June 17, 2020
HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS
Vol. XLIX No. 41
The
House met at 2 p.m.
MR. SPEAKER (Reid):
Order, please!
Admit
Strangers.
Statements by
Members
MR. SPEAKER:
Today we will hear Members'
statements by the hon. Members for the Districts of Stephenville - Port au Port,
Lewisporte - Twillingate, Mount Pearl North, Labrador West and St. John's East -
Quidi Vidi.
The hon.
the Member for Stephenville - Port au Port.
MR. WAKEHAM:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The
Province of Newfoundland and Labrador has a rich culture and heritage that makes
us all proud.
In 1995,
three local francophone groups on the beautiful Port au Port Peninsula joined
forces in creating a regional francophone organization to promote, preserve and
celebrate the wonderful francophone culture and language of the West Coast.
Twenty-five years later, L'Association Régionale de la Côte Ouest (ARCO) has a
lot to celebrate. Fitness gyms in our rural communities, children's books that
share our culture, French bread ovens for our families and visitors, regional
bilingual festivals, promotional music videos, bilingual CDs and French flag
licence plates, of which I am proud to say I have one.
Congratulations to the volunteers and employees of ARCO. Here's to another 25
years of success.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Lewisporte - Twillingate.
MR. BENNETT:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
It gives
me great privilege to recognize an exceptional role model from my district. Ms.
Jade Roberts of Twillingate was a very accomplished athlete in her youth,
excelling in a variety of sports, including a silver medal at the national
Figure Skating Championships.
Jade is
now a competitive cross-country runner and in 2019 she represented Memorial
University Sea-Hawks at the Atlantic University Sports Championships, where she
not only ran away to win the gold medal, she also was named the female
cross-country Athlete of the Year.
Another
highlight in her running career happened in April, when Jade was honoured with
both the Butler Trophy for the overall female athlete of the year at Memorial
University and the Jubilee Cup for the female MVP of the Sea-Hawks Cross Country
team.
Jade's
athletic career can only be surpassed by her professional career. She followed
in her mother's footsteps in becoming a nurse and currently works at the Janeway
pediatric intensive care unit. On March 11 her lifelong dream came true, when
she was accepted into Memorial University faculty of medicine.
Mr.
Speaker, I ask all Members to join me in congratulating Jade Roberts for all of
her accomplishments and wish her continued success in her athletics and her
studies at medical school.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Mount
Pearl North.
MR. LESTER:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Today I
would like to acknowledge the many blood donors from Mount Pearl North and
across our province and country who voluntarily donate their blood and blood
products to save lives. It isn't every day you can do something to save
someone's life, but that's exactly what you do every time you donate blood.
Even the
best trained medical personnel using the most advanced equipment can become
helpless in the event of a patient needing blood. Blood is special. It can't be
manufactured and it can't be replaced by animal blood. The gift of blood is
essential to saving lives and can only come from another human being. There are
no substitutes.
There is
a constant need for regular blood supply because blood can only be stored for a
limited time. We can all save precious lives and bring smiles just by donating
blood.
A few
moments of your time will be greatly rewarded by the thought of saving a loved
one, a cancer patient, a bleeding child or an injured motorist. Donating blood
takes minutes and the benefits can preserve a lifetime.
I ask
all those present to join me to celebrate and thank individuals who donate
blood, and encourage those who have not yet donated blood to consider donating,
as the need for blood and blood products is greater now than ever.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Labrador West.
MR. BROWN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I rise
today to pay tribute to a dear friend, Art Huxter, who passed away on January
20, 2020.
Many
locals will say it was an honour to have met and worked with Arthur. He had many
stories to tell and a contagious laugh. Art was a union activist for over 40
years in Labrador West, starting out as a shop steward before joining the union
executive.
Arthur
worked at the Iron Ore Company of Canada and was a dedicated member and rep for
all members of 5795. He served for 40 years on the executive, with 37 of them as
their financial secretary.
Arthur
could be found at the union centre volunteering hundreds of hours to fellow
members, fighting for each member to be treated with fairness. Art provided
solid leadership and guidance. His contributions to improving the financial
viability of all USW locals during labour negotiations was something that the
local union took pride in.
Arthur's
passion for helping others did not stop with his local. He was also a long-time
advocate and volunteer for local food banks. Arthur was a friend to all. He was
loved by his family and many in his community.
I ask
all hon. Members to join me in remembering Arthur and his dedication to his
family, his local and our community.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for St.
John's East - Quidi Vidi.
MS. COFFIN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Black
Lives Matter NL is a local chapter of a global movement founded in 2013 in
response to the acquittal of Trayvon Martin's murderer. Black Lives Matter
Foundation Incorporated is a global organization whose mission is to eradicate
white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on
black communities.
