The House met at 1:30 p.m.

MR. SPEAKER (Wiseman): Order, please!

Admit strangers.

MR. SPEAKER: Today, we are going to have members' statements from the Member for the District of Mount Pearl North; the Member for the District of Humber Valley; the Member for the District of St. Barbe; the Member for the District of Terra Nova; and the Member for the District of Bonavista North.

When they are finished, the hon. the Minister of Finance wants to gloat a little bit and we will give him, with leave, some time, if the House wants to give him leave – but only if the House wants to give him leave, and that is 100 per cent. We will probably take a vote on that with Division.

The hon. the Member for Mount Pearl North.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENT: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise in this hon. House today to recognize two residents of Mount Pearl, Gary Michael Byrne and Denise Hayes, recent recipients of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal.

For other thirty years, Mr. Byrne has been running a swimming program for children, youth, and adults with disabilities out of the Mount Pearl Swimming Pool. He does this at little to no cost to the club's members. The amazing part is the results that he gets from his participants who thought they could never swim.

Denise has volunteered at the Newfoundland and Labrador Sexual Assault Crisis Centre for over sixteen years. Along with her commitment to the local centre, she has spoken at numerous national and international conferences, delivered empowerment workshops to schools, community groups and women's penitentiaries, as well as developed victim training which is used by various police agencies.

I would like to once again congratulate and thank these individuals for their contributions, and ask that all members of this House join me in congratulating them as well.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The Member for the District of Humber Valley.

MR. BALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise in this hon. House today to congratulate the organizers of the ninth annual Log-a-Load for Kids charity hockey tournament, which was recently held in my district. Over $36,000 was raised by participants at the Log-a-Load for Kids and donated to the Janeway Children's Health and Rehabilitation Centre.

Mr. Speaker, this tournament was created by the forestry personnel to organize fundraising efforts for Children's Miracle Network Hospital Foundations. The winning team is determined by the amount of money raised for the foundation, not by the number of goals. I am honoured to announce that Northwest Forest Products, from my district, was the winning team with a contribution of over $10,000.

Mr. Speaker, I commend the Log-a-Load for Kids organizing committee for hosting the tournament in various areas across the Province, and to highlight the far-reaching benefits that both the Janeway Children's Hospital and the Janeway Hospital Foundation have to offer.

I congratulate the organizers of the tournament who have raised over $245,000 since inception nine years ago for the Janeway Children's Hospital and the Janeway Hospital Foundation.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The Member for St. Barbe.

MR. BENNETT: Mr. Speaker, I rise in this hon. House today to commend Marylou Brown on thirty-one years of service in the Canadian Armed Forces, from February 28, 1980 to April 6, 2011. Ms Brown is originally a resident of Daniel's Harbour, St. Barbe district. Ms Brown's thirty-one years of service is among the longest serving of any member from the District of St. Barbe.

Ms Brown served her country at CFB Trenton; CFB Lahr in Germany; CFB Gagetown for two tours. She also attended CFB Armoured School and 4 Air Defense Regiment; and CFB Petawawa for two tours, 2 Service Battalion and 2 RCHA.

Ms Brown received the following commendations: Land Force Central Area Commander's Commendation; Special Service Medal, Germany Tour; Canadian Forces Decoration with Class.

The bravery and commitment of the service personnel in the Canadian Armed Forces is unprecedented. They give unconditionally so that all people can live in peace and freedom. Marylou Brown – formerly Joy – is the essence of our freedom as a nation, and in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all members of the House to join me in a commendation of this service.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

I rise today to recognize Les Chaulk of Charlottetown, Bonavista Bay, a gentleman who has dedicated much of his life to the well-being of his community and the Province.

Mr. Chaulk has always been a strong volunteer in his community. He played a key role in forming a Recreation Committee in Charlottetown and served as a member for twenty-six years while also coaching local hockey and softball leagues.

Mr. Speaker, Les is a member of both the Loyal Orange Lodge in Charlottetown and the Royal Black Lodge in Bunyan's Cove.

In 1972, he helped to form a volunteer fire department within his hometown. He has held the position of truck captain, secretary-treasurer, and assistant fire chief, and from 1985 to present he has given exemplary service as fire chief, giving a total of forty-one years of service to his fire department.

Les has also committed twenty years of service to the LSD of Charlottetown in a variety of roles, Mr. Speaker. Furthermore, in 1989 he joined the Canadian Rangers and is currently serving as Sergeant.

Les is married to Mamie Chaulk – sorry, of course, Mamie Chaulk, now; Les is married to Mamie Tucker, formerly of Bunyan's Cove, and they reside in Charlottetown.

I ask all hon. members to join me in recognizing a lifetime volunteer, Mr. Les Chaulk.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. CROSS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I proudly rise to my feet today to recognize the hard work and creative efforts of the Beothic Curling Club and wish to further commend the planning and host committee for their Funspiel held on the first weekend of March, 2013.

I was excited to participate as a curler in this, my twelfth year at the event. Of the twenty teams competing, there were several visiting teams from CBS, Gambo, Gander, and Twillingate. The A Division Champions, a hometown team comprised of Brent Abbott, Jim Hounsell, Gertie Fifield, and Maxine Stagg, went undefeated through the tournament.

League President Craig Loder in his presentation of awards recognized the contribution of local and regional businesses that have contributed to this event on a yearly basis for more than a decade. The economic benefit of this event may not be monumental, but the hospitality and good cheer is unrivalled.

All curlers experienced a fun-filled competition, and I am sure my wish for the continuation of this very positive annual event is echoed by all members of this Legislature. Congratulations to the champs, and appreciation to the organizers and sponsors.

There was some mighty great curling, but Gushue is safe for a few years yet, I believe.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Does the hon. the Member for Carbonear-Harbour Grace have leave?

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible).

MR. SPEAKER: Can I hear that again, please?

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible).

MR. SPEAKER: By leave.

MR. KENNEDY: It is with great pride, Mr. Speaker, that I rise in this hon. House to pay tribute to one of the greatest sports franchises in the history of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

On Saturday night, March 16, the Eastlink CeeBee Stars captured the Herder Memorial Trophy for the eighth time in franchise history –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENNEDY: – and their fourth in the last eight years, pulling off what has been called one of the greatest upsets in the history of senior hockey in this Province.

This year's CeeBees team is a shining example of how hard work, heart, and determination in the face of adversity can pay off. After having won only seven games, Mr. Speaker, in the regular season, facing financial difficulties, and amidst rumours that the team may fold, the CeeBees made the playoffs on the last day of the regular season, defeating the Gander Flyers at home. They went on to eliminate the first place Grand Falls-Windsor team and then completed a sweep, Mr. Speaker, of your team, the Clarenville Caribous, before almost 2,000 fans at SW Moores Memorial Stadium.

Playing and winning in the face of adversity was personified by players like Terry Ryan, who returned to the lineup in game three just two weeks after he had been hospitalized with two broken ribs. Terry raised the Herder for the first time Saturday night. Ryan Delaney, named Herder MVP, was rewarded for his hard work and gritty play game after game. His line mate for game four, fourth liner Daniel Sparkes, played the game of his life and had a goal and two assists in ten minutes, including setting up the game winner. Players like Chris Sparkes defined the CeeBees spirit, after coming back in game six with staples in his lips because he did not want to miss the rest of the games. The CeeBees rode stellar goaltending by Mark Yetman and were led on and off the ice by their captain, veteran Keith Delaney, and assistant captains, Mike Dyke, Donnie Gosse, and Robert Slaney.

Special congratulations to Ian Moores, coach, for his fifth Herder, Mr. Speaker, and Peter George, who captured his fourth. I would also like to congratulate former coach Corey Crocker who, together with Ian and Peter, put together the team.

Mr. Speaker, at this time I also want to recognize two Members of the House of Assembly who are former Herder Champions, the hon. Member for Cape St. Francis and the hon. Minister of Fisheries and Member for The Isles of Notre Dame. I ask all hon. members – including yourself, Mr. Speaker, and the Leader of the Opposition – to join with me and congratulate the 2013 Herder Memorial Champions: CeeBee Stars.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Thank you, I say to the member.

Should the member's team eventually repeat what Clarenville did and win the Allan Cup, he would want a full-length sermon.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: We will now have Ministers' Statements.

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. DALLEY: Mr. Speaker, I rise today in this hon. House to acknowledge a significant accomplishment in the aquaculture industry. Last month, mussel producers in this Province became the first and only to receive organic aquaculture certification in North America. To achieve such a designation is an outstanding accomplishment. I offer congratulations to the Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association and all mussel growers throughout the Province.

This certification entailed a rigorous process. The hard work and dedication of growers and industry representatives exhibited that mussels grown here are produced and processed in a sustainable, environmentally sound manner. There are no synthetic chemicals, pesticides, or genetically modified organisms used in the cultivation of blue mussels.

Mr. Speaker, organic certification has widespread global recognition, which will undoubtedly assist in developing opportunities for new markets for this product, both domestically and internationally. This sector is quickly becoming a true success story, providing economic growth and long-term employment in many rural communities.

The Province's production of cultured blue mussels reached approximately 4,397 metric tons in 2012. The market value increased exponentially last year, reaching $14 million.

These newly certified organic blue mussels were introduced to the world market at the recent International Boston Seafood Show. The reception was extremely positive. The provincial government has provided significant financial support to mussel growers in the past.

Through the highly successful Fisheries Technology and New Opportunities Program, and the Aquaculture Strategic Development Program, our government has helped growers promote and develop new markets, diversify product lines, and to upgrade and install state-of-the-art production and processing equipment. Approximately $40,000 was specifically provided to the Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association in support of this organic certification.

Investment from the provincial government, along with hard work, dedication and private investment by industry participants, has resulted in positive growth within this sector in recent years. Because of the collaboration and strong working relationships that have been built, blue mussels are now positioned to become a leading product on the global seafood market. Newfoundland mussel producers are now in a class of their own.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the provincial government, I ask all hon. members to join me in congratulating all those who have added to this tremendous success.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. BENNETT: Mr. Speaker, the mussel growers of Newfoundland and Labrador are indeed to be congratulated. The effort, hard work and patience – they have produced a sustainable product.

It is really unfortunate that the minister did not bother to go to the Boston Seafood Show this year so he could showcase some of that wonderful product for the rest of the world. To have this early sustain – organic mussels is something we could be proud of and the minister was not there.

Mr. Speaker, the minister has been distracted by the quick buck and the quick political fix of finfish aquaculture and finfish aquaculture is not environmentally sustainable. Based on the review by the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture within the last week, the Government of Nova Scotia refused to issue a permit for open net finfish aquaculture in Nova Scotia, something that we have been asking for since last July. Hopefully, Mr. Speaker, the minister in this Province will see the light and follow the lead of Nova Scotia.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

MR. MITCHELMORE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I, too, would like to thank the minister for an advance copy of his statement. I have met with the aquaculture association and commend them on this initiative to be the first to certify mussels as organic to give us a global competitive edge.

I would advise the minister that under his government seafood exports have dropped more than $250 million, and lobster has become Canada's most valuable export. Maine has certified lobster to gain market share in Europe. Government should fund a similar initiative before we lose more market share as this government still fails to certify our forest for a viable bio-mass industry.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS SHEA: Mr. Speaker, I rise today inform this hon. House that March 18 to 24 is Multiculturalism Week in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Across the Province, communities are joining in celebrations and activities to promote multiculturalism and cross-cultural understanding where the cultural diversity of all people is valued, supported and enhanced to collectively build a prosperous Province.

When we launched our immigration strategy in 2007, the provincial government had a goal to promote the Province internationally and help immigrants with settlement and integration.

Mr. Speaker, Newfoundland and Labrador is facing very real challenges related to our population and demographics in the coming years. In fact, by 2020 we will need 70,000 skilled people to ensure we can take maximum advantage of the economic opportunities before us. Through our recently announced Population Growth Strategy, we will build on the work of the Office of Immigration and Multiculturalism and keep attracting newcomers as part of our plan to address these challenges.

Mr. Speaker, later this evening, multi-coloured lights surrounding Confederation Building will be turned on in recognition of Multiculturalism Week across Newfoundland and Labrador.

Cultural diversity is a strength, and by displaying lights, we show how diversity makes our communities more dynamic places to live. I invite all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to join in the celebration and display multi-coloured lights outside their homes as symbols of diversity and multiculturalism.

Mr. Speaker, this tradition was inspired by the residents of Labrador City, who light a green light on their porches each year to symbolize their towns and homes welcoming newcomers. Today, it celebrates the promise of a bright, prosperous, and vibrant future for all Newfoundland and Labrador.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

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

I thank the minister for the advance copy of her statement.

We, too, would like to celebrate Multiculturalism Week and celebrate the cultural mosaic that our Province is forming.

The 2011 Census showed that Newfoundland and Labrador experienced population growth since the last census and one of the contributing factors was immigration. The birth rate in this Province is below what it needs to be to maintain the population, so promoting multiculturalism and facilitating immigration is key.

We look forward to the population growth strategy promised in January with the hiring of Ross Reid. We are indeed curious to see how Mr. Reid will grow the population, exactly.

