June 11, 2020
HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS
Vol. XLIX No. 38
The
House met at 1:30 p.m.
MR. SPEAKER (Reid):
Are the House Leaders
ready?
MS. COADY:
Yes.
MR. SPEAKER:
Yes.
Is the
Third Party House Leader ready? Yes.
Opposition?
The
independents? Yes.
Admit
strangers.
Order,
please!
Statements by
Members
MR. SPEAKER:
Today we will hear Members'
statements from the hon. Members for the Districts of Exploits, Mount Scio,
Humber - Bay of Islands, Mount Pearl - Southlands and Ferryland.
The hon.
Member for Exploits.
MR. FORSEY:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr.
Speaker, this year the Exploits Search and Rescue are enjoying 38 years of
service in Central Newfoundland. The Exploits Search and Rescue services a vast
area, including Harbour Breton to the south, Glenwood to the east, west of
Badger Lake and all points in between. This is a volunteer organization that is
ready to serve distress calls at any time in any conditions.
Since
1982, they have responded to well over 250 missing person situations. On an
average, they respond to 15 to 20 calls per year. This group consists of members
from all across the Exploits District and beyond.
Mr.
Speaker, I would like for all Members to join me and congratulate the Exploits
Search and Rescue on their 38 years and thank them for their service.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Mount
Scio.
MS. STOODLEY:
Mr. Speaker, today I would
like to recognize the new Kenmount Terrace Community Garden and congratulate the
volunteer organizers on their collaborative neighbourhood initiative.
This is
the inaugural growing season for the community garden. Located at the new
Kenmount Terrace Community Centre, applications are currently being accepted for
one of 10 gardening plots, including one raised bed for those with limited
mobility. Organizers implemented thoughtful and helpful amenities such as a
composting area, barrels to collect rainwater and a COVID-19 safe gardening plan
– very important.
Community gardens provide many benefits outside improving access to local
produce. They promote sustainable agriculture, create new habitats and
strengthen community ties. The volunteer committee has big plans for next
summer, including adding more plots and building a communal tool shed.
I wish
residents of Kenmount Terrace a productive gardening season and I ask all
Members to join me in thanking and congratulating the organizing committee,
including Chelsey Pike, Chris Follett, Germaine Manners, Mercy Winsor, Nadaira
Walsh and Wanda Waterfield.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Humber - Bay of Islands.
MR. JOYCE:
Mr. Speaker, on May 22, 2020,
Corner Brook lost another proud Second World War Veteran. A family lost a
father, grandfather and a great uncle. Mr. Robert Gordon Grant passed away after
a brief illness just one month shy of his 101st birthday.
Mr.
Grant was born in St. John's on June 22, 1919. He was a proud member of 166th
Newfoundland Regiment, Royal Artillery, serving in England, North Africa and
Italy during World War II. He was a long-time member of the Royal Canadian
Legion Branch 13, a member of the Masonic Order, a member of the Lodge Lomond in
Corner Brook and Lodge Humber in Deer Lake.
Mr.
Grant will be remembered as a gentle soul who always took the time to speak with
you. I met Mr. Grant as a young fellow from Curling and he was always very witty
and when he met you, you could always feel the warmth, kindness and
friendliness. Last time I had the pleasure of speaking at Mr. Grant's 100th
birthday celebrations.
I ask
all Members to join me in extending our condolences to Mr. Grant's son, Ian, his
family, his Legion family and many relatives and friends.
Stand
down, Solider; mission completed. You made this world a better place. Rest in
peace.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Mount
Pearl - Southlands.
MR. LANE:
Mr. Speaker, it's my pleasure
to recognize an amazing gentleman from my district.
After a
tremendous career serving the people of Newfoundland and Labrador in senior
roles within the public service, Gordon Slade was appointed to the executive
roles at Memorial University where his leadership was pivotal in helping to
secure over $60 million in philanthropic and sponsorship funding for the
university.
His
passion for this place, our people and unique culture has been of great benefit
to our province. He is the founder of the Battle Harbour Historic Trust, has
been instrumental in the preservation and restoration of Port Union and has
chaired the advisory committees for the Ryan Premises National Historic Site at
Bonavista and the Red Bay UNESCO World Heritage Site.
He's
also been actively involved with the Shorefast Foundation on Fogo Island and
helped develop key partnerships with governments, academia and local residents
to preserve local traditions and knowledge while developing an innovative model
of sustainable development and growth of coastal communities.
Gordon
has received numerous awards for his labour of love over the years, which most
recently included being named a recipient of the Order of Newfoundland and
Labrador.
Please
join me in both thanking and congratulating this amazing individual for his
tremendous contributions to our province.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Ferryland.
MR. O'DRISCOLL:
I rise today in this hon.
House to recognize and congratulate the Anglican Church Women's guild of Bay
Bulls on 62 years as a successful organization.
This
group organizes an annual fall fair. This past November, they held their 60th
annual fall fair. The fall fair is a sale of homemade crafts and baked goods.
This
group organizes card games and is involved in the Bay Bulls Bauline Athletic
Association's Winter Carnival each year as they host the annual card game there
as well, with lots of homemade desserts, cookies, sandwiches, coffee and tea.
They are always a great success.
There
are seven members to date with the Anglican Church Women including one founding
member. The members of this group are: Norma Mulcahy, Lynn Morry, Michele Power,
Donna Lynch, Darlene Williams, Thora Williams and the last remaining founding
member, Janie Weir of 62 years.
Mr.
Speaker, I ask all Members of this House to join me in congratulating the
Anglican Church Women on yet another wonderful and successful year.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Statements by Ministers.
Statements by
Ministers
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Fisheries and Land Resources.
MR. BYRNE:
Mr. Speaker, community
gardens are a wonderful source of fresh, local food – they are also a peaceful,
shared space where residents relax, make new acquaintances, get their hands
pliantly dirty and enjoy some time outdoors.
Our
government's Community Garden Support Program is in its second year and is
increasing food self-sufficiency in our province, improving access to fresh
foods and proving how rewarding it is to produce healthy foods in and around our
communities.
Mr.
Speaker, more than 3,500 people of all ages worked together in 101 community
gardens last season thanks to funding from the Community Garden Support Program.
So far this year, we have approved almost 50 applications from municipalities
and community groups, and we are welcoming more every day.
As we
deal with COVID-19, community gardening will look a little different this year,
but we're finding innovative ways to work together safely – like limiting the
number of people working in the garden at any one time and not sharing tools or
gloves.
Mr.
Speaker, as we safely keep our distance, now more than ever, community gardens
offer that sense of togetherness we've all been missing. I encourage more groups
to avail of this program and get growing this summer.
Thank
you very much, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Mount
Pearl North.
MR. LESTER:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I thank
the minister for an advance copy of his statement.
We
appreciate that the Community Garden Support Program can increase awareness of
the value of local food production and the agricultural sector. Gardening in
general is an all-around positive. It provides food, exercise and is a great
activity to share with family and friends.
Mr.
Speaker, no one can dispute the value of being able to access fresh food, and
that is why government, if it is serious about delivering on its commitment to
increase food self-sufficiency in the province, should be increasing support and
funding for the Provincial Agrifoods Assistance Program, rather than decreasing
it. Not only does this government need to increase funding, it needs to ensure,
most importantly, that the existing programs are rolled out when farmers need
them, not when the minister wants a photo op.
Mr.
Speaker, I know the Community Garden Support Program had a lot of participants
last year in this province, including many youth and seniors. It is a good
program. I encourage everyone involved this year to enjoy themselves, stay safe
and get growing.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for St.
John's Centre.
MR. J. DINN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I thank
the minister for an advance copy of his statement and join him in supporting and
promoting community gardens. They are vital to increasing food security and
provide a healthier alternative to industrialised farming reliant on synthetic
fertilizers.
With
summer approaching and COVID-19 restrictions loosening, community gardens also
offer an invaluable safeguard for our mental health. And considering our short
summers, we need to expand the idea. Earth-sheltered greenhouses, such as the
one being planned for the O'Brien farm, will allow for year-round community
gardens.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Health and Community Services.
MR. HAGGIE:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I am
pleased to announce an enhancement to the existing 811 HealthLine that will
improve access to primary care. People can now schedule a virtual appointment
with a nurse practitioner for urgent non-emergency health issues via telephone,
text or video.
Nurse
practitioners are valued members of the health care system and these virtual
walk-in clinics are available seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
To make
an appointment, people can call 811 or now use the 811 HealthLine app. The app
can be downloaded free through the Apple and Google Play app stores.
This
government is committed to improving primary health care, of which virtual care
has become so important.
In
saying this, I want to thank the physicians in our province also, who so quickly
adapted their practices to provide virtual care because of COVID-19.
I'm
delighted that Newfoundland and Labrador is the first jurisdiction in Canada to
introduce widely accessible, province-wide virtual primary care from a nurse
practitioner.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. HAGGIE:
The 811 HealthLine service
and app were developed and are administered by Fonemed, a Newfoundland and
Labrador company.
Fonemed
is also recognized on the global stage, serving clients nationally and
internationally. Something else we can all be proud of, Mr. Speaker.
Thank
you.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Conception Bay East - Bell Island.
MR. BRAZIL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I thank
the minister for an advance copy of his statement. Mr. Speaker, first and
foremost, I would like to thank the staff of the 811 HealthLine, who adapted
quickly to provide residents of this province with accurate and timely services
throughout the ongoing public health pandemic. The professional and
knowledgeable staff helped to screen individuals for COVID-19, while continuing
to provide first-line services regarding a whole host of health-related
questions.
As we all know, many people in this province do not have regular access
to a family doctor. Enabling residents to see a nurse practitioner through a
virtual appointment will help more people access timely and reliable health
care. This will be of a specific benefit to those who have to travel long
distances, who have to wait for long periods of time to see a doctor.
While this is a positive step, and I thank the nurse practitioners in
advance for the service they will provide, I challenge the minister to ensure
that more family doctors are recruited into the province's health care system
because everyone deserves their own family doctor.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for St.
John's East - Quidi Vidi.
MS. COFFIN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I, too,
thank the minister for the advance copy of his statement. This is a welcome
expansion of the use of nurse practitioners in our system and an excellent
addition to our already valuable 811 service. I've used the service before and I
commend all health care professionals who deliver it.
I do
look forward to seeing how our health care budget will reflect the restructuring
of service delivery that has come with the use of virtual care models.
Thank
you very much, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER:
Further statements by
ministers?
The hon.
the Minister of Transportation and Works.
MR. CROCKER:
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to
provide an update in this hon. House today on some of our government's large
infrastructure projects.
While
the pandemic has impacted our province, progress has continued to be made on
these projects, which provide vital employment to those involved in our
construction industry.
Work
continues on our long-term care homes in Gander and Grand Falls-Windsor and the
construction of the new
West
Coast hospital in Corner Brook reached a significant milestone when first steel
was erected in April. Construction also continues on new schools in Gander,
Paradise, Bay Roberts and St. Alban's.
Evaluations have begun on the submissions for the new adult mental health and
addictions hospital and we look forward to announcing the successful proponent
this summer.
Officials in the department are also finalizing documents to issue a request for
qualifications for a new correctional facility to replace Her Majesty's
Penitentiary.
Finally,
Mr. Speaker, we marked the completion of construction of the new 145-bed Corner
Brook Long-Term Care Home in February. Western Health has begun moving residents
into this modern home and precautions are underway to prevent the potential
transmission of COVID-19 in the residence.
I'm also
pleased to inform my hon. colleagues that 95 per cent of the people working on
these construction sites are Newfoundlanders and Labradorians and we are always
looking for ways to ensure that our tradespeople are the ones benefiting from
the province's projects.
Mr.
Speaker, we are excited about the jobs these projects are creating for
Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. We look forward to the construction of all
these facilities which are replacing antiquated pieces of infrastructure.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. Member for
Conception Bay South.
MR. PETTEN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I thank
the minister for an advance copy of his statement. Mr. Speaker, myself and
Members of the Official Opposition thank the minister for an update on some of
the critical projects being built in our province under the purview of his
department. Projects like the various long-term care facilities mentioned and
the replacement of Her Majesty's Penitentiary are much-needed infrastructure
projects in Newfoundland and Labrador.
The
minister has informed the House 95 per cent of the people working on those
construction sites are from Newfoundland and Labrador, which is welcome news.
The minister also stated that the province is always looking for other ways to
ensure tradespeople from this province benefit from these projects.
The
Official Opposition has long advocated for a community benefits agreement to be
included with proposals to ensure that as close to 100 per cent of the people
working on government-funded projects are Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. We
are fully prepared to provide the minister a briefing on the importance of
instituting community benefits agreements if he would like more information on
this initiative.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Labrador West.
MR. BROWN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I thank
the minister for an advance copy of his statement. I, too, am excited for the
new jobs created, but more local jobs the better. I caution everyone to take the
rules of the workplace during this pandemic seriously. Like all workplace safety
regulations, it's always important to remain safety conscious.
In the
past, in times of economic uncertainty government has stepped up infrastructure
spending to shore up the province's economy. With the province's infrastructure
and economy both in rough shape, the more of these types of projects we see, the
better.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Further statements by
ministers?
Oral
Questions.
Oral Questions
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the
Official Opposition.
MR. CROSBIE:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
In the
House Tuesday, May 5, I asked the Minister of Health when officials in his
department were advised of the health incident involving 85 hospital workers the
previous Sunday. He indicated that he could not give a precise time but would
find out.
Can he
now update us on when officials in his department became aware of it?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Health and Community Services.
MR. HAGGIE:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
Again,
I'll have to rely on memory. I did find that out and I have not actually brought
it with me.
My
understanding is that there were initial communications about a resolved issue
to my department on Sunday. This was not elevated to the minister, myself, until
significantly later and that has been a source of some concern. I will, however,
undertake to go back and get a proper timeline because I'm working from memory
and that is flawed, so I'll do better.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the
Official Opposition.
MR. CROSBIE:
It may be the first time I've
heard the minister admit any flaws, Mr. Speaker.
Public
confidence in leadership during the public health crisis requires good faith
disclosure of incidents. On the same Tuesday, the minister told both the
all-party Committee and the daily public briefing that he was not aware of the
health incident at the time of the Committee meeting or of the time of the
public briefing the previous day.
When was
the minister made aware?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Health and Community Services.
MR. HAGGIE:
I'll have to give a version
of the same answer, Mr. Speaker. I have the information but not to hand and I
would be happy to supply it.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the
Official Opposition.
MR. CROSBIE:
Well, as it happens, we have
documents from the minister's own department which show that the minister, the
chief medical officer of health and officials in his department received an
email about the incident on Sunday, May 3 at 11:20 a.m.
How does
the minister's failure to disclose such an incident – and the information was 50
people having to self-isolate – promote the confidence of the public that their
crisis leadership can be relied upon to make good faith disclosure?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Health and Community Services.
MR. HAGGIE:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
As I
say, I'm working from memory and the Member opposite has me at a disadvantage. I
will happily find out the details of the timeline there. My recollection as it
is at the moment is that this was presented in a very routine, mundane way to
the medical officer of health at that time and it was not apparent until after
the briefing that there was an issue, which was significantly more severe.