In the
wake of the murder of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis, Black Lives Matter
NL held a historic rally against systemic, anti-black racism and police
violence. Thousands kneeled in solidarity as organizers and speakers brought to
light the need for action on anti-black racism in our province.
The
solidarity and compassion I witnessed at this rally moved me, and I would like
to thank its organizers: Khadeja-Raven Anderson, Precious Familusi, Nuna Toweh,
Brian Amadi, Rioko Milani, Dr. Delores V. Mullings, Dr. Sulaimon Giwa, Dr.
Zainab Jerrett, and community advocacy groups including the Anti-Racism
Coalition NL, MUNSU, Planned Parenthood of Newfoundland and Labrador and
STARFest.
I ask
all hon. Members to join me in thanking Black Lives Matter and recognizing their
work to end anti-black racism in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Black
Lives Matter, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Statements by Ministers.
Statements by
Ministers
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Children, Seniors and Social Development.
MS. DEMPSTER:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I'm
pleased today to recognize June as Recreation Month. This year, more than ever,
being involved in recreational activities is important for our physical and
mental health.
While we
may be limited in the ways we can interact with others as we learn to live with
COVID-19, now is an excellent time to discover new ways to be active in our own
homes, backyards and communities.
As a government,
we recognize the vital role recreation plays in helping us lead healthy, active
and balanced lives, and we remain committed to supporting initiatives that
promote healthy active living.
Our Community
Healthy Living Fund is an important part of this commitment, as it provides
funding for initiatives such as exercise and activity programs for people of all
ages, community infrastructure like playgrounds, trails and community gardens,
and healthy eating programs in communities throughout our province.
Mr. Speaker, I
want to acknowledge the many recreation partners who have developed innovative
approaches during this public health emergency and have maintained connections
in communities with people who may be experiencing social isolation.
This includes
everyone at Recreation Newfoundland and Labrador, an organization that provides
many benefits to our communities, including leadership and training for
recreation professionals and volunteers.
I invite all hon.
Members and all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to celebrate Recreation Month
by staying active and involved as we adjust to a new normal.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Placentia West - Bellevue.
MR. DWYER:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the minister for an advance copy of her
statement.
Today, I
join with the minister in recognizing June as Recreation Month. This pandemic
has been tough on the people of our province, which is why it is so important
for individuals to practise self-care and attend to both their physical and
mental health.
It has
been particularly challenging to provide safe outlets for people in Newfoundland
and Labrador to be physically active at this time; however, our partners in our
recreation community have answered the call. This is a testament to their
innovation and commitment to our province.
I wish
to thank everyone in our recreation community and wish everyone a safe and
active Recreation Month, June 2020.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for St.
John's Centre.
MR. J. DINN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I, too,
thank the minister for an advance copy of her statement.
I
commend the volunteers and staff working with hundreds of community
organizations around the province to provide recreational programs every year in
their communities. These programs provide not only physical recreation but also
opportunities for people to socialize and develop leadership skills.
These
groups are facing many challenges this summer because of the need for physical
distancing, and I encourage government to do what it can to support them in
overcoming these challenges and in adjusting to a new normal.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Further statements by
ministers?
The hon.
the Minister of Fisheries and Land Resources.
MR. BYRNE:
Mr. Speaker, every year more
farmers are accessing high-quality vegetable transplants and getting a head
start on the growing season by availing of the Provincial Vegetable Transplant
Program.
This
initiative aims to increase the variety and the amount of produce we grow in
Newfoundland and Labrador by planting crops and using agricultural techniques
that are best suited to Newfoundlander and Labrador's specific growing
conditions.
Mr.
Speaker, to address Newfoundland and Labrador's increased food security needs
during the COVID-19 pandemic – and thanks specifically to the efforts of
dedicated staff at the Wooddale Centre for Agricultural and Forestry Development
– we have prepared and delivered three million vegetable transplants in 2020 to
65 eligible commercial farmers across the province. That's nearly double the 1.7
million transplants delivered to 54 farmers last year. That's nearly 15 times
more than the 225,000 transplants when the program first started in 2018.
With
proper planting and care, three million transplants have the potential to
produce approximately 3.8 million pounds of vegetables – the equivalent of 63
tractor-trailer loads of fresh, home-grown broccoli, cabbage, onion, kale,
cauliflower, rutabaga and lettuce to Newfoundlanders and Labradorians so that
they can buy from local markets come harvest time.
Now, Mr.
Speaker, the agricultural sector is growing in Newfoundland and Labrador thanks
to farmers who are dedicating their lives to producing fresh, nutritious foods.
I wish them a fantastic season and look forward to a bountiful harvest ahead.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Mount
Pearl North.
MR. LESTER:
I thank the minister for an
advance copy of his statement.