I would be remiss if I did not point out two interesting points. First is the $350,000 cut from grants and subsidies last year, from the Office of Immigration and Multiculturalism. These grants help front-line agencies help new Canadians adjust to life here in the Province.

I also have to point out that the Association for New Canadians is one of the EAS agencies that are being cut. While we pay a minister's salary to Mr. Reid, we are cutting front-line programming that is actually helping new Canadians assimilate.

As this Budget is about to come down, time will truly tell on this government's commitment to immigration and multiculturalism.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. KIRBY: Thank you.

Thanks to the minister for the advance copy of her statement.

Mr. Speaker, I was with my family at the Avalon Mall on the weekend in my district, and when we left the mall, I turned to my wife and I said: this is not your granddaddy's St. John's anymore; we are changing and we are becoming a more multi-ethnic society, Mr. Speaker.

Many positions in our workforce that would otherwise go unfilled are being filled by skilled immigrants in Newfoundland and Labrador. We also know that their contributions to this Province go far beyond the economic ones. We are changing for the better and this is a reason for all of us to celebrate, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Does the Member for St. John's South have leave?

AN HON. MEMBER: No.

MR. SPEAKER: Oral Questions.

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. BALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Eastern School Board has recommended a cut of $7.5 million from their operating budget this year, as demanded by government. Meanwhile, the Premier has said that front-line education services would be exempt from cuts.

I ask the Premier: Why have you broken your commitment to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. JACKMAN: It seems, Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are taking a scene from the playbook of the NDP about saying things privately and then speaking differently publicly.

Mr. Speaker, we have consulted with school boards just as other departments are to see if we can find deficiencies. The member will have to wait until the Budget comes down, but, Mr. Speaker, I can tell you one thing: the front-line services in education have been protected.

It was so good this morning, Mr. Speaker, to hear our new Lieutenant-Governor talk about education. He can be assured that his minister and his government will make sure there is integrity in the education system.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. BALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Government claims that the school boards are independent and they are represented by elected trustees, yet the proposed cuts submitted to government have not even been voted on by the elected trustees themselves.

I ask the Premier: Will you now admit that you are indeed meddling into school boards, the very boards that you said and you claim are independent?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. JACKMAN: Mr. Speaker, to hear a trustee, Mr. Joyce, come out and make statements that create an anxiety when there are no final decisions made truly is disappointing, that we have a trustee who would do these types of things.

My understanding is that Mr. Joyce knew about what was being talked about and was in on the discussions in February –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. JACKMAN: – Mr. Speaker, in on the discussions on February 1, and now creates this anxiety; it is simply – I do not know what the word is to put to it. It is rather –

AN HON. MEMBER: Fear mongering.

MR. JACKMAN: Fear mongering is the word, exactly, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. BALL: Mr. Speaker, what is interesting is to see the minister try and distance himself from the comments that were made less than a year ago, the comments that we would not see front-line education workers or services cut.

Mr. Speaker, government has told all school boards to find efficiencies and to streamline operations. We have heard that there is going to be about $14 million in cuts from the Province's education system.

I ask the Premier: Can you confirm that you are indeed looking at $14 million in cuts from the Province's schools?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, education is something that is highly valued, not only by the people of Newfoundland and Labrador but by the government that represents them, Mr. Speaker.

We have made tremendous investments since 2003, Mr. Speaker, in education.

AN HON. MEMBER: We are going backwards.

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: We are not going backwards, I say to members of the Opposition Party.

As the minister just referenced, anybody who stood in this House this morning and heard the remarks of our new Lieutenant-Governor can speak to the quality of education that is available to young people here in this Province. Our commitment remains strong to that, Mr. Speaker. Our commitment remains strong to young people in this Province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. BALL: Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the Premier's comments about the great job their new LG did this morning. What she did not address – we will assume that what we have heard, and we will wait for the Budget, but indeed, there is $14 million on the line here.

Mr. Speaker, the resignation of Reg Bowers from the C-NLOPB last week rids the board of one political appointment, and leaves an opportunity for a new appointment with emphasis on offshore safety and environmental protection.

I ask the Premier: Will you now begin work with the federal government to finally start filling the board with technical expertise instead of political appointments?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENNEDY: Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The C-NLOPB plays a crucial role in the offshore oil industry from a safety perspective, monitoring, environmental issues, Mr. Speaker, and providing us with independent numbers on production. It is a joint board run by the federal and the provincial governments.

The appointment that the member opposite talks about will be a federal appointment, Mr. Speaker. I am sure that the federal government will fill that position with an individual who is more than qualified to do the job.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

What I was asking for was to work with the federal government, because these appointments are indeed very critical to the Province and they actually mean a lot to the success of our offshore. What we were asking for was to put some people there with the technical expertise.

Mr. Speaker, the latest provincial appointment of Mr. Ed Williams to the C-NLOPB continues a series of appointments that seem to be based on who you know, not what you know. By contrast, in Alberta, they have expertise on their board like engineers, people in the geology background, law and environmental science.

I ask the Premier: When will skill and expertise trump patronage on the C-NLOPB? When will offshore safety and environmental protection finally take priority for this government?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENNEDY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Williams has been involved in the offshore industry for more than thirty years now, Mr. Speaker. He was involved in the Hibernia development; he worked out there. He has worked in various aspects of the oil industry.

He is more than qualified to sit on this board. I can tell you, Mr. Speaker, that I have no doubt in my mind that Mr. Ed Williams will do a wonderful job in representing our Province and our Province's interests on the C-NLOPB.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. A. PARSONS: Mr. Speaker, an increase in C. difficile infections at the Health Sciences Centre is compromising patient health. Meanwhile, fewer staff members were properly washing their hands in 2012 compared to 2011. Handwashing stations are not fully functional.

I ask the Minister of Health: One year after the 550 job cuts at Eastern Health, can you say for certain that increased workload is not linked to decreased hand hygiene.

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS SULLIVAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, once again, the Opposition is showing that it did not understand what it was that was communicated to them last year in terms of what happened through a benchmarking exercise that happened. There were not 550 job cuts at Eastern Health, Mr. Speaker. That – we laid out for people last year – is not what happened. There was attrition that occurred for some of those positions, but, Mr. Speaker, most of what happened there had to do with overtime, sick time, and call back. It had absolutely nothing to do with job loss at Eastern Health.

Mr. Speaker, to further degrade the professionals who work over there and indicate that they are not doing their jobs, when saying that this is a result of what had happened through cuts, is really irresponsible.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. A. PARSONS: Mr. Speaker, one of the positions eliminated in last year's cuts at Eastern Health was the person responsible for food intake, tasked with ensuring food and milk is fresh and refrigerated immediately. Now, whoever happens to be there when the food arrives is responsible.

So, I ask the minister: What kind of quality control model is this?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS SULLIVAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, once again, the member opposite is trying to indicate that we have people working in the health care system who are not doing their jobs. I have an abundance of confidence in the people who are working in our health care system. Mr. Speaker, they are dedicated professional people who are working hard for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. A. PARSONS: This government, Mr. Speaker, ran on the election promise that they would pay family caregivers. On June 20, 2012, in this House, the Minister of Health stated she would make an announcement on paying family caregivers very, very soon. That was nine months ago.

So I ask the minister: Will you pay family caregivers in 2013?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS SULLIVAN: Mr. Speaker, I just returned from a meeting in Toronto where I met with my counterparts from across the country. We talked about a number of options and a number of really important challenges that face the health care system. Among them are long-term care services, Mr. Speaker. Whenever I talk to them around our initiatives around paid family care, they are absolutely amazed, because this system does not exist anywhere else, Mr. Speaker – not anywhere in North America, in fact.

So, Mr. Speaker, what we are doing is we are doing our due diligence, and we will certainly have a paid family care system in place, as we committed to. Mr. Speaker, we are in no way backing away from our commitment.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. A. PARSONS: Mr. Speaker, I am asking about the promise that this government ran on in 2011, but still has not fulfilled and said very, very soon.

So I will ask it again: Will it be here in 2013 or not?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS SULLIVAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, as I just said, but I do not mind saying it again, the PC Government of Newfoundland and Labrador has made a commitment to provide paid family care. Mr. Speaker, we have not backed away from that. What I can tell you is that when we do roll that out, it will be a system that will be worthy of the commitment we have made. Paid family care is a very, very difficult proposition to get organized.

I would ask the members opposite how they would go about rolling out this particular service, Mr. Speaker. If they think it is such an easy thing to do, then I would really welcome their advice on how to put paid family care in place because they seem to think it is a very easy proposition. Mr. Speaker, we are committed to it. We will see it happen.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Opposition House Leader.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

One company is out in the media today saying they did not receive the contract for the Strait of Belle Isle ferry service.

I ask the minister: Is this to mean that government has made a decision on this contract, and will there be a vessel in service for the start of the Strait of Belle Isle run on April 1?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. HEDDERSON: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Due process has been carried out or is being carried out. Obviously, there was a tender put out. There were two proponents that put forth. Right now, no decision has been made, except that in cases where one is out of the running, naturally they would go to the second. I would assume that is what is happening right now. A decision is pending, Mr. Speaker, and we can only await that due diligence on the part of officials as they work through that particular document.

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

MS JONES: Mr. Speaker, a recent ad in Happy Valley-Goose Bay has been advertising a two-bedroom apartment available for rent to contractors for $3,000 per month, and $1,000 extra for cleaning services. We are seeing similar things happening in Labrador West.

I ask the government today: What are you doing as a government to ensure low-income earners who are being affected by increased construction projects in these communities have a roof over their heads and are not forced into the street?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Labrador Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. MCGRATH: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

This government is very aware of the fact that there are low-income needs and residences for low-income people. We recently did a review and consultations on the act itself. That is something we are looking at. In Labrador West, as was alluded to by the member opposite, there are issues there with finding low-income housing.

I think it needs to be made very clear that this government does not have an act in place that has rent control. It is something we are looking at but we do not want to take a two-sided sword and make a problem worse than what it is. It is something we are watching very carefully. We are very aware of the need for low-income housing. It is something this government does keep close control on and we do our best to ensure that people do have a roof over their head in the whole Province, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker

I am sure the minister does understand. Everyday I guess we are waiting for some action with regard to this issue and everyday that we wait there are other people who are being evicted or they are seeing their rent increase tremendously. We know the Residential Tenancies Act and regulations concluded in November.

I would ask the minister today: When will these findings be presented to the public and when can we see some action on them?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. MCGRATH: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, we have concluded the review and the consultations publicly. It is something the department is looking at now and we are trying to put everything together. We will be coming forth with resolutions and hopefully ways to improve the system and the low-income housing for the residents of Newfoundland and Labrador in the near future.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. BENNETT: Mr. Speaker, after a twenty-two month review, DFO found that fish farms presented a risk to wild salmon in the rivers of Nova Scotia. Last week, the Government of Nova Scotia refused those two fish farm applications.

I ask the Minister of Fisheries: What is the status of the two fish farm applications on the South Coast of this Province, in Allan Cove and Wallace Cove?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. DALLEY: Mr. Speaker, it is astounding that the member opposite representing the Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador continues to stand in this House to find ways to shut down the aquaculture industry in Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. DALLEY: Mr. Speaker, we have a highly successful aquaculture industry, significant investments, 1,000 jobs, and supporting rural economies. We have a very cautious best practice approach, Mr. Speaker, to aquaculture. We are recognized for our surveillance and diagnostics. We are recognized for fish health and biosecurity, Mr. Speaker. A rigorous process is in place for applications that involves a number of departments, including a federal environmental assessment, and we go through that process. I will gladly make the member opposite aware of the outcome.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Member for St. Barbe.

MR. BENNETT: Mr. Speaker, instead of trying to shut down the industry, we are trying to make the industry survive, because surely it will fail at the rate the minister is going.

In November, 2011, this government announced an investment of $496,000 for a wave power device to pump high volumes of seawater. At that time, the government touted one of the benefits as: the "outcomes of the project could allow a shore-based aquaculture industry to develop in areas where traditional aquaculture is not possible, profitable, or environmentally sustainable."

I ask the minister: What is the status of this project, and can you tell us how close we are to applying these results to our aquaculture industry?

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, that project is a great project. We partnered through the Research and Development Corporation to bring innovation and new technology to rural Newfoundland and Labrador. To the members on the other side who say we are doing nothing for rural Newfoundland and Labrador, this is a classic example.

Rural Newfoundland and Labrador, small communities – we are looking at it in terms of innovation, rural development, and driving the economy. Whether it is through research and development, whether it is through economic programs, we are leading the way.

Since we have come to power, there have been millions and millions of dollars – historic amounts – spent on rural Newfoundland infrastructure, economic programs, working with the people on the ground to drive rural Newfoundland and Labrador wherever it is going. We are going to continue to do it, because (inaudible).

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. A. PARSONS: Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Health has stated the budget for the adult dental plan this year is $6.7 million, with a $150 per-person cap, plus a $750 per-person cap for dentures. To cover 98,000 adults at $150 per year would cost $14.7 million, which does not even factor in denture coverage.

