April
5, 2017
HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS
Vol. XLVIII No. 6
The
House met at 10 a.m.
MR. SPEAKER (Osborne):
Order, please!
Admit
strangers.
Orders of the Day
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Government House
Leader.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Yes, Mr. Speaker, I call
Order 2, third reading of Bill 5.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Government House
Leader.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded
by the Minister of Service NL, that Bill 5, An Act To Remove Anomalies And
Errors In The Statute Law, be now read a third time.
MR. SPEAKER:
It is moved and seconded that
Bill 5 be now read a third time.
Is it
the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?
All
those in favour, 'aye.'
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
MR. SPEAKER:
All those against, 'nay.'
Carried.
CLERK (Barnes):
A bill, An Act To Remove
Anomalies And Errors In The Statute Law. (Bill 5)
MR. SPEAKER:
Bill 5 has now been read a
third time and it is ordered that the bill do pass and its title be as on the
Order Paper.
On
motion, a bill, An Act To Remove Anomalies And Errors In The Statute Law, read
a third time, ordered passed and its title be as on the Order Paper. (Bill 5)
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Government House
Leader.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Yes, Mr. Speaker, I call from
the Order Paper, Order 1, Address in Reply.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Fogo
Island Cape Freels.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. BRAGG:
Good morning, Mr. Speaker.
It's
great to be here on a Wednesday morning and to get up and speak on Address in
Reply, talk about the Speech from the Throne,
The Way Forward to Greater Prosperity.
Mr.
Speaker, before I get into what I have to say, I want to bring some attention to
some I guess you would call it, not a weather bomb but a snow bomb that
was dropped on my district over the last two to three days. We started off with
a polar bear, and now we ended up with over 100 centimetres of snow. I'd just
like to bring attention to all the workers, all the contractors, all the highway
workers, all the town crews
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. BRAGG:
I've been in constant contact
with everyone out in the district, and we have numerous roads not yet open. I
put a posting on Facebook this morning advising people if you have to get out,
if you can get out, exercise caution. People on this equipment have been working
long hours and they need you to respect their working space and help them
through this. If you're out and about today, take your time.
So
again, Mr. Speaker, I'll get back to the Speech from the Throne,
The Way Forward to Greater Prosperity. I'm not going to get up here
and remind the Members opposite of how we got here they all know. They're all
googling it over there this morning. They're saying how can I hold my head high
after spending the lottery.
Well,
being the positive type that I am, I'm not going to spend a lot of time looking
back, because it does say The Way Forward
to Greater Prosperity, and I look forward to prosperous things. I'm always
proud to rise in this hon. House and talk about scenic and historic district.
And it's a pleasure to sit back and listen to the Speech from the Throne. I
noticed one of the quotes was, Our world-class tourism experience and rich
culture will greet you at the door. I thought, my God, that must be written for
my district because tourism and culture is exactly what Fogo Island Cape
Freels district is all about. My best example, although they're snowed in this
morning, would be Tilting on Fogo Island.
If ever
you want a cultural experience, you should go over to Tilting and visit Tilting.
Tilting has a direct connection with Ireland, so they're Irish descendent, their
Irish accent, their way of life, the way that they portray things, their events
throughout the year is something I would recommend everybody do.
I know
sometimes I drop my T's and add an H where I shouldn't, and everyone has a way
of saying they know where you're from based on your dialect. But if you ever
talk to anyone Tilting and say where you from, they say, just listen to me. So
that can tell you when you talk about culture and where they're from.
I always
have to say too to my Avalon counterparts, my district is not Florida, but it's
where others come from this area, from the Avalon region, to visit. That's one
thing that I would like to provide about my district. I always said it was a
four-season district.
So if
culture abounds and meets you and history at every door just think about it.
In my district, we had the Barbour site in Newtown. Thousands visit there every
year to see how people live in years gone by. While there, you'll learn the
story about Forty-Eight Days Adrift
where in 1929 Captain Joe Barbour, skipper on the
Neptune II, a three-mast schooner ran into trouble. They were
returning from St. John's with a load of groceries for the winter. They were
carrying a load of cod and salt fish. It was November 29, they ran into a storm.
Today, we'd probably it the perfect storm but back then the boys on the boat
called it another day at the office.
The
Neptune got battered for days
and driven off course. All three masts were broken and, for 48 days, they
drifted in the North Atlantic. You have to think everyone at home had them given
up for lost, but on January 16, 1930 they drifted ashore in Scotland. The first
thing the skipper did was to send a message to his mom.
Mr. Speaker, something like Brad Gushue when he won the
gold medal, the first thing he did only the technology was a little different
and the message was very simple: Arrived in Scotland; all are well.
Mr. Speaker, that was a time of wooden boats and iron men.
Meanwhile, I left out many of the details because I encourage everyone to visit
the Barbour site, but I'll give a hint of other things to learn there. There's a
story of a Mrs. Humphries who was on the boat; she was passenger. Then there was
another story of how the gas motor came to Newfoundland and it had to do with
Forty-Eight Days Adrift.
So I encourage everyone to
visit the Barbour site and learn about our history.
If that
was a step back in time, let's drift on over to Fogo Island where you can stay
and play on one of the most historic islands, and stay at the ultramodern Fogo
Island Inn; 29 rooms with panoramic ocean view; the rates, a little pricey for
most of us, from $1,500 to $5,000 a night. Initially, many believed the founder,
Zita Cobb, was flushing her money out into the Atlantic, but the Shorefast
Foundation has made it happen on Fogo Island.
I don't
know if you can remember the TV show on about the Vietnam War,
MASH,
where the chopper was landing every day the locals in Joe Batt's refer to
their town as MASH because there are
that many choppers landing on the hills every day.
So these
guys, they have enticed the rich and famous from all over the world to visit.
Now, for all those not able to stay at the inn there are numerous B & Bs and
quaint cottages, so the tourism on Fogo Island will rival anywhere else in the
province opportunities abound in my district, Mr. Speaker.
Couples
are lining up to get married on Fogo Island. The last time I was over there, Mr.
Speaker, it felt like Vegas, only there were no Elvises on the corner but there
were Marjories and Susies lining up everywhere with licences to wed.
So
that's a couple of attractions, then next to that we have the beautiful Change
Islands, which is exactly two islands joined by a little bridge that is across
it. If you ever go there, you'd never drop your camera. But over there we have a
unique thing too; it's called the Newfoundland Pony Sanctuary. And Netta over
there, she has 12 ponies in her stables. I think Netta would think more over the
ponies than she probably does her spouse, because she spends more time with
them. The thing over there, though, it's somewhat like Disney. Disney you have
to be four feet high to ride a ride in Disney, but to ride a Newfoundland pony
you have to be four feet or less. So I encourage everyone to go over and visit
that.
The
other thing in my district, Mr. Speaker, is the numerous sandy beaches. From
Cape Freels, Lumsden to Musgrave Harbour you will find miles and miles of sandy
beaches. If we could only get the weather and the sun to go with it, we would
have some of the best accommodations and best beaches in the world to visit. You
can stay and play at our numerous accommodations along with the beaches. People
staying at the Beach House Inn are truly amazed by the miles of beaches. They'd
rival any Florida beach the only thing missing, like I said, Mr. Speaker, is
the sun. So I'm going to talk to the minister in charge of climate change to see
if he can bring some more of that up our way.
Being a
true Newfoundlander and Labradorian, we make the best of any season. We have all
kinds of parks. We have Windmill Bight and (inaudible) Harbour Park, Indian Bay
has a park, New-Wes-Valley has a park. So that's our take on tourism.
Then we
have numerous salmon rivers. There are 20 rivers in my district where you can
cast a hook. The mighty Gander River is probably one of the best ones. I know
the Member for Gander would love to take credit for the Gander River, but it
flows out my way and the salmon comes in from there. There are numerous bed and
breakfasts; there are outfitters on that river. The number of people that go
there is amazing.
AN HON. MEMBER:
The famous Gander River boat.
MR. BRAGG:
And that's right, the Gander
River boat. It's very unique. We may have our dories on the South Coast and
Southwest Coast, but we have the Gander River boat. It's probably like 22, 23
feet long and three or four feet wide. Just wide enough for the average person
to sit in but it's uniquely made to go up the river.
Then we
have the groomed trails, which with the snow this year, Mr. Speaker, as you can
imagine, the groomer and this may not impress the Member for Torngat Mountains
that we have groomed trails, but for us it's a great way to bring people in.
Most people on the Avalon, as you know, while we're suffering snow, it's raining
here. So a lot of people go to Central and Western. So that's a big attraction
in our area.
We have
easy access to the fishing grounds. The District of Fogo Island Cape Freels
has something for everyone and for every season. I encourage everyone to visit
my historic and scenic district, but we're just not all about tourism.
I'd like
to highlight some of the employment opportunities in my district. There are
seven fish processing plants: Barry Group in Dover employs over 250 people for
up to nine months of the year; Wood-Pick in Wareham has a sea urchin plant and
employs over 30 people; Beothic Fish in Valleyfield, which is multi-species,
employs over 300 people; Wheaton's Limited in Carmanville that does
multi-species, employs 20 or more; Hodder's fishery in Stoneville, which does
sea urchins, 30 or more people. Then we have the Fogo Island Co-op, which does
all the species I think that swims in the ocean, employs over 200 people; and on
Change Islands they have a plant that does the sea cucumber, that employs
another 25 more.
As you
would have heard in the last couple of days, the cuts to the shrimp and the
crab; it is something that affects my district. It is such a big part of the
employment. So I look forward to working with these people.
The
other thing we have, we talk about the return to the cod fishery. Cod was what
brought John Cabot here. Cod is what put us here and cod is what will probably
keep us here. Cod is an important part of rural Newfoundland as anything else
that's out there.
We have
other important opportunities for employment, from forestry to manufacturing.
Stoneville, in the north end of my district, as forestry workers, saw mills.
Centreville has one of the most high-tech, wood molding shops in the province.
Most of the moldings, I would think, sold here on the Avalon comes out of the
Centreville office. We have a fibreglass shop in Centreville which is second to
none for any boat that you can find in this province. The Seabreeze Boat is
second to none.
Mr.
Speaker, to say that my district is unique is probably not right, but it has
something for everyone. It has something for someone for every season.
In the
Throne Speech, we talked about we are going to support social enterprise. Well,
we had the best example of that with Fogo Island Co-op, which turns 50 this
year. They went from the grassroots of cod back to the cod again. I have an
organization like the Cape Freels Development Association, which employs a lot
of people and brings a lot of employment to the area.
We're
looking at providing better services, and there's no better time to talk about
better services than what we are doing today out on the islands and out in all
the coves and the small towns in my district. Every piece of equipment possible
is employed out there today to deal with this snow.
So, Mr.
Speaker, I don't think I'm going to be using up all of my time. I will stop by
saying we are going to, in the Throne Speech, support a healthier province. We
are going to work with the schools and communities to develop healthy
foundations.
I have a
Member's speech later today which is going to highlight one of the teachers from
my district volunteering for school sports in the province. That, I think, is
very important. I can't wait to give the Member's statement after lunch. That
will highlight the importance of having school sports in these schools to
promote healthy living for kids.
On that
note, Mr. Speaker, I do believe I will take my seat and turn this over to the
next person willing to jump up.
Thank
you very much.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for the
District of Lewisporte Twillingate.
MR. D. BENNETT:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The hon.
Member yesterday talked about his unique district and, no doubt, he's a unique
character himself.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. D. BENNETT:
Before I talk about some of
the great things that are happening within our Department of Children, Seniors
and Social Development, and also Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation,
I, too, want to send my appreciation to all the hard workers that are out there
trying to clear the roads in my district.
Since
Friday, Mr. Speaker, we had over 130 centimetres of snow accumulated, and there
were areas that had probably, five, six, up to 10 feet of drifts. Crews have
been working very diligently to keep the areas closed. So I just want to say a
big thank you to them, and I also want to thank all the people in my district
for their co-operation and understanding during these difficult times. Most of
the roads have been opened now and people are trying to get back to normal life.
Schools have remained closed this morning. They haven't been back in session
since last Thursday. So I'm sure students are getting eager to get back into the
classrooms.
Mr.
Speaker, I'm pleased to rise in this hon. House to deliver my Address in Reply
to the Speech from the Throne. Since December 2015, I've had the privilege of
serving as parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Children, Seniors and
Social Development and Minister Responsible for the Newfoundland and Labrador
Housing Corporation.
It was
an honour to be selected for this responsibility and it comes after a long
career in municipal administration with a focus on tourism and recreation. It is
fair to say that I have a strong background in the community sector. One thing I
would like to say with all certainty is the minister that I serve as
parliamentary secretary has done a tremendous job in leading this vital
portfolio which touches the lives of many people within our communities.
Mr.
Speaker, our government is continuing to move forward to enhance the lives of
people in our province in a variety of ways. We are addressing poverty, violence
and mental health issues, enhancing education, working co-operatively and
effectively with Aboriginal communities, improving inclusion for persons with
disabilities, and also enhancing health care and wellness.
Providing an enhanced service delivery to all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians
is a priority of our government. Through all stages of their life, Mr. Speaker
the people of this province deserves access to quality programs. That is why in
late August our government created a new Department of Children, Seniors and
Social Development which combine the previous Departments of Child, Youth and
Family Services and the Department of Seniors, Wellness and Social Development.
There
are natural synergies and areas in both the former departments which overlap,
and as a proactive government we had to look at ways on how to best provide
critical services across a wide range of society. I'm encouraged by the merger
of these two exceptional teams. The outcome is a more responsive approach to the
needs of all residents with a strong focus on their individual well-being.
An
important point about the creation of the new departments is that there are no
changes whatsoever to the important front-line Child Protection Services that
are delivered in every region of this province. The safety and protection of our
vulnerable population, such as children and youth, is an important focus of this
government. It is our goal that the advancements made in child protection will
help to ensure children and youth are receiving the best possible services, Mr.
Speaker.
We are
continuing the ongoing work of building a revitalized child protection system
that is responsive to the priority needs of children and youth, as well as
continuing to make significant progress in creating a culture of accountability,
excellence and consistency across all programs in all regions.
The
protection and healthy development of our children is paramount to the
department and the services that we provide. That is why we're always monitoring
and assessing our services. In fact, we completed a review of our legislation
back last year. A legislation review of the
Children and Youth Care and Protection Act took place between June
and December 2016. Following this engagement phase, we are now considering all
of the feedback collected to determine how we will move forward. A What We Heard
summary document will be posted online later this month.
Mr.
Speaker, the review focused on six policy areas: improving information sharing
between children, seniors and social development and other stakeholders;
supporting prevention services for children in need of protection and enabling
children, seniors and social development to licence and make regulations for
out-of-home placements; identifying options to improve permanency planning for
children and youth is also a priority; improving services to youth in need of
protection; and, finally, strengthening services to our Aboriginal children and
youth. The youth services program was also an important element of this review
as well.
The
minister's mandate letter directed her to conduct a review of the programs to
ensure the program is responsible to the unique needs of vulnerable youth and it
does not discriminate based on whether a child was in care with the Department
of Children, Seniors and Social Development when they turned 16. The program,
Mr. Speaker, provides supportive, residential, financial, education and
rehabilitative services to youth aged 16 years and older, and if they are at
risk or being maltreated that would be addressed.
There
are different requirements for youth to receive services beyond the age of 18 on
whether they are in care by their 16th birthday. As age and eligibility for
services under the youth services program are defined in the child and youth
care protection act, this review was also conducted concurrently with a
statutory review. As I said earlier, Mr. Speaker, our government is continuing
to move forward to enhance the lives of people of our province at all stages of
their lives in a variety of ways.
Mr.
Speaker, for some time the public, seniors' organizations and major stakeholders
consistently and strongly called for an establishment of the Office of the
Seniors' Advocate. In our government's five-point plan, we promised to have the
Seniors' Advocate in place, and we are well on the way of honouring that
commitment.
On
December 13, 2016, legislation to establish the Office of the Seniors' Advocate
received third reading in this hon. House. While we already have the mechanism
in place to handle information services and to address individual seniors'
issues, the core mandate of the Office of the Seniors' Advocate will be to
address systemic issues impacting our seniors, Mr. Speaker.
The
Seniors' Advocate will report to the House of Assembly and make recommendations
to government. The advocate will work closely with other entities, including the
Office of the Citizens' Representative, and the Seniors' Resource Centre of
Newfoundland and Labrador, but it will not duplicate or impede their mandates.
We are working hard to have the advocate in place by this spring.
Mr.
Speaker, the Status of Persons with Disabilities is also in the minister's
mandate letter to review existing legislation and implement inclusion-based
legislation for our province. Inclusion-based or broad-based accessible
legislation is a growing trend across our country. It goes beyond making
buildings accessible to making all aspects of our communities and private and
public services accessible to everyone. We know citizens of our province still
experience barriers on a daily basis, barriers that exclude people from taking
part in their communities, from employment opportunities and even from public
services.
Mr.
Speaker, we want to hear from the people of our province and work with our
community organizations and other stakeholders to develop a made in Newfoundland
and Labrador legislation. We will consult and engage with people who have
disabilities, and other stakeholders like community organizations, industry
associations and municipal governments. Individuals and groups are already
turning their minds on to how this legislation could look.
The
Provincial Advisory Council for the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities has
begun discussion on the legislation options. Over 60 individuals recently
participated in the federal consultation on this legislation. The Disability
Policy Office is monitoring what is happening across the province and within
other countries.
In
keeping with this theme of accessibility, our government recognizes that
transportation is essential to participation and inclusion. We know accessible
transportation is not an option in many areas of this province, and for that
reason we continue to offer programs that remove these barriers.
Mr.
Speaker, the Accessible Vehicle Program is making a real difference in the lives
of people by helping individuals and their families retrofit personal vehicles
to be accessible. We have improved the application process and are now funding
applications on the wait-list from last year. We have opened the program this
past fall to accept new applications. Within the 2016-2017 budget, 80
individuals throughout this province have accessible transportation because of
this program. The 2016-17 program funded 10 applicants on last year's wait-list,
as well as an additional eight on the new applicants.
We know
transportation can also be challenging for older adults, as well as persons with
mobility issues. Seniors identified transportation issues as one of the main
barriers to social participation and engagement. They want transportation that
is accessible, available and affordable.
Many
residents of our province are benefiting from the continued support of the
age-friendly transportation initiative through an investment of $1.3 million
over three years. We committed $300,000 to support six age-friendly
transportation projects throughout the province. Five pilot projects are taking
place in different parts of the province and we're working closely with these
groups to ensure accountability and sustainability. An evaluation of the program
has identified ways to strengthen existing programs through learning and best
practices.
Mr.
Speaker, the evaluation included other elements that support transportation
throughout the province including one in my district, the community wheels
project in Twillingate New World Island, as well as the Accessible Taxi
Program and the Accessible Vehicle Program for private vehicles. The Accessible
Taxi Funding Program is actively addressing some of the barriers by helping taxi
companies add or retrofit their taxis for accessibility so individuals using
mobility devices such as wheelchairs or scooters can avail of taxi services.
Mr.
Speaker, the accessible taxis can also be used by anyone and are not restricted
to just persons with mobility issues. This program has kick-started an interest
in providing accessible taxi services. Just two years ago, there was one
accessible taxi in our province. There are now 11 in the St. John's area alone.
Ridership has gone from zero when there was no option for accessible taxis to
200 in the first month, and now over 1,000 trips a month by persons who two
years ago didn't have an option of a taxi.
The
Accessible Taxi Program has provided seven grants to taxi companies. Helping
companies in St. John's, Dildo and Grand Falls-Windsor add accessible vehicles
to their services. In addition, we recently announced two more grants to taxi
operators on the West Coast.
Mr.
Speaker, I would now like to focus some of the great initiatives that are being
undertaken by the department and the Newfoundland and Labrador Housing
Corporation over the past while. While the minister at the helm, a series of
province-wide stakeholder consultations were launched back on January 10 to
review Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation's programs and services.
The minister led the review with a goal of ensuring that residents in need have
access to safe, secure and affordable housing across the province.
I had
the opportunity to attend a session in Gander and was very pleased with the
turnout. Stakeholders and other attendees enjoyed the session and networking,
and also the learning opportunities. They were very grateful for the opportunity
to have their views and opinions heard, Mr. Speaker.
This
review set out to identify ways to serve the needs of clients with greater
efficiencies and effectiveness. These consultations sought to bring all
stakeholders into a discussion as our government implements
The Way Forward which is our
comprehensive vision for getting Newfoundland and Labrador back on a secure and
economic footing. In The Way Forward,
one of the action items committed to this review.
Mr.
Speaker, according to the official Way
Forward document, this review aimed to ensure the mandate of the
organization reflects the current priorities, optimize the use of federal and
provincial funding to deliver programs and services, and realize efficiency and
service improvements, and also to streamline organization with no negative
impact on our clients.
I will
add, The Way Forward is proof that
changes we are making and the actions we are implementing are working. In late
March, the Premier announced phase two of
The Way Forward which turned the focus on growth and job creation in
Newfoundland and Labrador's private sector. At that event, the Premier announced
that the efforts undertaken in phase one resulted in a net annualized savings of
$45 million. In a time of fiscal restraints when every dollar counts, that's a
very positive development.
Another
thing he announced was the initiative contained in phase two would result in
approximately 14,000 person years of employment. Again, in a time when our
economy is suffering from a downturn in the global commodity markets and the
conclusion of several major, large industry projects in our province, this is
very welcoming news.
The Way Forward
is a plan that will help us to deliver Newfoundland and Labrador back to firm
ground and relieve future generations of the weight of the crushing deficit our
province is currently undergoing.
Mr.
Speaker, in January of this year, the minister, along with the Member of
Parliament for Labrador, announced an investment in affordable housing and
supportive services for victims of domestic violence and their families for
communities in Happy Valley-Goose Bay. MP Yvonne Jones announced this initiative
on behalf of her federal counterpart, the Minister of Families, Children and
Social Development. The provincial and federal governments invested $600,000 in
this initiative, and the Homelessness Partnering Strategy contributed over
$300,000. This investment offered hope and support for victims of domestic abuse
and it is something we should all be proud of.
To be
able to enhance provisions of stable and secure housing for vulnerable
individuals, that is one of the initiatives, I must say, I'm quite grateful to
be part of. I think investments like this that involve funding from both federal
and provincial governments and stakeholder groups in the non-profit sector show
what is possible through strong intergovernmental co-operation. We have been
very fortunate to have a strong partnership with our government in Ottawa.
Because of this strong friendship and mutual co-operation, we've been able to
provide dozens of key investments in Newfoundland and Labrador that simply would
not have been possible without.
Mr.
Speaker, I can tell you a good relationship with Ottawa was not a priority of
the last administration. As a result of the poor relations, programs and
initiatives were not funded, opportunities were missed and progress stalled. I
am glad to serve in a government that has reversed that lonely position. Now we
have a direct line to Ottawa and a strong partnership with our federal
government that wants the best for the province just like we do, Mr. Speaker.
That's something this province has needed for a while.
Just one
day after our minister, along with MP Jones, announced the funding in Happy
Valley-Goose Bay, the Minister Responsible for Newfoundland and Labrador Housing
Corporation also announced a major investment in supportive housing in Labrador
West. These affordable housing units will benefit single-parent families and
individuals who require supportive housing. Between the province and the federal
government, $1.8 million will be spent on this initiative, made possible through
investments in the Affordable Housing Agreement.
Mr.
Speaker, this development, in partnership with community groups and the Lab West
Housing and Homelessness Coalition. Under our predecessors, a major member of
potential partnerships on this scale was missing from the equation. The federal
government and the PC government were not able to work together. As a result,
many worthwhile initiatives just like the ones I mentioned went to the wayside,
but, Mr. Speaker, those days are over. They are just a few of the many
worthwhile initiatives undertaken by the department and also the Newfoundland
and Labrador Housing Corporation in the last few months.
It has
been an honour and a privilege to serve alongside the minister and the many
dedicated bureaucrats and front-line workers who provide the people of
Newfoundland and Labrador with valuable and essential services. Through
The Way Forward and our solid working
relationship with Ottawa, I believe we can build on the successes of our first
fiscal year and get this province back on track. Already, the changes we have
implemented have started to work. Again, I'll reference the $45 million in
savings in just the first six months of our
Way Forward.
Mr.
Speaker, this comes as a result of working to promote a flatter, leaner approach
to our government. Now with a focus on growth in the private sector, I believe
this province has already started to rebound from the very dire situation it was
in back in 2015 when we took office.
This
pretty well concludes my time, Mr. Speaker. It's been an honour to rise to
Address in Reply to the Speech from the Throne.
Thank
you very much.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Service NL.
MR. TRIMPER:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
It's a
great honour, as most of my colleagues like to start their remarks, by just
being able to be here in the House of Assembly and to represent your
constituents. I represent the great District of Lake Melville, some 100,000
square kilometres and probably somewhere in the vicinity of 8,500 souls no
10,000 souls. So it's a pretty low density.
My
colleague from Cartwright L'Anse au Clair wants me to list off the
communities. So going from west to east is, that's Churchill Falls, Happy
Valley-Goose Bay, Northwest River, Mud Lake and Sheshatshiu. So a great variety
of indigenous cultures, European cultures, Newfoundland cultures and so on.
In
Address in Reply, I think it's most appropriate that we talk about just what was
the Speech from the Throne and what it was entailed to do. Frankly, it was to
remind everyone in the province that we have a plan. As boring as it may seem to
some, it's very important that when you develop a plan to address a variety of
serious issues that you stick with the plan.
I can
only think about the approximately 50 items that are outlined in
The Way Forward and the importance of
identifying how we're going to do it, when we're going to do it, what will
achievement look like, so that these are all measurable. So that we can reflect
back whether or not we are able to achieve, where did we struggle, what do we
need to do to fix it in the future. The report card we just recently released
shows what we are able to accomplish and, frankly, less than some six months,
there's no question there's a lot that has been done, there's a lot more that
can be done and is being done.
I guess
when I was thinking about planning, I was thinking about I like to look around
for examples in my life, and The Wealthy
Barber comes to mind. Not that I go to a lot of barbers these days, but I
think of David Chilton and his advice on financial management. There are several
interesting quotes from that very wise barber that provides the author with the
wisdom. I just had a couple there, just for example.
First of
all, as you receive money make sure you pay yourself first. Essentially, that's
meaning put some money away, take care of your debts and ensure that you can
ride out those low points, even though right now you may be at a good point. I
only have to bring up some of these examples to think back to a lot of the
commentary from the team around me, the people in this House when we talk about
the wealth that the province enjoyed some, what is about 10 years ago now when
we were at peak oil production, peak oil prices, with tremendous revenues and we
were still out spending.
I'm just
thinking if a few more people had read The
Wealthy Barber at that time, maybe we'd be in a different position than we
are now.
Also,
David Chilton likes to talk about establishing an emergency fund. I think about
the criticism we received about the concept of having a contingency fund in our
budget just one year ago; yet, I think we've been able to demonstrate the items
that we have had to apply to the contingency fund are often items that were
completely unforeseen. Situations, for example, like the big storms that have
occurred here in the fall and my previous responsibility on the T'Railway. These
are the kinds of items where you don't see them coming but you sure need to be
ready for them. As that Wealthy Barber said, putting aside some revenue to
address them when you don't see them coming is very wise advice.
