think we all do appreciate the hard work that she has put into these sixty years. Her family is no stranger to our Province. Over the past few years, I, myself have been pleased to have had the opportunity as MHA in my district to meet Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall in 2009, as well as the Queen's daughter, Princess Anne, in 2010, when she presented colours to the Newfoundland Regiment down in Pleasantville.

So, the whole New Democrat caucus joins me and the House in thanking the Queen for her continued dedication and service.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. JACKMAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday I had the pleasure of joining Lily Cole, President of the Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers' Association, for the launch of Education Week in this Province. For the second consecutive year, the launch was broadcast through an interactive Web site in schools throughout Newfoundland and Labrador, allowing students and teachers to join in celebrating education and the importance of learning.

This year's Education Week theme focused on technology, Mr. Speaker, and yesterday's Web cast was an indication of the technological advances present in our schools today. This government realizes the importance of providing a quality education in an ever-changing global environment. In the past eight years, Mr. Speaker, funding for K-12 education has increased by 42 per cent. We are spending millions on new and existing infrastructure, additional teaching resources, enhanced curriculum, skilled trades programming, arts programming, and the latest technology to enhance teaching and learning in our schools.

In the past five years alone, we have allocated $16.4 million for the purchase of computers and interactive whiteboard technology for the K-12 education system.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. JACKMAN: In fact, Mr. Speaker, this year we will have more than 4,000 whiteboards in instructional spaces throughout the Province. We know, Mr. Speaker, that education is the key to future prosperity, both on an individual level and for the Province as a whole. As such, strategic investments in education will remain a priority for this government.

I invite my colleagues in this House today to join me in celebrating Education Week, and in recognizing the students, teachers, elected school board trustees, school district staff, school council members and the many parent volunteers who contribute to our school communities.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for the District of Burgeo – La Poile.

MR. A. PARSONS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank the minister for an advance copy of his statement. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the NLTA on the launch of Education Week. I would note their slogan, which is bilingual, is obviously a nice touch for this diverse population.

As the member for a largely rural district, I understand the importance of investment in technological advances. Without high-speed Internet now, a lot of kids in this Province are not going to have an opportunity to take advantage of these investments and this new technology that is available.

We must move beyond investments though. If you look at the studies from 2001 to 2009, we see that the amount invested in each student has more than doubled. However, the graduation rate for high school students is still stable; it is not increasing with that investment. We must take steps to move that forward. I would like to recognize the NLTA for all that they have done for this Province and for the students. It is a great step forward and I look forward to this Education Week.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for the District of St. John's North.

MR. KIRBY: Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the minister for an advance copy of his statement. I would like to congratulate the Province's teachers, staff and students on the launch of Education Week. I hope that the remainder of the school year is a happy and productive one.

We hear from teachers that they feel a lack of support from government to deal with the complex demands of today's classrooms. We need more teachers, student assistants and other professionals delivering student support services and they need ongoing professional development to ensure the high-quality education that every Newfoundland and Labrador child deserves to have.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Oral Questions.

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. BALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Time and time again, this government has ignored any talk of reining in spending. In fact, they have taken every opportunity to boast about the amounts they spend. During their time in government they have spent unprecedented amounts of public funds, often without a detailed plan for the future.

I ask the Premier: Recognizing our dependency on the volatility of oil revenue, why did your government fail to have in place a proper financial management plan for the people of the Province?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I refer the Leader of the Opposition back to his own reaction to my Board of Trade speech just within the last two weeks, when he agreed with everything I said in terms of fiscal management here in this Province. Mr. Speaker, we have reduced public debt in this Province by almost a third – $4 billion.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: There are not countries in this world that could make that boast. Mr. Speaker, we had to spend money because of the serious neglect of fourteen years of Liberal administration, and we have done so in a great way.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. BALL: I would remind the Premier, too, that most of that oil money was done by programs and projects that were done by past Liberal governments.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. BALL: Mr. Speaker, after years of unmonitored, uncontrollable spending practices in this government, this government is now following the lead of Stephen Harper and telling the people of the Province there will be cuts across the board.

So, I ask the Premier: What criteria will you use to make these cuts, and are there any programs that will not be included in this review?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, as responsible fiscal stewards, it is always, always incumbent on us to be reviewing programs and spending within government, and that is what we are doing now. That is what I referred to yesterday when I talked about a review of core programming, ensuring that we are meeting our mandate, that there is not wastage – wastage that the Leader of the Opposition referred to in his Reply to the Speech from the Throne. Mr. Speaker, we look for those kinds of incidents all the time, and we manage the finances of the people of the Province in the most responsible way.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. BALL: So we will find out later where the cuts will be or will not be, but, Mr. Speaker, just last month the Premier was publicly speaking about slowing the rate of growth in spending – nothing about spending cuts or reductions.

So, I ask the Premier: Why the sudden change in approach, and will Crown corporations such as Nalcor be subject to those cuts?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, we have not talked about cuts. What we have talked about is reviewing all of our core mandates, reviewing all of our programs, ensuring that the objectives and goals set out when we introduced those programs are being met. We have asked all our departments to look for at least 3 per cent in reductions, and yes, there are exemptions. Front-line health and education services will be exempted. Policing services will be exempted. Child, Youth and Family Services will be exempted. Income support will be exempted. There are all kinds of areas where one can look for savings, Mr. Speaker; we do it all of the time. We are doing a very focused look right now.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. BALL: Mr. Speaker, since the announcement on November 18, 2010, government has stated that Muskrat Falls will cost $6.2 billion; however, last week, before the PUB, Nalcor corrected their numbers and added $1.1 billion in interest costs. Now, the projected cost of Muskrat Falls is $7.3 billion.

I ask the Premier: Now that the costs have climbed to $7.3 billion, can government advise what other expenses they neglected to include?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Natural Resources.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENNEDY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Muskrat Falls Generating Station will cost $2.9 billion and the Labrador-Island Link will cost $2.1 billion. That is $5 billion, Mr. Speaker. Into that, there is built in 15 per cent contingency and escalation costs. What we are doing, Mr. Speaker, in terms of the overruns and the final numbers, we will have them from Nalcor shortly.

I bring it back to the basic question. I say to the Leader of the Opposition: Do you agree with the MHI report that we need power in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador? If we need power, then we have to do something about it. We have gone through the options. Muskrat Falls is clearly $2.2 billion cheaper than any other option.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. BALL: We will answer the question.

Mr. Speaker, Emera and Nalcor have announced an indefinite delay in the production of the detailed legal documents. According to the Premier, the previous firm date of June 2012 for sanction has now been replaced with the hope of sanction before the end of the year.

I ask this question to the Premier: Now that there is extra time available to do a proper analysis of the project, will this government permit the independent reviews by the PUB and others as recommended by the Joint Review Panel?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Natural Resources.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENNEDY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Muskrat Falls has been reviewed since 1976. In 1980 Vic Young, then Chair of Newfoundland Hydro, recommended that Muskrat Falls proceed. We have had reports done, Mr. Speaker, by Navigant, which was not independent enough for the Opposition. We have had the MHI report. MHI, Mr. Speaker, was hired by the PUB, independent of government and independent of Nalcor. MHI concluded that one, we need the power; two, Muskrat Falls is the lowest cost option; $2.2 billion cheaper than refurbished Holyrood with small hydro and wind.

Mr. Speaker, we have done reviews. What the Opposition Leader is saying is continue to do a review until someone says Muskrat Falls is not the best option; that is what he is looking for.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. BALL: What I am looking for, Minister, are reviews of other options. The PUB mandate is to ensure the lowest possible price for ratepayers, yet government has manipulated the process by asking them to examine just two options brought forward by Nalcor: the Muskrat Falls option or an isolated Island option.

The question to the Premier: Will government permit the PUB to examine Muskrat Falls and compare it to other possible options to provide power to the ratepayers and people of Newfoundland?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Natural Resources.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENNEDY: Mr. Speaker, I say to the Leader of the Opposition: What other options is he talking about? Refurbished Holyrood is the best of the other options, Mr. Speaker, with small hydro and wind. Manitoba Hydro International clearly concluded that there is so much wind that can be used, but it has to be integrated into the system.

We have looked at natural gas, Mr. Speaker, extensively. In fact, I can say to the Leader of the Opposition, I met with Ziff Energy out of Calgary on the weekend while in Toronto on another matter. They concluded, clearly, that the importation of gas from the United States is not economically feasible. Mr. Speaker, we know, clearly, that the building of a pipeline from the Grand Banks is not feasible. If the Leader of the Opposition has other options, I would like to know what they are.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Cartwright – L'Anse au Clair.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

My question is for the Minister of Health. In the 2011 election your government committed to a new model of home care that would pay family caregivers, and we have received numerous calls and e-mails about this particular issue.

I ask the minister today: When can family caregivers expect to receive the first cheque for the care that they provide to their loved ones?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS SULLIVAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, we made a very firm commitment within the Blue Book, and it is a commitment that we intend to see through. There is a fair bit of planning, however, that is needed. This is a plan that we are looking at that has no model anywhere in Canada, anywhere in North America. Once again, we are going to be on the leading edge here. We are doing our due diligence; we are making sure that what we put in place is going to be a plan that is workable for all families in Newfoundland and Labrador, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Cartwright – L'Anse au Clair.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Many of the people in this Province went out there in the election and supported your government simply because you were making a commitment to them to help them provide for better home care for their loved ones and have financial security.

I ask the minister today: How many people in this Province would be eligible for such a program and, again, when can they start receiving the cheques?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS SULLIVAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, at present we have more than 6,000 people who take advantage of home support in Newfoundland and Labrador. We are expending somewhere in the vicinity of $140 million a year, and in the last few years we have had an additional $104 million a year that we provide to home support care in this Province.

Mr. Speaker, we are committed to home support. We have changed the eligibility requirements. We have done things like increase the options with regard to liquid assets. Mr. Speaker, we have made more progress in terms of home support in Newfoundland and Labrador than any other government has ever done.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Cartwright - L'Anse au Clair.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The commitment in the election was very clear, I say to you, Minister, and I have it right here in front of me. You outlined very clearly to the people of this Province that you would provide supportive income sources for family caregivers in this Province.

Can you tell me today – you made that commitment months ago – when you are going to honour that commitment and when these families can start receiving some income support?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS SULLIVAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am not sure what it is the member opposite is asking me for. She is talking about income support, but I am assuming that she means home support. Yes, we certainly made a commitment within our Blue Book. We will certainly see to it that that commitment is honoured.

It will take some time to do the right job. We do not have an exact date that we can give you, but I am telling you here and now: It is a commitment we made; it is a commitment we will keep.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. BENNETT: Mr. Speaker, one of the cornerstones of our fishery, the Fleet Separation Policy, keeps big companies with deep pockets from buying under sixty-five foot long vessels and their quotas. This has protected the inshore fishery and rural Newfoundland and Labrador for years.

I ask the minister: Does he support the Fleet Separation Policy, especially now that Nova Scotia supports it, or will he let the Harper Government remove fleet separation from fisheries management and attack our rural communities?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KING: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Congratulations to the member on his first question. You picked a very important topic to the Province.

What I can say to the member opposite, if one thing the last three months has shown us in this Province is that this government is committed to try and fix the wrongs of the past in the fishery. We recognize the tremendous impact that the inshore fishery has on the rural parts of our Province, and many of the larger parts, Mr. Speaker. We are going to take solid positions to make sure that any change in fisheries policy from the federal government will reflect our historical attachment to the resource, and we will make sure maximum benefits come back to the people of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. BENNETT: Mr. Speaker, the minister is on record as stating that the principal beneficiary of the fishery should be the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.

I ask the minister, given that his government has had three mandates from the people to protect their interests, how can he now not know where he stands on policies that protect independent harvesters and coastal communities?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KING: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I think the member might be wise to sit back and put some of his questions about the future of the fishery to some of the strong interest groups we have in the Province. This government and I know very clearly where we stand. We are committed to support the fishers in the Province and to do what is right and make the decisions that are the appropriate decisions to improve an industry that has some significant challenges ahead of it. The challenge in this Province, Mr. Speaker, is not me or this government, it is the FFAW and all of those groups out there with their own personal self-interests that rise about the interests of the industry and the interests of the Province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Burgeo – La Poile.

MR. A. PARSONS: Mr. Speaker, in January, ExxonMobil started an international search for a company that can handle the $100 million in work on Hebron, upon realizing our Province lacks the capacity.

I ask the Minister of Natural Resources: What is the status of the expression of interest?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Natural Resources.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENNEDY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

One of the commitments of this government was that our non-renewable resources, the benefits that come from them will flow to the people of this Province, both in terms of revenue, Mr. Speaker, and also in terms of jobs and the building capacity in this Province. We have had discussions with ExxonMobil, Mr. Speaker, prior to them going out with the international expression of interest. I met with a company in the last few weeks that has expressed interest in providing – they say they have the capacity to build this module in the Province. I can tell you that we are closely watching the Hebron Benefits Agreement and we will make sure, as best we can, Mr. Speaker, that everything that can be built in this Province will be built in this Province that relates to our offshore.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Burgeo – La Poile.

MR. A. PARSONS: Mr. Speaker, young apprentices are speaking to their challenges finding work. Hebron Public Review Commissioner Miller Ayre expressed concern at the labour shortage with megaprojects on the horizon. In December 2011, the Minister of Advanced Education and Skills said 84 per cent of the recommendations from the 2007 Skills Task Force report have been addressed.

I ask the minister: Can you outline the 16 per cent of recommendations not yet addressed and which of these should resolve the problem?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Advanced Education and Skills.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS BURKE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We had the Skills Task Force a number of years ago and we have implemented over 80 per cent of the recommendations from the Skills Task Force. It is certainly the commitment of government at this time, as we move forward, to work with the labour market demands, which are different now than what they were years ago. We want to take a new approach; we want to make sure we understand the forecast. We understand the skills that are needed and we invest our money directly into a way that we can assist our apprentices.

Mr. Speaker, it is not a process right now of going back in time and reviewing a report from 2005 and what we can do. It is about making sure that we are flexible enough to change and meet the demands of today's labour market and tomorrow's labour market, and do what we can for our apprentices.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Burgeo – La Poile.

MR. A. PARSONS: Mr. Speaker, the Hebron project was announced in the fall of 2008. Three-and-a-half years later, ExxonMobil is looking outside the Province to complete $100 million in work. Despite constant reference to the past eight years in yesterday's speech, it is clear government was not thinking ahead.

I ask the minister: How can government account for this failure to prepare for $100 million in work to be completed in this Province – work desperately needed to move apprentices through their plans of training?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, earlier in Question Period we heard the boast from the Leader of the Opposition that the benefits we get from oil were negotiated under a Liberal Administration, a Liberal Administration that failed to negotiate benefits – all of the benefits that could be extracted from those projects – for the people of the Province.

We made no such mistake, Mr. Speaker. We have every commitment that is possible from oil companies to maximize benefits to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador from their assets. Mr. Speaker, the worst criticism that could be levelled at us is that we have over-negotiated our capacity.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Third Party.

MS MICHAEL: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

I find it very interesting that the Premier today is talking about a review of government departments in order to find savings. That was not in the Speech from the Throne yesterday.

On the one hand, the Premier talks about across-the-board cuts to the tune of 3 per cent, yet at the next moment she is willing to commit this Province to the most expensive project we have ever seen in our history, Mr. Speaker.

I ask the Premier: How does this government reconcile making taxpayers do with less while saddling them with potentially crushing public debt?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: First of all, Mr. Speaker, let me correct the Leader of the Third Party. There are no 3 per cent across-the-board cuts. I would recommend that she listen to what we say on this side of the House before she speaks, Mr. Speaker, because I am more than prepared to defend what it is we say and do on the government side of the House.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Mr. Speaker, it is good fiscal management to understand how much money you have coming in and how much money you have going out. It is also good fiscal management to ensure that your programs are delivering the services that you design them for, Mr. Speaker. As in your household, you should always be reviewing your income coming in and your revenues going out, Mr. Speaker.

So, Mr. Speaker, I make no apologies for good fiscal management. Burdening people with debt, Mr. Speaker – we have reduced the debt by $4 billion.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Third Party.

MS MICHAEL: In order to add to the debt, I would say, Mr. Speaker – in order to add to the debt.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Leader of the Third Party.

MS MICHAEL: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, if we were able to have discussions in this House on the Muskrat Falls Project, perhaps we could have greater debate over the issues that are being brought forward right now.

Last night in the media, the Premier said the House of Assembly is not informed to the degree it needs to be to determine whether or not government will sanction Muskrat Falls.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the Premier to stand and explain to the hon. members, the elected representatives of the people of this Province, why she thinks they are not qualified to debate the biggest project this Province has faced to date.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I am responding to remarks made by the Leader of the Third Party in that information is not available to them – information that is available on the PUB Web site, the government Web site, and the Nalcor Web site. When you do not know how to pull up information on a Web site and press print, you cannot blame somebody for questioning your ability or capacity.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Third Party.

MS MICHAEL: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

I say to the Premier, Mr. Speaker, that if we had a real debate in the House, we could explain what it is that we are looking for that we were not allowed to ask for from the PUB or from anybody else who did studies for Nalcor.

So I ask the Premier: Is she saying she does not believe in real debate with back-and-forth discussion in this House on this issue?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I absolutely believe in debate in this House. I welcome in this House for the first time in the year-and-a-half that this project has been under discussion that we are getting questions from the Leader of the Third Party. She finally has an interest in asking a question after a year-and-a-half. Well done!

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. Leader of the Third Party.

MS MICHAEL: Mr. Speaker, it is unfortunate that the Premier cannot give real answers instead of being defensive with what she throws back at this side of the House.