I ask the minister: How can you deliver on this promise when the numbers do not add up?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS SULLIVAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, our dental program is one of the best in Canada.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS SULLIVAN: Mr. Speaker, we invest more than $15.6 million. Last year, the adult dental ballooned to $21 million. Now, if we are going to be prudent and responsible on this side of the House, we have to see to it that what we are doing is sustainable.

Mr. Speaker, they talk about sustainability over there on that side of the House from time to time, but then they stand up and in almost the same question ask for more spending, more spending, and more spending.

Mr. Speaker, it is very difficult to figure out what it is that they want. What we are doing is we are committing to the $6.7 million that we invested in the first place; that was our original commitment and it still is our commitment, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: The Leader of the Third Party.

MS MICHAEL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I got distracted.

Mr. Speaker, with the resignation of Mr. Reg Bowers, there is a seat vacant on the C-NLOPB. This board is tasked with managing our offshore oil resources and it is essential that the best-qualified people are chosen to serve.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the Premier: Will she commit to working with the federal government to put in place an open and transparent process for naming board members?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENNEDY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We certainly work closely with the C-NLOPB. In fact, last week I met with the new chair and vice chair to discuss how we could improve the process of getting production numbers to us in a way that we can use them in our Budget process, Mr. Speaker. We are working with them.

We are all aware of the importance of safety, which is the primary and paramount concern in the offshore. It is a joint board that is made up of provincial and federal representatives, Mr. Speaker. While I was Minister of Natural Resources we had a good relationship with the board and that relationship will only get better.

As for the appointments, the federal government will make those appointments, Mr. Speaker. What we have on that board are proud and true Newfoundlanders and Labradorians who will look after the best interests of our Province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

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

As the minister has pointed out, and I am glad he realizes it, the C-NLOPB board members are responsible for the safety of offshore workers. It is essential to the workers aboard, but there is nothing political about the safety of workers on our rigs. The political colours of an individual should not colour decision making regarding appointments.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the Premier: Will she promise this House that she will use her influence to ensure the next person appointed to the board is a safety expert?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, as my colleague has just said, there is nothing more important to this government and to the people of the Province than the safety of people, our people, who earn their living upon the water. We do not play politics with it. We have not played politics with it, and we will not. I will certainly do my best to influence the Prime Minister to make sure he takes all of that into account in terms of his next appointment.

We try to work with the federal government. It is important. I would ask the Leader of the NDP to do the same, to try to work with her leader, and maybe then we could have some support for Muskrat Falls.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

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

I point out to the Premier, Mr. Speaker, that we have been through four appointments of the C-NLOPB without a safety expert.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Leader of the Third Party.

MS MICHAEL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Premier can now read Hansard to see what I just said.

Mr. Speaker, this government's track record on development is nothing to brag about. Marystown Shipyard workers know this all too well, having been the victims of government's walking away from a possible contract that could have won them thirty years of work. Even Conservative Senator Dave Wells understands the benefits of developing a long-term strategy in industries like shipbuilding, touting last week the benefits of a long-term strategy.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the Premier: What long-term development strategy does her government have for workers in this Province in the shipbuilding industry?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, shipbuilding on the Eastern Seaboard of this continent experiences challenges in the face of competition, particularly from the Far East. We, in terms of the work that we have done in our offshore, have required that our benefits agreements include opportunities for industries in this Province to participate, if they so choose. They are the critical words, Mr. Speaker.

Nobody was more disappointed than this government when Kiewit walked away from the Hebron project. Mr. Speaker, thank goodness, because of the agreement we had negotiated, we were able to secure those benefits, $150 million, to remain here in the Province, despite Kiewit walking away from Hebron.

Mr. Speaker, we will continue to create opportunities for businesses in Newfoundland and Labrador every chance we get.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The Leader of the Third Party.

MS MICHAEL: Rural Newfoundland and Labrador is suffering from government's lack of any development strategy for the fishing industry. Fish plant after fish plant closes throwing hundreds of people out of work. Government turned its back on a report it commissioned on a plan to restructure the fishing industry and the Minister of Fisheries did not even bother to go to the recent Boston Seafood Show.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the Premier: What long-term development strategy has government for the ailing fishing industry?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. DALLEY: Mr. Speaker, there are quite a few questions there I guess I would like to address. First off, as I would suggest to the hon. member, perhaps if she read the MOU, and just like the other documents that you come in here and talk about day after day, read the MOU, three of the four recommendations of the MOU are in place – inventory financing, support for marketing.

Mr. Speaker, our government has a strong record of supporting the fishing industry in this Province, all aspects, and we have a good working relationship with the industry in this Province.

Plant closures, Mr. Speaker, are very unfortunate. They are a part of what is happening in the market. I can assure you, while we do not operate plants, this government will not close down plants. We are there to work with communities and do all we can to support them.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. KIRBY: Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Education likes to try and hide behind the autonomy of elected schools trustees when he is closing schools, but the minister tramples on that same autonomy when it suits his purposes.

Last fall, the minister met with the school district CEOs and he gave them his marching orders on the cuts he wants to see to schools.

Can the minister tell us exactly how much he told those CEOs to cut?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. JACKMAN: Mr. Speaker, as I said before, it is very unfortunate when you get a trustee, a former Liberal candidate, I certainly hope not playing politics with education in this Province. Mr. Speaker, there were no marching orders given to the school boards. What we asked the school boards to do is to review to see if there are efficiencies that can be found, Mr. Speaker.

Anyone can look at our commitment to education, look at – I was just told a couple of days ago – fees in this Province, the investment to do away with fees in this Province. Government has invested $50 million so that parents and students do not have to pay fees. Mr. Speaker, do not question our commitment to education.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. KIRBY: Mr. Speaker, there is plenty of evidence to suggest interference in school district affairs at the highest levels. This latest round of handiwork will include job losses at the school district offices in Marystown, Bay Roberts, and Clarenville. We do not know what the minister's plans for the other districts are yet.

Will the minister finally come clean on this government's agenda to close down schools and rationalize school district services?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. JACKMAN: Mr. Speaker, they seem, in the NDP, to have a habit with pointing.

Mr. Speaker, the education system in this Province is better than it has ever been.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. JACKMAN: Better than it has ever, ever been. Mr. Speaker, the role of government is to work with school boards so that we offer the best quality education that we can.

One fact, Mr. Speaker, that we should realize – I believe it is since 2004 – we have seen a 17 per cent reduction in students. There are about 14,000 students who have gone out of the system. Mr. Speaker, I think it would be irresponsible if we did not periodically look at it and review to see how we can find efficiencies so that our investment in education continues and gets even more improved.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. KIRBY: Mr. Speaker, this government's school consolidations and closures are cutting at the very heart of rural Newfoundland and Labrador. As we have seen, parents are left with no alternatives but long bus trips for students, protests at schools, and challenges in the courts. The Finance Minister has seen fit to take on responsibility for cuts to public service positions.

Will the Minister of Education do likewise and take some responsibility to his cuts to our schools?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. JACKMAN: Mr. Speaker, our responsibility, my responsibility as a minister, our responsibility as a government, is reflected in what we have invested; free textbooks, no fees, the best per capita investment, I would say, Mr. Speaker, in education.

Mr. Speaker, unprecedented investments in education in Newfoundland and Labrador. As we have said, we are going to ensure that the front-line services are protected.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. KIRBY: Mr. Speaker, the plan to send students on an hour-long bus ride to Clarenville was the primary reason why the Minister of Education failed to close down Swift Current Academy this year. Since last week, parents on the Northern Peninsula have been blocking access to Bayview Regional Collegiate to protest the one-and-a-half hour bus ride the minister wants to create for children there.

Will the Minister of Education tell us how long he thinks students should have to travel by bus to school?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. JACKMAN: Mr. Speaker, I need to be clear on one thing: the decision to close the school that is being referenced here is made, Mr. Speaker. Now the role – and we have been in discussions with the school district. I believe the CEO is doing some interviews, and the principal has been put in place in that school. Now, Mr. Speaker, it is the transition plan that needs to happen.

Mr. Speaker, we know, and it is not the right thing to do to pull students from school. Mr. Speaker, the quality of education and ensuring that they get their education is of critical importance. I would ask the people in the area now to work with the school board to figure out what length the bus runs will be, because the number the member is referencing is not the number that it is going to end up, I can assure you that, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: Without preamble, a quick question.

MR. KIRBY: Sure, Mr. Speaker.

The minister has been in the media talking about creating even larger school districts through consolidation. How long will it be before he eliminates –

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The time for Question Period has expired.

Presenting Reports by Standing and Select Committees.

Tabling of Documents.

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

MR. KENNEDY: Mr. Speaker, thank you.

Pursuant to section 26(5)(a) of the Financial Administration Act, I am tabling eight Orders in Council relating to funding pre-commitments for the 2013-2014 to 2015-2016 fiscal years.

MR. SPEAKER: As required under section 51 of the House of Assembly Accountability, Integrity and Administration Act, I am pleased to table the 2011-2012 annual report for the House of Assembly Management Commission. The report includes audited financial information for the House of Assembly Services and Statutory Offices, as well as a report for the activities of the Commission during the reporting period.

When members get a chance to get a copy of it, I will just bring their attention to the cover. The cover depicts a picture of the Colonial Building. The picture you see on this report is how the Colonial Building will be restored, and this is the image that is being used for the restoration project. In future, House reports will reflect both the Colonial Building, together with the current Confederation Building that houses the current House of Assembly.

Notices of Motion.

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

MR. MITCHELMORE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I give notice that I, as the Member for The Straits – White Bay North, will be moving the following private member's motion, seconded by the Member for St. John's East.

The motion reads as:

WHEREAS Newfoundland and Labrador has more than 160 communities affected by boil water advisories – BWAs; and

WHEREAS more than 150 communities are currently dealing with potentially harmful levels of trihalomethanes – THMs – a possible human carcinogen; and

WHEREAS covering the costs of supplying basic services, like safe drinking water, is challenging for most municipalities due to limited resources from taxpayers and the provincial government; and

WHEREAS municipalities are forced to make unreasonable choices such as turning off chlorination systems because they do not have the revenue to maintain trained staff to properly run their drinking water systems; and

WHEREAS reduced confidence in public drinking water can lead to people choosing alternative water supplies, like untreated ponds and roadside springs;

THEREFORE be it resolved that the House of Assembly urge the government to address the issue of safe drinking water in the Province by developing a new Newfoundland and Labrador Safe Drinking Water Strategy that will include, but not limited to: a comprehensive ongoing public education program in plain language to inform the public about the risk of using roadside springs and ponds; and the need for regular testing of private wells; the distinctions between safety and aesthetics of drinking water; and how to reduce exposures to THMs; detailed information to accompany each BWA, including reasons for the advisory, safe uses of water, and proper boiling procedures; a review of capital and operating grants to enable communities to obtain the trained staff and equipment to build, operate, and maintain drinking water facilities; research and development of water treatment systems, appropriate to Newfoundland and Labrador.

That was seconded by the Member for St. John's East. I do have copies available, Mr. Speaker.

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

MS MICHAEL: Mr. Speaker, the motion just read is the motion, with leave, that the House will debate on Wednesday. I could not move that yesterday.

MR. SPEAKER: Petitions.

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

MR. BENNETT: Mr. Speaker, 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 there has been an agreement between the Federation of Newfoundland Indians and the Government of Canada to recognize the Qalipu Mi'kmaq First Nation Band; and

WHEREAS persons submitted applications with the required documents for registration in the Band up to the application deadline of November 30, 2012; and

WHEREAS the reported number of applications received by the Qalipu Mi'kmaq First Nation Band are in excess of 100,000; and

WHEREAS the reported number of applicants now registered as members is approximately 22,000; and

WHEREAS the agreement between the Federation of Newfoundland Indians and the Government of Canada for recognition of the Qalipu Mi'kmaq First Nation Band is scheduled to end on March 31, 2013; and

WHEREAS the Qalipu Mi'kmaq First Nation Band Chief has requested, but has not received, an extension to the agreement to process the remaining applications; and

WHEREAS to date there is no decision on how to deal with remaining applications;

WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the House of Assembly to urge the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to work with the Newfoundland Federation of Indians and the Government of Canada to provide fair and equal review of all our applications.

As in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr. Speaker, these petitions have been circulated by the applicants. There are some 70,000 or so of them, of individuals. The petitions keep rolling in and rolling in. Whenever I am in the district on the weekend, I am given large numbers and they just keep coming forward.

The date that needs to be extended, Mr. Speaker, is March 31. We are less than two weeks away from that date. If government intends to be of any help, then the House of Assembly needs to adopt this petition and impress upon the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador the importance that these people at least have their applications properly reviewed.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. BENNETT: This is not to decide who should have status and who should not have status; however, there are 100,000 or so people who are all similarly situated.