As I've
mentioned in this House of Assembly several times, I spent some 14 years in
Russia. I was living here but I was certainly working extensively there. I
watched a superpower implode. It was amazing. I was there from 1990 to 2004,
watching this massive country, incredibly powerful, completely disintegrate.
I look
at my colleague, the Page here, knowing where he comes from and knowing some of
the regions I worked in, in Turkmenistan, Central Asia and so on, I watched
countries completely fall apart. As they tried to rebuild, it was interesting
that there was a great deal of chaos for several years, but as oil prices
started to increase and production certainly was on the rise, the government,
through the 1990s and in through the early parts of 2000, were relying on oil.
Again,
oil is not all bad. Certainly, as the Minister of Natural Resources knows, it's
a very important resource for us. Canada and this province are indeed very
blessed to have such reserves as we do; however, oil and the abuse of the
revenue that can come from it can hide a lot of sins.
What I
watched happen in Russia is, I think, very parallel in many ways to what I've
seen happen here. There were a lot of messes. My role in Russia I was working
with a firm, we were cleaning up oil spills everywhere. Pipelines were falling
apart. There had been no maintenance. There had been no monitoring of spills,
and oftentimes we would find ourselves coming into an area where a pipeline had
broken and it had been spilling for some long period of time. Now foreign aid
was coming in to help address the issue.
I guess,
I kind of think of ourselves in the same way. I constantly, and even this
morning, I am encountering issues that frankly have been germinating for the
last several years, punted out into the future and not addressed, and it makes
it all the more tougher for us as a government. We have so much hope and
aspiration and wanting to do the right thing but constantly pulled back and
challenged by whether it has to be spending more money on servicing the debt
than we spend on education, as my colleague, the Minister of Education,
indicated yesterday in some of his responses.
That
pressure and what it does to any minister, to anybody who has any kind of
decision-making capacity in government, is oppressive. It's just such a shame
that we didn't, some many years ago, realize the revenue we were enjoying some
it's been quoted some $25 billion in revenue that we 'shoulda, coulda, woulda'
taken clear advantage of and applied it in a great way.
I next
wanted to speak a little bit about other kinds of planning. Representing
Labrador as I do, with my colleagues from Cartwright L'Anse au Clair, from
Labrador West and from the great Torngat Mountains and that great club, I'm
really proud to be part of the geography. While there are other great groups and
so on within our caucus and within government, being as we are in Labrador, and
all being on the same party, I have found it very productive to work with them.
We had a great meeting again this morning. Most of us were there dealing with
issues that are important to us, and it's a great synergy.
One of
the key pieces of what preoccupies us these days is the completion of the
Trans-Labrador Highway. As many of us can recall, I think we can all recall, I
think Brian Peckford not Brian Peckford but Brian Tobin was the premier of the
day, and Barney Powers providing a flatbed truck, pulled it down at the end of
the Churchill Road at the time, because it certainly didn't go anywhere past
Churchill, and made announcements of investment in that project.
A
gentleman by the name of Hank Shouse, who was a former mayor of Happy
Valley-Goose Bay, he was a nation builder. Even though he is from the United
States, he had great hope and provided great determination to ensure that the
Trans-Labrador Highway could get started and hopefully one day could be
completed.
It is
interesting to see the progress that's been made over the last some 20 years.
One criticism I hear sometimes from outside of Labrador is, why we are spending
so much money on the Trans-Labrador Highway and enjoying great support from the
federal government? Well, the fact of the matter is and the answer is that until
the project is done we're not connected.
You can
have all the lanes of highway, all the pavement you want, but if you can't get
from A to B you still need to work on the project. Frankly, that's where we are
with some, what it is 1,100 kilometres of highway from St. John's to even where
I live in Goose Bay, another 500 to my colleague from Labrador West. My other
colleague in the Torngat Mountains, well, he has to snowmobile home. So it's
even further for him.
What I'm
trying to say is you're not going to accomplish this kind of project in four
years. You have to look forward. You have to think 20 years out and you have to
make sure you're making progress and doing what you can. I'm pleased to say that
we are indeed doing that.
Further
to this, and in support of my comment that until it's connected, we're all
connected from A to B, is the money we've set aside, that three-quarters of a
million dollars to update the feasibility study between Newfoundland and
Labrador. Now, why is this important? It's interesting; I have an interesting
perspective on this. I actually was involved in the development. I was involved
in the proposal process and the development of the feasibility, and then the
fixed link project between New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. I was part of
a consortium of companies. They bid on the project, we won the project and we
did it.
My role
was involved in the environmental assessment of that project. It was interesting
at the time, folks were genuinely concerned. Yes, there was a change in sort of
the social, economic, cultural dimensions, particularly of Prince Edward Island;
but, as we all know, Prince Edward Island continues to flourish and continues to
enjoy a much more efficient, a much more progressive way to interact with the
rest of the country. That is what we are asking for here.
By the
way, this isn't a feasibility study for Labrador. This is a feasibility study
for the province, and as soon as most folks realize that the majority of the
population, which is some 94 per cent of us which live on this Island, realize
that finding a more efficient, direct access route through to Central Canada
where most of our goods come from is going to be a very good thing. Yes, there
are going to be changes and, yes, we're going to see some we're going to need
to think again over the long term.
Issues
like Port aux Basques and the ferry to Cape Breton, absolutely, we're going to
need to continue to use that kind of service. We can't go cutting off our close
relationship with the rest of Atlantic Canada.
AN HON. MEMBER:
A great circle route.
MR. TRIMPER:
As my good colleague says,
this is indeed a great circle route through the Atlantic region and so on. I
expect that this is going to be such a tremendous economic opportunity.
I was
lucky about, I'm not sure, maybe 15 years ago I spent a day and a half with
Tom Kearns. Many of you will know this name. It was really interesting. My
colleague for Cartwright L'Anse au Clair will appreciate this. We spoke, him
and I, at a Chamber of Commerce in the Labrador Straits area, south of where she
lives. But it was interesting; he spoke about nation building, talked about Sir
John A. Macdonald building his railway. Well, I would suggest that the fixed
link that will connect Newfoundland and Labrador finally together physically
will be very much a very important part of nation building.
Given
I've used so much time, I want to now turn to just another issue. Yesterday, the
Leader of the Opposition was talking about his concern that we had somehow
dominated the airwaves, dominated the press, dominated the communications inside
this House of Assembly, telling people it's bad, making them feel bad. He used
the expression yesterday that people no longer felt like they were first-class
residents or citizens of this province.
AN HON. MEMBER:
That's a shame.
MR. TRIMPER:
Well, I would agree.
I would
suggest that our point is that first of all people need to know the facts. They
need to realize, as I just said a few minutes ago, we spend more on interest
payments than we spend on educating our children. That's a shocking statement
and, frankly, that's an embarrassment. So I'm very proud to be a part of this
province. I feel like a first-class citizen, but I also feel like a broke
first-class citizen.
So
getting on with the plan and getting on with a resolution is a very important
task and a very important priority. That led me to and I think they're
watching at home, so I'm going to give them a little plug. I was at the in-laws
last night, Mr. and Mrs. Hong, having a nice little chat with those people and I
happened to have a glance through The
Telegram.
There
was a little article in there, a letter to the editor from a former politician
with this House, Peter Fenwick. If people had a little glance at that last
night, there were some very disturbing comments. I think further to Leader of
the Opposition's comments yesterday about us dominating the negative airwaves, I
would refer folks to his call to action which he says in Thursday's budget and
I'll have to change some names for roles here, so I don't get myself in trouble.
He says in Thursday's budget the Premier will have to cut close to 8,000 public
service jobs if the province is to remain competitive in the long run. Well,
what brilliant insight that is in terms of how we're going to get ourselves out
of this fiscal situation.
He
concludes with a real gem, which is: What is clear, however, is that timid
layoffs of 300 or 400 will not be enough to save our future. And having just
gone through a series of layoffs and watched the very difficult decisions that
we've had to make, both last April, had to make in my department, and what we
had to go through in March, and my colleague, the Minister of Health, and the
difficult decisions that the regional health authorities have had to do, I find
that quite insulting that he is thinking that the decisions and the altered
lives of some 300 or 400 people don't matter. Well, I can tell you that every
single one of those lives matter.
Having
been in the private sector for most of my life, where you let someone go because
they are a non-performer or because they weren't working out with a team; but to
watch people go out the door because we can't afford them, I found it very, very
frustrating. I'm going to make sure I do what I can to ensure that we do not
find ourselves in this mess again again, sticking to the plan. It may sound
boring, but my gosh, we are going to get ourselves through this thing. I look
forward to a day when it might have been boring, but you did a very good job
at getting this province back on its feet.
I am
just sort of zeroing in on some key things, and I thank the Speaker yesterday
for allowing an introduction of a very fine young man who is up here. His name
was Jonathan Buckle. This is the other side. Despite all the difficult
situations that I've just talked about for three quarters of my time, I want to
talk some of the real key positives.
Yesterday, we had a young lad here. He had come to my office only recently, him
and his father, and he is deaf. Through some surgery that he had received years
ago, he had what are called cochlear implants, which has allowed him to have an
ability to hear. With upgrades that are needed in advancing technology, it's
marvelous the function that we can now provide people who have this hearing
challenge. I have to turn to my colleague, the Minister of Health and Community
Services, for his role in ensuring that financial support was here for Jonathan
and for some 13 other young people of this province. It was, I have to say,
extremely heartwarming to have him walk into my office yesterday, excited.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. TRIMPER:
I had seen him a few weeks
ago and he just couldn't believe the world that he was experiencing around him.
Frankly, I think that's why so any of us are in politics, is to make sure we can
do good; whether it is one individual, like Jonathan, or to connect our province
through a completed Trans-Labrador Highway in a fixed link. It's all about
making progress, and it's all about helping our fellow man and woman.
I have
just a few minutes left, and I want to comment on a very serious issue that is
going on in my district. It is one that by way of taking in two minutes now I'm
going to provide a little bit of an update. That is on human health issues
around the Muskrat Falls Project.
As the
House knows, I've been heavily involved in this issue, both before I came into
politics and certainly since. I'm happy to say that with my colleague, the
Minister of Municipal Affairs and Environment, we will be working very closely.
What we've done and folks will recall that in October, the Premier and I, and
the Minister of Natural Resources, along with our colleagues from Labrador spent
a marathon session with the indigenous leadership of Labrador. We struck on the
idea of creating an Independent Expert Advisory Committee which will, with
financial support and good expertise, provide recommendations to government, to
myself and my colleague, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Environment.
We will
take those recommendations and use them in the mitigation and monitoring
direction that we would then apply to the project. As the Premier has said, as I
have said, this government will not tolerate situations where if we could do
something to protect the human health of the people of Lake Melville, and then
passed on it because of whatever reason, we will not ignore that. This is not
the situation of years gone by. This is not Russia where we ignore issues. This
is where we genuinely care about our people and we're going to make sure that
they are going to be protected.
I've
very much look forward to seeking that advice and, by way of an update, I wanted
to indicate that I believe we are in the final steps of concluding the terms of
reference that will guide the committee. I look forward to coming to the House
soon to reporting on that. We're just waiting now the province is reviewing
the final text, as are the three indigenous organizations. Once that's complete,
I look forward to announcing that, as well as announcing the key staff, the key
folks, that will guide us in issuing those recommendations.
With
that, Mr. Speaker, I'll take my seat and I thank you very much.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Placentia West Bellevue.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. BROWNE:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Indeed
it is always an honour to rise in my place as the Member for Placentia West
Bellevue. I often think of the tremendous privilege each of us are given by
those who elected us to govern this province. I thank them for their confidence.
Before I
get into my remarks in Address in Reply, I want to say a very special greeting
to one of my predecessors, Mary Hodder, who is celebrating her birthday today.
Happy birthday, Mary!
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. BROWNE:
She's still a very active
luminary in the community, the Burin Peninsula community, someone who is very
involved in her community. She was the first female Deputy Speaker a terrific
trailblazer for the current Deputy Speaker, who does a tremendous job sitting in
the Chair, when she's in a good mood, Mr. Speaker. So it's always a pleasure
certainly to rise and recognize one of my predecessors and my seatmate as well.
Mr.
Speaker, with that, I will say thank you to all the Members who have contributed
to the debate. As those watching at home can tell, my seatmate and I have a good
rapport; if not, we would suffer together. I would say that it's a pleasure to
rise in this motion that was moved by the Member for Stephenville Port au Port
last week for Address in Reply to the Speech from the Throne. I thank him and
the Member for Exploits on that day for their good words and, of course, a
special thank you to His Honour the Lieutenant Governor for his delivery of the
Speech from the Throne last week.
With
that said, Mr. Speaker, I'd like to raise some matters of concern relating to my
district. I know and this government knows that the people of Newfoundland and
Labrador are strong. We are resilient. We are determined and we are ready for
whatever challenges come our way. Indeed, that was focused on over the last few
days and it is still highlighted in parts of the province that are crippled
under severe snowfall amounts.
The
Burin Peninsula, as an example, had at least two impasses on the Burin Peninsula
Highway, as of this morning, clear. The Grand le Pierre Road was blocked and
there were crews out around 10 o'clock last night trying to make a first cut
through and then they weren't successful. I just heard from the mayor just a few
moments ago who tells me everything is good and trying to normalize and getting
back to where they were. So I'm very grateful to the crews. I'm very grateful to
all the employees and those who worked very diligently and hard to make that
happen.
I will
say, Mr. Speaker, in that line, we know there are challenges that come and some
things that we can't control. Certainly, there are other things that we can
control and things that we can respond to. There is no denying that there are
challenges, but what I want to use my speaking time today for is to focus on
The Way Forward, which is a positive
path before us, rather than dwell on the negative.
It is
important that we first recognize some achievements. I think it's important to
look back, not as far back as prior to the 2015 election because we know the
mismanagement, we know what happened and that story has been told, and I
certainly have been one of the storytellers of it, Mr. Speaker.
I want
to look back on the last year particularly since our government took office,
where we passed 71 pieces of legislation compared with an average of 35 pieces
of legislation. So for those watching at home I'll repeat that again; that's 71
pieces of legislation in our inaugural year, compared to 35 pieces of
legislation
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. BROWNE:
that the Progressive
Conservatives passed in the last 5 year of government. So Mr. Speaker, for those
who say we don't have plan which has become quite a mantra from the Opposition
because they have nothing else to say other than hanging their heads into shame
for what they did to this province. These are clear facts, these are numbers and
numbers don't lie.
So I
wanted to take a few moments, Mr. Speaker, to highlight some of the pieces of
legislation that we brought forward and some of the initiatives contain therein.
Crown lands access is something I think that's important to many rural
districts. Increased access for municipalities as an example so now Crown
lands within their municipal boundaries, they will have greater and easier
access to it. Across the province now, there has been an increase in the
identified areas for access for agriculture.
In my
own district in the Goobies area, Mr. Speaker, there has been an identified
area. In the Bellevue-Thornlea area there's another identified area, where the
department has gone out and done soil samples and tested where the very fertile
grounds are to do farming and agriculture. Of course, it's natural for us to
think of ourselves as a people of fishing and people of the sea because that's
why we came here; that's who we are. Both my grandfathers were fishermen. My
father spent some time fishing before becoming a teacher. It's who we are; it's
in our blood. Madam Speaker, my wonderful friend, we cannot neglect other
industries and we cannot neglect the value in a diversified economy.
So the
point of what we have done with Crown lands access, Madam Speaker, is to focus
on freeing up the Crown land for economic development. This is something that
has been a long time coming and I believe is terrifically important for the
province as a whole.
Certainly if you look at my district, of Placentia West Bellevue, which I
often liken to be the industrial heartland of the Island portion of Newfoundland
due to the vast wealth of industry that it holds, we cannot lose sight of the
natural resources either, and agriculture is equally as important to anything
we're doing. So that is very important.
I also
want to make mention of the creation of the Newfoundland and Labrador Income
Supplement
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. BROWNE:
and the increase to the
Seniors' Benefits. Madam Speaker, for those who are watching at home, today the
second installment will be coming out either in direct deposit or the cheques
will be going into the mail, depending on what you have set up. This is very
important. Unfortunately, this was debated in the House and it was voted against
by Members of the Opposition, but it's something we feel strongly in favour of
because the seniors of this province have built this province, they have
sustained this province, and they deserve every opportunity that we can give
them as leaders and as legislators in this province to be able to give back to
them.
So that
was an investment of $76.4 million last year in the budget. The Seniors' Benefit
was increased by $250, but also the Income Supplement was introduced for
low-income families, seniors and persons with disabilities. That is a very
important thing to highlight. I just want to say again to those at home, the
second installment is coming out today. If you have any questions, please
contact me; phone my office at 279-2912 and we will answer any questions that we
can answer, and get the answers to those that we can, Madam Speaker.
I also
want to highlight the presumptive cancer coverage for volunteer and career
firefighters. This extended beyond our original election commitment. It gives
security to those who are serving and protecting our communities and their
families and it gives peace of mind, and that's an important thing.
I was in
Come By Chance this past weekend where the Come By Chance volunteer fire
department partnered with the Come By Chance Lions Club to host a
sensory-friendly parade for World Autism Day. As many would know, I've said
before, the fire chief in Come By Chance is also the president for the
provincial association for volunteer firefighters. He has played a leading role
in leading training for fire departments, with autism.
Indeed,
the Lions Club in Come By Chance has funded a lot of that, and that is a very
important fact to note. So to give them the coverage that they deserve, that
they require, that they have asked for, for quite some time and didn't get, we
were very happy, and I am very proud to have seen that move forward. For those
of us who are in the media centre downstairs that day Doug Cadigan was there,
and I will never forget his words, where he said it was a commitment given and a
commitment delivered. That is very important.
I also
want to highlight the bill on impaired driving, which is something that Members
of the House would know I am very passionate about. The Member for Burin Grand
Bank and I have been active with the local chapter of MADD on the Burin
Peninsula. It's something that I am very proud that we did. I can tell you, in
all sincerity, those kinds of bills that I am talking about here now are the
reasons why I offered myself for public office, and I know a lot of other
Members were very happy to support those. It will make our roads, our young
people and our population safer. Getting behind the wheel while driving under
the influence, it is a choice. It is a choice, and I'm very happy our government
took steps to curb further impaired driving.
I stood
in the gymnasium of Christ the King School in Rushoon at the 10th Annual Cory
Kenway Classic, the basketball tournament in memory of Corey Kenway. I said this
was a commitment and we would deliver on it, and we have, Madam Speaker.
I also
want to highlight the secure withdrawal treatment for youth with addictions.
This enables parents who up until now felt helpless. Now they can facilitate
another option. How many information sessions did we go to on the Burin
Peninsula where drugs have afflicted the lives of so many young people. It's a
tragedy, Madam Speaker, it's a tragedy. Parents would be there saying: I feel so
helpless, I can't do anything.
This is
not the final answer to that problem but it's certainly a tool that can be used,
an exercise that previous to this could not be. I think just as it's important
to highlight the economic development initiatives that we bring forward, Madam
Speaker, it's equally important to highlight the social progress and the files
of social value that we're moving along.
Beyond
these legislative accomplishments, Madam Speaker, in my own district I am
working very hard to make things happen. There is so much potential that I see,
and the key now is to harness this potential, to yield its full success. I was
very proud recently to have our government announce its commitment to the
fluorspar mine in St. Lawrence.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. BROWNE:
This is a significant
achievement, Madam Speaker, and I know certainly the Member for Burin Grand
Bank has worked very hard on this file. It was on her to-do list and on mine.
It's another check on our box, Madam Speaker. I can tell you, I offered any
support to her that I could because let no one be confused, St. Lawrence is not
in my district but it affects those I represent. It is an employment opportunity
and major economic driver for the Burin Peninsula, part of which I represent,
from Marystown and most of north of that, with the exception of part of the
Fortune Bay East area.
A
mentality of the past, Madam Speaker, is to only see what falls within the
border of one's own district, but we must think globally. We must look past
divisions of the past and support things that make sense to support. We have
worked very closely with the Burin Peninsula Chamber of Commerce on industry, on
tourism, on shipbuilding, on mining, on aquaculture and there is much more work
yet to be done.
I am
very much looking forward to the Grieg aquaculture project coming to fruition. I
support it, and we need economic development. We need economic diversification,
which is something we did not see at all under the previous administration.
As the
Premier has often said, the economy we inherited from the previous
administration was one overly dependent on oil and ripe with a culture of
overspending in their provincial government. The drop in the price of oil did
not create the problem, Madam Speaker, it exposed the problem.
We must
diversify this economy if we are to survive the post-oil economy as we await
that sector to rebound globally. We see this in our own province with the wind
down of Hebron at Bull Arm. There's such a wonderful morale amongst the workers
at Bull Arm. I've been there, I've visited there, I've toured the facility and
I'll be there again in the coming weeks. I can tell you they have done an
outstanding job. They have stayed safe for many, many hours out there, Madam
Speaker, and it's something I'm very proud of.
I want
to go back to diversification because it's extremely important. Aquaculture
performed in a safe, environmentally sound manner is a way to enable this
diversification. The shipyard in Marystown is also another terrific potential
for growth. This is a more challenging file for us as Members on the Burin
Peninsula because it's a private company that owns it, but I can tell you we
are, and I am, as engaged as possible on this file. Any role government can play
to move the sale of that project along, we will be there to support it.
My
colleagues, the Member for Burin Grand Bank and the Member for Terra Nova,
continue to work closely on this file together. Madam Speaker, I am not afraid
to adopt a team approach. That is how you get results. Operating in silo does
not work. The previous administration is proof of that. Letting boundaries
define your work gets you nowhere. We all have to pull on the same oar if we are
to get ahead.
So these
are three projects, Madam Speaker, the fluorspar mine in St. Lawrence, the Grieg
aquaculture project for Placentia Bay, and the Marystown Shipyard that I feel
will have a very positive outlook and focus for my district and the entire
region. I know there are other challenges as well but we need to focus on the
positive, Madam Speaker, rather than the negative. There is much to look forward
to and we must continue to look forward and harness those opportunities for
success.
I also
want to take some time now to mention some specifics from the Speech from the
Throne. I was happy to have in the opening remarks of His Honour's speech a
special mention of our own figure skating champion, Kaetlyn Osmond. She's a
tremendous young woman who makes us all proud, and I think I've said as much as
I need to say in my Member's statement some two days ago.
The
Speech sets out our top priority, jobs. I want to repeat that, Madam Speaker,
our top priority is jobs. That is why I am highlighting the Canada Fluorspar,
that's why I'm highlighting the Grieg aquaculture, that's why I'm highlighting
the Marystown Shipyard. Let there be no mistake where my focus lies. Let there
be no mistake where our focus lies as a government, to put people back to work,
Madam Speaker, and diversify an economy that for 12 years all it had was oil.
A new
Cabinet committee on jobs has been created to foster strong employment
conditions and opportunities. This forum will identify new whole of government
opportunities for private sector job growth, and to have this lens applied to
government decision making is a very welcome step. We know there's tremendous
potential and we know there are challenges.
I also
wanted to speak while I still have time, Madam Speaker, as it relates to the
Come By Chance refinery. This is a very big employer in my district. Of course,
there has been concerning news related to employment and layoffs in that area
and I can tell you, I stand by the workers and those who have been affected and
their families in this difficult time.
Last
week, I was very proud after having discussed this and worked with the minister
for him to have released all of the safety inspections. Our message to the
union, our message to those affected, those who work there, those who live
adjacent to it, is to pour through those safety inspections because we want to
ensure that any concerns are addressed or allayed as a result of them because
there's nothing more important than safety, Madam Speaker.
I also
want to highlight the fishery, because it's so important to my district. The
Fisheries Advisory Council is being formed as we work to achieve a successful
transition to ground fish. We will continue investments in new technology,
research and marketing activity by industry players through the Seafood
Innovation and Transition Program.
I was
very happy to be in Arnold's Cove recently, Madam Speaker, at Icewater Seafoods,
the leading ground fish processing plant in the province, to deliver $100,000 in
funding out of the Seafood Innovation and Transition Fund. Minister Judy Foote
was also there on behalf of the federal government with $50,000 for the
facility. These are excellent investments to further jobs and expand operations
at successful facilities.
We were
also there at that time, Madam Speaker, with about $1.7 million in capital works
projects to announce for the area in Arnold's Cove, Come By Chance, and Chance
Cove and Southern Harbour. These are very important job creators as well.
The
Speech, as I have already mentioned, Madam Speaker, raises expansion of
aquaculture. I spoke earlier of the Grieg project for Placentia Bay. This will
result in hundreds, potentially over 1,000 jobs in the construction phase, and
in the processing and operating phases will employ hundreds. This will be a
welcomed shot in the arm to the Placentia Bay economy.
Our
government, as part of The Way Forward,
intends to work with the industry to increase the 22,000 metric tons of salmon
it produced in 2015 to 50,000 metric tons annually. The mussel industry is also
estimated to have the capacity to grow to 10,750 metric tons of production
annually. This will create jobs. We will not relax nor relent on the regulations
and rigorous criteria with which companies must meet in order to maintain site
applications and licences in the Newfoundland and Labrador agriculture licensing
system.
Madam
Speaker, we have much to be hopeful for. We have much to look forward to. So
long as I am the Member for Placentia West Bellevue, I will not allow
negativity to set in and I will not allow my focus to be taken off the ball.
Madam Speaker, we will persevere and we will prevail.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MADAM SPEAKER (Dempster):
The Speaker
recognizes the hon. the Member for Harbour Main.
MS. PARSLEY:
Madam Speaker, I'm so
thankful to be able to stand in this House today and address the recent Throne
Speech. After my colleague just before me, I don't know what else I got left to
say. He's covered an awful lot of bills that was in mine, but I'll carry on and
try to speak about the great things that are happening in my district and in the
Province of Newfoundland.
It has
outlined a number of initiatives that's been undertaken by the government and it
also will outline a number of initiatives that will form part of our province's
planning going forward.
Before I
get into a few things, I would just like to talk about something. On Saturday
night past, Madam Speaker, I attended the Ice Show in CBS and let me tell you
the calibre of skaters Elvis Stojko was present from probably three- to
four-year-olds right up, and to think about the role model that Kaetlyn Osmond
is, it was phenomenal to see the potential that we have here in Newfoundland and
Labrador. To look at that arena, it's probably one of the best in the world and
it was such an enjoyable night. It was jammed packed.
So we
talk about things in our province, well, these are just some of the little
things that people take for granted; but let me tell you it costs money, it
costs everything and people have the interest now to go and be able to, from the
time a child is 3½, four, put him in every facility that we're able to, and that
impacts on their adult life.
There
were a lot of good things contained in the Throne Speech and our
Way Forward plan which is welcome news
for our province. Most of the things addressed in the speech have been talked
about as part of The Way Forward
strategy, which government released six months ago.