There
has been a growing awareness of the importance of local food production, food
supply and food security in our province this year. I am sure that most people
were alarmed in April when the Premier stated the province only a had five-day
food supply. Simply put, we need to do better; we must do better.
Mr.
Speaker, providing transplants is only one small step of a tall staircase to
increasing our food security. The minister may or may not realize that the
agriculture industry in our province will not be able to expand if the
government continues to erode the funds and programs for farmers.
In
addition to transplants, farm operations must acquire innovative equipment,
expand storage capacity, and most importantly, develop and improve agricultural
land. Farmers are reporting to me continued frustration with Crown Lands, a lack
of long-term storage, a seasonal market oversupply, non-existence of an active
moose predation policy and slow rollout of provincial programs.
Mr.
Speaker, the Vegetable Transplant Program can help farmers increase crop variety
and get a jump on the growing season. We are glad to see the number of plants
and numbers of farmers availing of this program is increasing.
Mr.
Speaker, in closing, I would like to wish all farmers, both commercial and
hobbyists, a successful growing season.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for St.
John's Centre.
MR. J. DINN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I, too,
thank the minister for an advance copy of his statement. I'm delighted to hear
of the continued success of this excellent initiative.
Anyone
familiar with growing vegetables in our unpredictable spring weather knows the
advantages of these transplants, or starts as they are known. I hope the
minister is working just as hard on initiatives at the other end of the
vegetable farming, developing marketing plans, cold storage options and other
ways of ensuring fresh local vegetables get to the market.
Farmers
have vegetables in the field; let's make sure they also get to the tables of
this province.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Further statements by
ministers?
The hon.
the Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Labour.
MR. MITCHELMORE:
Mr. Speaker, it's my pleasure today to highlight enhancements to the Provincial
Student Loans Program for the 2020-21 academic year.
These
improvements align with changes to the federal Canada Student Loans Program and
will help mitigate the impacts that the COVID-19 public health emergency will
have on students for the coming academic year.
Enhancements to the provincial program include increasing the weekly loan limit
to $100 per week of study from $40; bringing the combined provincial loan and
grant weekly limit to $200; and exempting student and spousal contributions when
assessing applications for provincial student aid.
This is
in addition to the temporary suspension of both federal and provincial student
loan repayments until September 30, 2020.
I am
also pleased to announce that the student aid application for 2020-21 launched
this week, thanks to staff from the Student Aid Division and the Office of the
Chief Information Officer. This is another example of the great work public
service employees are doing during these unprecedented times.
Mr.
Speaker, our government recognizes the impacts that COVID-19 has had on
students. The combined effects of these enhancements to the Provincial Student
Loans Program and the Canada Student Loans Program will ensure post-secondary
students have access to much-needed financial assistance.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Topsail - Paradise.
MR. P. DINN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the minister for an advance copy of his
statement.
Mr.
Speaker, my colleagues and I join with the minister in welcoming enhancements to
the Provincial Student Loans Program. Anything we can do to enhance the
accessibility for students is welcome news. Having worked with many people in
the department over the years, I can personally attest to the dedication and
work ethic of the Student Aid Division staff and their drive to help and assist
students.
Mr.
Speaker, I do have some reservation. I note the minister referenced increasing
loan limits. I would assume that student groups have been consulted and are in
favour of this over the possibly of increasing student debt burdens.
Lastly,
Mr. Speaker, I do urge the minister to take some leadership in ensuring specific
information is provided to post-secondary students on program details and how
instruction will be provided in the fall. Uncertainty and a lack of information
continues to be a major issue with post-secondary students.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the
Third Party.
MS. COFFIN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I, too,
thank the minister for an advance copy of his statement. This slight increase
helps students now, but I remind the minister that increases in loans now create
a larger debt burden in the future. Instead, we need increases in the provincial
student grants, especially in these dire times.
I also
remind the minister that our international students receive far fewer benefits
from the federal government and pay higher tuition fees. Many are struggling
during the pandemic and need more supports too.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
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:
Mr. Speaker, did the Minister of Justice consult the wisdom of his caucus
colleagues before attempting to ram through the judges' pay raise?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Justice and Public Safety.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The
Member knows quite well how this process goes. The reality is that every
Attorney General since 1991 has received one of these tribunal reports and that
they are obligated by law to bring them to the House of Assembly, no matter what
they may think of them.
The
Member knows that. His wife ran a tribunal in 2001, so he should be quite aware.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the
Official Opposition.
MR. CROSBIE:
I thank the minister for his reminder of my wife's professional activities.
In legal
circles, missing a critical deadline to do something is called negligence. Was
the minister negligent in missing the deadline for wetland capping?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Justice and Public Safety.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and
I'm quite happy to answer questions on this.