The situation we have is one member of a family, a brother or a sister, might be recognized and the other brother or sister may not be recognized. There is potentially a significant financial benefit to the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador to have the Government of Canada responsible in some way for people who are recognized as members of this band. This means that they will have equal opportunity and equal access to federal government benefits and services, which clearly, being residents of this Province, if anything, the government should be pressing this.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

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

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

WHEREAS Newfoundland and Labrador currently has the highest unemployment rate in Canada; and

WHEREAS the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador anticipate a labour shortage of 70,000 people by 2020; and

WHEREAS eliminating the career practitioner knowledge base is contrary to attaching people to the labour market; and

WHEREAS Employment Assistance Services agencies are grassroots hubs in communities providing services like skills development, resume development, and interview skills, facilitating attachment to the labour market and the community; and

WHEREAS EAS agencies help individuals with complex needs find and maintain employment in communities throughout the Province; and

WHEREAS EAS agencies have been serving thousands of people for years, building expertise and rapport; and

WHEREAS loading the workload of 226 employees onto 139 Advanced Education and Skills employees would be an overwhelming expectation, increasing staff turnover and thus decreasing rapport with clients; and

WHEREAS EAS funding comes from the EI fund, built by workers to help them when and where they need it most; and

WHEREAS moving services away from people who lack the means to travel long distances is not in line with the Labour Market Development Agreement's principle of citizen-centred service;

WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the House of Assembly to urge the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to reverse the decision to cut funding to EAS agencies in the Province.

As in duty bound your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr. Speaker, this is the second opportunity that I have had to enter one of these petitions that really affects the citizens all over this Province. We are not just stuck to one area. It is not just a rural cut, it is not an urban cut; the cuts have affected everywhere in this Province. In fact, this petition happens to be signed by people from the Mount Pearl area. The fact is that these agencies – some of which have been around for many, many years – have built up a skill set to help attach people to the labour market.

We hear a couple of messages that come from this government on a somewhat daily basis. One of them is that we have potential for these megaprojects, but we need to make sure that the labour shortage is fixed. To cut people who are helping attach people to that seems to be contradictory to that message in my mind.

Just today in the Ministerial Statement, when we talk about the benefits of multiculturalism and how this is Multiculturalism Week, the centre for new Canadians is just one of these groups that are cut. We are trying to encourage people to come to this country, to come to this Province, to help make a new life and in many cases contribute to this labour shortage that we have. They can bring their skills from all over the world, yet we are cutting funding to one of the groups that helps assimilate these people to this Province and helps them with that situation.

This is just another one; there are going to be plenty more coming. I am sure if we look at the media and the letters that have been going out, I know there are letters to plenty of the MHAs for all sides, the ministers, just advising them what it is that they do.

Thank you for the opportunity, and I will be taking the opportunity to do it again tomorrow.

Thank you.

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

MR. MITCHELMORE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

WHEREAS the Western School District is considering a multi-year plan to close Bayview Regional Collegiate at St. Lunaire – Griquet in June 2013; and

WHEREAS it has been proven from students that have graduated from Bayview Regional Collegiate, they have excelled in their studies to prepare them to move ahead and achieve their career choices; and

WHEREAS teachers and staff at Bayview Regional Collegiate are qualified and continue to provide a strong academic program with a full curriculum to all students attending; and

WHEREAS Bayview Regional Collegiate has developed a playground, library, drama club, Kids Eat Smart Lunch Program, school council, and other activities with exceptional community support; and

WHEREAS Bayview Regional Collegiate housed a K to 12 school in the past with 200-plus students who have had access to science lab, cafeteria , art room, computer lab, gymnasium and extracurricular activities; and

WHEREAS the parents, business operators, social groups, concerned citizens, and students of the municipality of St. Lunaire – Griquet request to rescind the proposal;

Since Bayview Regional Collegiate has met and exceeded all aspects set forth for a viable school, we the undersigned, petition the House of Assembly to urge government to ensure that the Western School District is provided with sufficient funding to keep Bayview Regional Collegiate at St. Lunaire – Griquet open.

And as in duty bound your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr. Speaker, since the House has been open I have been presenting this petition on a daily basis because it is of great concern for the region. There are eight communities there. They are a vibrant town, a vibrant region of about 1,000 people in that region.

The community of St. Lunaire – Griquet; Gunners Cove itself has over 700 people. This is a vibrant town that has, up until this point, two schools, a K to 6 and a 7 to 12. It would make much sense to house a K to 12 or a K to 9 school there of about 100 students. This has been the case across the Province in many other areas, but the closure of Bayview of 7 to 12 sets forward an awful precedent when it comes to education in the Province. Because Grades 7, 8 and 9 receive a very standard education, and that should be provided since there is another facility in that community.

When you look at St. Lunaire – Griquet and area, they are the only region in my district that has experienced a population growth when we look at the last census of the last five years. All other areas have seen a decline. Closing down a school and busing students out of it are going to put in jeopardy the municipality's plans for a subdivision and for other things. When we look receiving a better education, not necessarily will we receive it by being on a bus.

Mr. Speaker, I move forward with this petition urging the House of Assembly.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS ROGERS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

WHEREAS as a result of a recommendation in the Green Report about wrongdoing in the House of Assembly, there is now legislation that protects anyone who speaks up with evidence of financial abuse or other impropriety in the legislative branch; and

WHEREAS it is unfair for one group of civil servants to be protected by whistle-blower legislation when another group is not; and

WHEREAS Justice Green stated that the financial wrongdoing in the House of Assembly might have been discovered sooner if whistle-blower legislation had been in place; and

WHEREAS the Cameron Inquiry into ER-PR testing found that problems with tests would have come to light sooner, therefore lessening the impacts on patients, if whistle-blower legislation had been in place; and

WHEREAS the Task Force on Adverse Events recommended an amendment to the Regional Health Authorities Act to provide legal protection for employees reporting occurrences or adverse events; and

WHEREAS whistle-blower legislation is in place elsewhere in Canada and the provincial government promised similar legislation in the 2007 election but has not kept that promise;

We, the undersigned, petition the House of Assembly to urge government to enact whistle-blower legislation to protect public sector employees in provincial departments and agencies, including public corporations, regional health authorities and school boards.

Mr. Speaker, once again, to stress the fact that this government promised - during the 2007 election campaign they promised; they made a clear promise; they did not just allude to the fact that maybe this might be good, but they made a clear promise - to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador that this legislation would be passed in the first session of the House. It was a long time ago. That was six years ago, Mr. Speaker.

Then in 2008, in the Throne Speech, the government promised yet again a clear, clear promise to introduce whistle-blower legislation.

Whistle-blower legislation exists in other jurisdictions and it is administered by Treasury boards, human resource departments, municipalities, regional health authorities. It is simply time now in the Province for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador to have whistle-blower protection. It makes it safe for everybody, not just for the workers but for the people who are served by the workers.

We know right now in this time of cutbacks, and potentially even more cutbacks, in the shadow of Bill 29, it is time now even more than ever in the history of the Province, Mr. Speaker, that we have whistle-blower protection that not only protects workers about specific irregularities but workers talking about whether or not they have the resources they need to do the work they have to do for the people of the Province. It is time now, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you very much.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Orders of the Day.

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

MR. KING: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I call from the Order Paper, Order 2, Committee of Supply, the resolution and Bill 62, respecting the granting of Interim Supply to Her Majesty.

MR. SPEAKER: It has been moved and seconded that the House resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole and that I do now leave the Chair.

All those in favour, ‘aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.

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

Motion carried.

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

CHAIR (Verge): Order, please!

The Committee will resume business: debate on Interim Supply.

The hon. the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. FRENCH: Thank you, Mr. Chair.

It is certainly an honour to stand today and speak to Interim Supply. For those who are out there in TV land, Interim Supply, just to give a quick point on Interim Supply, is what we do before the Budget is passed in the House of Assembly. Obviously it is pre the next Budget, but there are expenses that have to be incurred right after the end of the March, Mr. Chair, so we pass what is called Interim Supply. What that allows us to do, of course, is allow government to operate, write cheques to all the people who are owed money, and provide a service to the people of the Province.

Mr. Chair, as part of Interim Supply, of course, Tourism, Culture and Recreation would certainly be part of the government. In this case, I think it is a little over $2 million – $2.8 million – that is being preapproved in the anticipation that we are going to continue doing what we have been doing throughout the last twelve months.

Mr. Chair, that is what Interim Supply is. We go through it and we have so many hours to debate the Budget, which we will do. I am sure we will agree and disagree many times between now and the end of this session on the Budget. On Interim Supply, like I said, it is just that. It gives us a chance to operate and continue going while we have that hopefully educated debate, I will say, here in the House over the next few weeks.

Mr. Chair, certainly, because I am Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation, it would be remiss of me if I did not stand and speak today on tourism in particular, of course, and culture and rec and sport. I would like to hit all three. I only have ten minutes so I do not know if I will get to all three, but I certainly want to speak at first to tourism in the Province. If there is something that as a government we have certainly believed in over the last number of years, it is tourism. We have taken an industry, Mr. Chair, since the Find Yourself campaign in 2006 and we have invested over $94 million into promoting this Province, and it is paying off in dividends.

I had the privilege of attending the Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador conference very recently, and at that time we announced a billion-dollar industry. Mr. Chair, I say this to many people over the years, that I remember a few years ago when the fishery of this Province became a billion-dollar industry. It was significant, and any industry in a place of 500,000 when you have a billion-dollar industry it is significant.

Of course, now I am proud to say that in 2012 in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, our tourism industry became a billion-dollar industry.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. FRENCH: Now, Mr. Chair, that is for a number of reasons. Yes, obviously, like I said, since the Find Yourself campaign, government has invested $94 million in the industry, but, Mr. Chair, this could not have happened without the people out there on the ground. We have some of the most creative, innovative, smart businesspeople that you could ever ask for in this Province.

The ironic thing about this is we heard some questions earlier about rural Newfoundland and Labrador and what we are not doing in rural Newfoundland and Labrador. I say to you, Mr. Chair, that most of the money that is invested in this Province in tourism, quite a bit of it goes to rural Newfoundland and Labrador. This is an industry now that employs up to 15,000 people throughout rural Newfoundland and Labrador. I think it is just over, topping around 300 businesses now, many of them in rural Newfoundland and Labrador, Mr. Chair.

So it is not lost on this government how committed the people are in every community. I have said many times, by our nature, as a people, we like to be hosts, and we have certainly done a great job of that. I take my hat off to the people in the industry who have spent so much time – put their money where their mouth is, in many cases – and have lived up to what we have been offering. That is significant.

Mr. Chair, the whole ad campaign that we started - it is not trying to be something that we are not. We are not trying to be Disney World. We tell it like it is. It is based on three core values: our people, our culture, and our natural environment. Those are the three pillars we have built our campaign on.

It has won, so far, over 180 national and international awards, Mr. Chair. It is our brand and is stronger than it has ever been worldwide. It goes to show our ads and our advertising is recognized now, throughout the world. Our awards go on to show it, and so has our investment. Our investment has backed up what the industry was asking for, and now we have delivered, Mr. Chair, on a billion-dollar industry.

That is something I am very, very proud of, Mr. Chair, and glad that this government saw fit to invest money into the tourism industry; look what has come to be today. We talk about diversifying our economy; well, Mr. Chair, there is no greater example, in my opinion, than what we have done in the tourism industry.

Mr. Chair, some interesting statistics – I say that we have become a billion-dollar industry, but in 2012 alone, our visitation went up 10 per cent, and our non-resident spending, which is very important to people out there in the business world, went up 8 per cent. So in 2012 alone, we had a 10 per cent increase in people coming to see us and an 8 per cent increase in spending, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Chair, that is driven, of course, by: we have had about a 7 per cent increase in air, and plus our cruise ships; we had a significant – and I read somewhere recently, Mr. Chair, a few short years ago there was a couple of thousand people who came here in the cruise ship industry. It is ten times that today. I think last year we had over 20,000 people visit our shores in the tourism industry.

Mr. Chair, this is a Province-wide investment. As I said earlier, we have now created a number of destination management organizations. Obviously, we have one in Eastern and St. John's has theirs, but we also have one in Central, we have one in Western, and we have the Labrador destination management organization, which I believe – we have committed in our tourism vision that we would actually double tourism revenue by 2020 to $1.6 billion.

Mr. Chair, we are very much on our way to that, to hitting that plateau, and we are going to continue. As a government we are going to continue to invest in the industry so that we do reach that goal, Mr. Chair.

It is very important that all these different places of the Province benefit. That is why we have created these destination management organizations. That is why they are working so well, Mr. Chair. We have come together; we have a tourism board now which will soon have a new Chair, unfortunately. The gentleman who was Chair, Mr. Stan Cook – who is very knowledgeable and a very experienced gentleman and who won an award actually at the HNL convention, Mr. Chair; I want to acknowledge that here now.

I take my hat off to Mr. Cook. He has contributed and volunteered for several years on our tourism board. His time was up and he took on an extra year for us, Mr. Chair. We are in the process now; I say to people out there in the industry: we will be appointing a new Chair in the coming days, hopefully.

This is industry driven, Mr. Chair. This is not a government coming with the laying down of hands and saying: this is how it has to be done. Quite the contrary, Mr. Chair; the tourism board is made up of a number of stakeholders throughout the whole industry, people from all our destination management organizations representing all of our regions of the Province. Of course, there are people from government on it and people from Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador on it as well, Mr. Chair.

