The House met at 1:30 p.m.

MR. SPEAKER (Wiseman): Order, please!

Admit strangers.

Today we are very pleased to welcome to our galleries six Level II students who are Silver Edinburgh Award recipients. The students attend Elwood High and are from the District of Humber Valley. They are accompanied today by a number of their chaperones, together with their teacher Brenda Bingle, who is also the leader of their program.

Congratulations on your award, and welcome to our Assembly.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Today we are going to have members' statements from the Member for the District of Bonavista South; the Member for the District of St. John's Centre; the Member for the District of Terra Nova; the Member for the District of Lake Melville; the Member for the District of Humber Valley; and together with the Member for the District of Burgeo – La Poile.

The hon. the Member for the District of Bonavista South.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. LITTLE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, hon. colleagues, I would like to recognize and congratulate the members of the Heritage Huskies Cheerleading team of Heritage Collegiate School in Lethbridge, Bonavista Bay for their recent victory. The thirty-two member team participated in a two-day competition on March 24 and March 25 at Cheer Expo in Halifax, Nova Scotia that included over 200 cheerleading teams. The Huskies competed in the Open Senior Level II category, and due to a flawless performance, they were able to bring home a national banner. This was achieved through many hours of hard work and dedication.

After only two years as a team, it is quite an accomplishment that they secured a national banner, while competing with individuals who had been practicing since they were as young as five-years-old or six-years-old. In fact, this is only the second time the team performed in public, the first time being when they attended the provincial competition and won the title in their category. Coach Janice Harnum is to be commended for giving so much of her time and effort.

Mr. Speaker, members of the House, please join me in congratulating the Heritage Huskies on a job well done.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS ROGERS: Mr. Speaker, it is Mental Health Week here in Canada, and I rise today to thank an organization based in my district for all the incredible work they do to help people living with mental illness.

The Consumers' Health Awareness Network Newfoundland and Labrador, better known as CHANNAL, is a provincial grassroots organization run for and by individuals with mental health issues.

CHANNAL does so much to help people get stronger. They provide all kinds of support for people, including self-help groups, social activities, counselling, and advocacy.

In any given year, one in five Canadians will face a mental health problem. Mental illness still causes fear among those who do not understand it and people living with mental illness often face a double challenge of dealing with stigma. CHANNAL works tirelessly to combat that stigma. In a joyous and a strong way, what fantastic work they do.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all hon. members to join me in celebrating the employees and volunteers at CHANNAL. Bravo, yes, bravo again to CHANNAL for their incredible work!

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

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

I rise today to recognize and commend the Dover and Area Community Family Coalition. This non-profit, community-based organization provides a valuable service in a number of towns throughout my district. While the hub site is in Dover, there are satellite sites in Gambo, Glovertown, and Eastport, as well as a site operated in my colleague's District of Bonavista North in the Town of Centreville. In total, Mr. Speaker, they provide service to seventeen communities.

Their mandate is to create healthy and safe environments for children to learn and grow, while at the same time teaching both the children and their parents, important skills.

Mr. Speaker, I have firsthand experience with this group, as my fifteen-month-old daughter is currently enrolled in one of the programs at the Family Resource Centre in Glovertown. As new parents, such groups are so vitally important. It allows children to have interaction amongst their peers while at the same time providing time for parents to network and share ideas with one another.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all members of this House to join with me in thanking Nicole Parsons, Program Coordinator, and all her very skilled and capable staff members and all those who volunteer. You are all to be commended.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Lake Melville.

MR. RUSSELL: Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today in this hon. House to recognize the 2012 graduating class of the Eric G. Lambert School in the community of Churchill Falls in the great District of Lake Melville.

Mr. Speaker, it was my pleasure and privilege to be a part of the ceremony and celebrations this past Saturday, May 5, and it was my honour to bring greetings on behalf of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador and address the fifteen proud graduates.

It started, Mr. Speaker, with an inspirational church service and a wonderful meal, then, in the school gym; later that evening, these young adults at the theatre were presented with their diplomas. This is where I had the opportunity to address the 2012 graduating class of Eric G. Lambert School, and they are: Mark Acreman, Darian Bird, Emily Bonnell, Mark Brushett, Shane Collins, William Flynn, Sarah Fowler, Bailey Fudge, Tyler Harris, Brandon Jones, Devon Lethbridge, Alexis Loder, Adam Loder, Andrew Loder, and Kane Priddle.

I ask all hon. members of this House to congratulate these graduates from the community of Churchill Falls for their hard work, dedication, and successful achievement of this most important milestone, and to wish them all the best of luck in their future endeavours.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Humber Valley.

MR. BALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise in this hon. House today to recognize six Level II students from Elwood Regional High School in Deer Lake who, this morning, were presented with the Silver Award in the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Program by his honour, the Honourable John C. Crosbie, Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador.

I would like to congratulate and recognize Jacob Young, Mackenzie Bingle, Marisa O'Brien, Courtney Porter, Taylor Moores, Michaela Pye, and their group leader, Mrs. Brenda Bingle.

Mr. Speaker, these six youth began in June 2011 working towards this goal that they have achieved today. They spent two nights this past March battling the elements as they slept in a rugged cabin and cooked all meals in the great outdoors. They battled the cold, they battled the snow, and they returned triumphant.

To complete all the tasks of this prestigious youth award, some participated in various sports, and others assisted in organizing events like: the 30 Hour Famine, which is a peer-mentoring program; the Shave for the Brave; and the Youth Relay for Life. These youth contributed to their town, to their school, and to their overall well-being, and are commended for successfully completing all requirements.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all members of this hon. House to join with me in congratulating these remarkable six Level II students from Deer Lake on their Silver Duke of Edinburgh Award. These are a testament to the success of the program, as they set goals and successfully achieved them in a fun and a challenging way.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

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

I rise today to recognize and congratulate the Royal Canadian Legion Channel Branch 11 men's dart team. Branch 11 took the provincial title in this year's darts tournament on March 10 and 11 in St. John's.

The four-man team was comprised of Ivan Bragg, Guy Bobbett, Richard LeRiche of Port aux Basques, and Paul Osmond of Cape Ray. They won the right to compete provincially by becoming the top four scorers on the local level and then winning the regionals in Deer Lake.

The provincial tournament had them going up against ten teams in a round robin, and competed against Clarenville in the finals. Port aux Basques won the best of three series, and then became the provincial champions. They represented the Province at the national tournament in Vancouver, BC on May 5 and 6, and placed fourth in singles, doubles, and teams.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all members of this House to join with me in extending congratulations to Ivan Bragg, Guy Bobbett, Richard LeRiche, and Paul Osmond on becoming the provincial dart champions and a good showing in the nationals at Vancouver.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Statements by Ministers.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Innovation, Business and Rural Development.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. HUTCHINGS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, last Friday I had the good fortune of joining representatives from Statoil, Terra Nova, ExxonMobil, and Ocean Quest to help launch the Marine Advanced Technology Education Centre's 2012 Remotely Operated Vehicle Competition at the Marine Institute.

This annual competition brings together students from throughout Newfoundland and Labrador to execute specified tasks using remotely operated vehicles that they have designed and built themselves.

This year's competition highlighted the role that remotely operated vehicles play in evaluating World War II shipwrecks and the potentially hazardous material that they may still contain. During the competition, which took place in the Marine Institute's Flume Tank, teams completed tasks where they surveyed a shipwreck site and removed oil from that shipwreck.

The competition is an engaging and rewarding experience for students and continues to grow in popularity. This year, 200 highly-energized students representing twenty high schools participated in the competition.

Clarenville High School repeated as provincial champion and will now represent the Province at the international competition in Orlando, Florida.

I congratulate Clarenville High School and wish them all the best in Orlando. I would also like to acknowledge the important contribution of the event co-ordinators at the Marine Institute, all of the teachers, participants and sponsors for making this event possible. It requires a significant commitment as they volunteer evenings and weekends to construct these impressive vehicles and deliver first-class events.

Mr. Speaker, events of this nature are critical in sparking the interest of today's youth to the vast opportunities that exist in Newfoundland and Labrador's ocean technology sector – a sector that is looking to double its value to $1 billion by 2015. Past students have already used this experience to guide them through their career choice and are now actively engaged in this promising sector.

As a government, we are working with our industry and community partners to advance initiatives of this nature that support the long-term growth of key industry sectors. By providing unique learning experiences to those 200 students and countless others throughout the Province, we are increasing their ability to discover new riches, develop new businesses, and to become future pioneers.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. BENNETT: I thank the minister for his advance copy.

Mr. Speaker, it is always great to see further successes of our young people. As often as not, the best support we can give to our energetic and bright young people is to give them the tools they need to succeed and then just get out of the way.

Remotely operated vehicles, (ROVs) are amazingly useful technologies. They have visited the Titantic and are broadly used to explore exotic life at extreme depths. In this jurisdiction, remotely operated vehicles are useful in the offshore oil sector, examining and maintaining the underwater well heads. As a people with a focus on the water, we have long sailed upon it, we have fished from it, now we can develop the technology to send vehicles down and explore the deepest levels.

Congratulations to this team from Clarenville and good luck in Orlando.

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

MR. MURPHY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I also want to thank the minister for the advance copy of his statement today. Mr. Speaker, we congratulate all participants in the Marine Advanced Technology Education Centre's ROV competition at the Marine Institute this year, along with the volunteers who dedicated time and their leadership to this worthwhile event.

If there is anything that catches the imagination of youth and the young entrepreneur, it is the spirit of being able to use one's imagination to explore the realms of the possible. The success of the students and participants in this program is evident in the time and the commitment that was sacrificed. The evidence of their success was probably matched by the smiles on their faces at the end of this event.

By using imagination, some have probably already set a new course in their chosen careers. We hope that government continues strong investments in education and innovation in all sectors to make the imagined outcomes a living reality.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Service Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. DAVIS: Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today in this hon. House to provide an update on the BizPaL program.

Mr. Speaker, BizPaL is an innovative service that provides entrepreneurs with simplified access to information on permits, licences, or other approvals needed from all three levels of government to establish and run their businesses. The service saves time and money, and improves business planning. This unique partnership among federal, provincial, territorial, regional, and municipal governments is designed to cut through the paper burden and red tape that business owners may encounter.

The success of this program has been seen through its growth and expansion across Newfoundland and Labrador. Service NL continues to invite communities from all areas of the Province to join the program at no cost and works to support them on implementation.

During the past twelve months, Mr. Speaker, we have seen continued expansion with twelve new municipalities added to increase the total number of partner communities to thirty-eight. These new municipalities are: Deer Lake, Kippens, Portugal Cove – St. Philip's, Bay Roberts, Bonavista, Pasadena, Flatrock, Cormack, Steady Brook, Humber Arm South, Burin, and Marystown. Along with the previous twenty-six communities, these municipalities are ready to work with entrepreneurs locally and from around the world.

In addition to simplifying access to business forums and information, BizPaL raises the profile of partner municipalities to national and international levels. The national BizPaL site is accessed, on average, 4,000 times each week. Our statistics show us that these visitors are coming to the site from all over the Province, across the country and around the world, from countries as far away as India, South Korea, and Russia. These visitors are interested in doing business in this Province, and BizPaL offers an on-line, step-by-step guide to help them with every aspect of conducting their activities in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Mr. Speaker, Service NL has a mandate to make government services more readily available to the people of the Province. BizPaL is a great example of these efforts and will continue to be an important tool for service delivery by government. Most important, BizPaL is a means for business people to obtain valuable information to assist them as they work to establish and maintain successful business ventures.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The Member for Torngat Mountains.

MR. EDMUNDS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank the minister for the advance copy of his statement. As the minister states, Mr. Speaker, BizPaL is an on-line, one-stop service for entrepreneurs that simplifies the process of finding information on business permits and licences from all levels of government: federal, provincial and municipal.

Mr. Speaker, any tool that improves business delivery in the Province is to be commended. Mr. Speaker, I remind the minister there are 276 incorporated municipalities, so this government has a lot of work yet to do. As of now, as the minister states, there are only thirty-eight in this program which began back in 2009.

Also, Mr. Speaker, this program only works for those communities that have Internet access, and we know that there are still communities across this Province that are part of the dark zone where Internet access is not provided. I also suggest, Mr. Speaker, that in terms of on-line service delivery, I look forward to the day when the minister has a statement boasting about the improved motor vehicle computer system that is currently out of date.

Mr. Speaker, in some districts, vehicle licences are for seven-month periods; this is common. Unfortunately, the constituents cannot avail of the on-line discounts as people in other parts of this Province can. This is primarily due to outdated computer technology.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

MR. MURPHY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I, too, also want to thank the minister for the advance copy of his statement. I am glad to see the BizPaL service for businesses is expanding to more communities. Small businesses just starting out need as much help as they possibly can with red tape involved. For most businesses in rural areas, a major barrier to utilizing government services is a lack of high-speed Internet. We hope that government moves quickly to fulfill its obligations to bring high-speed Internet to all parts of the Province so that all businesses can have access to innovative government services.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: Oral Questions.

MR. SPEAKER: The Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It was disturbing yesterday to hear that the marine medical calls from our Province were being routed to Italy. On April 26 in this House, the Premier stated she would be monitoring what was happening with the closure of the MRSC and move to Halifax – you would be monitoring this very, very carefully.

I ask the Premier: During the very, very careful monitoring, how did you miss this important link?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KING: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Certainly, we do share a concern with the Opposition on what transpired there. The Premier has had direct conversation with Minister Ashfield on this issue to express our concern with the events that transpired and surprise, in fact, with how things happened.

Mr. Speaker, it is our understanding that the crux of the matter happened with the closure of the service centre here in St. John's. There was a contract with a company, PRAXES, that was terminated. About 100 or so calls per year that were being received here were transferred to QEII in Halifax. When they received the extra workload, they decided to withdraw their services because they could not handle it. The service that was then taken on from Italy was a very interim measure while they finished contract negotiations with PRAXES for all of Atlantic Canada. That has been done. It was secured last night.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. BALL: Mr. Speaker, the Premier also stated in the House that search and rescue services in our Province would not be diminished. She stated that she had a commitment from one Rear-Admiral Gardam that together they would ensure the maximum standards were in place. I know now that you have been talking to Minister Ashfield.

Can you now ensure us that this type of activity will never happen again?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, we have expressed our concern over and over to the federal government with regard to the amalgamation of JRCC in Halifax. There was no way to anticipate that QEII would terminate their contract and walk away from their contract, not only regarding the calls in Newfoundland and Labrador, I say, but with regard to the calls in Atlantic Canada. All of JRCC, they withdrew totally from the contract.

I understand there was a two-day period that the services were being provided by the company in Italy while a contract was negotiated with PRAXES to handle all of the calls, Mr. Speaker. I am not responsible for the Coast Guard. I will continue to be vigilant and bring issues to the attention of the federal government as they arise.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. BALL: Just a quick question, for clarification: You were not notified what was happening with this call centre? You only found out just yesterday?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I was made aware yesterday. I was not called directly on this matter. I found out yesterday. I was surprised and I was extremely concerned. I have relayed that to Minister Ashfield.

I am glad that the matter has been resolved quickly because that is extremely important to the people whose lives depend on it, Mr. Speaker. I have asked Minister Ashfield to do everything that he can do to ensure this does not happen again.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. BALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

On May 3, in this House, the Minister of Natural Resources stated that his government's vision for Muskrat Falls was closely aligned to that of Premier Dexter's in Nova Scotia. Today, there is a little different approach, because Premier Dexter just introduced legislation in his province to ensure a proper regulatory review of the Muskrat Falls Project.

So I ask the Premier: Why are Nova Scotians getting a more thorough and a more rigorous review than we are in Newfoundland and Labrador?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, there has never been a project in the history of this Province that has received the scrutiny that the Muskrat Falls Project has received, Mr. Speaker – and that is a good thing.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: That is a good thing, Mr. Speaker. I have encouraged people over and over and over again to ask questions. I have encouraged people to show us, show us in a very concrete way where the gap in our analysis might occur, if they have identified one. Nobody has been able to do it to this end, Mr. Speaker. In terms of what has happened here with the PUB and what is happening in Nova Scotia, the bill in Nova Scotia is allowing the Nova Scotia government to set up the parameters –

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL: I would remind the Premier that there were two very credible sources that actually did not give the green light to this project - that being the Joint Review Panel and their own PUB - and that decision is now being dismissed. So, the legislation in Nova Scotia states that there is a need to provide a predictable, timely, and transparent regulatory review process.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. BALL: So, given the significant financial risks that we will be left with in this Province, do Newfoundlanders and Labradorians not deserve a predictable, timely, and transparent review process similar to what has happened in Nova Scotia, on the Muskrat Falls review?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, what happened here in Newfoundland and Labrador was, the government directed the PUB to do a review of Muskrat Falls, answering the burning questions that have been put forward, the two questions that were put forward by the Opposition day in, day out, day in, day out in this House. We took their questions, Mr. Speaker, and referred them to the PUB.