As I
reminded the Member, I think it was back in December, I believe the Auditor
General is doing a report on this. I absolutely cannot wait to talk to the
Auditor General when requested. In fact, I have written to the Auditor General
asking when I may have an opportunity under oath to answer any questions. I will
speak to the Auditor General when I get that request.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the
Official Opposition.
MR. CROSBIE:
Well, Mr. Speaker, the
problem with that is we don't have an Auditor General and there can't be a
report until one is appointed. The minister may want to speak to the Premier
about that.
Mr.
Speaker, the minister is not speaking to negligence but we know he missed the
deadline. If this was not negligent, was it deliberate?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Justice and Public Safety.
MR. A. PARSONS:
I'll repeat the answer that I
just gave in case the Member wasn't listening. When it comes to the Auditor
General, if the position is open he's more than welcome to apply for it and go
through the Independent Appointments Commission.
I have
gone directly to the Auditor General and said I would be more than willing under
oath to answer any questions that they may have, and I look forward to that. I
can't wait for the opportunity.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the
Official Opposition.
MR. CROSBIE:
Mr. Speaker, there's mounting
frustration which has boiled over in an email sent to members by the Royal
Newfoundland Constabulary Association asking members if they still had
confidence in leadership. This extraordinary move has shaken confidence in the
Constabulary.
As the
Attorney General, does the minister feel the RNC still has confidence in him?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Justice and Public Safety.
MR. A. PARSONS:
I guess the Member is trying
to take a different attack or direction here. What I will say to the Member is I
just had a meeting with the RNCA two days ago, and I can tell you there was no
lack of confidence expressed there.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the
Official Opposition.
MR. CROSBIE:
That's very inspiring, Mr.
Speaker. It's difficult to fully credit it in the face of the fact that a survey
was conducted of members of the Constabulary Association, which found that 48
per cent feel they cannot bring forward a grievance complaint or appeal without
fear of reprisal.
I ask
the minister again: As top law enforcement official, how does he defend this
indictment of his leadership?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Justice and Public Safety.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I think
the Member is trying to make a connection that doesn't actually exist. As it
stands right now, the RNCA is going through a survey process with their members,
which I understand is still ongoing, so we can speak to it then.
What I
will say is if we want to talk about confidence, I understand the Member is
going through his own leadership review. So the question I would put back is, do
you have the confidence of everybody around you, Sir?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Cape
St. Francis.
MR. K. PARSONS:
It's obvious the minister
don't like to be asked questions.
I have a
question that's pretty appropriate. The Auditor General's position has become
vacant since March 11. The Public Accounts Committee met this morning and we're
wondering: When will we see a new Auditor General in place?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Finance and President of Treasury Board.
MR. OSBORNE:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
There is
an Acting Auditor General in place at the moment, I will remind the Member
opposite. The process is underway to have the IAC appoint an Auditor General on
a full-time basis.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Cape
St. Francis.
MR. K. PARSONS:
Mr. Speaker, I don't mean to
correct the Minister of Finance, but there is no Acting Auditor General in
place. The Deputy Auditor General is in place but there is no Acting Auditor
General in place right now; plus, there is no position that's being advertised
for the Auditor General yet.
It's
been three months since the Auditor General's position has been vacated and
there are some important investigations underway like the wetland capping
scandal, cannabis growth industry investigation.
I ask
the minister: Isn't it time to put an Auditor General in place so we, as a
Public Accounts Committee, can continue with our work?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Finance and President of Treasury Board.
MR. OSBORNE:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I
believe the Deputy Auditor General is running the office there at the moment,
Mr. Speaker. I don't think there's anybody on this side of the Legislature that
would say that we don't have confidence that that individual is able to carry
out the duties in the process.
The
process internally has started to ensure that the IAC are given instructions to
carry forward with the search for a new Auditor General.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Terra
Nova.
MR. PARROTT:
Mr. Speaker, in 2018, the
former minister launched an RFP to ensure the economic viability of Marble
Mountain. In Estimates 2019, the minister said the department was still
reviewing proposals. It is now 2020.
I ask
the minister: Why have you failed to take action on this file?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation.
MR. DAVIS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I
thank the hon. Member for the question.
As I
said back then, and I will say at this point, we did enter into an RFP for the
sale of Marble Mountain in 2018. We're still working through that process. As
soon as we're finished that process, I will be more than happy to present it
here to the House or to the general public. I look forward to that day as well,
Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Terra
Nova.
MR. PARROTT:
I assume by the minister's
response that it's safe to say that this RFP is similar to the one in Bull Arm:
You're waiting for the right friends to apply.
Mr.
Speaker, will the minister table all the responses to the June 2018 RFP, along
will the decision and evaluation matrix which was used to make the decision and
evaluate the proposals?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation.
MR. DAVIS:
Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon.