That is
my best recollection at that moment. I will endeavour to fill in the gaps when I
have a chance to go back and consult our records, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Stephenville - Port au Port.
MR. WAKEHAM:
Minister, the Stephenville Airport authority and the Stephenville town council
have been working on a business development plan for the Stephenville Airport.
I ask
the minister: Will he confirm government's financial support and commitment to
the Stephenville Airport?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation.
MR. DAVIS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I'd like
to thank the hon. Member for the question and his continued engagement with me
on this important file.
There's
been ongoing dialogue with both the Stephenville Airport Corporation and the
town for the past six to eight months. The government understands fully the
issues facing Stephenville Airport, as well as many other airports across the
province and the impacts that are associated with COVID.
We've
recently renewed the loan guarantee with respect to Stephenville Airport
Corporation to the tune of about $900,000, which is a benefit for the Airport
Corporation. We did receive a proposal from the town and the Stephenville
Airport Corporation about a new business development plan for the airport.
As I've
said to the Member in the past, we've had the Government of Canada looking at
some opportunities with respect to the airports, and as I said to the town we've
also –
MR. SPEAKER:
The minister's time has
expired.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Grand
Falls-Windsor - Buchans.
MR. TIBBS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr.
Speaker, officials in the minister's own department have told me positions in
the lab at Grand Falls-Windsor hospital will be lost over time, in contrast to
the minister saying no positions will be impacted in the lab at Grand
Falls-Windsor.
I ask
the minister: Which is correct? Are you hiding what will happen or do you not
know?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Health and community Services.
MR. HAGGIE:
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
This was
addressed in a petition reply yesterday. There are no job losses in Grand
Falls-Windsor as a result of this. There will be no change in the level of
service to physicians or their patients in Grand Falls-Windsor as a result of
this.
As a
result of this, Grand Falls-Windsor will get state-of-the-art new equipment, as
will pretty well every other lab in the province.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Grand
Falls-Windsor - Buchans.
MR. TIBBS:
Okay, so we know now that the
people on the ground are misleading.
Mr.
Speaker, geographically the hospital in Grand Falls-Windsor is the more
centralized hub for testing and already services seven satellite locations, as
compared to the hospital in Gander, which now services only three satellite
locations.
What is
the rationale for the hospital in Gander to be selected as the main testing hub
for Central Health instead of the Grand Falls-Windsor hospital, where it's been
built off the backs of the people in Grand Falls-Windsor?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Health and Community Services.
MR. HAGGIE:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
As I
say, the lab reform was determined by a group of clinical lab scientists and
pathologists who made the recommendations to government. It is time to replace a
significant amount of infrastructure in laboratories across the province. It was
felt appropriate to do this by going out with a single RFP for lab equipment and
reagents, and a second one for transportation of specimens as we have
experienced significant difficulties in the past with specimen loss owing to
inadequate transportation.
The
level of service to those people in clinics and hospitals in Central, West and
in the periphery will not change, Mr. Speaker. In actual fact, it will be
enhanced in the small hospitals.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Exploits.
MR. FORSEY:
Minister, the CEO of Central
Health has already admitted publicly that the testing that will no longer be
done at the hospital at Grand Falls-Windsor will be done at the Gander hospital.
I ask
the minister: What specifically are those tests?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Health and Community Services.
MR. HAGGIE:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
Lab
reform will be predicated on a tiered response to lab testing. Emergency tests
and out-of-hours tests will be done on site through either standard equipment or
through point-of-care testing. Routine work will be collated in centres.
Non-routine speciality tests will end up in St. John's or, indeed, exported to
Mount Sinai. The rationale behind this is clinical.
If the
Member expects me to apologize as Member for District of Gander for bringing
services to Gander, he isn't going to get it.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Exploits.
MR. FORSEY:
Minister, the tests are
obviously being done at the Grand Falls-Windsor hospital at the moment.
What
would be the significance of now rerouting those tests to Gander?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Health and Community Services.
MR. HAGGIE:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
To the
patients in Grand Falls-Windsor and the physicians in Grand Falls-Windsor,
absolutely none.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Topsail - Paradise.
MR. P. DINN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
We need
all businesses and employees back to work as soon as possible and as soon as
it's safe to do so. However, businesses are concerned about the current
legislation in the Labour Standards Act
requiring people of a certain timeline and temporary layoff to be
terminated. Other provinces have made changes to their legislation to
accommodate this.
I ask
the minister responsible: What is he doing to address this issue?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Advanced Education, Skills and Labour.
MR. MITCHELMORE:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I thank
the Member opposite for the question. I couldn't agree more, we certainly want
everybody to get back to work as quickly as possible, as it is safe to do so.
It's important for the economy.
We've
had numerous discussions with the business community, with the Employers'
Council and other groups, as well as with the Federation of Labour. This is
certainly something that is important to a number of businesses and the
employee/employer relationship be maintained. Our department has been working on
this, and there will be an update on this in the coming days.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Topsail - Paradise.
MR. P. DINN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I thank
the minister for his response.
Just to
clarify, the department is or is not currently working on changes to the
legislation to accommodate this?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Advanced Education, Skills and Labour.
MR. MITCHELMORE:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
When it
comes to any matter of labour legislation, we consult, we review. We've had
these discussions, and then we get to a point where we're able to make a
decision. We'll be able to make a decision and have an update on this particular
matter in the coming days.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the
Official Opposition.
MR. CROSBIE:
Mr. Speaker, there has been
some public discussion about the formation of an Atlantic bubble and some
mention of it being as early even as July.
I would
ask the Premier: Could he provide details regarding how it will work and what
his best guess is at when it might come into existence?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Premier.
PREMIER BALL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
There
was a meeting yesterday, last evening, with the Atlantic premiers. This came up
from the premier of PEI, who subsequently has made some public remarks about
this. From Newfoundland and Labrador's perspective, I made it quite clear last
night that this is not something we could actually put a date on. As I've always
said, it's important for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, first and foremost,
to be able to travel safely around our own province.
Other
provinces have shown some interest, but I will tell the Member opposite, that
even from New Brunswick's point of view and Nova Scotia's point of view, and
even PEI's point of view, there is no date. Any decision will be made in
conjunction with work that will be done by science and evidence from the public
health officials, Mr. Speaker. So it's premature to even guess at what a date
would be.
MR. SPEAKER:
The time for answering has
expired.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Opposition House
Leader.
MR. BRAZIL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Tuesday
afternoon, Prime Minister Trudeau responded to NOIA's letter of June 3
requesting urgent support for the Newfoundland and Labrador oil and gas
industry. Sadly, NOIA's very detailed letter was met with a form letter response
from Prime Minister Trudeau which only contained vague niceties.
Mr.
Speaker, I join with NOIA, CAPP and every company and employee who is hoping our
industry will survive.
Will the
Premier demand substantive action tonight on his weekly call with the prime
minister?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Premier.
PREMIER BALL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I would
say to the Member opposite, he's a little late in joining the discussion,
because this discussion started a long time ago by this government in trying to
get and asking for support for the oil and gas industry in Newfoundland and
Labrador.
Mr.
Speaker, we take every single opportunity we can, not just with the prime
minister, with the deputy prime minister and other officials as well. I will let
the Member opposite know that our own minister in the federal cabinet has been
working extremely hard with NOIA – as NOIA is very much aware of this, so would
CAPP be. The industry in general would be very aware of this.
Right
now, we'll continue to push and see what options are available to support the
oil and gas industry. Upwards of nearly 30 per cent of the GDP, and we have a
good resource out there that fits the environmental concerns of all of Canada.
We believe the federal government should step up to support our oil and gas
industry, and I expect every Member in this House to support this government in
its endeavours to get that.
MR. SPEAKER:
Your time has expired.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Opposition House
Leader.
MR. BRAZIL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I need
to clarify it for the Premier, this is out third sitting in the House of
Assembly. Each sitting we've asked questions about who was going to step up for
the oil and gas industry in Newfoundland and Labrador. We had put it publicly
out there, we've spoken publicly. We've had conference calls with NOIA and CAPP
to ensure that we were advocates. We would ask that the government be just as
advocating as we have been for the rest of the people in Newfoundland and
Labrador.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. BRAZIL:
We have had that.
Mr.
Speaker, to say we have not done our part is an insult to the Opposition, and I
say the same for the Third Party and even the independents.
Mr.
Speaker, the time for action is long since gone. The federal minister has done
nothing for Newfoundland and Labrador. The
Terra Nova FPSO remains offline, drilling programs have been cancelled, rigs
have been cold-stacked, and even Hibernia has began to lay off employees.
Mr.
Speaker, what is the Premier's plan to save the Newfoundland and Labrador oil
and gas industry, when all we seem to be able to get from the Government of
Canada is an acknowledgement letter with some niceties? Time for action is now.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Premier.
PREMIER BALL:
Mr. Speaker, I was just
actually repeating the Member's words when he said, we now join NOIA – when we
now join NOIA. It seems you're a bit late coming to the discussion.
This has
been ongoing for quite some time, Mr. Speaker. We all share the view that we
have a significant resource that employs thousands of Newfoundlanders and
Labradorians; it's a significant part of the economy here, Mr. Speaker. There's
nothing new about this government fighting on behalf of the oil and gas
industry.
I would
ask the Member opposite, just speak with NOIA, speak with CAPP and see where we
have been. We've been very loud and clear on this issue, Mr. Speaker.
The
decision – yeah, we've been leading the charge, I say to the Member opposite.
We've had Advance 2030, which is a
great document that has been put together with the support of the department and
the Minister of Natural Resources.
Mr.
Speaker, we take this industry very seriously. We understand the role it plays
in the future of our province, and I would expect every single Member –
MR. SPEAKER:
The Member's time is expired.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Opposition House
Leader.
MR. BRAZIL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Again,
I'll clarify for the Premier, that we join NOIA in being insulted by the
response from the prime minister and from the federal minister of Natural
Resources by the inaction that's been done towards the oil industry in
Newfoundland and Labrador and to its people.
Did the
minister consult with the Newfoundland and Labrador Medical Association on
today's announcement on nurse practitioner's virtual appointments being
available through the 811 HealthLine?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Health and Community Services.
MR. HAGGIE:
No, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Opposition House
Leader.
MR. BRAZIL:
While any announcement that improves primary health care is positive, ensuring
that all health care providers are integrated and not working in silos is
important.
I ask
the minister: How will this change involving the 811 HealthLine be integrated
with existing health care providers such as physicians?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Premier.
PREMIER BALL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I'm just
wondering if the Member opposite is suggesting that in order for a nurse
practitioner to do work in this province that it would need to be confirmed and
authorized by another association.
Mr.
Speaker, if I were a nurse practitioner in this province right now, given the
skill set, given the ability to work in those clinics, I think I would be
insulted, the fact that I would almost need to get an approval from another
discipline.
Mr.
Speaker, I have a great appreciation for physicians, and as a pharmacist who has
practised in this province for many years, I take exception to the fact that I
would almost need approval from another association to practise what I'm skilled
to do in this province.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Opposition House
Leader.
MR. BRAZIL:
Mr. Speaker, I would think that we have a consistent health care system here
that doesn't work in silos, and what's being created when we don't have
consultation with all entities involved are silos.
Our wait
times haven't improved. Our system hasn't gotten better, even though we have the
most professional people in Newfoundland and Labrador providing those services.
The more you put silos and do not work collaboratively, the more you're going to
have a health care system that's not functional, Mr. Speaker, and that's what we
are asking here.
Why
would you not work with all the entities? That would include all of those that
have a stake in providing that service. Nurse practitioners are a very important
part of health care system
Mr.
Speaker, I ask the Premier or the Health Minister: Why would you not engage all
those who are going to be involved in the health care system to be able to
provide the best system possible to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Premier.
PREMIER BALL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Well,
for the minister, I will tell you he's been the minister of this department for
five years now. Ever since I've been Premier of this province, this minister has
done a remarkable job.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
PREMIER BALL:
I can go on with a litany of
things, Mr. Speaker.
This
minister, along with this government, is leading the way in mental health, not
only in Newfoundland and Labrador but across the country. To the Member opposite
who sat on his chair and gave numerous announcements on, yes, we will replace
the Waterford Hospital, Mr. Speaker, this minister is bringing results to health
care in Newfoundland and Labrador and mental health is one way that he's been
doing this.
From my
own experience, in 1998 I sat on the first transition that brought nurse
practitioners into primary care medicine in this province, Mr. Speaker, so I
take exception to the fact that this government – this government works with all
health care professionals, including nurse practitioners and including
physicians. This minister –
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The time for answers has
expired.
The hon.
the Opposition House Leader.
MR. BRAZIL:
Well, Mr. Speaker, I take
exception to the fact that 100,000 Newfoundlanders and Labradorians do not have
a family physician.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. BRAZIL:
I take exception that we have
some of the longest wait times in this country when it comes to different
procedures, Mr. Speaker. I take exception to the fact that we have a number of
other issues in our health care system that are not a collaborative approach
because we don't have the system in play that would adequately provide those
services.
I say we
have a fair bit of work to do here to give proper health care to the people of
Newfoundland and Labrador.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Health and Community Services.
MR. HAGGIE:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker. I welcome the opportunity to reply.
The
short answer is that the nurse practitioners at Fonemed will enter this consult
data into the same provincial universal electronic health record that every
other practitioner in this province uses. It will be more integrated than two
separate family practitioners, perhaps, in the same community.
Anybody
will have access to that. They have access to the Pharmacy Network. They have
access to HEALTHe NL. They have access to diagnostic tests through MEDITECH.
They are totally integrated and anyone with the appropriate authorizations and
access will be able to access their records. It will be complete and is totally
integrated from the start.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Conception Bay South.
MR. PETTEN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr.
Speaker, back on May 5 when I asked about the large number of outside workers
who were working on government-led infrastructure projects, the minister said, I
quote: “… if there are loopholes here, we are certainly more than willing to
close those up….”
I ask
the minister: Can he update the House on the number of outside workers currently
working on the Corner Brook hospital, long-term care facilities in Gander and
Grand Falls and the Core Science building at MUN?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Transportation and Works.
MR. CROCKER:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I
thank the hon. Member for the question.
I can
certainly get those numbers. I don't have the project-by-project numbers right
in front of me at the moment but I can tell him it is 95 per cent-plus.
When it
comes to the Core Science building, Mr. Speaker, that is not a project that's
managed by Transportation and Works. That is a project that is managed by
Memorial University infrastructure so we would not have those numbers. I can
certainly speak to my colleague, the Minister of AESL, to see if they could come
up with those numbers from Memorial.
Mr.
Speaker, we endeavour all the time, like I said earlier today in my Member's
statement, to ensure that Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are working on these
projects. We're the first government in the history of this province to actually
monitor projects on a monthly basis to ensure that Newfoundlanders and
Labradorians are working. We look forward to finding every opportunity –
MR. SPEAKER:
The time for answers has
expired.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Conception Bay South.
MR. PETTEN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I remind
the minister he committed to fixing those loopholes. It's his words; I am only
repeating what he said May 5.
What he
just told us then was basically what he said May 5, but he left out the fact
that he was going to fix the loopholes. People in this province were concerned
then and they're concerned now and it's time for him to follow his words. This
is in Hansard. It is not out on the
street, he said this in this House and he should uphold to that.