What is happening in Nova Scotia is a bill before their Legislature that will allow the Government of Nova Scotia to set up an inquiry in the same manner, with the same kind of – to be able to set parameters in the same way that the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. BALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Just a week ago a downtown pharmacy closed in St. John's leaving 100 patients who were on methadone displaced. Now these people are being transferred to Pleasantville, to the Opioid Treatment Center, but this is not a long-term solution. New pharmacies or new locations need to be found to help those patients with methadone.

I ask the minister: Has there been any success in recruiting new locations or new pharmacies to accommodate these 100 patients?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS SULLIVAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Yes, Mr. Speaker, we are in the process of trying to find additional opportunities for those 100-or-so methadone patients to be able to be accommodated at other pharmacies throughout the city area.

In the meantime, what is happening is that the patients are being treated at the Opioid Centre. We are not impacting the clients that we had there previously. They are still receiving their treatments without any difficulties at all. The times have simply been managed in such a way as the new clients are coming in from 2:30 to 7:30 in the evenings, and it seems to be working well.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. BALL: Mr. Speaker, the methadone program across the Province is sorely lacking. We only have about four or five doctors who actually prescribe methadone, for people with addictions. Only one of those is outside the St. John's area, this is in Grand Falls – Windsor. There is no one on the West Coast or in Labrador. We have often heard stories of people actually going to methadone treatment centres in Grand Falls, for instance, having to hitchhike their way to see the doctor.

I ask the minister: When will this government finally put a methadone program that is provincial wide and not solely dependent on the services here in the Avalon and in Central?

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 are doing everything we can in terms of providing methadone to those clients that are determined to need methadone. I should remind the member opposite that in terms of treating addictions in this Province methadone is only one of the options that is available.

The member opposite suggested that we only have four or five physicians who are prescribing. We actually have ten physicians in the Province who are prescribing methadone.

Mr. Speaker, there are however, a large number of other options that have to do with our crises centre, that have to do with our recovery centre, that have to do with the Opioid Centre. There are many, many options that are available. Counselling is another very important method of being able to deal with serious addictions, Mr. Speaker. Many of our clients have referred to counselling - individual, group, or self referral - and they are doing very well through that mode as well.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Torngat Mountains.

MR. EDMUNDS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the federal government data base has identified 2,396 federally-owned potential contaminated sites in this Province which need to be cleaned up. I have a list of the 2,396 sites in this Province.

I ask the minister: What representation has he made to the federal government to have these sites assessed, prioritized, and eventually cleaned up?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Service Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. DAVIS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

These sites that have been identified are known to officials in the Department of Environment and Conservation here in the provincial government, but these sites are federal sites. The responsibility lies with the federal government, but I can assure you that officials in the provincial Department of Environment and Conservation will continue to work with those federal officials to ensure the environment of Newfoundland and Labrador is protected.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Torngat Mountains.

MR. EDMUNDS: Mr. Speaker, at least the federal government has done an inventory of the contaminated sites in their responsibility. The Auditor General, Mr. Speaker, for this Province has pointed out several times that the Province has no central inventory of contaminated sites and this makes it difficult for the government to prioritize and estimate the cost of clean up.

I ask the minister: Is this government going to act on the advice of the Auditor General?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Service Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. DAVIS: Mr. Speaker, I thought the last answer I provided to the hon. member was quite clear, that the sites that he is referring to are the responsibility of the federal government, the Government of Canada. We are here in the Province of Newfoundland; we are the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is their sites that he is referring to.

Now having said that, officials in the provincial Department of Environment continue to have working relations with the federal government officials, will continue to do so, and in many matters, including these sites. We will continue to work with those federal officials to ensure that the environment of Newfoundland and Labrador is being protected.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Torngat Mountains.

MR. EDMUNDS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

One of the major contaminated sites in this Province is the former Abitibi Consolidated site in Grand Falls. Mr. Speaker, the clean up cost has been estimated to be in the range of hundreds of millions of dollars.

I ask the minister: Can he give the House an update on the dispute between the government and Abitibi over who will cover this cost?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, again, another fallout of Abitibi's failure to live up to its responsibilities here in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Mr. Speaker, they were required by our law to clean up the mess that they left behind. Not only have they walked away from their responsibility, with the help of the courts of this country, from their responsibilities in the areas where we did take back properties, but they have walked away from everything in this Province, Mr. Speaker, and it is nothing short of scandalous.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The Member for St. Barbe.

MR. BENNETT: Mr. Speaker, on December 7, 2010 government announced funding for a Fish Harvesting Safety Association and a Fish Processing Safety Council so the Province could enter into a new era in fishing industry safety. That was over seventeen months ago and we have not heard a public update on this initiative.

I ask the minister: What is the status of these long overdue initiatives to protect our people?

MR. SPEAKER: The Minister of Service Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. DAVIS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

In 2010, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador announced $500,000 to work towards the establishment of a fishery processing industry safety association as well as a fish harvesters' association. As well, the Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission also contributed $500,000 towards this initiative.

Mr. Speaker, in August of 2011, the work got underway. The work is progressing very well in regard to the fish harvesters' association. We are still trying to move forward with the work for the fish processors' association as well.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The Member for St. Barbe.

MR. BENNETT: Mr. Speaker, the Professional Fish Harvesters Certification Board has had a proposal in to WHSCC for over five months.

Can the minister explain why this proposal has not been accepted? What is the hold up and when will the association get the green light for their proposal?

MR. SPEAKER: The Minister of Service Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. DAVIS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I can tell the member opposite and as well the people of Newfoundland and Labrador that the safety of workers in Newfoundland and Labrador is of utmost importance to this Province and to this government, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. DAVIS: That includes people in the fishing industry as well, Mr. Speaker. I am going to tell you, what we are going to do is we are going to do this properly. We are going to take our time, we are going to give due diligence to this process, and we are going to make sure that we get it right in the best interests of the workers of Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The Member for St. Barbe.

MR. BENNETT: Mr. Speaker, just this past week alone there have been two deaths on fishing vessels on the Northern Peninsula. This is occupational health and safety week and according to the government's own statistics, fatalities in the fish harvesting sector represent a quarter of all workplace deaths.

I ask the minister: What is he doing to ensure a more timely solution that will reduce fatalities on the water?

MR. SPEAKER: The Minister of Service Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. DAVIS: Mr. Speaker, the hon. member opposite is correct, this is North American Occupational Safety and Health Week. It is a time where we make efforts in our department and throughout government to impress upon all workers, all employers in the Province as well, and everyone, not only in the workplace but at home as well to be ever vigilant about safety – safety in their day-to-day lives, as I said in the workplace, and at home as well.

I can tell you, Mr. Speaker, that the safety of people in the fishing industry is very important to us as well. It is very important that we do what we can to ensure the safety of all people, including those in the fishing industry. We are going to give this due diligence. We are going to do this properly. We are going to move forward on this project. It is very important to us. We are going to work with the industry, and we are going to make our best efforts to make sure that we reach a successful conclusion on this project.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. A. PARSONS: Mr. Speaker, on January 26, 2011 government received the report of a statutory review by Commissioner John Cummings into the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act. From this report, we were lead to expect that substantial amendments to the act would be presented for consideration by the House.

My question to the minister: Will we be receiving these amendments for consideration during this session?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

Yes, Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is correct; we did receive the report from Mr. Cummings. The ATIPPA legislation, Mr. Speaker, is a very significant, comprehensive piece of legislation. It had to be submitted to all departments for input and analysis. That analysis and consideration is still ongoing. If we have it ready, Mr. Speaker, in time to get it into this House, we will. We want to make sure when it does come to the House, it is the best piece of legislation we can get.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. A. PARSONS: Mr. Speaker, I am confused because the minister's answer was similar to the answer that he gave during the Estimates Committee; however, on May 2 in this House when we actually debated the private members' motion to regulate the House calendar, the Government House Leader said we should expect the legislation in early June.

My question to the minister is: Who is right or wrong here, and will we receive these this session?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. F. COLLINS: I answer it the same. We are working on it, trying to get it ready for presentation in this session of the House. If we have it ready, we will certainly bring it.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The Leader of the Third Party.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Harper government has moved from treating us in this Province with indifference to treating us with contempt. There is no other conclusion to be made from the latest revelations of marine distress calls routed to Italy. Mr. Speaker, earlier in this session the Premier stood in this House and said she would hold Harper accountable to the people of this Province. In her words, she said: I step up, and I step up every day.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the Premier: What is she doing now to live up to that commitment?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I expect I am doing the same thing the Leader of the Third Party is doing. I am doing the same thing that the Leader of the Opposition is doing. I am doing the same thing that every concerned Newfoundlander and Labradorian is doing, Mr. Speaker. We are messaging to the federal government that we have the right to have a certain level of service here in this Province and that the federal government has a responsibility to provide the same, Mr. Speaker. Where we think they are deficient, we are going to point that out and ask them to address it. That is what I am doing. I hope you are doing the same.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS MICHAEL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MS MICHAEL: Mr. Speaker, I point out to the Premier that her track record with her federal counterpart is abysmal, whether it is her inability to keep the vital Marine Rescue Sub-Centre open or have an independent offshore safety authority created.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MS MICHAEL: Mr. Speaker, I ask the Premier: She has talked the talk, but she is in a position to walk the walk, so what is she prepared to do as she walks that walk?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, day after day after day in this House of Assembly we hear members opposite trying to hold the provincial government responsible for what happens in Ottawa. What is your track record? What is your track record? You have as much influence in Ottawa, one assumes, as anybody else in this House, Mr. Speaker.

We make our positions clear to the Prime Minister. I have said time and time again, when the Prime Minister does things that are good for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: – as he has done, Mr. Speaker, we will speak to that. When we do not feel that the legitimate aspirations of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador are being heard and addressed, we are going to speak to that as well.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

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

So all the Premier can do, Mr. Speaker, is –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The Speaker has recognized the Leader of the Third Party.

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

So the Premier has acknowledged that all she can do when it comes to Ottawa is talk the talk.

Mr. Speaker, it is National Nursing Week and public sector unions are calling on government to acknowledge the growing responsibilities of nursing professionals in health care today. One thing they want is for government to recognize the extra training and responsibilities that licensed practical nurses have in our health care facilities.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the Minister of Health and Community Services: Will her department formally recognize LPNs for their actual training and day-to-day scope of work?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS SULLIVAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I am really uncertain as to what that question is about. We have always valued the work of LPNs in this Province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS SULLIVAN: Mr. Speaker, in fact, scopes of practice in Newfoundland and Labrador have been recognized for our LPNs right across this country. We are very proud of that. They do phenomenal work in this Province.

Mr. Speaker, in terms of recognizing their ability to perform to a scope of practice that is nationally recognized, we are using them more and more, particularly in our long-term care facilities.

I am really not sure what she is referring to when she says we do not have an appreciation for LPNs in this Province. We are very, very much appreciative of the work they do.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS MICHAEL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, Canada's provinces, through the Council of the Federation, are looking for innovative ways to make health care delivery more sustainable. They see one solution in patient care teams of registered nurses, practical nurses, and others such as licensed practical nurses who are utilized fully according to their training and skill level.

Mr. Speaker, will the minister ensure that licensed practical nurses are utilized fully in patient care and recognized for their qualifications? I hope she understands what I am asking now.

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS SULLIVAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am equally baffled as I was with the last question. We recognize the work that LPNs do in this Province. They work to their full scope of practice, Mr. Speaker. They are appreciated for the work that they do and we will continue to see that LPNs work to their full scope of practice.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS MICHAEL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, physicians strongly support the work of nurse practitioners because they can take on much of the work of diagnosis and treatment. Patients want to see more nurse practitioners in the system because they can reduce wait times and provide individual attention, but we need nurse practitioners in health centres and other facilities across the Province.

I ask the minister: When will she sit down with nurses and health authorities and come up with a plan for getting more nurse practitioners into every part of our health care system?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS SULLIVAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I sit down with nurses whenever they request that meetings are required.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS SULLIVAN: Mr. Speaker, I will continue to do that.

In Newfoundland and Labrador we currently have 105 nurse practitioners that are in service already. Mr. Speaker, this Province was the lead in terms of being able to put nurse practitioners into practice and we will continue to work to see that the nurse practitioner program is supported and that nurse practitioners are supported in the work that they do in this Province.

We recognize the good work that they do, Mr. Speaker. We value it.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. KIRBY: Mr. Speaker, in response to a question in the House a week ago regarding salary details, which the government decided not to make available this year, the Minister of Finance said he would be happy to provide this information when he has it.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. KIRBY: Mr. Speaker, I ask the Minister of Finance: Do you have the salary details information yet and will you endeavour to provide this information as soon as possible?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. MARSHALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Leader of the Opposition, the Leader of the NDP requested that the information that was normally contained in the Salary Details book would be gathered and released to them. Government had not planned to do that, but in light of the request we undertook to do it.

The day it was asked for, we instructed our officials to gather the information. I am advised that it has taken a little bit longer than we had anticipated, due to gathering information about the reorganization of some departments that took place during the year. I am told we now have the information; it is in the process of being consolidated. As soon as it is given to me and it is completed, I will be very happy to deliver it to the Opposition and the Third Party.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. MURPHY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Two days ago in the House, the minister referred to an investment in defibrillators as part of a strategic investment towards heart health in the Province. The minister refers to these as being an excellent investment in heart health, and they are. However, last month a news story broke through CBC Nova Scotia referring to a defibrillator that did not receive proper maintenance that almost led to tragedy. Further to this, Health Canada reports 562 incidents and nine deaths associated with non-working defibrillators in recent years because of poor maintenance.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. MURPHY: Mr. Speaker, I ask the minister: What is being done to maintain and service these automated external defibrillators to ensure that they will be effective and working when they are needed the most?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Intergovernmental and Aboriginal Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. McGRATH: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, our government has supported a program up to funding of $200,000 over the last two years in the automated defibrillators. When those automated defibrillators go out there, Mr. Speaker, you have to do a course - I personally have done the course myself - and then the Occupational Health and Safety Committees are the ones that are responsible to make sure that they are kept up to standards, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. MURPHY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Province of Manitoba has passed legislation ensuring the maintenance of defibrillators in publicly used areas, as well as public access programs to educate the public and emergency 911 operators on the location of these devices.

Will the minister take a proactive approach to introduce legislation, as the Manitoba government has, to ensure the accurate maintenance and use of these life-saving devices?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Intergovernmental and Aboriginal Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. McGRATH: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Again, I said that when the defibrillators are put out, they are put out and there is a committee put in place wherever the defibrillators are that are trained and certified to maintain those defibrillators. That process is already being done.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS ROGERS: Mr. Speaker, addicts and their families are crying out for help as the drug addiction crisis in the Province grows. People do not set out to become addicted. Were this another type of sickness, government would scramble to find the resources. Mr. Speaker, to not deal with this properly results in increased suffering, lost lives, and increased crime.

I ask the Minister of Health and Community Services: What is she doing to quickly and comprehensively deal with this growing crisis?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS SULLIVAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House, we also understand that addictions are a serious problem. We understand that and we also are working. In fact, to the tune of $29 million over the last two years we have been working to address situations with regard to addictions in this Province, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I have outlined in this House, and I am willing to outline time and time again until they understand on the other side of the House, that there are a number of options that are available for persons in this Province who have addictions-related issues. It is not simply to talk about methadone. That is one option. There are a number of options that we can put forward, Mr. Speaker, and if I get a second question I will certainly put those forward.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS ROGERS: Mr. Speaker, health professionals tell me that people with addictions need wraparound services that include real assessment, medical detox, and ongoing counselling in a timely manner in order to successfully beat their addictions. Wait-lists in this Province for treatments are growing. Making them wait for months does not work.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the Minister of Health and Community Services: These are your experts, why aren't you listening to them and giving them the resources they need to do their job properly?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services with a quick response.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS SULLIVAN: Mr. Speaker, first of all I take exception to the fact that I am not listening to people out there. I am listening on a daily basis.

Mr. Speaker, we have a Mental Health and Addictions ministerial advisory committee that I very much value in the department, and I listen to them on a regular basis in this department.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS SULLIVAN: Mr. Speaker, in terms of what we are doing as a result of listening to these people who are advising us in the department, let me go through the list. There is a recovery centre in St. John's, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The time for Question Period has expired.

Presenting Reports by Standing and Select Committees.

Tabling of Documents.

Notices of Motion.

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

MR. KENNEDY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I give notice that under Standing Order 11 I shall move –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The Speaker has recognized the Government House Leader.

MR. KENNEDY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I give notice that under Standing Order 11, I shall move that this House not adjourn at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, May 14, 2012.

Further, Mr. Speaker, I give notice under Standing Order 11, I shall move this House not adjourn at 10:00 p.m. on Monday, May 14, 2012.