It is an industry-driven dynamic that we have going. We have a number of things being planned that we have talked about at the HNL convention, Mr. Chair. It is an upbeat industry. It is an industry that has prospered and continues to grow. As a government, Mr. Chair, we are going to continue to invest in that great industry.

Mr. Chair, I think I will close by sending you some captions, by giving you a few captions of some of the things that have been sent to us by some very high-profile people throughout the world. I guess the one that stood out to me was when you get a comment from @VisitCalifornia, which is the equivalent of the tourism people in California, when they send us a note and say: You guys have raised the bar; congratulations.

When you have people like people in California who are involved in the tourism industry, and the multitude of money that they spend and invest in advertising, and you have them congratulating you on your investment, then I say that is significant.

As well, Mr. Chair, I can go on – I have pages and pages of comments from places all over the world. Things that say: These commercials keep getting better and better. Government really outdid themselves again this year. I am sure these ads will attract a lot of tourism, Mr. Chair. You make a person homesick for a place you have never been, Mr. Chair. Pure beauty, totally charming, makes me want to run there right now.

Mr. Chair, then we have a list of people who have been here, plan to come back here, comments from people from Texas who are now on their third visit and coming back again, Mr. Chair. Another comment: the most breathtaking place I have ever been.

Mr. Chair, we know this to be true. We are an industry that is growing, Mr. Chair, and now the rest of the country in particular, our friends in Atlantic Canada, and indeed the people from all over North America are starting to take notice and we certainly welcome them to Newfoundland and Labrador.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

CHAIR: Order, please!

I recognize the Member for St. Barbe.

MR. BENNETT: Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Chair, in this Interim Supply debate I would like to speak about the government's commitment or lack of commitment to rural development in this Province. As we know, for the last twenty years or so rural development has generally fallen under the umbrella of the Regional Economic Development Boards, the RED Boards. Most recently, the RED Boards were funded three-quarters by ACOA and one-quarter by the provincial government, roughly in the order of $3.6 million and $1.2 million for just under $5 million.

We had approximately nineteen boards spread all over the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. These boards were responsible to oversee, assist, and identify rural economic development opportunities. These boards were supported by up to 200 volunteers. As a benefit to this Province we had the boards, who have volunteers – we have the benefit of 200 people, in addition to the paid staff, identifying and helping develop rural economic development opportunities.

Back in May of last year the federal government, under ACOA, the Harper government decided they would slash funding to the Rural Economic Development Boards. When this happened, this was all over Atlantic Canada. The Government of Nova Scotia, the very next day, went to work immediately to try to determine what we could salvage in rural economic development of these boards with the budget that we have, because the feds had just withdrawn three-quarters of the funds.

The Government of Nova Scotia went to work to try to determine how many boards they could save, how many they could salvage, because the Government of Nova Scotia appears to be committed to rural economic development. Why not be committed to rural economic development? Because if we have rural economies and this generates employment and cash flow that comes back to the cities, this is not in total for the benefit of the rural areas, it is for the benefit of a vibrant economy over the entire Province.

Our government completely withdrew from the field and saved the $1.2 million and they have no commitment that seems to be apparent whatsoever to rural economic development. Mr. Chair, imagine my surprise and delight when I saw a press release last week that the IBRD Minister would be addressing a group at the Capital Hotel in this city and the group was a group of municipal leaders from all over the Avalon Peninsula.

Obviously, being the critic for the department, I thought: Well, this will be useful to be able to attend this meeting. It is in a nature of a two-day seminar and a group of municipal leaders got together to discuss municipal issues. The IBRD Minister was the opening speaker. I listened with interest to what he was saying. I was trying to make the connection as to where do IBRD factor in for doing rural economic development.

The minister gave a speech of probably fifteen minutes or so, and I was sitting at a table with people from other small municipalities from the Avalon area. There were some larger ones, but generally, they were very small. There were approximately fifty people in attendance. I did the obligatory head count that you do with the nine tables and multiply it by the number of people. After the six people who worked for the department stood up, there were forty-five participants, plus the minister.

In looking at what is the government's commitment to rural economic development, I spoke with the individuals at my table and said to the one on the right: How big is your town? He said: Well, 300 people. I spoke to the one on the left and said: How big is your town? He said: 600 people. This is relatively close to the size of the towns in my district.

After the minister spoke, members of the department put on a presentation, and the presentation was to go through these small communities to work with them to identify rural economic development opportunities.

Mr. Chair, we have a situation where we have small communities, as few as a few hundred people who are now tasked with, or at least being presented with, identifying rural economic opportunities in the Avalon Region. In speaking with them, I said: It seems that your communities must be much more advanced than our communities on the Great Northern Peninsula.

The Great Northern Peninsula, with these smaller communities we do not have a proper municipal funding formula. The Municipal Operating Grants have not changed in decades. There is some real angst in all of Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador as to how we are going to be adequately funded to be able to maintain our towns. We have all sorts of pressures coming with waste management that seems to have been ill-advised. We have all sorts of issues coming with the federal government imposing laws that say you must comply in looking after waste water.

In speaking with the people at the table, I said, well, you are so much more progressive than we are, because in the small communities that I am familiar with, our towns are lucky if we can collect the taxes that we are owed and pay the bills and keep the lights on in the town, maintain services, and keep the town clerk hired. Well, they were of the same accord. That is exactly the situation they found themselves in. So, it seems it is universal.

In these small communities they are absolutely struggling, yet the department of rural development, having abandoned the RED Boards, having put nothing in place, having withdrawn the little bit of cash funding they were putting in in a $1.2 million or $1.25 million budget. Now, they still have the Rural Secretariat, but the Rural Secretariat does not really seem to do anything. It seems people get together and have a discussion every so often, and it has the appearance of doing something, but in fact it does nothing.

Lo and behold, we go through this exercise, and a person from the department takes the stage and we start going – and I am sure many members in this hon. House, and certainly anybody watching, have attended feedback sessions where we answer certain questions and everybody presses the clicker. You press the clicker, one, two, three, four, five, depending on which one you are responding to. Mr. Chair, this starts to get pretty comical, because you have absolute clicker madness.

People from very small communities are struggling to stay alive financially, struggling to provide services, and the government absolutely turning their backs on them with no proper fiscal framework in place for these small communities. They are just teetering on the edge; yet, the Minister of Innovation, Business and Rural Development puts on a presentation, his staff puts on a presentation so that these people who are just barely making it – with the aid of some clickers and a PowerPoint presentation – are going to take over rural development in the Province.

This clicker madness that beset the crowd, the individuals at the table where I was sitting and the few that I managed to speak to, they were just absolutely rolling their eyes. Here is this government that has not done anything for a new fiscal framework for municipalities. It has withdrawn from economic development in the Province across the board, folded up all of these boards and put nothing else in place for rural economic development.

All sorts of funding is cut, jobs are cut practically across the board, department by department by department. Closing up schools, denying services, shrinking the size of government, yet they want these volunteer municipal councillors who have regular day jobs, who are just barely struggling to keep their towns afloat, these are the ones now that the Department of IBRD expects to shoulder the minister's job in rural economic development in this Province. It is absolute madness, Mr. Chair.

We are coming into a Budget time right now and we will be into the pre-Budget consultations. I call on the minister and the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to go back to the drawing board with rural economic development and put it in a place of reasonable framework. At the same time, put it in the place of proper fiscal framework so that small municipalities do not have to struggle so hard.

Mr. Chair, these are volunteer councillors. They are no different than their neighbours. They happen to be the ones who put their names on the ballot. They do not get paid for the work. They are absolutely completely stressed. Just because they become a town councillor does not mean that all of a sudden they have some sort of an extra pot of gold or they can wave a magic wand and fix all the problems.

They are the ones who then for the next three or four years are looked at by their neighbours, and they are the ones who have to worry about the clearing of snow, collecting the garbage, keeping the street lights on, maintaining municipal government. It is completely misguided, unreasonable and unfair for this government to look to these municipal councillors as the people who are going to carry the load in rural economic development that the government has abandoned without a second thought.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

CHAIR: Order, please!

I recognize the hon. the Member for Bellevue.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. PEACH: Thank you, Mr. Chair.

It is certainly a pleasure for me to stand in this hon. House today and take my place as a representative for the Bellevue district and talk about some things that have happened in my district.

First, I want to address the Member for St. Barbe, when he stood up he started off to say that this government has a lack of respect – I think that is what he said – for rural development in the Province. I just want to take him back in time. I want to take him back a little while, because I used to be on the rural development associations back in the early 1990s. I had seven years as the vice president of the development association in the isthmus development area.

I want to take him back to when I was also appointed to the committee of the Newfoundland Rural Development Council. Go back in the mid-1990s, or I think it is somewhere probably between 1995 and 1998, somewhere around that area, when Chuck Furey, a minister of the government at the time for the Liberal government, came into Gander and had a meeting with the Rural Development Council, and at that time announced that fifty-two rural development associations across the Province would close and no longer given funding. It took the heart out of Newfoundland, really.

Then he gets up on the other side in the Opposition and says that this government has no respect for the rural development in Newfoundland. It all started back when the Liberals were in power in the 1990s. Ask Mr. Boyd Noel, who was also on the Rural Development Council and one of your buddies, probably, on the Northern Peninsula. Ask Mr. Boyd Noel what happened back in the 1990s. It certainly was a heart-wrenching situation for everybody who was involved at that time.

I want to say, too, that the rural development associations back then were generating about $1 million into the different small communities around the Province. They had representatives from every town in the areas. No one could understand what the government back then was really thinking when they took the funding away from rural development. So when you talk about rural development in rural Newfoundland, you just think about that, what you had done back then.

I want to talk to him about what is happening in my district with regard to our government, with the project that we have there in Long Harbour, with Inco. Just come out into the district and see the economic boom that is going on out there now within our area with regard to housing and jobs. There are people out there who cannot find any houses right now because everything is pretty much rented. Some people have even gone and renovated their sheds and turned them into apartments so people could have places to rent. That is fact, and that is in rural Newfoundland and Labrador.

Bull Arm – another project in Bull Arm that is happening today. Right now, it is about probably 600 people in Bull Arm working today, but I am being told that by June or July they should have around 1,500 there. Come mid-fall, there should be closer to probably 3,000 people working in Bull Arm. That is in rural Newfoundland, as well.

They are all coming from everywhere around Newfoundland and Labrador. They are coming in from all communities around Newfoundland and Labrador. There is work available for almost everybody who is into the skilled trades in Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

AN HON. MEMBER: Ninety per cent are Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

MR. PEACH: Ninety per cent, ninety per cent of the people who are working in Bull Arm and Inco, I am being told, are from Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. PEACH: That is really a good outlook for the future, now.

I might say that there are some local people from our area that all the time are calling my office saying that they cannot get in there, but the time is coming to have it pick up. Over the last two years, the industry has grown; in the last six months, we can see the local jobs, local employment going into Inco and into Bull Arm; and it is going to get better.

Mr. Chair, the fishery is pretty stable in my district: Woodman Sea Products, with the crab fishery and with the pelagic species.

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible).

MR. PEACH: Dorset Fisheries: capelin, herring and mackerel; I am being told that the plant at Dorset Fisheries is opening today with herring in Long Cove, a good sign of the fishery again this year. Wadman's does a little bit of salt fish, does some cod, and does some pelagic species from the Fortune Bay area.

Icewater Seafoods Inc. is a plant that has been modernized over the years and handles the cod fishery. I am going to tell you that Icewater Seafoods is still strong and we are looking at, hopefully, that they are going to have a good year again this year. Right now, they are closed down for some minor things that happened and were unforeseeable by the company, but they will be back in operation again in just a short time.

Tourism in the Dildo area – we have a great tourism industry in the Dildo area that has been ongoing for the last two years that very few people know about. There are a lot of tourists in that area. Now, it has been filtered out into Sunnyside and also into the Arnold's Cove area. Our district is starting to get into the tourism industry as well. We are seeing a lot of things happening there.

I want to talk a bit about infrastructure. I do not have much time. I know I have ten minutes, but I want to talk about the infrastructure, the water and sewer upgrades to Sunnyside, Arnold's Cove, Norman's Cove-Long Cove, Thornlea, Come by Chance water treatment plant, Bellevue, Dildo, New Harbour industrial water supply, South Dildo, North Harbour, St. Bernard's-Jacques Fontaine, and Grand Le Pierre. You did not see that with the past Administration, I will tell you that.

That is why I got involved in politics, because I felt good about what this government was doing. I felt good about what the government was doing for the people, so I got involved in politics in 2007. I like the way that this government operates, and I am very proud to be a member on this side of the House with this government.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. PEACH: I also want to talk about our fire departments. Since I have been a member, in 2007, we have had a new fire truck, or a new fire van, for Arnold's Cove, Southern Harbour, Norman's Cove-Long Cove, and just recently had an announcement for a new fire truck in St. Bernard's-Jacques Fontaine.

The housing program that we have has been really good to the seniors in my district. I am not ashamed to stand up and say that because I tell you if it were not for the housing program, a lot of the houses in my district, a lot of the seniors in my district, would be in very bad shape. The housing program has done a lot for the district. The home modification program for disabilities has really done good for the district as well.