The
minister continued on May 5 – so he said more. In reference to ensuring
Newfoundlanders and Labradorians get first preference to work while outside
employees are brought in that, quote: “… we will take further measures to ensure
that.” He doubled down, Mr. Speaker.
Mr.
Speaker, outside employees are arriving from Ontario and Quebec that are still
hotspots with COVID-19. They're not like here; fortunately, we're doing well.
I ask
the minister – if I can find the next part of my question. I had the papers
mixed up. I apologize.
MR. SPEAKER:
Quickly.
MR. PETTEN:
Can these people immediately
walk on a job site and work alongside Newfoundlanders and Labradorians? Why
isn't the minister not doing more to protect the economic interests and health
and safety of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Transportation and Works.
MR. CROCKER:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I
hope you afford me the same time as the hon. Member had.
Following May 4 – or the date the Member opposite is quoting – we actually did
have conversations with the Department of Health. Any employer in this province
has to follow the public health guidelines set out by the chief medical officer
of health. Mr. Speaker, we'll continue to do that.
As I
said earlier today, 95 per cent of the people working on these projects are
Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. I'll give you a case in point of how our
procurement is working in this province. Right now, we have a subcontractor on
the new St. Alban's school – subcontractor, Mr. Speaker. One hundred per cent of
the people putting steel in St. Alban's are Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.
Our
priority is Newfoundland and Labrador workers, Mr. Speaker, and we will
certainly commit to continuing to do that. That's who's working on our
infrastructure projects.
We have
some great infrastructure projects, Mr. Speaker. I look forward to only weeks
from now the Premier of this province announcing the successful proponent for a
new mental health and addictions facility right here in St. John's.
MR. SPEAKER:
The minister's time has
expired.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Placentia West - Bellevue.
MR. DWYER:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Recently, the Come By Chance refinery has been sold to Irving Oil, pending
regulatory approval.
I ask
the minister: Is the province still responsible for the environmental
liabilities on the site? If so, what is the value of these liabilities?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Natural Resources.
MS. COADY:
Yes, Mr. Speaker, we have been made aware of a sale pending between two
entities. I have had the opportunity to speak with Irving and have gotten their
assurances that they are very committed to full operations of the North Atlantic
Refinery.
Security
of supply is something very, very important. It does have to go through a
regulatory process. They have not approached the government as yet on the
environmental liabilities. That will be considered as they move forward through
their process.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the
Third Party.
MS. COFFIN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr.
Speaker, this government is attempting to engineer a financial bailout with the
federal government.
I ask
the Premier: Has there been any discussions on the nationalization of provincial
assets or any discussions on selling provincial assets to the federal
government, federal entities, or other private or public entities in return for
much-needed cash?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Premier.
PREMIER BALL:
First of all, I want to
clarify the statement from the question. We're not discussing any bailout. I
don't know if I should even answer the rest of the question because we're not
even discussing any bailout.
Out of
respect for the Members of the House of Assembly I will say that there are no
discussions based on nationalization of assets of any of the assets of
Newfoundland and Labrador. There are no bailout discussions, Mr. Speaker, no
nationalization discussions.
What
we're looking for is fairness. We are one of four provinces that by definition
are considered to be a have province, Newfoundland and Labrador. We find that
very difficult, given the situation that we're into in our province. We'll
always look for the federal government to make sure that we get our fair share,
no matter what the discussion is.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the
Third Party.
MS. COFFIN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr.
Speaker, while trying to negotiate a confidence and supply agreement in support
of this minority government, I was told most of our expenditures are relatively
fixed for things like salaries, programs and contractual obligations.
In
addition to that spending, we have also been doling out millions of dollars in
response to COVID-19. The Minister of Finance said it would be difficult to
prepare a full budget; however, most of our uncertainty comes from the revenue
side so a spending plan would be very reasonable.
I ask
the Minister of Finance: Would he at least table an account of anticipated
expenditures for 2020-21 before we rise next week?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Finance and President of Treasury Board.
MR. OSBORNE:
Mr. Speaker, I think across
the country every province, federally, the prime minister has said even with
expenses there is uncertainly. Things changed with the global pandemic, Mr.
Speaker. While absolutely revenues have changed more significantly than
expenses, expenses have changes. There's been a reprioritization of some
expenses in order to deal with the pandemic.
Officials in the department are working very, very hard to put together a
forecast of revenues and expenses for this province and, as soon as that's
available, we'll present it to the people of the province.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the
Third Party.
MS. COFFIN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The
Minister of Finance has promised to table a budget before Interim Supply runs
out in September. Given the uncertainly in which we live, we insist upon greater
transparency and accountability and will not support another Interim Supply
bill.
I say
this now to give ample opportunity to ensure public servants will continue to
get paid and programs will continue to be delivered.
I ask
the Minister of Finance: Will he acknowledge his responsibility and set a date
for the budget, instead of running out the clock and trying to force another
Interim Supply?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Finance and President of Treasury Board.
MR. OSBORNE:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
As I
answered yesterday to my colleague across the House from the Official
Opposition, as soon as the material is ready to present to the people of the
province, it is absolutely our intention to do this before the end of September.
Mr.
Speaker, barring a second wave or barring something unforeseen, I can absolutely
tell you that the people of the province will see the budget in this province
before the end of September.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Labrador West.
MR. BROWN:
Mr. Speaker, the rationale for moving a water bomber out of Labrador West was to
make repairs to the airport. This work has largely been completed.
With the
fire season upon up, will the water bomber be restationed back in Labrador West
where it's been since the 1980s?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Transportation and Works.
MR. CROCKER:
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the hon. Member for the question.
Mr.
Speaker, I think it was in September, almost two years ago, we had an incident
with one of our water bombers with $10 million US worth of damage, and we're
still going through that process, as everybody knows the situation the province
finds ourselves in.
We rely
on the FLR, Fisheries and Land Resources, for operation and direction when it
comes to water bomber; they're the experts. Mr. Speaker, we will do this season
what we've done the last season and a half; we'll rely on the operational people
at FLR to tell us where the water bombers should be stationed and this will be
based on the evidence and based on the fire indexes of the different regions of
the province.
Mr.
Speaker, it's important to have these assets where they need to be for the
safety of people, not necessarily just putting an asset somewhere where the fire
index is not where FLR would require it.
Thank
you
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the
Third Party, for a quick question.
MS. COFFIN:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
Mr.
Speaker, I ask the Minister of Justice and Public Safety what discussions has he
had with the federal government about individuals from other provinces serving
their federal sentences in our new, three-sizes-too-big penitentiary.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Justice and Public Safety.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
It's an
absolute honour to be back in the House.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. A. PARSONS:
I appreciate the question
from the Member.
What I
can tell the Member is that when we made a decision to build a new penitentiary
in this province, it was based on the absolute need that we have here in this
province for this institution. It was not based on conversations with the
federal minister, but what I can say is that this is the first complaint I've
heard about having a new prison. Usually the complaints were about not having it
and now when we actually get it, they are complaining about the size of it.
Again, I
find that a bit baffling but, either way, I look forward to continuing on with
the Minister of Transportation and Works in making sure that this much-needed
facility continues towards completion.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The time for Question Period
has expired
Presenting Reports by Standing and Select Committees.
Tabling
of Documents.
Notices
of Motion.
Notices of Motion
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Fisheries and Land Resources.
MR. BYRNE:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
I give
notice that I will ask leave to introduce a bill entitled, An Act To Amend The
Animal Health And Protection Act, Bill 39.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Government House
Leader.
MS. COADY:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Pursuant
to Standing Order 11(1), I hereby give notice that this House not adjourn at
5:30 p.m. on June 15.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Government House
Leader.
MS. COADY:
Thank you Mr. Speaker.
Pursuant
to Standing Order 11(1), I hereby give notice that this House not adjourn at
5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 16.
MR. SPEAKER:
Further notices of motion?
Answers
to Questions for which Notice has been Given.
Answers to
Questions for which Notice has been Given
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Municipal Affairs and Environment.
MR. BRAGG:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Yesterday, in the House, the Member for Lab West rose to talk about firefighting
at Wabush Airport. The Wabush Airport is owned and operated by Transport Canada.
Back in
2012, Canadian Aviation Regulations
set requirements for levels of firefighting within the province. While the issue
is between the federal government and local governments, the fire commissioner
is involved in the ongoing negotiations to hopefully find a suitable resolution
to the issue.
Hopefully that's a suitable answer.
Thank
you very much, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER:
Further answers to questions
for which notice has been given?
Petitions.
Petitions
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Mount
Pearl North.
MR. LESTER:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
A
majority of Newfoundland and Labrador Housing units permits smoking. Currently,
there are only two seniors' buildings that are designated as non-smoking. As we
all know, second-hand smoke can seep into multi-unit dwellings from many places,
including vents, cracks in the walls or floors.
Mr.
Speaker, it is widely documented that exposure to second-hand smoke can lead to
serious health problems, including lung cancer, heart disease and stroke and can
make asthma worse in adults and children. It is especially dangerous for
children as it can result in permanent damage to their growing lungs and cause
respiratory and other illnesses like bronchitis, pneumonia, ear infections and
even sudden infant death syndrome.
Based on
several studies, an estimated 44 to 53 per cent of multi-unit housing residents
that do not allow smoking in their home have experienced second-hand smoke
infiltration in their home from elsewhere in or around the building. Not only is
this tobacco smoke, Mr. Speaker, this could also be the smoke from cannabis.
We have
non-smoking and non-consuming cannabis individuals that are being subject to
other people's habits. This is not fair, nor is it acceptable.
Therefore, we petition the hon. House of Assembly as follows: We, the
undersigned, call on the House of Assembly to urge the Government of
Newfoundland and Labrador to designate 75 per cent of Newfoundland and Labrador
Housing family units as non-smoking.
Thank
you.
MR. SPEAKER:
With a reply, the hon. the
Minister of Children, Seniors and Social Development.
MS. DEMPSTER:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I
thank the hon. Member for the petition.
I guess
as the minister for Housing, I can say we often refer to ourselves as the
largest landlord in the province with just under 6,000 units; 139 of those units
are all that we have as non-smoking units.
I agree
with the hon. Member that there's much more work that needs to be done that can
be done to move to more non-smoking, but it's not as simple as that to get
there, Mr. Speaker. What I've asked my officials to do is to look across Canada
at other jurisdictions. What we're finding is it's very much a mixed bag; some
have a number of units that are non-smoking, some are smoking.
Across
this province right now we have seven buildings that are non-smoking. We have
some buildings where we're taking a grandfathered-in approach, Mr. Speaker.
There are a few people that have been lifelong smokers that are there and as you
know it comes down to harm reduction. Smoking is a terrible addiction, but the
new people that move in are required to be non-smokers.
I can
tell this hon. House we're certainly reviewing options related to a smoke-free
environment. There is a draft paper coming to me very soon for ministerial
consideration. I thank the Member for the petition.
Thank
you.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Torngat Mountains.
MS. EVANS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
We, the
undersigned, are concerned citizens of Newfoundland and Labrador who urge our
leaders to ensure that before the fall school semester starts for high school
and post-secondary students, the Internet infrastructure be upgraded in the
Northern Labrador Indigenous communities of Nain, Natuashish, Hopedale,
Makkovik, Postville and Rigolet.
Our
Northern Labrador communities have broadband, but the required high speeds
essential for online courses is not available on a consistent basis, causing
systems to lock up or boot students off the system. The aging and inadequate
infrastructure does not support bandwidth required for online meetings, video
conferencing, nor the ability to support video platforms such as Zoom, Skype,
Google suite apps.
Bandwidth is not available on a consistent basis necessary for students taking
online courses. Students will be handicapped at a critical time in their
education path, impacting their ability to succeed if Internet systems in each
communities are not upgraded to provide adequate speed and reliability.
We can't
stand idly by and watch our students be burdened by this unfair reality of
current circumstance. Therefore, we provide you with this petition asking for
help to ensure the upgrades will be done so our students will have the same
access to Internet services as the rest of the province.
Therefore, we petition the hon. House of Assembly as follows: We, the
undersigned, call upon the House of Assembly to urge the Government of
Newfoundland and Labrador to ensure that Internet services be upgraded in
Northern Labrador Indigenous communities of Nain, Natuashish, Hopedale,
Makkovik, Postville and Rigolet.
I think
I have a couple minutes left?
MR. SPEAKER:
About a minute and a half.
MS. EVANS:
Thank you.
Just
looking at this, this is really, really important because of the discrepancy
between what students have – college, university and high school students have
access to on the North Coast. I was talking to a teacher yesterday evening and
she gave me an example. She was trying to do an in-service and it kept locking
up. So she had to give up. Picture that as a student.
I talked
to an AngajukKâk from one of the communities. He told me some days the Internet
is good, other days he can't open a PDF. A PDF, now how small is that? Another
AngajukKâk – that's like the mayor of a community – said he had to go down to
the clinic to do a video conference with his doctor; he said we had to give up.
This is happening.
What
happens to a student now when they have to give up? It's intimidating enough as
it is to try to do online courses without doing them for the first time as a
first-year student. That's sets a path of failure or the anticipation of failure
or the internalization of failure.
So what
I'm saying is the North Coast, every day for me it's a struggle – every day. I
know you're getting towards the end of your seat, but if it's not medical
services, if it's not air transportation, marine transportation, if it's not
food security, if it's not Internet that's affecting our students. This is why
inter-generational trauma occurs, because we don't have access to services as
the rest of the province, Mr. Speaker.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation.
MR. DAVIS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I
couldn't agree more with my hon. colleague. It's something that I'm glad all of
us agree on, our vast geographic nature in this province. It's a problem faced
all across our country. I've met with Minister Monsef, which is the minister
federally responsible for broadband. It's a concern that we have right across
this country. It's something that we're struggling with right across the
country.
One
thing I'm committing to and our government is committing to is advance that as
far as we possibly can. Not just for education, which is a priority, I agree,
but for economic development and for safety reasons. It's almost a right to have
solid Internet access.
I know
the federal government has put a 50-10 protocol in place that they want to have
at least that as the base minimum, and that's not occurring in most of
Newfoundland and Labrador, or at least a lot of it, and most of our rural
communities really need an investment in that. I know the federal government is
committed to that; we're committed to that as a government. We're going to work
as hard as we possibly can to find willing dance partners with respect to
service providers, but communities as well.
I look
forward to the day that everyone in the province has a minimum of 50-10. We're
not there by no stretch, but I know the feds are committed to it and so are we.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Further petitions?
The hon.
the Member for Placentia West - Bellevue.
MR. DWYER:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The
petition I present today is about the Bull Arm Fabrication site. It's been on
the radar in the isthmus area of my district for quite some time. I've read this
into the record several times. The site is currently a great opportunity to
rejuvenate not only the local economy but the provincial economy. There are a
lot of tradespeople in my district and adjacent districts that would certainly
be able to utilize the work that would be going on there.
We
encourage the employment side, but when there's a megaproject like that being
utilized, the economic spinoffs for the local businesses are tremendous as well.
It's an asset of the province, and it was built to benefit the province. I think
we need to start looking more long-term tenant to attract more gainful business.