Our
vision for sustainability and growth is all about taking action. In the first
six months, we have produced a report card so the people of our province can see
how we're doing in our plans; 39 different actions are addressed in the report
on The Way Forward and 33 of them have
been completed at this time.
We
promised a launch into the municipal leasing program for Crown lands, and that's
something that I'm very interested in. As a municipal leader, for years we
fought to have Crown lands. With the young farmers that are coming about I
know in CBS it's the farmland for the whole province, but just recently on the
way up to Holyrood you'll notice small, little groups selling vegetables on
Saturdays and Sundays, and these are young farmers between the ages of 20 and
30.
Just
over this past summer, I stopped and bought some vegetables and was asking a few
questions. Apparently, one of them was a teacher and decided to go back into
farming part time. They're doing so well with it. They're going to make it a
career, and their children were there with them working on a Saturday and
Sunday. It's so great to see in our province. So the Crown lands are great
great for the district, great for my district especially from Harbour Main to
North River, Holyrood, Seal Cove.
We
promised to create a new Fisheries Advisory Council to help growth in this
essential industry in our province. That's all been done, Madam Speaker, and
there is a lot more to come. We promised to release a multi-year infrastructure
plan; this has been done and will have a huge impact on my district.
Madam
Speaker, when it comes to economic initiatives to grow our economy and create
jobs, the Throne Speech and The Way
Forward both addresses this need. In fact, the Throne Speech is
specific that jobs will be the top priority of this government. A new Cabinet
committee is being put together to address one major issue; how to create more
private sector jobs and it starts now. This is a positive response to the
challenges we face in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Government is also planning to make the fishing industry
the centerpiece of our economic development strategy; aquaculture will form part
of this. Government hopes to increase salmon production from 22,000 metric tons
to 50,000 metric tons annually. It will mean thousands of jobs and a real
investment in rural Newfoundland and Labrador.
We're seeking an expansion in the mining activity, which is
going to be worth $2.9 million this year. Oil and gas continues to be a strong
industry for us, even though prices are down but prices will rise again. Tourism
also continues to be a bright
economic light for Newfoundland and Labrador. This industry is worth over $1
million to us annually. In The Way Forward
we're planning to increase the value to $1.6 million.
Speaking
of tourism, Madam Speaker, there are lots of wonderful things in our province,
and I'd like to talk about my district for a moment. The Holyrood Squid Jigging
Festival, just the other day the lineup was announced for July; major people
coming in; people are excited. Summer, hopefully, is coming spring got to come
first. But people are excited about this. The Blueberry Festival in Brigus,
which brings thousands and thousands of dollars to the area; and then we come to
Cupids, where John Guy first landed, the Legacy Centre, the archeological dig,
which myself and the Minister of Tourism attended last year and actually watched
a lot of the schoolchildren there do a dig.
When we
talk about tourism, it brings an awful lot of money into our district. When we
think back, we think of Team Gushue who made us so proud this year, and who is
now as far as I know from yesterday still winning in Alberta. People are
excited about him. He is bringing new excitement to the province, just like I
mentioned Kaetlyn Osmond.
Newfoundland and Labrador has so much potential. It starts in the early years
and that's what we have to do; we have to have hope. We have to have hope for
our children. We don't want our children to be in debt. We don't want our
grandchildren to be in debt. We want them to be able to go to school, attend
university and come out with clear minds to be able to challenge whatever they
want to do in life and bring some of the visions forward.
Mr.
Speaker, one of the areas of primary concern for me in our province is health
care. While we seem to spend more money on health care than anyone else, the
outcomes we get are not the best. We have to change this somehow. Our government
is going to do a lot in the next 18 months to do that.
In our
Phase 2 document entitled Realizing our
Potential there are a number of initiatives to be undertaken: expanding
primary health care across the province; improving the use of technology and the
delivery of health care to our rural province (inaudible); implement a
centralized ambulance dispatch centre; implement healthy living assessments for
seniors to keep seniors healthy at home for as long as possible. And there has
been work done this year with the seniors. The money that's about to come out
today I've had calls last night: Is the money going to be in the bank
tomorrow? People are depending on it. It's a source. It's been a long winter,
long power bills, heavy. Seniors are finding it hard, but we are trying to make
it better. When I told people last night that tomorrow the cheque is supposed to
be released, people are happy about that. We have to be happy about something in
the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Implementing living assessments for seniors, to keep them healthy, to keep them
at home as long as possible and that is so important. We have a number of
long-term care facilities. But if we can keep one senior out of 10 in their
home, that makes a family happy. Once you go into a long-term care facility
sometimes you have no choice. But once you go in there, it's on a route for
another path. So let's do everything we can to keep seniors happy.
Most
important to me is our government's commitment to improving and expanding mental
health services in our province by adopting the recommendations of the All-Party
Committee on Mental Health. Madam Speaker, congratulations are in order to the
All-Party Committee on Mental Health and Addictions that was just completed.
Mental illness, as we all know, it is so important to have healthy minds in our
young adults. I know this. It comes within my family. We celebrated World Autism
Day on Monday, and my colleague here in the House and I chatted.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS. PARSLEY:
It's not about wearing a blue
ribbon on Monday. Every day in the life of a child is a day with autism. Every
day that you get up in the morning has its different challenges. Let me tell
you, our school system is phenomenal. We have a grandson in grade 10, and
there's not a moment in that school that he is not taken care of, chatted about,
emails and we got the supports there. So when we say that our schools are not
working, I can speak that they are. He can go off to school every morning and we
know if a problem arises that day, the people there in that school, the
teachers, the student assistants are there to help.
Like I
said, it's not just a day to wear a blue ribbon, a day to talk about it. It's
like Bell Let's Talk Day on mental health I also have a son with
schizophrenia. I am not afraid to say it. But I have spent the last year and a
half at the Waterford. And to walk through those corridors every day and to see
these young people, mental health, addictions, whatever they may be, exercising
in a room, probably lifting their beds no exercise equipment. That's why I'm
glad that this government is committed to a new mental health institution. We
need it.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS. PARSLEY:
The staff there are
phenomenal, but they can only do so much. Like I said, it's been a challenge to
walk these steps of a building that was built in the 1800s and to see the dark
corridors and the dark side of mental illness. Let me tell you, it's no pretty
picture.
Every
day that you walk in there and you walk out, you have to realize how important
it is to have a healthy mind. You can have everything else healthy but if your
mind is not healthy, your body doesn't work the same. Let me tell you as far as
I know, my Opposition over there I first meet the Member for St. John's Centre
a few years ago when she started at St. Teresa's Parish in a little room and we
were one of the people there that night. We were there trying to get help for my
son because there was no help. The only help was to bring him to the Waterford
and let me tell you that's not a choice any parent wants to make.
So in
order to make Newfoundland and Labrador whole, a healthy place for our children,
we have to have healthy systems in schools; we have to keep drugs out that's
why we have the All-Party Committee. It starts there. It doesn't start at 18 or
20; it starts at grade seven, eight and nine when kids go in and get exposed to
things they shouldn't.
We have
some good things in our province. Just recently on Friday the 13th I will
share an experience with you; I'm going to talk about the RNC for a moment. I
had a minor car accident and a heart attack at the scene. I was so worried about
the other person that day in the car that hit me; I was trying to console her.
But the RNC were too busy trying to get me in an ambulance to get me to a
hospital. They offered to take my car, which they did later on that afternoon
and drop it to a parking lot. I mean, what RNC worries about your car; they just
get it towed away.
But
that's the kind of calibre of people we have in Newfoundland and Labrador and we
seem to forget the good things. We focus on the bad and let me tell you, doom
and gloom is not the situation here. We need to focus on the good.
AN HON. MEMBER:
Hope and hard work.
MS. PARSLEY:
Hard work.
I came
into this House of Assembly. I was a former mayor. I had those challenges I just
talked about, while my late husband died. Instead of me and him spending hours
together on a Wednesday or Thursday night before he died, we were trying to put
the town's finances in order. We worried about how much money we had; where the
next project was going to come from.
Those
last moments should have been spent with us, but the commitment that we both
made was about our town, Harbour Main. Let me tell you, anybody who comes in
through this door and don't worry about their constituents got it all wrong.
Because our constituents elected us; they voted us in; they put their faith and
hope in us to come here and do a good job. If we don't fight for them, who do we
fight for?
Getting
back to my speech, I will just touch on a few more things. I come from a great
district. I come with strength and determination. It takes strength and
determination to get out of bed each day and face the challenges that I have,
but I come in here and I put my job first, and my job is my job. My colleagues
even on the other side, I had phone calls the day after my car accident asking
me if they could help me, and my colleagues here have been phenomenal. They
fitted it in every day, every other day, asking me do I need to be here; is
there anything they can help me with. We're a team here and if we're not a team,
we're nothing.
I came
in under the leadership of Dwight Ball and I have worked hard. I think I
canvassed 9,000 homes in my district with six seniors, no young people, no young
Liberals. We got up every morning and we had Tim Horton's kind of our block seat
there but, at the end of the day, we did our job. And I was lucky enough to be
elected to this House, to fight for the people of my district and I will fight
as long as I'm here. Let me tell you if we need something, I will fight for it.
There'll be no stone left unturned.
So I
think we have to kind of get down to the point of running our province, looking
at The Way Forward plan, the next
five-year plan will take us hopefully, there's a budget delivered here
tomorrow. After this budget, we're going to all move on and hopefully it will be
a little bit of good news in it. I can't say the Finance Minister knows what's
in it, but we will move on with a brighter future.
When you
see athletes like Brad Gushue, Kaetlyn Osmond and more to come, Newfoundland and
Labrador has a place in history.
Thank
you, Madam Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MADAM SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Fortune Bay Cape La Hune.
MS. PERRY:
Thank you so much, Madam
Speaker.
I'd like
to start out I guess with echoing some of the words of my colleague for the
District of Harbour Main. First and foremost, we have been elected by our
constituents to represent our constituents. As I elaborate on Address in Reply,
I'm going to come back to that point because I think it's a crucial point and I
think it's something that, as MHAs, each and every one of us should never
forget.
I know
I've been here since 2007 and never once did I put party above my district.
Always, the people of my district come first. If that's to my own peril, so be
it; the people come first, that's what I've been elected to do, and I truly hope
that should we have a repeat of last year's budget, that Members opposite will
stand up this time on behalf of their constituents, Madam Speaker, because we certainly didn't see that happen last
year.
Our
province has never had such a hard time as it has in the last 12 months, since
the 1990s, the last time when a Liberal government was in power. It has been
such a hard year.
I have,
in my 10 years as being an MHA, never experienced such a high volume of calls
from people who are genuinely experiencing true hardship. Most of it brought on
because of the regressive policies and measures introduced in
Budget 2016, which many of us are
hoping we are going to see reversed in tomorrow's budget, Madam Speaker.
One in
particular that comes to mind that is affecting every person who owns a vehicle
and every business that's out there, particularly in rural Newfoundland and
Labrador, being the gas tax. We were told at the time it would be reviewed every
six months, and if the price of oil went up, the gas tax would be eliminated. We
have not seen that review of six months. We have seen the price of oil increase.
So I, for one, am truly hoping that at the very least we will see gas tax
reversed tomorrow. I certainly would like to see a lot more of the regressive
measures reversed, Madam Speaker.
I didn't
mean to start there today when I got up. I wanted to talk a little bit about the
wonderful, fine people of Fortune Bay Cape La Hune.
AN HON. MEMBER:
They are great people.
MS. PERRY:
They are great people, I tell
you, and there are great people all across Newfoundland and Labrador. When we
experience hardship and tragedies, I like to refer to the expression: When the
going gets tough, the tough get going, and I've seen that in spades in the
District of Fortune Bay Cape La Hune.
When we
looked last year at the budget, there was $30 million set aside for contingency
of a natural disaster. During the filibuster, I was probably one of the ones who
criticized that the most. Lo and behold, did I have not one but two significant
tragedies in my district shortly thereafter. At the same time, the $30 million
contingency was eliminated and put back into current account. I'm still baffled
by that, but we are working through, and the federal government was able to come
to our aid through the Disaster Relief Program. Unfortunately, the result of the
disaster has led to expensive tens of millions of dollars.
I was
just looking the other night we talk about ferries. I have three communities
in my district that are isolated and accessible only by ferry or chopper, and
it's quite a struggle, particularly this time of year. If the ferry breaks down
and it's bad weather, the chopper is not getting in either to get people out.
It's a great worry. If someone is about to give birth or if someone is sick and
has a heart attack or a brain aneurism, very, very serious concerns.
When I
hear things, Madam Speaker, like Newfoundland has the highest cost per capita in
health care, yes, so we do but you know what? That's the one sector I would
never, never compromise. There is never a price you can put on people's lives.
We are a relatively, sparsely populated Island spread over a large geographic
area and so our health care costs are going to be higher, and so they should be,
because our people deserve nothing less than the best of health care. Now if we
want to do more to achieve better outcomes, absolutely, but let's not cut health
care for the sake of saving dollars when people's lives are at stake.
Getting
back again to the people of Fortune Bay Cape La Hune. I want to throw out a
bouquet to them, before I leave this part of what I wanted to speak about today,
for the unwavering support they gave to each other. I represent 21 communities
spread over 11,000 kilometres, what I felt during both tragedies was that we
were very much one community. Everyone came together.
The fire
departments from all areas descended upon us, came to our aid during the fires
we had in January, hats off to each and every one of them. It was a very, very
worrisome time for all of us, very dangerous time for all of us. We had two
fires actually prior to the arson incident. A week before there was a building
in the Town of St. Alban's that housed three businesses, a taxation business, a
computer shop and a carpentry shop. All three of those businesses were lost
seven days prior to losing our school, our RCMP building and our town hall in
Milltown.
I was
talking to a friend of mine who was watching the firemen at work. She was
saying, oh, they're going in now. The firemen were going in on their hands and
knees and someone was holding their feet as they were going in to look around
and make sure there were no people in there and everyone was okay. Just to hear
the description, it was really hard to listen to. All I could think about was
the wives and the children of these firemen who were out there putting their
lives at risk to try and save the building and the houses nearby. They did a
fabulous job, no other houses were lost.
When it
came to the fires we had a week later, they came for two days. Firemen from all
over the coast came for two days. A lot of them lost a lot of their equipment
during that fight because it was 48 hours at least that they were spraying and
the weather wasn't on our side at the time. Hats off to the Department of
Municipal Affairs who are helping us out with some of the equipment we lost;
hats off to everybody involved and kudos to all of you.
In terms
of the flood that happened, Hurricane Matthew, we're still dealing with the
roads. We did manage to get ourselves back in service and able to get from one
community to another, but a significant amount of roadwork does need to be done
and repairs this summer to get us back to where we were. The bridge in St.
Alban's is completely gone. Now that it's over, one of my fond memories is
always going to be that rowboat that became the St. Alban's ferry for five days.
We can all look back now and be quite proud of what we've done.
I'm
going to use that analogy of our strength to compare it to how we, as a people,
are dealing with the budget. What we've seen, unfortunately, since last year's
budget is a huge drop in our population again. For the first time in 10 years
we had a report last year on June 29, 2016, released by the Fraser Institute
that showed the first drop in our population due to out-migration in almost 10
years. I was so upset to see that, Madam Speaker, because of all the work and
all the strides we had taken since the early 2000s to rebuild confidence in
ourselves as a people and to try and encourage people to come back to
Newfoundland and Labrador and make this their home.
With the
regressive taxation measures, Madam Speaker, many people just can't afford to
live here. They leave for greener pastures, they build their homes, they have
their children and they don't come back. So I truly, truly, truly hope and
I'll probably say this about 10 times during my speech that some of these
regressive measures will be reversed in tomorrow's budget because they clearly
have not created a better tomorrow. They clearly have not laid a foundation for
a stronger Newfoundland and Labrador. They have destroyed people's confidence in
themselves. To hear a lack of confidence in what our people can do, it is very
disheartening.
I
strongly believe, Madam Speaker, that our entrepreneurs in Newfoundland and
Labrador are some of the best anywhere. I know we have people, even from my
rural, remote area, that work in places like Nassau. That work in some of the
largest companies we have internationally throughout the world, because we do
have the capability. We do have the intelligence and we can become a stronger
province, Madam Speaker, but we need people to believe, and particularly our
leadership to believe.
When it
comes to the private sector, there's no better way to stifle the private sector
than to burden them with unreasonable taxation, which is exactly what has
happened through Budget 2016. I go
back, when the House of Assembly closes, to my district and every time that I
come back to St. John's, I see another closure sign. I see another business,
another restaurant, that's shut down; another retail outlet that just can't make
it anymore because the fees and taxes are so prohibitive. People are not
spending money because they don't know where their next pay cheque is going to
come from.
That has
to stop, Madam Speaker. We as a people in the House of Assembly, in particular,
have a responsibility to build confidence in our people, to let them know that
we are very confident that they have the ability to turn things around.
It's
really unfortunate that the measures of
Budget 2016 are going to take years to recover from they truly are. The
damage that was imposed was devastating. To see that we are the only province in
the country facing a recession is unbelievable. What baffles me and I try
sometimes to differentiate between left of centre, right of centre, middle of
centre. I think a lot of political parties over the last few decades have
operated primarily in the middle of centre, with some left policies and some
right policies.
I think
our former premier, Danny Williams, used to call himself him a left Conservative
because he was very much supportive of the social policies as well. I think we
all need to have a healthy balance of that. But when I look to what's happening
with the federal government in Ottawa, where in December of 2015 the national
government ran a surplus of $3 billion and then in December of 2016, under a new
Liberal government, ran a deficit of $18 billion, I'm saying how, in the month
of December, did we spend $21 billion more than we did in 2015. I'm still
baffled by it.
I see a
stark contrast to the approach of a Liberal government in Ottawa, which has said
we're going to spend our way out of this recession, to the Liberal government in
Newfoundland saying we're going to tax you, tax you, and tax you, and that's how
we're going to get our revenue and whatever happens, happens. People are leaving
us in droves; businesses are shutting down left, right and centre; the young
ones are saying we're not going to stay here and there's no life for us here. I
think it's absolutely terrible, Madam Speaker.
To that
end, I personally would like to see recall legislation. It was not what was
promised to the people. No taxes under our watch and lo and behold, what did
we see? Tax after tax after tax; fee after fee after fee 300 new fees, and a
levy. My God, what in heaven's name was that levy all about?
People
are now completing their tax returns and they're seeing the impact of that levy
on their incomes, and no one is happy about it at all. I truly hope that as the
oil monies come back and as the money starts to get thrown around and projects
start to happen in the next two or three years, as we get closer to an election,
that people don't forget what we were put through, unnecessarily, last year.
There was absolutely no need of those regressive measures. I do believe we're
going to see reversals of them because I do believe they are now enlightened and
they see that they've actually contracted our economy to an unacceptable level.
I have
so many things I want to talk about and we're quickly running out of time. So I
want to touch as well on Muskrat Falls. I was so happy so happy to hear the
truth finally be spoken at the Nalcor AGM last week. I was so happy to read the
annual report that shows this is a viable project, Muskrat Falls, and we, as a
people, will not have to rely on oil because we have water that flows. As long
as that water flows over the great Churchill, there is money to be made for
Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.
We only
have to look at Quebec and to see the success that they have had; our $1 billion
to their $80 billion. Do you know what? 2041 is not so very far away. My biggest
fear my biggest fear is that there was every effort being made to convince
people that the project was a bad one and lo and behold we're going to have to
sell it. But we as a people will never stand to see our assets, our natural
resources, our renewable natural resources that can provide us with revenue for
hundreds and hundreds of years we will not stand by and allow those assets to
be sold. They belong to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, and it will be
the people of Newfoundland and Labrador who will benefit.
It is so
great to know that the Liberals are finally admitting that rates will not double
because of Muskrat Falls. Now, as one of my colleagues spoke about yesterday,
our leader spoke about yesterday, it sounds good. It really helped you in your
election platform, no doubt, to say rates are going to double, but it wasn't
true.
The fear
mongering that you have done to the people and seniors is absolutely terrible.
The excess sales from this project, Madam Speaker, we know, can be used to
reduce the rates. The return on investment of an 8.8 per cent equity stake, we
know, can be used to lower the rates. The money we're saving on the loan
guarantee, we know, can be used to lower the rates. So everyone in Newfoundland
and Labrador needs to know it was never true
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MADAM SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MS. PERRY:
that rates were going to
double. This project, when we see new hospitals, and when we see new schools,
and when we are able to cut one heck of a deal with Quebec because come 2041,
we own all the power and we're not going to get weak in the next 20 years and
cave. We're not going to allow that to happen in this province. We're going to
stand tall. We're confident in what we can do as a people. We're confident in
our resources. We're confident that we have business people and the business
acumen to make this work, Madam Speaker, and we're going to make it work on
behalf of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS. PERRY:
So I'm quickly running out of
time. I did want to say before I wrap up here today that it is great to be here
in the House of Assembly and it is great to have the support of your colleagues,
especially when times get rough. My good friend from Cape St. Francis, in
particular, is always here. When we have a rough day, he'll always say, tomorrow
is a better day.
We have
never given up on the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. We have never lost
confidence in the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. We will continue to fight
on their behalf and we'll continue to stand up for them each and every day in
this House of Assembly. When we're no longer here in the House of Assembly, I,
for one, will continue to support the initiatives of all future governments.
Whether the government is a Progressive Conservative government or Liberal
government or NDP government, I, for one, will applaud measures that I think are
in the best interests of the people.
I'll
have no problem standing up and applauding those, which is why today I stand up
and criticize Budget 2016 because I
think it was terrible. I truly hope that Members opposite in Cabinet will make
the right decisions and bring down a better budget tomorrow that reverses the
gas tax; a budget that reverses some of the impacts on seniors; that puts some
of the money back into the seniors' pockets that you took; that reverses the
hike on insurance; and that re-instills the business confidence in the people of
Newfoundland and Labrador so people do continue to invest.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS. PERRY:
What in heaven's name? Where
do you ever see a premier, or leaders, condemning the people of the province and
saying she's all doom and gloom? Don't expect anyone else to have confidence in
us if we don't have confidence in ourselves.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MADAM SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MS. PERRY:
Well, I'm here to say that we
on this side of the House very much have confidence in ourselves and we very
much have confidence in the future. We'll ride this storm and we'll come out
better at the end of the day, I have no doubt, Madam Speaker.
Back to
constituents; first and foremost, we were brought to this House of Assembly to
represent their views. We have no obligation to any party. We have an obligation
to the people that we serve, and if we stand up as individual MHAs the people of
this province will be better off for it.
I'm
quickly running out of time; I've only got a few seconds left. Hats off to all
of you for trying to make a difference. Hats off to the people who stand behind
us. Newfoundland and Labrador is on its way to a better place and Muskrat Falls
is certainly a part of the solution that's going to ensure we have a great
future for decades and decades and decades to come.
Thank
you, Madam Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MADAM SPEAKER:
The Speaker recognizes the
hon. the Member for Baie Verte Green Bay.
MR. WARR:
Thank you, Madam Speaker.
It's
always a pleasure to stand up here and represent the beautiful District of Baie
Verte Green Bay, to quote my hon. Member across the way from Cape St. Francis.
Before I
get into a few remarks because, Madam Speaker, it looks like I'm between this
House and our lunch hour, but I'll try and make them short and to the point.
I wanted
to get a couple of housekeeping orders in place, and that is we all depend
greatly on our good CAs and EAs. I certainly wanted to wish my CA a happy
vacation. She's leaving the snow filled area of Springdale today, I guess, to
head off to the Dominican Republic, and I wanted to welcome Adrian Canning who
will be her replacement in her absence.
I want
to take an opportunity, Madam Speaker, to say thank you. I was on my way to the
House of Assembly Monday morning in the freezing rain and snow that we
encountered on Sunday night and early Monday. I had the opportunity to hit a
snowdrift on the Conception Bay bypass road, and certainly I want to say kudos
and thanks very much to the gentleman who stopped and plucked me from the drift.
Again, we all have stories about good Samaritans, and us as Newfoundlanders and
Labradorians, we certainly lead the way in this beautiful country that we live
in.
Just on
a personal note, I know my father is probably watching this morning. I had an
experience with my father last night; we had to rush him in an ambulance to the
hospital. So, Dad, if you are looking, I certainly hope you're feeling much
better this morning. It was a last night for us all, Madam Speaker. Anyway, I
hope he is on to a healthier day.
Madam
Speaker, I got up and spoke a couple of weeks ago
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MADAM SPEAKER:
Order please!
MR. WARR:
I got up and spoke a couple
of weeks ago and I read a quote. I'm going to read it again, and I may read it
every time I get up. I was accused by the leader of the Third Party of
lecturing. I am not in the lecturing business, but I do believe in the quote: to
produce a healthy province is to realize that success depends on us as a people
possessing a real willingness to change and a desire to fight for success.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. WARR:
I believe in that quote,
Madam Speaker. Again, it's a quote that I will continue to read every time I
rise in this hon. House.
Madam
Speaker, I would be remiss if I didn't take the opportunity as I know my good
friend from Stephenville Port au Port will be doing a little later and that
is to remember the Abbott family in Port au Port who had a devastating fire of
an old family business of 132 years, known as Abbott and Haliburton in the
wonderful community of Port au Port on the West Coast.
I say
that, Madam Speaker, because Bill Abbott, who is the owner of that business, is
a personal friend of mine. We go back a long way, because I come from an old
family business as well. That fire devastated that community, devastated that
business, that old business. It's not about the four walls and the roof that we
think about today. It's the family heirlooms, all the old papers and
documentation of 132 years since that business has been established. I want to
wish Bill and his family much success in the rebuilding of that business.
While we
are talking about fires, I just heard the Member for Fortune Bay Cape La Hune
speak about the devastating fires in her communities just a few short months
ago. I happened to touch base with that Member during those devastating times to
offer support, and I know they took advantage of our offer. We had two schools
that had shut down in the District of Baie Verte Green Bay; actually, one on
Long Island and one on Little Bay Island. So we offered some school equipment
and I'm glad they took advantage of that.
Madam
Speaker, Address in Reply, talking about the Speech from the Throne. Obviously,
I wanted to reference The Way Forward
program, the three phases of The Way
Forward program: securing our future, realizing our potential and building
our future.
Madam
Speaker, I pride myself on being a good listener. I just want to highlight some
comments from the Throne Speech, and those comments were made by the hon. Member
for Topsail Paradise, the Leader of the Official Opposition.
The
Leader of the Opposition mentioned multiple times that our government does not
have a plan, stating that our government is moving the province backward and not
forward. This is a bit of a rich comment coming from the Leader of the
Opposition whose government not only never tabled their infrastructure plan
meaning the public had no accountability in where their taxpayer dollars were
going they never had a plan to move the province forward beyond hoping that
the price of the oil would rebound and it would become 2009 again.
The PC
administration had no real plan for Newfoundland and Labrador beyond their
poorly thought out legacy project of Muskrat Falls, which the hon. Member for
Fortune Bay Cape La Hune had just referred to, which not only did nothing to
diversify the economy of the province, but left our people in excessive debt due
to the lack of planning and foresight.