Some of the other programs that we have as well – that people today are misinterpreting – is the dental program. Some of the Opposition have said: Oh, the government have taken away the dental program. We have not taken away the dental program. We have fulfilled our commitment with a dental program.

The Newfoundland and Labrador Prescription Drug Plan, the Medical Transportation Assistance Program – and the list goes on, Mr. Chair. I want to talk a little bit about schools.

In my district, since 2007 we have had to do a lot of repairs on schools; schools that, under the past Administration, were neglected. I would say neglected is the word for it. I want to say that we had to do upgrades in Swift Current on the mould that was in schools, which, over the years, had no work done on it. The school in Terrenceville, the same situation; it had no work done on it by the past Administration, but this Administration did work on it. The schools in St. Bernard's – the same thing, Mr. Chair.

I just want to say, too, when I was mayor in 2000, the Liberal Administration came in and they closed down two schools in Norman's Cove: a high school and an elementary school. They closed down a school in Chance Cove, in my district. They closed down schools in English Harbour and Grand Le Pierre, in my district. This all started back then. What were your reasons for closing them? I wonder, what was the Opposition's reason for closing down the schools back then?

Mr. Chair, my time has pretty much run out. I also want to talk about the transportation upgrades to roads, but time will not permit me. I am sure I will get a chance to stand up in this House again and talk about some more things that have happened in my district and to (inaudible).

Thank you very much.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

CHAIR: Order, please!

I recognize the hon. the Member for Burgeo – La Poile.

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

It is a pleasure to stand up here today and speak on Interim Supply. I have listened – I was very riveted actually by the Member for Bellevue. I listened to everything that he had to say, and appreciate everybody getting the chance to stand up and speak about all the good things that are happening. It was all good news coming out of Bellevue, so you must be some member.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. A. PARSONS: He must be some member, yes. I know that is what the crowd from EAS was saying because he has an office that is shutting down in his district. I do not know if you have talked to them to advise them of your concerns about these people being cut.

I wanted to just check into that and see if it was great things and rainbows for these people losing their job because their funding is being cut. I just wanted to check that out and see if that is still happening in your district or not.

I have a number of things I wanted to talk to, and we get a chance to speak to all manner of things here in Interim Supply. The Member for Bellevue, he raised a lot of very important issues. One of them, which I have had an opportunity to –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. A. PARSONS: They are getting so short of good news there that they will cheer for anything at this point, Mr. Chair. I am going to talk about the dental plan.

The Member for Bellevue spoke about the dental plan and how good it was. I say he is right; it was so good that they could not even keep it going after one year. They brought it in and one year in, they had to cut it back. To me, that goes to show, Mr. Chair, the lack of planning that went into it.

I will give you one example from my district of somebody who was affected by this. I have said many times that when government does something good, it is to be commended. I commended the dental plan when it was first announced because I heard from a large number of constituents who said: This is great; I am getting work that I have not been able to afford in a number of years. I talked to dentists and they said: This is getting huge uptake.

I had one constituent who had an appointment on Wednesday. Now, you have to remember, most of my constituents have to travel to get this service, and many have to travel a long ways. In fact, one got a call on Tuesday morning from their dentist confirming that yes, you are still coming in for your appointment tomorrow. Then, later that afternoon they received a call that said: Oh, sorry, the appointment is cancelled, the plan is over, and you have to bring cash.

Less than twenty-four hours before their appointment that had been planned for a month-and-a-half, they get that call to say: You can come in and get the work done if you have cash.

I am not criticizing the investment; I am criticizing the lack of planning that went into that investment. Obviously, there was not enough research done if we are talking about the significant uptake that was going to happen, 98,000 people served.

We have to know that when you bring in a plan like this you are going to get that action upfront. Many people have not had work done for a long time, so you are going to get a lot of people coming right away. At this point, when you look at the numbers we are back down to $6.7 million. If you look at the numbers of people who are going to get served, they are not going to get anything for that.

One of the big issues I have is that there has been a lack of consultation with the people actually doing the work. That is the Dental Association. I am taking this from what the Dental Association is saying out in the media. They are saying: We were not consulted first or last.

Let's work together to make sure that investment is there. Let's try to sustain the program for a long period of time, as opposed to the one year where we came in and announced this plan, and then one year later we cannot sustain it. It just goes to show the lack of long-term planning there. That is just one thing I wanted to bring up in response to one of the conversations that the Member for Bellevue was having.

There are a whole bunch of things I could talk about here, and one of them I mentioned earlier today in Question Period. That was about the very troubling concerns that are coming out of Eastern Health. I listened to Ms Kaminski this morning on the radio. She was talking about, she is not very happy herself with what is going on at Eastern Health in terms of the C-difficile, which is causing deaths over at the hospital.

What she talked about was the standard that is applied there when we talk about little things, like hand washing. I think they were going for an 80 per cent rate. They actually went down this year, back down to 50 per cent.

One of the things she talked about is the rigorous program. I think there are four checkpoints you have to go through. You wash your hands when you walk in, when you touch something, and when you walk out. A lot of that is happening because they are leaving one room and going to the next. They might have just washed their hands less than two minutes ago, but you are supposed to wash them again. I would say one of the reasons behind that is they are overloaded.

I only have to look at some of the commentary that comes from people within that union and people who are doing this work. They talked about these cuts last year and how they would not hurt patient care. What they were saying is that they are at a bare minimum and they did not understand how we were going to maintain that. When you are losing jobs, then the work has to be loaded onto somebody else. The work has to get done. The work is going elsewhere.

When we talk about a health care system that is being talked about in the country as getting the worst bang for the buck, and that is troubling. If we are getting the worst bang for the buck now with the significant investment that has been made, if we cut that investment what are we going to get then?

What we need to do, Mr. Chair, I would say is, look, we can talk about the investment that has been made. No doubt, there has been significant investment in any number of things over the last little while. Certainly the chequebook was there for whenever there was a problem that came up, but the problem is the chequebook is not there right now. We have to cut back. We have to make sure the outcomes that we are getting for the money invested are there. We cannot just talk about the investment and we are going to throw this money at this problem. What are the outcomes coming out of it? I have a concern when we talk about that.

The minister, when she answered the questions, likes to say that I am blaming workers. That is not it. These are the workers themselves who are saying they are overloaded. With all these cuts around them they have to pick up this extra work.

It is no different from the people in the EAS system. If you talk to some of these workers in Advanced Education and Skills they are hesitant to speak, but the fact is they know they have a lot of extra work coming on them. You do not just cut over 200 jobs and say, well, the work is going to get done by everybody. There is not going to be any change in how the work is done. That is impossible, I would say, Mr. Chair. That is simply not going to happen.

This work is now on AES workers, many of whom do not have the same training. I guess if you deal with a certain group of people for a long period of time you learn those skills and that subset. It comes through experience, and we are losing all that experience now. We are cutting the program.

I would say that comes back to – if we look at that department, back when it was created, we cobbled this department together. After it is created, then we bring in Mr. Noseworthy to look at the department to figure out: How do we best streamline it? We use a lot of different words, words that sound really nice. Streamline, and right-size, and find efficiencies, but usually what they mean is cut and pare down, and reduce service, is what the actual effect of that is.

The problem I have is that we go out – let's get past the fact that Mr. Noseworthy received his minister's pay for doing this report. The report was submitted, but I do not know if we are actually using that report to make these changes now. I do not understand the rationale behind it. I am hoping it is going to make sense when it all comes down on Budget Day. We will see what it is that we have gotten with this report and how we are going to change these services.

MR. KENT: (Inaudible).

MR. A. PARSONS: Again, I ask the Member for –

AN HON. MEMBER: Minister.

MR. A. PARSONS: I am sorry, that was obviously a mistake. I would say to the Member for Mount Pearl North, if he has some comments, you are going to get a chance to stand up again. Sorry about that slip of the tongue there. Again, that was just a Freudian slip there.

Mr. Chair, I will just continue on here. Obviously, some of the members have some interest in what I am saying here, because I am hitting on a lot of very important issues. They are issues that, when we talked about last year, when we talked about how we are flush with cash and we were not going to make cuts to some of these, we were not going to make cuts to education and health care, to the front-line services, but that is obviously not the case right now, so we have to be concerned.

I know the Minister of Education is dealing with it now. There are a lot of unhappy parents all across the Province when it comes to talking about school busing and school closures. That is something that is going to continue on as we go forward. This Budget day, when it comes down – and I guess we are all waiting anxiously to see what happens in the federal Budget when it comes down this Thursday, because that could significantly affect us and how we do our job.

Again, this was floated in a media story a couple of weeks ago when we talk about this possible cut in the funding for EI training. I am wondering if that actually is going to become a reality, because if that is the case then that is going to be an issue.

I noticed the Premier of Alberta actually spoke out about this just recently and talked about how she feels that the provinces are the best people to administer this training for this labour shortage. She feels that the funding should continue and that the provinces can do the best job in training people, and I would say I would have assumed that we would be the best to do that as well.

I am hoping that conversations have happened; I believe they have and I guess we are just going to have to wait and see what comes out on Thursday. That is going to have a significant effect on how we continue, especially in this very important issue in Advanced Education and Skills.

That is just a couple of the things I am going to get an opportunity to speak to now, Mr. Chair. There is a lot more to come, so I will take my seat at this point and I will hopefully speak again later on.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

CHAIR: Order, please!

I recognize the Member for Conception Bay East – Bell Island.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. BRAZIL: Thank you, Mr. Chair.

It is a privilege to be able to speak to the Interim Supply. As my learned colleague from Burgeo – La Poile mentioned, we are very interested in what you have to say here because you are bringing up a lot of very important points, particularly around the fact that we have been offering a lot of great programs in this Province. We have been offering them to the people, but the way we have gotten to that point is through one of the things that I am very proud of, to be part of this Administration: our engagement, our engagement with the people and the programs and service delivery individuals in this Province to make sure that what we put out there is in the best interests of the people of this Province and is fiscally responsible.

We will have to make some decisions in the near future around our Budget process, but that is because at the end of the day we want to make sure the money that we spend does meet the needs of the people in this Province. We have been very frugal with that – very beneficial to the people who need the services – and we will continue to do that.

I am proud of many of the accomplishments that we have done and we will continue to do those. We will still spend billions of dollars in services to the people of this Province and the people of the Province will reap those benefits.

Just to talk about some of the things we have done in the past – but the interim funding is not about what we have done in the past. It is go-forward basis; it is what we will continue to do in the next number of months, in the next number of years.

For example, our infrastructure; you talk to the Minister of Municipal Affairs – we will still be investing in water and sewer. We will still be investing in roadwork. We are still investing in ferries. We are still investing in fire equipment. We are investing in housing repairs.

We are investing in education: new schools going to be built; repairs to existing schools; tuition rollbacks and tuition freezes; support to post-secondary institutions and infrastructure; and new buildings being built, which obviously adds to the benefits to those institutions being able to offer the programs and services to the thousands of educated young people who want to further their education, and those international students who we are drawing here because of the quality of education that we offer, and because of how we have been able to draw very talented professors and instructors.

Also, we are adding to the apprenticeship program, second to none in this Province. We realize we are going to run into a real need for skilled trades. We have addressed that by putting an apprenticeship program in place that addresses the needs, works with the stakeholders, works with the industry, and gives a benefit to everybody involved, so that the young people in this Province who have their trades will be able to take advantage of the programs, and be able to stay in this Province and continue to move our economy forward.

We also invest in Adult Basic Education. As some may know, I have a bit of a background there. We want to make sure that every citizen in this Province has the ability to further themselves and be productive citizens. We do that on a daily basis.

We do it in our health care. Just look at what we have done in our health care facilities over the last number of years. Billions of dollars have been put into making sure our health facilities are second to none. We have done community clinics so that we make sure people in rural Newfoundland have access to adequate health care. We have looked at better regional supports and managed to make sure that there are supports and services there that benefit everybody in that region. No longer do people have to travel exorbitant distances to be able to get basic services. We are the ones who took the lead on that.

We have looked at what we have done. We have talked about our dental program, a great program, still exists and still will exist in the future, and has been a real benefit to the people who have used that. We have looked at our Prescription Drug Program. We have added more entities to that than any other Administration in the past. On a daily basis we look at what is needed for the clientele out there.

We engage with the medical professionals. We engage with pharmacists. We want to make sure that the services we put out there and the money we are spending goes to the people who need it the most and that we can get the best return on the investment that we put out there.

Programs for seniors; thousands of groups across this Province have been able to avail of the services that we put out there to make it better for seniors to be engaged, to give them a better opportunity to take control and stake in their own health development, and being able to assess what they need and put them in the best opportune time to be connected to the health professionals so that the services can be offered to those people, Mr. Chair.

We have also looked at nutrition programs. How do we engage that? We worked in the school system so that young people are aware of healthy eating, healthy living, and healthy lifestyles. That has been a positive there, to make sure that our society is not only ready for job markets but has a healthy lifestyle and is better engaged to be able to do those types of things.