Member for the question, although I am disappointed by the tone. That's not what
we're into in this House of Assembly, I don't think.
From my
standpoint, we entered into the RFP process, as I said, in 2018. We're moving
through that process; we're in the final stages now. As soon as we reach that
culmination of that report, I'm more than happy to meet with the hon. Member, as
he knows. I'm more than happy to bring it to the House of Assembly and we will
go out in public with that answer as well.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Terra
Nova.
MR. PARROTT:
Mr. Speaker, Marble Mountain
is subsidized by taxpayer money to function. A recent news article quotes the
Finance Minister as saying he may be interested in offloading money-losing
assets like Marble.
I ask
the minister: Do you agree with the Minister of Finance that Marble Mountain
should be sold?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation.
MR. DAVIS:
Mr. Speaker, I'll refer to my
last answer to say that I unequivocally support the idea that Marble Mountain
should be sold. That's why we entered into an RFP process. We're working through
that process. Obviously, we would like to see that process finished in a
positive way. I look forward to that day coming forward in this House of
Assembly or into the public domain and I look forward to meeting with the Member
to discuss that very topic.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Grand
Falls-Windsor - Buchans.
MR. TIBBS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The
Lionel Kelland hospice was promised to Grand Falls-Windsor during the election
last year as an election promise.
I ask
the minister: When will construction begin on the much-needed Lionel Kelland
hospice, or is he continuing the trend of playing politics with our health care
system and avoiding the people in Grand Falls-Windsor and the commitment he's
made?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Health and Community Services.
MR. HAGGIE:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
I
welcome the question. I'm pleased to inform the House that the design project
work is under way and, as far as I'm informed, is on schedule, and that there
are no obstacles from our point of view to this proceeding on the schedule that
was outlined when Mr. Bradley and I made that announcement in Grand Falls a
little while ago.
I would
also like to take the opportunity now that the subject has been raised to thank
Mr. Bradley for his service as chair of the Lionel Kelland Hospice foundation.
He has retired recently from that role and he will leave a great legacy behind
him, Mr. Speaker.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Exploits.
MR. FORSEY:
Mr. Speaker, also in the 2019
election the Premier promised to reinstate the 24-hour emergency service at the
Dr. Hugh Twomey Health Care Centre in Botwood.
Minister: Instead of taking services from my district, will the minister promise
to reinstate the 24-hour emergency service?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Health and Community Services.
MR. HAGGIE:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
My
colleague from Transportation and Works informs me that the $20 million
investment in a new facility add-on at the Hugh Twomey centre is well under way
and well on schedule. That will then be fully staffed with new employees, new
employment for the area. And at that time the demand and the staffing will be
examined to see whether or not there is a need to change the way emergency
services are provided to the people in Botwood – bearing in mind it's 20 minutes
from Central Newfoundland Regional Health Centre.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Stephenville - Port au Port.
MR. WAKEHAM:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
A recent
RBC report indicates that retail sales for this province are forecasted to drop
by 10 per cent. Small and medium businesses are facing cost increases and
reduction in revenue. These businesses are the job creators. Without them we
will not recover.
I ask
the minister: How many small and medium businesses have closed in this province
since January 1?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Finance and President of Treasury Board.
MR. OSBORNE:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
This is
a concerning and uncertain time, not only for Newfoundland and Labrador, not
only for every province in Canada, but globally, Mr. Speaker. We have come up
with a number of programs and incentives to try and help boost the economy to
ensure that we try and save as many businesses as possible. There is no doubt
that the pandemic has been difficult on businesses, and there's no doubt that
some businesses will see that the pandemic has taken a toll on them.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Stephenville - Port au Port.
MR. WAKEHAM:
I realize the minister can't
provide an exact number, but I do want to point out that in my district – and
I'm sure in the districts of all of the Members here – there are a number of
businesses who have been told by their landlords that they will not be applying
for the rent program that was offered up by the federal and provincial
government. These businesses have no way of accessing those funds without
supports.
So I ask
the minister: Will you look at making changes to the rent program so that the
monies that you have committed to can be delivered right to the tenants?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Finance and President of Treasury Board.
MR. OSBORNE:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
It's an
important point that the Member raises. I will say that it is a federal program.
The parameters of the program are federal. I've raised the same concerns he's
just raised with the federal minister. We've had regular calls with the federal
minister. I know other provinces have similar concerns.
So far,
we've got close to 200 tenants in this province who will benefit as a result of
that program. Unfortunately, not every landlord is applying so there is a gap
there; there is absolutely no doubt about that. We certainly urge every landlord
to give the benefit to the tenants. It would be better for the landlord, better
for the tenant, better for the economy in that long run.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Stephenville - Port au Port.