If she wants real debate, I am asking her, Mr. Speaker: Will she provide the Resource Committee with a mandate to investigate matters of importance to the government and public? Will the Premier direct the Resource Committee to examine and inquire into the proposed Muskrat Falls Project – as is their responsibility of government wanting them to do it – as outlined in Standing Orders 65.(5)?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, this is a project that has been under consideration by Nalcor – formerly Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro – for a number of years. Mr. Speaker, a number of technical studies have been done to inform this project. All of the information has been provided to companies like Navigant for an independent analysis to see if the methodology is correct and if Nalcor's assumptions are correct. Mr. Speaker, as a result of questions posed here in this House, in debate in this House, the questions were referred to the PUB. MHI are experts, world-renowned, who have given their verdict on Muskrat Falls.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Third Party.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS MICHAEL: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the Joint Panel Review on the Lower Churchill Hydroelectric Project, in its second recommendation, called on government to commission an independent review of alternative options, which government seems to be ignoring.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the Premier: Why is she ignoring the recommendations of the only truly independent study of this project to date?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Natural Resources.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENNEDY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

During the last session of the House, we did not get a question from the Leader of the NDP on Muskrat Falls; it is good to see questions coming now.

What I find interesting, Mr. Speaker, is that the late Jack Layton supported the project. Thomas Mulcair, one of the leadership candidates, supports the project. Premier Darrell Dexter supports the project. Jack Harris, former Leader of the provincial NDP, supports the project. The NDP give this aura of being one big happy family, yet they seem to adopt policies when it suits them.

I say to the Leader of the Third Party: Why don't you support the project? Do you accept we need the power? Is Muskrat Falls the least-cost option?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. MITCHELMORE: Mr. Speaker, last week, the Minister of Fisheries froze research funding to the Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union in retaliation of criticism levelled against him by senior union officials. Yesterday's Throne Speech noted the government wants all partners in the industry to work together to find solutions to the industry's problems.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the Premier: Does she condone such aggressive acts by the Minister of Fisheries?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KING: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Indeed, it is a great opportunity to stand today and recognize the member's first question; but, more importantly, it is the first question on the fishery in five years from that party. So I think it is a great day, Mr. Speaker, and it needs to be acknowledged.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KING: Mr. Speaker, for the record, I speak to the member's question. What transpired last week was the FFAW, like many groups in this Province, receive funding from this government for a variety of projects – you have heard the Minister of Finance and the Premier on many occasions, even today, talk about the need to be prudent with our financing and our spending. That is what I have done, Mr. Speaker. I have said I will fund no more projects until they are relevant and focused on our agenda as a government for the Province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. MITCHELMORE: Will the Premier direct the Minister of Fisheries to immediately release the research funding to the FFAW and make a commitment to work and convince other shareholders and stakeholders that they face similar punitive measures by him in the future?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KING: Mr. Speaker, I guess one can only live in hope here that the Premier will move you out of this portfolio, but until she does, I will continue to do my best.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. KING: Mr. Speaker, the member opposite is actually misunderstanding what transpired. What was frozen was future investment and spending. There is no funding from this government that ought to have moved to the FFAW to support projects that has been frozen. This has nothing to do with operational funding; it has to do with projects that the group around the hierarchy of the FFAW and that beautiful new building that they occupy downtown somewhere, it is priorities they identified.

Mr. Speaker, to be clear, the action that I took was in response to their condemnation of the way we are spending money on the fisheries, so it warrants a further review.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. MITCHELMORE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, experience has shown that when communities get involved in the discussion around the economic future of their fisheries, the results are productive. The full participation of the community is key to developing a successful industry that brings maximum benefit to the people who work in it.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the Premier: What she is doing to ensure all stakeholders have full participation in planning the future of the industry?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KING: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I want to acknowledge that the member opposite makes a great point, very reflective of the policy of this government, I might add. We have been saying that for quite some time. The challenge that we have in facilitating discussions is that too many organizations and too many interest groups, like we have seen over the last two months in various communities across this Province, fail to park their agendas at the door. It is very difficult for a government to provide leadership in an environment where people are not prepared to come in and make sacrifices and make changes for the betterment of the industry in the long term.

I say to the member opposite, I agree with your point and we will continue to advocate from that perspective, Mr. Speaker, but we cannot change the industry alone. We have to have the stakeholders involved and the federal government involved.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. MITCHELMORE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I ask the Minister of Fisheries: What is he going to do to engage the public? We have the union, we have industry with ASP, but what are you going to do to involve the communities, the people in partnership so that we can actually have good productive discussion about the fishery and its future?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KING: Mr. Speaker, there could be no greater discussion important to the future of this Province than the fishery. All of us recognize that. That is why during the last election the Premier stood with myself and the Member for Burin – Placentia West in particular, in a very heated debate - a very heated debate - around the future of the fishery. We made commitments, and our biggest commitment was that we are committed to doing what it takes within our scope of responsibility to make positive changes for the future of the industry, Mr. Speaker.

I say to the member opposite, until organizations like the FFAW - who have vested interests in nothing but their own self-serving projects and agendas. Until they are prepared to park that and to work with their members and accept some of the realities on some of the changes that are required, it is very difficult for government to make changes in this industry.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The time allocated for Question Period has expired.

Presenting Reports by Standing and Select Committees.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Mount Pearl South.

MR. LANE: Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Select Committee appointed to draft a reply to the Speech from His Honour, the Lieutenant Governor, I am pleased to present the Report of the Select Committee which reads as follows:

"To His Honour the Lieutenant Governor, the Honourable John C. Crosbie, PC, OC, O.N.L.

May it please Your Honour: We, the Commons of Newfoundland and Labrador in Legislative Session assembled, beg to thank Your Honour for the Gracious Speech which Your Honour has addressed to this House.

MR. SPEAKER: When shall the report be received?

Now?

MR. KENNEDY: Now, Mr. Speaker.

On motion, report received.

MR. KENNEDY: I move, seconded by the Minister of Fisheries, that the debate be deferred.

MR. SPEAKER: Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

All those in favour, ‘aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.

MR. SPEAKER: All those against, ‘nay'.

Carried.

Motion carried.

MR. SPEAKER: Tabling of Documents.

MR. SPEAKER: In accordance with section 273(3) of the Elections Act, 1991, I hereby table the Chief Electoral Officer's report on the election finances for the calendar year 2010.

Are there any further reports?

Notices of Motion.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Natural Resources.

MR. KENNEDY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I give notice that I will ask leave to move the following.

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Assembly as follows:

WHEREAS section 7 of the House of Assembly Accountability, Integrity and Administration Act provides that the Sergeant-at-Arms of the House of Assembly is to be appointed by the Lieutenant-Governor in Council on a nomination by the House of Assembly;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that William J. Brown be nominated for appointment as the Sergeant-at-Arms of the House of Assembly.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Further notices of motion?

The hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. MARSHALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that I will ask leave to introduce a bill entitled, An Act To Amend The Revenue Administration Act. (Bill 5)

MR. SPEAKER: Further notices of motion?

The hon. the Minister of Service Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. DAVIS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I give notice that I will ask leave to introduce a bill entitled, An Act To Amend The Consumer Protection And Business Practices Act. (Bill 6)

MR. SPEAKER: Further notices of motion?

The hon. the Minister of Justice and Attorney General.

MR. F. COLLINS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that I will ask leave to introduce a bill entitled, An Act To Amend The Provincial Court Act, 1991, Bill 7, and I give further notice that I will ask leave to introduce a bill entitled, An Act To Amend The Family Violence Protection Act, Bill 8.

MR. SPEAKER: Further notices of motion?

The hon. the Member for Burgeo – La Poile.

MR. A. PARSONS: Mr. Speaker, I give notice that the following private member's resolution be debated at a later date, of the fixed House schedule.

WHEREAS the House of Assembly is the cornerstone of responsible government in Newfoundland and Labrador; and

WHEREAS the effective and proper functioning of the House of Assembly is essential to good government, effective legislative process and an open and democratic society;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that this House of Assembly calls upon government to provide for a fixed House of Assembly sitting schedule by introducing amendments to the House of Assembly Act as follows: Section 3 of the House of Assembly Act is amended by adding immediately after subsection (2) the following: (3) In 2012 and every following year, except years in which there is a general election under subsection (2), there shall be a sitting of the House of Assembly (a) commencing on the second Monday in March and adjourning on the Wednesday before Easter Sunday; and (b) commencing on the third Monday after Easter Sunday and adjourning on the Thursday before the Victoria Day holiday; and (c) commencing on the third Monday in October and adjourning not later than one week before Christmas Day.

Subsection (4): In years in which there is a general election under subsection (2), there shall be a sitting of the House of Assembly (a) commencing on the second Monday in March and adjourning on the Wednesday before Easter Sunday; and (b) commencing on the third Monday after Easter Sunday and adjourning on the Thursday before the Victoria Day holiday; and (c) commencing no later than thirty days after the general election day and adjourning not later than one week before Christmas Day.

Subsection (5): Nothing in subsection (3) prohibits the House of Assembly from sitting at times other than those referred to in that subsection.

Subsection (6): Where the Lieutenant-Governor in Council intends to adjourn the House of Assembly earlier than the sitting dates referred to in subsection (3) or to cancel a sitting referred to in subsection (3), the Government House Leader shall (a) table a report in the House of Assembly stating the reasons for the early adjournments or cancellation; and (b) on the first day of the next sitting of the House of Assembly give notice of a motion to debate the report referred to in paragraph (a) and this motion shall have precedence over all other substantive motions on the Order Paper.

Seconded by the Member for the Bay of Islands.

MR. SPEAKER: Further notices of motion?

Answers to Questions for which Notice has been Given.

Petitions.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Burgeo – La Poile.

MR. A. PARSONS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Certainly, I am honoured to rise here today in this House and present a petition of a very important nature to the people of my district. It certainly is an issue that I heard before the election, during the election, and I have certainly heard it after the election.

Your Honour, I have a petition to the hon. House of Assembly to the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador:

WHEREAS hundreds of residents on the Southwest Coast of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, including residents of the communities of Margaree, Fox Roost, Isle aux Morts, Burnt Islands, Rose Blanche-Harbour Le Cou, Diamond Cove, and La Poile, use Route 470 on a regular basis for work, medical, educational, and social reasons; and

WHEREAS there is no cell phone coverage on Route 470; and

WHEREAS residents and users of Route 470 require cell phone coverage to ensure their safety and communication abilities; and

WHEREAS the Department of Innovation, Business and Rural Development recently announced significant funding to improve broadband services in rural Newfoundland and Labrador; and

WHEREAS the residents and users of Route 470 feel the Department of Innovation, Business and Rural Development should also invest in cellular phone coverage for rural Newfoundland and Labrador;

WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the House of Assembly to urge government to support the users of Route 470 in their request to obtain cellular phone coverage along Route 470.

As in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Again, I am being urged to say a few more words if I have some time. I heard the Government House Leader mention that this is private business; however, if you look at the Government of British Columbia, they have recently invested in this in partnership in private entities. In TELUS they have invested $100 million to cover 1,700 kilometres along remote areas of that province.

This is something that can be done. Certainly, it affects all members of this House, no matter their political stripe or colour. Obviously it would be of great benefit to this Province and especially to the citizens who live in the rural areas of this Province.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Further petitions?

Orders of the Day.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board.

MR. MARSHALL: Mr. Speaker, I wish to inform the House that I have received a Message from His Honour the Lieutenant Governor.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

All rise.

The letter states:

As Lieutenant Governor of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, I transmit a request to appropriate sums required for the Public Service of the Province for the year ending 31 March 2013, by way of Interim Supply, and in accordance with the provisions of sections 54 and 90 of the Constitution Act, 1867, I recommend this request to the House of Assembly.

Sgd.: _____________________

John C. Crosbie,

Lieutenant-Governor

Please be seated.

The hon. Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board.

MR. MARSHALL: Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the Minister of Transportation and Works, that the message, together with a bill, be referred to a Committee of Supply.

MR. SPEAKER: The motion is that the message, together with a bill, be referred to a Committee of Supply and that I do now leave the Chair.

Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

All those in favour, ‘aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.

MR. SPEAKER: Contra-minded?

Carried.

On motion, that the House resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole on Supply, Mr. Speaker left the Chair.

CHAIR (Verge): Order, please!

We are considering the related resolution.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

CHAIR: Order, please!

I ask members for their co-operation, please; we are about to start debating this bill.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

CHAIR: Order, please!

We will start the debate as soon as I have everybody's co-operation.

We are considering the related resolution and Bill 2, An Act For Granting Her Majesty Certain Sums Of Money For Defraying Certain Expenses Of The Public Service For The Financial Year Ending March 31, 2013 And For Other Purposes Relating To The Public Service.

"That it is expedient to introduce a measure to provide to the granting to Her Majesty for defraying certain expenses of the Public Service for the financial year ending March 31, 2013 the sum of $2,738,246,500."

CHAIR: Shall the resolution carry?

The hon. the Minister of Finance.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. MARSHALL: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Before I get into my remarks, which are incumbent upon me to perform as the Finance Minister in introducing Interim Supply, let me first of all congratulate you, Mr. Chairman, in your election to this new position.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. MARSHALL: You have certainly distinguished yourself since becoming a member of this House, and I am sure you will distinguish yourself once again in this very important position.

I would like, while I have the opportunity, to congratulate the hon. Speaker for his election as Speaker. The Speaker, of course, has distinguished himself for many years as a Member of the House of Assembly, as a member of the Cabinet as Minister of Business and the Minister of Health and Community Services. I know that yesterday, his first day as Speaker, was a proud moment for him and the members of his family, including his wife, Sandra, who I saw sitting in the Speaker's gallery yesterday.

I also, of course, want to congratulate the Premier. I think I did this last year at this time. She had taken over as leader of our party, therefore as the new Premier, but now I congratulate her on her first election and being selected as Premier by the vast majority of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. MARSHALL: It seems quite common for people to add to those remarks that she is the first female Premier; but, it is not because she is a female that she was elected by the people, it is because they recognized – the vast majority of the people – her outstanding leadership ability and what she will bring to enhance future development and growth for the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador and all people in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Mr. Chair, I congratulate the Member for Mount Pearl South for moving the Address in Reply, and the Member for Lake Melville for seconding it. They both gave excellent addresses, if I may say so. I also have to say that I think the style of the new Member for Lake Melville is noticeably different from the style of the former Member for Lake Melville.

I want to also take this opportunity to congratulate all new members who have been elected to this historic institution. I am a person who believes that politics is a noble calling. I am sure that all members who have been elected have come here with the intention of servicing the needs of the people who elected them, and indeed the hopes and dreams and aspirations of all the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. You are all here with the intention to leave this Province a better place than when you first came, and I wish you all the best of luck in your careers; having said that, I can now talk again about this particular Supply Bill.

For those new members and people watching on television, the one basic principle of our parliamentary democracy is that money cannot be spent by the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador until that money is approved and appropriated by the elected members of this House. There are a lot of historical reasons for that, that I will not bore you with today, but the House of Assembly has a pamphlet it puts out about the Budget process, Interim Supply, the whole idea of supply and how it came about, because the King who spent the money used to demand the money and the House, the Parliament of the day resisted that demand. The system evolved where the Crown will recommend the money. That was the message, and we got this message from the Lieutenant-Governor, which the Speaker read. That is the message recommending we spend this money, but before the money can be spent the House of Assembly, the elected representatives of the people, have to give the okay.

The bill is very simple; it is called the Interim Supply Act of 2012. It says, and I will abbreviate here, from the Consolidated Revenue Fund there shall be issued by the Finance Minister, sums and (inaudible) it is $2,738,246,500. It is quite a lot of money, so I am going to use $2.7 billion for future reference. It is such a massive amount it is hard to think of in terms for the ordinary person, so I find it helpful to imagine we have 2,738 boxes, each with $1 million in it. I think that is a good way to try to appreciate the volume we are talking about here. It is asking that this $2.7 billion shall be paid and applied to the individual or by the individual heads of expenditure in respect to the coming financial year, which is 2012-2013, towards defraying the charges and expenses of public service of Newfoundland and Labrador as set out in the schedule.

If we go to the schedule, the schedule outlines the $2.7 billion and it gives the headings where the money is going. The Consolidated Fund Services is getting about $1.3 million, that is the smallest, and it goes right up to Health and Community Services. Of the big three, if I can call them that in the schedule, Health and Community Services is $962 million, and Education, which this year is divided into two parts, there is Advanced Education and there is Education, they total $624 million. Number one, Health, $962 million; number two, Education, $624 million; and $466 million Transportation and Works, which is usually number three.

Mr. Chair, the Interim Supply Bill is required to be passed by this House during this spring session in order to allow for routine and ongoing operations during the period while we are debating Budget 2012; while the Budget and the main Supply bill are being introduced and being debated and approved by the Legislature. When we bring in the Budget and the related Supply bill we are going to be seeking approval for funding to spend for the entire fiscal year. It obviously takes time for the debate and approval of the Budget.

There are seventy-five hours allocated to the Budget Debate, the Supply debate and the consideration of Estimates which we will do in Committee and that we will do here in the House. Until that takes place, the government needs the money to conduct its day-to-day operations. During this period government will require funding to pay its bills, and that is the purpose of this Interim Supply Bill. The Interim Supply Bill and the main Supply bill are the two things that happen every year in this House.

We are seeking today Interim Supply for $2.7 billion, and that is about 35 per cent of this year – when I say this year, I mean the year 2011-2012. It is 35 per cent of 2011-2012s budgeted Current and Capital Account Gross Expenditures. This will provide departments and this will provide public bodies with sufficient cash flow dollars to manage expenditures for a three-month period from April 1, 2012 to June 30, 2012, which of course is the first quarter of the fiscal year. Mr. Chairman, in some accounts more than one-quarter of the budget is required for those items which will need to be expended early in the year as well as to provide for the calling and awarding of tenders and the encumbering of funds.

Mr. Chair, this year you will note that there has been an increase of $68.6 million, which is 2.6 per cent to Interim Supply is being requested for 2012-2013 compared to the year 2011-2012. This is a modest increase and includes provision for increased infrastructure spending, annualization of the 2011-2012 Budget decisions, and other program growth.

Interim Supply is basically intended to provide for the continuation of ongoing government programs and projects. Included in the 2012 Interim Supply Bill are ongoing housekeeping expenditures, including funding for seven pay periods and ongoing project and funding requirements applicable to the 2012-2013 fiscal year.