Child care; we are the Administration that created the department to solely look at the needs and how do we improve the lives here, how do we work with families, how do we work with the organizations and stakeholders that are out there to make sure that any cracks in the system are filled in, any gaps in services are identified, and find programs and services that best fit the needs of those individuals. We do that by engaging the people out there.

Yes, there are always some struggles out there. This is a new entity. We have inherited a lot of crucial situations that we have to deal with and we doing it – very competent social workers, very competent managers, very competent people at the ground level identifying those needs. We will be addressing those on an ongoing basis. The minister has that first and foremost in her process, as we move things forward in the next Budget.

Increasing the number of social workers to be able to identify what we do – we have done that over the last number of years to make sure that there are enough people there to be able to service the individuals who need it; additional programs and services to make sure everybody, from school officials, can do some intervention, to community leaders who can help in that whole process.

Under education and the student aid process – let's go back a few years. I know I talked about going on a go-forward basis, which is what our interim funding is about, but to get to that point you have to know how we got to where we are and the benefits that we have put out there for the people of the this Province.

We have gone back – and there was some dispute the other day I think with the Minister of Education back and forth, or the Minister of Advanced Education and Skills about the student aid process. The only thing the former Administration did in the student aid process is when there was a crisis coming. When the student debt was getting so crazy and that the student unions and youth advisory committees out there were saying that something needs to be done, the former Premier at the time – and I give credit, a very valued educator – decided we would put a freeze on tuition. All a freeze did on tuition, for that interim time, was make it look like there was something being done – a band-aid situation.

This Administration went five steps further. It did tuition rollbacks. It continues to freeze now and into the future. It did debt reduction, interest relief, a whole process of changing around the grant system. It gave more opportunity for people on work terms and scholarship programs. It put back in tuition programs; it looked at SWASP, giving students every opportunity to be able to earn, to keep their debt load down.

This is the Administration that did that, because we know we want to have vibrant students who do not have to worry about their debt load when they graduate. We want them to be able to move into the job market. We want them to be the same people who get mortgages going out there, buy cars, and contribute back to the economy. We do not want them for the next ten years having to engage on getting second jobs just to cover their debt from education. We want to show this Administration cares about how we educate our future leaders here, and how we prepare them for moving forward.

Mr. Chair, let's talk about the ferry services. There was some debate back and forth with the Minister of Transportation with some of the colleagues from the Opposition about how we got to this situation where we have to deal with certain challenges right now in the ferry services.

Mr. Chair, in 1990, when the Liberal Administration took power, there was one vessel just ready to come off the docks at Marystown. That was the Flanders, the pride of the fleet for the Bell Island – Portugal Cove ferry service and the pride of the fleet for the whole of the ferry service in this Province at the time. There was a sister ship ready to be built. As far as I know, $3 million worth of steel was in Marystown ready for it to be done, because they knew there would be a crisis in the ferry services for this Province down the road if we did not deal with it then.

The Liberal Administration cancelled it. They took a loss on it and cancelled it then. As a result, many years went by as we ran into crisis. Then they decided we see light at the end of the tunnel: the Nonia. Let us go pick up that great vessel and bring it here. They brought that vessel here and served no purpose. It has been a money pit ever since.

This Administration, when it got to a point and said we cannot throw good money after bad, decided we are going to move forward. We have moved forward on our strategy, Mr. Chair. We have moved forward with two vessels in the water now servicing the communities. Two more is on RFPs out there, with contracts being let out there now for services in the private sector. Other movements putting forward there to address the other needs where we have been having gaps in services as we replace the ferry service.

That is what we are doing in this Province, Mr. Chair. That is vision. That is on a go-forward basis. We know we have to invest money and we do that. We do that for the benefit of everybody here.

Mr. Chair, as I have a minute left, I will just talk about a couple of quick things in my two years with this Administration, just in my own district: three schools, two have been built and opened, and another one has just been identified will be open in Portugal Cove – St. Phillips, a junior high; two fire trucks and support for one of the fire departments to buy two additional fire trucks; over $8 million in roadwork; over $4 million just in the community of Bell Island in waterworks, a testament and a commitment to improving the lives and the quality of the infrastructure we have in those towns; over $30 million in infrastructure for recreation; and multiple millions of dollars in investments to make sure every citizen has a stake in the money we spend here.

Mr. Chair, on that note I just want to say that the interim funding, we will just continue to do what we have done, move our programs forward. We will make some decisions that are in the best interests of the people of this Province. No doubt, the money we will invest in this Budget will go a long way to improve the lives of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

CHAIR: Order, please!

I recognize the hon. the Member for St. John's East.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. MURPHY: Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

It gives me pleasure to get up and speak to Interim Supply. I will try to keep up in spite of the cold we have going on. I hope nobody else gets this little bug.

I wanted to get up and address a few things on government's direction, where it is going, and if it has left itself particularly susceptible to the changes in commodity prices, particularly when it comes to oil. Now, of course, we are starting to hear of a downturn when it comes to iron ore pricing, and that is a little bit concerning when we are talking about a few commodities that government is a little bit reliant upon for its general revenue.

I wanted to get up today and talk about a couple of opportunities that government could be doing right now to generate more revenue. Again, I touched on some of these things last time I was on my feet, particularly when it came to talking about feed-in tariff opportunities for municipalities that were taken away by this government that leaves government, in some ways, scrambling to find alternative sources of funding to cover now for municipalities.

So, I wanted to get up and just talk about a couple of ideas that sometimes government can be doing to address its own problems with financing that it is not so quick to address. I talked to a couple of small businessmen, of course, over the last couple of weeks – particularly when I found out that Interim Supply was going to be coming up – to get their perspective on things. There were a couple of ideas that came up from these small business operators.

One of the businesses that I talked to is in the business of selling wine kits, that sort of thing, home brewing kits. One of the opportunities that they talked about where government could be generating revenue – and this is one for the Minister of Finance to address, and probably he can get up and talk about it, when it comes to breaking our dependence on the volatility of commodities. I think that the whole idea that government needs to go here is addressing the role that small business can particularly do, the effect that they can have on the provincial Treasury.

Anyway, the owner of this small business talked about the opportunity that he has when it comes to his own wine-making and beer-making business. He talked about something that he called ferment-on-premises, which I thought was very interesting. Sometimes it only takes a co-operation between a government department and a government agency in order to get things done to increase government revenue and increase government participation in the job-making process, if you will, in job creation, and at the same time increasing government revenue.

This gentleman talked about ferment-on-premises. What it is, basically – and it is only small - it is a hobby, if you will, for some people to be brewing their own; but government – for example, in Nova Scotia, government has only approved this just over the last couple of years. What they do now is they allow somebody to go ahead and ferment their own wines or ferment their own beers, but it is on this particular premise where this gentleman would have his own business.

So he is looking for help from government in regards to allowing fermenting on premises. Like I said, it is a hobby, but government could be generating tax revenue, for example, from these wine-making kits and at the same time making money from the payroll that would be paid out for the extra one or two employees who would be working at that particular institution.

There is an opportunity here for government to generate taxes. There is an opportunity here for government to generate jobs. It is just for government to do a little bit more research on this issue, and perhaps help this gentleman grow his business, which is going to add to more employment levels. We encourage government to look at that. That is one thing that we found.

The other thing that I found, of course, was that the whole notion – and I think one of the government members talked last week about doing reckless investment. Sometimes on this particular aspect, on my own personal perspective, I thought about that term that he used.

When he said reckless investment, I thought about full-day kindergarten and full-day care; if somebody were to call that reckless investment, it would be irresponsible. I think that when you are talking about a degree of investment that government would make, for example, into full-day kindergarten or full-day care, what it would mean.

Right now this government is talking about the prospect of 70,000 jobs within the next couple of years that are going to be opening up in this Province, particularly when it comes to skilled trade. What we do not have, for example, in this Province right now is a steady growth rate in the population. We know that they have hired Ross Reid to address that problem; that is one thing.

The one big burden that families are facing these days is increasing costs, not only for groceries and that but for child care. Child care is probably one of the biggest expenses that we have. We have a lot of families in Newfoundland and Labrador who are pretty much isolated away from the job market because of that.

If we were to supply, for example, a few million dollars to get into full-day child care, what would that mean?

MR. LANE: A few million.

MR. MURPHY: A few million. Yes, and I say to the hon. Member for Mount Pearl South that I am pretty sure that there are a lot of young families in his district who would love to be able to have two people in the workforce if the full-day care allowances were there, and if child care expenses were minimized on the part of some of these families.

Maybe we cannot do it like Quebec can for $7 a day. Maybe we might have to do it for $10. If government made the investment there, they would have a few more people available to enter into the workforce, or enter into a skilled trades program so that we can fill some of these jobs and keep our people home at the same time.

A full investment into daycare like that or an investment into full-day kindergarten, not only does it grow an able-bodied workforce, but as far as I am concerned, Mr. Chair, the ultimate payoff is at the end of the day when you are talking about education, when children get a little bit more educated. There is more of a payoff here on the part of government. There is nothing that is going to be so burdensome to a government than a people who are not educated. I think we all recognize the problems of not having a fully educated people. There is probably two or three times' the payoff here when it comes to making smart investments like full-day kindergarten and full-day child care.

Let's talk about some of the other opportunities that government has not addressed over the last couple of years. I hate to bring it up again but it has to be mentioned, this shipbuilding program that we lost on the Burin Peninsula. Here we had a $30 billion program for joint service and supply vessels to the Canadian Navy. What Darrell Dexter, the Premier of Nova Scotia, calls an Olympics every year for the next thirty years. Now, that is what he said the program was worth.

We had a cornerstone here. We have lost the cornerstone here because we had an able program here that would have been a perfect training ground and the ability for untold numbers of families to actually live and grow on the Burin Peninsula, and probably retire at the same time on the Burin Peninsula. That program in itself probably would have come out with untold numbers of shipbuilders in this Province who probably would have been able to use a ferry replacement program as a training ground for something like that.

If you use the ferry replacement program – instead, we are talking about going outside the Province and giving the work to somebody else. I can understand the Member for Conception Bay East – Bell Island, he has a problem on his hands because he is going to need new boats to service the people over on Bell Island so that we can have another 2,700 people over on Bell Island to be able to enter into the workforce and take advantage of the opportunities in the Northeast Avalon. Right now they are pretty isolated.

The people of St. Brendan's Island are pretty much isolated every time they have their ferry boat taken away. We have a chance in the future I think – we just heard from the Member for Conception Bay East – Bell Island as well, that we are going to have a future opportunity, no doubt, to have an interruption in somebody else's ferry service. Now that says a lot about where the ferry replacement strategy went.

Mr. Chair, I want to carry on as well as regards to coming back to municipalities when it comes to the fiscal arrangement. I talked on this several times, that the government has an ability to come out with a new form of funding municipalities. It was a lost opportunity on the part of the provincial government here. We know the costs to municipalities are only going to increase. We are going to need more stable funding for municipalities in the future. A cornerstone of that happens to come from the Department of Municipal Affairs and the Department of Finance as well when it comes to that.

We are looking for more money to come to municipalities in this next Budget. Hopefully, government is going to see fit to take part of the provincial gas tax, because it grows itself. It showed sustainable growth over the last ten or fifteen years. It has never decreased in any of the years that I have ever looked at it. Hopefully, government is going to go ahead and have a look at that, and make that strategic investment as well when it comes to water. We will be hearing a lot more about the water end of things tomorrow.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

CHAIR: Order, please!

I recognize the hon. the Member for Fortune Bay – Cape La Hune.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS PERRY: Thank you, Mr. Chair.

It is certainly a pleasure for me to rise in the House today to speak to Interim Supply.

As a few of my hon. colleagues have already talked about today, this actually is a very important legislative bill for continuing the day-to-day functions and operations of government from things like payroll every two weeks, to programs, to Income Support, to paying the lights at schools and hospitals. Another great thing that I really enjoy about the money bill is it is an opportunity for all members of this hon. House to raise awareness about our districts, and of course to raise issues of importance and concern to our constituents.

Mr. Chair, I would like to start out by talking about how very, very proud I am of my rural, remote District of Fortune Bay – Cape La Hune. We are an isolated area. There are twenty-two communities, ranging in population from about ninety people to 1,900 people spread out over 11,000 square kilometres. We are an area that is thriving. We are continuing to live the authentic, rural Newfoundland and Labrador lifestyle.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS PERRY: Why is that, Mr. Chair? We were once solely reliant on the fishery and logging, but in Fortune Bay – Cape La Hune we have adapted to the new economy and we are developing new industries in hydro, aquaculture, and tourism. A sustainable future is within our reach and we will get there with the continued support of this government.

Mr. Chair, getting to this point even was no easy feat. It has been challenging for us trying to grow the industry over the last twenty years, but we are certainly starting to see the hard work and dedication of local communities, local residents, local pioneers who had the vision that this industry would create a future for the people of Fortune Bay – Cape La Hune. Here we are now, twenty years later, and over 1,000 sustainable jobs have been created in rural Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS PERRY: We are having housing starts, Mr. Chair. We are seeing new houses being built in rural Newfoundland and Labrador. I tell you, we go back not even ten years ago, and I can refer to the time when there was such great hardship and despair in my region. Fish plants were closing down, Mr. Chair. To see the devastation on the faces of the people in those communities when there was no employment and no opportunities – but we have turned that around, Mr. Chair, and we have turned it around because we have embraced the fishery of the future.