MR. WAKEHAM:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I'd ask
the minister then: Would he commit to providing some of the funds that you've
allocated, if it's not going to be used as part of the federal program, will you
make them available for those businesses whose landlords refuse to take part in
the program?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Finance and President of Treasury Board.
MR. OSBORNE:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I'm not
sure what funds the Member is talking about. The program is cost-shared. It is a
federal program, but we're putting in a very small amount of the overall funding
that goes into this program because it was a federally announced program; the
parameters are set by the federal government. Those parameters are consistent
across the country. We may not see that every landlord is taking advantage of
this, Mr. Speaker, which is a gap. We've raised that. Several provinces have
raised that with the federal government seeking change, but we are required
under the federal program to put our share in.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Topsail - Paradise.
MR. P. DINN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
During
this pandemic, many workers now will not get financial support. They work many
hours, many overtime hours.
I ask
the minister responsible: How can you penalize people for putting themselves at
greater risk?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Finance and President of Treasury Board.
MR. OSBORNE:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Again,
the lower income essential work program is a federal program. The parameters of
that program were set by the federal government. The Member may recall when the
program was initially announced the federal government said that it capped out
at a maximum of $2,500 a month income as the threshold before people could
qualify. It took an exceptionally long time in this province to get approval
from the federal government because we had pushed to stretch the parameters,
including a $3,000 threshold in order for people to qualify.
Again,
we recognize the valuable work of every essential worker, but those are the
parameters set by the federal government.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Topsail - Paradise.
MR. P. DINN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Not only
did employees step up, employers also stepped up and increased the wages for
those who had to go to work and put themselves at greater risk.
I ask
the minister responsible: What are you doing for these employers?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Finance and President of Treasury Board.
MR. OSBORNE:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
It is a
very important point that the Member raises. There were some employers, in order
to ensure that their employees continued to show up for work and provide
services to the public – and I do want to say again, because I think it's
important, that while the parameters of this federal program don't recognize
everybody, as a province we do recognize everybody, those who went to work in
essential jobs providing essential services. But it is an important point that
the hon. Member raises, that some of the employers did put additional money to
their employees to get them to show up for work.
I think
the federal program was meant to level the playing field. Some employers were
not able to afford that and this ensures that lower income employees get some of
that benefit.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Topsail - Paradise.
MR. P. DINN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
At a
press conference on Monday morning past, the Premier said that the program was
to thank people who continued to work even though the fear of the Coronavirus
was at its peak.
How come
front-line health care workers were not included?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Finance and President of Treasury Board.
MR. OSBORNE:
One of the things that we did
in stretching the parameters put forward by the federal government was ensuring
that the federal guideline of $2,500 was increased to $3,000. One of the other
things we did was broaden the list of people who would qualify.
So we've
gone with the federal government's public safety list of essential workers which
is very, very broad. There are health care workers on that list. Unfortunately,
the federal government's cap of $2,500 would have been even less people than
what we pushed for when we had it increased to $3,000. But again, we have to
live within federal parameters. They had to sign off on and agree to that.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Topsail - Paradise.
MR. P. DINN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
It's
encouraging to hear that we stretched the parameters, we're recognizing people,
yet they are falling through the cracks and not being recognized or paid for the
work they did during this pandemic.
Substitute teachers play a critical role in our education system, and we've
received emails from them. I want to ask the minister responsible: What has he
done to ensure there are supports provided to ensure the financial security of
our substitute teachers?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Education and Early Childhood Development.
MR. WARR:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I
thank the hon. Member for the question.
Mr.
Speaker, we recognize the important role substitute teachers play in the
education system. The pandemic and subsequent closure of schools and many
services and businesses was sudden and unprecedented.
There
have been some opportunities for substitutes, as I said previously in this House
of Assembly. When we put in the child care program for essential workers, we
used substitute teachers, where students were going to school – having child
care in schools.
Mr.
Speaker, I just want to point out to the hon. Member that the CERB program was
in place and good news that the CERB program is going to be extended.
Again,
we recognize the important role of substitute teachers. I'm hoping to have –
thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Mount
Pearl North.
MR. LESTER:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Yesterday, when the House was asked concerning our concern of food security, how
we only have a five-day supply, the Premier replied there was
The Way Forward and it was not a concern. I can guarantee you paper
and promises will not put food on the table of the people of Newfoundland and
Labrador.
I once
again ask: Has there been anything done to extend our food supply in this
province beyond five days?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Fisheries and Land Resources.
MR. BYRNE:
Thank you so much for the
question, Mr. Speaker. It's an important question.
The
answer is yes. Not only has this government seized on the opportunity for
farmers to expand our own domestic production, but we've also realized that by
producing just 10 per cent of what we eat, by doing that for generations we have
failed our citizens.