I am advised by the Comptroller General, Mr. Chair, the legislation will need to be passed and to receive Royal Assent by March 23, 2012 in order to allow sufficient time to meet payroll, income support, and other expenditures, and assure that these cheques can reach their destinations in rural parts of the Province, rural parts of Labrador, effective April 1, 2012.

Mr. Chair, this is the first part, a very small part – maybe it is considered housekeeping – of the Budget process. We will deal with the Budget process later on when we will deal with the Budget and the related main supply bill. As a lead-up to that, it has been traditional in this Province – I think it was started by the hon. Paul Dicks when he was Finance Minister – that the Finance Minister would travel around the Province and talk to people in their home communities and their home districts about what they felt should be in the Budget. I have followed that practice during the five years that I have been the Finance Minister.

One of the things I notice is that we sometimes get people in the media who criticize that practice. They say it is a waste of time. I have to say I find that when I go to these communities and I ask the question – is this a waste of time, especially in this modern age of e-mails, Twitter, Facebook, and what have you – I have not had one person say to me that it was a waste of time. The people in the communities appreciate it. They like the fact that members of government, not just their member, will come to the community and listen to what they have to say about their communities and about their districts. I think the whole process is very worthwhile.

Of course, there is not enough time to go everywhere, as much as I might like to. We seem to go to the same communities and maybe there is a lack of appreciation in the communities you go to every year than the degree of appreciation we get when we go to a new community that we have not been to before. I think of going to places like down in Bay d'Espoir, down in St. Alban's, with the hon. member from that district. I am thinking of Carbonear and I am thinking of St. Anthony and Springdale. Springdale was extremely interesting. There was a different point of view expressed in the community of Springdale than I heard anywhere else.

Last year, we went to Hawke's Bay. I know that the hon. Member for St. Barbe wrote to me and asked if we could go there again, but traditionally, we have gone to St. Anthony. Last year we went to Hawke's Bay, so this year we went back to St. Anthony, but I am certainly prepared, if I am in that role, to take your advice and go back to Hawke's Bay this year. I remember Hawke's Bay very well, because that is where I heard, very eloquently put, the plea for broadband. I was pleased that there was an announcement of additional broadband. I was disappointed that Bird Cove –

AN HON. MEMBER: How many opposition (inaudible)?

MR. MARSHALL: How many opposition members –

I was in St. Anthony. I have been in many districts throughout the length and breadth of Newfoundland. I have done this five times, and I am happy to do it, and I am glad to have gone to all these districts and talked to the people who have had an opportunity to come here.

Mr. Chair, the financial situation of the government this year is very strong. When I say this year, I am talking about the year 2011-2012. At the start of the year, when we do the Budget – and the Budget, of course, is a forecast of what our future revenues might be, and what our future expenses are going to be, and what we think the debt is going to be at the end of the year; of course, it is a projection. Now, many of the things we are projecting are pretty much the same every year, but the biggest item that affects our Budget is the royalties – and this year we are expecting about $2.8 billion in royalties from the oilfields.

The revenues we get are based on the price of oil, based on the volume of oil that comes out of the ground, and based on the US dollar exchange rate, none of which we can control – none of which we can control. So, in terms of price, we have to rely on expertise, and we rely on corporations to provide us with advice. We also look at the private forecasts which are public, and we rely on a company in particular down in the United States for their advice on what future oil prices are going to be.

We with respect to production, we rely on the C-NLOPB, the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board. They meet with the oil companies; they are the regulator for the offshore, and they tell us what production is going to be. What happened this year was that they gave us a number at Budget time, and shortly thereafter they advised us the number had changed dramatically. So, I asked them to come into my office and explain to me how the projected, anticipated production could change by nineteen million barrels. They came in; I have to thank Mr. Max Ruelokke for coming in. He brought with him his vice-chair. He brought also a number of petroleum geophysicists and geologists. They explained to me how, of course, it can happen. The fact that the oil is under the ground and nobody sees it, the fact that they operate in very severe conditions, and that the numbers can change very abruptly. It might be helpful for Members of this House of Assembly; it might be helpful for the media –

CHAIR: Order, please!

I remind the Minister of Finance his time for speaking has now elapsed.

MR. MARSHALL: By leave, Mr. Chair, I will wrap up.

CHAIR: Does the minister have leave?

AN HON. MEMBER: By leave.

CHAIR: By leave.

MR. MARSHALL: Thank you, Mr. Chair.

They explained to us and showed us how in our offshore you can go and have an extra 90 million barrels of oil very quickly. It would be helpful, as I said, for members of the media and for members of the Opposition to go to the C-NLOPB and see that presentation and then can understand how volatile the revenue numbers can be based on production and, of course, how difficult that makes budgeting in this Province.

I want to assure the Members of this House of Assembly and I want to assure the people of Newfoundland and Labrador that we do not lowball the numbers. The price we get from our advisors, the production numbers we get from the C-NLOPB, and the exchange rate of the dollar – which we do not control, we rely on the Canadian government's estimate of where the exchange rate will be. With that, it is very difficult to budget those numbers, but we certainly do the best we can. Somebody said the other day that I did not hit my numbers. Of course, I did not hit them, I exceeded them, and that is to the benefit of the people of this Province.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

CHAIR: Order, please!

The Chair recognizes the Member for Cartwright – L'Anse au Clair.

MS JONES: Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.

Certainly, I listened very attentively to the minister in the presentation of his bill today. I listened very closely when he talked about his consultations.

One thing I will agree with the minister on there is that I agree it is not a waste of time. Any time that the government can go out and listen to what people in this Province have to say is a good thing. The real key here is acting on what people are recommending, acting on what the wishes, the hopes, the desires, the asks, and the requests are of communities right across the Province. As long as you go with the intent of listening and acting on what the needs are of people in the Province, it is never a waste of time.

Mr. Chair, I would like to invite the minister, actually, to do a consultation on the Budget in my district, in the District of Cartwright – L'Anse au Clair. I have invited him several times to come to Cartwright – L'Anse au Clair to listen to people in that particular area. I actually thought it was going to happen this year and, I think, was squeezed out at the last moment. Certainly, I hope, even if it is after the Budget, he will take the time and the opportunity to come to the district and to hear the concerns and the issues that people there have to express to government.

Mr. Chair, in the absence of that, I am always all too willing to stand in my place in the House of Assembly and to talk about some of the needs in my particular district, what needs to be done, and issues that government needs to address, not only in my district but throughout Labrador and throughout the Province in many cases.

It was only in the last two weeks, in particular, that I did an actual trip through a number of communities in Labrador, starting in Happy Valley-Goose Bay where I spent well over a week meeting with a number of groups and organizations in that particular community and listening to their feedback and what they had to say. In addition, I participated in the Combined Councils of Labrador, which this year I think out of the thirty-one communities in Labrador there was twenty-seven or twenty-eight of the communities that were actually represented at the table for the full time and the full period of discussion.

Mr. Chair, also while in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, I had the opportunity to speak to the chamber of commerce luncheon and talked about a number of initiatives that need to be looked at in Labrador – new, innovative ideas that I placed on their table for further consideration and for them to act on as Labradorians. These are things that the government are not doing. These are things that are providing for a new vision and new opportunities right throughout Labrador. I will certainly be getting into that in other speeches that I will make today or in the days to come.

Also, Mr. Chair, we went to Labrador West. I can tell you what a boom in Labrador West; it was absolutely amazing. While I have never lived in Labrador West, unlike Goose Bay where I lived for quite some time, in Labrador West I have visited there off and on throughout the years probably most of my life and at least two and three times a year in recent years. Just going into the community, you can really feel the difference, the transition that is taking place there, and the boom that is happening. That boom is really happening around one industry, and that is the mining industry.

The minister, just a few minutes ago, talked about the volatility of the oil industry. Of course, the mining industry is just a volatile in many regards, but I do not think we can ignore the fact that mining will become one of the key contributors to the GDP of the Province over the next ten, twenty, and I would even forecast the next thirty years, when you look at where the demand for mineral is around the world today and what the prices are.

The catalyst for that mining development is really rooted in the heartland of Labrador West. That extends throughout all the rest of Labrador, in every region today, from the Northern region of Labrador to the Southern region, to the Lake Melville area where we are hearing all kinds of talks of new mining. Right now, today, I think there is something like eight new companies that are on the horizon that are either in the stages of obtaining their environmental permitting, moved into the development stage, or are still negotiating Impacts and Benefits Agreement with the Aboriginal communities. Some of the companies are still even in the exploration phases. Although they have now become listed as part of the stock exchange, they are still very much into exploration phases.

You take all of these mines, and they are just not all around iron ore. Some of these mines are really around uranium, around nickel, and also around what we call rare earths, which is the newest commodity that I have learned about recently; maybe everyone else knows a lot more about it, but when there was a rare earths find, a mineral find in my district back a couple of years ago, I did not really know what it was. I went out to start looking and figuring out what it was, and came to learn that this is really the mineral of the future. It is the mineral that is used in all of our television screens, used in the screen of our BlackBerry; it is really the thing that is contributing to the development of new technology. It is going to be in huge demand for many, many years to come after this. There is absolutely no doubt.

I am very pleased, Mr. Chair, with what has been happening in the mining industry throughout Labrador, but the mining industry has a tremendous amount of needs as well. You cannot have big, industrial growth and big industry if you do not provide the infrastructure for that industry. That was really what my talk was about in Labrador West when I was there. I think that Labrador is very evident of where the greatest need is today in this Province: one for electricity; two for transportation; and three for technology.

If there are three areas that the government desperately needs to invest in, in Labrador to support the industrial climate that is occurring there, it is in those three sectors starting with energy first, starting with transportation, and starting with technology.

In order for the mining industry to grow and develop, and for all of the other companies to be able to supplement off that, they need to have that particular infrastructure in order for it to happen.

So, when I hear the government talk about Muskrat Falls and talk about selling power to Emera, it really blows me away – it does, because the real customer of Muskrat Falls power today should be the mining industry in Labrador. That should be the real customer. They have mining operations today that will sustain this Province for the next 100 years. We are not talking short-term. We are not talking about a ten-year mining operation or a twenty-year mining operation; we are talking, in some cases, 100 years of mining. We are talking about mines today that are being developed in Labrador that are bigger than IOC. For those of you who know how big IOC is, reaching 25 million tons of ore being extracted in the next year, and growing to 50 million ton of ore – and when I say there are mines bigger than that, that is huge. That is huge.

Mr. Chair, the number one customer for Muskrat Falls power, in my mind, should be the mining industry in Labrador. Mr. Chair, if there is any development that is going to occur at Muskrat Falls, that should be the number one priority of the government – not Emera Energy, not a transmission line across the Gulf of St. Lawrence, not transmission capacity through maritime Canada, and definitely not exporting power to the cottage industry of the Eastern seaboard of the United States.

So, minister, what I would say to you today, is that if you are prepared to develop Muskrat Falls to ensure that the industry and the people of Labrador become the first interconnected people and the first customers of Muskrat Falls power, then I would have to seriously, seriously, seriously rethink my stand and support that initiative. That would be the catalyst for me. Can I support power going to Nova Scotia today – absolutely not. I cannot do it, even if it is going to be at no cost for transmission for us for the first twenty-five or thirty-five years. I cannot support it because it is going to build industry somewhere else and leave out the very people who deserve to have it first – and that is the people of Labrador.

Secondly, Mr. Chair, I agree that if Muskrat Falls power is going to be used anywhere else, it should be to look after our own needs; but Mr. Chair, that is not the direction the government is taking. The direction that the government is taking, Mr. Chair, is saying we are going to bring power to the Island because it is the lowest cost alternative, which we are still trying to get them to prove to us. In addition to that, we are going to give 20 per cent of the power to Emera Energy. In addition to that, Mr. Chair, we are going to export the rest, we are going to sell it on the spot market for the best price that we can get. When the question was asked of the government: Are you going to use your revenues that you are going to make in the spot market to reinvest it back to supplement the power, the ratepayer in Newfoundland and Labrador, the government said no, we are not going to do that. We are not going to make a commitment to do that because that is going to be up to the governments of the future what they want to do, so we are not going to make that commitment today. Mr. Chair, what I am asking of the government, what I am pleading of the government to do is to please look in our own backyard first, and our own backyard needs power today. Labrador needs power today.

I heard the Minister of Labrador Affairs sit at a panel a couple of days ago - last week in Happy Valley-Goose Bay. I want to challenge the minister on this because when he gets up today I would like for him to explain it to me. He said to that panel at the Combined Councils of Labrador, 40 per cent of this power is earmarked for Labrador, Muskrat Falls power. I said to myself, well maybe there is a document I did not read somewhere. Maybe there is something the minister did not tell me. Maybe there is something Ed Martin did not tell me because nobody has ever said 40 per cent of that power is earmarked for Labrador, other than the Minister of Labrador Affairs.

Mr. Chair, that being the case, how is that power supposed to get to the customers in Labrador? We have no transmission capacity to transport that power, none, zilch. Every single bit of capacity that we have available to us is being used. Today, there are mining companies - and the minister knows this. I know he is new in the portfolio but I know he is doing his work; he just met with a lot of mining companies in the last few days. He knows these mining companies are today looking to Quebec to buy power to supplement their Labrador-based operations. That should never be. The first transmission line that we should ever build out of Muskrat Falls, I say to you, Minister, should be to the industrial customers in Labrador. To date, there is not even an environmental assessment tabled on that.

MR. KENNEDY: Muskrat to Churchill (inaudible).

MS JONES: Muskrat to Churchill, oh yes, because you have to tie it back, but there is no transmission line being built, no second line going into Western Labrador. There is no second line going into Happy Valley-Goose Bay to be able to offload power to industrial customers. There is still no firm negotiation with Vale Inco to bring power to Northern Labrador if they go underground mining.

MR. KENNEDY: (Inaudible).

MS JONES: Mr. Chairman, I know the minister is meeting with all the companies. What I am saying is there is no commitment. There is no commitment from the government to bring industrial power to the mining companies in Labrador. There is no commitment to build a transmission line to connect to those particular companies, and, Mr. Chairman, there is no negotiated price on industrial power to be left in Labrador. Mr. Chairman, there is not one power purchase agreement signed to date between the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador or Nalco Energy and a mining company in Labrador.

The sediment and the saying that 40 per cent of the power is there for industry in Labrador is all fluff, I say to the government. It is all fluff, because in the absence of a transmission line to get it where it needs to go, it is useless, absolutely useless, Mr. Chairman. It is of no value, Mr. Chairman. It is like puffing into the wind, I say, that is what it is. It makes absolutely no difference that you go out and say that if you do not have the infrastructure there to deliver it; if you do not have the agreement with the mining companies to sell it to them; if you do not have the rates set for industry and you do not plan for it.

I say to the government opposite, do the right thing and burn the agreement with Emera Energy. We do not need it; we do not need any deals with Emera Energy. We do not need to be giving power to Nova Scotia. We do not need to be lighting up every single cottage the Americans own on the US Seaboard, Mr. Chairman, the Eastern Seaboard. We need to use the power at home, and that is the recommendation that I would make to the government today.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

CHAIR: The Chair recognizes the Member for Mount Pearl North.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENT: Thank you, Mr. Chair, and good afternoon.

I must say, it is great to be back on the government side of the House after spending several years across the House -

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENT: - exactly where my hon. colleague opposite now sits. It is good to be back on this side physically and it is great to be part of this government team.

Mr. Chair, I want to join the Minister of Finance in congratulating you on your new role. I certainly think you are well dressed, and I look forward to working with you in this new capacity that I hold, as well, and I congratulate the Speaker on his election, also.

Most importantly, I want to thank the people of Mount Pearl North for re-electing me this past October to serve as their representative in this hon. House. I want to thank them for the strong mandate they have given to me to continue to represent them, to advocate on their behalf, and to ensure that their concerns are represented within this House and within our government.

I want to congratulate all my colleagues who were re-elected in October, and I want to welcome and congratulate all those who were elected for the first time in the October general election. I certainly want to congratulate my colleague in Mount Pearl South on his election to the House, and on speaking for the first time yesterday. I am sure he will be on his feet frequently in the weeks ahead.

Mr. Chair, I certainly want to extend my congratulations and thanks to our entire team, especially our leader, our Premier. In this election, we were able to secure a third term for this government, with thirty-seven seats – even more seats than the party won when it first formed government in 2003, which I think is a tremendous accomplishment. It speaks to the strength of our leader, the strength of our party, and the great work we are doing here in Newfoundland and Labrador. I think it was a real vote of confidence in our leader and our party. People know the great work that we have done over the last eight years. They know we are listening; they know this is a responsive, accountable government. They know we have made real progress in social development and economic development in this Province. They know we have incredible energy. They know we have new ideas to make this Province even better and healthier and stronger than it has ever been before.

While we are here in this House in the weeks ahead, Mr. Chair, we are going to outline the kinds of things that are going to continue to drive this Province forward. We are certainly going to focus on the delivery of services to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, as we heard in yesterday's Throne Speech. We are certainly going to give Newfoundlanders and Labradorians the added support they need to pursue career opportunities, and we are certainly going to create the kinds of conditions that allow our businesses and communities to continue to grow and prosper here in Newfoundland and Labrador.

This team, led by our Premier, has a vision for this place. We have a passion for the people of this great Province, we have a plan for the future, and we have the right leadership to drive Newfoundland and Labrador forward.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENT: Now, Mr. Chair, I was going to speak a little bit more about the Interim Supply bill. Before I get into that, if time permits, I want to speak to some of the comments made by the Opposition House Leader in the last number of minutes. I am sure the minister will have ample opportunity to speak to specific issues that she raised, but I want to talk about Muskrat Falls for just a moment. I want to emphasize the tremendous benefits that the Muskrat Falls plan will bring to the people of Labrador.

We have had an energy plan that has guided our work for the last number of years. The energy plan is extremely clear, that Labradorians will be the primary beneficiaries of the Lower Churchill Project. In fact, Mr. Chair, more than 75 per cent – 75 per cent – of the work at the Muskrat Falls generation facility, the work in constructing that facility, will take place in Labrador, including construction of the dam, the powerhouse and transmission lines.