The
reason why I would bring this forward is to call upon the House of Assembly to
urge the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to expedite the process to get
Bull Arm Fabrication site back in operation.
The
reason why I'm bringing this forward at this time, Mr. Speaker, is because I
think we have a very unique opportunity coming out of this COVID-19 with an
economic recovery plan and this might be a way to jump-start it.
With the
sale of the refinery to Irving Oil, and they being ready to invest, then maybe
it's an opportunity to bring them onside to have a look and see if they would
like to take over the Bull Arm Fabrication site and get into the exploration and
get into the building of rigs and stuff like that. Maybe they're the proponent
we need to look for as opposed to Europe and things like that.
It's
just another opportunity there. The reason why I wanted to bring it up today, I
guess, is because we've missed several opportunities, and I would prefer if my
beautiful District of Placentia West - Bellevue and its constituents never miss
out on another opportunity.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Natural Resources.
MS. COADY:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
I
couldn't agree more with the Member who put forward the petition. We are
looking, around the world, for work for the Bull Arm site. We continue to work
on that, Mr. Speaker. I will say to the Member opposite, he said we've missed
opportunities. I'm not aware of any opportunities we've missed; we've created
opportunities. One of the opportunities we've created is around warm and cold
stacking of rigs in this province and that's very important for the exploration
industry. We do have a lease agreement with DF Barnes, who has further work
being done with their client Transocean.
As a
matter of fact, Mr. Speaker, they've actually invested in the construction of
additional mooring points that have increased the site's berthage. So there's
been investment in Bull Arm, there has been work in Bull Arm and absolutely
supportive of continuing to look worldwide for more opportunities for the Bull
Arm site.
I think
it's very important that we continue to invest in our offshore oil industry.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER:
Further petitions?
Orders
of the Day.
Orders of the Day
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Government House
Leader.
MS. COADY:
Orders of the Day, Mr.
Speaker, thank you very much.
I call
from the Order Paper, Order 2, third reading of Bill 28.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Government House
Leader.
MS. COADY:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I moved,
seconded by the Minister of Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation, that Bill
28, An Act To Amend The Forestry Act, be now read a third time.
MR. SPEAKER:
It is moved and seconded that
the said bill now be read a third time.
The hon.
the Member for Humber - Bay of Islands.
MR. JOYCE:
Mr. Speaker, I'll only be a
minute. I do support this here for scalers. It's very important to the Province
of Newfoundland and Labrador, but I just needed to put it on the record that
this week when myself and the Member for Mount Pearl - Southlands was accused of
hijacking this House of Assembly, this bill, (inaudible) took 50 minutes then we
closed down the House of Assembly early but we didn't have time to ask two
questions on health care during this pandemic.
I just
needed to make that record straight that this House took 50 minutes to pass this
bill, that whole day, and there was time still left on the clock that we
adjourned early. I'll just let people know that when myself and the Member for
Mount Pearl - Southlands were questioning, we were accused by the Leader of the
Opposition, the Member for St. John's Centre and the Government House Leader
that we were trying to co-opt this House. There's plenty of time to debate
important health care issues in this province.
I will
support this bill because it is a great thing. Going on one year to five years,
it's great. But I honestly feel, Mr. Speaker, that someone who can't get in for
heart surgery, who can't get in for eye surgery is a bit more important than
having a scaler for one year to five years that we could have brought in next
week or the week after, Mr. Speaker.
Thank
you.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for St.
John's Centre.
MR. J. DINN:
Thank you.
I will
correct the record, and you can check
Hansard. I in no way accused either one of the hon. Members for Mount Pearl
- Southlands or Humber of co-opting any agenda. I think that can be verified in
Hansard and I do take exception to
that comment. I stuck to the issues without making any personal references to
the individuals at all. I take exception to that, Sir.
MR. SPEAKER:
The Member has taken the
opportunity to make a point on this. I don't think we will entertain anymore.
MR. JOYCE:
(Inaudible.)
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
I'll allow him.
The hon.
the Member for Humber - Bay of Islands.
MR. JOYCE:
The Member for St. John's
Centre thought that I said that he said – it was the Government House Leader
that I meant who said that.
MR. SPEAKER:
Okay.
MR. LANE:
Mr. Speaker, (inaudible)
point of order.
MR. SPEAKER:
You're making a new point or
order?
The hon.
the Member for Mount Pearl - Southlands.
MR. LANE:
I'm speaking to the point of
order or point of privilege, whatever it was, seeing as how I was sort of
implicated in it, Mr. Speaker.
I just
want to reiterate the points that the Member for Humber - Bay of Islands said.
We wanted to raise important issues on behalf of the people we represent.
Obviously, there was time. The House did close early. I would say that all three
House leaders, as opposed to simply defeating the motion or the amendment,
everyone could have voted against it. Instead, all three of them decided to take
a swipe at us for standing up for the people –
MR. SPEAKER:
There's no point of order
here.
Also, I
think I should remind Members that it's not in order to talk of a matter that's
already been decided by the House, other than to move that it be rescinded. So
we've already had the vote on that motion and there's no point of privilege.
Members have taken the opportunity to clarify the point.
The hon.
the Government House Leader.
MS. COADY:
Let's get back to business at
hand, Mr. Speaker.
Mr.
Speaker, Order 3, second reading of Bill 21.
MR. SPEAKER:
We haven't voted on the third
reading that you moved earlier.
So
seeing no further speakers to that motion, I'll ask is the House ready for the
vote.
Is the
pleasure of the House to adopt the motion on third reading of Bill 28?
All
those in favour, 'aye.'
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
MR. SPEAKER:
All those against, 'nay.'
Carried.
CLERK (Barnes):
A bill, An Act To Amend The
Forestry Act. (Bill 28)
MR. SPEAKER:
The bill has now been read a
third time and it is ordered that the bill do pass and that its title be as on
the Order Paper.
On
motion, a bill, “An Act To Amend The Forestry Act,” read a third time, ordered
passed and its title be as on the Order Paper. (Bill 28)
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Government House
Leader.
MS. COADY:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Order 3,
second reading of Bill 21.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Finance and President of Treasury Board.
MR. OSBORNE:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Speaking
in my role today as the Minister of Service NL, I move, seconded by the hon. the
Government House Leader, that Bill 21, An Act To Amend The Highway Traffic Act,
be now read a second time.
MR. SPEAKER:
It is moved and seconded that
Bill 21 now be read a second time.
Motion,
second reading of a bill, “An Act To Amend The Highway Traffic Act.” (Bill 21)
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Finance and President of Treasury Board.
MR. OSBORNE:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I've
spoken in the Legislature many times regarding legislative amendments, and each
time I've said that it is incumbent upon us as a government to ensure
legislation is effective for people that it serves. I'm delighted to speak once
again to address matters of concern for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Mr.
Speaker, when our government developed The
Way Forward, our plan for sustainability and growth of our province, we made
better services and increased consumer protection core elements of that plan.
The mandate letter for Service NL also focuses on enhancing consumer protection,
along with continuing efforts to strengthen the
Highway Traffic Act to make our
highways safer.
Mr.
Speaker, our government introduced legislation on a number of consumer
protection topics that are very important to the residents of our province,
dealing with everything from real estate transactions to automobile insurance
amendments. We have also made numerous amendments to the
Highway Traffic Act in an effort to increase public safety. Recent
improvements to the act include increased fines; tougher penalties for a number
of offences, such as impaired driving; amendments regarding excessive speeding;
street racing; stunting; and move-over provisions. We introduced a new offence
for driving without due care and attention, a one-meter rule for cyclists and
pedestrians and made changes to enable the use of image capture systems to help
increase road safety on our provincial roads and highways, including in school
zones.
Mr.
Speaker, a modern and robust regulatory framework is necessary to deliver
consumer protection and enhance the safety for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.
I want to thank the Member for Placentia, Mr. Speaker, for the work that she has
done on those amendments and on the amendment that we're introducing today.
The
section of the Highway Traffic Act
concerning automobile dealers has not been significantly updated since 1988, and
our government recognized that a more modern approach was needed. The purchase
of an automobile is a significant financial transaction for individuals and
their families. For many people, a large part of their day is spent in their
vehicle. We drive to and from work, bringing our children to and from school,
travel to medical appointments and many other activities, Mr. Speaker. As a
government, we want to ensure that the proper legislation is in place to help
safeguard these purchases. We also want to ensure, to the greatest extent
possible, that the vehicle is roadworthy.
Mr.
Speaker, before I deal with the specific amendments, I believe it's important to
clarify how the current legislation stands. In Newfoundland and Labrador,
automobile dealers collect $13.5 million in annual revenue through licensing and
registration fees when vehicles are sold. There are 468 registered automobile
dealers in our province.
Under
the current legislation, these automobile dealers are authorized to perform
vehicle registration, vehicle transfer transactions on behalf of Motor Vehicle
Registration and to get automobiles to their new owners. To facilitate this
work, dealers are licenced by the registrar of motor vehicles and are provided
an inventory of licence plates. They are also assigned dealer licence plates
which allow them to drive vehicles for the purposes of demonstrations, test
drives and maintenance.
Within
our current legislation, our only authority under the act is to audit government
inventory and money collected by dealers on behalf of the provincial government.
This means that many activities performed by dealers as part of their
transactions are currently not regulated. Today, Mr. Speaker, we are in the
process of putting forward a number of changes to our legislation which would
address the issues that have been brought to our attention and to improve the
inspection regime so we can monitor compliance under the act.
The
first area of that is legislating licencing requirements. The proposed
amendments would clarify these requirements and processes and consolidate the
notion of registration and licencing to licencing only. As it currently stands,
these terms are used interchangeably, thereby creating some confusion.
Other
requirements currently used in other provincial acts would also be included in
the Highway Traffic Act to create
clarity for the industry, including the requirement that any outstanding fees or
fines under the act must be paid before acquiring a dealer licence.
Mr.
Speaker, we are also adding a section on the duties of a dealer which would
ensure that vehicles are inspected and that vehicle inspection certificates are
obtained from an official inspection station before selling a used vehicle.
Inspections would not be required in dealer-to-dealer transactions.
Mr.
Speaker, many dealers already ensure that vehicles are roadworthy before they
sell the vehicle to the general public. This is demonstrated through
dealer-driven certificate programs, such as pre-owned- or used-car safety and
reliability checks, warranty programs and inspections. Legislating these
requirements would increase the safety and reliability of used or aging
vehicles, increasing consumer confidence and providing an added protection for
the driver and all others who use our roads. Furthermore, setting minimum
standards for all dealers would protect consumer purchases, as well as reducing
potential harm.
We are
also amending the legislation to require a certificate of conduct for sole
proprietors or for each director or officer of a dealership, if so requested by
the registrar. Adding this requirement helps ensure that individuals conducting
business on behalf of government, or collecting citizens' money on behalf of
government, can be trusted to do so to an appropriate degree. Additionally,
incorporated dealerships would also be required to provide a current certificate
of good standing from the Registry of Companies.
The
proposed amendments would also add a provision prohibiting the use of a dealer
plate for a service vehicle or for personal use or hire. This would stop the
misuse of dealer plates for purposes other than for those in which they were
intended; for example, to allow drivers to test drive vehicles prior to purchase
or the service centre within a dealer for servicing a vehicle prior to
registration.
On a
regular basis my department receives complaints regarding the sale of vehicles,
including issues of mechanical fitness, as well as the fees that are charged by
a dealer. There have also been incidents in which fraudulent activity at auto
dealerships has been reported to policing agencies. Despite these issues, there
is currently no legislative authority for the registrar of motor vehicles to
properly investigate those infractions.
Mr.
Speaker, updates to the act would also allow the Minister of Service NL to
appoint inspectors to ensure dealerships are compliant with the act. Inspectors
could examine the premises, the processes, books and records of a dealer or
individual who falls under the legislation. These provisions are necessary to
allow for full administration and enforcement of the automobile dealers sections
of the act. The changes in these areas will bring the legislation in line with
similar provisions in other legislation.
The
proposed changes we are bringing to the floor of the House today would also
expand regulation-making authority related to automobile dealers to improve
consumer protection and public safety – both significant priorities for our
government. Today, regulation-making authority only exists under the
Highway Traffic Act regarding the
audit of dealers in order to regulate, account for and ascertain inventories of
licence plates and markers or stickers issued to those dealers and to audit
temporary registrations and the accounts respecting money collected for those
registrations.
Also,
related to the automobile dealers, the current licensing and equipment
regulations deal with temporary licence or permits for vehicle owners and
certain licence plate requirement. With our amendments today, these provisions
would be moved to the new automobile dealers regulations and expand requirements
related to the audits would be developed and become part of those regulations as
well.
So I say
to the Members of the legislature and to you, Mr. Speaker, that setting minimum
standards for all dealers will reduce the potential for harm when it comes to
vehicle safety. Whenever we set out to modernize legislation and work toward
ensuring it is meeting the needs of those we serve, it is essential to consult
with stakeholders impacted by our decisions.
My
officials met with representatives from the Automobile Dealers Association of
Newfoundland and Labrador to discuss the proposed changes and capture any
feedback they had to offer. Additionally, we reached out to automobile dealers
who are not members of the association to solicit their input as well. On both
counts we received supportive feedback from the industry.
Mr.
Speaker, I want to thank everyone for providing that feedback. You've been
instrumental in helping us modernize a piece of legislation that goes far in
enhancing consumer protection to the citizens of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Mr.
Speaker, increased consumer protection and the deterrence of bad business
practices have been very important topics for our government. These changes we
are introducing today will help increase the standard of responsibility and
accountability present in the automobile dealer sector. This, in turn, will
allow for enhanced vehicle safety and consumer protection.
It is
important that we, as a government, continue to address the matters of concern
for the people of this province. I look forward to debating the proposed
amendments regarding automobile dealerships in Newfoundland and Labrador with my
colleagues here today.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Ferryland.
MR. O'DRISCOLL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
First of
all, it's an honour here to speak in the House and represent the District of
Ferryland. I'm certainly pleased to do that. Also, before I get started, I'd
like to thank the public health committee for their great work, Dr. Fitzgerald
and her staff and all the essential workers during this time. I think they've
done a great job and I do thank you for that.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. O'DRISCOLL:
It's a pleasure again to be
able to look at the Highway Traffic Act
in the province. I worked in a car dealership for 22 years. I'm pretty familiar
with working with service and sales and dealing with customers, so it's nice to
be able to speak on a topic, I'm going to say, you're a little bit familiar
with. It's a little less stressful, but it is what it is.
Mr.
Speaker, I've been in the House now not for a very long time, and again this is
a large piece of legislation, the Highway
Traffic Act. It's a broad range and covers many, many different areas. In
fact, if you recall, last fall we did the cameras on the roads within the
province. We debated that for a fair amount of time and hopefully we'll see
those come into effect at some point soon.
As the
minister outlined, the changes proposed in the bill we're debating relate to
automobile dealers, plates and inspections and stuff like that. So, I'll be able
to touch on that as I go through. Having said that, I attended a briefing – I'm
going to say it was in March – and met with the officials and I learned a lot
from them and they sort of listened and learned a lot from all of us while we
were there so I thank the officials in the department and also the Member for
Placentia - St. Mary's as well. I do thank her for her help.