I also
heard the Leader of the Opposition mention, Madam Speaker, that the Liberal
electoral platform was a magic wish book of ideas that never would come to
fruition. However, he neglects to mention that in
Budget 2015, under the PC administration, it was also a magic wish
book of wishing their independence on oil and lack of diversification for the
economy for 12 years under their rule would not be revealed. We've changed that,
Madam Speaker. We talked about releasing the public accounts certainly in
election years and prior to the election.
The
Leader of the Opposition also stated numerous times of what he had called a
great relationship with the federal government, when Newfoundland and Labrador
had actually lost more than it gained. This is not true, and the relationship
with the federal government is a welcome change from being neglected for 12
years due to a government that was unwilling to put its ego aside and actually
co-operate with its federal counterparts.
Newfoundland and Labrador has received significant funding through the federal
government, Madam Speaker, and there's more to come. Unlike the previous
administration, which made funding announcements in secret, hoping the public
would not notice that there was only one signature on their agreements with the
federal government. I state that again in reference to his comments to the
Throne Speech, and I sort of took some exception to those comments.
Over the
course of the last few months, we've heard the Official Opposition and Members
from the Third Party probably talking about the equalization funding to
Newfoundland and Labrador. A little bit of a background on equalization, for
those who are listening at home: The federal government makes equalization
payments to less wealthy Canadian province to equalize the province's fiscal
capacity and their ability to generate tax revenues. Equalization payments are
based on a formula that calculates the difference between per capita revenue
yield that a particular province would obtain using tax average rates, and the
national average per capita revenue yield at average tax rates.
The
current formula considers five major revenue sources. The objective of the
program is to ensure that all provinces have access to per capita revenues equal
to the potential of the average of all 10 provinces. The formula is based solely
on revenues and does not consider the cost of providing services or the
expenditure needs of the provinces.
Newfoundland and Labrador gained a so-called have statues for the first time in
its history, Madam Speaker, in 2008 which put an end to equalization, largely
the result of revenues from oil royalties. Former Premier Danny Williams fought
to exclude oil revenues from the equalization formula, claiming the volatility
of the prices made it exempt from being subject to equalization.
I bring
this up, Madam Speaker, because this government have been blamed with regard to
us not asking to be reconsidered for equalization. But I want to talk about the
federal assistance to Newfoundland and Labrador since 2016. In 2016,
Newfoundland and Labrador had begun repaying the federal government for the $271
million it was loaned from the federal government for the equalization payments
more than a decade ago. The PC government chose not to budget for this cost,
despite knowing it had to be repaid and, instead, focused its economic policies
on unnecessary expenditures.
Due to
the strong relationship, Madam Speaker, held by the provincial Liberal
government with the federal government, funding relief has been negotiated to
ease some of the burden from this province. In May 2016, the federal government
deferred the province's payments under the Equalization Repayable Floor Loan,
effective June 1 of that year.
Under
the 2005 Equalization Repayable Floor Loan, the province owed $378 million to
the federal government due to overpayments. Beginning in April 2016, the
province repaid a further $4.5 million. Those payments are now suspended until
April of 2022. Payments for the outstanding $267 million under the Equalization
Repayable Floor Loan will be recovered in equal monthly, interest-free, I might
add, amounts over a 10-year period from April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2032.
While
this is in not equivalent to equalization payments, easing the economic burden
for the province will allow Newfoundland and Labrador to build a stronger
province and emerge from this current fiscal situation quicker.
With
those few remarks out of the way, Madam Speaker, I just want to turn to my
district for a few minutes and talk about the good things that are happening in
the wonderful District of Baie Verte Green Bay. You've all heard my hon.
colleague for Labrador West talking about the mining in his district. I was
pleased to hear, during his speech in Address in Reply, talking about the mining
Centre of Excellence in Lab West. I want to talk about the fact that we have
been given some indication that the associate campus for the mining Centre of
Excellence will be housed in Baie Verte, which is our mining capital with regard
to my district.
I want
to talk about the good things that are happening in those mines and where we
have been. Mining has historically been and continues to be an important
economic driver for this province. It's one of the province's oldest and leading
industries, and it's a major contributor to the economy of the province. Mining
in our province has its origin on the Baie Verte Peninsula, in the wonderful
District of Baie Verte Green Bay, with the Dorset Soapstone Quarry in Fleur de
Lys
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MADAM SPEAKER:
Order please!
MR. WARR:
showing pre-European use of
the geographical resources of the province.
The
first major mining development for Newfoundland began in Tilt Cove, again in our
district, in 1864. We've got a rich mining history. With the two operating mines
on the Baie Verte Peninsula that was referred to by the Minister of Natural
Resources in her speech to Address in Reply the other day, she talked about the
good things are that happening at Anaconda Mining and Rambler Metals and Mining.
I'm not going to belabour that issue because we've talked about how important
this is and where we see things going.
I'll
tell you the highlight for me, Madam Speaker, is that we have 400-plus people on
the Baie Verte Peninsula who are associated in the mining industry. I know with
regard to that industry, we're looking at an average age of these people at 40
years old. I mean, at 40 years old it tells me that there's a wonderful future
for these young people, young experienced miners who normally had to probably
leave the province to go off for work. Now they have the opportunity to stay at
home, work at home, raise their families where they want to in the beautiful
Province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
I want
to talk a bit, Madam Speaker, about the aquacultural projects. We talk about it
in The Way Forward program supporting
growth annually, especially for mussels. We're going to grow the mussel
production to 10,750 metric tons in The
Way Forward document. We have four processors in our district. I'm not going
to highlight each one of them, but I just wanted to highlight we all talk
about secondary processing and how important it is to have secondary processing
within our province. We have a plant that just opened in the community of
Triton. Right now, we're looking at employment of anywhere between 20 and 30
people, but it's a secondary processing plant and they're going to use about 1.3
million pounds of blue mussels.
Obviously, Madam Speaker, that goes right into where we are again with
The Way Forward program. It's a viable
project. I had the Minister of Fisheries ready to come to the district actually,
Madam Speaker, and he got waylaid because of the weather. But certainly, he
wants to take the opportunity to visit the district and visit these mussel
harvesters in our district. I'm encouraged by his enthusiasm, as well as the
enthusiasm of the people that are associated with that industry.
Madam
Speaker, I just want to again, while I'm speaking about the Minister of
Fisheries and I've had several conversations with my good friend and colleague
for Cape St. Francis on the seal industry. I've had the opportunity to take the
minister of BTCRD to a community in my district, Fleur de Lys.
In Fleur
de Lys, we have a seal plant that's open there. Again, Madam Speaker, 20 to 25
jobs and they had to shut down because of the closure of the seal hunt because
of the young being born, the whelping patch. We had many meetings with the
owners of that plant and through our federal colleagues and Minister LeBlanc and
with the Premier and the Minister of Fisheries when there were in Boston, had
conversations with the minister, and we were able to get that plant open again.
I'm
certainly very grateful and thankful for the opportunity to play a part in that.
Again, I applaud and thank my hon. colleague across because he was onside with
us as well. He is the Fisheries critic and, like I said, I had the pleasure of
working with him on this.
Madam
Speaker, we got a quota this year of 450,000 seals. We won't take 75,000 seals
we are all reminded each day by the Member and certainly in the news, both on
the TV and the radio and print, about what's happening with the shellfish
industry. Yes, the price of crab is up, but the quota has been cut.
When we
look at the shrimp fishery as well because that picture was caught in my
district of a seal with 181 female crabs in the gut of the seal and those female
crabs can produce up to 2,000 eggs. So when you look at the devastation, we're
looking at 342,000 crabs. You talk about what's happening in the industry, it's
pure devastation. So it's great to see that industry opened up again.
I see,
Madam Speaker, that my time has elapsed. I'll take the opportunity to get up
again and take my seat.
Thank
you for the time.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MADAM SPEAKER:
The hon. the Government House
Leader.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Yes, Madam Speaker, I would
suggest now, given the hour of the day, that with the consent of my colleagues
that we recess until 2 p.m.
MADAM SPEAKER:
This being Wednesday, Private
Members' Day, this House now stands in recess until 2 p.m.
Recess
The
House resumed at 2 p.m.
MR. SPEAKER (Osborne):
Order, please!
Admit
strangers.
We'd
like to welcome to the Speaker's gallery today, Mr. Roland Card and his wife
Helen Card. Roland is the Potentate of the Mazol Shriners.
Welcome.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
We also welcome to the
Speaker's gallery, members of The Singing Legionnaires, including their Director
of Music William Green, Accompanist Clyde Johnston and President James Healey.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
Statements by
Members
MR. SPEAKER:
For Members' statements today
we have the Members for the Districts of St. John's Centre; Baie Verte Green
Bay; Virginia Waters Pleasantville; Fogo Island Cape Freels; Conception Bay
East Bell Island; and Labrador West.
The hon.
the Member for St. John's Centre.
MS. ROGERS:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
The
Singing Legionnaires are celebrating 50 years and there is much to celebrate!
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS. ROGERS:
Founded in 1967, today's
group includes original World War II veterans, men who served in the Korean War,
UN Peacekeepers and folks from several Royal Canadian Legion branches.
The
joyous voices of these amazing men bring their repertoire of songs from the
World Wars and old standards from the 1920s to the 1960s to the veterans at the
DVA Pavilion, folks in nursing homes, civic functions, flag raising ceremonies
right here at Confederation Building, provincial and national conventions and
more.
Many of
us have seen them braving the frigid cold at the War Memorial for November 11
Remembrance Day ceremonies and the blistering heat of July 1 Beaumont-Hamel
commemorations. They lead us in song during these most solemn of occasions,
moving our hearts and our souls. In the weeks leading to November 11, they are
also incredibly busy singing at school and church services of remembrance,
teaching our youth about peace.
They
enjoy the benefits of singing together. It provides cherished camaraderie and
confidence in social development.
I ask
all Members to join me in celebrating and thanking The Singing Legionnaires for
their years of generous service. Bravo!
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for the
District of Baie Verte Green Bay.
MR. WARR:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I rise
today to acknowledge Todd Clance from La Scie. Todd is a 42-year-old resident of
my district who suffers from epilepsy and cerebral palsy. Despite these
challenges, he is both ambitious and a dreamer. One of his big dreams was to
attend the Brier in St. John's. Yes, he's a big Team Gushue fan.
Mr.
Speaker, Todd not only attended the Brier for a full week; he was treated like a
VIP by locals and visitors alike, and built a lasting friendship with Brad
Gushue and his team.
I want
to say thank you to everyone who supported Todd's dream. When he returned home,
the people of La Scie did something for Todd no one expected. They gave him a
motorcade through the town and they hosted a party in his honour.
Mr.
Speaker, I want to thank Team Gushue, the people of our province and especially
the people of La Scie for making Todd's dream a reality. I am honoured and
humbled to represent such good-hearted people in this House.
I ask
all hon. Members to join me in congratulating Todd and thanking the people of
our province for the kindness and spirit of generosity.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Virginia Waters Pleasantville.
MR. B. DAVIS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I rise
today to recognize two great people from the district who will lead the Mazol
Shriners charitable organization throughout 2017.
Mr.
Speaker, I had the pleasure of attending the official installation of the
illustrious Sir Roland Card and Lady Helen Card as Potentate and First Lady last
January. Roland and Helen now lead the provincial Shriners organization that is
well known for achieving great things with respect to helping children with
orthopedic needs, burns, cleft lip and palate conditions, as well as spinal cord
injuries.
In 2016,
Mazol Shriners referred a total of 72 children for 122 appointments to the
Shriners Boston burn unit, the Philadelphia spinal cord injury unit and the
Shriner's Montreal/Gander facilities all of which was supported by
approximately $300,000 funding support from Mazol.
Roland
and Helen are committed to building on that great work throughout 2017, and have
the experience to do it, having spent years leading fundraising activities
within the Shriners.
I
commend Roland and Helen for their volunteer service to their community, and I
ask all hon. Members to join me in wishing them all the best as they lead Mazol
Shriners this year.
Thank
you very much, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Fogo
Island Cape Freels.
MR. BRAGG:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I take
great pride in rising in this hon. House to bring attention to the great
volunteer work done by the people of my District of Fogo Island Cape Freels.
In June
of last year, a teacher from Pearson Academy, New-Wes-Valley, was recognized for
supporting school sports. Pearson Academy offers a variety of sports from
badminton to basketball, ball hockey to volleyball, track and field to
cross-country running.
I am
delighted to tell hon. Members that Mr. Juan Gill from Newtown, Bonavista Bay,
was presented with the School Sports Newfoundland and Labrador Regional
Recognition Award for his dedication to the School Sports Program. Mr. Gill has
been teaching for over two decades and has taught in Eastport, Glovertown,
Trinity and Nunavut.
When
asked about his award, Gill said he was just one of many who make the programs
work. Students involved in sports learn many life skills, he says. Sports are a
great way of teaching communications, leadership, motivation and commitment
skills.
Let's
thank Juan Gill and all administrators who support student sports programs as
organizers, coaches and volunteers. Without their support, after school sports
would never be possible.
Thank
you, Juan, and thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Conception Bay East Bell Island.
MR. BRAZIL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
It gives
me great pleasure to stand and recognize a group of citizens in my district who
this past Monday showed ingenuity, creativity, concern, co-operation, courage
and community spirit.
Mr.
Speaker, I speak of the dozens of citizens who were concerned of the well-being
of a pod of dolphins stranded in the ice in Lance Cove Beach Bell Island.
After noticing the stranded animals on Sunday, the residents contacted the
Department of Fisheries and Oceans for advice and assistance. They were told
assistance could be days away due to the ice in the bay but to continue to
monitor the well-being of the animals.
In the
early hours of Monday morning, these same citizens relayed that some of the
animals have perished and that a number of other ones were in peril. These
individuals showed leadership and began a rescue mission. With constant contact
with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, the group began the task of one by
one removing the animals from the area in which they were stranded and moving
them to an area with open water.
By
making a make-shift stretcher, a group of residents waded into the ice-covered
waters, securing the 500-pound animals to the stretcher, and then putting them
in the back of a truck and transporting them to another location where they
could be released. This show of heroism saved five of the animals.
I ask
all Members to join me in thanking the rescue team of residents on Bell Island.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Labrador West.
MR. LETTO:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I rise
in this hon. House today to recognize Dr. Willie Arsenault, a long-time
physician in Labrador West. Dr. Willie first arrived in Labrador West in 1976 as
an intern, when residents jokingly said, you'll never be back.
Well,
Mr. Speaker, he did return in 1977 and maintained a family practice until his
retirement on March 31 of this year, including IOC Company doctor from
1985-2004. To him, patients were not just patients, they were family.
Dr.
Willie also had a love for music and flying, and found himself with a pilot's
licence even before he could drive. His love for music found him as a member of
Labrador Black Spruce where he wrote and performed many songs of the history of
Labrador. In fact, he recorded his first song,
Rub-a-Dub-Dub, while in university.
This
past Saturday at his retirement party, he was honoured for 40 years of devotion
to his patients, a feat surpassed in Labrador by only one other physician, the
famous Sir Wilfred Grenfell who devoted 43 years to the people of Labrador.
I ask
all hon. Members to join me in thanking Dr. Willie for his service and wish him
well in his retirement on the banks of the Ashuanipi River.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Statements by Ministers.
Statements by
Ministers
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Children, Seniors and Social Development.
MS. GAMBIN-WALSH:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr.
Speaker, I rise in this hon. House to inform Members and the public that the
next payment of the Newfoundland and Labrador Income Supplement, as well as the
Enhanced Seniors' Benefit will be issued today, April 5.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS. GAMBIN-WALSH:
This investment highlights
our government's continued support for low-income seniors, individuals, families
and persons with disabilities. The programs were both designed to provide the
appropriate supports to help protect our citizens, especially in the face of the
fiscal circumstances our province is facing, and I am proud that we are able to
offer these supports to those who need it most.
Mr.
Speaker, direct deposit payments will be made to individuals today, the same day
cheques will be sent in the mail. Since its implementation last July, 155,000
individuals and families have benefited from the new Income Supplement and the
Enhanced Seniors' Benefit.
I would
like to point out that qualified individuals did not need to apply and will
automatically receive these benefits eligibility is determined based on their
2015 income tax information. Both the Newfoundland and Labrador Seniors' Benefit
and the Newfoundland and Labrador Income Supplement will be added to the
recipient's GST credit cheque or direct deposit payment.
Mr.
Speaker, we understand the challenges our province faces, particularly with a
rapidly aging population, and our government has a plan to ensure we are
prepared through smarter spending and sustainable investments. A number of these
investments such as the Income Supplement and Enhanced Seniors' Benefit are
already positively impacting the lives of the people across our province. As a
government, we will continue to provide supports to those who need it most.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Fortune Bay Cape La Hune.
MS. PERRY:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I thank
the minister for an advance copy of her statement. The minister is promoting
these programs yet again, but she fails to mention that seniors are worse off
now than they were before the Liberal government came to power.
The
minister did not mention that her Liberal government cancelled the HST rebate
which many seniors and low-income families look forward to every year. She also
failed to mention they cancelled the Home Heating Rebate and the Residential
Energy Efficiency Program which provided needed supports to help seniors heat
their homes. The minister also failed to mention the increasing cost of food,
the changes to the Newfoundland and Labrador Prescription Drug Program and the
removal of the Adult Dental Program.
Mr.
Speaker, seniors are not better off under this Liberal government. I ask the
minister to provide them relief in tomorrow's budget.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for St.
John's Centre.
MS. ROGERS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Seniors
were hit hard in the last budget with the increases of several fees. The gas tax
increase that hit rural seniors especially hard, the tax on insurance and books,
the lack of affordable housing, the cancellation of the Home Heating Rebate, the
cancellation of the over-the-counter drug program, and the Adult Dental Program.
The
minister knows the seniors' benefit is a mere drop in the bucket for seniors who
are struggling to make ends meet. More and more of our seniors are slipping into
poverty under her government. Let's hope this doesn't happen any further in this
upcoming budget.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Education and Early Childhood Development.
MR. KIRBY:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I rise
today to reiterate our government's continued commitment to working with the
early childhood development sector for the benefit of all children and families
throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.
Last
week we were pleased to distribute $6.5 million in annual funding for family
resource centres from St. John's to Torngat Mountains. We have approximately 150
centres that offer a variety of community-based activities and resources for
early childhood development and parenting support.
The
centres provide a friendly and informal setting where families can access
programs and resources specifically tailored to their needs, including parent
education, interactive parent and child programs and healthy baby clubs.
Our
government is dedicated to providing the necessary supports to our children and
the early childhood educators who make such an impact on their lives. As
announced in the Throne Speech, Budget
2017 will include further measures to support early childhood educators and
families.
Mr.
Speaker, as a government we recognize that family resource centres, early
learning and child care play vital roles in the healthy development of children
and the well-being of families throughout our great province.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Conception Bay East Bell Island.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. BRAZIL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I thank
the hon. Member for an advance copy of his statement. Without a doubt, the
family resource centres, early learning and child care are vital to the healthy
development to Newfoundland and Labrador's children. These 150 centres have been
instrumental in growing the community and benefiting thousands a fact that was
highlighted in February 2013, when the PC government released a 10-Year Child
Care Strategy, Caring for Our Future.
Family
resource centres are one of the many initiatives that account for the overall
strategy to reduce poverty in this province a fact that is clearly lost in the
Liberal government. While the Liberal ministers love to make statements about
lost opportunities, I will remind the Liberals that in 2015 Newfoundland and
Labrador had the lowest percentage of the population receiving Social Assistance
ever recorded. So while the minister claims that the Liberals
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. BRAZIL:
are making such initiatives
a priority, these actions tell a different story.
Thank
you Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for St.
John's East Quidi Vidi.
MS. MICHAEL:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
I, too,
thank the minister for the advance copy of his statement. It is important to
recognize the great work that family resource centres do. We should build on and
enhance what happens at these centres to create quality public child care, which
we know from the evidence is vitally important in early childhood development.
So this is all the more reason, Mr. Speaker, for us to be working towards a
public child care system for all the children of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Service NL.
MR. TRIMPER:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
I'm
pleased to rise today to announce that 10 new municipal partners have joined
BizPal in this past fiscal year.
Last
fall we announce that seven new municipalities had signed on, and today we can
add Greenspond, Victoria and Hant's Harbour to that list.
The
BizPal program helps local entrepreneurs save time and money by simplifying the
process of obtaining permits and licences.
This
federal-provincial-territorial online information service is free for
entrepreneurs to use and there's no cost to municipalities to sign on as a
partner.
Our
government recognizes the important role small- and medium-sized businesses play
in helping strengthen the economy. BizPal reduces red tape for business, which
is a key commitment in The Way Forward.
Mr.
Speaker, 90 Newfoundland and Labrador municipalities are now partners in this
initiative.
I
encourage all Members of this House to reach out to municipal leaders in their
districts to tell them about the benefits of being a BizPal partner, so we can
reach our goal of 100 members this year.
I also
encourage municipal leaders across the province to contact Service NL if they
would like more information about how BizPal can help them support new ventures
in their community.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Cape
St. Francis.
MR. K. PARSONS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I want
to thank the minister for the advance copy of his statement. Mr. Speaker, I am
pleased to see the increased uptake in BizPal registration. It's great to see
that 10 new municipal partners have joined this year. It was our government that
brought the province into this BizPal initiative.
Any
service that can help local entrepreneurs save time and money so that they can
grow their business faster is a good thing. We should encourage more of it. I
look forward to seeing the service being offered to many more communities in the
future.
Thank
you very much.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for St.
John's East Quidi Vidi.
MS. MICHAEL:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
I thank
the minister for the advance copy of his statement. Yes, this is good news, but
I also would have liked to have heard from the minister more data regarding
BizPal and its benefits. The minister says BizPal has saved entrepreneurs time
and money.
Give us
data on that. What savings has BizPal been able to afford participating
organizations? Does government have a number? How much money has this government
cost both levels of federal and provincial?
Thank
you very much, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Oral Questions.
Oral Questions
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the
Opposition.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. P. DAVIS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr.
Speaker, this week when people are concerned for the economy, high taxes and the
uncertain future of our province, the Liberals want to use their time in the
House of Assembly this afternoon to talk about recycling bins at drive-throughs
at fast-food chains.
I ask
the Premier: On the eve of the provincial budget, with all the issues that are
facing the people of the province, is your private Member's resolution on
recycling bins at drive-throughs the best you can do?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Premier.
PREMIER BALL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
This
coming from a former premier who could care less about the future, could care
less about individuals. As an example in Labrador when the province was facing a
fisheries crisis, just a few days ago, with shrimp quota reductions and crab
quota reductions, this is a former premier, the Leader of the PC Party, that
stood up in this House and started talking about something and asking questions
about a fixed link in Labrador, which is very important to the people of
Labrador.
As a
matter of fact, the only reason why there wasn't a resolution from the Combined
Councils this year was simply because we had made a commitment to do it
something they wouldn't do. So he stands in this House today and talks about
things that we want to talk about in a private Member's resolution, Mr. Speaker
the gall of the individual to even talk about such matters.
We are
concerned about the environment, we are concerned about people in Newfoundland
and Labrador, and it's our private Members that will determine what they want to
talk about on Wednesday afternoon.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the
Opposition.
MR. P. DAVIS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
That's a
good one; he finally answered a question I asked him two days ago.
Mr.
Speaker, last year the Liberals gouged consumers and strangled the economy with
hikes in gas tax, insurance tax, income tax, sales tax, book tax almost every
fee imaginable. As a matter of fact, they increased 300 taxes and fees on
Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.
When the
Liberals reduce taxes tomorrow, including gas taxes back to where it should have
been, how will they undo the damage their year of gouging has cost
Newfoundlanders and Labradorians?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Premier.
PREMIER BALL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Well, in
last year's budget of 2016-2017, I think the whole province recognized the
mismanagement, the poor planning that we had seen from the previous
administration. The PC plan for the future of our province this year would have
meant a $2.7 billion deficit going into the situation that we had inherited last
year. So assuming assuming that the former premier, the Leader of the PC
Party, is standing by his plan, which would have meant $2.7 billion, he is
standing by his plan to give money to banks, institutions, in interest charges.
That's where that would have led.
Mr.
Speaker, we made some responsible choices last year to increase revenue in our
province. There was virtually no choice to secure the financial foundation. But
this province today is much better shape; Nalcor is in much better shape no
thanks to them, but thanks to the people on this side of the House.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the
Opposition.
MR. P. DAVIS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr.
Speaker, Newfoundland and Labrador is very fortunate to have two professional
and very capable police services servicing the people of our province. Since
last year's budget, there have been cuts to policing resources.
I ask
the government today: Will policing resources remain intact this year and for
the long term, ensuring the safety and security of the people of the people of
the province?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Government House
Leader.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I'm
certainly happy to speak to both of our police forces who we're very lucky to
have, and certainly I've done my best to support them in my tenure here. Again,
as it relates to budgetary decisions, the Members on the other side know that
the budget will be delivered here in the House tomorrow.
What I
can see is that last year there were certainly no touches to officers on the
ground. I've worked with them; I'll continue to work with them and to provide
them the support that they need to provide safety to the men and women of this
province.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Conception Bay South.
MR. PETTEN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I ask
the minister: Will the existing gas tax be converted to a carbon tax?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Premier.
PREMIER BALL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
As we've
said in the past, the temporary gas tax which was put in, in budget 2016-2017
at that point, it really had nothing to do with the carbon tax. We, through the
minister and through the work that we've done at the Council of the Federation,
have been able to put in some climate change processes for the future of Canada
and for all jurisdictions.
The neat
thing about the carbon tax is that, based on the discussions and negotiations
that we were able to finalize, that we can use that tax when it is implemented
by the federal government. We can use that at the discretion of Newfoundlanders
and Labradorians. The discretion for that tax remains here, and we will not be,
as I said so many times now, putting a carbon tax on top of any temporary gas
tax.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Conception Bay
South.
MR. PETTEN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I want
to point out he says not putting a carbon tax on top of the gas tax; that was
not my question. I said replacing the gas tax.
Under
this government, taxes are up, prices are up, unemployment is up and people are
fed up. Does the minister or the Premier understand that now is not the time to
introduce a carbon tax?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Premier.
PREMIER BALL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Well, as
has been said by the federal government on many occasions now, the carbon tax is
something that will be directed from the federal government. We can use it as a
discretion right here. It becomes revenue to the provincial Treasury. It can be
used to support Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, at the sole discretion of
government of the day.
Right
now, that was keenly very important for us to be able to work with our
industries, to be able to work with Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, to
maintain competitive. But this tax, the carbon tax, we will be able to use for
programs within Newfoundland and Labrador at the sole discretion of the
government of the day.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Conception Bay South.
MR. PETTEN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I guess
we have a new tax coming.
The
Liberals promised to bring in $50 million this past year by selling government
assets. Based on your current rate of return, you will meet your target in 2066.
Considering you have reached the 2.6 of your goal, are you embarrassed to
release your real estate report?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Transportation and Works.
MR. HAWKINS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I'm not
embarrassed at all. As a matter of fact, Mr. Speaker, we are working through
looking at efficiencies within our government and I think I was yesterday, I
made reference to the fact that we have disposed of a couple of our assets that
we had, fairly significant ones.