MR. SPEAKER: Answers to Questions for which Notice has been Given.

Petitions.

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

MR. A. PARSONS: Mr. Speaker, I have a petition to the hon. House of Assembly of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in Parliament Assembled. The petition of the undersigned residents humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS the people of La Poile must use the provincial ferry system in order to travel to and from La Poile; and

WHEREAS the people of La Poile and visitors are required to wait at the Town of Rose Blanche-Harbour Le Cou from time to time for ferry services; and

WHEREAS there is no restroom-waiting room area at the Town of Rose Blanche-Harbour Le Cou where users of the ferry service may utilize washroom facilities; and

WHEREAS citizens of all ages including men, women, children, seniors and disabled persons require washroom –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. A. PARSONS: – facilities as a basic human need in the course of their travels or wait inside out of the elements in harsh weather conditions, and particularly while awaiting the transit systems; and

WHEREAS it is an abuse of human dignity as well as health and safety regulations to allow such degrading and dehumanizing circumstances to continue;

WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the House of Assembly to urge the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to immediately construct and operate a waiting room-restroom facility at the Town of Rose Blanche-Harbour Le Cou such that all users of the provincial ferry service may be able to utilize such a waiting area and washroom facilities.

As in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

This is the second time I have had the opportunity to stand on this petition. Again, it is a conversation that I have had with the minister and I do believe that the government realizes that this is an issue because not only do we have ferries that must go to and from the remote parts of this Province, but we must have the facilities there.

The reason that I stand and enter these petitions is that they are proven to work, and certainly there is a beautiful facility that is in the Town of Burgeo. It is a fantastic area, and it really does what it was set out to do, which allows people somewhere indoors, out of the elements, to sit and wait or use the washroom while they are waiting for the ferry. We all know what the weather conditions can be like; we might have ferries that are delayed. To sit and wait in your car is just not good enough in this day and age.

Again, entering these petitions can get things done. It is an issue that is a huge concern, not only to the people of La Poile but to the people who are travelling to La Poile, whether it be the provincial employees that are going down for various departments – I know Transportation has to go down, Fire and Emergency Services, and I go down myself quite often.

I put this forward, I am sure the minister hears this, and I look forward to when we can get a facility at that port.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Bay of Islands.

MR. JOYCE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I present a petition here today concerning cellphone coverage, Mr. Speaker.

WHEREAS the lack of cellular phone coverage in Lark Harbour, York Harbour, and Frenchman's Cove is a major safety concern for residents, especially in times of emergency; and

WHEREAS the lack of cellular phone coverage restricts and negatively impacts local businesses in the area, as compared to most areas of the Province; and

WHEREAS the tourism destinations in our area are without cellular phone coverage, causing a safety concern and inconvenience for tourists who visit; furthermore, the lack of cellular phone coverage can be a deterrent for people in choosing our region as a tourist destination; and

WHEREAS the residents of Lark Harbour, York Harbour, and Frenchman's Cove should have the same cellular phone coverage available as other areas of Newfoundland and Labrador that, as in some areas, have long had such service;

WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the House of Assembly to urge government to support our request to obtain cellular phone coverage.

As in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr. Speaker, once again, I stand and present this petition on behalf of the people from Lark Harbour, York Harbour, and Frenchman's Cove concerning cellphone coverage. As in the petition, it states the number of deterrents and safety concerns. It is a deterrent to business. It is a deterrent for tourism. It is a service now that most people in Newfoundland and Labrador are accustomed to and most people are willing to pay the extra for, Mr. Speaker, because it is becoming a way of life for business, it is becoming a safety concern – especially out in York Harbour and Lark Harbour, Mr. Speaker. I see the Minister of Tourism always promoting hiking trails. We have a lot of hiking trails and walking trails. A lot of people from Newfoundland, all over Newfoundland and Labrador, and across Canada, come out and do the trails and do the mountain climbs, and it is a very major safety concern.

I was encouraged to hear the minister say that he is having meetings with the federal government and possible providers in Newfoundland and Labrador. I congratulate the minister for that, and I will offer my services, Minister, if there is anything I can do there to sit in on the meetings, to help facilitate and pass on concerns and urge the local carriers. Anything that the federal government can do, I would support this, because as I mentioned before, on many occasions, and I mentioned at the meetings, this is not a one-area issue, this has a provincial scope, and to get this solved we have to get the provincial government, the federal government, and all the carriers at the same table so we can all try to work out a solution for all people in Newfoundland and Labrador. So, I offer my services to the minister. If you need someone from the Opposition to go to push that this is from all the parties in Newfoundland and Labrador, trying to represent all Newfoundland and Labrador, and I hope the minister will avail of that request. If there are any meetings that you want me to sit on –

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

I remind the member of his time.

MR. JOYCE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank the minister for offering that, and I will definitely take you up on that request.

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

MR. KIRBY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

This is a petition for needed changes to the Department of Education's school bus transportation policy.

To the hon. House of Assembly of the Province of Newfoundland in Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents of Newfoundland and Labrador humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS school district restructuring has resulted in longer bus travel times and more hazardous winter travel for rural students of all ages; and

WHEREAS due to recent school closures, children living within 1.6 kilometres of school face increased barriers of congested streets and busy intersections in the walk to school, and parents without cars are having more difficulty getting children to different schools on foot; and

WHEREAS only those child care centres outside the 1.6 kilometre zone and directly on bus routes are included in kindergarten noontime routes, causing hardship for working parents; and

WHEREAS the 1.6 kilometre policy has been in place since 1975, and student transportation policies have not been reviewed through public consultation since 1996; and

WHEREAS parents are expressing the need for more flexible policies for student transportation and school restructuring to meet the current needs of school children;

We, the undersigned, petition the House of Assembly to urge the government to conduct a review of school bus transportation policies and school restructuring to ensure safe and quality education for all school children in the Province.

As in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr. Speaker, I know that the weather is improving now and it becomes easy to forget the sorts of treacherous conditions that elementary school children and primary school children have to contend with in their walk to school. As I have said a number of times here in the Legislature, there are several schools in the Eastern School District alone on the Northeast Avalon, in fact, where young children have to cross up to five lanes of traffic to get to school.

While other things were going on here in the House yesterday, Mr. Speaker, I got an e-mail from – this will be of interest to the Member for Conception Bay South – somebody who provides in-home family child care. This person was saying that there are a lot of problems trying to get school bussing for children in child care out there, especially the ones that she is taking care of, but also for other larger child care centres. She goes on to say that this really is impacting on children's experience with school. She says, listen up; we are talking about children in elementary school here.

I urge the government to undertake public consultations on school bussing policy, because these sorts of things are happening and it is really putting not just parents and children but also child care centre operators under undue hardship.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. BENNETT: Mr. Speaker, I bring this petition:

To this hon. House of Assembly of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS home care allows the elderly and people with disabilities to remain within the comfort and security of their homes; home care also allows people to be discharged from hospital earlier; and

WHEREAS many families find it difficult to recruit and retain home care workers for their loved ones; and

WHEREAS the PC Blue Book 2011 as well as the 2012 Speech from the Throne committed that government would develop a new model of home care and give people the option of receiving that care from family members; and

WHEREAS government has given no time commitment for when government plans to implement paying family caregivers;

WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the House of Assembly to urge the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to implement a new home care model to cover family caregivers.

As in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr. Speaker, no matter what strides forward the government makes in respect to many other areas, as long as there are some people who are seriously disadvantaged, particularly with home care for family members who are ill or face other challenges, the system cannot really be said to look after everybody.

I am going to quote from a letter that was widely published in various newspapers, and I will table that letter. Even though this is from an individual in my district, this was published in The Beacon today. This person is forced to stay home to care for somebody or wants to go out to work. She says, "My son is nonverbal and requires constant monitoring." She says, "In order to improve conditions for my son and myself I have to work. How am I supposed to do that without the knowledge that my son is being taken care of? I would like to see changes…where family members can be routinely paid to take care of their own special needs adults."

Mr. Speaker, this is a real tragedy for the people whose family members face developmental disabilities, elderly parents who are infirm, young children who simply are suffering illnesses and disabilities. This cuts across all parts of our society. In listening to one hon. member here just two days ago, he referred to challenges faced by his family. I think that for his family, they are fortunate that he was in a profession and a very well-paid occupation; however, everybody does not have the same opportunities. It is critically important that the government move on with this initiative that they have committed to do and simply look after the people in our society who are really unable to look after themselves.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I can table the letter.

MR. SPEAKER: Further petitions?

Orders of the Day.

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

MR. KENNEDY: Yes, Mr. Speaker, I call from the Order Paper, Order 1, that this House approve in general the budgetary policy of the government.

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS SULLIVAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I am so happy to be able to have an opportunity to speak in the House today with regard to our Budget, the sub-amendment to the Budget in any case, but with regard to Budget 2012, People and Prosperity: Responsible Investments for a Secure Future. Mr. Speaker, I cannot tell you how much comfort I take from that: Responsible Investments for a Secure Future.

Mr. Speaker, I have three children, and I hope someday to have some grandchildren as well. When I see that the primary focus of this particular Budget that was brought down by the hon. Minister of Finance just a little while ago is to ensure that there is a secure future for my children and my grandchildren, then I take great solace in that. I am certainly very pleased to have opportunity to speak to the contents of the Budget and to make reference to some of the good work that will happen as a result of the fiscal investments that are contained therein that will ensure the children of Newfoundland and Labrador have a future. One they can be comfortable in, one that will see to it that many of the stories that I recall having heard from my grandparents and some of my more elderly aunts and uncles, Mr. Speaker, will never be a reality for them.

Mr. Speaker, we see this Province and we understand this Province as a Province of opportunity, a Province of prosperity. Mr. Speaker, there is such comfort in that, but having said that, we cannot sit back on our laurels. We have to continue to ensure that we invest and invest wisely, Mr. Speaker. That, too, is what I have been able to find as I peruse this Budget. Of course, I know the health care budget fairly well because we spent so much time trying to make the very important decisions that Newfoundlanders and Labradorians wanted us to make.

Mr. Speaker, before I go into taking a look at the Budget in detail, I also want to take an opportunity to thank the people of the great District of Grand Falls-Windsor – Buchans. This is the first opportunity that I have had to do it in this House at least, to thank them for the confidence they have shown in returning this government, the PC Government to power for the next three-and-a-half years, and also for returning me to this wonderful House of Assembly to represent them, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS SULLIVAN: Mr. Speaker, the House of Assembly, as we all know, is a place where we come to express our opinions, as I am doing now, as many of the members of the House of Assembly have done in the last little while. Mr. Speaker, it is a place of respect, it is a place of dignity, and it is a place that I am proud to come. I do not consider the work that I do in here to be part of a dog and pony show, Mr. Speaker, as I have heard others make reference yesterday in the media.

Mr. Speaker, it is not where I am at all. For me, this is a House where we are able to conduct the work of the people of the Province, where we are able to have healthy debate, and where we are able to make a difference in terms of the legislation that we bring in, in terms of being able to analyze the Budget that is brought before the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, Mr. Speaker. Far from a dog and pony show, this is a place where we make a difference in the lives of every Newfoundlander and Labradorian, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS SULLIVAN: Mr. Speaker, having indicated that, then what I want to do is move forward now and talk about the Budget in some detail. Mr. Speaker, the people of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador have given us a tremendous responsibility, and in doing so, I think they understand that we are the government who can deliver on the responsibility that they have given us. Mr. Speaker, that is why we have made the investments that we have made. That is why we have chosen to do what we did in Budget 2012. We have decided that we will strengthen health care, that we will sustain economic activity in this Province, Mr. Speaker, so that we all have a future. We have decided to improve child care, as we have heard the Minister of Child, Youth and Family Services make reference to her strategies; the 10-Year Child Care Strategy particularly gives me great hope, Mr. Speaker.

We have decided, as we debated yesterday in the House of Assembly and saw full support from the entire House of Assembly, to support apprentices in this Province, Mr. Speaker, because we see the need and the value of the work that will happen, and the need to ensure that we have a trained workforce. Mr. Speaker, we have decided, as well, to foster a thriving and skilled labour force as a result of that and to further strengthen public infrastructure. Now, those are tall things to have to deliver on, Mr. Speaker, but I have no doubt that we are going to do it, and we are going to do it because we have invested solidly in all of it.

Mr. Speaker, let me give you some examples. We have made an overall investment of just about $3 billion in health care in Newfoundland and Labrador again this year.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS SULLIVAN: Mr. Speaker, $3 billion represents, for each Newfoundlander and Labradorian, about $4,752 being spent in health care. Nowhere else in the country, Mr. Speaker, is that kind of investment being made. Mr. Speaker, we are doing that because we needed to, we are doing that because the people of Newfoundland and Labrador deserve it, Mr. Speaker. So, when we see need we are investing.

Mr. Speaker, I just want to point this out because I think the people at home would be interested in knowing this. Just in terms of health care infrastructure alone, since we have come to power, we have invested $1 billion in health care infrastructure in this Province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS SULLIVAN: Mr. Speaker, that speaks loudly to the value of what we consider is important for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.

MR. JOYCE: (Inaudible).

MS SULLIVAN: Mr. Speaker, I hear the Member for the Bay of Islands over there. I have to give him credit, he is passionate about his district and he is passionate about advocating for it. As we have told him before, the Corner Brook hospital will be part of that infrastructure build that we are doing.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS SULLIVAN: Mr. Speaker –

MR. SPEAKER (Verge): Order, please!

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

MR. JOYCE: I thank the minister for her kind words, but the people in Corner Brook are just going to ask: When?

MR. SPEAKER: There is no point of order.

The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

MS SULLIVAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

As I said, he is certainly relentless in the pursuit of what he needs for his district and what he wants for his district. Almost $900 million, Mr. Speaker, we are going to invest in infrastructure improvements in this Province.

Mr. Speaker, at a time when we are really trying to ensure that we are fiscally responsible, knowing what we have to face over the next two years, we are still making these kinds of commitments, not because we decide that is a good thing to do, that people out there might applaud, but because we know that the people of Newfoundland and Labrador need and deserve this kind of investment.

Mr. Speaker, we cannot let things get rundown as they were. We cannot let things get back into the situation that we found them in when we took power here in 2003; therefore, we have made that $900 million investment.

Mr. Speaker, we have invested almost $200 million through this Budget for businesses to facilitate growth and development. I have mentioned this before, but I think it bears mentioning again. When we came to power in 2003 – and I know this from my work in the portfolio of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development, and my colleague over there will recognize this as well – the investment then was $25 million in business growth and economic development in this Province.

Mr. Speaker, I do not say that as blame; the money was not there at the time. We recognize that and we understand that. Having said that, we recognize that we stepped up to the plate and we are now investing annually $200 million to see that businesses continue to grow – $200 million to see that businesses continue to grow in this Province, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS SULLIVAN: Mr. Speaker, in terms of municipal infrastructure, and my colleague the Minister of Municipal Affairs would attest to the fact, we have again seen the need to continue to invest in municipal infrastructure in this Province and over the last two years have seen fit to go to the Treasury and take $130 million to continue those sorts of investments, Mr. Speaker – again, tremendous investments that will pay off and that speak to, again, the theme of what this Budget is, which is to secure a future for our children and grandchildren, to ensure the prosperity that we want for them is going to be in place; sound decision making, I would suggest.

It is a difficult time doing Budgets; for those who have never had opportunity to do it, it takes a long time within departments to analyze the needs that come forward or the wish lists that come forward and to decide on the needs that we need to meet most efficiently and most quickly. That is one part of the process and then it is vetted through several committees before it comes upstairs to Cabinet when we look at it again. Mr. Speaker, I think some very sound decision making, some strong revenue investment in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador; we do it because we are optimistic about our Province's future.

Mr. Speaker, much was talked about by some of my colleagues in terms of the fiscal outlook for this Province so I will not go into that. I spoke yesterday, when I spoke to the piece about apprenticeship in the Province, about some of the economic indicators of growth and some of the economic indicators of sustainability in this Province. Mr. Speaker, as Newfoundlanders and Labradorians we need to be proud of what we have accomplished. The economic indicators that were identified as the minister brought down his Budget are accomplishments that we should and ought to be proud of and that we need to remind ourselves of on a regular basis. They are indicators that what we are doing here in Newfoundland and Labrador is right. What we are doing here in Newfoundland and Labrador is that we are making the best possible choices. We know that; we see that in the evidence that shows the growth in the Province.