As of,
I'm going to say, 1988 is when these regulations came into place, so it's been a
long while for some updates on some of these. The officials looked at the act
and obviously made some reasonable changes to it. It took over 30 years to do,
so it's certainly something that needed to be looked at.
According to the officials there's 468 automobile dealers licensed in the Motor
Registration Division, so a lot of those would be single-proprietor people that,
no different than anybody else, could go get a car dealership licence or a car
salesman's licence to be able to sell vehicles. The Automobile Dealers
Association of Newfoundland and Labrador represents the franchise car and truck
dealers in the province. Officials said of the 468, they received 12 responses
in the province, but the dealers were mostly supportive of the proposed changes.
So of 468, 12 people wrote back.
Just
going through and listening to when you were speaking on it; you were talking
about inspections. I think it's something to look at in regard to vehicles.
Sometimes you see vehicles on the road and you say, well, how are they on the
road? Being in the dealership, I think looking at a 10-year window that a
vehicle should be reinspected. It's not something that I'm bringing forward from
anyone, just working in a dealership that you see cars on the road and we're
always worried about their health and safety. I think it's something that helps
the economy a little bit besides and it's a safety issue.
We have
some vehicles on the road that if you don't have to inspect them within 10
years, then sometimes people don't have the money to do it and it's a detriment
to us as well, so it's something to look it. Again, you always said if you had
ideas to bring them forward, so it's just my take. That doesn't mean it's right,
but you do often see vehicles on the road that are not really fit to be on it
sometimes after 10 years.
Mr.
Speaker, as for the amendments, officials explained the rules relating to the
dealers in the act and the various regulations. They wanted to put forward
provisions relating to the dealers in one place to make it easier for dealers
and regulators to follow. There are a number of proposed amendments aimed at the
consolidation. The terms licensing and registration will be consolidated to
licence. That makes a bit of sense. The requirements that dealers be bonded
would be moved from licensing and equipment regulations to the act. Existing
offences will be unpaid in the Schedule to reflect new numbering and language.
This new
set of regulations will provide some provisions that are currently in the act,
such as the ability to audit plates. Just the ability to audit plates is fine.
I'll tell you from a sales perspective, you could be in trying to sell a vehicle
and you have three people at you the one time. You have two D-plates and you put
it on the car. One person goes for a D-plate; you get the next person in your
office; you're trying to give them the information on the vehicle as best you
can and treat them with respect. While that person is gone on a road test,
you're getting this other person payments and lining them up for a road test.
Then, you're trying to get them out on the road. The next person comes back and
you're going all around your lot trying to find D-plates.
So when
you're talking about D-plates in the dealership, it's a bit of an issue for
people in the dealerships, the salespeople and all the staff. Even as you had
said earlier, when you're working in service, they go inspect these vehicles
when they come up from Oceanex or come across the province. They have to be
PDI'd; they need D-plates to check them. There can't be a worse feeling than
sending someone in a vehicle for a road test and you forgot to put a D-plate on
it. Now you're going to go out, drive the Outer Ring; police are going to haul
them in. Chance of selling a vehicle if they ever get hauled in are very little
if they're going to come back with a ticket. Now, we would probably be
responsible, but they wouldn't be very happy with you. It has happened.
In
regard to that, D-plates can be – you go in the morning, you have one D-plate
missing. You walk around and look at 400 vehicles at the back to try and find
it. A person can take it and park it to help you and then you have to go find
the plate, so it can be a bit of an issue.
Explaining the D-plates – as a dealership, when they take a vehicle and they go
downtown to get a meal or they go for a road test or go where they have to go
and they get a parking ticket on it. They take the parking ticket, tear it up,
throw it in the garbage and I'm not going to know about it for a month later
when we get a fine to say that it was illegally parked. You can't follow it. I
just explained to you where the plates are, all over the lot. Who had it? Do you
record the time that they had it? It's a bit of an issue to do.
I can
see the dealerships – they're going to get fines, I'm going to say in the area
of $15,000 to $20,000. It's not really their fault and they come back to a
salesman and try to track to see who had it one month ago. That's pretty
difficult to do but I'm sure that they could work on it. They're responsible for
it and you're looking to get your money back from the government. It's just an
issue on D-plates and I just thought I'd throw that out there.
Also,
Mr. Speaker, there are new provisions that are also added in relation to
automobile dealers with the aim of increasing consumer protection and road
safety. For example, a dealer will now have to disclose information to the buyer
before selling a vehicle. Information will be disclosed which is specified in
the regulations. In terms of applications for the dealer licensing, there will
be a new requirement for a donor or for a sole proprietor or each director of an
officer of a corporation to provide a certificate of conduct.
It's
keeping some of the people that – should they have licence, should they not,
because they're doing stuff that's fraudulent. You now have a little bit more
control over that. Before, there probably wasn't as good control but I think
it's a good way forward.
In
dealing with inspections, again working in the dealership, when you get a
vehicle, we trade in a vehicle or you come in for an appraisal, we have to try
and put a number on it that's fair for everybody. That never works out that way
but we always try to do the best we can, or we did. I keep saying we. I'm not in
there anymore, obviously, but when you do an appraisal you try to give them the
best information.
When we
trade in that car, as an example, you put that car in your inventory and you
have to inspect it. Some of the dealers when you go in, you see a car traded in
two days ago. It may not be inspected because for a dealer – and I don't know if
it's good, bad or indifferent – if they inspect a car and it sits on their lot
for 60 days and they spent $1,500 or $2,000 to do brakes, ball joints, whatever
the case may be, and it's not sold within 60 days, it has to be reinspected
again. Then you have rotors that could have pulsations, you have engine lights
that could be on.
All that
stuff is pretty important to a dealership in regard to making money. If they
have to work on it a second time, then it's costing them money and it's cutting
into their profits. A lot of people don't understand that and when they go in
for a road test that's the kind of thing that you have to look at. Again, having
to reinspect it – which is, again, we're looking after safety and most of these
dealers are all about safety.
When I
worked at a dealership when I was selling a used vehicle I would be pretty frank
and straightforward. If anyone came in or anyone bought – there are a couple of
people in this House that have bought vehicles or their spouses have, and you're
pretty straightforward with what you're trying to tell them. If you bought a
used vehicle you would try to give them the information as best you could.
Privacy is an issue. You can't give out what was done, but you can go back
through the warranty work.
A new
thing that we brought in – I keep saying we. A new thing that came into the
dealerships – and most of them use it now – is CARPROOF. If you brought your
vehicle to an insurance company, CARPROOF would check the vehicle over to make
sure it wasn't in any accidents. If it was in an accident, of the amount it was
we'd be able to tell you and show you the CARPROOF on what the accident damage
was. It's giving the customer the information that they use.
If you
were looking for a used car most, times you'll first ask: was it in an accident?
If you can answer yes to that, then you have the proof to show what it was, what
the damage was and if it's fixed. Then it gives you a little bit more trust in
your client to be able to sell that vehicle, so just to give you a little
insight on how used cars are done and how it works.
To go
back where I was, Mr. Speaker, officials know the dealers collect a significant
amount of money on behalf of the government, about $13 million annually for
vehicle registration and transfer fees. These measures are aimed at reducing the
potential risk of fraud. A provision being added under the dealers' duties
states a licensed dealer must ensure that a second-hand vehicle is inspected by
an official station and that the vehicle inspection certificate is obtained from
the inspection station before selling it to a second-hand dealer.
Now,
sometimes these vehicles traded in go for scrap or they go to a used car lot so
we don't have to sell them as where is, as is. They have to get it inspected to
put on their lot. This regulation is probably cleaning up a little bit. There
were times that we've traded in vehicles, a person will come in and pay you
maybe $500 or $1,000 more than what we traded it in for and they go get it
inspected. They come back with a slip. Then we would issue a sticker to the
vehicle. Until then, they had a vehicle with no sticker. It's a process that
probably needs a little tweaking. It is pretty good, but there are those little
grey areas there as well that should be looked at.
There
was also a new provision regarding the licence plate could be suspended or
cancelled; a dealer's licence could now be suspended or cancelled for failing to
pay fees and fines, which would be dealing with dealer plates. Officials note
that there's currently about $21,000 in outstanding fines assigned to dealer
plates that have been difficult to collect. I explained that earlier. So that's
another one that they're trying to close the gap on.
New
inspection powers will be added in relation to dealers. These inspections
related to consumer protection, and the minister will be authorized to appoint
inspectors to examine the dealers' premises, property, books and records.
While I
was in a dealership, I'm going to say that the Motor Vehicle inspectors would
come and check the building and they would check the books that the inspections
were done. One time was a long while ago now and it doesn't happen, I'm going to
say, as such, but you would never get a technician now to write an inspection
slip for you anymore without checking the vehicle. Their licence is on the line;
their job is on the line, and they are going to inspect that vehicle to the best
of their ability, no matter where that is.
Now,
will they miss something? Yes, absolutely, but it won't be done intentionally.
They will check it over; the books are checked and something could happen after
a road test that caused that vehicle to have a different issue after it's
inspected. So that could happen a week later with somebody else road testing.
So could
it happen? Yes, it could, but most of these dealerships, most of these
technicians, will issue inspection slips and, like I said, their jobs are on the
line; their income is on the line, so they're not going to give out any
inspection slips today as we see it 20 years ago. So it's something that is
certainly real good the way we got it done now and people are not going to take
a chance on doing that. If you hear tell of that, then it's something to be
jumped on right away. I have seen it over the years and seen some accidents that
have happened and vehicles never had the inspection done, but did have an
inspection slip. It goes to court and it can be pretty tricky. So you will not
see that in any of these dealerships, I can guarantee it.
As well,
procedures for warrants: until the warrants are (inaudible) for the situations
in which dealers refuse to co-operate. Mr. Speaker, in a short time, I notice
here there are a lot of details in legislation often left to the regulations and
the bill is no exception, right? So it's stuff that we just have to pay
attention to. We don't get to see regulations, but this bill authorizes Cabinet
to make a lot of new regulations regarding information and documentation to be
provided with an application for a dealer's licence, which is good; security
including the forfeiture of the security; terms and conditions of dealers'
licence; records to be kept by dealers, which is very important.
You will
see that pretty well all over the place these days, especially the major
dealerships. They're selling a vehicle – I've often sold a vehicle – and if they
had an issue, if they wanted to bring it back, within 30 days you can bring it
back. I was often told by a boss that we don't need the bad publicity to be out
there because we did something wrong in a car, so fix it, get it done or get
them in a new vehicle. They don't want the bad publicity.
There
are a lot of times that, yeah, you'll hear stories, but there's more to the
story sometimes than you see and we would not want to have bad publicity out
there. These dealerships, they don't want the word spread around that this
inspection was done and wasn't done properly. It's not the way they operate.
That is done properly and hopefully it will be from here on in.
Also,
information that a dealer to provide a person purchasing a vehicle, insurance,
storage and use of identification plates, markers and dealer plates as well.
Collection of remission of fees for identification plates, markers, dealer
plates and temporary registrations and audit of dealer.
Mr.
Speaker, this is quite an expanded regulation-making authority. In the briefing
we were told that further consultations will be held with stakeholders regarding
the regulations, and I imagine stakeholders will be looking forward to
participating in that process. As the act will come in force on January 1, 2021,
I would hope that all the consultations will be carried out soon.
Mr.
Speaker, this is also all I have to say for now and hopefully I'll be able to
ask some questions when we get into the Committee stage.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Transportation and Works.
MR. CROCKER:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
It's
great to have the opportunity, this afternoon, to speak on what it would be, I
think, briefly to this bill. I confess not to have the knowledge that the
previous speaker has on this subject, and he did a great job actually summing up
some of the benefits of this bill and the purposes of it.
Mr.
Speaker, I will take, I guess, a view of this bill being the minister
responsible for Transportation in the province, and talk about how important is
it not only for us to have safe highways in our province, but to ensure that the
vehicles on our highways are safe.
We see a
lot of conditions, I guess, as a department, Mr. Speaker, when we unfortunately
go and investigate accident scenes – or, I guess, attend to accident scenes more
than investigate – but sometimes we see in cases that it's mechanical
malfunction of a vehicle that causes some of the accidents.
Mr.
Speaker, this is an important amendment and it goes along with what we've been
trying to do as a government for a number of years now, with regard to highway
safety. Last year, we introduced a policy along with Service NL, amendments to
the Highway Traffic Act regarding
cameras, to use cameras to make the highways safer for drivers and for people
working on the highways. So when we send construction crews out or TW crews out
on a daily basis to work on the highways, it's really important that the
vehicles that are interacting with people working on the highways are safe.
Service
NL, working with the Automobile Dealers Association, has come up with these
changes. It's very important because I think we have a really good automobile
industry in this province, and it's important that we update our legislation and
our rules, certainly, to reflect that.
Mr.
Speaker, the speaker before me mentioned reference to vehicles and safety and
inspection of vehicles. I think vehicles have come along in safety changes over
the years, but it's important, again, that at every opportunity we take every
step to make sure that safety is always, always job one when it comes to
vehicles and that vehicles are registered and that our automobile dealers are
also there to protect the people in our province who are purchasing vehicles,
test driving vehicles and other things.
Well,
Mr. Speaker, as I said, I was going to be brief. For Transportation and Works,
from our perspective on this update to the
Highway Traffic Act, it's always important that we ensure safety on our
highways. This is just one more step to making sure that when we all go on our
highways, in our daily commutes or for whatever purpose, the highways are safe
for oncoming motorists and motorists in their own vehicles, and also a
reflection on the people that are working on our highways, the people working on
our construction sites. So it's important that we take these measures and I'm
certain that as we move forward in coming sessions, we will see other
improvements to the Highway Traffic Act
to make sure that our highways are safe.
So I thank you for the opportunity, Mr. Speaker, and thank
Service NL for this bill this afternoon.
MR. SPEAKER
(Bennett): The hon. the Member for Labrador West.
MR. BROWN: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
I'm glad to speak in the House on this and on behalf of the
residents of Labrador West. I won't take much of the House's time on this, and
after listening to discussion from other Members, it seems that these updates
are long warranted and it's good coming.
Actually, my step-uncle is a car dealer himself, so these
things that I've noticed, too, that they've not – the automotive industry or
dealers industry here has been looking for similar things in here and it's nice
that we are moving
forward with these things and also giving customers in this province some more
reassurance that we're watching out for the best interest of them as well. Also,
we're putting safety paramount for our residents on our highways.
Like the
Minister of Transportation and Works said, this is a bit more peace of mind that
automobiles that are actually on our highways have been inspected, they've
rigorously followed all procedures and that they have peace of mind when
purchasing a new or used vehicle in this province. The automobile industry and
the sale of automobiles in this province is a very large industry and has
significant revenues it brings into the province for retail, on top of the sale
of other heavy equipment and stuff as well. So we're moving forward with a lot
of these (inaudible) –
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
It is
hard to hear the speaker. Thank you.
MR. BROWN:
And it's good to see, we have
a lot more people.
It's
amazing to see that we have so many dealers in this province. That's a huge
chunk of people that are in this industry that have come along. So we're looking
at the association itself has 80 members alone in a province of 500,000 people.