Not only
are we disposing of the assets, when we look at that and we have a return on
that, there are also efficiencies and savings within that as well, Mr. Speaker,
because if you look at some of the and I'll just use the example, the
Sir Robert Bond that was lying in
Lewisporte for a considerable since 2014, and roughly about $1,500 to $1,600 a
day from the previous administration. These are areas that we have really
targeted. We're looking at efficiencies and we're certainly working towards
that, Mr. Speaker, and we'll continue to do that because we are fiscally
responsible in what we're doing.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Opposition House
Leader.
MR. HUTCHINGS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr.
Speaker, Quebec is getting approximately $11 billion this year in equalization
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
AN HON. MEMBER:
That's not laughable.
MR. HUTCHINGS:
No, it's not very funny at
all, actually, Mr. Speaker.
and
delivered a third budget surplus this year. They can provide reasonable services
at reasonable taxation levels.
I ask
the Minister of Finance: Will Budget 2017
again tax and fee Newfoundland and Labrador residents beyond what is needed
under the Constitution of Canada?
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
Before I
recognize the hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board, I'm
absolutely delighted to recognize anybody to speak if you stand to be
recognized. If you don't stand to be recognized to speak, I ask that you respect
the individual that is.
The hon.
the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board.
MS. C. BENNETT:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I'm
pleased to have the opportunity to stand in this House today. I would like to,
in answering the Member opposite's question, correct the Member for Conception
Bay South. We have said repeatedly, since November, that there would be no new
taxes and no new fees in this budget, Mr. Speaker.
The
Members opposite, I guess, are continuing to propagate the myths that they like
to share with the people of the province. Quite frankly, we're going to be very
honest and tell people of the province exactly what we're doing.
If the
Members opposite had shown up at discussions around equalization, maybe we'd be
in a different space today, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Opposition House
Leader.
MR. HUTCHINGS:
Mr. Speaker, this
administration did show up but it resulted in a $2 billion payment in 2005 and
offset payments to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. HUTCHINGS:
Mr. Speaker,
Budget 2016
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
The hon.
the Opposition House Leader.
MR. HUTCHINGS:
Budget 2016
identified $300 million more in program services and overall net expenditures
increased by $800 million than the previous year.
I ask
the Minister of Finance: Will this budget see additional growth again this year?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Finance and President of Treasury Board.
MS. C. BENNETT:
Mr. Speaker, again, I want to
thank the Member opposite for the opportunity to stand up and speak today. I
would suggest, though, that accepting a lump sum payment when you don't
understand the view to the future and the risks associated with that, it's not
really a win.
Secondly, with regard to his question about spending in the budget tomorrow,
I'll be pleased to provide the Members of this House transparency into that when
I stand up tomorrow.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Opposition House
Leader.
MR. HUTCHINGS:
Mr. Speaker, I advise the
minister as well, in 2012 there was a Finance Ministers' meeting across Canada
where input was given to equalization. In 2014, then the late Minister Flaherty
didn't introduce changes to the equalization formula. So she needs to get some
more research done. She knows exactly what's going on in regard to financing in
the country, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. HUTCHINGS:
Mr. Speaker, on Monday, the Finance Minister admitted that oil revenues have
increased due to production being four times higher than 2015.
I ask
the minister: Will you acknowledge the impact of the improved oil revenues in
tomorrow's budget or will you view it as being addicted to oil?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Finance and President of Treasury Board.
MS. C. BENNETT:
Mr. Speaker, the Member
opposite in his preamble referred again to the discussions around equalization
in prior years and somehow takes credit for conversations that actually didn't
yield anything.
Mr.
Speaker, the fact is that the Members opposite, when they were in government,
did not understand the risks to our province when it came to oil prices. What I
can tell the Member opposite is I'm going to be, we will be, as transparent in
this House in our budget around oil prices and the facts about oil prices as we
have been all year long on the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador's Finance
webpage, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Opposition House
Leader.
MR. HUTCHINGS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Will the
Minister of Finance commit today to easing the burden placed on people by last
year's budget and commit to cancel the lazy Liberal tax grabs that impact people
and business so negatively in our Province?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Finance and President of Treasury Board.
MS. C. BENNETT:
Mr. Speaker, I can assure the
Member opposite that lazy is a word that I intend to eradicate from their
language when they talk about the work of this government.
Mr.
Speaker, the Members on this side have been working extremely hard to fix the
laziness of the other administration who didn't plan for where we were going to
be with oil prices, who didn't plan for where we were going to be with
production and who also didn't understand that when you have an economy built on
a boom and bust mentality, that that does not inspire a diversified economy.
It's what this side of the House is working on. We will fix their laziness, Mr.
Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Mount
Pearl North.
MR. KENT:
That wasn't very nice, Mr.
Speaker.
People
on the Burin Peninsula are hearing that as part of the identified health care
savings in this year's budget, there will be significant changes to the
operations at the health care centres in Grand Bank and St. Lawrence.
Will the
Burin Peninsula see a reduction in health care services as a result of
Budget 2017?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Health and Community Services.
MR. HAGGIE:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
I'm
really pleased to be able to stand in the House. It's been a while since I had a
question from the Opposition Health critic. I've done my best over my short
tenure here to try and answer those questions accurately and truthfully, and
also to provide information to the House on those occasions when I haven't had
the facts immediately to hand.
It's
with some ambivalence I stand here today knowing that after my last exchange
with the Member opposite he went immediately to page on social media to accuse
me of lying in the House, to this House, manipulating the words and playing with
words. So on this occasion, maybe he could stay off his machine long enough for
me to answer the question.
Consultations between the population who live on the Burin Peninsula and Eastern
Health will continue as to how best to provide primary care.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Mount
Pearl North.
MR. KENT:
When he doesn't want to tell
the truth, Mr. Speaker, he gets personal, and they certainly don't like what I'm
reporting
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
I ask
the Member to retract the statement he just made.
MR. KENT:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I
retract the statement.
Last
year we saw cuts to X-ray services, and now, even in light of the minister's
comments, people on the Burin Peninsula should be even more concerned about
losing lab services and have clinic hours reduced.
Can the
minister confirm that there will be changes in 2017? He's confirmed that there
are discussions ongoing. Will he confirm that there will in fact be impact on
health services on the Burin Peninsula in 2017?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Health and Community Services.
MR. HAGGIE:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
The
thrust of this department, as with the government on this side of the House, is
to transform the way health care in this province is delivered.
I would
remind the Member opposite, for the last year for which we have figures, that
under their watch we spent in this province $7,130 per person on health care.
The comparator at that time was $5,998 per capita for the Canadian average. For
that difference of just shy of $1,200, we have not seen and continue as yet not
to see any benefit to the health and the care of the people in this province. We
cannot continue to spend money the way we have. We need to do things
differently, and we can do.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Mount
Pearl North.
MR. KENT:
So doing things differently
will result in less services available to the people of the Burin Peninsula at
some point this year.
Last
year's budget slashed over $9 million from the province's Home Support Program.
This devastating cut had a tremendously negative outcome for so many individuals
and families who relied on that essential care.
Can
families expect further cuts to home care in 2017?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Health and Community Services.
MR. HAGGIE:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
To
follow on from a question from the Third Party yesterday, in late fall we
received a report from Deloitte Consulting. In there, there is a 24 or maybe
25-point implementation plan for home care and revamping the value of the home
care dollars.
We have
begun to implement that and we are continuing to roll that out to ensure we get
the best value for home support dollars in this province.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Mount
Pearl North.
MR. KENT:
So it sounds like there are
more cuts coming to home care as well.
Last
year's budget almost completely eliminated the Adult Dental Program. Recognizing
the importance of oral health on a person's overall health and well-being, will
the Liberal government reverse this damaging decision?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Finance and President of Treasury Board.
MS. C. BENNETT:
Mr. Speaker, the Member
opposite for the last number of weeks has been throwing out numbers as if he has
information that I don't understand he would have. He's been in the public
saying that members in the Department of Finance, officials in the Department of
Finance have been giving him information. He has gone out in public and said
there are going to be hundreds of millions of dollars cut from health care.
Mr.
Speaker, if that Member opposite has access to information in the Department of
Finance and senior officials he's accusing of breaking their oath of public
office, I would ask him to provide me that information, or the other alternative
is that the Member opposite enjoys bluffing this House.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Mount
Pearl North.
MR. KENT:
They don't like the
questions, Mr. Speaker, and, frankly we, don't like the answers. Very few are
forthcoming today, and this is only causing people to be more concerned about
what's coming tomorrow.
Budget 2016
cut funding to
over-the-counter medication for seniors and slashed funding for diabetic
supplies. Following major cuts last year, will tomorrow's budget once again
target the province's Prescription Drug Program?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Health and Community Services.
MR. HAGGIE:
Mr. Speaker, the answer to
that question I actually gave yesterday. We have 130,000 people registered for
the NLPDP, of whom 103,000 are active users of the program. For over-the-counter
drug supplies the last figures I had those are actually available, on special
authorization, if a prescriber feels they are of clinical need to the patient
and benefit. We have had 410 out of 103,000 applications and they have been
granted. By my calculation, that's 0.019 per cent.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Conception Bay East Bell Island.
MR. BRAZIL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Will
Budget 2017 put to rest the fears your government has created with the number of
public sector layoffs yet to come? Will you lay out the details of your public
sector job reduction plan tomorrow?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Education and Early Childhood Development.
MR. KIRBY:
Mr. Speaker, the budget is
going to be delivered tomorrow. I hope in the budget debate that ensues, the
Member who just spoke, does not continue to display a complete ignorance of the
kindergarten to grade 12 system in this province.
Last
year after the budget, he stood over there and demanded that we eliminate
multi-grading in this province, which has existed for decades and decades, which
would require the hiring of 500 new teachers, 500 new classrooms and the dollar
value on the teachers alone is about $46 million. So I hope at least we can have
an informed discussion about the budget this year, unlike the foolishness that
the Member has been getting on with since the budget was delivered last year.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Cape
St. Francis.
MR. K. PARSONS:
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
I ask
the minister: Have you budgeted funding to support the $100 million fisheries
fund?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Premier.
PREMIER BALL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
We'll be
happy to actually budget government money to support the Atlantic Fisheries
Fund. We've always said that we will be there willing to invest in the fishing
industry in our province, Mr. Speaker. I think now is more of a critical time
than ever.
I just
want to go back to a question that came up earlier in Question Period when it
was so important they make the fishery they pretend that the fishery is so
important to them. What they did just a few Question Periods ago, Mr. Speaker,
is that the former premier actually put the fixed link, last year's budget,
ahead of the fisheries crisis that currently the province is facing.
So, Mr.
Speaker, we're going to work with the fishing industry. We'll be working with
harvesters, plant workers and processors. We will be there as a government to
support that industry.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Cape
St. Francis.
MR. K. PARSONS:
Mr. Speaker, I'd like to
remind the Premier that it was two days after the cuts came down in the shrimp
fishery that you decided to call the Minister of Fisheries.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. K. PARSONS:
And that's so important.
After
the dust settles from this week's budget in Newfoundland and Labrador, we will
continue to hold the title as the only province in entire country to have a book
tax?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Finance and President of Treasury Board.
MS. C. BENNETT:
Mr. Speaker, I thank the
Member opposite for the question. As we described in last year's budget, we will
be undertaking a tax review. That tax review is designed to ensure that the
competiveness of both our personal income tax, corporate income tax is intact
and any discussions or decisions around tax changes, which there will be none in
the budget tomorrow tax increases I should say, will be made as part of that
review.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Fortune Bay Cape La Hune.
MS. PERRY:
Government's job is to create
and support the economic climate to encourage new business and economic
opportunities.
What
actions will you take in Budget 2017 to establish tax incentives for small
business growth?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation.
MR. MITCHELMORE:
Mr. Speaker, we have a very
progressive small business tax. We have it at 3 per cent. It's the third lowest
in the country, which is very good at being able to support small business in
Newfoundland and Labrador.
I
visited a small business yesterday that is hiring new workers, that's growing.
There are a variety of programs that my department has to help with
competiveness, technology, productivity. As well as when we look at the labour
component, the Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Labour has various
supports that we do to remain competitive, to advance key sectors.
The Way Forward highlighted a significant amount of initiatives as
to how we're going to grow the economy, whether it be in traditional industries
or whether it be in the technology sector.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Mount
Pearl North.
MR. KENT:
Mr. Speaker, we confirmed
this morning that several members of the board of directors of Marble Mountain
were terminated by the Liberal government this morning.
Can the
minister confirm that that's in fact the case and please explain to this hon.
House why those actions have happened?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation.
MR. MITCHELMORE:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
As
minister responsible for the Marble Mountain Development Corporation, I can
confirm that all expired members for the Marble Mountain Development Corporation
were terminated. Any member that was not expired has continued in their
position.
The
Marble Mountain Development Corporation and Marble Mountain is a key
infrastructure asset to the West Coast of the province and we will continue to
operate and grow Marble Mountain and the West Coast to its full potential, and
we want to certainly have the goal of ensuring that it is sustainable.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for St.
John's East Quidi Vidi.
MS. MICHAEL:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
During
the 2015 election, the current government committed to do a comprehensive review
of government's real estate portfolio and determine how best to enhance its
public value.
I ask
the Premier: Has he kept his promise of a compressive review?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Premier.
PREMIER BALL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Well, as
part of The Way Forward for
Newfoundland and Labrador for growth and sustainability in our province, one of
the things we want to take a real in-depth look at was how we use government
buildings, government assets, Mr. Speaker, and all of this in light of reducing
the government footprint.
Mr.
Speaker, we've exceeded expectations so far and making sure that we use
government buildings appropriately wherever possible. All of this in mind to
make sure we cut the waste out of government, we use government buildings
efficiently, Mr. Speaker. We will take every single opportunity where there's a
way to save money for taxpayers of Newfoundland and Labrador to appropriately
use the assets that we have available to us that is government owned, Mr.
Speaker. We're doing that, we're exceeding expectations, and that plan will
continue.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for St.
John's East Quidi Vidi.
MS. MICHAEL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Exceeding expectations? During the 2015 campaign, the Liberals stated that their
plan for selling government real estate would provide $50 million a year in
revenue but this week Hoyles-Escasoni was sold for a mere $650,000.
I ask
the Premier: Does government's plan consist of selling off public assets at fire
sale prices instead of waiting until markets pick up again?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Premier.
PREMIER BALL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Well,
there's one thing about selling a building, there's another thing about looking
at the cost of keeping that asset that was no longer being used by government to
actually financing that. In this particular case, the asset that the Member is
asking about was costing government $100,000 a year to keep in place, Mr.
Speaker. So it wasn't only about the revenue that would have been generated from
that asset, it was about the cost to government to actually supporting that
asset in the current situation.
Added to
that, Mr. Speaker, there were significant environmental liabilities to the tune
of some $4 million. So when you package that all together, there is a
significant savings for this province, Mr. Speaker. Number one, to get rid of
the environmental liability number one, there was revenue generated; and,
number two, to reduce the cost of requirement on that particular asset.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for St.
John's Centre.
MS. ROGERS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
To
continue the discussion on the assets, the federal government has renewed its
surplus properties program that provides government properties across the
country for affordable housing and shelter projects. The province also has
valuable assets that can be used for such projects.
I ask
the Premier: Why has he not stopped the sale of all provincial assets until
government has fully consulted with community organizations and municipalities
about the potential use of government property for affordable housing and
shelter projects?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Transportation and Works.
MR. HAWKINS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
As the
Premier has already said, we are certainly looking at all the assets we have. We
have to realize that some of the assets we have taken from the previous
administration are assets that have been lying dormant for quite some time.
One of
the first things I did when I became minister is look at some of the assets and
look at some of the problems we were facing. I engaged some discussions with
some private companies and talking about that, and one of the things that was
very clear to me is that as we continue to let these building dilapidate, it
gets to a point there is not much option for us other than to dispose of it.
Really, the use of it and looking at the environmental problems that are there,
continue to be a challenge. As we go forward, all assets that we have, we will
look at it as an opportunity to either dispose of or to reuse.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for St.
John's Centre.
MS. ROGERS:
Mr. Speaker, I am asking the
minister, could he, please, table any analysis that he has done. Has he
consulted with community groups, municipalities, housing advocates who are
clearly saying they need these types of properties? They can be used for the
provincial, federal and municipal housing plans.
Have
they done that work? And, if so, let's see the analysis.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Transportation and Works.
MR. HAWKINS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
It all
sounds great, Mr. Speaker. When you look at any redevelopment of, no matter
what, if it's housing or older buildings, there is always a cost factor that is
involved in that.
Mr.
Speaker, when we look at whether we are going to dispose of an asset that we
have, certainly we look at it and we have that discussion. We determine the best
option for that. One of the things and challenges we are faced with, Mr.
Speaker, is the fact that we have to deal with some very, very difficult
decisions with regard to assets or properties that we had.
We
continue to work through that, Mr. Speaker, and we determine whether it makes
sense for us to dispose of that property, or if, in fact, there are other
opportunities. Especially when there are environmental issues and problems and
it's easy for the Members to talk about.
MR. SPEAKER (Osborne):
Order, please!
MR. HAWKINS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The time for Question Period
has expired.
Presenting Reports by Standing and Select Committees.
Tabling
of Documents.
Tabling of
Documents
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Finance and President of Treasury Board.
MS. C. BENNETT:
Excuse me, Mr. Speaker.
Mr.
Speaker, pursuant to section 26(5)(a) of the
Financial Administration Act, I am tabling one Order in Council
relating to a funding pre-commitment for the 2018-2019, and the 2019-2020 fiscal
years, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER:
In accordance with section
19(5)(a) of the House of Assembly
Accountability, Integrity and Administration Act, I hereby table the minutes
of the House of Assembly Management Commission meeting held on February 27,
2017.
Further
tabling of documents.
Notices
of Motion.
Notices of Motion
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Finance and President of Treasury Board.
MS. C. BENNETT:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr.
Speaker, I give notice that I will ask leave to introduce a bill entitled, An
Act To Amend The Public Service Pensions Act, 1991. (Bill 7)
MR. SPEAKER:
Further notices of motion?
The hon.
the Government House Leader.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Mr. Speaker, I give notice
that I will ask leave to introduce a bill entitled, An Act To Amend The House Of
Assembly Accountability, Integrity And Administration Act No. 2. (Bill 8)
MR. SPEAKER:
Further notices of motion?
Answers
to Questions for which Notice has been Given.
Petitions.
Petitions
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Fortune Bay Cape La Hune.
MS. PERRY:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
A
petition 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
Budget 2016 implemented a regressive
tax on books in this province; and
WHEREAS
Newfoundland and Labrador is the only province in the country to have such tax;
and
WHEREAS
the tax will undoubtedly affect literacy rates in this province, as well as
negatively impact local authors and publishers;
WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the House
of Assembly to urge government to cancel this ill-conceived book tax
immediately.
And as
in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.
Mr.
Speaker, this is the last opportunity we have before Budget 2017 is brought down
to implore upon our colleagues opposite to eliminate this regressive tax in
tomorrow's budget. As well as many of the other regressive taxes that have
resulted in the worst economy we've seen in this province in decades.
This
book tax in particular is harming our young people, it's harming our seniors,
it's harming our entrepreneurs. We cannot afford to withstand much more of this
type of regressive policies and continue to have hope for this province, because
education is the very foundation, as we hear so many people get up and speak
about in this House, the very foundation of economic growth, economic stability.
We are calling upon this government to eliminate this tax in tomorrow's budget.
Thank
you very much, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
Orders of the Day
Private Members'
Day
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
It being
Private Members' Day, I call on the Member for Stephenville Port au Port to
present his private Member's resolution.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. FINN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
WHEREAS
most gas stations and fast-food restaurants/drive-throughs across the province
have no recycling bins available for travelling motorists; and
WHEREAS
Newfoundland and Labrador has the lowest recycling rate in Canada.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that this hon. House recognizes the importance of
increasing recycling in the province, and urges government to consider
legislation requiring recycling containers be present at fast-food
restaurants/drive-throughs and gas stations.
Mr.
Speaker, that is the private Member's resolution as it stands that I introduced
this past Monday, and was seconded by the Member for Lab West. I just want to
take a moment for those who might be listening to put some, I guess, information
behind what a private Member's resolution is. A private Member's resolution is
referring to a private Member; a private Member in this House of Assembly would
be anyone who is a not a minister. So a private Member would be anyone who is
not a minister of the Cabinet. It would also include Members of the Opposition,
the Third Party, as well as any Independent Member.
Mr.
Speaker, I say that just to kind of clarify because as a private Member in this
caucus, we would discuss ideas from time to time. The idea which I'm looking to
talk about today is something that was specifically brought up to me in my
district. It's also something that I felt quite strongly about.
Recycling, waste management, littering and seeing how we can reduce our
footprint in general is something that I've really taken great notice to,
particularly over these last 15 months. That's because the district which I'm so
fortune to represent is some-775 kilometres from the City of St. John's. So
oftentimes, while I certainly do travel via Stephenville Airport to St. John's,
via Deer Lake Airport and so on, there are times in which I drive across this
province. The drive from Stephenville to St. John's can run you anywhere from 7½
to 8½ hours, and depending on weather it could run you longer.
One
thing I've really noticed as I embark on this drive and I happened to do the
drive at least four times since the beginning of January of this year. One thing
I do notice is that during this duration, you would have to stop several times
to fill up gas. Each time that I would do so, be it in Deer Lake or Bishop's
Falls, or Clarenville or anywhere along the way for that matter, I would stop at
gas stations and then I would often find myself running to a different fast-food
establishment for a coffee or a snack, if you will, and each time it just struck
me that there was no symbolism of what we commonly see around various
establishments and buildings, these blue boxes and the symbolism that the blue
box carries with respect to encouraging recycling.
So that
kind of dawned on me, it had me having a conversation with individuals in the
district. I actually also specifically spoke to environmental health officers
who work with Service NL. I have friends of mine and individuals in the district
who work in these positions and they informed me that they visit these
establishments annually and sometimes, more frequently, to do a variety of
protocols and checks around the waste management protocol, around food
inspection and what have you. It kind of got me thinking that we already have
individuals in this province, in this government, under the Department of
Service NL that visits these various establishments to look at their rationales,
their protocols and procedures and it kind of got me thinking how is that we
can't think about another way where we can just incorporate another aspect.
I guess
in the spirit of the motion what I want to make clear to the Members opposite
I'll certainly look forward to their support today and am really interested in
hearing what they would have to share. The spirit of the motion is to start a
conversation and it's to start a conversation about recycling and how we can do
better.
When we
begin looking at some of the research, to understand that Newfoundland and
Labrador has the lowest recycling rate in the country, yet we have the second
lowest population, it's quite astonishing. Prince Edward Island has the highest
rate of recycling in the country. Obviously, they have a smaller population than
Newfoundland and Labrador but with us having the second lowest population, you'd
like to think we would be somewhere up there in the higher ranks. You'd like to
think that we could do something a bit better.
The ads
that we often hear and it will stick with me, ever since my childhood.
Newfoundland and Labrador: It's Yours Keep It Clean. I don't think there's a
Member in this House or many that are maybe listening at home or elsewhere that
would not have heard these ads: Newfoundland and Labrador: It's Yours Keep It
Clean.
In fact,
the billboards with that ad are plastered all across this great province. They
plastered all across this great province, so I'm just thinking this particular
time of year we're going to see some of the snow melt, hopefully. I'm sure it
will melt in the metro region here and on the Avalon a lot sooner than Central
and perhaps in West and in Labrador as well. But it's the time of year, Mr.
Speaker, where you actually start to see the litter rearing its ugly face and
you start to see when that snow melts, there are wrappers, cans and coffee cups,
a variety of litter and garbage.
We
promote ourselves as a top tourist destination. We certainly do, and there's so
much to do. We do a wonderful job of keeping some of our parks clean and some of
our national parks clean. There are municipalities in this province that do a
fantastic job when it comes to recycling and waste management.
I
understand there is a varying degree of governance structure involved when we
talk about waste management and recycling. A lot of this falls right now with
municipalities. But I believe that there is a role for government to play.
Again, the motion states that I would like us to consider legislation. I would
wish to be on the record to say that any time we could consider legislation
because this is not a legislative motion here today; this is a resolution. Any
time we would consider legislation, we would have to consult with stakeholders
in the industry.
In fact,
we would love to consult with the stakeholders in the industry. By no means
possible does my motion intend to arbitrarily bind any individual business owner
of a gas station or fast-food establishment, no intention to bind them to
partaking in this.
There
are a number of significant challenges, Mr. Speaker, when we look at recycling.
You can picture yourself going through a drive-through and you place your order
and there happens to be a bin there, now most motorists and you'll see them.
You'll see them as you go through these places. They will start emptying out
everything that they have in their car and piling things out.
Some of
the problem lies in the weeds of that. I'm not going belabour that too much now
because while it is a challenge for example, if there was an aluminum tin
recycling bin there and I decided to throw in left-over food, it may contaminate
the product and, therefore, the product may not ever end up being recycled. So
there are a number of challenges there, but I'm raising the issue and I want to
be on the record for raising the issue, and encourage a discussion around this
so we can come up with creative solutions, so we can look at ways how we can do
things better, being the lowest recycling rate in the country.
Now, I
referenced the fact just a few moments ago that there are a couple of different
levels of governance structure here. We obviously have the Provincial Waste
Management Strategy. We have our fine folks at the MMSB, the Multi-Materials
Stewardship Board, and there are different varying degrees of roles in
governance. While municipalities drive a lot of the efforts behind recycling,
some of them do so quite well, and some of them more so than others.
I want
to bring up for a moment the Town of Cape St. George, which is located on the
Port au Port Peninsula. The Town of Cape St. George was awarded in 2015 by the
Federation of Canadian Municipalities a waste reduction award. What Mayor Peter
Fenwick and his council set to achieve was to figure out how they could reduce
what is going into the landfill. They identified that while we have a provincial
waste management strategy, and we have transfer stations, and we'll have various
landfills, they said we're the farthest you could be geographically from this
landfill. So they said, how can we reduce out tonnage of what we put into the
landfill?
So they
took an approach whereby they started a curbside recycling program. They used
funds from their federal gas tax, they went and purchased their own recycling
truck and then they partnered with all their local schools to encourage
recycling. Not only did they get into the recycling, Mr. Speaker, they took it a
step further. They actually recycle Styrofoam. They'll take all the Styrofoam
they receive, they'll put it in a wood chipper, they'll take the final product
of that and then they'll use it to insulate waterlines when a new home is built.
So they're recycling Styrofoam in that fashion.
They
embarked on composting material. They even took it one step further; one thing
we don't recycle in this province is tin cans. So they embarked on a process
where they would recycle tin cans. Any food matter that would have been in a tin
can, they would have them cleaned and what have you. They would bring them to
the local scrapyard where the cars would be ready to be demolished, they would
fill up the cars, then when the car got compacted all of their tin can material
got recycled in that as well.
There
are a couple of things they realized as a result of this exercise, and
rightfully so. They were awarded by the way, as I said, by the Federation of
Canadian Municipalities. Some of the results; a 25 per cent reduction in waste
brought to the transfer station in their first year 25 per cent reduction.