We are in good shape, Mr. Speaker. We look at growing exports in this Province by about 2 per cent. Employment is growing in the Province by 2.7 per cent; average weekly earnings and disposable incomes are growing by 5.1 per cent, Mr. Speaker. The value of our mineral shipments, as I mentioned yesterday, is increasing by 22 per cent. They are all tremendous indicators of the good work that is being done. Not only are they indicating good work; I think, for most Newfoundlanders and Labradorians these days who bother to take that look or who look around and observe what is happening in this Province, they provide so much comfort. They provide us with a sense of pride in who we are. We have referred to it here before. There is a different spring in the step of a Newfoundlander and Labradorian over the last eight years, Mr. Speaker, and it is because that sense of us, that sense of who we are as Newfoundlanders and Labradorians –

AN HON. MEMBER: Finally coming to our own.

MS SULLIVAN: – is finally coming to our own is a good way to put; I thank my colleague there. We are in a place where we are proud of who we are. We always should have been, because we have got such a history, we have such a culture. We are a people who come from roots that are as honest as anywhere in this world, but the pride that we feel as a result of being able to see the economic prosperity, I believe, particularly in our social programs, is truly making a difference.

Mr. Speaker, I have many, many notes that I could refer to here, but my time is running quickly down. It is because we have so much to talk about.

Mr. Speaker, investments in health care, I want to make some reference to them. Our government continues to make these investments – and I outlined the overall generic that we are close to $3 billion. Let me tell you some of the specific areas, Mr. Speaker. Budget 2012 investments focus on priority areas of dialysis and addressing drug costs, enhancing breast cancer screening, increasing access, and improving infrastructure, Mr. Speaker.

Sometimes when I am in here during Question Period I tire a little of – particularly the Third Party – making reference to the fact that we seem not to care. Mr. Speaker, how can we making these kinds of investments and still not be caring about Newfoundlanders and Labradorians? It makes no sense, Mr. Speaker. The Third Party does not have a monopoly on caring for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, Mr. Speaker. In this government we care, and that is why we make those kinds of investments. We have made a $1.9 million investment in dialysis, Mr. Speaker. That has seen some of the areas of this Province be able to receive dialysis that never could before.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS SULLIVAN: I reference Harbour Breton – and that has an impact on all areas. Harbour Breton impacts what happens in Grand Falls-Windsor, because now many of the residents of Harbour Breton who come to Grand Falls-Windsor on a daily basis, once we have this facility up and running, they will not need to. Why did we decide to do that, Mr. Speaker? Because we listened to the people of Harbour Breton who told us that was the need.

In spite of the fact that the members of the Third Party think we do not listen, Mr. Speaker, here is another concrete example of how we listen to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. I can go on and on with the numbers of investments that we are making in health care in Newfoundland and Labrador, particularly in the sense of what we did in this House of Assembly in terms of generic drugs. The result of that is that we are able to invest $29 million to help seniors in this Province in terms of the drug plan.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS SULLIVAN: Mr. Speaker, we are investing and reinvesting $37 million to protect pharmacies. Where, Mr. Speaker? Primarily in rural Newfoundland.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS SULLIVAN: Mr. Speaker, there are so many other investments. I am worried that I am not going to get them all in and that I will not get the leave that I need.

Mr. Speaker, when we talk about the Newfoundland and Labrador Drug Program, one of the best in the country, hailed across this country as one of the best. Why, Mr. Speaker? Because we invested in it. Why did we invest in it? Because we listened to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador who told us that we needed to invest more in drug plans because there really was not much there. We did the right thing and we put in $155 million in this year's Budget.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS SULLIVAN: Mr. Speaker, we have made strong investments, strong commitments right across this Province in terms of health care.

Long-term care is another one. In terms of new infrastructure in long-term care this year, Mr. Speaker, $81 million worth of investment will happen as a result of investments that we have made. In addition to the $144 million that we spend every year on home support in Newfoundland and Labrador, we are now investing another $18.3 million. Why are we doing that, Mr. Speaker? Once again, because the people of Newfoundland and Labrador said there is a growing need. Why is there a growing need? There are a couple of reasons. One has to do with our demographics and the aging demographics in this Province, but, Mr. Speaker, the other has to do with the fact that we improved the eligibility requirements so that more people can access home support and home care in Newfoundland and Labrador. In doing that, not only did we talk the talk, we put the money there so we can walk the walk with them as well.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS SULLIVAN: A total then of $101 million in that program, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, long-term care, community supports, mental health and addiction, those are all areas where we put new money. Mental health and addictions, I have referenced – in fact, I did it today here during questions – saw a $29 million investment over this last year.

Mr. Speaker, there are some who say we are not paying attention to mental health and addictions in this Province. Let me correct the record. Mr. Speaker, as an indicator of that, as an indicator of what the rest of the country is seeing in terms of our attention to mental health and addictions in this Province, my predecessor, the former Minister of Health and Community Services, received a national award last year for the work done in mental health and addictions in this country.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS SULLIVAN: Mr. Speaker, what does that tell us? It tells us that the rest of the country is watching us, Mr. Speaker. It tells us that the rest of the country is aware that we are doing good work. The only ones not aware of the good work, Mr. Speaker, would be the members of the Third Party again, because they continuously say we are not doing anything.

Mr. Speaker, I do not consider $29 million a crumb. I consider $29 million good, solid investment, Mr. Speaker, so do the people of Newfoundland and Labrador; so do the people in the rest of the country, as evidenced by awarding our former minister that national award.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS SULLIVAN: Mr. Speaker, I had hoped that I was going to talk at some length about what kind of investments we have made in my own district. I have not yet had an opportunity to do that. I know there will be opportunities to speak to the amendment and then to the Budget itself, as opposed to simply the sub-amendment.

Mr. Speaker, suffice it to say that we have made many investments in my district, the District of Grand Falls-Windsor – Buchans, again because there was need, again because we listened to the people of Newfoundland at a time when there were difficult situations for us out there. Mr. Speaker, in this year's Budget for the people of Grand Falls-Windsor – Buchans, I can tell you that there is $15.5 million going to be invested – well, half of that – for the development of the youth addictions centre this year. There is another $8.5 million for the continued redevelopment of the hospital. Again, another much needed service that was identified because we listened to the people and because we cared, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I will end with that, but I certainly hope I get an opportunity to speak again to this Budget because there is so much more that the people of Newfoundland and Labrador deserve to hear and want to hear that helps them be confident in the fact that this Budget is one that will deliver exactly what it said, a secure future for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Baie Verte - Springdale.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. POLLARD: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is a pleasure and a delight to stand in this hon. House to represent the people of my district, the District of Baie Verte – Springdale and to speak to Budget 2012, People and Prosperity. First of all, I would like to thank the people of my district for placing their confidence and their trust by returning me to the House of Assembly. I am humbled every time I enter this building, Mr. Speaker. It is a privilege and an honour to serve in this capacity.

In addition, I am extremely pleased to serve this Province and this government under the very capable leadership of our second most popular Premier in all of Canada. I predict in the very near future she will be number one.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. POLLARD: I say to the Premier of Saskatchewan: move over, watch out, here we come.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. POLLARD: Her common sense, prudent, steadfast approach on any issue will resist contrary winds and keep this ship sailing on its charted course. With this Premier at the helm, I am confident that this Province, this government will continue to forge ahead in economic development, in solid leadership and solid governance.

Mr. Speaker, after listening very intently the other night to all of my colleagues, all Tuesday afternoon and Tuesday night, I drew one conclusion, what an awesome team we have.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. POLLARD: That just solidifies what I thought all along, Mr. Speaker. I was invigorated; people spoke with passion, with pride, with energy, with knowledge, and even with a sense of humour, and certainly with a deep knowledge. So much so, I wanted to jump to my feet and have a Jericho March.

To you who are not familiar with this phrase, that is a Pentecostal term used when members, or all of its congregation, get so happy in their church that they may sing, shout, dance, clap their hands, and they march around the church sanctuary.

Well, I felt like that Tuesday night. I might do it this evening, Mr. Speaker, but they all must follow me, even the other side. They are invited.

Mr. Speaker, I am so happy to be part of this formidable team and contribute in some small way, while at the same time be an effective MHA for the Baie Verte – Springdale district for which I owe them everything because they are the ones who placed me here in this House of Assembly. I am forever grateful to them.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. POLLARD: This team, Mr. Speaker, is up for any challenge. Again, under the sound, solid leadership of our Premier, this team is poised, well positioned to continue to serve the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. We are not about to roll over and play dead, Mr. Speaker. We are not about to throw in the towel. I know the Leafs did and the Canadiens did, but we are not, Mr. Speaker. We are not about to retreat. Our eyes are fixed on the prize. We have come too far, Mr. Speaker. We have made too many accomplishments. We cannot let this Province go into anybody else's hands only in our party's hands.

Mr. Speaker, we will continue to engage people. We will continue to listen to people. We will continue to consult with people and then we will act upon what we hear, as my colleague the Minister of Health just said a minute ago. We will continue to fight for our children, our youth, our seniors and our grandchildren. Why are we doing that? Because we care; not only that, we believe in what we are doing, Mr. Speaker. We continue with strong fiscal management, with strong sustainable investments, with strong strategic investments and programs, and with strong visionary leadership, and yes, by our Premier.

Yes, Mr. Speaker, we are going to continue to fight for maximum benefits from our resources and for the best interests of Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. POLLARD: Unlike the Opposition, who unfortunately has no vision, and if they were governing today we would be bankrupt, Mr. Speaker.

Now, speaking of bankruptcy, Mr. Speaker, remember this in 2003 when we assumed power. When we assumed government, Mr. Speaker, we were right on the precipice of falling over the cliff, just hanging there by our toenails. We were faced with a paralyzing debt. It choked our ability to govern so we had to come up with a quick plan indeed, Mr. Speaker. Of course, that plan we all know it because we have said it so many times. The only problem is they do not listen over there so I have to repeat it again, Mr. Speaker. Number one, one major pillar of our plan at the time was to reduce our debt. I am proud to say, after eight years in office some-$12 billion down to $7.8 billion, a 35 per cent whopping decrease or reduction.

AN HON. MEMBER: How much?

MR. POLLARD: It is 35 per cent. In case they do not understand that, we put it at $4.1 billion with a capital B, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. POLLARD: What a remarkable achievement. We have come quantum leaps, Mr. Speaker. It is no small feat. What does that mean, Mr. Speaker? It means that we have freed up a lot of money to invest in health, education, infrastructure, seniors' programs, or what have you. Instead of paying all of that money to our lenders, we put it back to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.

That is tangible evidence, not only that we care, but it is a tangible evidence that we are serious about fiscal discipline and fiscal management. We did it, Mr. Speaker - just listen to this - we did it without cutting key initiatives, without increasing taxes - they wanted to increase taxes - and we did it without cutting social programs. We just struck that right balance, Mr. Speaker, between fiscal responsibility and economic growth.

Pillar number two, Mr. Speaker, is tax reduction. Residents are now paying approximately $500 million less per year in taxes. How did we accomplish that, Mr. Speaker? Just listen. Here are some of the measures we put in place to accomplish this major feat. Number one, reductions in personal income tax; number two, we removed the sales tax on insurance premiums; number three, we expanded the home heating rebate program; number four, we removed the provincial portion of the HST on home energy; and number five, we enhanced the low-income seniors' program. All of these measures contribute to a savings of $500 million; half a billion dollars tucked into the pockets of Newfoundland and Labrador people. That is good stuff, Mr. Speaker, more money into people's pockets.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. POLLARD: Awesome news, I say to the Member for Exploits. Thank you so much.

Pillar number three, Mr. Speaker, is awesome news, I say to the Member for Exploits, thank you so much. Pillar number three: we have invested in aggressive spending in infrastructure. We knew we had to stimulate the economy. We knew we had to diversify the economy. We knew we had to create jobs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. POLLARD: Of course, this became even more apparent when the global economic recession hit our shores in 2009.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. POLLARD: That infrastructure investment helped us to navigate through these hard times through the global economic recession. Because of our plan, we came out relatively in good position, Mr. Speaker, and we recovered rather quickly, better than most jurisdictions. Five billion dollars, unprecedented levels we spent on infrastructure in Newfoundland and Labrador, and we are still continuing. This also provided much economic impetus to create jobs and to stimulate the economy, Mr. Speaker.

Today, because of that aggressive spending in infrastructure, what are we left with? Just listen now. I think I am in school now, Mr. Speaker, after I spent twenty-eight years there. Number one, we are left with new schools, new hospitals, new bridges –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. POLLARD: – new roads, roads indeed, water bombers, and long-term care health facilities. What a legacy. If we did not do anything else today, we will have changed the face of this Province right there, just on infrastructure spending alone.

Go all around the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, especially in rural Newfoundland and Labrador, you will see awesome changes and infrastructure changes, Mr. Speaker. Did we do it all? Do we have much work to do? Oh, yes. We are so far behind it might take 100 years to get there, Mr. Speaker, because the previous Administration could not do anything. They just wanted to bankrupt us.

Budget 2012, Mr. Speaker, still contains approximately an investment of $900 million in infrastructure spending. I will say it again in case the member did not hear it: $900 million, Mr. Speaker. That is no drop in the bucket – $900 million.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. POLLARD: Yes, why not. Mr. Speaker, I am going to drink to that.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. POLLARD: Getting back to my district, Mr. Speaker, just an example of infrastructure spending: what a proud moment when I stood with the Premier and the Minister of Education on Wednesday, February 15, in the K-12 state-of-the-art school in the Town of Baie Verte, to have an official opening. What an awesome feeling it gave me. Serving approximately 350 students, communities like Wild Cove, Fleur de Lys, Coachman's Cove, Baie Verte, Seal Cove, Pacquet, Woodstock, Ming's Bight – what an awesome facility.

As Mr. Chris Mills, the principal, gave us a tour of that facility, Mr. Speaker, we saw a modern library, a family resource centre, a special education suite, a commercial kitchen, a spacious music room, skilled trades suite, a fitness centre, Smart Boards in every classroom, a hardwood floor in the gymnasium. A state-of-the-art facility, and you should see the proud moments, the parents, the teachers, the students, and the educational community beaming with pride, Mr. Speaker, as they sat in that packed gym, close to 600 people, grandmothers, grandfathers, boys, girls.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. POLLARD: As we walked the halls of that classroom, that colourful school, it was just amazing. It was a highlight, Mr. Speaker. I invite anybody to come out and take a good look at it.

Mr. Speaker, I can go on with the other investments we have made in our district. For example, the skilled trades suite, investments in Indian River High School. This September coming, our principal, staff, students, parents, and teachers of Springdale and surrounding areas will avail of that program this September. That school will be reconfigured to house that program, Mr. Speaker.

I can go on. In fact, from a provincial point of view – I know this is hard on their ears over on the other side – in 2004 and beyond, Mr. Speaker, guess how much we spent as a government?

AN HON. MEMBER: How much? Tell them.

MR. POLLARD: Over $500 million on new school construction, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. POLLARD: In recent years, Mr. Speaker, nine – they might not be able to count that high – new schools constructed in that period of time, five more under construction, and we have twelve more major renovations and projects underway since 2004. That is only in education alone.

During that same time frame, just listen to this – they cannot handle it but I have to say it because we have to boast sometimes, Mr. Speaker, because I cannot help it – about 1,600 school infrastructure projects have been approved province-wide since 2004. We are criticized that we are not doing anything, Mr. Speaker, and we do not care. Do you know what, Mr. Speaker? This goes to show that our heart is in rural Newfoundland and Labrador. We care about rural Newfoundland and Labrador. What a myth when people say that this government turns its back on rural Newfoundland.

AN HON. MEMBER: Gibberish.

MR. POLLARD: It is gibberish, thank you. There are not enough adjectives in Webster's Dictionary to describe that, Mr. Speaker.

Pillar four – my time is winding down, I am not even halfway through yet, Mr. Speaker. Pillar four in our plan: strong fiscal management. Our fiscal management was so good that Standard & Poor's gave us the highest credit rating in our history: A+.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. POLLARD: When I was in school, A+ was good.

Now, what is the importance of this credit rating, a good credit rating? Because it is a key factor influencing our ability to borrow and attract investment, as the Minister of Finance said. By the way, he did an awesome job, and his officials, in collating all the data and compiling this Budget – another awesome job, congratulations.

Now, what did Standard & Poor's say? Just listen: Newfoundland has a strong liquidity position reflecting its past operating surpluses and prudent spending practices. That is not the ordinary Joe giving us these compliments, Mr. Speaker. Guess what? This year marks the sixth out of the last seven years we have a surplus. Isn't that tremendous, Mr. Speaker? I am so proud to stand up and say that.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. POLLARD: That shows that we are living within our means, Mr. Speaker, just like a normal family – if we put to that level – would do with their budget.

Just listen to this: Mark Carney – I believe he was voted as the Canadian man of the year and the Bank of Canada governor. Listen to what he said about a year-and-a-half ago when he was in St. John's. He said: Everybody should take note. You should look at Newfoundland as a model, as an example, it would do people well – amazing.