That is
why we have deliberately – we're the first government to take food security
seriously and build upon it. That's why we instituted a three-million strong
transplant program and we do not want one of those transplants ever to go to
waste.
We want
to make sure that we grow our cattle industry; we want to make sure that we grow
our apiaries. We want to make sure that we grow all food supplies in
Newfoundland and Labrador and, Mr. Speaker, this government is committed to it.
MR. SPEAKER:
The minister's time has
expired.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Mount
Pearl North.
MR. LESTER:
Once again, words and
promises. I don't think that's going to fill my belly, that's for sure.
I ask
the Finance Minister: Has government provided funds to secure a supply of corn,
barley and wheat to ensure producers of eggs, chicken, milk, beef, lamb and pork
have production ability for the coming year?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Fisheries and Land Resources.
MR. BYRNE:
Thank you so much, Mr.
Speaker, for that question.
It is a
very important question because what the hon. Member is asking is, is this
government committed to spending the necessary resources. The hon. Member is
encouraging the government to spend the necessary resources to get the job done,
to fulfill all of its commitments on food security. Mr. Speaker, I am delighted
to hear that commitment, that they will be supporting the government as we bring
forward initiatives to spend resources, valuable money, to expand our food
security.
This is
a welcome message for this government from the Opposition; however, I can say to
you, Mr. Speaker, those initiatives are well under way. I tell you what will be
feeding the bellies of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians: those three million
transplants that are coming from Wooddale, being planted in farmers' fields
throughout the entire province. It's making a huge difference.
MR. SPEAKER:
The minister's time has
expired.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Mount
Pearl North, time for a quick question and a quick answer.
MR. LESTER:
Well, this just goes to show
that the minister doesn't fully comprehend his department. The provincial
government actually extends a loan guarantee each year to the livestock
producers of Newfoundland and Labrador to secure a supply of grain for this
coming fall.
I ask
again: Has the government extended that guarantee?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Fisheries and Land Resources.
MR. BYRNE:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
Teach a
fisher to fish and they will be able to feed themselves for a very long time,
and what we have done is we have expanded the capacity to be able to produce
forage for our cattle producers. Because you know what, Mr. Speaker? Instead of
being a solution in search of a problem, which is what the hon. Member is often
engaged in – he's often engaged in the process of becoming a solution in search
of a problem – what we have done is we have expanded forage production so that
our cattle producers and our dairy farmers can be self-sufficient. That's the
real answer here.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the
Third Party.
MS. COFFIN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Today we
will talk about systemic racism. One hundred and forty-four Indigenous and
non-Indigenous women have been murdered or are still missing in Newfoundland and
Labrador; Indigenous women are 12 times more likely to go missing or be murdered
than non-Indigenous women; Indigenous women in Canada are 3½ times more likely
than non-Indigenous women to be the victims of violence and intimate-partner
violence and they are more often subject to severe intimate-partner violence
resulting in death.
I ask
the Minister Responsible for the Status of Women: After four years in
government, why have these statistics gotten worse and what is she going to do
about it?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister
Responsible for the Status of Women.
MS. HALEY:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I
thank the hon. Member for her question.
First of
all, allow me to say thank you to the families and survivors who relived the
tragic losses while testifying before the inquiry, Mr. Speaker, as well as the
elders and knowledge-keepers for all their inputs.
COVID-19, as you know, has presented its challenges, Mr. Speaker, but the
provincial government, I can assure you, has remained committed to the national
action plan to prevent violence against Indigenous women and girls.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Labrador West.
MR. BROWN:
Mr. Speaker, systemic racism
and ignorance towards our Indigenous peoples is very much apparent in our
province and has become more prevalent in recent years.
I ask
the minister responsible: What concrete actions is government planning in order
to fight racism in this province?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Children, Seniors and Social Development.
MS. DEMPSTER:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I
thank my hon. colleague for raising this very important topic.
Mr.
Speaker, not just as an MHA in this government, but as a member of an Indigenous
group in Labrador, I'm really proud of the progress that this government has
made in building relations with Indigenous governments. The Premier's round
table sitting with Indigenous governments, to my knowledge, it's never happened
before in our history – and I've been at that table.
I had
opportunity, right before COVID hit the province, to sit down with the federal
minister, Carolyn Bennett, to discuss the calls to action on the missing and
murdered. And I can tell this hon. House that it is an active file, it's a
priority for me, it's a priority for this government and we'll continue to work
with the federal counterparts to make sure that there is progress and that less
lives are lost.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Labrador West, time for a quick question.
MR. BROWN:
Mr. Speaker, we continue to
hear nice things in this House about fighting racism.
I ask
this government: Will they create a task force to end systemic racism within
government and this province?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Children, Seniors and Social Development.
MS. DEMPSTER:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Again,
my hon. colleague raises a very important topic.