This is from a town that has a population of 948 citizens. This is what they
embarked on.
All
beverage containers in the community are recycled; kitchen waste is diverted
from the landfill for composting. There are fewer greenhouse gas emissions
linked to transporting waste; there's up to a 50 per cent reduction in waste
transfer costs. The school breakfast program is funded entirely through
recycling. The community pride and the town's leadership, the student
involvement in raising awareness, and the less littering and dumping in natural
areas, that's one municipality in this province and the efforts they embarked on
to look at how can they reduce things going to the landfill and how could they
achieve better ways to recycle.
Again,
the spirit of the motion today, I didn't directly pick on fast-food restaurants
and gas stations. I've noted them specifically for travelling motorists.
In the
Town of Cape St. George, residents in their homes have the ability to recycle.
They have the option. The service is there being provided by the municipality.
There are some municipalities where this service is not provided. There are
local service districts that may not be able to provide this type of service,
but the reality is if the service is available to folks at home, they're more
than likely to use it.
When we
talk about travelling motorists, as I mentioned in my opening remarks, how I
often travel some 700-plus kilometres from the West Coast to the East Coast.
Travelling motorists do not have the opportunity to do this. So what we see
happening is we see a lot of material that could be recycled being put directly
into our normal waste, therefore taking up our landfills.
Again,
this being suggested as an area where could look at considering some legislation
simply so that travelling motorists and the public, particularly tourists and
residents who move about the province, would have an opportunity. The symbolism
I believe that this would create, it speaks volumes.
People
are less inclined, and studies have shown this people are less inclined to
litter when they see a clean and pristine area. There are often times and
challenges associated with garbage bins. When someone sees a garbage bin
overflowing they may be inclined to just place trash near or around the area, or
if they took recycling and they didn't know, or they put it in the wrong box and
some of these things, but the reality is the conversation needs to begin.
I think
we're doing some great things with the MMSB, and I think there are a lot of
things we can improve on. I'm going to point to that before I conclude with my
final moment-and-a-half here remarks and we turn it over to the Opposition. I
have a couple of my colleagues who will speak and add their voice to this today,
but this struck me because I brought up the idea again.
As I've
travelled the province it strikes me. It's that time of year now; spring will
show some of the waste and refuge. As well, it's brought up to me by individuals
in the district and individuals who work in departments that service this
industry. When we looked at researching this just early last week, it turns out
that the MMSB actually did do a recent audit and study. They went around and did
an audit of a number of areas across Newfoundland and Labrador. Some 235 audits
determined, and select audits as well, 17 gas stations were audited in this
province and only one of the 17 had ability for a recycling receptacle to be
there.
I'm not
suggesting there are folks that aren't willing to participate, or maybe they
don't have great intentions or want to participate. There would certainly be
infrastructure needs required and training, but the reality is in the research
we've even seen from our own Multi-Materials Stewardship Board, we're actually
being shown the evidence of which I'm suggesting from this motion today.
So with
that, Mr. Speaker, I look forward to hearing from the Members opposite. It would
be very interesting to see what they have to add. Of course, the Members of the
PC Party had a number of initiatives introduced in waste management. This is
just one aspect that I'm looking to speak about today, but I really hope it
sparks the conversation that everyone can be involved in and something that we
can all strive to have a clean and greener environment here in Newfoundland and
Labrador.
Thank
you very much, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Mount
Pearl North.
MR. KENT:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I'm glad
to rise in this House always but surprised to be rising to speak to this
resolution on the eve of another Liberal budget.
Let me
start by saying I support recycling. My kids would be very happy to know that
I'm talking about recycling at any point in time. They are recycling
evangelists. They actually do periodic audits of the buckets in our kitchen to
make sure people are fully complying with getting everything in the right place.
I think that speaks to the level of awareness that the next generation has about
the importance of good environmental citizenship including good recycling
practices, which I've long been a champion of.
Let's
re-read the actual resolution that we're debating today, just so we keep in mind
what we're actually talking about here today.
WHEREAS
most gas stations and fast-food restaurants/drive-throughs across the Province
have no recycling bins available for travelling motorists; and
WHEREAS
Newfoundland and Labrador has the lowest recycling rate in Canada;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that this Honourable House recognizes the importance
of increasing recycling in the Province, and urges the Government to consider
legislation requiring recycling containers be present at fast
food-restaurants/drive-throughs and gas stations.
Yet, the
Member opposite suggests that he's not targeting fast-food restaurants,
drive-throughs and gas stations. When I saw this resolution as surprised as I
was to see it on the eve of budget I decided to reach out to a few businesses
in my district. I contacted a number of fast-food outlets and gas stations, and
all of them said the same thing. They said we support recycling. We're doing
lots of things within our individual businesses to encourage recycling. We have
bins inside our facilities and we do recycle. We're required by law to recycle
to some degree, but they said the concept of putting bins outside is actually
ridiculous and won't solve the problem.
What's
actually called for in this resolution is not supported by players in the
industry that I've consulted with over the last 24 hours. Of all the issues of
concern to people in Newfoundland and Labrador right now, on the eve of another
Liberal budget, is this really the highest priority the governing Liberals can
come up with for one of their three or four private Member's motions this
sitting
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. KENT:
the lack of recycling bins
at places like McDonald's and the need for legislation to change that.
What
about Ottawa reneging on a fisheries fund agreement worth hundreds of millions
of dollars? Is that less important than the lack of recycling bins at Burger
King?
What
about Ottawa ignoring
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER (Warr):
Order, please!
MR. KENT:
fairness on equalization?
MR. SPEAKER:
I ask all hon. Members to
respect the hon. Member who has the floor.
MR. KENT:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
So what
about Ottawa ignoring fairness on equalization, when Quebec is getting $11
billion this year with another balanced budget, and we are seeing tax cuts in
Quebec and spending hikes in health and education, while we get nothing is
that less important than the lack of recycling bins at McDonald's?
What
about the government talking about making further cuts to health care, as we
heard in Question Period today?
MR. A. PARSONS:
A point of order, Mr.
Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER:
Order please!
The hon.
the Government House Leader.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Yes, Mr. Speaker, we are
speaking to a private Member's resolution
AN HON. MEMBER:
What Standing Order?
MR. A. PARSONS:
Forty-eight, thank you. Maybe
the PC leader can stand up after my point of order again, he wouldn't know
what section it was.
Mr.
Speaker, we are speaking to a private Member's resolution that is clearly
defined and on the Order Paper, yet the Member is talking about something that's
completely opposite and is not relevant to the private Member's resolution
that's been made.
I think
that we need to follow the private Member's resolution and keep it relevant to
that, and I would suggest that he speak to the resolution. If he does not want
to support it, he can vote against it. But for him to talk about the things that
he does not want to speak about is completely irrelevant.
Thank
you.
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
I will
take the point of order under advisement and report back to the House.
The hon.
the Member for Mount Pearl North.
MR. KENT:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
It seems
that whenever I rise in the House today, the Members opposite don't like what I
have to say. They don't want to hear it. They just don't want to hear the truth.
But this issue that's being raised today is trivial in comparison to issues like
people's taxes going through the roof. What about government's projections of
30,000 job losses in the next five years? What about ours being the only economy
in the country facing decline? What about deep cuts in shrimp stocks affecting
thousands of families, businesses closing up shop, uncertainty gripping the
province in the absence of an economic plan, shortfalls in seniors' care and
long-term care, shortfalls in mental health care, shortfalls in violence
prevention
MR. KING:
Mr. Speaker, a point of
order.
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. KING:
Section 48, again: relevance, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
I'd
asked the hon. Member to stay relevant to the private Member's resolution as
directed by the Chair.
The hon.
the Member for Mount Pearl North.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. KENT:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Is the
lack of recycling bins at McDonald's really the biggest priority the Liberals
could identify for their very first private Member's motion of the year?
Even if
you take the lack recycling bins at fast-food outlets to be a worthy issue,
deserving of number one priority status for the Liberal caucus for their
legislative sitting, is this the proper approach needed to driving recycling and
pollution prevention, or is it way off the mark? And I would argue, Mr. Speaker,
in the time that hasn't been stolen from me this afternoon, that it is way off
the mark.
What
this resolution is saying is that the province is not recycling enough. The
blame lies at the feet of gas stations, fast-food restaurants and
drive-throughs. Therefore, let's use the heavy hand of legislation to force them
to buy recycling bins and bear the burden of driving recycling or else punish
them with fines or worse.
So the
Liberal solution is let's create new laws, new regulations, new red tape for
employers in the province, the same employers that the Liberals have pummelled
with exorbitant increases in taxes since coming to office. So let's jeopardize
the bottom lines of these employers, jeopardize the profits of these mom-and-pop
enterprises, jeopardize the jobs of minimum wage employees that so many of them
sustain, and drive up the cost to consumers who patronize their businesses.
Was
there any consultation with businesses before coming up with this new policy,
other than the consultation that I did in my own district? It sure doesn't look
like it. When you look at correspondence that everybody in this House received
on April 4 from the director of Provincial Affairs with the Canadian Federation
of Independent Business in the province, it's clear that lots of people weren't
consulted.
Mr.
Vaughn Hammond wrote: On April 5, you will debate a private Member's motion
urging the government to consider legislation requiring recycling containers to
be present at fast-food restaurants, drive-throughs and gas stations. The
Canadian Federation of Independent Business strongly recommends Members of the
House of Assembly unanimously reject this motion.
The
motion seeks to legislate individual behaviour, over which business owners have
very little control. It's an unnecessary burden on fast-food restaurants,
drive-throughs and gas stations, with no guarantee the legislation will be
effective in increasing recycling rates in the province.
The
motion unfairly targets a segment of the business community, thereby implying
the low recycling rates in the province are caused by fast-food restaurants,
drive-throughs and gas stations. It would place a greater cost on those
businesses at a time when they are feeling the pressure of higher taxes and
fees.
In
addition, convenience store and gas station owners have to deal with the effects
of the increase in minimum wage on April 1 and the future increase on October 1.
Many business owners will question why they have to incur the costs of recycling
in the province, as suggested in a CFIB report shared with you in March of 2017.
So the
letter goes on to raise concerns about precedent and encroaching on
municipalities' jurisdiction in the province. But it's clear that the business
community also has lots of concerns with this approach.
Those
statements by the CFIB don't sound like a ringing endorsement of the recycling
policy that we're hearing advanced today. It sounds more like a condemnation. It
sounds like proof of the fact that this idea was poorly conceived, perhaps
scribbled on the back of a napkin at MacDonald's who knows?
If the
government truly wants to increase recycling in the province, it should look at
what the government can do, instead of seeking ways to punish employers and
others for not doing the government's job.
Is
government doing enough at promoting recycling at all of its offices, boards,
agencies and commissions? Because if not, maybe it should get its own house in
order before faulting others. If recycling is not happening, is it because of a
lack of recycling bins or is it a different problem? Perhaps the lack of
infrastructure and services to make recycling feasible. If there are downstream
issues, then a penalty imposed on these businesses won't solve them. It will
simply hurt the enterprises, hurt small businesses in virtually every community
in Newfoundland and Labrador without driving recycling.
So how
is a solution to a pollution problem? The government has the Multi-Material
Stewardship Board at its disposal. What I heard from business owners is that
there can be improvements made to how the whole process works for MMSB as it
involves businesses. So that's where our focus should be. MMSB is well financed.
There is much they do and can do to promote and facilitate recycling, reuse and
reduction of waste.
In fact,
they're been doing really good work, but there are challenges as have been
pointed out to me by business owners in my district. The government ought to
identify the challenges and find effective ways to address them before bringing
out the big stick to clobber small business owners as if they are the source of
the government's woes. This is typical Liberal policy, Mr. Speaker, trying to
find someone else to blame for their own failings.
So the
right approach to this challenge, as with all the others, is to bring people
around the table to discuss it, identify the challenges, dig down into the
complexities to get at the root causes and then try approaches that will
actually make a difference. The carrot usually works better than the stick.
Pollution control works best if it is incentivized, not through punishment, but
through reward, motivation and inspiration.
The last
thing our economy needs is a government smashing battered employers over the
head and jeopardizing more jobs through more red tape and higher levels of
taxation than they already endure.
So how
did such a motion ever pass the smell test to begin with? I know that the Member
opposite and the Premier who defended him in Question Period said well, private
Members can bring forward whatever they want. Who ever said oh yeah, there's the
big challenge our province is facing today and that's what we should use Private
Members' Day in this House to debate?
Fortunately, for businesses in this province, motions like this are non-binding.
So I suppose you could just pass it and then ignore it; hoping everyone will
forget about it and you can slink away to lick your wounds and try better next
time. The truly responsible course of action today would be for all of you to
recognize that this resolution, in its current form, what's specifically stated
in this motion, is just a bad idea. It's poorly thought out, it's poorly written
and it should be voted down.
Just
admit that is was poorly conceived, or perhaps bring in an amendment there is
a process this afternoon that allows for that and take out the offensive
parts. Not much will remain, mind you, but at least you may retain some measure
of dignity for not doing the wrong thing. Next time, I would urge Members on the
government side to spend more time conceiving of the challenges and the ways to
solve them.
There
are plenty of issues that matter to people in Newfoundland and Labrador, plenty
of issues that need to be resolved and plenty of ways to resolve them. So bring
forward some ideas that reflect what people are calling for; things that would
actually work. Back away from the notions of blaming others and of using the
heavy hand of legislation and regulatory penalties to achieve things that good
governance might actually be able to solve.
We all
want to reduce waste, we all promote recycling and we want to keep our province
as pristine as possible, and there's more work to do. There are ways to achieve
that and this is not the way. So start actually listening to employers in the
province, not just on recycling, Mr. Speaker, but on a whole host of issues.
They'll tell you about more than just recycling. They'll tell you about the need
for corporate tax relief, gas tax relief, insurance tax relief and economic
planning that includes creating the conditions for growth.
Businesses are not the enemy. They are the drivers of employment growth. These
firms are the canary in the coal mine that will show you something is
fundamentally wrong when they start to fail. This government has shown a dismal
lack of understanding of the fundamentals of driving economic growth, and that's
why our province is facing economic decline while all other provinces are
turning the corner.
Folks
opposite will say that's political talk. Well, it happens to be the truth, and
it's time for Liberals to go back to school and learn the fundamentals of
driving growth. This motion's approach is a symptom of the wrong-headed approach
that is jeopardizing all the gains that have been made in this province over the
last 11 or 12 years, all the growth and all the job creation, which no one can
deny.
So we've
got to get back to fundamentals that work. Leave the harebrained ideas where
they belong, in the recycling bins of their own offices, perhaps. Listen to what
business owners are actually saying. I talked to gas station owners and
operators. I talked to operators of fast-food outlets who have had recycling
bins in place outdoors. It has created more of a mess; it's created more of a
hazard. People have not put recycling in the right compartments. The bins have
ended up full of garbage. The solution that's being purposed here today hasn't
worked, and there is a better way.
This is
poorly thought out. There are far more important issues that we need to be
talking about on the eve of another devastating Liberal budget, which we will
face tomorrow in the province, Mr. Speaker. We deserve better in this
Legislature, and the people of Newfoundland and Labrador deserve better as well.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Labrador West.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. LETTO:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
It's a
pleasure for me to rise today and to support my colleague for Stephenville
Port au Port in what we are trying to do here today. I can guarantee you and I
just listened to the Member from Mount Pearl North, and I'm astounded at some of
the things that he is saying that is really disrespectful. It's disrespectful to
us as Members of the House of Assembly, and it's disrespectful to the
environment. Now we know where environment stands on their priority list. Mr.
Speaker, I agree. We have some serious, serious issues facing this province, and
we will address them tomorrow in the budget. Just wait for the budget and you
will have a different story to tell, I might add.
What we
are trying to do today is not heavy-hand businesses, small businesses, gas
stations, drive-throughs, restaurants. We are doing what we are elected to do,
and that's to start the conversation on improving what we have in place. Because
what we have in place today is obviously not working.
AN HON. MEMBER:
Lowest rate in the country.
MR. LETTO:
We have the lowest rate of
recycling in the country. Now, I spent some time on the MMSB, and I respect that
organization. It's a great organization and it's done a lot of great work for
this province. Especially around the Waste Management Strategy and the recycling
that has taken place. There are a lot of good stories to be told about recycling
in Newfoundland and Labrador.
One of
the places that I always like to refer to for success stories are the schools.
The schools have done enormous work and some great work on recycling, and they
have used that recycling revenue to fund many, many important field trips,
whether it is sports trips, whether it is activities within schools. Many
schools use recycling as a means of fundraising for those very important events.
What the
MMSB is also recognized for, Mr. Speaker, is that there is room for improvement,
and we need to start that discussion. That is all my colleague is saying here
today with this private Member's resolution. Yes, there are many important
issues in this province on the eve of the budget, and there will be many
important issues after the budget. But what we are doing here today is we are
using the private Member's resolution process, which is what it is, a private
Member's resolution, to start the conversation on improving the recycling in
this province. One of the ways we need to do that is to look at what's not
working today.
The MMSB
through its audits, through its reports, have identified and my colleague, the
Member for Stephenville Port au Port, referred to it in his comments. The
audit that was done on gas stations, drive-throughs and convenience stores was
really very, very poor. Because of that, the MMSB had identified these outlets
as a possibility and an opportunity and a potential to improve recycling
percentages.
Mr.
Speaker, the MMSB set out, some time ago, a target for 70 per cent recycling in
this province. We have not met that. In fact if we meet 65, it's a good year. So
we have to improve. It's for the sake of our Waste Management Strategy. It's for
the sake of the environment that we have to look at ways to improve, and the
MMSB has identified that.
One of
the things that they've identified when you talk about these outlets and when
they get the most business and the most traffic because there are times of the
year right now after a major snow storm, say, in Central, common sense would
tell you that recycling bins may not be appropriate for days like today. One of
the things that was recognized by the MMSB in their research is that the
greatest consumption of products occurs from June to August.
Now,
just think about it. June to August in this province, that's the peak of our
tourism season, it's the peak of our stay-home travels, stay-home vacation
people who like to take time off those months and travel around the province. So
it's an opportunity and it's a time when these actions are at its largest.
They've
identified this time period as the largest gap between sales and recovery,
between June to August. That's the largest gap that we see in the recycling
process in this province and it's an opportunity to bring that percentage up to
70 per cent or higher, for that matter. That's what we need to do.
They
have also identified that MMSB, through their marketing process, have to be in
the market during that time period, during this period. When you look at that,
that's where our greatest opportunity lies. Mr. Speaker, one of the things that
they also identified and it's really disappointing because they've also
identified that when purchasing a product from a convenience store, gas station,
it is more likely than not that the item will not end up in your recyclable bag
destined for a green depot, and that's all we're saying.
We're
not out there heavy handed on small business. It's an opportunity for small
business because, I'll tell you why, statistics have shown that since 1997 more
than 2.4 billion beverage containers, or 151,000 metric tons of material has
been diverted from landfills and recycled into other products as a result of the
beverage program. That's what we're targeting here, mostly the beverage program.
The
beverage program directly supports approximately 125 full-time and 110 part-time
positions throughout the province. Now that may not seem like big numbers, but
it's employment, and it's an opportunity to improving the recycling process.
There's an opportunity to increase those numbers. Isn't that what we're all
about? Isn't that what the Opposition keeps saying every day, that we're
crushing jobs, we're getting rid of jobs and all this good stuff.
According to Statistics Canada, investing $1 in waste management and remediation
in Newfoundland and Labrador results in 77 cents worth of direct and indirect
GDP. As such, over $155 million in GDP growth has resulted in waste management
investments made to the beverage program since the program began.
Mr.
Speaker, this is not about destroying small business not at all. It's all
about the discussion, and starting a discussion around how we improve on
recycling, how we improve the opportunities for small business, how we can
improve the opportunities for employment, how we can improve the environment.
Because, Mr. Speaker, if we don't do it, then when it comes time it may be too
late for somebody else.
It's a
responsibility we have to take upon ourselves, is to respect the environment.
That's all my colleague is saying today, is starting the discussion. We're not
going out tomorrow and implementing a law on small business.
As he
stated in his remarks, if we were to consideration legislation if we were to
move ahead with legislation, small businesses, the MMSB would be part of the
discussion and would be part of the consultation. We're not going to do anything
that impacts the sustainability or the profitability or the viability of a small
business. We are here to help them, and that's what we will do.
So, Mr.
Speaker, when you look at our legislation right now, we have legislation around
littering, we have legislation around waste management, but we have no
legislation really around recycling. We have to start somewhere. The recycling
that's been promoted has been promoted through the MMSB, and they have done a
real good job of it.
The
province's Environmental Protection Act,
for instance, does address recycling as part of a waste management system, but
there is no obligation attached when it comes to businesses, either collecting
waste or directing them and how that should be collecting. That's what this is
all about. It's to bring it into the 21st century.
Environment is so important today. We all hear about climate change and how we
are not paying any respect for the environment. I go back to it again, as the
Member from Mount Pearl North got up and said how trivial a matter this is. Mr.
Speaker, this is not trivial. The environment is not trivial, not at all,
because if we treat it as such, then our grandchildren and our great
grandchildren won't have an environment to respect because it will be destroyed.
So, Mr.
Speaker, it is not trivial, and I disagree with what the Member for Mount Pearl
North is saying. Yes, we have many important issues, there's no question about
it. We have many important issues in this province, but, Mr. Speaker, we are not
saying here today that we're going to drop those important issues and focus all
our attention on recycling. That's not what we're saying.
What we
are saying today is that it is time for us as a government to pay some respect
to the environment and to look at ways of how we can improve what we are doing
today, because we need to. That's what the Member from Stephenville Port au
Port is advocating today is to start the conversation. Not to put this as more
important than anything else, because we have many important things to deal
with. Everyone that the Member for Mount Pearl North said are very important
issues, I agree. They are all very important, but so is the environment.
Right
now, Mr. Speaker, all aspects of our recycling efforts are being driven by
municipalities. That is true, because I was a member of a municipality for 20
years. I know what we have to do regarding waste management and the recycling
process. I'm well aware of that, and we did it. We did it, Mr. Speaker, we did
it.
We did
it because we did it in the best interests of the environment and the best
interests of our towns and our cities. We did it because it was the right thing
to do, but, Mr. Speaker, towns and cities can't do it alone. We have a role to
play. Everybody, every resident in this province has a role to play when it
comes to the environment and to recycling, and that's what we're trying to do
here. Is to try to get everybody involved to raise the awareness that we need to
look after our environment, and we need to do a better job at our recycling
process.
The
Member for Mount Pearl North alluded to it that many small businesses feel that
the recycling bins they may have had in place are creating more mess. That may
be true, that may be true. What that tells me is we need to work with those
businesses to look at a different process, look at a better process. Because the
first stab at it didn't work and created more problems doesn't mean we have to
drop it all together. It doesn't mean that. It means we have to look at new ways
to implement it.
That's
all we're saying here today, is we're willing to start that discussion with
small businesses, with the gas stations, with the drive-throughs, with the
fast-food outlets, with the restaurants. All we're saying is we're willing to
sit down with them and look at ways of how we can improve this, because it's in
all our best interests.
We're
not going in there and be heavy handed like the Member suggests not at all,
it's not our intention. We respect the importance of small business in this
province. We know small business is a very important part of this province,
especially in the rural parts of the province. Small businesses are very
important. We don't want to do anything to destroy that.
As the
Minister of TCII said earlier today, we have one of the lowest small business
taxes in the country, and we want to maintain that. This is not about increasing
taxes. This is not about increasing taxes at all.
For the
Member for Mount Pearl North to get up today and try to elaborate on how trivial
this was, and the Leader of the Opposition did it in Question Period by leading
off Question Period trying to say how trivial this was, really shows how they
feel about the environment. They have no respect for the environment at all,
none, and to say that we're trying to hijack the system, the small businesses in
this province is totally ridiculous. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Mr.
Speaker, nothing could be further from the truth. We have no intentions of
putting a heavy burden on small business no intentions whatsoever. What we're
prepared to do is work with them to improve the systems that they have in place.
They recognize how important it is to the environment. They recognize it, and
they want to find a way as well to improve the system that they have, knowing
full-well that what's in place right now is not working. It's not working, Mr.
Speaker. All we're doing today is trying to start the conversation, to find a
way together to make it work.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
I remind
the hon. Member that his speaking time has expired.
The hon.
the Member for Conception Bay South.
MR. PETTEN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr.
Speaker, I always enjoy to get to my feet in the House whether it be Question
Period, petitions, bills, private Members' motions and I don't mind getting up
speaking to this; but, as my colleague spoke before, Mount Pearl North, he was
pretty clear and gave a lot of precise examples and he passed his view along on
this private Member's motion.
I just
listened to the Member for Lab West there we all support recycling. On a
personal level, I recycle everything. I compost. Literally, I'm into it, but
it's done by our municipality and it's not legislated upon you. It's done
through municipalities they bring in the program, residents by into it; it's
done on a municipal level.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. PETTEN:
Mr. Speaker, the peanut
gallery is alive and well over there, but I'd like to have my few minutes to say
my piece on this, as I just sat and listened intently to what the Members
opposite had to say.
Municipalities usually are the ones behind bringing in this sort of program, so
now we're going to legislate behaviour to a certain degree. If you own a
drive-through, or restaurant or gas bar, you're going to be legislated to incur
an expense by customers coming into your store.
There is
a way around it. Public awareness and recycling has come a long way. The former
administration, MMSB grew in leaps and bounds under their administration. Again,
I'll reiterate, we believe in recycling. It's not a matter of us against
recycling, absolutely not. Like I said, on a personal level, I challenge anyone
else in this House to be doing any more in recycling and caring about the
environment than I do, and I'm sure my colleagues around me are as well.
So on
that note, that's not what we're debating. What we're debating is we're in here
in this House the day before another budget, the second budget of this
administration, we do not know what's coming. The public don't know what's
coming. Everything has been at a standstill for the last 16 months. Everyone is
wondering where they stand tomorrow evening at 3:30. And here we are bringing in
a private Member's motion on recycling in restaurants, drive-throughs and gas
bars. Give me break! This is ridiculous.
I know
this gentlemen he owns Tim Horton's stores. He owns several of them, and he's
disgusted. He heard about this yesterday and his words were: It's disgusting. He
said as a matter of fact if he's legislated, he's not going to abide by those
rules because he said they tried it. They had it there in their stores. It
became an eyesore even though they're coffee shops, they're in the form of a
restaurant now with donuts and coffee cups, and everything hanging out of
these bins. It wasn't working.
There
are ways around it. There are other things they can do. He doesn't want any
government legislating him how to look after the environment, how to encourage
people to recycle. He owns that business. He runs a good operation. He'll deal
with that. He doesn't need this Liberal government telling him how to recycle.
None of us do.
This
operation, I should say, across
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. PETTEN:
gets up in this House Monday when everyone is sitting home wondering what's in
store for Thursday and the big private Member's resolution it's outrageous.