Not only that, Mr. Speaker, Dr. Warren Jestin, a Scotia Bank vice-president and a chief economist – what did they say about Newfoundland and Labrador?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. POLLARD: They cannot hear good news; they are starving for power over there. As soon as they hear good news, they cannot take it, Mr. Speaker. I am going to scream, I am going to shout it anyway, Mr. Speaker, because I am sick and tired of hearing cotton candy statements from that side over there. Every time I try to sink my teeth into the cotton candy statement, I bite at it, nothing there.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. POLLARD: Mr. Speaker, Dr. Warren Jestin: Newfoundland and Labrador will lead the country in economic growth over the next five years.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. POLLARD: It is amazing. The Leafs are out of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but this has reinvigorated me now; I am enthused about this, Mr. Speaker.

These four features put us in a very enviable position, Mr. Speaker. It gives a strong economy, a solid footing, we weathered the economic storm and now we are a respected leader. We no longer take the back seat to anybody, Mr. Speaker. Look at ocean technology, oil and gas, Poverty Reduction Strategy –

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

Does the member have leave?

AN HON. MEMBER: By leave.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Baie Verte – Springdale, with leave.

MR. POLLARD: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

What does all this boil down to, Mr. Speaker – they might be sorry for giving me by leave over there, Mr. Speaker. Thank you anyway. What it boils down to is this that we are more financially reliant today – I will repeat that: We are more financially self-reliant, less dependent on the federal government than ever before. I have to get this straight, Mr. Speaker.

In essence, Mr. Speaker, we have become the masters of our own destiny when we can say 80 per cent – you hear it over there – of total revenues are being generated from provincial sources. Astounding, amazing, phenomenal, what a stellar job this government is doing.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. POLLARD: It makes me proud, Mr. Speaker. I know I get carried away when I talk about good news. I will clue up by saying this: what a metamorphosis. I will probably say: What a renaissance.

They are trying to renew over there. They are trying to renew our strength. Do you know what? The other night, this blue wave crushed the orange crush and it flattened the renewal strategy over there, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. POLLARD: What an avalanche of outstanding speeches over here the other night, Tuesday evening. It was just amazing, Mr. Speaker. It was amazing. What an avalanche of good stuff.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. POLLARD: I will conclude, Mr. Speaker. Like the clergy says, I will conclude, but they say that four or five times before they give up the sermon.

Just look at the economic indicators. Personal incomes have increased, the unemployment rate has declined, our population has increased, we are a have Province, the retail sector is strong, the housing sector is strong, personal disposable income has increased, we have solid consumer confidence, and our employment growth is second to none in our Province.

One more, because they cannot take it: capital investment growth – Mr. Speaker, I will conclude on this – leads the country. Do you know how much it is going to grow this year, it is predicted? Thirty per cent, Mr. Speaker, 30 per cent. Not 10 per cent, not 20 per cent, but 30 per cent.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

I ask the hon. member –

MR. POLLARD: Mr. Speaker, thank you so much. I have a lot more to say. Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is my pleasure to stand today and speak to Budget 2012. Before I begin, Mr. Speaker, I would like to pass on behalf of myself and the government our condolences to two of our members of this hon. House this week who lost parents. I am referring to the MHA for Cape St. Francis and the Member for Cartwright – L'Anse au Clair. This is a very sad time for them. The Member for Cartwright – L'Anse au Clair lost her father. The Member for Cape St. Francis lost his mother.

It does not matter how old we are, Mr. Speaker, we are never ready for the loss of a parent. This is a very sad time in their lives. Grief is about our own loneliness, Mr. Speaker, because most of us who have a faith tradition understand that our loved ones are gone on to something better. What we have to deal with is our own loss and our own loneliness. I want to say to both the members that I hope there is comfort in knowing that your colleagues in the House of Assembly are thinking about you and your family, and that we will support you in whatever way that we can, and our deepest condolences are extended to you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, Budgets are funny things, they truly are. Last year, we brought in our first Budget under this new administration, Mr. Speaker, and I was thrilled with it. I thought it was an absolutely wonderful Budget. Not only was it balanced, we were predicting over a $50 million surplus. We had a $38 million tax reduction to every citizen here in Newfoundland and Labrador who had homes to heat. There were all kinds of initiatives and unprecedented growth in programs and services to the people of the Province, Mr. Speaker, and, Mr. Speaker, the reaction was kind of muted.

Mr. Speaker, this year we brought in a Budget, and we continue to be very responsible; circumstances have changed, Mr. Speaker, and we have had to tighten our belts. We have had to continue now on a plan of sustainability, but we have to get much more definitive about that in this Budget, because it is the responsible thing to do.

Mr. Speaker, the wonderful people of this Province continue to surprise me. I was a little worried about what the reaction to that was going to be, because our real growth in programming here is less than 1 per cent. Mr. Speaker, the reaction of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador has been absolutely marvellous, and it shows again how our thinking is in sync.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: And it is important, Mr. Speaker, that our thinking be in sync, and that we are talking and listening to the people of our Province and explaining to them the situation that we find ourselves in fiscally, and what it is that we believe we need to do, informed by the best advisors that we can find, to have that exchange of information on the ground between our MHAs and the people they represent.

Mr. Speaker, to have our Minister of Finance go about the Province and listen carefully to what people have to say, whether you are in a NDP district, whether you are in a Tory district, or whether you are in a Liberal district, and to bring all of that information back, as well as the information that we get from experts, and have that inform the budgetary process, and to use the best abilities that we have on behalf of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador to chart a way forward and to explain to the people why we need to take the decisions we are taking, why we need to tighten our belts, why we need to have sustainable spending. Mr. Speaker, as always, the wonderful people of Newfoundland and Labrador, the most politically astute people in the country, I assert regularly, it is my belief, absolutely get it and have warmly supported the measures that have been undertaken in this Budget, Mr. Speaker.

It is a wonderful Budget, Mr. Speaker. Even though there is restraint in terms of our spending, Mr. Speaker, we still brought forward measures to strengthen heath care, sustain economic activity, improve child care, support apprentices, foster a thriving and skilled labour force and further strengthen our public infrastructure. It is incredible, the difference that eight short years have made, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Mr. Speaker, I reflect, and I have reflected in this House before, on 2003-2004 when we were elected and first began an exercise in budgeting. For me, Mr. Speaker, and for most of my colleagues at that time on this side of the House, this was the very first time we had engaged in this kind of activity on behalf of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador in a provincial government. To describe it, Sir, as a baptism of fire would be one of the greatest understatements that was ever made. It was one of the most overwhelming experiences of my life. I spent many, many hours lying awake trying to fathom a way through it, because virtually, Mr. Speaker, we were bankrupt.

We talked about how we were going to sustain, first of all, our public pension plans, because if were not able to do something about the unfunded liability, Mr. Speaker, there were predictions that by this time 2012, they could be gone bankrupt and we would have to be paying those pension benefits out of current revenues. What were we going to do about it? Just imagine, what were we going to do about it? This was a looming problem for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. Where were we going to get the resources?

We sat at the Cabinet table and we debated, and we argued, and we fought. We went back and we researched, and we carved it off a piece at a time to try and find a way forward. What was important? What could we live without? Where did we need to make strategic investments? What could we change? Where were our strengths in Newfoundland and Labrador, economically? Where were the areas where we could make some kind of investment? What was in the Budget that we could use to drive economic activity?

Mr. Speaker, I remember clearly, because I was minister of the lead business department, what had been allocated in 2003 for economic development in this Province was $2.6 million. Mr. Speaker, $2.6 million to help businesses, to help organizations, to help communities drive economic activity in this Province; $2.6 million. People were not even interested – federal government entities that operated here in the Province were not even interested in inviting us to the table when they were talking about investment. We were not invited, Mr. Speaker, because we had nothing to bring to the table. What kind of investment were we going to make? Mr. Speaker, we rolled up our sleeves, we sat down and we began to work, and we talked about regional development. We began to dig down, and we began to engage at the community level, and slowly but surely a picture emerged of this wonderful place, where the challenges were but where the opportunities were as well, Mr. Speaker. We began to develop a plan, and very strategically at first, taking those small amounts of money that we had.

I remember in that first Budget, $3.5 million was a lot of money. That could have been a school, it could have been a medical program, and it could have been a new drug. It could have meant whether somebody had teeth or did not have teeth. This was a big allocation of money in this great big Budget, but everything was so tied up and nailed down and paying off debt, that in terms of money that you could work with, the pot was so small, that $3.5 million was really large.

We got a call from Arnold's Cove telling us that the operator of the plant was moving on. He was pulling out. There was somebody in that community who was prepared to operate that plant and was prepared to put everything he had on the line. He was at a time in his life when he could have walked away at the end of a happy and successful life, Mr. Speaker, and had a good retirement. Instead, he was going to take all that he had, invest in that plant, and secure economic activity for the future of the people in that area of the Province, but he did not have enough to secure the quota. We did not have any control over the quota. The company was given the quota and the company was going to sell the quota. They were going to sell it for $3.5 million.

Mr. Speaker, we did not get the call from the other side of the House, I am going to point out, where the MHA for the region, for that area and that district, sat. Not a phone call, not a letter, and not anybody even coming across the floor and saying: What are you going to do to help? This was a Liberal district.

The people of Arnold's Cove came to us and the town council of Arnold's Cove came to us, and the person who was going to make that investment, and said: Can you help? There will not be as many jobs as there currently are, but we will be able to save the bulk of them, and we think there is a way forward here. We need an investment of $3.5 million. I am going to tell you, the angst was up there on the eleventh floor when we struggled with that decision. We said: Yes, we are going to make the investment. It is the right thing to do.

Mr. Speaker, that plant still has its challenges, like many of the areas in the fishery in this Province today, but that plant is operational today. That is good decision making, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: That is good governance, Mr. Speaker. That is good stewardship, Mr. Speaker. That is good politics, but that is not partisan politics. That is doing what is right for the people of this Province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Mr. Speaker, that is what we have continued to do. Nearly $8 billion in infrastructure, Mr. Speaker, in this Province over the last eight years – it is amazing.

I remember my first trip to the Northern Peninsula, once I became an MHA, being stopped by people, and being told the tourism industry in that area of the Province was dying because people would not take their RVs up over the road because a tow truck had to come and take them back down out of it. The axels were broken, the tires were broken, and it just was not worth the expense of going up there.

Now, Mr. Speaker, that is not so for any road in this Province any more. There are still roads that need work. My colleagues on this side of the House advocate – especially around Budget time, Mr. Speaker, it is veracious, as you are well aware. Everybody is looking for their roads because they are an important part of infrastructure in communities. They relate to everything. It relates to health care, it relates to education, it relates to economic activity, and it relates to social well-being. They are extremely important. Mr. Speaker, you needed a horse and cart in some areas of the Province in 2003. That is no longer so. Even though we have to ramp back on our spending now, we are still investing over $900 million this year in infrastructure in this Province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Mr. Speaker, the money that we get from the resources that belong to the people of this Province is finally being used to the benefit of the people of this Province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: It is being done in a very, very responsible way, Mr. Speaker. What a wonderful day it was in this House when spending in education went over the billion dollar mark, Mr. Speaker. Is there anything more important in a civilized country than education? When we educate our children, Mr. Speaker, we are securing their future, but we are securing ours as well. A place that has a well-educated citizenry will prosper, Mr. Speaker. Evidence supports that from all over the world.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: There is no more important thing in our Province than our children. We have to make sure that they have good health, that they are well looked after, that their educational needs are met, Mr. Speaker, that when there are issues around their safety and well-being that the society as a whole is there to protect them and their rights, and guarantee as best we can that they have a safe environment to grow up in. There is nothing more important for us to do than look after our children. That always has to be our number one priority. That is what drives so many of the things that we do here in the Province. That is why you brought the debt clock along, as Minister of Finance, to make a point when we were doing consultations around Budget, Mr. Speaker. Sometimes we jokingly say that we are going to bring it over to the other side of the House, in terms of what gets asked here on a daily basis. Hundreds, and hundreds, and hundreds of millions of dollars of want, want, want – the sky is falling. Well, the sky was falling in 2003, Mr. Speaker. The sky is not falling today.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Mr. Speaker, anybody who never heard of this place before and who would come in and be exposed to Question Period and debate in this House of Assembly and heard only what came from the other side would think truly that the sky was falling, that we were in the most desperate of times. As you have heard here in speeches made by my colleagues here in this House of Assembly and you have heard in news reports – not only here in Newfoundland and Labrador but from across the country – we are leading this country in economic development, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: We have paid down debt, Mr. Speaker, $4 billion. There are not countries in this world that could make that boast, let alone a Province in the country of Canada – $4 billion. It is wonderful. We need to take the time to stop and celebrate that. In 2003, when we worried for days and debated for days about the wisdom of how we invested $3.5 million – to be able to stay that we came from that place in 2003 to 2008 with $4 billion of debt paid down, Mr. Speaker.

Why were we able to do that, Mr. Speaker? We were able to do that because of the resources that we have here in the Province and the approach that we have taken to the development of those resources. Far too long others benefited from the resources that belong rightfully to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. When we came in 2003, we said that the resources had to be developed in the best interests of the people of the Province. The people of the Province said: We agree, so therefore we are going to elect you, and you go do that. We have delivered.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Mr. Speaker, I began talking about our pension plans. We have put over $4 billion into our pension. Never mind paying down, we have put over $4 billion into our pension plans, Mr. Speaker. A good thing we did; without the recession and all of the economic turmoil we had in the world, they were forecasted to collapse because of the unfunded liability. Imagine if we had gone through all of this economic upheaval and had not made those investments. We would be in some kind of a mess today.

We were not, Mr. Speaker, because we had a plan. That plan was driven by principles. The principle was that we are here to serve the best interests of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, Mr. Speaker. That is what we have done.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: A large portion of our revenue comes from oil. As everyone – well, most everyone, Mr. Speaker – in this Province and in the world realizes, there is a lot of volatility in predicting oil prices. Some, and some in this House, dismiss the volatility and the difficulty in being able to forecast what the price of oil is going to be and thus whether or not you are going to have a surplus or a deficit, based on production numbers and forecasting, Mr. Speaker, from experts well outside of government. Some, and some in this House, will go so far as to accuse the government of some kind of collusion, fact-finding and fact-hiding, incompetence, and deception in terms of preparing their Budgets.

Mr. Speaker, that is offensive and insulting, not only to the people who sit on this side of the House, but to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. They are not going to buy it, Mr. Speaker. Everybody understands. We have experts, self-educated experts, in this House, some on the other side, who are able to talk to people about the volatility in oil prices and what they can expect to pay for gas, home heating, and so on. You cannot predict it on a daily basis. You have to have an agency. It is so volatile, we need agencies now to help us do that and to regulate as a result.

Mr. Speaker, anybody tuning in and only listening to the other side would think that we have a Province that is falling to pieces, it is going to you-know-where in a handcart, and is being driven in that direction by an incompetent, if not corrupt, government. Mr. Speaker, it is so offensive that one is hard-pressed to know how to deal with it.

So, Mr. Speaker, we have these kinds of allegations made against government members, in the House and out. When somebody is told to get their head out of an oil can, stop bluffing with this one, you do not know what you are doing on this thing, you are mishandling something else, and then, Mr. Speaker, when speakers get up here in QP, or get up in their speeches here and push back, the complaint comes that the government is being nasty, they are being arrogant, and they are being pushy. You can hand it out, but you cannot take it. You cannot take the challenge. Mr. Speaker, you do not have to take the word of anyone in this House of Assembly about the state of economy in Newfoundland and Labrador. You look at any kind of rating agency, whether it be those who look at economic activity, you can look at banks, you can look at labour statistics, this is a Province that is doing really, really well.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Mr. Speaker, I have always had a political interest, all of my life, and I have always been around the margins – I have either been right in the midst of it or I have been around the margins of it. I have often noticed, in different Administrations, when you get up here and you get on the government side and you get in Confederation Building, you can get in a bit of a bubble sometimes. You can get in your own little environment where people are telling you what they think you want to hear, you are telling each other that you are doing okay and so on, and you can be out of touch with reality, and I have seen it happen time and time again.

When I am down picking up my groceries in the supermarket and people come up to me and say: Premier, you are here picking up your groceries, don't you have somebody to do that for you? Well, first of all, no I do not. There are none of those kinds of perks. I do not know how many of the other Premiers picked up their groceries, Mr. Speaker, but this one does. Not only do I have on the few occasions I get home to prepare a meal for myself, Mr. Speaker, there is another purpose to it. It is to be out on the ground there at the laundromat, at the drycleaners, every place I can get to, Mr. Speaker, where I talk to people in their own places of work, of activity, about their lives, about what is going on, what is happening, what do they see, what do they think is going right, what do they think is going wrong, and what is it that they think we ought to do.