An estimated $450 million in income will be earned solely by Labradorians and Labrador-based businesses with an average of 1,150 people per year employed in Labrador for both the generation and the transmission components of the project. The first consideration for employment with this project is going to be provided to the Labrador Innu as outlined in the New Dawn Agreement and then it will also benefit all Labradorians.

Mr. Chair, it is very clear that this is an important issue. We are going to have ample time in this House to talk about Muskrat Falls and its impact on this Province, and in particular, the benefits that will be derived to Labrador as a result.

I would like to speak in the time I have left to Interim Supply specifically. As indicated previously by the minister, this bill is necessary to ensure that we have the resources we need to operate the day-to-day functions of government without interruption until the Budget for 2012 is introduced, debated and passed in this House of Assembly. Seeking approval for funding in this manner is a routine act for all governments. With a strong Budget such as ours, I am sure we will not have trouble passing it in this House, but in light of the processes and rules as per our Legislature, we certainly have to go through the Interim Supply process. I look forward to participating in that debate as it is ongoing.

We are seeking approval of $2.7 billion for Interim Supply, and this is only a fraction of the revenue we need to operate in the upcoming fiscal year. It is about 35 per cent, actually, of the current and capital account expenditures.

Departments require a set amount of cash flow just to continue to operate without hesitation and the period we are talking about today runs from April 1 to the end of June 2012. There is a modest increase this year and this allows for infrastructure spending, annualization of 2011-2012 Budget decisions, salary increases, and other program growth. We certainly do not want to see any services or programs interrupted or stopped that are so essential to the people of this Province. There are also seven pay periods included in that time period, Mr. Chair. It is important, obviously, that our employees continue to receive their incomes as they work tirelessly to serve the residents of Newfoundland and Labrador.

In order to meet payroll commitments, income support, other expenditures, we do need to pass this Interim Supply bill. It does need to receive Royal Assent by later this month – March 23, I believe.

While it may sound like housekeeping, it is important to note it is necessary to allow our government to maintain efficiency and productivity. I trust we are all in agreement in that regard.

When I look at the economic highlights of the past year, I am reassured that the Interim Supply request will be supported and honoured by the capable people in our Finance department and by our minister.

It is interesting to note that 2011-2012 will mark the sixth out of the past seven years that we have had a surplus in Newfoundland and Labrador. This shows that we have been living within our means. Since 2004, our debt has decreased by more than 30 per cent, from just under $12 billion to just under $8 billion. Net debt, as a percentage of GDP, and has dropped from a high of 70.2 per cent to 26.7 per cent, which is phenomenal. In terms of net debt per capita, it is improved from $23,000 in 2004-2005 to approximately $15,000. We no longer have the highest net debt per capita in Canada. In fact, we are now ahead of Ontario and Quebec.

When I look at debt servicing expenses, almost twenty-five cents of every dollar received went to servicing the debt back in 2003-2004, the year when this government took office. That has dropped to ten cents for every dollar received today, which again is an incredible accomplishment.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENT: Standard & Poor's has given the Province the highest credit rating in its history at A+. This reflects very favourably for any future borrowing requirements. At the time of the upgrade they said the Province "has a strong liquidity position, reflecting its past operating surpluses and prudent spending practices".

The economy in this Province remains remarkably strong, and that is largely due to good decision making that has been made by this government over the last eight years. When I look back at economic performance in this Province, over the past year alone we have seen real GDP growth of about 5.2 per cent; capital investment grew by 17.7 per cent; personal incomes in Newfoundland and Labrador increased by 6 per cent; employment increased by 2.7 per cent, recouping all the losses experienced during the 2009 recession. This rate of employment growth was almost twice the national rate of growth and the second best among provinces in this country, Mr. Chair, behind only Alberta. This marks the shortest recovery in employment from a recession since at least the 1970s.

More people are working in Newfoundland and Labrador right now than at any other point in our Province's history. In the past year, retail sales grew by 4.9 per cent. The number of housing starts remains strong with close to 3,500 housing starts in 2011, and our population increased, once again, over the past year, as well. So, it has been a great year. Mr. Chair, 2012 looks to be another great year –

CHAIR: Order, please!

I remind the member his time for speaking has elapsed.

MR. KENT: Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I will conclude on that note, and I look forward to talking about –

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible).

MR. KENT: Pardon me?

CHAIR: Excuse me; I remind the member the time for his speaking has elapsed.

MR. KENT: Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I am sorry about the interruptions coming from across the House. I will conclude on that note, and I look forward to having another opportunity to speak to Interim Supply and what is ahead for 2012.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

CHAIR: The Chair recognizes the Member for Signal Hill – Quidi Vidi.

MS MICHAEL: Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

I am pleased to have an opportunity to continue some of the thoughts I started yesterday in my response to the Speech from the Throne. With this Interim Supply bill – which, as had been pointed out to us, it is absolutely necessary that we pass so that government will continue to function and that the services of government will continue to be delivered until the Budget is approved – it gives us the opportunity to be able to speak to many issues that relate to Budget. Obviously, there is nothing that does not relate to Budget. So, whether it is the delivery of services, whether it is the administration of government, no matter what it is, whether it is our being here in this House, it all takes money, and for just a short period of time we will be spending in the Province $2.7 billion, as has been pointed out.

What I want to talk about, in particular, and why I am very happy to have to the opportunity this afternoon to do it, is the point that was raised in the Speech from the Throne. The government named three focuses or foci that they wanted to concentrate on. The first one that they talked about was refocusing government's approach to the delivery of services to people. Now, when I heard that yesterday in the Speech from the Throne, I have to say that red flags went up for me because I had to ask the question: What does this mean, refocusing government's approach to the delivery of services to people? It can mean many things, and there is nothing in the Speech from the Throne to really tell us what it means. Today, and in the media last night, we have heard the Premier make some references to the delivery of services and make reference to the need to look at certain departments in government to see if they can save money. The departments which will be approached – and we do not know who they are – will be asked to look for a 3 per cent decrease in their expenditures.

Now, the Premier did say today in the House – and we all heard her – that there will be some protection. It is not across the board, even though in the media last night she did say it was across the board. She made clarifications today and said there will be some things protected: Health will be protected and education will be protected. She named a number of areas. What she did not point out is: Why is this review necessary? Is there some indication from somebody that there are places where there are expenditures going on that should not be happening?

Now, we do recognize as a party that, for sure, there probably are areas where you can always find efficiencies. As a matter of fact, in the fiscal plan that accompanied our platform during the general election – and of course we will be standing on for the next four years – we identified looking for a 1 per cent amount of the Budget that could be found by just doing efficiencies in government. So we do recognize that you can do efficiencies and save money to use in other ways.

I am hoping what the Premier is talking about, number one, is finding money that can be used in other ways. I would like to know the reason why 3 per cent, Mr. Chair, was chosen by the government as the amount of money that seemed logical to them. What was it that indicated, first of all, the departments and, secondly, the amount of money? Maybe, as we continue this debate, the Finance Minister will be able to give us an idea of how they came up with the 3 per cent and where it is, in particular, they plan on looking for that; since the Premier has indicated some things are being protected, but she did not say where the money was going to be looked for.

The other thing that really concerns me is that today the Premier made reference to attrition. While the government is not going to go out and deliberately try to get rid of jobs and deliberately fire people or terminate people, she did indicate that there would be probably some job losses by attrition. Well, a job loss is a job loss, whether it is by termination or by attrition. Once again, I would like to know where this is going to happen, where government anticipates that there could be position losses by attrition. Jobs lost by attrition mean fewer people working.

The refocusing on government's approach to the delivery of services is language that disturbs me also, because it could mean a greater use of technology in the delivery of government services. A greater use of technology very often means a loss of human beings doing the work. There are places where services being delivered, I believe, need to be delivered by human beings. We need more people answering phones. We need more people that people in need can actually speak to without sitting on phone lines for two and three hours sometimes, as still is the case by the way. We keep testing this one out, and it still is the case that there are some of the phone lines where people still have to wait for hours to actually get a human being.

When government talks about refocusing its approach to the delivery of services, I have to ask: Is this what we are talking about: a greater use of technology, more use of phone lines, less use of human beings? I put to the government members that this is not something that we want. I am sure that all of the government members, just like the MHAs in my caucus, I am sure that all of you have people who are complaining about how they do not feel well served by some departments. Not because the people working in the departments are not serving them well, but because the system has moved in such a direction that there are not enough people to serve them. That is the issue. It is not that the workers who are there are not doing their work well; it is that we do not have enough people to deal with people.

If government is going to look at refocusing the approach to delivery of services that is the thing I would like them to look at. I would like government to do an assessment of how people on income support, how well they are being taken care of by people. That covers a grand gamut of the population when we talk about income support because that includes seniors, it includes students, it includes people with disabilities, and it includes low-income people. How are our people being served? If there is going to be a refocusing, that is one of the things that I would like to see assessed. It seems, in the context of the Speech from the Throne and especially in the context of comments that the Premier has been making since the Speech from the Throne, that the refocusing is more about attrition of positions, it is more about finding money to save at a time when we do not need to be doing that in this Province, and that is the thing. Even though we do not have the full Budget yet, with the figures that have been put forward there is no crisis here. There is no crisis in this Province. The downturn in income this year is a temporary thing; we know the reasons for it. In actual fact, the $500 million that is mentioned – we have no idea, it might probably not even be a loss at all, because with the way in which oil prices are going up, we might end up having a surplus again. We do not know.

Even if we have a few hundred million dollars of a downturn this year, even if that happens, that is not a lot of money in the context of our Budget – it is not. Therefore, I hate to see this kind of action being taken when we have a very temporary situation. It does not smack to me of long-term planning. I have put a few questions forward to the Minister of Finance and I hope that as this discussion continues, he might have the answer to some of those questions for me.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

CHAIR: The Chair recognizes the hon. the Minister of Education.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. JACKMAN: Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I want to start by thanking the members of Burin – Placentia West for sending me back here. It was a tight race, Mr. Chair.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. JACKMAN: All of us, Mr. Chair, who serve in this House recognize what an honour it is. From time to time, Mr. Chair, it can be an outright pain, there is no doubt about it, but when you serve in this House and you serve the people of this Province, you do it with honour.

Mr. Chair, I have to thank the NDP because they drove my team to work harder than they did in any other election.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. JACKMAN: They worked harder than in any other election. Some would claim that maybe I was a little too exuberant that night but, Mr. Chair, there was an excitement in the air, I have to admit, and I wanted to show the workers how pleased I was with their direction.

Mr. Chair, I have to get right into it right away. When the Leader of the Third Party gets up to speak and somebody here says, where is the money tree?, I have to go back to the words that the Premier spoke about today in Question Period. I cannot quote her exactly now, but what she alluded to was the running and the operation of government –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. JACKMAN: – the running and the operation of government just as you would your household. You cannot expend more than you take in. She spoke about people complaining.

Well, I am going to speak to her about my household. I had five children. I can tell you they complained. They wanted the new designer jeans. They wanted the new toys. They wanted the new everything. Mr. Chair, before I would do that, I would make sure that they had their basic needs of food, clothing, and lodging. Mr. Chair, that is how I operated my home and I am very pleased to say that I think I did an all right job at it.

Mr. Chair, I think we, as a government, are doing an exceptional job.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. JACKMAN: I just want to quote the Premier yesterday in her speech after the Speech from the Throne. She talked about what we have done, and our approach has worked, but we must remain vigilant. The important thing was this: the "well intentioned but utterly unrestrained social program growth drives economies to the brink of bankruptcy." She mentioned Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Ireland, and others who have seen the unthinkable happen – even the mighty United States.

Mr. Chair, we have had people out there in the business community who have applauded and used this Province as an example of the way to efficiently operate and run government.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. JACKMAN: Mr. Chair, I left the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture. As much as people talk about it and joke about it as one of the worst portfolios you can end up in, I have to honestly say that for me was not true. I would hope that most of us at some point might get an opportunity to serve in that capacity, because it is the essence of what brought us to the Province. We are going through a time of transition and there are challenges with it, but it is truly an honour, and it was for me, to serve in that capacity.

There is a dedicated staff there. They worked hours endlessly for the people who work in that facility. There are challenging times, there is no doubt about it, and all I got to do – and I would bet that everybody in the Province knows what is happening with that transition on the Burin Peninsula.

I have to say, if we had listened to the folks of the Third Party who object to any exemptions, the plant in Marystown would have closed long before now. Their policy is no exemptions. I also have to say, and I have to echo what the Minister of Fisheries said today. I sat in that role for the last three sittings of the House and not once – not once did the Leader of the Third Party ask a question on the fisheries, not once.

She can use whatever, and she can sit and shake her head and say no, she did not ask one question on the fishery. I think it is shameful. It is shameful because as much as she speaks about the care – and she is often pontificating about the people of the Province, for one sector, boy, she did not have much interest. I have to say that. I am certain that with my colleague from Grand Bank, the fisheries is in very capable hands and the two of us have adjoining districts as we share the peninsula with the Member for Bellevue.

AN HON. MEMBER: We have help now from St. John's North.

MR. JACKMAN: We have help now from St. John's North. Yes, it seems to be all right.

Mr. Chair, when I look back at the last year-and-a-half or so, I have to ask to people to look at it as an onion and peel away the layers, just peel away the layers, and ask whose interest is best represented. We always have to look that way. We have to look to motive, Mr. Chair, because motive is very important. Motive can certainly be a dangerous thing, especially when those with a motive put it ahead of some of the people who they serve.

I have to speak to how all of this transpired in my district. Last January, I had an indication that OCI was going to close the plant. I really could not accept that was going to be the end result because for the longest time, that plant in Marystown was, I suppose, the picture of groundfish operations in this Province. We had major groundfish operations on the peninsula in Grand Bank, in Fortune, in Burin, and smaller plants in many of the other smaller communities, and this huge facility in Marystown. It was getting to a point where it was going to be closed and I looked at there was some possibility of transition. I spoke to the company and said, no way. They went back, and they came back with an offer of, finally, from fourteen, to sixteen, to eighteen weeks and it got rejected.

The thing that disappointed me about it all was that – there were two issues here: one was the plant closure, the other was the exemption. The leadership shows, and I think it took a real gamble here thinking they may have been able to get more. The company indicated we are done. Rather than accepting the eighteen weeks, sitting down and trying to negotiate what the long term could have been for the plant, the result was a closed door.

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible).

MR. JACKMAN: What is that? Oh, I have already mentioned it. Under their rule, of the Third Party, Marystown would have closed years ago. In fact, there probably would not have been much processing in the Province, Mr. Chair, I have to say that.

I think in the end people will see who had the best of intentions. I can assure you that I would think the majority of us in here have the best of intentions. Oftentimes, motives will proceed what should be rightly done; therefore, we can see the consequences and they may not always be good.

Mr. Chair, I am in Education now, responsible for zero to Level III. I have to say, I could not be more than pleased to be there. For twenty-six years I operated in the education system, everything from a classroom teacher right on through to a program specialist at the board, and now to this role.

I will stand here and say, I do not think there is a government past and I do not know if there will be a government future, that have invested more in education than this government.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. JACKMAN: Mr. Chair, I know my time is winding down, but I will be back because I expect some volleys from across the way. I am looking forward, Mr. Chair, to enlightening some of them on our initiatives and to ensure that the people of the Province understand the true message of what we as a government are doing in education.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

CHAIR: The Chair recognizes –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

CHAIR: Order, please!

The Chair recognizes the Member for Bay of Islands.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. JOYCE: Thank you, Mr. Chair.

It is a great privilege to give my maiden speech in the House of Assembly. Before I start, Mr. Chair, I just want to recognize all the new members in the House of Assembly. It is indeed a privilege and an honour to represent your district. We are going to have differences of opinions, we are going to be throwing barbs across to each other, but congratulations to everybody who won because it is a privilege and it is an honour to be recognized by your peers. So, to everybody, congratulations whoever won; to the people who put their names forth, congratulations. Just putting your name forth shows that democracy is alive and well. Congratulations to everybody and enjoy your stay in the House of Assembly.

First of all, Mr. Chair, I have to say, it is a privilege to finally have the House open.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. JOYCE: We hear so much about the decorum in the House of Assembly, we hear so much about decorum from the Premier, and yesterday the Premier, the Minister of Advanced Education and Skills, and the Minister of Health just never stayed quiet. They just did not stop when the Leader of the Opposition was up and the Leader of the Third Party was up. As the three leading members in the front benches, if you want to show decorum, show leadership; show leadership. That is all I have – if not, we will sink to that level.

First of all, Mr. Chair, I just wanted to thank the people of the Bay of Islands –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. JOYCE: I just want to tell the Minister of Fisheries: You cannot bully me. You can bully other people, but you cannot bully me. He is over there, Mr. Chair, with his mouth going. He has his mouth going already, Mr. Chair. You are not going to bully me. The little man syndrome does not bother me, I can tell you that right now. You can go off somewhere else and do what you like, let me tell you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. JOYCE: Yes, he is over there telling me to come on, come on; the little man syndrome. By the time I got over there, there would not be enough padlocks to get in his office, Mr. Chair.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. JOYCE: Anyway, Mr. Chair, I just wanted to let him know: be calm.

I just want to thank the people of the Bay of Islands –

CHAIR: Order, please!

The hon. the Government House Leader.

MR. KENNEDY: Yes, Mr. Chair, a point of order.

Not only is the comment just made insulting and certainly has derogatory terms, but I would consider what was just said as a threat, Mr. Chair. The hon. member – I use that term loosely – the Member for Bay of Islands referred to the fact: If I come over there, then the member opposite will not have enough time to get to his –

AN HON. MEMBER: That is a threat.

MR. KENNEDY: He will not have enough to get to his office to have the padlocks on. That is a threat, Mr. Chair. It is unparliamentary. It is something that I would suggest to you should not be condoned in this House. It does nothing more than bring this House to the level of a street fight. All that was said to this man is if you live in glass houses, do not throw stones.

I would like a ruling on that, Mr. Chair.

CHAIR: Are you speaking to the point of order?

MR. JOYCE: There is no point of order.

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible),

CHAIR: The Chair will take a minute to consult with the Table Officers and render a decision.

[Chair consults with Table Officers]

CHAIR (Verge): Order, please!