So you
read this resolution: WHEREAS most gas stations and fast food
restaurants/drive-throughs across the Province have no recycling bins available
for travelling motorists;
AND
WHEREAS Newfoundland and Labrador has the lowest recycling rate in Canada;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that this Honourable House recognizes the importance
of increasing recycling in the Province, and urges the Government to consider
legislation requiring recycling containers be present at fast food
restaurants/drive-throughs and gas stations.
That's
brilliant. That is absolutely brilliant. Everyone really felt good when they
heard that private Member's motion Monday that we're in good hands. It's great.
We're in good hands.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please! Order, please!
The
Speaker's really having difficulty hearing the hon. Member speak. So I'd ask for
co-operation from all hon. Members in this House.
The hon.
the Member for Conception Bay South.
MR. PETTEN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Obviously, I'm hitting a lot of nerves over there, but they can continue on.
They don't want to hear this. Again, I will come back and say it again: We
support recycling. We believe in recycling. We believe in the environment. This
is not our issue.
Mr.
Speaker, the CFIB come out yesterday they sent a letter out to everyone here
in this House. Everyone was copied on that letter. Obviously, Members opposite
either decided not to read it; not to give it any attention. The CFIB is a very
outspoken group representing businesses. They are not pro-government. I don't
see it. They are always on all sides of the fence; they speak their mind. If you
read their letter, they want us to unanimously reject this motion because they
do not want government legislating businesses on their customers' behaviour.
Just
think about that. Of all the taxes this government has imposed upon all of these
businesses in the last year, now they're going to demand them to have a blue
recycling container by every door and every corner of every building and collect
the Pepsi bottles and cardboard cups. Again, we're not opposed to the
environment, but this is absolutely ridiculous. For a government opposite to get
up and to be so proud of what they're presenting, it's absolutely outrageous.
There's
another thing the CFIB are saying, Mr. Speaker. The motion seeks to legislate
individual behaviour, over which business owners have very little control. It's
an unnecessary burden on fast-food restaurants, drive-throughs and gas stations,
with no guarantee the legislation will be effective in increasing recycling
rates in the province.
Again,
it comes back to another common theme. There's no analysis done. The general
public do not trust this government, for good reason. There's not a single thing
they say or do that most people have seen any real results with. It's another
one of their pie in the sky; we'll try this.
We heard
earlier about the asset sales. They got $1.3 million out of $50 million per
year now so we should be hitting around $70 million; we got $1.3 million. So I
guess that exudes all the confidence in the world. We all feel really good now.
Now we're going to do this. But obviously they never read this letter, Mr.
Speaker. This letter is not something they want to read or absorb. After reading
this letter, if they really took it serious, they would have taken their private
Member's motion and amended it, changed it, or threw it out. Maybe they should
have just thrown it in the shredder.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. PETTEN:
Anyway, here it is, we're
here in the House, we're debating it boy, I tell you, it's good; it's really
good, yes. They're good today; the peanut gallery is good. They have to behave
themselves tomorrow though, Mr. Speaker. There'll be a lot of tension on them
tomorrow, so they'd better behave themselves tomorrow.
Mr.
Speaker, in some parts of our province the infrastructure is not in place for
this recycling. You're all right when you're on the Northeast Avalon, and you're
not all right there because this business owner I spoke to is not enthused at
all and he is on the Northeast Avalon, very present in CBS.
When you
move off that, if you're going legislating this sort of thing, you're putting on
another burden on already burdened businesses. These businesses, you go into
rural Newfoundland, you go into a gas station in rural Newfoundland, with all
the other costs associated with their staffing their profit margin is pretty
thin. Now we're going to go into rural Newfoundland and we're going to tell a
little business owner or a small restaurant, you have to provide this, we're
going to legislate it upon you, and you're responsible for this. I don't think
that's fair. I really, truly don't think it's fair, this top-down approach: We
know best.
We hear
it every day here in the House that the Members opposite are smarter than us,
but I know that they think they're smarter than a lot of people in the province
but the people in the province don't agree. We don't, they don't, but for some
reason it doesn't sink in.
So all
the information that comes out these letters, you read this letter I read
all this stuff. Some of it resonates and some of it doesn't; but when I read
this letter there were great quotes in it that made sense. These are the people
that represent the businesses. We are advocates for our districts and businesses
that operate in our districts.
The CFIB
represent all independent businesses. They're the umbrella group. We are just in
our own pocket in every section throughout the province. We speak up for the
businesses in our area, but as a critic for under my critic role MMSB falls,
but this is a bigger issue than just saying we're going to throw a recycling bin
in. You are legislating something upon businesses that are already at the
maximum levels of taxation. Like I said, their profit margins are down. Then
you're going to bring an extra burden upon them, it's unfair.
Madam
Speaker, this motion unfairly targets a segment of the business community,
thereby implying low recycling rates in the province caused by fast-food
restaurants, drive-throughs and gas stations. It will place a greater cost on
those businesses at a time when they are feeling pressure of higher tax and
fees.
Again,
another commentary by the CFIB and it's very true. Why are you just singling out
those individual businesses? Yeah, they might the highest users of recyclables,
but if you go to any business, any supermarket it don't have to be a
restaurant. Go to a hardware store.
MR. K. PARSONS:
Community centre.
MR. PETTEN:
Community centre you got a
recycling bin. Most business owners are responsible to have the blue box. Most
people have bought into recycling.
I know
as a rule, personally, if I walk in somewhere and I see people throwing out pop
bottles or anything that's recyclable, and the cardboard which I happen to
recycle as well, it has almost become a no-no. If you're seeing someone throwing
a Pepsi bottle in the garbage, it's not right.
There
are a lot of people who actually go around and make it a pastime. I see people
up in my district, they will actually go and collect those bottles. They will go
in the roadways. They pick them up. That's what they do. They bring it to the
local Green Depot.
Again,
I'm going back, we're legislating on top of businesses that are already feeling
the pressure of these taxes and we are going to bring a new burden on them. I'll
reiterate again what my colleague from Mount Pearl North done a great job of
doing so, on the eve of another budget that nobody knows and everyone are
anxiously awaiting.
The
fisheries are in a crisis in the province. Last week we brought inclusion. All
we wanted was a summit. We never asked for them to implement anything. Give
everyone an opportunity to sit in the same room and discuss this very important
issue.
Members
opposite were almost incredulous; they almost mocked us for it. The public
hasn't felt that way. The teachers, the schools, the administration, the
parents, they don't feel that way, but this group opposite do. Then they follow
it up with the zinger, we're going to bring in blue bins for all the
drive-throughs, all the restaurants. We're bringing in recycling, we care about
the environment.
Well, I
got news for all of you; I care about the environment just as much as you do. So
what's the new Caramilk secret here today? What have you reinvented for me
today? Nothing.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MADAM SPEAKER (Dempster):
Order, please!
I remind
the Member speaking to direct his comments to the Chair.
Thank
you.
MR. PETTEN:
Sorry, Madam Speaker.
The
Member for Terra Nova is always great. He's one of the head leaders in the
peanut gallery, Madam Speaker.
The
concern all MHAs should have is the encroachment of the provincial government to
regional, municipal jurisdiction. This is a key point, because if you look at
recycling and the blue bag programs, you go right across the province, you go
outside the province. Ontario has always been I guess Ontario was one of the
leading charges in our blue bag recycling. I know back some years ago it was
kind of a new initiative. It was unheard of to us here in the province. They led
the charge. They were one of the ones, but it was done on a municipal level.
The
Ontario government never legislated that on the people. The individual
municipalities were in charge of that. They've always been in charge of these
sorts of things. That's why it just astounds me that I know the Order Paper is
thin. I know they're trying to probably find a new piece of legislation to fill
the gap. That will give you a day, maybe a bit of debate time, but where there's
nothing there.
I get
the fact they're running thin on legislation and they're trying to get something
to fill it up. I guess this is the cause, this is the reason but this is not a
cause they should be legislating. They should not be going near this. This is a
municipal issue. This is something municipalities do in conjunction with their
individual business owners. They have to work together. Last year they got
walloped with all these taxes. It's just as well to say it, that's what
happened. The economy's been crushed since it happened.
I'll go
back, as we talk about recycling, we talk about Tim Hortons. I have to put this
point in too. Everyone thinks Tim Hortons is a licence to print money, and I've
used that comment many times myself. Do you know what I was told by this owner
of that Tim Hortons store that owns four of them? He's doing well. He told me
the minute the gas tax was announced last year, his business he was honest.
I'm not losing money, he said, but I never grew. If anything, there was a dip.
He tied it right back to the gas tax.
So now
we're going to throw this new recycling initiative, this new plan, on top of
him. I tell you and this guy's a straight shooter, respected guy. I wouldn't
be using his commentary if I didn't respect him. I'm sure Members opposite would
give him the same respect, because he is a very honourable person. That was his
commentary. If you legislate this on me, I will not follow it, and he has strong
opinions on it. He doesn't agree with it, it's wrong. The CFIB believe it's
wrong. We don't agree with bringing it in, legislating it on top of businesses
that we believe is a municipal issue.
I'll
tell you, I'll close off by saying this, Madam Speaker, we do believe in the
environment. We do believe in recycling. Again, I'll say it for me and I know I
can speak for my colleagues, we all do. So for the Member for Lab West to get up
and make those comments, that's not fair and that's not right, we care about
businesses too, Madam Speaker, and businesses right now are going to struggle.
They're struggling enough as it is and why put an unnecessary burden on them.
Thank
you very much.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MADAM SPEAKER:
The Speaker recognizes the hon. Member for Lake Melville.
MR. TRIMPER:
Thank you very much, Madam
Speaker.
It's
interesting when you get into a debate on a Wednesday afternoon. I know a couple
of times I've had a chance to speak to a private Member's motion. You come in
with your thoughts and you're saying, okay, I'm going to talk about these
elements and so on. Then when you listen to the Opposition, unfortunately the
wheels go off the tracks and you have to frankly, I've got to spend a couple
of minutes responding to what I just heard.
It's
interesting, both the Member for Mount Pearl North and my good buddy, the critic
there for Conception Bay, the both of them seem to be wondering, why are we
bringing this motion today? Why did my colleague from Stephenville bring this
motion forward today? Well, the fact of the matter is there are a myriad of
important issues to the people of this province.
I'll go
right to the Member for Mount Pearl North. It was interesting; he started right
off the bat with his comments. He talked about his children and them being
recycling evangelists. I must say, I agree with him. I've been in several
schools and it's been one of the greatest charges of positive energy, is to get
into one of our grade schools and see these kids.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MADAM SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. TRIMPER:
For these kids, they don't
care that tomorrow is a budget day. They care about their environment and they
care about whatever they can do to help in that regard. Being able to pull into
further to my colleague's motion a garage as you work your way across this
great Island and not see a recycling bin, and then say and wonder: What the heck
can I do with my can? We'll just throw it out the window or throw it in the
garbage and we'll forget about where that 34 per cent goes. I would suggest that
kids are looking for a role to play.
Yesterday, I was with my great friend from the east end of St. John's I've
lost the name of the district but we spoke to Vanier Elementary, and the kids
there had just produced a film on climate change. Each one of those kids, when I
asked them it was in French as well, which is even more impressive. I asked
each one of those kids, I said: What are you doing to protect the environment
and issues around climate change? You know what; each one of those kids had an
answer. It was everything from recycling to composting. They want to make a
difference. For those kids, they don't care about a budget tomorrow. They care
about what they can do to help with the environment.
On
behalf of all the youth of this province who do care about the environment, I
would say that there is a little bit of interest in what this motion has to say.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MADAM SPEAKER:
Order, please!
I ask
hon. Members to respect the individual that has the floor.
MR. TRIMPER:
That's all right. I've got
lots of people around me. We can go through this.
What I'm
going to talk about is the challenge that we face in this province in so many
respects around the environment. I wish I had a dollar for every person who ever
told me that we they hike in the woods, they bring all their garbage out. Well,
if that was the case, I just wonder where all this garbage comes from. Maybe
it's the moon, maybe it's Martians, I don't know; but all one has to do is walk
off the road, off the beaten track and you will see litter everywhere, you will
see ATV tracks and you will see all matters of degradation.
All
we're saying in this motion is that we need to provide one of the key pieces in
this whole puzzle, which is the recycling complex, of how we get to a higher
level of recycling. As my colleague said, we are the lowest in the country.
I can't
recall how many times I've stood up here, whether it be drinking and driving,
whether it be a whole myriad of issues, whether we got an F plus and so on so
many times we are the worst jurisdiction in the country. So we need to do
something about it. Instead of using the MMSB, which formerly I was responsible
for as a minister great group of people, but instead of using the MMSB as a
slush fund of cash that can go to wherever one of their favourite little
projects might be, I suggest that maybe we could better use it for an
appropriate initiative such as providing some of the infrastructure that's
needed at some of these stops.
I'm just
going to give folks a little bit of an idea. What we do is when you collect a
container from a green depot it actually costs that green depot about 4Ό cents a
container. Certainly, what everybody in the House agrees is if we were to go and
install these types of recycling containers at these stops, whether it be along
the TCH or whether it be at drive-throughs or any other facility, we are going
to need to spend additional cash to both incent, to educate, to make them aware
and, by the way, to provide that physical receptacle that needs to be there.
It's
always fascinating to see and in terms of the Member for Mount Pearl North and
his reference to calling a few folks, a few businesses, well, it's interesting
that there was an audit done just a few years ago. It looked at a variety of
businesses and here's a few numbers that just sort of underline the seriousness
of the issue and how far we need to climb.
Of some
17 gas stations that were completely audited, in terms of recycling and waste
control and so on, only 1 of them had a receptacle. With some 545 gas stations
in Newfoundland and Labrador, you can just imagine how many cans are going into
the garbage and are not being recovered. As one of my colleagues indicated, we
are only getting some 64 per cent approximately of all the materials that go
out. So let's say 35 per cent or 34 per cent or so is just ending up in the
field, it's ending up in the landfills and, frankly, we're not recovering it. So
there's a cost to that. There's a cost to the environment and lost opportunity
for everything from schoolchildren to others who are involved in recovery.
Just to
expand a little bit from the gas stations, drive-throughs as well, we looked at
some 14 drive-throughs just a few years ago. Only five of those had receptacles.
There are some estimated 116 in the province. So in terms of talking to
businesses and saying hey, I tried those bins, they didn't work, blah, blah,
blah I would suggest that the evidence, as we've confirmed, as MMSB has
confirmed across the province, it's just the opposite.
I do
believe that people are genuinely sincere about caring for the environment and
wanting to take steps but the reality is, frankly, we're very poor in delivery.
The legislation component of this private Member's motion is about shifting
attitudes. It doesn't have to come in with a hammer. As I said, MMSB can be
there with some of the revenue that's raised. Let's face it, if everybody was
returning the materials that we all pay a deposit on every time you buy a
six-pack of beer or a can of Coke, you're paying money to have the system have
that can or that bottle come back. Well, guess what? If everybody did that, MMSB
would not make a cent. It would be broke. But because of the challenge we have
in this province of recovering that material, we don't get there.
I wanted
to talk a little bit about influences and just what's it going to take and how
important this particular piece is which is providing the recycling bins. So I
look at influences, why would people recycle? First of all, how much money are
you going to get if you get your materials back? How complicated is the program?
Can I understand it? Are you aware of the program?
What the
motion is referring to is what we call out-of-home recycling. Right now we have
programs in MMSB that target homes and schools, but once you get out of the home
and so on, it's a whole lost opportunity. I get so frustrated, as my colleague
who proposed the motion, that we're just not taking advantage of opportunities.
Frankly, it's really about collecting materials and grabbing that waste stream.
Some
other influences that are really important, and this is why the idea of the gas
bar came up, is convenience. If I see a receptacle there with those nice little
arrows and the recycle logo that everybody recognizes, I might think to put a
can in there.
Access
to vehicles to transport the materials; weather plays an important role; access
to curbside; prohibition bans and this is where the legislation is going, the
propensity to do the right thing for the environment and finally just
complacency. I know so many times you're talking to somebody and you just see
them toss a can, throw a cigarette butt, whatever it is, it just seems to be
saying one thing, but doing another which I find extremely frustrating.
I want
to go back to the schools. I want to go back to a fascinating little session
that I was at with St. Paul's Elementary and the great Town of Gander last fall.
At that situation we launched a broad we went out across dozens of schools
with a recycle-at-school program. It was fascinating. As a minister, I showed
up, comms people were there, everything was all set up well, guess who ran the
press conference? The kids. The kids led the whole thing.
We had
TV, we had the radio and we had print, and the kids ran the whole show. I was
introduced, spoke my bit, but the kids did something really interesting, and
I've spoken about it before and I still would like to see it happen, is they ran
the demonstration on how to recycle materials. We all think we understand what
to do and where to sort it, but frankly, I would suggest most of us don't. If we
could go to one of the cafeterias in either the East Block or the West Block,
you would see some of the challenges and people just sit and stare, and if they
don't want to sit and think about it, everything goes into the garbage bin. This
is all part of the education and this is all part of the funds that are raised,
frankly, through the MMSB, that could be better used to programs to incent and
help recover that waste instead of just being thrown out, as has gone on in the
past.
I guess
I wanted to go back to what's really bothered me here with what I've heard
today. Looking at some of the numbers, here's another survey where people said,
how many of you recycle. And I have numbers here for example this was just
done a few years ago for St. John's, 96 per cent of the households said they
recycle; Mount Pearl, 97 per cent; Paradise, 90 per cent; and so on.
Asked
again about recycling at work, how many of them recycle. Well, it's got a
similar range of 77 to 94 per cent. But the fact of the matter is once you get
beyond that little milieu of control and knowing you've got some infrastructure
and so on, it just falls apart. We need to find a way to get to the adults, to
get to the people who are using all of these out-of-home opportunities to make
sure that we're going to actually recover these materials.
Of some
265 million containers that are sold in this province a year, we only recover
170 million. When I go back to that audit that was done at the (inaudible) for
example, it was estimated that we only did some
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MADAM SPEAKER:
Order, please!
Order,
please!
Pursuant
to Standing Order 49, any noise that's disrupting the House is unparliamentary.
I've asked Members for their co-operation a couple of times. If you have to be
named, you will not speak tomorrow.
Thank
you.
The hon.
the Member for Lake Melville.
MR. TRIMPER:
Thank you for the protection.
I don't often get that.
I'm not
quite sure where I was, Madam Speaker, but I think what I would say is that
another comment I heard from the Member for Mount Pearl was this idea of carrot
versus the stick. He was describing the private Member's motion of today as
somehow a club or a stick that was going to be used to incent.
Well, as
with the federal government's carbon tax, as with other initiatives that need to
be legislated, sometimes we're just not doing enough. It's important to at least
have, as with a carbon tax, a backstop of inaction. When I would look at the
idea of putting in receptacles and asking businesses to support us and
co-operate with us in this program, well, maybe we do need to legislate. Maybe
we do need to get started, because as you can see from the feedback that some of
the Members got from their little survey, it seemed to me that there wasn't a
strong area of co-operation. I am not against business. I come from that
background, I perfectly understand.
Again,
I'll go back to my very important point I want to make, is that there are funds
that are generated through MMSB that can be very closely and very well-directed
and allocated toward supporting this program. I bet you we can soon pick up our
own socks in terms of where we sit in the country and in terms of how we sit in
terms of recovery of materials.
I think
I'm just about done. I'm just looking at my remarks. I did have a couple more
examples. Convenience stores, for example, are another one where we had some 13
that were looked at thoroughly. Only three of these had receptacles. We have 150
of these in the province. Similar trends exist for, whether it be a baseball
field, a skateboard park, golf courses, walking trails and so on. We just don't
have the infrastructure out there.
So as I
go to conclude, I would say as we head out across to our districts this weekend,
if you're driving, when you go to fill up, those of you who are on gasoline, by
the way, instead of electricity, you could take a look to see if you see those
recycling bins, because I suggest you probably don't. Or if you see them, they
are, as the folks have indicated, maybe filled with banana peels and everything
else. So education, awareness and the physical infrastructure is what we need to
have in place to make sure this is all going to work.
With
that, Madam Speaker, I thank you very much for the opportunity to speak, and I
look forward to supporting this motion.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MADAM SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for St.
John's Centre.
MS. ROGERS:
Thank you very much, Madam
Speaker.
I'm very
happy to stand and to speak to this private Member's motion. Recycling, garbage,
the environment, it's all really important to us; but, also, the whole issue of
stewardship for our environment is very, very complex.
Also,
even the issue of recycling is very complex. One would think it would be as easy
as, oh, I have a plastic pop bottle and I'll put it in a recycling bin. If one
were to follow the journey of that plastic pop bottle all the way from its
production of the bottle itself, the filling of the bottle, the transportation
of the bottle, what kind of plastic is used in that bottle, then how it ends up
on the store shelf, then it maybe ends up in someone's home or it ends up being
sold at a gas station or a drive-through and then the contents are consumed.
Then where does it go? To follow that journey and it all depends on who is the
consumer of that pop bottle and where that bottle ultimately ends up. I think
that's a little bit of what we're speaking about here today.
I've
read the private Member's motion and I believe the intent was noble. I do
believe the private Member's motion in and of itself is somewhat problematic.
The private Member's Motion, I would like to read it again, Madam Speaker.
WHEREAS
most gas stations and fast-food restaurants/drive-throughs across the province
have no recycling bins available for travelling motorists; and
WHEREAS
Newfoundland and Labrador has the lowest recycling rate in Canada; which is
probably true and which points to other problems that we might want to talk
about because that's a shame.
It's
particularly difficult and problematic when you're living on an Island. How do
you deal with your waste? How do you deal with recyclable materials? How do we
deal with our organic waste? How do we deal with paper waste? How do we deal
with metal waste? How do we deal with electronic waste? We're on an Island.
Then if
we do not have any infrastructure to deal with that, to recycle those elements,
that means it has to go off Island. So there's a lot of it's very complex, not
an easy solution. Again, one would think it should be easy. Intuitively, one
would think it's easy but it's not that easy.
WHEREAS
Newfoundland and Labrador has the highest recycling rate lowest recycling
rate in Canada; Wouldn't it be nice if it was in fact the highest?
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that this hon. House recognizes the importance of
increasing recycling in the Province, that's noble. I believe everybody in
this House and probably most people across the province believe that's noble and
that's important, the importance of increasing recycling in the province and
urges the Government to consider legislation requiring recycling containers be
present at fast-food restaurants/drive-throughs and gas stations.
Well,
one of the issues that really struck me in this particular private Member's
motion is the drive-throughs. Usually when people go through a drive-through,
whatever they buy they take with them. They are not consuming them at the
drive-through. They may have a cup of coffee and maybe some food that's packaged
in paper and maybe Styrofoam that's another issue we need to be talking about.
Maybe a can of pop or maybe a plastic bottle of pop, but usually what happens is
people purchase it in the drive-through and off they go. They don't consume it
there. So they're not going to be placing it in recycle bins there. If anything,
if there's some kind of bin there people may throw out their garbage, but that's
probably not the best place for recycling bins.
Again, I
believe there was probably a noble intent in this private Member's motion. It's
been interesting, Madam Speaker, to see the type of private Members' motions
that we have seen over the past year. Some of them have been a little more
substantive than others in terms of the effects and the benefits to the people
of the province, but we do know it is incumbent upon us as environmental
stewards to really take recycling seriously. It is incumbent upon us in this
House as legislators to see what is our role and what is it we can do to ensure
that we are no longer the lowest recyclers in the country but let's be the
highest, let's be the best.
I
believe there are other issues, environmental issues that perhaps may be more
attainable or have more impact on our role as environmental stewards in the
province that we are not debating here today. Again, for recycling coming
through fast food, buying fast food, there's very little. There's very little in
the packaging of fast food that can be recycled and that's a problem; that in
and of itself is a problem.
Put up
all the bins you want, but all that you can toss in there is a can or a plastic
bottle. It's all the over packaging that cannot be recycled, and that's really a
problem. Wouldn't it be great if we could be looking at that specifically and
let's look at the whole issue let's take a broader look at the issue of
recycling.
I know
that some of the concern it's heartbreaking when we drive our highways or when
we drive in our municipalities to see a coffee cup that's been tossed out the
window or to see a chip bag that's been tossed out the window. I could not
imagine rolling down many of us couldn't because we have been educated so much
about this. Imagine rolling down your window, taking your last gulp of your
coffee and throwing your cup out the window.
AN HON. MEMBER:
It happens.
MS. ROGERS:
It happens. It really
happens. I couldn't imagine doing that, but there are people who do it and we
know that is a problem throughout the province. So how do we best deal with
that? Perhaps that's what we should be talking about: How do we best deal with
that?
That is
not the basis of our recycling problem; that's garbage. So we need to look at
the difference between recycling and garbage. But again, for fast food, it's
maybe a tin can, it's maybe a plastic bottle, it's maybe some cardboard that's
used in packaging; but, for the most part, most of that stuff is not recyclable,
which is too bad.
There
are other issues that really are important around our environmental stewardship.
There are so many very, very important ones. So again, it would be my hope that
that would be something we would be focusing on today, because it is so
important and we have an obligation. Some of the issues that I think are really
pressing in our province right now around environmental issues, because
recycling is about environmental issues recycling comes with a cost to the
consumer, to municipalities, to businesses. There's a cost there and we're not
really talking about that.
I would
just like to point out the interconnectedness of environmental issues and some
of the issues that perhaps we could be debating here today is the issue of
methylmercury and how it's found downstream of the two hydroelectric projects on
the Churchill River. That's a really important environmental issue. The Grieg
agriculture project, how are we going to deal with that as a province? It's the
promise of jobs, of good-paying, multiple jobs in an area where jobs are really
needed, but the implications, the incredible, irreversible environmental damage
that can be done, if this is not done properly, is incredibly important for this
province.
We need
the jobs; we need the industry. But imagine that what Grieg is proposing to do
here in Newfoundland and Labrador would not be permitted in its home country of
Norway and in its own home country, they would have to pay tens of millions of
dollars in licence fees to be able to do what they propose to do here. We're not
charging them that. We're going to give them $45 million to undergo aquaculture
practices that they can't do in their own country, and it's going to affect our
environment. Again, we have an incredible environmental stewardship obligation.
What
about the use of pesticides in our province, particularly the lethal Tordon one,
also known as Agent White, and the use of the neonics on crops like canola?
That's a big problem. That could put our pristine honeybee population at risk. I
know most of us here in this House know that our honeybee population is among
the rarest in the world. We have something very, very valuable here.
There's
no sign of the natural areas system plan, which yet another government promised
to initiate. We have the lowest percentage of protected natural areas in the
country. How heartbreaking is it when we see garbage in our natural areas from
people who've been hiking or camping. Some of it is materials that are
recyclable. Wouldn't it be great to ensure that there are as many opportunities
to recycle as possible, rather than seeing oh, my gosh, the beer bottles, the
pop bottles that are thrown on the side of the road?
So again
I would like to posit that I believe that the Member for Stephenville, in fact
AN HON. MEMBER:
Port au Port.
MS. ROGERS:
Yes, I'm going to get that
right. Hang on, folks. That the Member for Stephenville Port au Port, his
intention was noble in this particular private Member's motion; I do believe
that. I believe that he is concerned about the environment, both in his own
community and throughout the whole province, but I'm not so sure that this is
the appropriate solution.