I am going to tell you, Mr. Speaker, it is one of the most rewarding experiences that I have had since I have come to politics. Do you know the group that excites me the most, Mr. Speaker? It is the young people of this Province. It is our young people who are in high school, who are in the colleges, who are in our university, who are up in Marine Institute. They are full of enthusiasm. They are full of confidence, Mr. Speaker. They are full of hope about the opportunities that await them here in this Province.

I come from a great big family, Mr. Speaker. I am the middle child in a family of eleven siblings; I have five on either side of me, almost like two families. The first five, when they finished school, had little choice about staying in our community and they all trickled away from us to various parts of the world. None of them, in those early years, had an opportunity to stay in Newfoundland and Labrador, Mr. Speaker. The second five, on the other side of me, most of them have been able to take up roost here and have a very happy, productive life and raise their families here.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Mr. Speaker, I saw, in my family, a generation in the older ones who were on the defensive all the time, trying to defend who they were, what their work ethic was, the way they spoke, and the way they conducted themselves to the second half of my family saying if you have a problem with who I am, what my culture is, what I sound like, that is your problem, that is not my problem. I am here, I am proud of who I am, I have a rich and wonderful heritage, I have a great education, I come from a wonderful, rich tapestry of tradition, education, culture, arts, music, language, you should be so lucky – you should be so lucky.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Mr. Speaker, we are going to do everything we can to make sure that remains so, and that we enrich it even more. It is wonderful when I go to our statistics agency that we have within government – one of the best in the country, like so many other things we do in this Province, Mr. Speaker – and find out that we have over seventy languages spoken in this Province today, and most of them outside of the Northeast Avalon. How wonderful for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. We know that we are a wonderful place and how rich and diverse we are, but people from all over the world are coming here to make their home here with us, weaving their culture, their traditions in with ours, and making the tapestry of Newfoundland and Labrador brighter, richer, and stronger. What a vibrant, wonderful place we have.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: That is not to say, Mr. Speaker, that we are without challenges. Almost 30 per cent of our revenue is coming from oil, Mr. Speaker. I am so grateful that we have that resource, Mr. Speaker, and I am so grateful that over the last eight years we have been able to negotiate royalties and benefits that are ensuring that the proper reward for sharing those resources with people who are prepared to make investments are coming home to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: We are able to do all of the things that we need to do here. Mr. Speaker, I also understand, as most people in this Province understand, that that is a non-renewable resource, oil. One of these days we are going to be able to do something with our gas, I hope, Mr. Speaker. These have definitive timelines attached to them in terms of what they are able to bring back to the Province.

We need to firm up our reserves. There is still much more work to be done in oil, Mr. Speaker, off the East Coast, off the West, and off Labrador. The opportunity in Labrador might be gas more than oil, Mr. Speaker, given that we have been searching for gas up there up to the 1970s, searching for oil and found only gas. We do not know if we are going to find more gas, but we will find more resource in the waters off Labrador.

The tremendous resources we have in Labrador now are being further developed and further explored. We have any number of companies that our Minister of Natural Resources has talked about in this House on a regular basis. We have companies there that are saying: We are doing our bankable feasibility studies and we are soon going to be in a position where we are going to be able to say that there are definitive pieces of work going to go on here in terms of mining to build on the wonderful work that is already happening in Labrador West, for example, and at Voisey's Bay. There is lots of work to be done in Labrador, but again, all non-renewables.

In Labrador we also know that we have a great vast resource in the Churchill River. We know that we have great wind resources in Labrador. We have done our tests on wind in Labrador and we know that we have some of the best wind regimes in North America in Labrador. That is true for Newfoundland as well, great sources of renewable energy that are there forever, and ever, and ever.

Nova Scotia is doing tremendous work around tidal energy, but we are not at a place yet where that is developed enough that it is a good commercial investment at this point in time. That day will come, Mr. Speaker, and when it does we will be there too.

When we think about our non-renewables, we know we have to get our debt paid. It is a wonderful thing and we celebrate that we have paid down $4 billion of debt, but, Mr. Speaker, we still have too much debt for such a small population. We need to be able to pay down our debt. Our Finance Minister in our Budget in 2012 has come forward with a plan to do that, to bring that down to the Canadian average over a ten-year period. For the first time in our history we have a plan to deal with debt, instead of a plan on how to rack it up.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Mr. Speaker, we always need to be thinking ahead. When I talked about our children and how important it is to secure not only where they are now but what their future is going to be, then we need to think about what is going to happen beyond the next ten years, beyond our term. Mr. Speaker, we all hope to be around here for a while longer, and I thank the stars. If we continue in the way we have governed up to this point, Mr. Speaker, if we are responsible, if we remember who we work for and why, as we do everyday in this House, I think we might have the honour of doing some more, further years beyond this term of work for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: We are going to work hard, Mr. Speaker, to be deserving of that opportunity to serve, but in doing that it means then that we have to do good planning. What are we going to do in terms of our economy, Mr. Speaker? The fishery is shrinking in lots of ways. We are making more money from fish in Newfoundland and Labrador now than we have ever done in our history.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Despite that, Mr. Speaker, we see communities that are extremely challenged in terms of the fishery and finding a way forward. It is not easy, Mr. Speaker. It has never been easy to deal with the fishery. I am going to talk a little bit more about that later.

Now I want to talk about the Churchill River, Mr. Speaker, because that is one of the great resources we have. When we think beyond oil, when we think beyond gas, when we think beyond iron ore, what is it that we have in terms of our natural resources that could drive the economy here in Newfoundland and Labrador? One of the great big pieces of that, Mr. Speaker, is the Lower Churchill River. For all kinds of reasons, Mr. Speaker, Muskrat Falls is important, because we have all of this wind, because hopefully we will have tidal. I do not think we are ever going to do much with solar, but in terms of the rest of it, Mr. Speaker, there are great opportunities in non-renewable energy, something that the world needs. This is a great resource for us, not only in terms of providing for the needs of the people and the businesses in Newfoundland and Labrador, but for something for us to take to market to drive our economy, to feed our provincial Treasury so we can continue to pay down debt and invest in services and programs for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, we are not going to develop Muskrat Falls and Gull Island and not transport it, not wheel that electricity outside of Newfoundland and Labrador and do all of that. We have to come away from an isolated system. We are being blocked in Labrador from going the Quebec route, and that is a source of frustration for the people of this Province for the last fifty years, Mr. Speaker. We will continue to work at it. Finally, we are at a place where we have an opportunity to wheel power through Quebec.

I find it a very peculiar way for Canadians in one Province to have an opportunity to wheel power through a sister province, Mr. Speaker, because it is not because of rules and regulations within our own country that we have that opportunity. We have that opportunity because of our sister province's commercial arrangements in the United States. It is because of the United States regulations and rules that we have an opportunity to apply to run power through Quebec or New Brunswick, because what their federal regulatory agency says is that if you are going to do business state to state or province to state, and you are going to wheel electricity across borders, then you have to reciprocate. You have to allow other states or provinces to wheel electricity across your borders. Because Quebec has commercial arrangements in the United States wheeling power from the Lower Churchill, a lot of it - making a lot of money on it, Mr. Speaker, billions of dollars they make on it annually while we make $100 million maybe, making a lot of money. They wheel that power through the United States, but because they wheel that power through the United States they have a process where we are able to make application to wheel power through Quebec.

Now, Hydro-Québec is in charge of the process and we are experiencing some real frustrations trying to get through it, but we have to get through it. We have to get through it that way or we have to find another way to get our power out of our Province. Do you know why? Because our future depends on it.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Mr. Speaker, we have thousands of megawatts of hydropower in Labrador, we have hundreds of hydropower on the Island. Mr. Speaker, we have thousands of megawatts of power in wind in Labrador, similar on the Island, valued extremely highly, Mr. Speaker. Quebec has made billions and billions of dollars from the Upper Churchill, Mr. Speaker, and we are in a place now where we need to ensure that in terms of the rest of the hydro resources on that river, and any other natural resources we have in this Province, we need to be able to garner those rewards of those developments. Mr. Speaker, we have to come off an isolated system, because otherwise we are going to be absolutely marginalized.

For Newfoundland and Labrador to reach its full potential, Mr. Speaker, in terms of getting all of this energy, we do not need 25,000 or 30,000 megawatts of power; what are we going to do with it? We have to be able to get it out and get a good return on it so we can take that money back here, invest it, and drive the economy here in Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: We have to punch through Quebec and get through Quebec. We are going to carry on using every resource we have available to make that happen and to make sure the rules are applied fairly. Mr. Speaker, we are going to look at every other kind of technological configuration that can be used successfully to get our power out, Mr. Speaker. That is about nation building.

Somebody said to me in an interview recently: Why don't you use that argument more often? That is a powerful argument, about Newfoundland and Labrador standing up, being all that it can be, having the opportunity to use its resources, and not be marginalized in a country where you are supposed to be an equal. I said: Absolutely, I understand that argument. I am passionate about the argument.

I can barely talk about the Upper Churchill because I get so –

AN HON. MEMBER: Irate.

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Irate about it. It is so unfair, so unbalanced, and so detrimental to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador that I can barely keep my patience about it. To say – in this federation, when we are supposed to respect one another, where there should be integrity in all of our dealings, and so on – that we could have something so unbalanced, so unfair, and be so limited in our opportunities to rectify it, and to add insult to injury on top of all of that, then be blocked from being able to fully develop what we have left.

Who in Newfoundland and Labrador could not get passionate about that piece? I know you could not put an army together to go up. People say: If you ever go to turn it off, can I come and help you turn the switch off? That is just raw emotion. We are never, ever going to do that, Mr. Speaker. We keep our word. Our word is our bond, and when we sign a contract with somebody it means something.

Mr. Speaker, we are never, ever going to do any of that, but that illustrates the passion that the people of this Province feel for it. It is not hard to get on that horse, Mr. Speaker, and be passionate about it, talk about nation building and our place in Canada, why this ought to happen and why the federal government ought to be facilitating it.

While you are doing all of that, you also have to be thinking: that is all great if it happens, but what can we do to ensure that it happens, and happens in a way that makes sense for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador? While all that is true in terms of your nationalistic feeling and being a passionate Newfoundlander and Labradorian, the fundamentals still have to make sense for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. It has to make sense for ratepayers if you are going to develop a project in this Province that the people are going to have to pay for. That is the beauty of Muskrat Falls: it works on both levels, Mr. Speaker. We can develop Muskrat Falls and it breaks, finally, the hold that Quebec has over this Province, because there is an alternate way out for power.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: On the next level, Mr. Speaker, it makes sense because the fundamentals make sense for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: It makes power more affordable in the long-term, Mr. Speaker. We have been a year here trying to convince just the people on the floor of this House of Assembly that the power is needed. It was a great day for me when I heard the Leader of the Opposition finally get up and acknowledge we need the power.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Well, gosh, good; that is grand, that is great – acknowledges that we absolutely are going to need the power, Mr. Speaker. The minister, Nalcor, MHI, Navigant, and Dr. Wade Locke have laid out the economics of it and said that this is the least-cost way to provide power to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador on a go-forward basis.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: The federal government, the banks, everybody we talk to, Mr. Speaker. We hear from the other side that is not so. Tell us who says it is not so? Give us one expert. First of all the argument here was we did not need the power. So we knocked that down, Mr. Speaker. Then, the light bills are going to double. No, they are not, Mr. Speaker. We knocked that down. Mr. Speaker, they say we are not going to accept Nalcor's numbers. Well, whose numbers are you going to accept?

It has taken millions of dollars and a lot of years to develop this project, Mr. Speaker. What are we supposed to have some little group or some little committee over here on the side that we give $20 million or $30 million to, to plan the Lower Churchill project simultaneously with Nalcor? I never heard anything so ridiculous before in my life. They are only Nalcor's numbers. Nalcor, one of the finest companies that has ever been incorporated in this country, Mr. Speaker, an ethical company, which is extremely important to us. There is nothing more important to this government than dealing ethically with people, Mr. Speaker. We know what it is like to be on the other side of a deal that is unbalanced, unfair, and does not work for both partners. We are not ever doing that to anyone, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: The people of this Province are an honourable people, Mr. Speaker, and when they give their word, when they make a commitment, when they sign a contract it means something to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. It means something, and it is important that people – I would suggest, especially when you are doing up platforms for elections and talking about writing in new terms and new conditions for existing contracts, that you remember that, that your word means something, that your contracts mean something.

When you spend two years negotiating a contract with an oil company about how you are going to develop a resource and what the company is going to get, and what the people of the Province are going to get, you strike the fair balance and you take a lot of time to do that, Mr. Speaker, and ensure that there is balance and fairness there. When you sign that off, you go away assured that the company is going to keep its word and that there are clauses in those agreements to ensure that they do. The company needs to go away assured that you have dealt with them in good faith too and what you told them they were going to get, they are going to get, Mr. Speaker. Parties ought to remember that when they are writing platforms, because Newfoundlanders and Labradorians' word is their bond. It means something, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Mr. Speaker, Muskrat Falls works, it works for ratepayers. We need a new source of electricity, Mr. Speaker. We can find it in Muskrat Falls. We want that resource to be renewable. We find that in Muskrat Falls. We need it to be as cheap as it can possibly be. Muskrat Falls does that, Mr. Speaker.

We have economic opportunities, particularly in Labrador, Mr. Speaker, where industrial development is going to require power. We have the opportunity to provide that power in Muskrat Falls. Mr. Speaker, we have an opportunity to break the hold that Quebec has over economic development in this Province, and also in terms of what is happening in Atlantic Canada, in the Maritimes particularly, which is why all of the other provinces are so interested in this project and the regional co-operation and the opportunities for economic development. You have that in Muskrat Falls, Mr. Speaker. That is why we have people from across this country, from various organizations, from various governments, from various parties, Mr. Speaker, endorsing this project.

I do not have any issue with members of the Opposition or the Third Party asking questions about this project and ensuring that we are doing everything that we ought to do to make sure that the interests of the people of this Province are being protected. Mr. Speaker, every expert – and Nalcor, in terms of the expertise that it has in its company, it has been built very methodically. What interest would Nalcor have in developing a project that was not in its own corporate best interests? Its own corporate best interests are the best interests of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, because they own Nalcor. We own it. Every cent that Nalcor makes comes to the people of the Province, Mr. Speaker. What government would ever want to have another Upper Churchill hung around their neck? Not me, Mr. Speaker. I do not want to go down in history as the Premier who negotiated the second Upper Churchill contract, not on your life, Mr. Speaker; but, for me to play it safe, and for me to ignore the legitimate needs and planning required for residents and economic development in Newfoundland and Labrador because I am afraid to take a risk, a calculated risk, a risk that is well understood, that is analyzed and based on all of the best evidence and the best advice you can get to go ahead, and take a decision that is in the best interest – I am prepared to do that. I am prepared to do that, Mr. Speaker, but I am not prepared to hide. I am not prepared to not live up to the pledge that I made to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, to come in here and do the best job that I could do, to serve their interests, to plan ahead, to drive economic development and to do all of the planning that we could possibly do and execute to secure the future of this great place. I am not hiding, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: While I do not want another Upper Churchill, Mr. Speaker, I do not want us in a place where we have lost countless opportunities for economic development, particularly in Labrador. How are mining companies going to go ahead with these huge developments without power, Mr. Speaker? If they have to develop all of the Lower Churchill themselves, they are not coming; they cannot afford that kind of investment. It is cost-benefit analysis. Here we get the best of both worlds. We get renewable energy at a reasonable cost. It takes us off the volatility of oil; it takes us away from the dirt of oil and the fouling of environment of oil. It drives industry, it opens up economic activity in this Province, and it creates a pathway to the rest of the Maritimes, the rest of Atlantic Canada. Hopefully we will be able to go to Ontario. We have gall; we are going to continue to press our issues in Quebec, Mr. Speaker, but we are going to have opportunities in the rest of Atlantic Canada and the United States as well.

As Governor Shumlin said here, and everybody heard him on CBC and NTV: if you got the juice, we got the use.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: This is a good project and, Mr. Speaker, every other hydro development in this project has been exempted from the PUB. This is the only government to refer a project of this type to the PUB. The Leader of the Opposition stands today and says, the PUB says your project – the PUB did not say the project was not the least-cost alternative. They did not say any such thing; they did not say anything. Their own experts, who they went out and they hired without any advice or help from us, their own experts, MHI, went out and said: Yes, you need the power; in fact, you need more power than you think you need. On top of that, this is the least-cost alternative.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: But the PUB set all that to one side and said MHI's report was pretty good, about the Muskrat Falls, and they had good things to say, so we are not going to talk about the good things now; we are going to talk about all the negative things. That is what they said in the report; that is in the preamble to the report: we are going to talk about the shortcomings. That is all we are going to talk about here. That is some kind of an imbalance in a report when you are not going to talk about any of the good stuff.

Some people had some good things to say and there are some questions that need to be answered. We will absolutely make sure that they are answered before we go to sanction, no question about it. When you have somebody, Mr. X or Ms X, says such and such and such about the project, and it is not viable because of this, who the heck is it? Who is it?