The hon. the Member for Cartwright – L'Anse au Clair, to the point of order.

MS JONES: Yes, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Chair, my colleague from the Bay of Islands was simply just expressing an opinion in debate and it certainly was not unparliamentary in any way, or certainly no threat in any way made towards the minister.

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible).

MS JONES: It was all done in jest, Mr. Chair. It was all done in jest.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MS JONES: It was done in the context of just outlining his remarks in the speech, Mr. Chair. I suggest that there is no point of order in this particular case.

CHAIR: The hon. Government House Leader, to the point of order.

MR. KENNEDY: Yes, Mr. Chair.

Hansard does not show jest. What Hansard shows is the words. If you look at the words, Mr. Chair, he said, ‘If I come over there….' – that is when he was pointing; it does not show that either, but he was pointing – ‘If I come over there, then the member opposite will not have time to get to his office before he will have padlocks on the door.'

That is what was said.

CHAIR: Okay, I am prepared to make a ruling now. I have listened to the Government House Leader and to the Member for Cartwright – L'Anse au Clair.

In my brief review of some of the precedents and that, that have taken place in the House, and some of the literature that I have reviewed, in determining whether something is acceptable parliamentary language, Speakers in the past have often found it difficult. In one day something can be ruled parliamentary, in another day unparliamentary, and it largely depends on the tone and the meaning.

What I am prepared to do in this regard is, I would like to take this under advisement. I would like to review Hansard to see exactly what was said, and to come back tomorrow and rule on whether it is a point of order.

I will recognize the Member for the Bay of Islands to continue, but to be mindful of what you are saying; because, as the Government House Leader has indicated, Hansard does not reveal tone in something that can be read in Hansard can reveal.

The hon. the Member for the Bay of Islands.

MR. JOYCE: Thank you. That is another tactic by the Government House Leader just to try to derail me, Mr. Chair, but the Minister of Fisheries was saying, come on over, come on over, and I am sure that was in more of a discussion gist than a physical gist; I am sure of that. So, he is just trying to stand out to be a bully, as we all know.

Mr. Chair, I just want to thank that people of the Bay of Islands for their support, and I just want to thank all the people that elected me in the Bay of Islands and all the campaign team that were a part of it. Mr. Chair, in the Bay of Islands itself there are a lot of major issues. One of the issues is roads. As the minister knows, all across Newfoundland and Labrador, roads are always a major issue, and in the Bay of Islands it is also a major issue. That was one of the issues that were brought up on a regular basis during the election, is the roads. We all know with any part of Newfoundland and Labrador, with the terrain and with the weather and with other things, you always need constant improvements to your roads.

Municipal infrastructure, Mr. Chair, is another big thing here. As you know, the Premier yesterday was not too encouraging when she said we are going to cut back on the infrastructure programs in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, in the Throne Speech. So that is not very encouraging for all the municipalities across Newfoundland and Labrador.

Cell phone coverage, Mr. Chair – that was always a hot topic in the Bay of Islands. I encourage the government to find some way to encourage and help and support so we all could have cell phone coverage. It is not just for daily; it is for business. I know one business down on Humber Arm South who has outfitting lodges, and he cannot run his business because he is just out three or four kilometres outside the cell phone coverage where he can get high-speed Internet. Then, as you move further out –

York Harbour, Lark Harbour in the Bay of Islands – cell phone coverage is non-existent. When you go on the North shore, when you get out to McIver's and Cox's Cove, cell phone coverage is non-existent. So, that itself is a major issue in the whole Bay of Islands area.

The new fiscal arrangement for all the municipalities – that is a big issue. We heard yesterday in the Throne Speech about the fiscal arrangements for all the municipalities in Newfoundland and Labrador, but yet, we heard the Premier two hours later talking about how it will not be done this year, it is going to be next year, how complicated it is. So, Mr. Chair, that is going to be a major issue for a lot of the people in the municipalities all throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.

Waste management is another major issue for all Western Newfoundland, Mr. Chair. This government has been dragging its feet for a number of years on waste management. We all know it; we hear it everyday out in the media. Then, when the Minister of Finance got Don Downer appointed to the Waste Management Committee, chairman of the waste management – Gil Smart, who was the former chair of the waste management, resigned because of a lack of co-operation and assistance from the government. He resigned out of frustration. Then we hired Don Downer. The minister was out talking about Don Downer, how he has a biology degree, Mr. Chair, praising Don Downer up; a political hack. Praising Don Downer up, the next day, two days later –

CHAIR: Order, please!

I remind the member his time for speaking has elapsed.

MR. JOYCE: By leave, Mr. Chair?

AN HON. MEMBER: No leave.

CHAIR: No leave.

Are there any further speakers?

The Chair recognizes the Member for Conception Bay East – Bell Island.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. BRAZIL: Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I would like to start by congratulating all my colleagues in the House of Assembly on their recent election, and thanking the people of Conception Bay East for giving me a four-year term to move forward with this government's agenda.

Also, I would like to congratulate our Premier, as the first elected female Premier in the House of Assembly, and all the ministers. I particularly also would like to acknowledge Minister King for the valiant effort he is making toward making some harsh decisions to move a very important file forward. So, congratulations, Minister King, keep putting that file forward.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. BRAZIL: I am fortunate enough to have a district where I do not have to worry with the trials and tribulations of the fishing industry, but I know it is in very capable hands.

I also would like to start by first acknowledging this is a very important bill. Things have to move forward. This is a key link in a chain of prosperity that was started by this Administration nine years ago, and it is continuing under this Administration right now. We have outlined a number of important initiatives that need to move forward, particularly those that are important to how we move the infrastructure in this Province. I am very pleased to be able to say I am happy to be part of that Administration.

Previously, as my colleague from Mount Pearl had mentioned, it is an honour to move to this side of the fence. Every now and then you hear the cliché it is not always brighter on the other side, but looking from here it is much brighter on this side, I guarantee you that, and it is a pleasure to be here as well.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. BRAZIL: I have had a unique decision in life: Do I give up my career as a civil servant to move into politics? I am very happy I made that decision. As part of that, I think I add a little bit of a different dynamic to politics here. I have seen what the civil services has to do, I see how important programs and services that can be offered to the people are, and I see the importance of us debating bills such as this when we put our budget in place. I have been very fortunate over the years to have travelled from Nain, Labrador to Carbonear, to every other part of this Province. I have seen the great work that has been done by the civil service, by the members in the House of Assembly, by the residents of this Province, and particularly by those people who have invested in their livelihood and improving what we do in this Province.

This Administration, over the last eight years - I have been happy to be able to say as a civil servant prior to politics - has really taken a vested interest in what people have said and the programs that they need to put in place. Contrary to the criticisms we have had that we have been spending like drunken sailors, I will tell you now, if we are spending like drunken sailors, you go into any port in this Province and the people are very complimentary to the programs and services we have put in place. That was reflective in thirty-seven members being elected in the last election.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. BRAZIL: We have been criticized for not doing enough for particular service groups or people who are at a disadvantage. Let's talk about some of the things we have done over the last eight years, and particularly things we have outlined in this budget. Our infrastructure spending, second to none; we have invested in healthy lifestyles for people in healthy water; better roads; infrastructure in marine services. We have done things for schools, hospitals, all kinds of infrastructure necessities.

In our health care profession, we have done things within the prescription drug process. Our previous announcement by the Minister of Health recently shows that we are committed to improving the lifestyle of people here and healthy living. Our persons with disabilities framework; what we have done there, how we have engaged citizens out there to tell us what is needed and put programs and services in place that work. It is very well-received by the people in this industry and taking a leadership role in this country.

Our Poverty Reduction Strategy; I have had the privilege of being part of that and actually getting to travel to other provinces so that we could show what we have been doing. We were criticized by saying we have done some interventions about poverty, but we have started to reduce poverty. We have given the skill set back to people so they can take a leadership role in reducing their own poverty and becoming very productive citizens in this society.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. BRAZIL: Our Immigration Strategy; another one that has been noted nationwide for what we have done. We have engaged new citizens; we have given them the tools to be engaged in this society. We have also done everything in our power to include them in society; thus, it is a benefit to what we do when we are trying to attract new citizens to this Province.

Our student aid reform; I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the previous Liberal Premier who started moving this ball forward, but he would be amazed and astonished at what we have done since we have taken it; how we have moved forward on the debt reduction; what we have done for including interest relief; how we have gone – just announced yesterday by our Premier – from a loan system to a grant system; what we have done to acknowledge the fact that rural students need some extra supports versus the urban students, and how we have really moved forward to reducing debt reduction there; how we put a freeze on tuition –

AN HON. MEMBER: Four more years.

MR. BRAZIL: Four more years of freezing, four more years of investment in post-secondary education. What we have done in the way of the apprenticeship program, what we have done for funding companies out there for year one, two, and three in the apprenticeship program; second to none in the education system here.

What we have done for the ferry replacement process, which serves three main key components here. Added a key asset to our ferry replacement fleet, generated some real good revenue in some districts in the industry of building ships for this Province. Also, we have started to put in place a process where every citizen in this Province, regardless of where they live, will have access by proper transportation links; be it a road, be it a ferry, be it bridges and these types of things.

We have also heavily gone into looking at broadband, how we are going to give access to people in all parts of the Province – major investments last year and additional things that we are moving forward. Is there a bit of work to do? Sure there is, but as we move forward we have made amounts of movements forward that people have gained. We have better business being able to access information due to the broadband expansion.

Going back to persons with disabilities – and we note that we have engaged a number of citizen groups here – we are the only Administration that has set up five different service agencies that are made up of stakeholders to come in and tell us what is it you need to do. We have X number of dollars, how is the best way we can spend it? That is engagement. This Administration is all about engagement, it is about inclusion, and it is about getting the best bang for our buck. That has been exampled yesterday when the minister said we are not cutting anything, what we are doing is doing a review so that we guarantee we are going to get the best bang for our buck. That is how we do it. Our Minister of Finance, our Premier, and all the Cabinet ministers in this caucus over here, we want to make sure that the people get what it is that they paid for. We are going to make sure that goes out in the right realm.

We talked yesterday about healthy, happy children, and it was mentioned here. We have taken the lead on that. You have seen what we have invested in putting together the Department of Child, Youth and Family Services, what we have put in place there with the transfer of the social workers and the addition of extra support services. That is a testament to the value we put on children in society and working with parents to make sure that things are done in a proper manner so that they have a start in life that is equal to anybody else.

We have also come back on income support. We have increased income support dramatically over the last number of years but what we have done is more important, we have given people the tools through employment initiatives, supportive services. We have asked in different ways that we can engage them in the process of improving their lifestyle; we have done that.

We have been criticized for issues around homelessness. We are the Administration. I will just throw out a few groups there that you may be familiar with: Choices for Youth, CYN, all initiatives that we have funded under this Administration to address issues around homelessness, issues around dropouts in the school systems, issues around particular needs that people may have in society. We have done that. Our Administration has taken the lead on that.

We have been acknowledged for a number of things nationally and internationally because as part of the process we wanted to engage the right people – the stakeholders. We are just administrators of the money that is out there, but we do get engagement from the people and that is the programs and services we put in place. We are very proud of that.

I am proud of being part of a number of those as a civil servant. I am even more proud that what we have put in place now is continuing. We are a four-year program policy Administration right now, but with a long-term plan. Read our Blue Book. You will see where we are going to be 2014, where we are going to be in 2020, and where we are going to be 2030. We are an Administration with focus, with some vision, and that is how we operate here as part of this process.

We have been moving things forward because it is in the best interest of everybody involved. We have been criticized because we put so much into infrastructure; at the same time, we are being criticized because there is more needed in infrastructure. We do not have the money tree that has been proposed by some members of the other side. What we do have is fiscal responsibility and fiscal management. We put our money where it needs to go and getting the best bang for our buck. What we will do, in times of restraint, we will still find that we do not cut services to people and that we make sure people are more engaged so we can find ways that collectively we can work co-operatively to make things work.

We will work. We will engage. We will ask the Opposition: Give us your views. We have no problem with that. We are very open-minded to it. We have given credit where credit is due. We have done that in the past. Many ministers here have said: You have been engaged. You tell us what you think you have heard. You tell us what you think needs to be done and we will engage it. Fortunately enough, we have engaged the same type of people. If there is something missing, let us know. We will look at that.

I am happy to say this Administration has engaged the civil service, the stakeholders, and the people out there to make sure we address the needs of the people in this Province. We have been very successful at it. That is why thirty-seven districts have gone the PC route.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. BRAZIL: Unfortunately, they all probably should have went that way, but we give people a little leeway in their decisions based on that. That is next time, four years down the road. With our track record, you will see how many more people will switch to the right side.

I would like to thank Mr. Chair for this opportunity to speak, particularly on this bill. We know now, once this is passed, the civil service will be able to continue with their work and we will be able to continue with the valued work we do as an Administration.

Thank you very much.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

CHAIR: The Chair recognizes the hon. Member for St. John's North.

MR. KIRBY: Thank you, Mr. Chair.

It is a pleasure to rise here this afternoon and say a few words about the Throne Speech.

The Throne Speech was fairly short on promises, I thought, and I have to agree with the Official Opposition: People want action, not promises. That is true. I was really pleased to hear that the government plans to hold the line on tuition fee increases – a policy that was enacted while I was the Chairperson of the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Students some years ago.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. KIRBY: I also was pleased to hear that the government has decided to enact the policy that was put forward by the Federation of Students before the campaign to shift from a loan system to a grant system. All three parties advocated that during the campaign, and I think that is a good idea.

But, there was no mention of seniors at all in the Throne Speech yesterday, despite the promise of some $100 million for a seniors strategy from the Premier during the election campaign – promised $100 million, not a word about it in the Throne Speech. So what is the plan for seniors? Like the infrastructure strategy – that is, the fabled infrastructure strategy that the Auditor General could not access – there does not appear to be a plan. There does not appear to be a plan. There does not appear to be a seniors strategy.

There was no mention, Mr. Chair, of the ongoing crisis in housing in this Province. Not one word about that in the Throne Speech yesterday. Much like the infrastructure strategy, there appears to be no plan, no plan to deal with our constituents' housing problems.

What about child care, then? Now, there was a national report released last fall that showed Newfoundland and Labrador to be at the bottom of the list of Canadian provinces when it comes to child care. We know that parents are struggling to find child care, and we know that when they do find child care, they struggle to pay for it. We know it because we have been told over and over again that families need more child care spaces, and they cannot afford the ones that exist. We know that salaries of child care workers need to be increased. That needs to be addressed. We know that we need a common early childhood education policy framework. We know that; we know it because we have been told time and time again. We know we need a concrete plan for early learning and care programs, and we need a clear strategy for child care programs. We should follow the lead of the majority of the other Canadian provinces, as well, who have already enacted all-day kindergarten programs. We know we need that, because we have heard it from our constituents time and time again. We need to do it as soon as possible.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: What does it cost?

MR. KIRBY: What does it cost not to do it? That is a good question, Mr. Chair. What is it going to cost if we continue to neglect the need for all-day kindergarten and for sensible policies on early learning and care. Despite the silence in the Throne Speech, Mr. Chair, I hold out some hope that we will see some action from this government on early learning and care soon.

We need more than a public relations program because that is all that has been announced so far, $100,000 worth of spending on a public relations program. We need more than that if we are going to have better care for our children and our grandchildren.

I would also like to say, briefly, Mr. Chair, we have heard about the skill shortage again in this Speech from the Throne. There is absolutely no question that there are problems that apprentices are having in our labour force. There is no question about that. I heard questions from the Minister of Advanced Education and Skills this morning. I heard comments from her this morning on the radio. She did a very good job, a very comprehensive job of explaining what the government has already done.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KIRBY: She did an excellent job of explaining what the government has already done. She did not say two words about what the government plans to do, but I do hold out some hope that there will be something.

We do know that there are shortages of labour in this Province, there is no question about that, but it would be foolhardy to believe that these shortages of labour are uniform across the labour market, because they are not. They are not. Talk to pipefitters in this Province, talk to journeyperson pipefitters who cannot find work here; there are lots of them. I have talked to them. I have talked to lots of other people in construction and the building trades, the same thing for a lot of trades. I think the problem that we have, when the government walks into this self-congratulatory stupor that it has been in, I think that really, ultimately, it starts to believe its own rhetoric. The problem here is that other folks out in the community start to believe their rhetoric as well, so now we have organizations like the Employers' Council out there saying that we need to bring in foreign workers all of a sudden: low-wage, temporary, foreign workers. The suggestion is such as though we would bring them in uniformly across the labour market. We do not need to do that. There are plenty of people who are working outside of this Province who would love to come back here. Their homes are here; they would love to come back here, work in this Province, and go home every day to their families. They cannot do that right now because of problems in our labour market.

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible)

MR. KIRBY: That is a good question. What are the problems in our labour market? That is a good question. I am looking forward to, in the coming weeks when we see the Budget, I am interested to see what the solution is, because obviously – we heard it in the Speech from the Throne yesterday –

these issues are going to be addressed.

I look forward to the plan. I do not see any reason to talk out the clock, but thank you for your time.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

CHAIR (Kent): Order, please!

The Chair recognizes the hon. the Minister of Municipal Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. O'BRIEN: Mr. Chair, my first request is if I could have the extra three minutes tacked on to my time that the hon. member gave up in this hon. House. His time to speak instead of Tweeting could be well used. You just cannot Tweet yourself into a leadership. That is my only word of advice for you for this session. I might have a few more now in the fall session but just keep the Tweeting down.

I as well - as some of the hon. members have mentioned here today, I feel very honoured to be the Member for Gander. I listened to the hon. member across the House in regard to the last remarks. He was talking about all the negativity and all that kind of good stuff and we have not done anything for the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

I remember when I ran in 1999, I lost by 134 votes. Now you reckon that, right? I lost by 134 votes. In the meantime, I will say to the hon. member that the word on the street in Gander at that particular time was: boys, the last person left, turn the lights out. Now you have one of the most progressive, the most - in regard to infrastructure investment, progressive communities in Newfoundland and Labrador with about 13 per cent growth in population base.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. O'BRIEN: Now what is the reason behind that? The reason behind that are investments by this government, number one; and number two, a confidence in the economy.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. O'BRIEN: That translates into investments in regard to housing; investments in business and then you have a very progressive community on your hands. We see that right across Newfoundland and Labrador. I see it in Glovertown; I see it on the West Coast in Stephenville.