How
about the whole issue of carbon tax and the offshore industry? That's something
we could be talking about here today. It would be better if government, on all
levels, and if communities and individuals and families like the Member for
Mount Pearl North, who talked about his kids being environmental recycling
fanatics, was it?
MR. KENT:
Evangelists.
MS. ROGERS:
Evangelists. Wouldn't it be
great if we could all do that? Wouldn't it just be great?
AN HON. MEMBER:
Amen.
MS. ROGERS:
Amen. Amen, he says.
Recycling is so important. We all know how important it is, but how complex it
is. It's not simple. Recycling diverts solid waste from our landfills, and it is
an essential part of the Provincial Solid Waste Management Strategy.
The
Multi-Materials Stewardship Board was established to administer various
recycling and diversion programs and to do public education. Maybe we need to do
some more public education, but I believe we don't see as many cups tossed out
the window, or chip bags tossed out the window, or burger wrappers tossed out
the window as we used to. I believe in the past 15 years or so, I don't see as
much debris like that on our roadways as I used to.
I do
believe there is a lot of really good work being done in the schools around
recycling, and that our young people are taking leadership on it. They feel
empowered and proud of what they are doing in the areas of recycling. I really
believe that. The MMSB and the strategy came into being because of our poor
record in recycling.
In 2002,
we diverted only 7 per cent of solid waste from landfills through recycling.
It's changed now. By 2013, we had reached 27.6 per cent diverted. It's not
enough. It was not enough, but it certainly was a jump from 7 per cent to 27.6
per cent. That's a big jump. We should be proud of that.
In 2015,
the government moved the deadline to 2025 so that more provincial resources had
been needed to implement the province's Waste Management Strategy. We have to do
better. It's clear, we have to do better. For some people it's hard. Old habits
die hard, but we have to work in partnerships with private industry, with
education, with our public institutions.
MADAM SPEAKER:
Order please!
MS. ROGERS:
I tell you
MADAM SPEAKER:
Order please!
I remind
the hon. Member
MS. ROGERS:
How did that happen, Madam
Speaker?
MADAM SPEAKER:
her time for speaking has
expired.
MS. ROGERS:
But anyways, we do have an
obligation to work with our public institutions.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS. ROGERS:
There's a lot of work to be
done there.
Thank
you very much.
MADAM SPEAKER:
The hon. the Government House
Leader.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. A. PARSONS:
Thank you, Madam Speaker.
I'm
certainly happy to stand here on private Members' resolution day and speak to
the PMR that's been entered by the Member for Stephenville Port au Port. I can
say it is one that when I first saw it, as someone that drives across this
province regularly and sees the lack of recycling opportunities, it's something
that has crossed my mind in the past. I applaud the Member for bringing this
idea forward; bringing an idea to this House that is worthy of debate in this
House.
What I
want to do is just speak to the PMR itself and then I have a number of points to
make both on I guess the content of the PMR, as well as the process behind PMRs.
The fact is the PMR is quite succinct and says that:
WHEREAS
most gas stations and fast-food restaurants
have no recycling bins available
; and
WHEREAS
Newfoundland and Labrador has the lowest recycling rate in Canada;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that this Honourable House recognizes the importance
of increasing recycling
and urges the Government to consider legislation
requiring recycling containers ....
So it's
a very straightforward premise. The fact is that we do have the lowest rate of
recycling in the country, which is something we need to address, and I don't
think any Member of this House would disagree with that. I do note the Member
for Mount Pearl North said something about addressing our failings but I would
note this record comes from their time in government. The fact is we're dealing
with the fact that we do have the lowest rate of recycling.
MR. P. DAVIS:
(Inaudible.)
MR. A. PARSONS:
Now, the Member is calling
relevance on me talking about recycling. Again, I find it difficult sorry,
that's the Leader of the Opposition, the PC. Again, if he wants to stand up and
call relevance, stand up and call relevance and tell me why I'm not being
relevant, but he's going to sit down there and chirp. If he wanted to he could
stand up and speak to this but he'll choose not to.
We are
talking about the failings of his administration and his predecessors. We have
the lowest rate of recycling. I'd be ashamed too, because this is on his record.
I would be ashamed too.
MR. P. DAVIS:
Point of order, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER (Osborne):
Order, please!
The hon.
the Leader of the Opposition.
MR. A. PARSONS:
What number?
MR. P. DAVIS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
If I
could have a moment on a point of order without being interrupted by the
Government House Leader opposite; under section 48, earlier this afternoon in
this very same debate the Opposition House Leader made it quite clear to the
Chair the importance of sticking to the relevance of the bill. Now in his own
words he's going
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. P. DAVIS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Today,
in his own comments he is going way outside the boundaries of what's relevant
directly to the bill and I would encourage the Chair to ensure that the speaker
remains relevant particularly to the bill here this afternoon.
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
I
believe the hon. Member was speaking to recycling, and I understand that's what
the private Member's resolution is about.
The hon.
the Government House Leader.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Hopefully, if the Member continues to listen he'll hear what is absolutely
relevant here because what he just said was absolutely irrelevant, I can
guarantee you that.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. A. PARSONS:
The fact is, we're I hear
more commentary from the peanut gallery, but I would be ashamed too of the fact
that one of the hallmarks of their legacy
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. A. PARSONS:
One of the hallmarks of their
legacy, amongst many others, is that we do have the lowest rate of recycling. So
I would be ashamed too, if I was a Member on the other side.
Again,
speaking to this PMR, what we have here is a private Member's resolution. It's
an opportunity for a Member of a caucus on any side to stand in this House and
bring a resolution to debate an issue they feel is important to them or to the
province. Now, this Member has done this.
AN HON. MEMBER:
What a member.
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. A. PARSONS:
Now, the Members on the other
side and I will say the Member for St. John's Centre, I applaud what she had
to say. Whether she agreed or disagreed, she actually spoke to this bill, and
that's what it's about.
Do you
know what? In fact, I will commend the NDP who had one of the most relevant
private Member's resolutions that I've seen in this House, was the one on an
All-Party Committee on Mental Health.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. A. PARSONS:
Exactly. I've given her
credit when I was on that side and I'll do it right here. That was the essence
of a private Member's resolution, which is an opportunity for a non-Cabinet
Member to stand in the House and present a motion of importance to the people of
this province. Now, the Member has done that.
Both of
the Members on the other side, including the leader who took the first question
during Question Period and talked about why we shouldn't have done this PMR,
both of the Members stood up and questioned why we are doing this PMR. They
don't understand the purpose of PMRs.
I took
the opportunity to look through a number of the PMRs they did while they were in
government. I can guarantee you that virtually everyone was handed down from on
high from the premier's office at the time, whether it was that premier or the
one before him or the one before him or the one before him.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. A. PARSONS:
It was something, and the words in almost every PMR right at the end was the
same thing.
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. A. PARSONS:
It said we
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
I ask
the Member to bring his comments to the private Member's resolution before the
House.
MR. A. PARSONS:
This private Member's
resolution is asking us to recognize the importance of recycling whereas the
PMRs I've seen in the past said we should support the government in doing what
they're already doing. Again, we could have talked about a PMR on Muskrat Falls
but maybe we'll have another chance to talk about that.
We're
going to talk about recycling. This is a topic they do not feel is important.
They don't feel is important. The Member for Mount Pearl North said he surveyed
the members of Mount Pearl North and they had an issue with it. I can tell you,
someone that drives across the province on a regular basis it's not something
that all the Members over there do. Some of them haven't been outside, not very
often. Not very often they get outside, but as someone that drives across and
I've been to gas stations. I've been to fast-food restaurants. You have to stop
there. In many cases, there's a garbage receptacle, but there's nowhere to put
your recycling. In many cases, if you look at the garage, it's filled with
recycling. So I have to commend the Member for standing here and introducing a
proposal to make something better.
Now, the
Members on the other side have an issue with that. I don't know why they have an
issue with that. They have an opportunity during their PMRs to bring something
of importance to this House. I'll give them an opportunity to talk about that.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER (Osborne):
Order, please!
MR. A. PARSONS:
Again, I can hear the
chirping over there. I would be ashamed because this record is on them. They
have many legacies from their government. One of them is the lowest rate of
recycling. The other one is the multi-billion-dollar deficit. The other one is
Muskrat Falls. Yes, I'd have a hard time standing up if I were over there and
asking questions, I would have a hard time.
Because
they stood here during their PMRs and said, let's support the government. And it
was fluffy stuff that was driven from on-high, saying let's commend the
government for something they're already doing. Here we have an opportunity
we've empowered backbenchers to bring forward motions on things like recycling,
on things like the MMSB, on things like improving the future of this province
for our children. I don't know why the Members opposite have an issue.
In fact,
the Member for Mount Pearl North stood up and said, I think it's important, and
my kids talk about how important it is, but I'm going to spend the rest of my
time talking about why it's not important. Again, I would ask that he go home
and talk to his kids and say why he is going to vote against it. That's what I
would suggest because this is something important.
What
it's saying here, it is saying government should consider legislation, but we
should consider other measures as well. We should consider anything that's going
to increase the rate of recycling in this province. I commend the other side,
the NDP, for trying to work with us on that, and we would be happy to listen to
ideas. But no, the Members of the PCs the Member for CBS stood up back there
and said, well, this is brilliant. The most condescending attitude I have ever
heard towards a private Member's resolution, but they wouldn't know that,
because they never had an opportunity to do it while they were on this side
because they were told what to say. That's why they all stood up and voted for
Muskrat Falls. That's why they all stood up. They never had an opportunity to be
empowered, and what we have here is a group that is empowered. In fact, their
backbenchers were hoodwinked.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. A. PARSONS:
Hoodwinked! But again, we
have a backbencher putting in a PMR on recycling here. Again, they are over
talking about relevance. I can guarantee you that none of them have been
relevant today. Not the one of them. We are talking about recycling; we are
talking about making things better. I support the Member for Stephenville
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. A. PARSONS:
I would suggest when the
other side stands up to vote against recycling in the province, when they sit
down, they should really question what they are doing here and whether they are
trying to make things better for the province
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
The hon.
the Leader of the Opposition.
MR. P. DAVIS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I
appreciate having the opportunity to rise for a few minutes. I know we're short
in the afternoon and there's only about four or five minutes left before the
mover will get a chance to speak again and close debate on this private Member's
resolution that's brought before the House this afternoon.
Mr.
Speaker, good discussion here this afternoon by many Members who brought forward
a number of points. I've listened to what Members have had to say about this
resolution a resolution that is urging government to consider legislation
requiring recycling containers be present at fast-food
restaurants/drive-throughs and gas stations.
I, as
well, have taken some time to speak with business owners and other citizens
regarding this private Member's resolution. Actually I shared with it a number
of people and asked, without really any provocation at all, what their viewpoint
and belief was on it. An overwhelming response was interesting, because it was a
very consistent response from people who couldn't believe that on the eve of a
budget that a matter of this nature would be brought forward encouraging
government to put it in legislation.
What the
resolution is, it is not about the merits of recycling. We believe in recycling;
there are no two ways about that. It's asking businesses to install recycling
containers, when the business doesn't have or have limited control if no
control, but limited control, at best, on how those containers would be used.
I spoke
to one individual who owns a number of fast-food outlets and said to him: What
do you think of this? He said they have tried, and the chain that he's involved
with has tried in Nova Scotia probably one of the most progressive provinces
in Canada when it comes to recycling. He's words were, 20 years ahead where
Newfoundland and Labrador even today, way ahead of where Newfoundland and
Labrador is and been long ahead of most every province. He said they've tried
everything to make recycling containers work in drive-throughs and in their
restaurants and there are numerous problems.
When a
person pulls up in a drive-through in their car, lots of people have a grocery
bag in the back seat of their car and they'll put their chip bags in it, they'll
put their used gum in it and they'll put their coffee cups in it, yesterday's
paper and so on. When they drive up and there's a receptacle, if it's a garbage
receptacle or recycling receptacle, they quite often have the tendency to pull
it out and throw it in the garbage. So recycling, in those recycling efforts,
never ends up going to recycling because of the contamination that occurs in
those recycling bins.
What
they have now in this particular outlet is they have those devices, those
receptacles, but not in the drive-through. So people actually have to get out of
their car, walk over to them, or as they are leaving and coming from the
business have those put in.
A lot of
talk about waste on our highways this afternoon; the resolution could have been
requiring those businesses to have waste receptacles located on the premises
instead of at the drive-throughs, but at a restaurant, gas stations and so on.
And I've been to actually in Baie Verte Junction a few years ago, I stopped at
a business and I had empty coffee cups and I went to try and deposit them and
the people working there wouldn't accept them and said no, we don't take garbage
from other places. I said when I buy a cup of coffee here and move on, what do I
do it. That's up to you. Actually one person said there why don't you throw it
in the woods like everybody else does. I was pretty disgusted.
Maybe
the motion should have been install garbage receptacles, or waste receptacles,
but it's not that. It's about recycling and putting another burden on business
which is going to be costly to them to manage and sort and have to do the things
when they have no control. According to this one business owner I mentioned a
few minutes ago who said that it gets all contaminated, especially in the
drive-through circumstance. It's gets contaminated because you can't control
what people put in them. People throw half a cup of coffee, or a half-eaten
hamburger, or half-eaten food, or their gum in there and the recyclables are no
longer recyclable material and have to go to landfill.
That's
the problem with this suggestion is we're burdening business to have a facility
which they can't control how it operates unless they have someone stand guard on
it, or do it through a staff person. The other problem is our windy conditions.
In a drive-through, someone throws something out into the receptacle, it's not
unusual for it to blow away, or it doesn't reach there or it falls on the
ground. In coffee shops where they have drive-throughs I'm sure we've all seen
it, where they have recycling bins and garbage receptacles and people are
throwing stuff, it's coffee, it gets mouldy and it smells. It's not really what
you want to have around a place where you're ordering fresh food and hot coffee.
The same
with the burger outlets and so on coffee and burger outlets are the most
common drive-throughs. Even with the burger outlets, someone takes their
garbage, they throw it out, it falls on the ground and they drive on. That's why
they don't work. That's why many of them have steered away from it.
So, Mr.
Speaker, our party, our side of the House, and I'm sure everyone in the House
here fully supports the concept of recycling. The problem is forcing businesses
to require people to recycle doesn't work.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Stephenville Port au Port.
MR. FINN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Quite
the debate this afternoon for those just joining, I'll try and give a quick
reference to how we started. I introduced the motion on Monday that stated the
following:
WHEREAS
most gas stations and fast food restaurants/drive-throughs across the Province
have no recycling bins available for travelling motorists;
AND
WHEREAS Newfoundland and Labrador has the lowest recycling rate in Canada;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that this Honourable House recognizes the importance
of increasing recycling in the Province, and urges the Government to consider
legislation requiring recycling containers to be present at fast food
restaurants/drive-throughs and gas stations.
I had to
annunciate those words a bit clearer because I think the Opposition missed these
words throughout the afternoon. Unfortunately, they'll have to sit there now and
listen as I really try and explain to them, again, what the spirit of the motion
was.
Key
words: The House recognizes the importance of increasing recycling. We have the
lowest rate in the province
AN HON. MEMBER:
The country.
MR. FINN:
Or sorry, the lowest rate in
the country. Our province has lowest rate in the country.
So what
I've done here today and I think I've actually achieved my goal. My goal, Mr.
Speaker, was to start the conversation about a problem that exists in our
province and see if we can't discuss ways to come up with creative solutions to
challenge and change this problem. That was the intent today.
It's
caused enough ruckuses back and forth with Members. I had the Member for Mount
Pearl North say this motion is ridiculous, the timing of the budget the budget
is going to come down tomorrow; you've known that for two weeks. I have an
opportunity as a private Member in this House to bring in any resolution that I
see fit.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. FINN:
It just so happens that it
was my turn to bring in a motion today. I am not naive to the fact that the
budget will come in tomorrow. What's quite ironic as a private Member, for those
listening, because everyone in this House would know, I do not have the
opportunity to ask questions in Question Period, nor do I have the opportunity
to answer questions in Question Period. That occurs between our Cabinet
ministers and the Opposition Members. They get a very short window to ask
questions in Question Period, for those listening a very short window. But
they decided to take the first question of the day and take strike at something
to suggest how silly it is to discuss recycling here today.
If today
is not the day we discuss it, when is the day? Because the legacy of 12 years of
the PC administration is the fact that we have the lowest recycling rate in the
country. I said it earlier; I am not here suggesting we burden businesses. You
did not listen if you thought that was the case. I suggested we start to talk
about this. I said we should consider legislation. I further said that any
consideration of legislation would involve consultation with stakeholders.
They
wanted to reference that the motion is lazy. If the motion was so lazy, I'll ask
the Member from Mount Pearl North, why did the Opposition not take a moment to
think about amending the motion? If the motion has to do everything with
recycling
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. FINN:
but somehow we end up talking about diverting waste and contaminating waste.
The Leader of the PC Party just stood up on his feet and said most of the waste
gets contaminated. Yes, in fact, it does. That's why I brought it up so we could
have the conversation about it. There are a number of avenues that exists for
creative opportunities. Where they see challenges Mr. Speaker, I see solutions.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. FINN:
Just because this wasn't
important enough over the past 12 years to address doesn't mean we can't have
this conversation today; that's all I wanted to do.
I want
to reference something else because they did reference they received a letter
from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, and so did I. I think they
tried to read part of the letter. I might have missed part of the Member for
Mount Pearl North. I took the time to call the provincial director from the
Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses and had a great chat with him this
morning.
While we
did agree to disagree on some avenues and while he's not here to defend himself,
I won't get into too many particulars, I explained to him the exact thing. The
spirit of the motion is to bring up something where we've identified a challenge
and we're looking for opportunities to see if we can't solve this problem.
One of
the big opportunities we have as a government is utilizing some of the resources
we have available to us. We have an opportunity to utilize the MMSB. I would
encourage any business who is struggling or thinking about how they can look at
ways to divert their waste properly or who want to look at ways of recycling to
reach out and contact the MMSB.
I just
need to bring this up. Since the beverage container program came into effect
since 1997, 2.4 billion beverage containers, that's 151,000 metric tons of
materials, was diverted from our landfills 151,000 metric tons, can you
imagine? So I'm bringing that up and while this does do with recycling, there
was mention from the Member of St. John's Centre and I thank her for her
comments today. They seem supportive and I look forward to her support when we
go to vote on the motion, but she brought up the exact fact why I also brought
up this private Member's resolution today.
She was
saying that a lot of the packaging and stuff from the fast-food establishments
and the drive- throughs, a lot of that can't be recycled. Again, that's a very
good point. We're talking about waste management; we're talking about recycling.
To the point from the PC Leader, well, what about when we containment this and
now we can't recycle. I'm talking about diverting waste to our landfills. I'm
talking about how can we look at ways to divert waste.
What was
brought up today in addition to the MMSB was some of their partnerships with
schools. The Member for Mount Pearl North mentioned his kids in school
recycling, certainly very proud. Our young people seem to have the ability to
conceptualize these ideas and bring them home to mom and dad. They really do.
They say, look, what we did today, and did you know that we can recycle this.
We had
schools recycle some 14 million containers annually, which equates to $1.5
million 14 million containers from schools. That's 270 schools in this
province, close to 70,000 students that are doing and partaking in these
initiatives. Do you know what they do with these funds, Mr. Speaker? They use it
to fund their breakfast programs, their sports programs. When I think about
that, I reflect back I spent five years coaching high school basketball at
Stephenville High School, and the MMSB program, with matching funds on
recycling, was one of the best initiatives that I could avail of as a coach of a
team.
If we
went around and we collected whether it be beer bottles, and we collected all
the recycling bags we could. If we came up with $300, we got $300 back. For a
team travelling from Stephenville High to Gander Collegiate, or anywhere across
this province, $600 is a night's accommodation in hotel rooms for 15 students.
It was a phenomenal opportunity, not only encouraging our young people and
their families at home would do the same. They would continue to recycle.
So we
have in place right now the province, people who are concerned about recycling,
people who do it at home and our schools support it. But we don't have an
opportunity for our travelling public, who are going across our highways and
again, I'm talking about promoting a green and healthy environment. We don't
have an opportunity for them to utilize that. I understand it is a challenge for
businesses. That's the intent of starting the conversation. I never intended
this motion to suggest that we would clobber business and burden them in some
fashion. That was really never the intent of the motion.
I'm just
taking a moment here to collect my thoughts. It was a really hard to listen to
some of the stuff I had today from the other side. I brought in this motion. It
was referenced that it was silly, and how did it pass the test. How did the
government caucus decide that this was going to be important today? The
government caucus supported me in deciding that it was important today.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. FINN:
I understand that this motion
involves numerous departments of government. There is jurisdiction that lies
with the Minister of Service NL with respect to regulations. There is
jurisdiction that relies with the Minister of Environment. There is jurisdiction
that would rely with the Finance Department, the Minister of Finance. There is
jurisdiction that would rely just about everywhere, if you actually think about.
So even in the spirit of knowing that, none of these ministers in my caucus
stopped me from bringing this in because it might be controversial. No one said,
gee, John, we have to be careful here no, no, no. The intent is to start a
discussion. I honestly think that I achieved that today.
I
thought about the private Members' resolutions and how this is our unique
opportunity to have our voices heard, and if they're so inclined to suggest that
this could have been done differently, they will get I'll let everyone who's
listening now they will get their opportunity for their private Member's
resolution. They will get every opportunity.
Last
week they introduced a private Member's resolution about holding a summit on
inclusive education directly after we sent a very highly talented and educated
taskforce to just about every corner of the province to talk about inclusive
education just after we finished doing that. They're saying now, well it was
almost like they said: the Minister of Justice had a summit, that's a
half-decent idea. Maybe we should think about doing yeah, okay, we should.
Well,
you had 12 years to think about these ideas and you never did it. This is a PC
administration that is upset with my private Member's resolution. The same
administration brought in a private Member's resolution on full-day
kindergarten, after spending millions to get it ready to come in, brought in a
private Member's resolution to support it, passed it in the House of Assembly,
and then when we inherit the ability to bring in full-day kindergarten, they now
all of a sudden want to pull us back because it's convenient for them.
This
private Member's resolution is about sparking a conversation for change, and
it's about encouraging people in our province to be concerned. No way, shape or
form would I expect any business to be picking up this overnight.
What I
will tell you is, again, where they see the challenges, I see some solutions. I
reference the sports and opportunities
MR. LETTO:
(Inaudible.)
MR. FINN:
Opportunities for solutions,
I should say. Thank you to the Member for Lab West, who also spoke in support of
the motion today.
Opportunities for solutions; think about the benefits. If you're a business
owner and you support right now a minor hockey program and you sponsor them to
go on their tournament, and you sponsor a high school team to go on a
tournament, there are ways to partner with businesses. We have non-profit groups
and organizations throughout the province.
Community Youth Network; I know in my district, the district I'm fortunate to
represent, Stephenville Port au Port, the Community Youth Network spends hours
taking tabs off pop tins to support initiatives for building wheelchairs. We
have a number of organizations there's a great organization in Corner Brook
that employs individuals with disabilities to encourage them to recycle.
If you
look at the opportunities from a business perspective, to say that you're a
leader and you're looking at spearheading this cause, and you want to encourage
an environmentally friendly environment and encourage a clean area for our
province, I think there are plenty of opportunities here. The reality is this is
about just starting the conversation.
I have
to remind the Members opposite, because we will vote now in just shy of a few
moments, and based on the commentary I've heard from today, I'm led to believe
they won't support the motion. I still think there's time for them to
reconsider, because the motion was all about considering legislation, of which
we would certainly look at reaching out to stakeholders and reaching out to
anybody who wants to lend their voice to this cause.
The
reference is also about jurisdictions, and how can we override municipalities or
not, or where's the jurisdiction? The reality is we have a number of
municipalities who do quite well with recycling.
The
Member for Mount Pearl North would be probably shocked to know, the individual
who didn't want to support the motion, Mount Pearl leads the province in
recycling. It seriously does. The statistics from the MMSB show that. So you
represent a district of which leads the province in recycling but you don't want
to support a motion to encourage it for others. It's almost laughable, Mr.
Speaker, it really is.
Again,
the idea today was to start a conversation. I think that while there are a
number of scenarios whereby increasing waste bins or increasing recycling
baskets, people can say it only creates a bigger mess. There's going to be
problems with filtering it and sorting through it. Of course there is. There are
challenges with every new initiative that comes forward.
I cannot
think of many new initiatives, be it a government, be it a business, be it a
non-profit group, I cannot think of new initiatives that don't present
challenges. Just because they present challenges, does not mean they are not
important, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. FINN:
We have the lowest recycling
rate in the country. There are a number of things in the country we wish we
could be better at. We wish our health care outcomes could be better. We wish
our educational outcomes could be better. We're looking at initiatives around
mental health. That does not make, any one initiative could be argued any day of
the week is more important than the other. The fact remains, it does not take
away the importance of this issue. It doesn't matter if today is April 5 or
December 25, the issue is still important.
I'm
proud to have brought it in today, Mr. Speaker. I think that there would be a
great opportunity here to look at multiple departments in government, to look at
officials, to consult with industry to see if there are ways we can overcome
this challenge and work towards achieving, and for our province to have the
second lowest population in the country but somehow lead the country with the
lowest recycling rates to me is appalling. I think we can do better, Mr.
Speaker.
I'm very
pleased to bring this motion in today. I look forward to unanimous support in
the House of Assembly.
Thank
you very much.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
Is the
House ready for the question?
All
those in favour of the motion.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
MR. SPEAKER:
All those against, 'nay.'
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Nay.
AN HON. MEMBER:
Division.
MR. SPEAKER:
Division has been called.
Call in
the Members.
Division
MR. SPEAKER:
Are the Whips ready?
Order,
please!
Are the
Whips ready?
AN HON. MEMBER:
Yes.
MR. SPEAKER:
All those in favor of the
motion, please rise.
CLERK (Barnes):
Mr. Andrew Parsons, Ms.
Coady, Mr. Joyce, Mr. Byrne, Mr. Haggie, Mr. Hawkins, Ms. Cathy Bennett, Mr.
Kirby, Mr. Trimper, Mr. Warr, Ms. Dempster, Mr. Browne, Ms. Gambin-Walsh, Mr.
Mitchelmore, Mr. Edmunds, Mr. Letto, Ms. Haley, Mr. Bernard Davis, Mr. Derek
Bennett, Mr. Holloway, Ms. Parsley, Ms. Pam Parsons, Mr. Bragg, Mr. Finn, Mr.
Reid, Mr. Dean, Mr. King.
MR. SPEAKER:
All those against the motion,
please rise.
CLERK:
Mr. Paul Davis, Mr.
Hutchings, Mr. Kent, Mr. Brazil, Ms. Perry, Mr. Kevin Parsons, Mr. Petten, Ms.
Michael, Ms. Rogers, Mr. Lane.
Mr.
Speaker, the ayes 27; the nays 10.
MR. SPEAKER:
I declare the motion carried.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
It being Private Members' Day, this House now stands adjourned until tomorrow at 2 o'clock.