If the PUB is going to quote this person as saying the project is not viable because of this reason, could we know who it is and what their expertise is? It is like me going up and telling a surgeon, do not do that, boy, you do not know what you are doing. You should cut this way instead of cutting that way; you should take this piece out and leave that piece in. If you are going to have any kind of credibility around any of this, then you have to tell people who you are and what your expertise is so that people can take that into account when they are weighing off what it is that you have to say.

Mr. Speaker, then when somebody over here has the nerve to question that kind of reasoning, then everybody over on the other side of the floor goes, how dare you, Premier, question. Well yes, I am going to question. The right to question is not only left with people on the other side, Mr. Speaker. Everybody thinks that everybody on this side of the House – we are not a punching bag over here. We do our work. We are prepared to defend our work. We do not mind having our feet held to the fire. I am prepared to get up here. That is my responsibility, to get up here and answer questions.

MR. KENNEDY: The NDP do not have (inaudible).

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: I wish there were a few more of them, Mr. Speaker. We have been answering the same five questions now, Mr. Speaker, we have been answering them for six weeks. I suppose in another two months we will still be answering the same five.

Mr. Speaker, that is my responsibility to speak to the people of the Province and to answer the questions that they put forward – but, Mr. Speaker, I am not a punching bag. I am not going to stand up here and let everybody over on the other side of the House say what they like, and call us what they like, and accuse us of what they like.

I remember the first session, Mr. Speaker, when we had three women leaders and we talked about, that people expected something different, a new approach. I am not sure, but they might have expected civility. They might have expected somebody to treat somebody respectfully. Maybe they did not expect people to get up and ask questions and insult people and cut them down to a pair of cut offs, and then get highly offended and play the victim when somebody responds. What I am going to say to the members opposite, we come here prepared to do our work. We come here prepared to do our work, and no quarter is asked by anybody on this side of the House. No quarter asked, but remember no quarter given either.

So, you come here and we are prepared to debate, Mr. Speaker, we are prepared to deal with people honestly, we are prepared to deal with people respectfully, but, Mr. Speaker, we are not going to be kicked around from dog to devil.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER (Wiseman): Order, please!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Mr. Speaker, we are not going to be accused of being corrupt and underhanded.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

I remind the member her time is expired.

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Leave, Mr. Speaker?

MR. SPEAKER: Does the member have leave?

AN HON. MEMBER: Leave.

MR. SPEAKER: By leave.

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

So, Mr. Speaker –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The Speaker has recognized the hon. the Premier.

The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, this is an exciting time in the history of Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: There are wonderful things happening in this Province, Mr. Speaker, opportunities that we have never had before. Opportunities, so that after 500 years, finally we have all of the things, all of the resources, all of the tools we need to become all we could be, Mr. Speaker, all we knew we could be, all that we ever wanted to be. Our children know it, our young people know it. They sense it. They have it in their hands, Mr. Speaker. We are going to do everything we can. We are going to remember who hired us and why. We are going to remain a principle-driven government, Mr. Speaker. We are going to deal honestly and straightforwardly with the people of the Province and with the people on the other side, Mr. Speaker. The sky is not falling, Mr. Speaker. There is nobody over here trying to pull a fast one, Mr. Speaker. When you treat us respectfully, you will get respect in return.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. LITTLE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

After hearing a speech like that, I am truly filled up. I am going to have a job to speak words. I heard the passion coming from our Premier. I can tell you right here today that this government is definitely here for the people of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. LITTLE: We have a Premier who is very passionate, strong, and has a vision. We have a team approach on this side of the House, leadership, commitment, dedication, and teamwork. That is why the people of this Province believe in what we are doing as a Province right now, Mr. Speaker.

At this point in time, I would like to thank the wonderful people of the District of Bonavista South for giving me the confidence to stand and speak on your behalf in this wonderful House of Assembly in Newfoundland and Labrador. Budget 2012 is all about people and prosperity, but to be given the opportunity to speak after one of the greatest Premiers in the country certainly gratifies me to stand here today and speak.

We have a Premier who is down to earth, who goes out and picks up her groceries, who is on the ground and talks to people on a regular basis. We have a government who actually face the people of this Province, Mr. Speaker; we have a government who is committed to the people of this Province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. LITTLE: I would have no problem in sincerely saying that I do support the project, Muskrat Falls, and I do believe in it. I will just elaborate a little bit on that. I believe in the project for a number of reasons. I do have two children, two beautiful children who are bright individuals, and I look forward to bringing this project forward to the people of this Province because my children also believe that we should invest in their future and the people of this Province. This government has a great vision and we are full of the newfound energy that is in the Budget of 2012.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. LITTLE: Mr. Speaker, I listen to the Opposition Party and I listen to the Third Party and I hear spend, spend, and spend. Look, I want to leave a legacy for my children and their children. I do believe in the balanced approach of this government. This government is on the right track and we will continue to stay on the right track, Mr. Speaker, and this is why the people of this Province gave us a strong endorsement and put us in this House of Assembly.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. LITTLE: I feel it is very important for me to talk on fishery-related issues because I come from one of the largest fishing districts in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. There are many challenges; there were many challenges when my father was a fisherman. The fishery is very complex. Restructuring is occurring, but it still provides jobs for many of our Newfoundlanders and Labradorians in the outport rural parts of Newfoundland and Labrador. A $1 billion industry today, Mr. Speaker, a renewable resource, and that is where we need to invest. We are going to definitely invest in the future of the fishery in this Province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. LITTLE: Our government has a proven track record. We provide funding for marketing and technology. We provide funding when a plant closure occurs with worker adjustment programs and educational training programs. We do help in the area of quality to make sure that we put out the best product in this world to compete in a global market, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. LITTLE: I am very privileged and I am gratified to be given the opportunity to highlight some of the many achievements our government has accomplished since taking over the reins in 2003, a time when the Province was heading on a downward spiral, racking up an overwhelming deficit. Because of strong economic and social planning that balances responsible fiscal management with priority investments, our government has brought Newfoundland and Labrador to a level of prosperity such as we have never seen before. We have never experienced this prosperity before.

We have not had to borrow for operating purposes since 2004. Like one of the members said earlier, our bonds are trading in secondary markets at rates that are at an historic level, Mr. Speaker. This Province has an A⁺ credit rating.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. LITTLE: It comes from Standard & Poor's rating services, which is the highest it has ever been in the history of this Province.

Because of the progress we are making, we no longer have the highest net per capita in the country, Mr. Speaker. With sound decision making and strong resource revenues, our long-term goal is to reduce the Province's net per capita to all-province average within ten years. We will get there. We will definitely get there.

We posted our sixth surplus in seven years totalling approximately $5.5 billion. Our net debt has been reduced an estimated $7 billion. What an achievement, Mr. Speaker. I am honoured to be on this side of the House to make all of those great accomplishments with my fellow colleagues.

I feel optimistic that these numbers will improve even more in coming years as our government continues to be cautiously, fiscally wise investors in the future. We will definitely commit to development in major projects in the future as well, Mr. Speaker.

This Budget is all about people, the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, and included in this Budget are our seniors. Our seniors are included in this Budget, and rightfully so, Mr. Speaker.

I would like to point out some of the ways this Budget will enhance the services provided throughout various departments of our government, Mr. Speaker. The Minister of Health and Community Services spoke earlier, and she spoke on some of the issues that this government provided in relation to –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. LITTLE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Health care will see an overall investment of approximately $3 billion, a major investment, Mr. Speaker. That investment is universal. It is actually there for all of the people spread throughout all parts of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is done in a fair and equitable manner. I am honoured to know that this government operates on a balanced approach, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. LITTLE: Approximately $101 million is being invested to strengthen the long-term care and community support programs. This will aid in providing residents of Newfoundland and Labrador essential long-term and community support services as close to their home as possible. An investment of $18.3 million will further build upon the ongoing improvements recently made to the Home Support Program. This will address the anticipated program growth. It will certainly help people in the rural parts of Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. LITTLE: There will be 100 new portable subsidies to the existing 1,711 in the personal care home program. I would like to highlight that this number has increased by 681 since 2007. This is wonderful news, not only for those on wait-lists but also for the owners and operators of personal care homes. It is very important, I can tell you.

Mr. Speaker, $81.1 million is being allocated for the ongoing development of five important long-term care facilities throughout the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The continued redevelopment of the North Haven Manor in Lewisporte and the long-term care facility in Corner Brook, we are committed to those projects. In my particular district, Mr. Speaker, there will be the construction of a new dementia care bungalow-style unit. The people of Bonavista South are appreciative of this commitment from this government at this point in time.

Our government has recognized the need for both upgrades and building new long-term care facilities that are modern, includes technology and equipment and is suited for the needs of the people. With an investment of $1 million, improvements will be made to further enhance dialysis services throughout the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. I would like to point out that since 2003 the number of sites in which a patient can receive haemodialysis treatment has increased from seven to fourteen, and the number of patients accommodated has grown from 340 to 351. What an improvement, Mr. Speaker.

A total investment of $508,600 will support the expansion of the Breast Cancer Screening Program to include women aged forty to forty-nine. Our government will investment $155 million in the Provincial Prescription Drug Program; $155 million, Mr. Speaker, what a number.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. LITTLE: This is a very worthwhile program that helps fellow Newfoundlanders and Labradorians with low incomes or high drug costs to receive necessary drugs or treatments, programs that will help our senior citizens, Mr. Speaker. Why would you not support this Budget, Mr. Speaker? I am so honoured to be part of this Budget 2012, a very important Budget, and I am honoured to be on this side of the government.

I will just take this off the Budget for a minute. When I was doing my door-to-door campaign I was asked: Why did you run for the PC Party? In different locations I was asked that question. I do not mind saying that in front of all my colleagues here today. It is simple. Why did I make the decision? I made the decision, and I made the right decision, Mr. Speaker, absolutely right decision. Yes, it was, Mr. Speaker, and it will not change because we on this side of the House are leaders in this Province and the people of this Province realize that.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. LITTLE: When I hear the Opposition talking about crumbs in the Budget, after what I just said, and some other programs and I guess reductions in fees that I am going to talk about, I can tell you when I went out to my district, the people out in my district certainly appreciate some of the good news stories of this Budget.

I would like to commend the Minister of Finance in doing an outstanding job in his department and the full Cabinet of this government as well; very strong leadership, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. LITTLE: Our government certainly knows how much our seniors have contributed to this Province and recognizes the importance of providing support for our elders, especially those who are faced with the challenges of fixed incomes, I tell you. Budget 2012 will provide seniors aged sixty-five and over with a number of fee reductions, very important, especially out in the rural parts of Newfoundland and Labrador.

The driver's licence and vehicle registration fees are reduced; fees for hunting, fishing, cutting wood, and camping. It provides a healthier well-being lifestyle on behalf of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, I can tell you, a very important contribution on behalf of the people. Yes, we do listen. We do listen to the seniors of this Province. We consult with the seniors of this Province, we will continue to consult with the people of this Province, and we respect the people of this Province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. LITTLE: It is such an exciting time to travel throughout this beautiful Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. If they are listening to a speech by our Premier, it is certainly uplifting; hopefully some of that excitement, electricity, and uplifting words certainly carry over to the other side of the House and they understand what we are doing here in the future for the Province.

I actually went out to lunch today with two business people from Ontario.

AN HON. MEMBER: What did they have to say?

MR. LITTLE: What did they have to say? They could not believe it. They visited this Province ten years ago; to see what this Province has done since that time, the progress, the positivity, the enthusiasm, and the infrastructure change, the confidence – honestly, you know what one of the people actually told me? He said: Look, I am actually thinking about moving to Newfoundland in the future, for the rest of my life. Now, what do you say about that?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. LITTLE: There are a number of people coming back here to live because of the programs this government has put in place, Mr. Speaker. They are actually buying homes in the rural parts of this Province. They know the lifestyle that we have, which is great; one of the greatest places to live on the face of the earth as far as I am concerned, Mr. Speaker.

Approximately $66 million will be used to reduce student debt through: a, a continued freeze on tuition for the 2012-2013 academic year; the continuation of upfront needs-based grants and interest-free student loans; and, c, continued debt reduction grants. My son is in university, and he has a large number of friends throughout the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. I can tell you, he realizes what this government is doing for the benefit of students throughout the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The students of this Province realize, the students of this Province support this provincial government, and will continue to support this provincial government. We will consult with the students of this Province and we will provide good education for all levels of students in this Province. I would like to commend the Minister of Education on the outstanding job that he is doing in his new portfolio. He is certainly doing an excellent job, and it shows in this Budget.

I would like to quote what the minister said in one of his speeches; I listen to him from time to time, and I have listened attentively, because I will tell you that I am impressed with the comments that he made toward our education system. "Providing a quality education that is accessible to everyone is, and always will be, a priority for this government…These investments, and more, speak to our commitment to meeting the needs of students and their families now, and far into the future", Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. LITTLE: These are the minister's words, Mr. Speaker.

The well-being and safety of our children and youth are of the utmost importance. Our government understands, and we will invest a total of $200.5 million to enhance vital program areas such as child care and protective intervention throughout Newfoundland and Labrador. Beginning in 2012, the provincial government will increase funding to child care, doubling its investment by 2021-2022 to approximately $56 million per year under a new ten-year child care strategy.

AN HON. MEMBER: Just for child care.

MR. LITTLE: Just for child care.

I would like to highlight this plan that definitely includes: the increasing number of regulated child care spaces throughout the Province, based on a local needs assessment; and providing operating grants to child care centre operators in areas requiring child care spaces, on the condition that fees are maintained at a specific level. We will implement a number of initiatives to address the recruitment and retention of qualified early child care educators into the child care system. We are moving forward, Mr. Speaker, and we will continue to invest.

I know my time is close; twenty minutes just flies by. It is difficult to actually speak on all of the issues in the Budget of 2012. There are so many positive items in the Budget, I can go on and on for days and days speaking on this Budget. Personally, I will wrap up.

May I have leave?

MR. SPEAKER (Verge): Order, please!

Does the member have leave?

AN HON. MEMBER: Yes, by leave.

MR. SPEAKER: The Member for Bonavista South, with leave.

MR. LITTLE: By leave, Mr. Speaker, I will clue up.

There is something I would like to say because I talked a lot about the investments in the rural parts of Newfoundland and Labrador. The one final item that I would like to highlight from Budget 2012 – and I do have two colleagues on this side of the House that I am really impressed with, they are strong supporters, speak vocally and definitely do an excellent job in the House. There is actually going to be an investment of over $158 million to the Northern Strategic Plan for Labrador. What an investment, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. LITTLE: With the planning and implementation of this year's Budget, this government has demonstrated much thought, sound decision making, and a fair and diplomatic division of the Province's revenues. It is obvious that our government has analyzed and decided upon the most practical and responsible way to invest the funding available for the people of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Member for Fortune Bay – Cape La Hune.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS PERRY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is a great privilege for me to stand here today and speak to Budget 2012. I can tell you that I will not be supporting this amendment because I think Budget 2012 is a fantastic Budget for all of Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS PERRY: Mr. Speaker, I will start for a few moments talking about my particular District of Fortune Bay – Cape La Hune. The Premier spoke earlier about how far we have come as a Province in the last eight years because of the exceptional governance of this government that we have in place here today, the government that has turned things around for Newfoundland and Labrador and is enabling us to have a future, not just for ourselves but for our children and our grandchildren to come.

Looking at my District of Fortune Bay – Cape La Hune in particular, this Budget strongly supports aquaculture, continues to support aquaculture. In the 1990s, Mr. Speaker, and up until 2007, I was involved in community economic development and during that time it was all doom and gloom. The aquaculture industry was struggling to survive but this government saw the potential of the industry, this government was willing to support it, and this government has strengthened the industry to the point where today we have 600 people directly employed in the aquaculture sector and another couple of hundred indirectly employed, Mr. Speaker.

The benefits are far reaching. They extend well beyond the Coast of Bays. We are buying cars in Grand Falls and Gander. The big trucks are stopping at the gas stations all the way from Port aux Basques down through to the Coast of Bays. We are supporting retail sales in St. John's. All across the Province we are seeing the benefits. Fibreglass manufactures in Central Newfoundland, all kinds of opportunities for many places in the Province because of this industry.

Mr. Speaker, another great benefit of Budget 2012 for the District of Fortune Bay – Cape La Hune was the announcement for dialysis. I have to tell you, that is one of the investments that makes me very, very proud.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS PERRY: We speak often in this House about MHAs roles and the importance of being in the Legislature, but for me as an MHA one of the most important aspects of our job is helping people. I will never forget the people that I met with on dialysis. Mr. Speaker, it is a very challenging disease to have to live with kidney failure. To further complicate the challenges of that disease is by having to drive three hours - six hours in a return trip, three times a week, and the expense of that, the physical challenges associated with that. It is very, very hard on the individuals and their families, Mr. Speaker.