MS SULLIVAN: Grand Falls-Windsor.

MR. O'BRIEN: I will see it in Grand Falls-Windsor.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. O'BRIEN: As a matter of fact, I will say something about Grand Falls-Windsor as well. The Mayor of Grand Falls-Windsor once said, only about a year ago, the best relationship that he has ever seen in his career is with this government in regard to municipal participation in the process, and that is a fact.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS SULLIVAN: And the MHA.

MR. O'BRIEN: The MHA is a good MHA as well.

I listen to the hon. members. I sit in this House. I very rarely leave, and I think most of you members who have been around for a while have seen me here each and every day. I very rarely leave my seat in the House of Assembly, and I listen carefully in regard to what you say. I have some grave, grave concerns when it comes to that. When people get up there and talk about the lack of investment in municipal infrastructure, infrastructure in the general terms in regard to roads, buildings and that kind of stuff, and you look back at the record of this particular government you will see a tremendous – and I mean a tremendous – investment in infrastructure. As a matter of fact, when we took government in 2003 a measly $20 million in municipal infrastructure was being invested by the past government. That is a measly $20 million. We have grown that to last year's commitment authority to $84.3 million, not counting –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. O'BRIEN: – not counting an unprecedented investment in recreational facilities across this Province.

As a matter of fact, I look across the House and we have been accused of being whatever we are as a government, investing in our own districts only, but when I look around I see districts that we invested into heavily. Up on the Northeast Coast of Labrador, two recreational facilities, two schools; the Polar Centre on the Northern Peninsula. All over this Province we have been investing, because we believe in this Province. We believe in the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. O'BRIEN: Waste management; $116 million invested in waste management. This year, everybody east of the Isthmus will be pulling into Robin Hood Bay in regard to their waste management strategy being implemented. Material recovery is being implemented as well. Central Newfoundland, Norris Arm is up and running. We are evaluating and looking at pulling Western into Norris Arm, making that more viable.

Also, when we invest in waste management, not like the past government, we invest carefully. We invest, we take our time, and we make sure we do things right. We have until 2020 to implement that strategy and we will not be rushed. We will do it right. We will make sure that it is sustainable; we will make sure that it is affordable, and we will make sure that it is successful in Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. O'BRIEN: Because each and every one of us has the opportunity and the responsibility to protect our environment for the future of Newfoundland and Labrador, not only our children, but their children and their children as well. That is exactly what we are doing, and we will do it right. We will do it in the right way. We will make the right investments and we will make sure that it works.

I hear the hon. member when he is there criticizing that kind of stuff. Well, I will talk from my own department, too, in regard to Municipal Affairs and the work that we have done with municipalities in Newfoundland and Labrador.

I have to really quote Hansard, and mention again the Mayor of Grand Falls-Windsor, Al Hawkins, saying it is the best relationship that he ever had. We work well together. We work towards a common goal. We recognize the challenges. We try to meet those challenges on a timely basis and work ourselves forward to make sure that we have very viable municipalities in this Province. That is exactly what we do.

In Hansard yesterday, in regard to the response to the Speech from the Throne, the Leader of the Third Party, and the Third Party it is, said something like this, "Sit down; it does not have to be reinvented." - this is talking about Municipal Operating Grants - "Let them tell you what needs to be done, and do it." Do you call that being fiscally responsible? That is no way being fiscally responsible. That could be not evaluated, not costed; just do it. If it costs $200 million, it does not matter; just implement the Wade Locke report. Just do it, regardless of what it means to the Consolidated Revenue Fund. It does not mean anything to you.

Listen, we brought – and I heard a couple of the members on this side of the House mention that we have reduced our overall debt since we took government in 2003 by approximately one-third, about $4 billion. Do you know something? I am going to tell you something. I shudder to think that we would change government, which is not going to happen in 2015, absolutely not because the people in Newfoundland and Labrador certainly see what we are doing, but I am telling you right now, we would not be long having another $4 billion worth of debt if the NDP were to take government.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. O'BRIEN: Would you shudder to think, $4 billion? They would run us straight into the ground because they do not cost anything. They just throw the money out like a money tree, as the hon. member said. This is the kind of things that they do. They do not do anything. They get up there, they say things. They do not know what they are saying and that kind of thing. I have to admit, that it probably sticks on a few people out there in regard to that, but I think the majority of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians want responsible government. They want a government that is fiscally responsible, that looks to the future, not only to the four years that we are in office but we are looking at ten, we are looking at fifteen, and we are looking at twenty years down the road. That is what made us successful as a government. That is exactly what we did, that forward thinking.

The Opposition parties get up and talk about such things as the review that we are undergoing right now. As a matter of fact, I commend the Premier with tasking us as ministers, because as a minister, yes, I have a responsibility to the municipalities of Newfoundland and Labrador, that is my primary responsibility, but I also have a responsibility to the people in Newfoundland and Labrador to make sure that our programs are working, to make sure that we are getting the bang for our dollar, and to make sure there is no wastage within our department. So, when she tasks us to find 3 per cent efficiencies in our department, that tells me that we are on the right path, that we have the proper Premier, and we will never look back.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. O'BRIEN: That is exactly what we have to do, regardless of where we find ourselves in this time in our history in regard to the deficits and resources, and from where we are moving.

I heard the Leader of the Third Party yesterday, as well, and I took it as an endorsement of Muskrat Falls, because she talked about moving from a non-renewable to a renewable economy. That is exactly one part of Muskrat Falls. Even though we have said categorically, time after time, that project has to – has to – stand on its own, it moves us from that non-renewable economy to a renewable economy. That is exactly what it does.

AN HON. MEMBER: Do they support Muskrat?

MR. O'BRIEN: That is what I am asking the hon. members. I think they are all afraid to speak. I don't know what is wrong with them. I would think they would be on their feet here now, endorsing that. If they are into that, and they are into spending money, then we have to make money. You cannot spend money that you don't have. That is exactly the way it works.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. O'BRIEN: In my department now, we are carrying about 570 projects all over Newfoundland and Labrador.

CHAIR: Order, please!

I remind the hon. minister that his time for speaking has expired.

MR. O'BRIEN: By leave?

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible).

MR. O'BRIEN: I thank the hon. member.

CHAIR: The hon. Member for the Bay of Islands.

MR. JOYCE: Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Before I was rudely interrupted – I would like to finish my speech here. I say to the minister, when you talk about waste management, when you appointed the Minister of Finance's buddy over there, Don Downer, who is not qualified to do the job, and all of the municipalities are over there complaining –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. JOYCE: - saying that they cannot get anything done from government. Then we look at the land management advisory committee. What did he get last year? - thirty-nine thousand dollars for an advisory committee on the land, that he has been getting for the last two or three years. If you want to talk about a waste of money in a department: the land management advisory committee. That is one thing, if you want to save a few dollars, if you want to help municipalities. With waste management on the West Coast, every week they are asking for a meeting with the minister about what to do, what commitments you are going to make. We cannot get a meeting.

The Member for Humber West was up there and he heard it himself; they cannot get a meeting. They do not know what the government is going to support. They just do not know what the government is going to support. You were at the Great Humber Joint Council meeting; you know it yourself. You know it yourself. So, Mr. Chair, that is one of the big issues.

Just to let you know, Gil Smart, the former Chairman of Waste Management on the West Coast , quit – quit out of frustration. He quit out of frustration from lack of –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. JOYCE: Mr. Chair, can you protect me here from the Minister of Municipal Affairs, please?

Mr. Chair, Grenfell College is another one, autonomy for Grenfell College. The Minister of Finance stood up in 2009 in his Budget Speech and made a personal commitment that it is going to be done. We had three or four ministers; I know the Minister for St. George's – Stephenville East made a commitment for it, I know the former minister, now the Minister of Fisheries, he made a commitment. On fourteen different occasions that I found, on fourteen different occasions those ministers said, we are doing up legislation to bring forth to the House. It still has not been done.

The Minister of Finance and the Member for Humber West were out hoping that no one was going to bring it up, asking the town councils not to bring it up, because they do not want it brought up, autonomy for Grenfell College.

Minister, you stood on your feet in 2009 in your Budget Speech and promised to have it done that year, Sir. You promised to have it done. You did not do it. The Member for Humber West stood on that and he never had the guts to stand up and get it done. That is the kind of issues that are facing Western Newfoundland and the Corner Brook area.

Mr. Chairman, there are lot of other issues that are going on, on the West Coast. Twenty-four hour road clearing – that is a major issue for snow clearing. It is a safety hazard. It is a safety concern. I understand that the minister has such a hard road; it is a hard situation all across Newfoundland and Labrador, but everybody deserves proper protection on the roads, minister. Everybody promises proper protection on the roads.

During the Atlantic premiers conference here in St. John's, when the Premier – the minister of St. John's East, why don't you go out and tell the people of Corner Brook why you made the commitment fourteen times for Grenfell College. Why don't you come out and tell them? The minister, why don't you go out and tell them? Fourteen times you stood in the media out in Corner Brook, Newfoundland and said, I am developing legislation, going to bring before the House. Why don't you go out and tell them how many times you had said you were going to do it, but you never did it? If you want to talk about Corner Brook, let's talk about Grenfell College, because you are the one who made that commitment that you were doing the legislation and you never followed up on your word. You can stand there now and shoot off your face as much as you like, but we know –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. JOYCE: – we know that you did not follow through on your commitments to the people in Corner Brook; I can tell you that.

Mr. Chairman, as we say to the minister, when the Premier was here with the Atlantic Premiers' conference, the Premier stated: The people in Newfoundland should have the same level of service in British Columbia. What I am saying is the people out in the Bay of Islands should have the same level of service that the people in St. John's have with snowclearing. If it is good enough for the people in Newfoundland to have the same level as New Brunswick, the people in the Bay of Islands should have the same level of service in snowclearing. I am just saying that they should have the same level. Everybody has the same level of safety; we need same level of safety.

Everybody has a major concern with snowclearing on the West Coast. I just ask you to revisit that, Mr. Chair, because one of these days there is going to be a major accident; there is going to be someone hurt. The plow comes off the road at 9:30 p.m. and do not come back until 6:00 in the morning. There are people who are going back and forth to work at 10:00 or 11:00 at night, going to work earlier in the morning, and it is unsafe conditions. So I am asking you: Revisit that for safety concerns for people on the West Coast and in the Corner Brook area.

My last little point, Mr. Chair, is –

MR. GRANTER: (Inaudible).

MR. JOYCE: The Member for Humber West, when we were sitting in your office when you were principal and going to run for the Liberals, let's say what you said about the Minister of Education at the time when you were going to run for the Liberals, how about the former Premier. So you better say quiet there now. Don't go singing across this House when you were asking me about the Liberal nomination and how to go about it because of what you were saying about the former Premier.

MR. KENNEDY: A point of order.

CHAIR: Order, please!

The Government House Leader, on a point of order.

MR. KENNEDY: Thank you, Mr. Chair.

It is my understanding of parliamentary tradition that all remarks are to be addressed to the Chair or the Speaker. What we are seeing the member opposite do, he is pointing out members and ministers, insulting them directly, telling people to shut up. It is certainly unparliamentary language, but from what I see today it seems to be the norm for this member. So perhaps, at least, he could address his remarks to the Chair.

CHAIR: Thank you.

I would remind the hon. Member for the Bay of Islands and, in fact, I would remind all hon. members to direct their comments to the Chair.

MR. JOYCE: Thank you.

It is good to see the big protector of everybody, Mr. Chair, always standing up interrupting my speech here. It is good to see that they all need a little bit of protection.

Mr. Chair, my last thing is on Muskrat Falls. We all know about the issue on Muskrat Falls with the minister out telling seniors that they are going to have to put bricks by their feet in 2015, and that we are going to have blackouts in 2015. Seniors are going to have to start warming up the bricks; fearmongering all around the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

I say to each and every one of the backbenchers who are standing here, Mr. Chair, each and every one of the backbenchers here, they do not have confidence in you to bring it to the House to vote. They do not have confidence in you. When we had Voisey's Bay, Mr. Chair, that side over there said bring it to the House and every one of us stood on our feet and said yea or nay. We said yea or nay to it, Mr. Chair. The backbenchers over there in the House, they do not have confidence in him to bring it to the House because they do not know what is in the deal. They do not have confidence in the deal; they do not have confidence in their backbenchers, Mr. Chair, to bring the vote to the House of Assembly. All the ones who are out there, the backbenchers who are out on the Open Line praising up Muskrat Falls, you have to remember that this government does not have the confidence in them to bring it to the House of Assembly so they can stand up and debate it, and they can stand up and vote for it.

Every one of you, when you are told to raise your hand, you raise your hand and vote for something, you are told to do it. That is what has happened here, Mr. Chair. They do not have the confidence in the backbenchers that is why they will not bring it to the House of Assembly, because they know the backbenchers when the final - there is no deal out yet, Mr. Chair. If there is a deal, when it is out, they are all going to start getting cold feet, the backbenchers, when they get back in their own districts. They will start getting cold feet, Mr. Chair, and when they get cold feet they will stand up and they will not raise their hand as they are told to do. The backbenchers in the House of Assembly here now, remember, raise your hand when you are supposed to because when it comes to Muskrat Falls, Mr. Chair, they do not have the confidence in their own members to bring it to the House of Assembly to have a proper vote on it.

Mr. Chair, I am sure I am going to be back again, and I hope you are going to do your job and protect me from these people here because we are supposed to have better decorum here. We are supposed to have protection here. We are supposed to bring decorum, as the Premier said, but obviously, the Premier does not have control of her own side of the House.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

CHAIR: Order, please!

The Chair recognizes the hon. the Member for Baie Verte – Springdale.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. POLLARD: Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I too would like to offer congratulations to everyone upon their election, and to some upon their re-election. I too would like to acknowledge the people of the District of Baie Verte – Springdale for their support. It is an honour and a privilege to serve, and I am humbled by their faith and trust that they have placed in me once again. I would like to thank my campaign team and especially co-Chair, Clar Brown. I would like to congratulate our Premier upon her resounding victory, a solid victory.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. POLLARD: A victory that we are all part of, Mr. Chair. I am certainly thrilled to be part of her team and to be part of this new mandate that the people in the Province gave us this past October. I look forward with enthusiasm and with new energy to what the future holds for this great Province under the very capable leadership of our Premier.

Mr. Chair, let me begin by reflecting from whence we came. Let me paint a picture to compare to where we were compared to where we are today. In 2003, just before our government assumed power, there was not much excitement around, Mr. Chair. There was a dark cloud of despair pervading the entire Province. It seemed like there was no energy, no vision, no upbeat mood, no pride, no confidence, no leadership, no jobs and very low self-esteem, Mr. Chair, a flat economy, a stagnant economy. People were walking about mechanically with drooped shoulders, so to speak, with heads hanging low, waiting for someone or something to happen.

The Province was on a road leading to nowhere, Mr. Chair. They believed that the Leafs would win the cup before any good thing would happen to this great Province. Imagine that, Mr. Chair. Make no wonder the picture was so bleak, Mr. Chair. We were almost bankrupt. We had a very poor credit rating, aging infrastructure falling around our ears. The ship was about to sink; the ship was listing severely, taking on water, crew bailing out. We were caught in the jaws of death. The ship was sinking, and it needed to be rescued fast, very fast.

Anyway enough about the past, Mr. Chair. I believe we all have the picture by now. Everyone knows the end of the story. Today, just two terms later, what a different story, what a transformation. What happened, Mr. Chair? A new captain, a new team righted the ship just in time. A new captain, a new crew fresh with new ideas burst upon the scene and we have not stopped sailing since, Mr. Chair.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. POLLARD: Newfoundland and Labrador has turned the corner. I repeat, everybody hear me – Newfoundland and Labrador has turned the corner.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. POLLARD: How did we accomplish it, how did we accomplish that? We did it because we care. We did it because we wanted to make a difference. We did it because we had a vision. We did it because we had a plan. What was that plan, you ask? To create jobs, to stimulate the economy, to grow the economy, to wrestle with a crippling debt. Tough decisions had to be made, tough decisions had to be enacted, tough decisions had to be followed.

What were the priorities in that plan, Mr. Chair? Let me tell you what they were. Number one, taxes had to be reduced; number two, debt had to be reduced; number three, spending in infrastructure had to be increased aggressively; number four, governance had to be based on a sound, solid, fiscal management with strategic investments.

The very steps the major players of the entire world adopted to fight the global economic recession, we as a government had already adopted. We were ahead of the game. These steps pulled us out of the global economic recession and positioned us in a very envious position compared to other jurisdictions.

The recovery was amazing, Mr. Chair. The recovery was so fast. In fact, so much so, Mr. Chair, that Newfoundland and Labrador – we not only earned their support, but they maintained our support; they gave us confidence again this past October to keep sailing the ship and to keep governing. That was an overwhelming mandate that they gave us as a government once again.

I am confident that under our present Premier we will continue to make that difference. We will continue to do the right thing for the right reason. We will continue to be proactive, we will continue to fight, we will continue to get the best deals possible. We will continue to stand tall and strong. We are going to stick to our plan; we are going to work our plan. We are going to stay focused, we are determined to hit our mark, and we are going to celebrate our successes.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. POLLARD: Yes, Mr. Chair, we made quantum leaps in just two terms, a mere eight years. We are looking forward to this term and the term beyond to continue this great work and be part of this great government. It is a privilege and honour to be part of this government and the history of the successes that we are making. Just look where we are today. Let me paint a picture of where we are right now. We are a have Province. We are standing on our own two feet. We are masters of our own destiny. We have control of our own House. That is the pride in every Newfoundland and Labradorian. We have the great ability to do that right now, Mr. Chair.