So it's a big industry that we have to look after.
I do
have a few questions for when we do get into Committee as well about some of the
things, especially with bonding. We're bonding the owner of the industry, but I
do have questions about bonding salespeople themselves when it comes to checking
also for fraud as well with the RNC. So it's one thing I do have a question
about that I'll ask the minister when we get to that point.
It's
good that we're also checking for fraud and things like that when people are
selling automobiles, because we have to give the customer peace of mind and we
also have to check to make sure that when this transaction happens, it happens
correctly and above board.
So I
don't want to take much more of the House's time so we can get to Committee and
be able to answer these questions.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Conception Bay South.
MR. PETTEN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr.
Speaker, it's a pleasure to speak on any piece of legislation in this House;
it's always good. This act to amend the
Highway Traffic Act is obviously not contentious, but it just highlights the
many, many pieces of legislation that flow through government that needs
updating. We could be in this House for a long time – I know Service NL is the
regulatory department. A lot of legislation comes from that department and a lot
of it is due to the fact it's outdated – this being no different.
Of
course, with outdated legislation, you're bringing it up to today's standards.
When you do it, you wonder why it's been delayed so long. But I think it's
coming to the point where there's so much regulations within government itself
and all regulations have to come to the House and it does take time; it's a lot
of work for our officials. They work behind the scenes to make this possible.
When the
minister delivers it in the House and we debate it, this is the easy part. I
used to be on the other side of that sometimes too and I know what goes on
behind the scenes. We refer to it in the House sometimes as housekeeping. When I
was on the other side, I know that really wasn't the word that a lot of
officials really appreciated because that housekeeping took them an awful lot of
time and painstaking hours reading a lot of this material.
A lot of
this stuff is pretty dry but it's very important, so I commend them for the work
they do. Not only this, Mr. Speaker, the work they do right throughout
government. We kind of debate legislation a lot in this House and I think it
bears that we should give credit to the officials that work in all departments
because they're the ones that really do the heavy lifting. When it comes here,
the heavy lifting is done and we get the pleasure of kind of debating it and
poking holes in the hard work they've done. So I want to compliment them.
On this
legislation, when it comes to dealers – and I know my colleague from Ferryland
has a very deep background in automobile dealerships and how it works. I was
speaking to him earlier on this too. It appears this legislation is more
designed for the smaller dealers as opposed to we look at the bigger ones we see
around, Hickman, Terra Nova Motors, Ford, Avalon Ford and all those, the bigger
operations, when you go deal with them, they check the boxes and they have a
pretty solid operation.
When I
started reading this, I was thinking a lot of this legislation, these places do
it. They got some enhanced capabilities now. Upon some conversation with my
colleague, I was thinking it's more to do with a lot of these smaller dealers
that operate. It's not all of them. There are a lot of great operations but
obviously, like everything, they don't all follow the rules.
By not
following the rules, it puts us all at risk. When I say putting us at risk,
obviously it's the road safety. The Minister of Transportation and Works
properly commented on the fact it makes our roads safer. Anything that makes our
road safer is not just the vehicles we drive and the pavement they ride on, it's
the regulations that these vehicles – some of these vehicles should not be on
the roads.
You go
into some of these dealers and they have the inspection slip – and we heard the
saying, there was a time back where the stories were you get the inspection slip
and the car had never entered the garage. They wouldn't even know what they were
writing – they would ask for the details, you bring in your registration and the
shop would write out your inspection slip and you'd go on about your business,
you'd pay your money. It was sometime ago when government actually stopped this
practice and changed the rules because it was actually a very flawed system,
after so many years of those mandatory inspections and what-not.
Tightening up any regulation to make our road safer, it's a very good thing.
When you look at some of the changes – I read one piece there. This piece, as I
said, this legislation was all over the department. Sometimes that doesn't seem
like much, but when you're not in the department and you're not in government,
you don't know how things are laid out through departments. When you're out, Joe
Q. Public, and you're coming in to try to research something or find something –
and I myself, even as an MHA, have been around government for a long time. If I
have to find something on my own or I'm home sat down in the nighttime and I'm
trying to find something on the government site it's a challenge. It's a
challenge at the best of times. So any time you can bring any of this stuff
together it's never a bad thing. Again, it's sometimes that we lose – we don't
really pay attention to that until you actually go to find something yourself.
It is
not housekeeping; it's doing the legislation properly and making it more
accessible for people, which is what government should be doing anyway.
One
thing jumped out that I noticed is this Automobile Dealers Association of
Newfoundland and Labrador where we have a majority of dealers are not members of
this association. Now, what jumped at me with that one were the realtors. We did
the realtors legislation this past spring. It went through Committee, actually,
tested through Committee. First bill we brought through the House of that
nature. But it was mandatory to be a part of the realtors association.
It was
making those people be a part of a body so then you can deal with the body. It
all makes sense, you deal with a group and then it spreads from there. So maybe
this is more designed for Committee, but my question would be, wouldn't that
have been something that would've been worthy of consideration – or maybe it was
considered and we'll find out later in Committee. Was that not considered to
make that mandatory for all car dealerships to become part of this association?
Because then you have one body speaking for all of them and it's a much easier
way to control; it's a much easier way to get your message out. It filters down
the pyramid way for the regulatory body. Maybe the minister can explain it
better than I can articulate here, but that was something that did jump at me,
and I realize that we dealt with the same thing under the realtors association.
Another
thing, too, we've seen in the legislation there was only like 12 responses of
the 468 dealers. So that obviously speaks volumes: it's either the dealers don't
feel there's any need of any regulatory changes and feel everything is fine; or,
I mean, I'm sure they were consulted or they were contacted, but if you were
part of an association, I think they would have probably a better response than
12 responses out of 468 dealers. That's a really, really low number.
I'm not
saying any of these changes are not necessary – I think they all are – but
there's a disconnect. Again, the minister can elaborate on that if he wants, but
there's a disconnect there, it seems like, if you only got 12 dealers responding
out of 468. I could even live with 100 dealers out of 468, and that would still
be low; you're still only 20 per cent or less. But 12 dealers? I mean, what's
the percentage? It's a very low, low percentage. That to me is like –
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
The (inaudible) is getting too loud.
MR. PETTEN: That
to me speaks volumes as well.
As I say, regulations are good. Automobile Dealers
Association, I believe, should be the parent group. There's one thing, I guess,
when we look at this and go back to highway safety, and anywhere we've got to
increase oversight, all these things – there are lots of things jumping out of
this, in this legislation.
When we're dealing with any of this and we're talking about
our highway safety, I got to go back to it again because a lot of unnecessary
deaths, accidents, serious injuries occur, they're not always because of
accidents. We say they're accidents, but a lot of it is from negligence: it's
either you're driving too fast, you're on a road driving a vehicle you should
not be driving. Now, don't get me wrong, there are a portion of them that are
accidents and very sad stories, but if you do the math, you go in and do the
follow-up, you do the accident reports, a lot of them comes down to they're
preventable.
These regulations here, even though they may not appear
that way, but a vehicle inspection, the value of a vehicle inspection can never
be understated. You can never understate the value of a vehicle inspection.
When I read this, it jumped out at me: the Parkway. We have
the pedway there now. My father, actually, was a mechanic. He's passed away now,
but he was a mechanic all his life. That incident, when that happened, that
accident, that was really tragic, obviously, and it was recently the anniversary
– it was last year, I believe – he had to testify; he had to do the inspections
on the vehicles. It was all about the inspection that was on that vehicle of the
day.
It was questioned, that vehicle was only after being
inspected previously, a while. One of the situations was – it wasn't long before
it was inspected. So this became an issue in the courts. This became part of the
trial for that, when that accident happened. And that's something that
always stuck with me. Not only the fact that I was around it all my life – my
father, that was his career and I seen a lot of this stuff because he used to do
a lot of police investigations and what have you – but it just reaffirms. When I
see stuff like this, any amendments to the
Highway Traffic Act, especially when you get into inspections or anything
else when it comes to making dealers more responsible, stuff like that jumps out
to me. It was only a year ago.
I would
just like to be on record to say that we never take any of this legislation
lightly, it's important. Ultimately, even though it's important for government
to be able to collect outstanding fees and fines, whatever is collected by these
dealers and what have you, all that is fine, but underneath all that there's a
safety piece that probably nobody reads when they read, an Act to Amend the
Highway Traffic Act, when you read some of the changes but, ultimately, changes
like these can save lives.
Thank
you very much.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
If the Minister of Service NL
speaks now he will close the debate.
AN HON. MEMBER:
(Inaudible.)
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Humber - Bay of Islands.
MR. JOYCE:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I'm just
going to spend a few minutes, and I'm going to be supporting this piece of
legislation but I do have some concerns.
Road
safety is a major concern for all of us across the Province of Newfoundland and
Labrador, there's absolutely no doubt. There are a lot of issues with it and
there's a lot of responsibility on the dealerships.
The
Member for Ferryland gave a very good brief of it all; much better than any of
us could do in this House. He brought forward some great points, and some points
that even the people who were reading the legislation through the briefings
wouldn't know and wouldn't be able to bring up. There were a lot of great issues
brought there.
Auditing
the plates is a very major point in this. The biggest issue I hear, and it was
brought up – and the Member for Ferryland explained it very well. The biggest
issue that was brought up was if cars with conditions, when they hand them over,
when they're sold; what someone is buying, what the condition of the car is, was
it in an accident? There are always issues. I dealt with a few of them from
constituents about non-disclosure of information about the cars.
The
other concern is, is the car roadworthy? These are all the issues that must be
addressed in some way through the regulations, I say to the minister. The
regulations are always a bit touchy. As we know, the regulations come in, and we
don't see the regulations until they're made up. We're just getting approval for
the legislation, but the big thing for all of us is to ensure that there's
continuity across the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador on it.
Mr.
Speaker, a certificate of conduct for the dealerships and for the dealers is
great also. That's great to make sure that everybody is being audited. We get a
certificate of conduct for anything that we do. You coach basketball, you get a
certificate of conduct to give to the school or the school board. So a
certificate of conduct when you're dealing with so much money for people is very
important.
Mr.
Speaker, I'm going to go back to something I was dealing with last year. This is
a point that I want to bring up. I was dealing with 11, 12 other people, I
think, across the province on their behalf. I want to make it quite clear,
thanks to the City of Corner Brook, the vehicle that my wife purchased, we can
use. So this is not an issue about me.
In the
statement that was made is there is $13 million transferred that the dealers
take in for the province because they have a relationship with Motor
Registration that they can collect the fees, register the car – $13 million.
I'll just give an example, I say to the minister, and I will say upfront that
this is not the minister's issue because you were not in the position when this
happened, but I just want to give the minister a heads up on this. He was
talking about regulations. It's very important, I say, about when you bring in
the regulations.
When you
talk about the Kubotas last year in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador,
they were being registered by the dealers through Motor Registration for 11
years. Collecting the money, paying it off, no problem. They had permission from
Service NL, through Motor Registration, through the registrar, to collect the
fees to give them an X plate, doing if for 11 years. Someone made a complaint
from Forestry, I think it was – made a complaint from Forestry. They said we
made a mistake 11 years ago. So now what we're going to do with the mistake of
11 years, everybody with an X plate, you're off the road.
So the
people who went up and paid $25,000 for a vehicle, getting an X plate, approved
by the dealership, approved by the Motor Registration Division, given a
certificate, all of a sudden said: oh, you can't use it now, and there's no
liability back to the province or back to the dealership. And when you go to the
dealership, the dealership says, well, we had permission from the government,
the government let us do it for 11 years. The government says, oh, we made a
mistake 11 years ago, hard luck. A lot of people couldn't even use their
vehicles anymore, sold their vehicles. Those are the kind of loopholes, Mr.
Minister. I know you can't answer it because you weren't involved but that's the
kind of things you have to watch out for.
I just
want to bring this to the minister's attention again; I want to make it quite
clear: this minister was not in that position. I say to Minister Osborne this is
something that's probably new to you. You might have heard me speak of it in the
House of Assembly. This is where the regulations comes in. I say to the
minister, you have to keep a close oversight on the regulations.
Of all
the vehicles in that type of Kubota that was given an X plate, there was one who
was allowed to keep the X plate. The letters that were received and the letters
that you got from access to information, it was given because unique commercial
purposes. No one can show me in the legislation what unique commercial purposes
are. None – absolutely none, yet someone here in St. John's at that time got
approval for unique commercial purposes with an X plate. The same vehicle for
the other 11 people across the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador were
saying, no, you can't use it, yet you could use it in the streets of St. John's.
I know a
couple of people here – I was speaking to the MHAs about it – that were in their
district and a couple of them are not allowed on the road, just on a byroad in
their town bringing their fishing equipment back and forth to their stages, back
and forth to the wharf. Not allowed but you could use it in downtown St. John's
because someone, the Registrar in this province, said it's unique commercial
purposes. Now, I know it's laughable. It's true. It's laughable and I can show
it to you.
Mr.
Speaker, the reason why I bring this up, this is nothing to me, I just feel
sorry to the people outside Corner Brook who can't use their vehicles. That's
who I feel sorry for. I honestly feel sorry for them for investing $25,000 and
then told you're allowed to do it by Motor Registration and the dealership. All
of a sudden overnight say, no, we made a mistake 11 years ago, no reimbursement,
no grandfather clause in saying that you could use it until – and we're not
extending anymore which is an option.
Here's
the other thing I say to the minister, and if you want to see it I can get it
for you, quite easily. When there was an access to information put in on this –
and the reason why I bring this up is because you have to keep an eye on the
regulations. When I put in an access to information on behalf of the 12 owners
across the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador and I ask for all emails, all
correspondence, all information about how something was approved for unique
commercial purposes – nothing. Absolutely nothing. There was nothing. Came back
and said there were no records corresponding to your request. Fine.
Put in
access to information: all emails concerning this. I get an email back. I think
it was someone in Service NL who stated to the Registrar, remember we discussed
this and we allowed them to keep theirs? Yet when you put the access to
information – so there was someone in St. John's who the Registrar discussed it
with, somebody in an email said remember we discussed this and we allowed this.
They could drive in St. John's but the people out in rural Newfoundland and
Labrador who had these vehicles couldn't use it.
I still,
to this day, do not know who was in on that discussion. Yet, that's how the
Registrar of this Province of Newfoundland and Labrador – if we don't pay
attention as a Legislature, that's how this system can be abused. I ask the
minister to go back to your department and bring it back in third reading. Tell
me where in the legislation there are unique commercial purposes in the
legislation why a vehicle in St. John's is approved for an X plate to drive
around St. John's, but an X plate anywhere in rural Newfoundland can't be used.
The reason was, in writing, unique commercial purposes, and she has the
authority to do it and she did it. I ask the minister for that in the third
reading.
If you
need to see the email and you can go back and ask who on the email – because
there are going to be issues with it – who in the email when they said we
discussed this and we agreed to approve it. Who is we? Yet in access to
information, you can't get it. I ask the minister to go back and check out that
email. It's on the website. I can get it for you; I have it.