Sure, we have challenges. I have roads, just like many parts of this Province, that need to be done, and in time they will be, Mr. Chair. We need internet access, we need cellphone coverage, we need more healthcare, et cetera; the list goes on, I am sure, in terms of concerns for all of us. I will say to the people of the Province that with an industry like aquaculture at your doorstep, it certainly gives me, as a member, a far better chance of advocating successfully for improvements to these areas over time, because we do have a viable future.

Now, I can talk a little, Mr. Chair, about the investments in our region, but I do not want to use my entire time on that today, because I certainly could. The investments made by this government in my communities have been absolutely incredible, and certainly across the Province as a whole, from things like improving our Community Youth Networks, dialysis services in the Coast of Bays, new fire trucks, and water and sewer projects, Mr. Chair. For communities like Belleoram that have been on a boil order for decades, now today, with the help of this government, everyone has much improved water and drinking supplies in their communities.

I will admit, Mr. Chair, that I am a very fortunate MHA to have such wonderful opportunities for job creation in renewable sectors, especially hydro, fisheries and aquaculture, and tourism. My brother Pat ran for politics back in 1978, and in looking at his speech I can tell you it is a stark contrast from the district that I have today. His major issue, his major challenge was where the jobs were going to come from for the people of Burgeo – Bay d'Espoir and the Connaigre Peninsula. Today, Mr. Chair, the jobs are here.

I want to talk a little bit about land-based aquaculture. I want to explain it a little, because one thing that is very, very, very difficult for me is to come into this House and hear the member opposite, a member of the Liberal Party, condemn aquaculture and say they want to shut it down. You want to shut down twenty-two rural, remote communities who have an opportunity for the future. Let me tell you a little bit about land-based aquaculture: not one jurisdiction in the world has a commercial large-scale land-based aquaculture facility.

Mr. Chair, let us just take a look at the hatchery that was built down my way. Many people are aware of it; it is 38,000 square feet and produces millions of fish each year that go to sea and are grown out. The member opposite, the critic for Fisheries and Aquaculture, one day said: we should grow them all in cages. Thirty-eight thousand square feet, Mr. Chair; you could grow 40,000 fish to a size of ten pounds, enough to process for one day. Imagine the environmental footprint if you have to go building 40,000-square-foot facilities everywhere to get enough fish for one day – incredible.

Then you talk about the impact of fish in their natural environment. We are putting them out in the sea; that is their natural environment. You would rather keep them indoors with the lights on for two full years, Mr. Chair. I cannot wrap my head around it. I certainly cannot.

Going back to my area where just a few short years ago a fish plant closed in Hermitage, a fish plant closed in Harbour Breton – pure and utter devastation for my communities. What is happening today, Mr. Chair: over two fish plants, full-time operation, over 200 people working, and a brand-new fish plant being built in Fortune Bay – Cape La Hune.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS PERRY: That is an industry, Mr. Chair, worth supporting, in my opinion.

I would like to take the opportunity today as well to congratulate the blue mussel sector. Our strengths are in farming, I do believe. We are going to see more and more places in rural Newfoundland and Labrador grow because of what is happening in the Baie Verte area and in the Coast of Bays area. We are leading the way and paving the way for other communities to follow suit.

Mr. Chair, for the life of me I cannot understand – and I just said this a little while ago – why the Opposition is so opposed to such a success story. Yes, there are and there will continue to be challenges in this sector just like any other food-producing industry, Mr. Chair; all the more reason for a continued and strengthened support as we address the more global issues of food security.

Where is their vision across the way? The more we grow in the Coast of Bays, the more we grow in Central Newfoundland, and the more we contribute to the provincial economy overall.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS PERRY: The more expertise we acquire, Mr. Chair, the greater our potential to expand into other areas of rural Newfoundland. That is what our Progressive Conservative government supports: a sustainable, self-reliant prosperity for our people, not just in urban areas but all across Newfoundland and Labrador.

Mr. Chair, I am quickly running out of time, so I am going to speak a little bit to the Budget that we have coming up this year. We all know that in the same manner as you must manage the revenue and expenses of your house, governments must manage the public purse in the best interests of the taxpayer.

When money was good, we spent, and we spent wisely. Now, times are changing. We certainly addressed deficits and roads, schools, hospitals, prescription medications, cancer drugs, things that needed to be done. Now, though, as oil revenues and taxes are lower we must move towards a Budget that is more fiscally responsible and sustainable.

What do we spend the money on? Where do people prefer the money be spent? On salaries, on roads, on MOGs, on hospitals, on health care, on attracting tourists, on creating jobs, on funding community groups, on expanding cellphones – there are so many options, Mr. Chair. Where we want to be as a Province is a Province that welcomes business, attracts the private sector, creates the jobs, and pays the taxes in so we can continue to grow this wonderful Province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS PERRY: This economy is in great shape overall, Mr. Chair. In order to sustain the great advances that we have made over the last ten years, I am confident that the Progressive Conservative policies put forth by our Premier and our government are the best path forward towards self-sustainability and reliance.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

CHAIR: Order, please!

I recognize the Member for Bay of Islands.

MR. JOYCE: Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I will just stand for a few minutes and have a few words. I heard the Member for Fortune Bay – Cape La Hune – how is the road going down that way these days? Just go on Open Line, because I know they were looking for you to address the hazardous road concerns. How is the road, if your government is doing so good?

CHAIR: Order, please!

MR. JOYCE: You forgot to mention the road, Mr. Chair.

CHAIR: Order, please!

I would ask the member to direct his comments to the Chair.

MR. JOYCE: Yes, Mr. Chair, if the government is going doing so good and we are talking about the roads, I ask the member to go on Open Line tomorrow morning and praise up the government about how the roads are doing going down to her district and the cellphones and whatever. You will have the opportunity again, I am sure.

Mr. Chair, I just want to bring something up today that was brought up by the Minister of Education, talking about what was happening here in the media about the Eastern School District. I just want to put it out there for the record of what the concerns are of the people on the board. Of course, the minister is putting his political spin on it and the Chairman of the Board, Milton Peach, is putting his own political spin. I have to put out here for the board, for the general public, and the people here exactly what happened.

This is just part of what is happening out on the West Coast. It is part of what is happening in the school district here on the Avalon, Mr. Chair. The government ordered $14 million cuts across the board for the school boards across the Province; that is a given. I think it was $7.5 million to the eastern school board, $7.5 million or $7.4 million.

Mr. Chair, what happened is the government, the senior officials in the Department of Education, were dealing with the Executive Director and the Chair of the Board, and probably about a week to ten days ago, they went and came in with this proposal; here is what we are doing. The board members themselves said: Well, what is this all about? We are elected here. If there is a problem here with the cuts, we should have some say into it. Where did this come from? Let's wait for the Budget to come down and we can look at it and we can make our decisions.

What happened then, within ten or fifteen minutes that proposal was yanked off the table – not discussed, shut down, boom, no more discussion on it. Mr. Chair, what happened then, within the next four or five days the Chair of the school board who was not even supposed to be the person to make the presentation – it was supposed to be the Vice-Chair. The Chair of the school board went in and made a submission to government. Not only did they bring in the things that were shown to the school board members, they also added stuff that no other board member saw.

Now, Mr. Chair, that is what happened there; they made this submission without the knowledge and consent of the board. That is what happened there. So, when the minister stands up and says: Oh, they saw it. They said: Hold on, we are not agreeing to that.

Mr. Chair, here is what I will do, to back up what I am saying here, I ask the minister to table the vote by the school board, private or public, to okay the $7.5 million cut. If the minister is so confident that the board is the one that approved these cuts, table the vote. There was never a vote taken at the school board to okay this $7.5 million cut. It was done to give the impression that these are coming from the school board, the elected officials. Milton Peach had no authorization. It was not voted upon. Board members did not even know it was coming forward to the Department of Education for these cuts. Yet when we get school board cuts, oh, we cannot get involved. Oh, no, we cannot get involved. That is the elected members getting that. That is the elected members who do that. That is the difference here, Mr. Chair.

Again, if you think I am just talking off the top of my head – some of you say, oh, it is only the Member for Bay of Islands again – put the vote in the Legislature. Table it on this Table where the Eastern school board made a vote to make those cuts and present it to the Department of Education. Here we go. That is a good opportunity to shut me down and to shut anybody else down who is critical. It just cannot happen, because it never happened.

That is the kind of stuff that is happening to the school boards here. You can use them when you want to and when you need stuff done: okay, we will go up and get one of our buddies, like Milton Peach, who happens to be – and I know the minister mentioned that George Joyce was a Liberal candidate – a PC member from out in the Carbonear area before. He happened to be, who still has very good contacts there and who took a document, walked in here to the Department of Education: here is what we are going to do – it never got approved by the board. Yet that is the elected board by the people of this Province in this area who were elected to represent them and to stand up for their needs. Those are the facts of it.

I challenge the minister for the third time: get that from the Avalon East School Board where it was voted upon: here is what we are going to do. Here is the opportunity. Mr. Chair, do you know something? It will not happen because it never happened – it never happened.

Not only that, but part of this here, part of the report that was put into the Department of Education, was to take services from the other school boards and say: okay, we will consult and we will do it in St. John's. I spoke to two board members out on the West Coast. Guess what? They never, ever discussed any of this. It was never, ever discussed. The only discussions that took place here were between Milton Peach, the executive director, or whoever he is, here in St. John's, Dr. Vey, I think it is, the deputy minister, and the minister. Those are the only people who discussed any of this.

Here we are with this secret document sent to the government, the Department of Education, with the impression that is coming from the school board with implications for the other school boards across the Province and it was never discussed. You want to say it came from the Avalon East School Board. This is the kind of stuff that is happening here, Mr. Chair. I for one just wanted to set the record straight. It is bad enough standing up when we play politics, but when we –

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible).

MR. JOYCE: I say to the Member for Mount Pearl North, if you want to do a poll on it, you go ahead – you go ahead.

AN HON. MEMBER: South.

MR. JOYCE: Mount Pearl South. If you want to do a poll, you go right ahead and do a poll on it, I say. Those polls are not scientific. These are the facts – these are the facts. That is the difference between me and you I say, Mr. Chair. The Member for Mount Pearl South likes to deal in stuff, little polls that are unscientific. He does not want to deal with the facts. These are the facts.

Mr. Chair, I just want to set the record straight. Once again, if anybody wants to dispute that, they have the opportunity to stand up and dispute it and produce the vote that was supposed to have been taken by the school board. It cannot be done.

I have to speak on another issue, Mr. Chair, for the few minutes that I have left, on family care giving. Mr. Chair, that is one issue that I think is wrong in this Province. That was committed back in 2011 in the Blue Book. It was committed.

Mr. Chair, I have to say I am so disappointed. We are going on two years now and it is still not in place. I say again this here stands above politics, this does. I know so many people who are in their homes, Mr. Chair, who cannot get people to take care of them; they do not want to go in an institution. In many cases, Mr. Chair, they cannot get people to come in to take care of them, they just cannot do it. They are in some areas of this Province where they just cannot do it.

There are cases where the only person or only people around to do it are family. Mr. Chair, it is sad. It is sad that we are in a government today and we are in a society today where we have seniors living in our home or people with disabilities who are living in our home, do not want to go to an institution, or cannot get a family caregiver because there is no agency in place that can supply the need.

The government committed to have a program, family care giving, in place in 2011 and we still do not have it. We still see people who should be in their own home, Mr. Chair, in institutions whereby the government has not come forth.

Mr. Chair, I have about twenty seconds left. I implore government: this is something that reaches beyond all politics. This is something that is going to reach some of our parents and some of our aunts or uncles, and maybe even some of our brothers or sisters. Do what we can to get a family caregiver program for all Newfoundland and Labrador so that we can keep people in their own homes and that we can keep people out of our institutions, where they want to be.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

CHAIR: Order, please!

The hon. the Government House Leader.

MR. KING: Thank you, Mr. Chair.

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

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

All those in favour, ‘aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.

CHAIR: All those against, ‘nay'.

The motion is carried.

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

MR. SPEAKER (Wiseman): The hon. the Member for Lewisporte.

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

MR. SPEAKER: The Committee have reported progress and ask leave to sit again.

When shall the report be received?

MR. KING: Now.

MR. SPEAKER: Now.

When shall the Committee have leave to sit again?

MR. KING: Tomorrow.

MR. SPEAKER: Tomorrow.

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

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

MR. KING: Mr. Speaker, as members are aware, there is a follow-up event this afternoon involving members of the House with the Lieutenant-Governor – the new Lieutenant-Governor, excuse me – so at this point in time I move, second by the Minister of Finance, that the House do now adjourn.

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

All those in favour, ‘aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.

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

The motion is carried.

Tomorrow being Wednesday, Private Members' Day, the House now stands adjourned until 2:00 o'clock tomorrow afternoon.

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