We have reduced our debt drastically, from $12 billion down to $7.7 billion, close to a 35 per cent reduction. Rather than giving money to the lenders, what are we doing with that extra money: reinvesting it back in health care, education, infrastructure, and elsewhere. Mr. Chair, we have a sense of optimism on the people. There is a buoyant mood pervading; there is no longer a sour mood or a defeatist attitude. We have reduced taxes, Mr. Chair, $500 million less each year in taxes. I will repeat it again, Newfoundland and Labrador are spending $500 million less each year in taxes.

AN HON. MEMBER: How much?

MR. POLLARD: $500 million, leaving families with more disposable income. Why criticise that, Mr. Chair.

We have come a long way. We are experiencing population growth for the very first time since 1981, I'll say it again, since 1981. We have employment growth, more jobs than ever before in the history of our Province. People working right now, people coming home, people returning home because they want to work right here in Newfoundland and Labrador. There is also a sense of pride. Our heads are held high. We are displaying a winning attitude. We are displaying a can-do attitude. We are no longer digging our chins in the sand because our heads are so low; our chest is stuck out, our head is held high, because we are proud to be Newfoundland and Labradorians, because of attitude, attitude. I'll say it again, attitude determines altitude, and the attitudes of our Newfoundland and Labradorians right now are extremely high and there are no boundaries to which we can go.

Our infrastructure investment has helped us navigate our way through a global recession, left us with new and updated schools, hospitals, ferries, bridges, roads and water bombers. I can go on, Mr. Chair; what a long way we have come. What a different picture since 2003. What a stark contrast, Mr. Chair. We have a record-high credit rating, which shows we have managed our affairs in a prudent manner and a responsible manner, which will bode well in the future when we want to borrow, Mr. Chair.

We are in an envious position, able to weather swings in the global economy with greater resilience than ever before in our history. We are a hot Province right now. We are a hot economy. It is very remarkable. We are a respected leader. We are now in the driver's seat. We command attention for the first time in our history. We are more financially reliant, self-reliant, with approximately 80 per sent, Mr. Chair, of total revenues being guaranteed or generated from provincial sources. We have come a long way, Mr. Chair. I will say it again: We have, indeed, come a long way, and we are not finished. There is robust growth in a sector –

CHAIR: Order, please!

I remind the hon. member that his time for speaking has expired.

MR. POLLARD: Time to clue up?

AN HON. MEMBER: No leave.

MR. POLLARD: Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you for listening.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

CHAIR: The Chair recognizes the hon. the Member for St. John's East.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. MURPHY: Thank you, Mr. Chair.

First of all, I guess I will have to direct a comment to my fellow elected members. Congratulations on your election this time around. It is a very historic time. I would like to thank the hon. the Minister of Finance for his kind words in welcoming us to the House, as well as to the Member for the Bay of Islands for his kind welcome.

It brings me great pleasure to be here in the House. This is, of course, my first time and it is a rather historic occasion for our family. It gives me great pleasure to get up in this House and speak for the first time to the Interim Supply bill. I know that we will get a chance later on to do our maiden speeches, so I want to thank you for this particular opportunity.

I will direct my comments, I guess, in this particular regard to some of the departments that I have been given charge over when it comes to the critic areas that I have been given. One of them, of course, is to municipalities. In return to addressing the need for government to address more money, of course, I have to say to my hon. friend across the isle who happens to be not too bad of a Cabinet minister, there is still lots of room for improvement. We will give you some tips as we go along here now in the next little while.

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible).

MR. MURPHY: It is.

I just want to get up here and thank you and at the same time to have the opportunity to speak to a couple of points.

First off, in regard to my critic area, I have come to learn a couple of things. I have done an awful lot of meetings now with regard to who has been out there serving on the various councils, the Northeast Avalon Joint Committees, the City of St. John's, just to name two, meeting with Municipalities NL with regard to talking about their issues and all of these groups have brought forth issues of serious concern. I think when it comes to Interim Supply, hopefully, they will be given consideration as well in the provincial Budget, and hopefully most of these matters will be addressed.

I have just a couple of items. First of all, Municipalities NL has raised the alarm about municipal finances being that they are so strained that councils cannot keep up with the need for services and infrastructure, let alone plan for the future or for natural or economic disasters. I think this is a very valid point that they make. There has been some instability with regard to the funding in recent years; no doubt, there have been some ups and downs. Hopefully, there is room for improvement for government to address that situation.

Municipalities NL say that the current funding for infrastructure and operations is just not adequate. They cannot keep raising property taxes because people cannot afford it. Mr. Chair, we have to recognize the problems, of course, that we see with out-migration from some of the more rural areas to some of the central areas like St. John's. We do have aging populations out in the rural areas now and they simply just do not have the income to meet the needs of some of the municipalities. In some cases, they have a shrinking tax base.

As regards to the problems with boil water orders, we need to see more money put into the infrastructure that is going to be put into looking after the water systems in this Province, Mr. Chair. Right now, we have 161 communities, about 20 per cent that are under boil water orders, and they cannot keep water systems drinking with the present revenue streams that they have right now. This is a serious problem that has to be looked at on the part of government. They also cannot keep up on repairs to roads and buildings, snowclearing, and then there is also garbage removal at the same time, Mr. Chair.

Many municipalities will not be able to comply with new federal waste water regulations because of the cost of installation and to maintain these same systems. We know that the feds are going to be pressing down relatively hard on municipal matters like this when it comes to waste water and, in particular, what we are doing to our environment. It deserves a lot of attention. Having said that, it also deserves a look at by the provincial government to see what we can do to meet the needs of municipalities in addressing this serious issue. We have towns that are dealing with some heavy infrastructure costs when it comes to that. I believe St. Anthony is looking at approximately $6 million needed right now to address the whole problem of waste water into its own harbour.

We met with the City of St. John's when it comes to their issues. They stated the case, and I think that they stated it again to the hon. Finance Minister when it comes to the need of a new funding arrangement. We sincerely believe that there is a new funding mechanism that is needed on the part of municipalities to help fund municipalities. Part of the way that can be done is through the gasoline taxes that are collected in this Province.

As of the last Budget, Mr. Chair, the estimate collected from gasoline tax was supposed to be something in the order of $173 million. We believe that, with the City of St. John's and also Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador requesting the two cents a litre from that gas tax, this would be an affordable arrangement to help fund municipalities. I believe very strongly in the use of the gas tax for that particular reason. I guess it is one of the reasons as well that the feds went to that, because it is a sustainable form of funding for municipalities.

For every year pretty much since 1997, with the exception of one year, it has shown absolutely positive growth when it comes to the increase and consumption of automotive fuels and that sort of thing. We believe that to be a sustainable way. If automotive fuels, of course, are only going to be increased in consumption, and they have been basically since the 2003-2004 taxation year, this would be a great way for the government to show, again, not only growth when it comes to funding of municipalities and the topping-up of municipal operating grants, for example, but also it is a good, close way of monitoring exactly how much money you are giving out to municipalities. It is also transparent. Municipalities will be able to see how much money they are going to be collecting as well.

Again, it is pretty much predictable. It is also geared to the rate of inflation, so a municipality will know this is going to be constant funding here. The provincial government will know there is going to be constant funding here to that particular form of tax that is collected. So that is just one means of doing it and, again, we sincerely back that method of funding in municipalities.

There is another problem that did come up, of course, in our conversations, and that was the simple fact that the provincial government does not pay property taxes for the municipal services provided to its own buildings in the city. Mr. Chair, there is a fear, particularly with myself and with the people in my own district, and in my own district we have a good example of what can happen when a particular business pulls out in the light of the Province not paying its fair share of property taxes.

I can go down on Elizabeth Avenue now and look at the old Johnson Insurance building that has reverted ownership to the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. I can say to the City of St. John's that there is no tax revenue right now being generated or collected from the provincial government. That is a loss in revenue on the part of the Province. That really needs to be looked at and we hope that government addresses it this time around.

As well as that, Mr. Chair, the government should relieve municipalities of the obligation to pay HST, payroll tax, and road tax. We think that to go and tax a government on a service that they are providing to another government would be wrong. It is a little bit unfair. Having said that, we see the examples, of course, where the federal government pays its fair share of taxes to the city and the former permits and everything but the Province does not.

Mr. Chair, I think that there are a couple of things that can be addressed here and I think that a little bit of fairness needs to be introduced, not only to the people of the City of St. John's but as well to every other municipality here in the Province.

Thank you for allowing me to make the comments, Mr. Chair.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

CHAIR: The Chair recognizes the hon. the Minister of Child, Youth and Family Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS JOHNSON: Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

It is a great pleasure to speak in this House today. I would like to begin, of course, like everybody else, with thanking my constituents on assisting me to get back here for another election.

On that note, I had a lot of volunteers from a very young age to more senior-like and all ages in between who helped out. I would just like to pass on today that I was just at the funeral home this morning of one my great volunteers, Harry Stansford, who is being laid to rest this afternoon. So, I pass on my condolences to his family. He was certainly a great supporter and will sadly be missed.

I would like to congratulate all members on either their return to the House or coming to the House for the first time. For those of you who are here for the first time, you will quickly realize what an absolute privilege and an honour it is to be here to represent your constituents. Every day we take great pleasure in helping those who call on us, whether it is for a simple application, a question, wanting to be pointed into the right direction. Certainly, at the Cabinet level, it is a great opportunity and privilege to be able to change policies and make laws to better the people of this Province.

I also want to congratulate the Premier on her historic win. To be a part of a government where you have the first female Premier ever elected in the Province is something that is a wonderful thing to be a part of.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS JOHNSON: She has given so much to this place in the past, and we really look forward to all that she has to give in the future.

Mr. Chair, before I get into my topic of child care to respond to some of the comments from the Member for St. John's North, I just quickly picked up on the Member for St. John's East and he referenced the Johnson building. Just for clarification, I am not sure if you are aware or not, but that building certainly is in use. The Department of Child, Youth and Family Services just recently moved in there. It is in use for a real great purpose, for the children of the Province, particularly the vulnerable children of the Province; just to clarify that for you. For people listening in on TV, that is where we are located right now.

Mr. Chair, as I said, I wanted to respond to some comments from the Member for St. John's North, he talked about child care and how this government is doing nothing around child care. Mr. Chair, it is absolutely not true what he is saying. I know he is new to the House, so I want to give him a lesson in terms of what it is we have been doing as a government since we came to power in 2003.

I would like to begin by first speaking of our capacity initiative that we introduced in 2006, and this is an initiative to provide start-up grants or operating grants to not-for-profit organizations. Just recently, I was at Bay Bulls - the member sitting next to me, the Member for Ferryland - to open up an absolute state-of-the-art facility. It should be a model for all of the Province; forty-eight spaces with infant care. Mr. Chair, we put something to the tune of half a million dollars into that with an ongoing sustaining grant.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS JOHNSON: It filled up in no time, and certainly worth a visit by all people.

Also, under the capacity initiative, I recently had the opportunity to be in Wabush and announce sixty new spaces at the JRS facility. Again, Mr. Chair, when you go around the Province and do consultations on this, the need is great, but particularly in Labrador with all of the labour activity that is going on there. The organizers are doing an absolutely fabulous job and the volunteers on the ground, and that will hopefully be open next month. That is one new initiative, I say to the Member for St. John's North, that we started since we have come into government.

In addition to that, Mr. Chair, we also put $1.4 million into putting our ECE program on-line so that people throughout the entire Province can have access to doing this course, and we have certainly seen some great uptake from that. In addition to that, Mr. Chair, we have increased our ECE supplement in 2007. This is a supplement we provide to Level I and Level II ECEs, in the amounts of $3,300 and $6,600 a year. We increased that in 2007 because we did recognize the need to provide an educational supplement to them to help them with the wages.

Mr. Chair, we have increased the amount of money for subsidies in the Province. We now spend $13.5 million to provide subsidies for parents who cannot afford to place their children in day care. Out of the 6,700 regulated spaces, 2,100 of those children and families are now subsidized; another thing that we can add to the great list of accomplishes that we have done since we have been in government.

Mr. Chair, just recently last year – maybe he might be a little bit more familiar with this one because it was only last year – we introduced the Family Child Care Initiative in the Budget which was $3.2 million over two years. We set a goal, Mr. Chair, of opening up twenty new family child care homes this year and I am really pleased to report to the House that twenty-seven have already opened up. We are not at the end of the fiscal year, we have not started our promotional campaign and we have forty-one more in the hopper that are ready to open up. They are at various stages in the application process but they are ready to open very soon, so absolutely a great success there.

Mr. Chair, again around child care, as committed we completed our child care consultations in late November and December. I went around the Province and it was an absolute wonderful experience to hear from the front line workers, the ECEs, the operators, the parents, all of the volunteer organizations that are involved. It was absolutely great feedback, because sometimes when you go out to these consultations as a minister you have a plan in mind as to where you want to go. Hearing from the people, it is really powerful when they can change your way of thinking and where it is you want to go.

Mr. Chair, before the election I had the opportunity to attend a forum on ECEs, and the Leader of the Third Party was there at the time. As I just outlined the history lesson of what it is we have done so far in child care, I am pleased to report that as a result of all of this that we have done since 2003, we can proudly say that we have increased the number of child care spaces since 2003 in the Province by 53 per cent.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS JOHNSON: On top of that, I am very pleased to say we have increased the number of child care subsidies by 72 per cent since we came into power in 2003; 72 per cent in subsidies and 53 per cent in spaces.

As I started to say, Mr. Chair, I did attend a session on ECEs prior to the election. While I have just outlined what it is we have been doing, I can certainly tell you what it is we will not be doing as a government, which makes us very different than the NDP. The NDP makes no bones about it, they have absolutely no room, no space whatsoever for private operators in child care. Mr. Chair, when we operate in a Province where 70 per cent of our operators are private owners, and particularly here in Eastern where 90 per cent are private child care operators, I can tell you that as part of the strategy we will release, they will be a part of that. We really believe in working with business. We do not believe in taxing them, and we certainly do not believe in just dismissing them and saying sorry we do not want you.

These private child care operators do a great service. They provide service, they provide quality service and we absolutely need them. We are at a place where we have 6,700 regulated spaces and everybody knows we need more. It is very hard to set a target, and that is why we are committed to our child care strategy. I can tell you that when the Premier asked me to take on this role, it was absolutely wonderful and a great challenge for me. There are a lot of issues in this department that play at the heart strings, a lot of the decisions that we make are difficult ones, and they are necessary ones. I remember her clearly saying to me - this is very much an important place for the Premier – I cannot say my name, but she said it is so critically important that we get this right. We have to do good by our children. This is one of the most important things that we are doing in government, child care being part of that.

Mr. Chair, as I said, we did do our consultations. I just gave the member a lesson in all of the things that we have been doing. The Premier is committed, but what I will end on, Mr. Chair, is by saying the best is yet to come, as the Premier said yesterday, and the best is certainly yet to come with child care strategy too.

Thank you very much.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

CHAIR: The hon. the Member for Torngat Mountains.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. EDMUNDS: Thank you, Mr. Chair.

It is an honour to be here in this House, and I thank the people of Torngat Mountains for giving me that opportunity.

Mr. Chair, I must agree with the Member for Gander, it seems a bit strange that we are debating issues in the House of Assembly as opposed to Twitter. It did take a while to get here.

Mr. Chair, I have a long range of issues, and some of them are quite important. Search and Rescue I think will be debated tomorrow, and I will have some comments when that time comes.

Mr. Chair, in Labrador we have some serious issues. One that is ongoing now is the migration and the decline of the George River caribou herd. Mr. Chair, this herd in the late 80s and early 90s numbered as much as 800,000 caribou. That herd has now dwindled to roughly 50,000 caribou and it seems the only people who can harvest these caribou are people from out of our Province. There are many organizations in Labrador, the Torngat Wildlife Plants and Co-Management Board, the Nunatsiavut Government and the provincial government need to make recommendations to conserve this herd. Mr. Chair, we have had silence from the provincial government on enforcing conditions that would allow this herd to get back to its maximum potential.

Mr. Chair, we have informed the government time and time again that there is a need for conservation measures. Some have been implemented, Mr. Chair, but it seems that they only work for residents of Newfoundland and Labrador. It seems that people from out of our Province can come over and harvest caribou at will. Mr. Chair, I point out again that we had given our advice to the government time and time again, and it was very unfortunate and very saddening to see that nothing was done to protect this George River caribou herd.

Mr. Chair, like I said, it's an honour to be here, and I must point out that one of our pages, Miss Caitlyn Baikie, is from the community of Nain, and it's certainly an honour to see her here serving this House of Assembly.

Mr. Chair, I was listening to some of the comments by the Minister of Natural Resources, in which he commented that the Opposition was looking for a review and another review until the project of Muskrat Falls was made not feasible. I must point out, Mr. Chair, that in the initial environmental review process, the panel did come forward and say that this process was not the best option. The reviews to make this a good option have cost the tax payers of this Province an untold amount of money.

Mr. Chair, I would like to talk about transportation issues, especially in my District of Torngat Mountains, as well as the Labrador portion of our Province. Mr. Chair, we all know how important it is to have a modern, reliable transportation system and to have transportation infrastructure. In my own district is where transportation and transportation infrastructure is definitely lacking. I go back to last summer, Mr. Chair, with the introduction and operation of a vessel from the Great Lakes called the Dutch Runner, that in my opinion should have stayed in the Great Lakes. It's not a vessel that has the capability of operating in the Atlantic Ocean.

The 2011 shipping season, which included the North Coast of Labrador, Black Tickle, and Cartwright, was a complete disaster. We were very fortunate, Mr. Chair, with the help of the Minister of Transportation and Works, to get the Astron and the Bond on the eleventh hour to clear up the needs before the ice came to Northern Labrador. Mr. Chair, we averted a crisis last year. It reinforces the need for a long-term plan for transportation that includes vessels with the capability to handle our needs as well as infrastructure.

Mr. Chair, quite simply, we need a roll-on roll-off service. This will allow us to have more initiatives, a better chance for business developments, and to avoid the problems that we have had in the last forty years. Our service in the last two years has gone backwards in time, and I do not think in this day and age there is a need for that.

Mr. Chair, air transportation in Labrador is very expensive and very unreliable. What we need is an upgrade in our air services infrastructure. We are very hopeful that the purchase of Air Labrador at 51 per cent by the Nunatsiavut Government will lead to more improved and more affordable services; however, Mr. Chair, it does not take away the need for infrastructure.