So those
11 or 12 people across the province – no, 10 now because two in Corner Brook use
theirs, that's not an issue – couldn't use theirs to bring it down to the
fishing. One person was in there sometime setting up. He's selling a few
hotdogs, chips and that. He used to bring the water, throw it in back, bring the
water down to his little place selling a few things, having a little chip stand.
He can't do that no more – can't do it no more.
That's
where I just say to the minister, I agree with the legislation making this
province safe in Newfoundland and Labrador. I agree with auditing the plates. I
agree with some way having disclosure for the Province of Newfoundland and
Labrador. I agree with the certificate of conduct.
I will
be supporting this bill but I just ask the minister to be vigilant when the
regulations come in. I know you weren't involved but I know you're the minister
now. I'm bringing this to your attention because we have to make sure that if
someone in St. John's is being treated one way, someone out in Cox's Cove is
going to be treated the same way when it comes to your regulations.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER (Reid):
The hon. the Member for
Cape St. Francis.
MR. K. PARSONS:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
It's
indeed, as I would always would say, an absolute pleasure to be here and to
represent the beautiful District of Cape St. Francis.
Mr.
Speaker, I have to commend my colleague for Ferryland, first of all. I'm only
going to speak a couple of minutes on this bill, but it's great when you do get
on a bill that you have a lot of knowledge. I know we all have our own
background and what we did in life and stuff like that, but to have a
perspective from a person that was in the industry, understands the industry –
and, obviously, I think he sold a lot of cars in the industry also – it was
great to listen to him speak today. I would say even the minister appreciates
his contribution here today, hearing it from somebody who's in the industry.
It's
amazing when you listen to this bill and read a little bit about the bill. There
are 468 dealers in the province. I'm always amazed whenever I go up Kenmount
Road or up Topsail Road and I look at the number of cars that are in the lots.
When you go down on Water Street and you look down in the Oceanex lot and you
see all the cars and you say: are they actually going to be sold here? Who's
buying all these cars and stuff like that? It's a huge industry and it's also an
economic indicator to the province of how good we're doing.
I had a
friend of mine for years that was in the dealership business selling cars and
I'd always ask how was he doing and how were sales. You can tell. One of the big
indicators in the economy is how car sales are going. If car sales are up and
people are purchasing cars, it's usually a great indication that our economy is
doing really well. I'd be interested in seeing what the numbers would be today
to understand if people are still purchasing like they were this time last year.
I would
imagine, Minister, that's something that would go through the Finance
Department, probably, as an indicator of where we are with the economy. When we
talk about the car sales industry and you talk 468, it's obviously a very huge
industry in our province. It's something that gives income and good income to a
lot of residents, right across the Island.
Again,
this legislation that we're talking about here today, it's pretty amazing when
you look at the legislation today that this hasn't been updated since 1988. So
either they've been doing a lot of good things over the years, or we've just
been a little bit slack in making sure things are better.
In my
previous time here in the Legislature, I was Service NL critic for four years. I
got to say that there are a lot of things that are brought into this House of
Assembly over the last number of years, and even while we were in government,
that when it came to the Highway Traffic
Act, bar none, it's about safety and it's about safety of our families and
about safety of our friends and our fellow Newfoundlanders and Labradorians on
the highway, to make sure that our highways are safe.
It was
interesting to listen to my colleague from Ferryland because he had a couple of
ideas that really struck home for me. I grew up in a time where you got your
inspection slip from anyone. I'm not saying in a bad way, but that's just the
way it was when people were getting cars. It was go down to the garage, your car
had to be inspected and there was no regulation, really. It was done a book and
it was tick, tick, tick, tick. Sometimes it was looked at; sometimes I don't
know if it was checked.
Listening to my colleague here and understanding what he was saying today, that
you deal with dealerships – and this is an important part of this legislation,
is how we do inspections and why we should do inspections. I know and I'm sure
everybody has drove along the highway or drove in your community and you looked
at a car and said: Really, should that be on the highway?
I was on
my way down towards White Hills a little while ago and I noticed a truck on the
side of the road. The highway traffic people were there on the side of the road
with a wrecker that was hauling the truck onto the flatbed. I couldn't believe
that that truck even made it almost down to White Hills it was in that bad of
shape. I'm sure that's the reason the truck was taken off the road.
Not
having inspections, and the suggestion that the hon. Member for Ferryland made
was perhaps that it was something we should look at doing 10 years out. I kind
of agree with that, and I'm not sure that it has to be something that's a huge
cost to anyone or something like that, but we want to make sure that people's
brakes are in good shape, want to ensure the brake lines and the running gear of
that vehicle is in decent shape to be on the highway because we don't want – at
least, I don't want to see anybody's safety being compromised because of a
vehicle that's not safe on our highways. So that's important and I think that's
a great suggestion.
When you
look at a lot of this, I think it's mainly to do with the dealerships and the
dealers in the province. Again, listening to my colleague I learned a lot. A lot
of the cars and vehicles that are traded in to the bigger dealerships are then –
as you notice, do you ever go down to, I'll just say, Terra Nova Motors or
Avalon Ford and you look at their used car vehicles that are there, they're
usually really good cars and stuff like that. So you're thinking that maybe only
good cars are traded in. But that's not how it happens. They trade in the
vehicle and then there's probably a dealership down the road or out around
(inaudible) that'll buy that vehicle and sell it on their lot.
So I
believe that a proper inspection and a proper investigation of that vehicle
should be done before it's sold to somebody else, and I think that's what we're
looking at doing here today. So I think that's very important.
Mr.
Speaker, I've spoken about this several times, and I know it has always come
back and I don't hear it as much as what I did hear it three or four years ago,
was uninsured vehicles on our highways. I'm sure it's still happening today and
everything else. I've always thought – and I know it's all about cost – that
once I buy a vehicle, I believe that that licence plate should stay with me
right through.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. K. PARSONS:
I believe that should be my
licence plate and when I buy another vehicle that that licence plate should stay
with me until – now it might get rusty or whatever, but I'll go get another
licence plate, At the end of the day when I bought a vehicle when it comes down
Torbay Road, they'll look at it there and see – you'll come up behind me and do
a check on me and they'll know that that's Kevin Parsons' vehicle. And if it's
not Kevin Parsons driving that vehicle, then there's something wrong. Do you
know what I mean? And that's what's happening, because what happens with our
uninsured vehicles out in the province today is all about the sticker. If that
sticker's good for six months, I'll buy the vehicle; I don't need insurance
because I think I'll get away with it.
And
that's what the problem is with a lot of uninsured – we look at the news all the
time and we look at some of the fines people are having to pay because they're
getting away with the things like uninsured vehicles. I believe that if we had a
licence plate that was to the person that purchased the car in the first place
or whenever I got my driver's licence, that it would save a lot of money to this
province and it would take a lot of people off the road that shouldn't be on the
road. Because you can't drive around – I'm sure if the RNC or RCMP saw a vehicle
without a licence plate on it that they would definitely haul it over and that
vehicle wouldn't be on the road any longer.
Again, I
think it's a good piece of legislation that we're debating here today. Another
part of the legislation that I kind of like is for the minister to have the
authority to be able to go in where we're doing inspections to ensure that it's
not like when I said earlier, the days when you could go and it was just tick,
tick, tick, so proper inspections are being done on vehicles, and if people
don't do those inspections, there are fines and they can lose their licences to
be able to inspect vehicles. So it's a safety net for everybody.
Mr.
Speaker, everybody in this House and everybody in this province want to make
sure that the people on our highways are practising safety, that the vehicles
are safe and that our loved ones that travel on our highways are going to be
safe. So anything we can do to make sure that our highways are safe and to help
dealerships or help people who are selling cars in this province, to ensure our
safety, that's what we should be at in the House of Assembly. This is a great
bill to ensure the safety of our residents of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Thank
you very much.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Mount
Pearl - Southlands.
MR. LANE:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I'm not
going to speak very long to this. I just want to record for the purposes of
Hansard that I do support this bill.
I'm not going to repeat everything that everybody else has already said. I think
all the points have been made that need to be made. It's about providing safety,
obviously, for the purchasers of vehicles, whether they be new vehicles or used
vehicles and so on. It's about ensuring that all the car dealerships in this
province are going to be operating in a proper manner. They are colleting money
on behalf of the province, so it's important that all the checks and balances be
in place for that. That the companies are operating the way they should, that
the people who are handling money are people who should be handling money and so
on. So it really brings, I think, more professionalism to the industry.
I would
suggest that anyone who is a legitimate car dealership would want this and would
applaud this. Sometimes when you talk about some of these accountability
measures in various industries, some people might say, well, that's going to be
causing undue hardship or whatever for companies; but I would suggest that in
most cases when it comes to things like this that add more accountability,
anyone who is in that particular industry, in that particular business who is
legit and want to do things right, then this offers a measure of protection for
them. I'm sure that would be the case here as well and I'm sure they would all
support it.
I think
it makes good sense. I certainly thank the minister for bringing it in. I also
want to say, Mr. Speaker, I did, when I spoke in the House on Tuesday, I believe
it was, make mention of the great co-operation that I've received certainly from
the Minister of Education, in particular, as well as the Minister of Health and
Community Services' office and the Minister of AES's office, but I also just
want to put it out there, because I neglected to do so, that the Minister of
Service NL/Finance, has been nothing but co-operative to me on any number of
issues. I thank him for that and I'm glad to support his bill.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Finance and President of Treasury Board, if he speaks now he will close the
debate.
The hon.
the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board.
MR. OSBORNE:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
A couple
of notes, based on comments that have been made by my colleagues. I want to
thank the Members for Conception Bay South, Cape St. Francis, Mount Pearl -
Southlands, Ferryland and Labrador West. I hope I didn't miss anybody – oh, the
Minister of Transportation and Works as well for speaking to this particular
piece of legislation.
I will
say to the Member for Cape St. Francis that I agree; it is good to have somebody
with some knowledge in this industry to be able to speak to it. The Member for
Ferryland, I know, has some expertise in this industry.
Mr.
Speaker, some of the comments that were made, I know that we have some notes
here so I'll respond. One of the concerns raised by the Member for Ferryland was
having a vehicle inspected, and if 60 days pass, you would have to have it
inspected again. Under this particular piece of legislation there's no
requirement to inspect it until it's actually going to be sold. If it's on the
lot, not inspected, sitting on a dealer's lot, prior to sale it has to be
inspected to ensure the safety of the vehicle.
Currently, if a vehicle is being transferred from one person to another in a
private sale, that vehicle has to be inspected currently. That does help to
ensure, when a vehicle is transferred, that there is some safety to that vehicle
prior to it being able to go into the ownership of another individual, but we're
also requiring that now of dealerships. Most provinces don't have any additional
requirements for inspections beyond transfer. For example, there are some
exceptions in Nova Scotia, PEI and New Brunswick.
Currently, another example, if one of our enforcement officers pull a vehicle
over because they suspect there are some safety issues with the vehicle, they
can issue an order for an inspection. So even if the vehicle has been in the
same ownership for however many number of years, if an inspection officer
determines that there may be some safety issues, they can order an inspection of
that as well. That's both commercial and private.
Somebody
had mentioned legislation and inspections. We have the
Occupational Health and Safety Act, the Greenhouse Gas Act, the
Environmental Protection Act and the
cannabis act, for example, where inspections can concurrently occur.
I think
the Member for Labrador West had talked about asking staff or salespeople to be
bonded. We only require the dealership to be bonded in this province; a
jurisdictional scan has indicated that is consistent across the country. The
dealer would be bonded. If there's an issue, even with a staff member, the
dealer would be responsible, so their bond would cover government in the event
that there's a loss or something untoward. The government would go after the
dealership for remedy there. So if a staff person stole licence plates, for
example, or so on, we would go after the dealer to recover, based on their bond.
The
Member for Conception Bay South, I think, raised the fact that there were only
12 people who had responded. All of the dealers in the province were contacted
by mail. We did hear from the dealers' association, who represented, especially
the new dealers, the larger dealers that are members of that association, but
all dealers were written and given an opportunity to respond to the legislation
if they had concerns. So I'm not sure if it's a case of – if there was something
radically wrong with this, maybe we would've heard from a lot more. It amounts
to about 3 per cent of the dealers that we heard from, but I think if they had
major concerns with this, we probably would've heard from a lot more of the
dealers.
The
Member for Bay of Islands had mentioned about one particular plate being used. I
understand from officials in the department that has since been revoked. So
there currently aren't any plates with that special exception in the province.
Somebody
had mentioned – I think it was the Member for Cape St. Francis, I'm not sure;
I'll give you credit if you weren't – but somebody had mentioned a plate to
owner. That was the Member for St. Cape Francis. So if somebody owns a licence
plate, they keep that plate for life, same as they do, for example, in Ontario
or other provinces. We're working on that currently; that's currently in the
works within the province, and I agree that that would help cut down on a lot of
what we see in terms of owing fines to government, unpaid fines, or vehicles
that are being driven without proper registration or so on. So that's currently
being worked on in the province.
In
addition to that, we did make some changes to the Insurance Act, for example,
that if somebody buys insurance simply to get their vehicle registered and then
cancels it a month later to get a refund, we've made changes under the Insurance
Act to ensure that if somebody cancels their insurance that the insurance
company has to inform Motor Vehicle Registration. We are working towards
cleaning up some of the loopholes, if you want to call it, that may have existed
where people could get around and old fines and so on.
I think
that covers most of the concerns that were raised. If there are other concerns,
certainly in Committee we can talk back and forth about those.
Mr.
Speaker, thank you to everybody who spoke on this, and I look forward to
Committee.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Is the House ready for the
question? Yes?
The
motion is that Bill 21 be now read a second time.
Is it
the pleasure of the House to adopt this motion?
All
those in favour?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
MR. SPEAKER:
All those against, 'nay.'
Carried.
CLERK:
A bill, An Act To Amend The
Highway Traffic Act. (Bill 21)
MR. SPEAKER:
The bill has now been read a
second time.
When
shall this bill be referred to a Committee of the Whole?
MS. COADY:
Now.
MR. SPEAKER:
Now.
On
motion, a bill, “An Act To Amend The Highway Traffic Act,” read a second time,
ordered referred to a Committee of the Whole House presently, by leave.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Government House
Leader.
MS. COADY:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I move,
seconded by the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board, that the
House resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole to consider Bill 21.
MR. SPEAKER:
It is moved and seconded that
I do now leave the Chair for the House to resolve itself into Committee of the
Whole to consider the said bill.
Is it
the pleasure of the House to adopt this motion?
All
those in favour, 'aye.'
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
MR. SPEAKER:
All those against, 'nay.'
Carried.
On
motion, that the House resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole, the Speaker
left the Chair.
Committee of the
Whole
CHAIR (Bennett):
Order, please!
We are
here now considering Bill 21, An Act To Amend The Highway Traffic Act.
A bill,
“An Act To Amend The Highway Traffic Act.” (Bill 21)
CLERK:
Clause 1.
CHAIR:
Shall clause 1 carry?
The
Chair recognizes the Member for Ferryland.
MR. O'DRISCOLL:
Thank you very much.
A couple
of little things that I'll touch on before I ask a question. The plate to owner,
that's a great idea. I sort of had that there and didn't bring it up, but it
would cut down on your fines, for sure. You take your plate with you, other than
if somebody robs your plate, I guess, that's the only concern with that.