I committed in 2007 to advocate for dialysis which the people in the district had been advocating for, I might say, for about ten years prior to my arrival as MHA. I was so pleased with Budget 2011, that we received our first announcement. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Speaker, it was realized that the number of patients at various stages of renal failure in our district was actually increasing. I am so, so pleased that the Minister of Health and Community Services further supported our investment with an additional $1 million in this year's Budget.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS PERRY: We look forward to having an exceptional dialysis service that will service the people of my district for decades to come.

MR. MARSHALL: (Inaudible).

MS PERRY: The Minister of Finance, I thank you as well, Sir.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to talk about the roads in my district. The roads in Fortune Bay – Cape La Hune have been a topic of discussion recently on the public airwaves and I want to assure the people of Newfoundland and Labrador that the Coast of Bays region is well worth visiting. Yes, there is a small section of road that needs some work, but I will tell you, Mr. Speaker, when I came in, in 2007, there was probably about sixty kilometres in really bad shape, with another thirty or forty that were so-so. Today, we have twenty-five kilometres in really bad shape and another twenty-five or so that are not great. We have done about half, and I commit to working with the people and working with my government until we achieve the entire surface.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS PERRY: What concerns me, Mr. Speaker, about the whole recent fuss that was created about the roads is the negative impact that it is going to have on our tourism industry, because really, in reality I drive that road every weekend. There is a small section of about ten or fifteen minutes that you have to slow down. A month ago, there was a lot of freeze and thaw. The road was worse, like it was everywhere in Newfoundland and Labrador, and like it will always be because none of us can control Mother Nature. It is a reality of life. During that time we have to slow down. I think, personally, that it is very important for people to know that the roads are really not all that bad. When you win a survey in Atlantic Canada based on 3,911 votes from here to New Brunswick, it greatly concerns me about how skewed that is because I have 7,000 people in my district alone. Where did the votes come from? From here to New Brunswick and all there was, was 3,911?

Before I go on, I also want to say that recently in a promotion of our district at a tourism event sixty people came to the booth. They said: A lovely part of the Province. We would love to come down there and visit, but we cannot come down there with the road so bad. I want those people to know, these roads are not that bad. If you want to know if there is a particular pothole that day or how the maintenance is going, by all means, call my office or call the Coast of Bays tourism office. We will let you know how the roads are, and I can guarantee you it will be well worth the drive and you will not have any problems in visiting the Coast of Bays this summer. I want to see you come and all of the businesses want to see you come. I am also certain that the worse sections will be done this year.

Mr. Speaker, now I am going to move on and talk a little bit more about some provincial matters and about the governance of this government that we have in power today, which is doing a phenomenal job for Newfoundland and Labrador. I am just going to pull some stats from the Budget Speech. Employment in Newfoundland and Labrador has grown by 2.7 per cent in 2011. That is an all-time high for Newfoundland and Labrador and it is the lowest annual unemployment rate that we have seen in this Province in thirty-six years. Isn't that something?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS PERRY: I tell you, I for one never want to go back to the days of the doom and gloom, when there were no jobs for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians and when we all had to move away. We as a government are going to do everything we can to ensure that our future continues to get brighter, stronger and better.

Again, another fabulous thing that has happened since we have come into government is that our population has increased. Who ever would have thought that Newfoundland and Labrador, after thirty years of decline, would start seeing a population increase? Mr. Speaker, that happened in just eight short years.

Before I conclude, Mr. Speaker, because a colleague of mine would like to get up and speak a little bit to this Budget today as well. We are all trying to get it in because there is so much great stuff going on here. I would like to talk about Muskrat Falls as well, an incredibly visionary project for Newfoundland and Labrador. In fact, all of Canada, the Government of Canada, is positioning itself as an energy supplier for North America. We can be a part of that. Not only can we be a part of that, Mr. Speaker, but we can be a leader in that. I look at the alternative –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MS PERRY: The Premier spoke earlier quite eloquently about Muskrat Falls, and I hope many people had the opportunity to listen. I love to listen to the Premier as she discusses Muskrat and talks about the benefits for the people. It is so educational to listen to her speak, and inspiring. Her wealth of knowledge is truly inspiring. What the Premier and our team have done for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador in developing this project is something that we will see in future years. Truly, the best is yet to come with respect to the benefits that we are going to get from this project.

We have a responsibility. We come into this House and everybody talks about the oil and what is going to happen when the oil is gone. Muskrat Falls and clean, hydroelectric power is the solution for when the oil runs out. Renewable energy that will provide us with wealth and prosperity for the people of our Province for decades and centuries to come, but the time, Mr. Speaker, is now. If we delay much further, we will lose this opportunity.

I for one do not want the history books to read in twenty years time: Boy, that Province had a wonderful opportunity. What they could have done for power for Newfoundland and Labrador, for Canada, and for North America, but boy, they missed the boat. They studied it to death and it never happened. I do not want to read the history book that says that. I want history to say: Boy, Newfoundland and Labrador is one of the richest Provinces we have in Canada and it is all because of their innovation and their investment in hydroelectricity.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS PERRY: Mr. Speaker, I would also like to add – the environmentalist in me – not only do we have a responsibility to our people to provide and ensure prosperity for the future, we also have an environmental responsibility. North America needs power. North America will continue to grow.

What is the alternative? Nuclear power? That is the only other option that we are going to have to get it in a timely manner. Do Americans want nuclear power? Do Canadians want nuclear power? No, we do not want nuclear power. We want clean, green, renewable energy. I tell you, Mr. Speaker, that the answer lies in Muskrat Falls.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS PERRY: I have a lot more that I would love to be able to speak to, Mr. Speaker. In the interest of ensuring that all my colleagues have the opportunity to speak to this wonderful Budget, I am going to take my seat, and pass the floor to one of my colleagues.

Like I said a little while ago, Mr. Speaker, and like many of my colleagues have so eloquently discussed throughout the last few days, we are on the verge of something wonderful in Newfoundland and Labrador and the best truly is yet to come.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER (Wiseman): The Member for Grand Falls-Windsor – Green Bay South.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. HUNTER: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to encourage my colleagues to hold their enthusiasm. We do not have a lot of time. Mr. Speaker, I would just like to have a couple of words to say. First of all, I would just like to thank the people in my district for another great victory last fall, and all the people who helped me out in the campaign, the many people who I met from the last fourteen years representing my district. I really would like to thank everybody who had a part to play in me being here today.

Hopefully, Mr. Speaker, we all in this House can realize the fact that people put us here to do some serious business. We are all capable of doing that, Mr. Speaker. After hearing the last couple of days the speakers that we have on our side, particularly our new people, the new MHAs in this House on both sides actually who get up to speak, it is so encouraging. It did uplift me this week and give me some new energy to know that have such a great team of MHAs –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. HUNTER: – and my colleagues on my side, particularly, who are so enthusiastic and so energized. It makes me feel good to know that when these old fellows move on, it is still in good hands. Just even reflecting, Mr. Speaker, back a few years ago – this is my fourteenth Budget in this House – going back when I was in the Opposition and looking at the time when I was sitting on that side and the back benchers on this side were up speaking, we were over there and we were trying to hold their feet to the fire. Of course, back then, all the Budgets that we have heard on that side from this side were not even close, absolutely not even close at all to the good news that this government has been bringing to the people of this Province in the last eight years, and particularly the last couple of years, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. HUNTER: I can remember when the Member for Bay of Islands was on this side. Of course, we were heckling and tormenting the members on this side, and it was a lot of fun, I must say. It is a job that the Opposition has to do to make sure that this House runs in a way that keeps the government's feet to the fire. Having said that, this government certainly has done that good of a job that it is hardly needed for anybody to do that, because our Premier has done such a great job leading this caucus, leading this government –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. HUNTER: – and now with this great Budget that we have this time, Mr. Speaker, I am glad to be part of that.

Mr. Speaker, it is all about dollars and cents. We have an Estimate process that we have to go through, and we have to have people sit on that side to ask questions to the ministers on this side in Estimates. When we are talking such a big Budget, such a lot of money, sometimes the members on the Committees can be there for hours asking questions on what government does with the dollars, the taxpayers' dollars. It is not our dollars, it is not the people sitting in here, it is not their dollars, but we do have a big responsibility to make sure that those dollars are spent wisely and prudently.

Mr. Speaker, I have to say, the last couple of days, just listening to some of the ministers getting up and presenting what their departments are doing, the dollars that are being spent in these departments, it is so uplifting. Because we know, as the Minister of Municipal Affairs said to me one day, that there are a lot of wants – many, many millions and millions, and hundreds of millions of dollars of wants – but this government only has a certain size of a pie when it comes to the dollars that we have to spend.

The Minister of Finance does such a good job of divvying up that pie and making sure the Minister of Municipal Affairs, the Minister of Transportation, and all the other ministers gets that piece of the pie to spend because all of our districts, all of us here in the House today are on these guys backs all the time saying I want this and I want that, because the people in our districts are on our backs and saying we want roads, we want this, and we want that. It is a good job that the Minister of Finance has done to make sure that this Budget works.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. HUNTER: If it could have been better, I am sure it would have been better, but we are very lucky that we had the revenues in the last few years to do that. The oil revenues and the mining revenues, they are so important to the bottom line of the Province and to this government that our minister goes out and says okay, this is what you get, department – and I am sure the ministers are going back to the Minister of Finance and saying we want more, we want more, but there is only so much to do that. We are very proud that the Minister of Finance has brought out this Budget, such a good Budget.

A lot of people were expecting big cutbacks and expecting bad things, but from what I see in this Budget I think we are very fortunate that we held the line, came out with lots of spending that needs to be done, there is good news in health care and in transportation, schools, and education. Our members the last couple of days, and I do not know have the figures or facts or notes or anything in front of me to allude to any government spending, but from what I heard from some of the members here the last couple of days who were prepared to have those notes on what the departments are spending, it is unbelievable. You just have to be here and you have to clap, and you have to congratulate the minister and the Premier and this government.

MR. MARSHALL: Ninety-seven new jobs.

MR. HUNTER: There were ninety-seven new jobs when we expected that many cutbacks and a lot of people were afraid of losing their jobs, but we increased ninety-seven new jobs.

I have to say, Mr. Speaker, our new members must be so excited. I can tell by looking at their face how excited they are to be here and they came in at a great time. They came in at a time when the Province is in a very good shape. It is a Province now that can do things that they could not do in the past. When I was in Opposition, the first couple of years, we did not get one inch of pavement, no pavement. Schools had leaky roofs and leaky windows, and we could not get windows and roofs fixed in our schools. Now, we are having new schools announced and repairs to schools, and repairs to this and that.

The members here today who came here in the last election in October, they must be so excited and so glad that they came in at this particular time. I tell you, if you had to come in like it was fourteen years ago when I came in here, it was so desperate that, my God, when I sat over there and looked up, I said: Well, what are we going to do? Ministers were saying: No, you cannot have this and no, you cannot have that. We cannot fix this roof. We cannot do this road. We cannot do water and sewer. It was all we cannot, we cannot, and we cannot back in 1999 when I sat over there.

I remember at the time, as going on, the former Premier came in and wanted to lead our party. We, as a small group of people, wanted to get out in the Province and give the people an alternative to what the government on this side of that day was doing. We knew we had a tough time. I remember one time in Stephenville at a caucus meeting we were talking about: What if we took over the government? What would happen if we took over the government? The main issue around those discussions back in 1999 and 2000 was: If we ever took over the government, what kind of mess are we going to take over? I can remember the former Premier saying: Well, boys, we have to deal with it now, even though we are not in government. We are not there yet. We have to deal with what we are going to present to the people as an alternative in the election of 2003.

I sat on a strategy committee. I was vice-chair of strategy for two or three years. Every morning we had to deal with: How are we going to find out what the state of this Province is going to be? We did not know. We could not get the information. The former Liberal government of the day would not give us the information. We could tell because at the time when this Liberal government, after 1999, the way they were spending, there was no money. We were almost bankrupt. I am going to say Premier Williams at the time figured that if we did take over, and there was a good chance we would take over in 2003, we are going to have one big mess on our hands and it is going to take a couple of years to turn it around, even to come close to turning it around, Mr. Speaker.

We had many, many strategy meetings, morning after morning after morning here when the House was open. Even when the House was not open, we were meeting regularly to discuss strategy and discuss the finances of the Province of the day. We come from that time back in that day when we knew that if we took over, we were going to have that big of a mess on our hands that: Are we sure that we want to take over this government? Are we sure we want to be the government? We know that we are going to have one hell of a mess on our hands. Because Premier Williams of the day had enough foresight with our non-renewable resources that he knew he could make it work, if we could get a little bit of leeway here and there with the oil companies and the mining companies. It would not take a lot to turn it around.

After 2003 when we took over the government, of course, then we started putting our Blue Book plans in place and our strategy plans that we had been making for three or four years that we were developing with the Blue Book back in 1999 when we started the new Blue Book to take over a government. We started our strategy to take over a government and we knew what we were going to have to do after 2003 when we took over the government. A couple of years of really hard work paid off when the former Premier said I can see a light at the end of the tunnel, and he was right. There was a light at the end of the tunnel. There was a way that we could make it work. Of course, the oil prices started going up and up and up. From that day on you could see the difference. You could see the budgets getting better. Every year the budget has been getting better.

I have to say, after fourteen years of me sitting here and fourteen budgets, that this Budget I see now and with the enthusiasm of all of our members, the enthusiasm of the minister, and when you talk to a minister you can tell hey, there is something here. We do not have to be sitting here wondering if we can do something anymore.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. HUNTER: Back in those days, we knew we could not do the things we wanted to do. We could not deliver the good health care. We could not deliver the roads. At the time, Mr. Speaker, there was a lot of unnecessary spending. I remember too, very well, because I sat in on all of the Estimate meetings. Since I have been here, I have been sitting in on Estimates meetings. Back in those days, we used to go out for a meal after the Estimates were over. We would go out for a meal and I was listening, I always listened. I listened to ministers talking around the table. I was saying, My God, we have to take over the government. If we do not take over the government we are going to be bankrupt in a couple of years, when I would hear ministers talking about how they spend this money for that, thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars that the Liberal government spent back when they were on this side. We were on that side wondering why we could not get money for health care, money for roads and money for education. I tell you, Mr. Speaker, if I could say it here in this House, I cannot say it, but if I could, if I could write a book someday it is going to be a big book; the stuff that I seen in this House in the last fourteen years - the money that was wasted, my goodness gracious.

Mr. Speaker, when I went looking for money and the minister looked at me and said: I will tell you, you will get no money out of me.

AN HON. MEMBER: Who was that?

MR. HUNTER: You can only guess who that was.

I will tell you today, and since we took over government, you go to a minister and the minister says: well, I will see what I can do for you. I know every minister has a little piece of that pie, and I know we just cannot say it is all me, me, me, I want everything for my district. I do not do that. I will say: Minister, what can you do for me? If you cannot do it, you cannot do it.

In days past, when I was on that side in Opposition and we asked to get something done, and then the minister said no, you will get nothing out of me. In the meantime, his colleagues on this side were spending money hand over fist on unnecessary things and money was going out like there was no end to it.

MR. JOYCE: A point of order, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: A point of order, the Member for Bay of Islands.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

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

MR. JOYCE: Mr. Speaker, I reluctantly step in, but I remember times when I was in the government and he was in the Opposition. We worked together on some of the requests you made. You have to speak the way it is. There were times you came to me, and we did –

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

There is no point of order.

The Member for Grand Falls-Windsor – Green Bay South.

MR. HUNTER: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I have to say, Mr. Speaker, it is not every day and not every issue that did not get attention. I did work with the government of the day and some things happened but it was a lot harder to do.

I know the time is going, Mr. Speaker, and I would really like to go on for about an hour because I have a lot of things I could talk about and compare from back then to now, but I will not do that.

Thank you for the opportunity. I have had at least a few words to speak on the Budget and hopefully before the House closes I can continue on with a few more words.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

There being no further speakers to the sub-amendment, the House is now ready for the question.

All those in favour of the sub-amendment?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.

MR. SPEAKER: All those against the sub-amendment?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Nay.

MR. SPEAKER: Motion defeated.

On motion, sub-amendment defeated.

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

MR. KENNEDY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I know it is a little bit early, at 5:05 in the afternoon, but it being Thursday, I do move, Mr. Speaker, seconded by the Minister of Advanced Education and Skills, that this House do now adjourn.

MR. SPEAKER: It has been moved and seconded that this House do now adjourn.

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'.

AN HON. MEMBER: Nay.

MR. SPEAKER: Motion passed.

This being Thursday, the House now stands adjourned until 1:30 p.m. on Monday.

On motion, the House at its rising adjourned until tomorrow, Monday, at 1:30 p.m.