Mr. Chair, Nain is a prime example of the need for infrastructure. Airplanes cannot land in this community after darkness. If we have to depend on the air ambulance to save lives, we are definitely compromised by the location of this airstrip.

I would like to make reference to the comments by the Member for Conception Bay East – Bell Island on the compliments he received on infrastructure throughout this Province and that he has been in Nain and in Northern Labrador. Mr. Chair, I imply that he did not spend very much time there, because I live there and we know the difference. Again, Mr. Chair, the need for infrastructure is of the utmost importance.

I heard the Member for Burin – Placentia West talk about having to take care of the basic needs of his family before he can get into designer items. I applaud him for having the ability to acquire the basic needs, because many communities in my district do not have that ability.

We would like to believe that we are a part of this Province and we are waiting for this government to prove that we are a part of this Province. I have stood here, Mr. Chair, and I have heard words and plans that I feel encouraged by, but I have yet to see action by this government.

I would like to talk about search and rescue just a little bit; I know it will be discussed in a motion tomorrow. Mr. Chair, we had an unfortunate situation in the last five weeks. We have had a lot to deal with. What we did see in terms of search and rescue is that the system in place, the protocol and procedures that the federal government deem as acceptable, did not work.

In closing, I would just like to say that we are hoping that there will be a federal-provincial investigation and that the problem will be fixed, protocols will be changed, so that lives will be saved by this, Mr. Chair.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

CHAIR: The Chair recognizes the hon. the Member for Humber West.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. GRANTER: Thank you, Mr. Chair.

It is a great opportunity to be able to stand in this House in the early days of the forty-seventh General Assembly and to be able to contribute to the decisions of this Province, Mr. Chair, that will have a long-lasting, positive impact on the great people in the communities of Newfoundland and Labrador.

I am pleased to have the opportunity to speak today to the Interim bill. Before I do, I also want to extend congratulations to all elected members of this House, and especially welcome all new members to this Chamber, no matter what political party they stand for. I also want to extend congratulations to the new Chair of the House and to the Chairs today.

To our Premier – the first elected female Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador – I offer sincerest, congratulatory best wishes. Your leadership and strength of character grounded in principal decision making and leadership has and will set a course of positive, creative, and dynamic destiny for our people, Mr. Chair.

I would be remiss if I did not say a great big thank you to the people of Humber West who not once last year voted me into the House of Assembly but twice in one year, Mr. Chair. I thank them and congratulate them for that. To the strong team of people who worked tirelessly during last fall's election, I offer my deepest and heartfelt thanks and unending appreciation.

Mr. Chair, before I get into some of the prepared notes I have made today, I just want to speak to some of the comments that have been raised on the floor of this House in the last little while, particularly the comments that have been raised by the Member for the Bay of Islands. I want to address a number of those issues, and it is a shame for the people who are watching on television that the Member for the Bay of Islands has all of a sudden left this Chamber.

AN HON. MEMBER: You cannot say that.

MR. GRANTER: Mr. Chair, if I was not supposed to say that, I will rescind that and take that back.

The Member for Bay of Islands questioned about the work of the Great Humber Joint Council. I attended the Great Humber Joint Council and brought greetings with regard to waste management on the West Coast. There is dialog, and continuous dialogue, that is taking place between the department and all of the councils on the West Coast. A decision will be forthcoming, Mr. Chair.

I want to remind the Member for Bay of Islands, if he had spent more time on Grenfell Campus, he would know that it is Grenfell Campus, Memorial University, not Grenfell College, Mr. Chair. I would also say this: He spoke about the model of delivery of leadership that they now have at Grenfell Campus in Corner Brook. There was ample consultation with the public – much consultation with the public, Mr. Chair. People in the community had a chance to speak. They got the model that they wanted. I will say to the Member for Bay of Islands: If they want a different model for Grenfell Campus, put it in your platform and run on it, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Chair, Grenfell Campus is seeing growth and has seen growth over the last little while. I would also say: Just look at Grenfell Campus and look at the millions of dollars that have been spent in Humber West, Bay of Islands, Humber East, and the western part of the Province by this government, Mr. Chair. I remind the Member for Bay of Islands that over the last four years, millions and millions of dollars have been spent in the Bay of Islands, more money spent in the Bay of Islands than any previous government, even when he was on the government side of the House.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. GRANTER: Mr. Chair, I do not know where the Member for Bay of Islands is coming from, but I want to say this. Just take a drive around Western Newfoundland, take a drive around Corner Brook, and have a look: courthouse, millions of dollars; long-term care on top of the hill, millions of dollars; the new dementia units in Corner Brook, millions of dollars; the eye-care centre in downtown Corner Brook, hundreds of thousands of dollars; a new administrative building in Grenfell Campus, millions of dollars; and a new residence at Grenfell Campus which is now under construction, millions of dollars.

When he was in the government side they did not deliver. This government delivers.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. GRANTER: He also questioned, Mr. Chair, the work of a very good community person in Corner Brook by the name of Don Downer. Dr. Don Downer, I would say, is a researcher. Dr. Don Downer has thirty to forty years in education. Dr. Don Downer is a published writer. Dr. Don Downer has a Ph.D. in biology.

I heard the Member for Bay of Islands on the radio a number of weeks back trying to say to the people on the radio listening that biology has nothing to do with waste management. I would simply say to the Member for Bay of Islands, biology and environmental science has everything to do with waste management.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. GRANTER: I will conclude, not by entire summary, but I will also conclude my comments with regard to what the Member for Bay of Islands has said. He referenced about backbenchers and I would simply say that member would have a lot of history with regard to backbenchers because he himself never, ever made it to the Cabinet when he was on the government side of the House.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. GRANTER: Mr. Chair, I never had to give up my seat to get a political appointment in this House. I did not have to do that. I worked hard for my election twice last year, Mr. Chair, as many people in the hon. House did.

I will get back to some of my prepared notes now. The people of Humber West, from one end of the district to the other –

CHAIR: Order, please!

The Opposition House Leader, on a point of order.

MS JONES: Yes, Mr. Chair, I want it noted for the record that the Member for Bay of Islands did nothing that was unacceptable or untoward. He ran, he was elected, he made a choice to step aside for someone else and there is nothing within our democratic system that says you cannot do that, Mr. Chair.

CHAIR: Order, please!

There is no point of order and I will ask the hon. member to resume his remarks.

MR. GRANTER: The people of Humber West, from one end of the district to the other, Mr. Chair, know and understand the importance of principal leadership and decision making. They understand the necessities of working together to forge a better way, not only for the people of Humber West, Mr. Chair, but for all people of the Province. In times of challenges and difficulty, the people of Humber West, and the West Coast, have always been there to stand firm with conviction and strength to forge a better way, to be pioneers, to lead, and to direct. In times of prosperity, the people have always been there to assist and help and lend the necessary helping hand, so often a part of the community fabric of people of this Province.

Mr. Chair, Humber West, Corner Brook and the West Coast, including Bay of Islands, is a great place to live and to raise a family. It is also a unique tourism destination offering the amenities of a large centre amongst beautiful landscape and charming people, Mr. Chair. It is a great place to live. It is also a tourist dream in both winter and summer with a whole host of offerings. I say this because this government, as the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation would attest, has invested heavily in tourism and tourist products for the past number of years, and we are now starting to see the fruits of our labours.

Tourism is a valuable part of the economic diversification of this Province, Mr. Chair. Working with partners, this government is continuing to implement a vision that will see a doubling of tourism revenue to $1.6 billion annually by 2020.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. GRANTER: Mr. Chair, we have led the way in the country on marketing through our award-winning –

MR. JOYCE: A point of order.

CHAIR: Order, please!

The hon. Member for Bay of Islands, on a point of order.

MR. JOYCE: I will just let the Member for Humber West know that I had to leave for a very important phone call. That is why I left the House. I understand that he mentioned – and, Mr. Chair, you were supposed to correct him – that I left the House because of a very important phone call –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

CHAIR: Order, please!

MR. JOYCE: – and that is why I had to leave the House. I will just let the Member for Humber West and the Chair know.

Thank you.

CHAIR: Order, please!

There is no point of order.

MR. KENNEDY: A point of order.

CHAIR: The hon. the Government House Leader, on a point of order.

MR. KENNEDY: The Member for Bay of Islands specifically directed the Chair to do something. The members of this House cannot direct the Chair to do something. He said, and I quote: The member made something and you should have corrected him. That is inappropriate. That is unparliamentary, Mr. Chair. It is the third time today that this member has engaged in unparliamentary behaviour.

CHAIR: Order, please!

The Opposition House Leader, responding to the point of order.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Chair.

The Member for Bay of Islands has every right to stand and point out the fact if another member names a member who is outside of the House. In our parliamentary system, we do not do that. It is unparliamentary to do that. He simply made a point of order to have the Chair's attention drawn to it.

MR. KENNEDY: (Inaudible) be clear is that no member of this House can direct the Chair to do anything. The Member for Bay of Islands said that you should have corrected the Member for Humber West.

CHAIR: Thank you.

The Chair will consider the comments of both House Leaders. The Chair will review Hansard, and we will report back tomorrow with a ruling.

MR. JOYCE: (Inaudible) bullying.

MR. KENNEDY: Again, a point of order, Mr. Chair.

CHAIR: The Government House Leader, on another point of order.

MR. KENNEDY: The Member for Bay of Islands is chirping from his chair. He referred to the fact that we are trying to bully the other side, Mr. Chair. The role of the House Leader is to raise issues in points of order. What we have done, Mr. Chair, is I raised an issue where he was directing the Chair. Again, it is unparliamentary, Mr. Chair, in what he just did.

CHAIR: The Chair did not hear the comments that the Government House Leader is referring to, but again we will review Hansard and we will report back to the House with a ruling at a later point.

I remind the hon. Member for Humber West that his time has now expired.

The hon. the Member for St. John's Centre.

MS ROGERS: Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I had the great pleasure last month of taking a bit of a cross-Island tour to take a look at what is happening in the issue of housing across the Province. In my District of St. John's Centre, we know that there is a severe housing crisis, so I wanted to know what was happening in other parts of the Province.

I flew up to St. Anthony and did a little bit of a road show and drove back down to St. John's, stopping in a number of communities along the way. I must say I was very surprised by what I found. I had a hunch, because so many of us had been hearing about the housing crunch that so many people are faced with. I was surprised by the extent of the problem.

In this wonderful period in which we find our Province, in this time of absolute prosperity, we can see that many people are getting creamed in the crunch. I stopped in St. Anthony on the Northern Peninsula, Stephenville, Corner Brook, Grand Falls-Windsor, Clarenville, and then wrapped up in St. John's and have yet to go to the Burin Peninsula and Labrador.

Many people came out to our meetings. There were people who themselves were having problems with their own housing situation. Mayors attended, town and city councillors attended, people who work in the non-profit areas who help people find housing. Without exception, everyone talked about the crisis in housing in our Province. The word crisis, Mr. Chair, was not my word, but the word of those who attended these sessions.

We heard stories particularly of seniors all over the Province. Whether seniors were living in their own homes in towns and communities, but could no longer afford to keep their homes up, or whether seniors had to move to larger centres to be closer to hospital facilities and other services – these were seniors who are living in fear because they have nowhere else to go.

I know that the government has done a lot in this area through Newfoundland and Labrador Housing, but it is not enough. I found it so distressing and disturbing to find that we have so many seniors, in my own district as well, who are actually living in fear – and then those who have managed to find an apartment are living in fear of the next raise in their rent. How many seniors said to me, one more raise and I can no longer stay in this apartment, because my apartment has gone up by $50 or $75 a month every year for the past five years. Then, I would say, well, where will you go? Mr. Chair, there is nowhere for them to go. The housing situation is absolutely dire and desperate for the seniors of our Province.

Then, not only did I hear about seniors, I heard from a number of tourism operators on the Great Northern Peninsula who said that they are ready to expand their businesses, but in fact, they cannot expand their businesses because the vacancy rate in almost every centre in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador is zero. So this has a direct impact on economic development in that they cannot expand their work because workers have nowhere to live.

Then I spoke to doctors and people who work in hospitals in some of the regional centres who said, we are having a hard time attracting nurses or other doctors because there is nowhere for them to live. There is not affordable housing for those who are on lower and middle income, and even for the higher earners, there is nowhere for them to live.

Then I heard stories about seniors couch surfing. We all know about young people couch surfing, but seniors, our seniors couch surfing – couch surfing in Newfoundland and Labrador. The people on whose backs this Province was built are couch surfing in Newfoundland and Labrador. How did we get to this point? We got to this point because of our prosperity, which is a wonderful thing, which we can all celebrate, but we have also got to this point because of neglect, because we do not have an overall housing policy and strategy to address the issues that we are so clearly developing because of our prosperity.

I spoke with the Mayor of Corner Brook, and he is so concerned about where students will be housed. The university in Corner Brook wants to expand its programs. Also –

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible).

MS ROGERS: I am talking about housing. When I look at the issue of housing all over the Province, Grand Falls-Windsor, Clarenville, anywhere where there are post-secondary education institutions, there is a desire by all the post-secondary education institutions to expand their programming but there is nowhere for the students to live. It is simply a fact, and it is simply a problem that has to be addressed. If people do not have a place to live, we will find that we cannot get workers; that students cannot attend post-secondary education situations.

The other thing that was very interesting to me - for instance, there is a woman who had called our office, who is in our district, who is a senior citizen and a victim of domestic abuse. Someone from her own family steals her medication. She has had to have the police, she has been roughhoused, and we have tried to find her housing for the past five weeks and we cannot help, there is nowhere. We have referred her to Newfoundland and Labrador Housing; there is no housing for her. This is a woman who lives in fear, who has had to have the police in a number of times. We are in the middle of a housing crisis.

I would like to think that it is just not a situation that affects people who are low and middle income. There are young families who are house poor because they are paying exorbitant child care costs, exorbitant student loans, and then on top of that they have to find housing.

To wrap it up, it has been great to bring this issue to the floor. I look forward to continuing to raise this issue in the House. I have every confidence that by working together we will be able to come up with solutions that will address some of these very glaring problems that are affecting so many people in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

CHAIR: The Chair recognizes the hon. the Minister of Transportation and Works.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. HEDDERSON: Mr. Chair, let me tell you, I am glad to be back in this House – very glad to be back in this House – because House is the place where you can come and be secure, and say what you need to say but also to say it in a way that is factual. When I sat here today, and to listen to the hon. member on the other side talking about a government not doing enough – as a matter of fact, even suggesting that we are not doing anything – you can only take so much of that.

I was not speaking today. I think someone else was ahead of me, but I have to get up and I have to set the record straight. Is this nothing, I ask the House, is this nothing; new construction and facilities, $16.2 million over three years to build approximately 245 more new affordable housing units. Is that nothing, I ask?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. HEDDERSON: The partnerships we are dealing with, 207 of those are the private sector and thirty-nine of them are supportive living. Supportive living is for people who are in vulnerable situations who have complex needs. Again, I ask the House, is that nothing? Is that something to be sloughed at?

How about the City of St. John's, $5.2 million for thirty-five new affordable housing units in Pleasantville? Again, I ask the House, is that something to be just nothing?

How about $2.4 million since 2009 for the construction of four housing units in Nain and in Hopedale? Is that nothing? I think as a government we can be proud of the investments that we are making.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. HEDDERSON: On new construction facilities again, $4.8 million annually through our nationally renowned Poverty Reduction Strategy to community-based organizations so they can create housing needs for people with complex needs.

I will keep going. I still have seven minutes, I hope.

AN HON. MEMBER: No, you do not, you have two.

MR. HEDDERSON: Well, let me just keep going.

How about rent supplements? Again, where we do not have housing units, we would go in and we would provide supplements so people can rent out from the private. By April of 2012, we will have had 1,732 rent supplement units. The provincial government will increase the rent supplement to $8 million in 2012, resulting in 375 new rent supplements.

Social housing renovations, our rental housing portfolio has undergone – now listen to this – $68.5 million transformation through federal and provincial funding – $68 million. Is that significant funds?

If you want to look at the scope of what we are doing in trying to get our units up to scratch, we have done some 1,413 units with windows; 1,100 units with doors; 948 with new roofing; and 1,000 with new siding. Now, not only are we looking for increasing the number of units, but we are also looking to make sure they are repaired.

What about the people who are living there and how we are helping those? What about a heat subsidy? The provincial government continues to provide $9.8 million annually to subsidize heating costs for all our rental housing – again. Our REE Program, $12 million to extend the Resident Energy Efficiency Program for three years; provincial home repair, $9.8 million last year; home modernization, $3 million annually. I rest my case.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

CHAIR: Order, please!

The hon. the Government House Leader.

MR. KENNEDY: Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I move that the Committee rise, report progress, and ask leave to sit again.

CHAIR: The motion is that the Committee rise, report progress, and ask leave to sit again.

Is it the pleasure of the Committee to adopt the motion?

All those in favour, ‘aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.

CHAIR: All those against, ‘nay'.

Carried.

On motion, that the Committee rise, report progress, and ask leave to sit again, Mr. Speaker returned to the Chair.

MR. SPEAKER (Wiseman): Order, please!

The hon. the Member for Mount Pearl North and Deputy Chair of Committees.

MR. KENT: Mr. Speaker, the Committee of Supply have considered the matters to them referred, and have directed me to report progress and ask leave to sit again.

MR. SPEAKER: The Chair of the Committee of Supply reports that the Committee has considered the matters to them referred and directed him to report progress and ask leave to sit again.

When shall the Committee sit again?

MR. KENNEDY: Tomorrow.

On motion, report received and adopted. Committee ordered to sit again on tomorrow.

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

MR. KENNEDY: Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the Minister of Finance, that the House do now adjourn.

MR. SPEAKER: It is moved and seconded that this House now adjourn.

Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

All those in favour, ‘aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.

MR. SPEAKER: This House now stands adjourned until 2:00 tomorrow afternoon.

On motion, the House at its rising adjourned until tomorrow, Wednesday, at 2:00 p.m.