The
other one I think is a savings for the government on trucks, you have two
plates; one on the front, one on the back. Most times anyone who buys a vehicle
don't want a plate on the front bumper. You could cut down to one. Now, there's
a reason for it, I don't know why, but lots of times you put two plates on the
back because the customer didn't want to have the plate on the front, so it
might be a savings of some sort for someone to look at.
To my
first question, we understand the fee to register a car dealership in the
province is $100 and this amount is set in fees policy. Will this be increasing?
If so, what is the amount being considered?
CHAIR:
The Chair recognizes the
Minister of Service NL.
MR. OSBORNE:
Thank you to the Member for
Ferryland.
I think
the Member for Cape St. Francis created the duel of the former dealers here.
Currently, the two plates, the one on the front for trucks is simply for
enforcement, different enforcement requirements. There is no increase in fees
anticipated.
CHAIR:
The Chair recognizes the
Member for Ferryland.
MR. O'DRISCOLL:
There's a new requirement for
a certificate of conduct or a criminal record check for those applying for a
dealer's driver's licence. Is this in line with other jurisdictions?
CHAIR:
The Chair recognizes the
Minister of Service NL.
MR. OSBORNE:
Thank you very much.
I think
the ante is coming up on the former dealers dueling.
Yes, it
is consistent. We've done a jurisdictional scan, so it is consistent.
CHAIR:
The Chair recognizes the
Member for Ferryland.
MR. O'DRISCOLL:
Section 17(2)(d) and 17(3)(e) make reference to the security required for
dealers.
Does the
amount of security differ from sole proprietors versus corporations? What is the
current security required? Will the security amount be increasing?
CHAIR:
The Chair recognizes the
Minister of Service NL.
MR. OSBORNE:
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I heard
the question, but there is a little bit of chatter here, so as a former Speaker,
I will ask Members to take their conversations outside.
CHAIR:
That's my job.
MR. OSBORNE:
The answer to the question is
no.
Sorry,
Mr. Chair, I think there were two questions. The other one was $5,000.
CHAIR:
The Chair recognizes the
Member for Ferryland.
MR. O'DRISCOLL:
Section 17(2)(e) and 17(3)(f) make reference to the fact that those applying for
a dealer licence will have to provide documents and other information that will
be prescribed in the regulations.
Have
those regulations been drafted and what other information is that referring to?
CHAIR:
The Chair recognizes the hon.
the Minister of Service NL.
MR. OSBORNE:
Thank you.
I will
wait a couple moments; ask your next question and hopefully I'll have an answer
from my officials on that.
CHAIR:
Could you also please go a
little closer to your mic? I find it hard hearing you too.
The
Chair recognizes the Member for Ferryland.
MR. O'DRISCOLL:
It's hard to look down; I'll have to move closer to it.
What is
the renewal fee for the licence and will that be increasing? I'm not sure if
that's the same question that I asked you before, but it might be related
differently from the certificate or the conduct.
CHAIR:
The Chair recognizes the
Minister of Service NL.
MR. OSBORNE:
Not to confuse, but the answer to your former question is not yet.
The
answer to the current question is $100.
CHAIR:
The Chair recognizes the
Member for Ferryland.
MR. O'DRISCOLL:
Once licensed the dealer must provide a certificate of conduct, good standing
each year, but a certificate of conduct or a criminal record check will only
have to be provided where requested by the registrar. Is that correct?
CHAIR:
The Chair recognizes the
Minister of Service NL.
MR. OSBORNE:
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I'm
going to defer to my officials. So ask your next question and I'll give you two
answers.
CHAIR:
The Member for Ferryland.
MR. O'DRISCOLL:
Under section 19, the dealer will now have to disclose information to the buyer.
Are those regulations drafted and what type of information will the dealer have
to disclose to the buyer?
CHAIR:
The Minister of Service NL.
MR. OSBORNE:
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
So the
answer to the former question is $100. Yes, that is correct. The current
regulations are being worked on. They're not yet complete. They're still being
drafted.
CHAIR:
The hon. the Member for
Ferryland.
MR. O'DRISCOLL:
How will a dealer be required
to store plates?
CHAIR:
The hon. the Minister of
Service NL.
MR. OSBORNE:
I have to reach back now,
more than a quarter of a century, see. You're just a year or so away. I'm not
sure if it has changed since I've been there, but just a secure location within
the dealership and no public access.
CHAIR:
The hon. the Member for
Ferryland.
MR. O'DRISCOLL:
And that pretty well happens.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
CHAIR:
Order, please!
MR. O'DRISCOLL:
Where I lived, anyway, that
happens pretty regular.
We were
told that there was previously no requirement for a dealer to pay outstanding
fines and that this has been addressed in section 19(e). Can you offer some
detail on this?
CHAIR:
The hon. the Minister of
Service NL.
MR. OSBORNE:
Yes, thank you, Mr. Chair.
Yes,
previously a dealer could obtain a licence and still owe outstanding fines, for
example, on a D plate or dealer plate. The new legislation and subsequent
regulations that will be brought forward will ensure that those fines have to be
paid, either before a renewal or in the event of a new licence.
CHAIR:
The hon. the Member for
Ferryland.
MR. O'DRISCOLL:
How often are audits of
dealerships being carried out now and who conducts them?
CHAIR:
The hon. the Minister of
Service NL.
MR. OSBORNE:
The new regulations that are
being put in place will give some additional ability for such audits in areas
where we didn't have the ability before. The previous ability was simply for
monies collected on behalf of government and on plate inventory, for example.
And it's conducted by Motor Vehicle Registration staff.
CHAIR:
The hon. the Member for
Ferryland.
MR. O'DRISCOLL:
That answers my next
question, so I'll go on to the next one. Is the use of inspectors in this way in
line with other jurisdictions?
CHAIR:
The hon. the Minister of
Service NL.
MR. OSBORNE:
I'm sorry; could you repeat
that?
CHAIR:
The hon. the Member for
Ferryland.
MR. O'DRISCOLL:
Is the use of inspectors in
this way in line with other jurisdictions?
CHAIR:
The hon. the Minister of
Service NL.
MR. OSBORNE:
Yes, it is.
CHAIR:
The Chair recognizes the
Member for Labrador West.
MR. BROWN:
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Under
section 17(2)(c), considering the nature of the business, why wouldn't
government want certificates of conduct from salespeople as well as anyone else
who deals with the public in this manner?
CHAIR:
The hon. the Minister of
Service NL.
MR. OSBORNE:
I think it would just create
additional logistical issues. We require the dealer to be bonded and a
certificate of conduct from the dealer, the partnerships or sole proprietor in a
dealership. Like many other industries, it's up to the employer to ensure that
they've got reputable staff on hand.
If there
is something, such as a plate gone missing or funds that are owed to government
gone missing, we'd go after the dealer for that and take the dealer up on the
dealership bond.
CHAIR:
The Member for Labrador West.
MR. BROWN:
Thank you.
That's
my only question there now. The former car dealer managed to take all the other
ones.
CHAIR:
Seeing no other questions,
shall clause 1 carry?
All
those in favour, 'aye.'
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
CHAIR:
All those against, 'nay.'
Carried.
On
motion, clause 1 carried.
CLERK:
Clauses 2 through 4
inclusive.
CHAIR:
Shall clauses 2 through 4
inclusive carry?
The
Member for Ferryland.
MR. O'DRISCOLL:
A lot of details related to
the amendments proposed in this bill are being left to the regulations. Have any
of these regulations been drafted yet?
CHAIR:
The Minister of Service NL.
MR. OSBORNE:
No. I guess work has been
started. They're not drafted. Drafting generally on legislation is done once
it's passed through the Legislature to see whether or not there are amendments
to the legislation or any changes to the legislation during debate. So the short
answer is, no, they're not drafted yet; they are being worked on.
CHAIR:
The Chair recognizes the
Member for Ferryland.
MR. O'DRISCOLL:
We understand that the
stakeholders will be consulted further on the regulations. What is the plan to
engage stakeholders in these consultations?
CHAIR:
The Minister of Service NL.
MR. OSBORNE:
Thank you.
That's
part of the reason final regulations have not yet been drafted, because there is
a desire from the department to consult with the Automobile Dealers Association
and, in fact, dealers in general on the final drafting of the regulations.
CHAIR:
The Chair recognizes the
Member for Ferryland.
MR. O'DRISCOLL:
Will the act still come into
effect in January '21.
CHAIR:
The Minister of Service NL.
MR. OSBORNE:
I believe that is our
intention, yes.
CHAIR:
The Member for Ferryland.
MR. O'DRISCOLL:
One other one.
We
understand that existing offences will be updated in the Schedule when no
offences or penalties will be added. Did you get that?
MR. OSBORNE:
I didn't quite understand the
question. Could you ask that again?
MR. O'DRISCOLL:
We understand that some
offences will be updated in the Schedule. What new offences or penalties will be
added to that?
CHAIR:
The Minister of Service NL.
MR. OSBORNE:
No changes planned.
CHAIR:
The Member for Ferryland.
MR. O'DRISCOLL:
We agree with the Member for
Labrador West on salespeople. It's probably the job of the dealership to make
sure they're hiring the right people in regard to that, so just to throw that
out there too.
Thanks.
CHAIR:
The Member for Humber - Bay
of Islands.
MR. JOYCE:
One question to the minister.
I know, Minister, you just said – and this has nothing to do with me but it's
just for protection – that a licence for the X plate has been refused, taken
back. Will you find out – and this is the bigger issue for it – how and who made
the decision against the regulations and the act, to give it and allow it
because it says right in the email, as we discussed. Would you get back to me on
who discussed it, how it was done, how someone could put in letters and what
unique commercial purposes mean?
The
reason why I say that is once you get the regulations you assume they're going
to be followed, but when you find out that they're not followed in St. John's as
compared to other places – and there are things like unique commercial purposes
are put in. I just ask the minister would you get back to me on those answers.
Who made that decision? Who came up with this language? It's important because
if it happens again in this area here where the Registrar got the full control,
who says she's not going to make regulations for one part of the province and
the other part which was done in this case.
You
don't have to answer now but you can get back to me on that.
CHAIR:
The Minister of Service NL.
MR. OSBORNE:
I understand that it was an
error and the licence was revoked. Outside of that – that would have happened
prior to my arrival at Service NL so I think it's probably appropriate to
provide those answers. I'm not sure what or how it transpired but I understand
that it was an error so it was revoked.
CHAIR:
The Member for Conception Bay
South.
MR. PETTEN:
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I just
have one question for the minister. He never answered it when he spoke after in
the response when he closed out second reading. It was about mandatory
membership. I go back to that because I referenced it when I spoke. We have
memberships in all, no matter if it's legal, it's financial, its realtors. The
idea behind the mandatory membership group is it's one body that represents all
the rest. They can actually help government and help any industry in policing
their own dealers.
I'm just
curious to why we don't have a mandatory membership of these automobile dealers.
It's not a huge cost to my knowledge, but it would make things much easier for
you, Minister, and your department officials to deal with an association that
represents the bigger group. All these regulatory changes would be a lot easier
to streamline within the industry.
Just
provide an answer to that or – I appreciate it.
CHAIR:
The hon. the Minister of
Service NL.
MR. OSBORNE:
No, I appreciate the point
you're making and many organizations do have mandatory membership, many of them
don't.
For
example the Canadian Home Builders' Association, not every contractor, even
though they're registered with the province and registered with workers'
compensation, are members of the Canadian Home Builders' Association. The
Automobile Dealers Association is a voluntary organization as well. I don't know
the logistics or even the appropriateness of government forcing every
organization in the province that's a voluntary organization to have mandatory
membership, but it's certainly something I can take under advisement.
CHAIR:
Any other questions?
Seeing
none, shall clauses 2 to 4 inclusive carry?
All
those in favour, 'aye.'
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
CHAIR:
All those against, 'nay.'
Carried.
On
motion, clauses 2 to 4 carried.
CLERK:
Be it enacted by the
Lieutenant-Governor and House of Assembly in Legislative Session convened, as
follows.
CHAIR:
Shall the enacting clause
carry?
All
those in favour, 'aye.'
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
CHAIR:
All those against, 'nay.'
Carried.
On
motion, enacting clause carried.
CLERK:
An Act To Amend The Highway
Traffic Act.
CHAIR:
Shall the title carry?
All
those in favour, 'aye.'
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
CHAIR:
All those against, 'nay.'
Carried.
On
motion, title carried.
CHAIR:
Shall I report Bill 21
without amendment?
All
those in favour, 'aye.'
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
CHAIR:
All those against, 'nay.'
Carried.
Motion,
that the Committee report having passed the bill without amendment, carried.
CHAIR:
The hon. the Government House
Leader.
MS. COADY:
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I move
that the Committee rise and report Bill 21.
CHAIR:
The motion is that the
Committee rise and report Bill 21 without amendment.
All
those in favour, 'aye.'
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
CHAIR:
All those against, 'nay.'
Carried.
On
motion, that the Committee rise, report progress and ask leave to sit again, the
Speaker returned to the Chair.
MR. SPEAKER (Reid):
The hon. the Member for
Lewisporte - Twillingate, Chair of Committee of the Whole.
MR. BENNETT:
Mr. Speaker, the Committee of
the Whole have considered the matters to them referred and have directed me to
report Bill 21 without amendment.
MR. SPEAKER:
The Chair of the Committee of
the Whole reports that the Committee have considered the matters to them
referred and have directed him to report Bill 21 carried without amendment.
When
shall the report be received?
MS. COADY:
Now.
MR. SPEAKER:
Now.
When
shall the bill be read a third time?
MS. COADY:
Tomorrow.
MR. SPEAKER:
Tomorrow.
On
motion, report received and adopted. Bill ordered read a third time on tomorrow.
The hon.
the Government House Leader.
MS. COADY:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Considering the hour of the day, I move, seconded by the Member for Mount Scio,
that the House do now adjourn.
MR. SPEAKER:
It's moved and seconded that
the House do now adjourn.
AN HON. MEMBER:
(Inaudible.)
MR. SPEAKER:
I think it's a debateable
motion, yes.
It's
moved and seconded that the House does now adjourn.
I'm
seeing the Member for Humber - Bay of Islands.
MR. JOYCE:
Before you move the motion,
Mr. Speaker, once again, I just wanted to bring it to the attention of the
Government House Leader, it's 4:22. There's another hour and eight minutes and
yesterday we were accused of not being able to ask questions on health care
because we were hijacking the House of Assembly. So I'll just let the Government
House Leader know, once again, we're closing again today well before 5:30, the
allotted time, when I wanted to use time to debate health care issues which
affects a lot of people out in Humber - Bay of Islands.
I just
wanted to bring it to your attention that I was shut down because of that but
we're closing the House early again today.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER:
Is the House ready for the
question?
It's
moved and seconded that the House does now adjourn.
All
those in favour, 'aye.'
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
MR. SPEAKER:
All those against, 'nay.'
Carried.
The
House is now adjourned until, Monday, at 1:30 in the afternoon.
On motion, the House at its rising adjourned until tomorrow, Monday, at 1:30 p.m.