Mr.
Speaker, work has been ongoing since we have formed government, sitting at the
table with Indigenous groups, sitting at our federal tables and we'll continue
to do that.
I
recently, Mr. Speaker, heard an Indigenous leader in Labrador say never before
in their experience have they had an open door policy with any government to
bring forth the issues of concerns to Indigenous groups like they have had with
this administration.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Humber - Bay of Islands.
MR. JOYCE:
I ask the Minister of Health
– people have a lot of anxiety concerning cancelled medical procedures. I've
been contacted about cancelled heart surgeries, people needing pacemakers, 100
per cent blockages, eye treatment and hip replacements. This is very serious.
What can
the minister tell these people who desperately need these health procedures and
relieve the high level of anxiety which they are experiencing?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Health and Community Services.
MR. HAGGIE:
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
It's a
very timely question, given the fact we're now emerging from Level 3 with the
prospect of going to Level 2 next week having been announced literally as the
House sits.
The RHAs
have a plan. Individual patients who were scheduled for surgery will be
contacted by their clinicians. If their condition has changed, that fact needs
to be passed on through their primary care provider to the specialist.
In the
case of cardiac care, that is a seamless integration at the moment because we
now have MyCCath, which is a made-in-Newfoundland-and-Labrador solution which
allows patient, primary care provider and cardiologist to be all on the same
page.
With
other disciplines, I'm meeting with the NLMA next week to discuss how best to
deal with the backlog.
Thank
you very much, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Humber - Bay of Islands.
MR. JOYCE:
I thank the minister for that.
The
Minister of Transportation and Works, Route 450 had a major flood in January
2018, almost three years ago. There were some improvements. The Rattling Brook
Bridge and Cammies Brook Bridge will be replaced. The condition has deteriorated
to the point where there are serious safety concerns.
There is
a tender, but it hasn't been awarded and is waiting to be awarded. We're waiting
for the funding from the rural and northern fund.
I ask
the minister: When will your department be issuing this tender?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Transportation and Works.
MR. CROCKER:
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the Member for the question.
Mr.
Speaker, there is a tender in place that has closed on Route 450. It's quite an
extensive tender, getting a lot of work done on that section of road this year.
I can assure the Member that at the moment we get the final written approvals
from Ottawa through the northern and rural funding, the award letter will be
out.
I can
assure the Member, from conversations I had earlier today, we're expecting that
funding approval from Ottawa any time at all now, Mr. Speaker. I can assure the
hon. Member that the moment we get that approval from Ottawa the award letter
will be issued.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The time for Question Period
has expired.
Presenting Reports by Standing and Select Committees.
Tabling
of Documents.
Tabling of
Documents
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Mount
Scio.
MS. STOODLEY:
Mr. Speaker, I'm tabling a letter to the Privacy Commission of Canada for my PMR
in March.
Thank
you.
MR. SPEAKER:
Further tabling of documents?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
I think the Standing Orders
allow ministers to table documents. A Member would have to have consent to table
a document.
Does the
Member have leave of the House to table the document?
I'm
seeing no objections, so we will accept the document.
Further
tabling of documents?
Notices
of Motion.
Answers
to Questions for which Notices has been Given.
Petitions.
Petitions
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Mount
Pearl - Southlands.
MR. LANE:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
There
are many people in Newfoundland and Labrador who are very concerned about how
our K-to-12 education has been impacted by the public health measures
implemented due to COVID-19, and are further concerned about what the plan will
be to deliver education in this province in September. This is particularly
concerning for parents of children with special needs.
Therefore we the petition the House of Assembly as follows: to urge the
Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to direct the province's school boards
to develop and make public a plan to address the upcoming school year.
Mr.
Speaker, I want to say, as I have said previously, when it comes to these issues
with the schools and so on around education, I have to give credit once again to
the Minister of Education and his executive assistant. They have been very
co-operative. I really do appreciate that.
The
purpose of this petition is certainly not to be critical, to beat up on the
minister or anybody at the English School District, but the minister I'm sure
would know and admit himself, that nobody expected COVID-19 really to happen and
to impact us the way it did, but it did have an impact, a sudden impact on our
school system. I know the school boards did, perhaps, the best they could. I
know teachers did the best they could, but nobody can deny the fact that there
were a number of challenges this year in trying to deliver curriculum, whether
it be just the logistics of it or issues around having people able to avail of
technology and so on. There were challenges.
These
challenges are exacerbated even further when you have children, for example,
that have exceptionalities and special needs who, at the best of times, are
challenged when it comes to our education system. This year is what it is.
Everyone did the best they can, but we need to ensure – and what I'm hearing
from parents is that they want some assurances that there will indeed be a plan
in place for September. Whatever that plan might look like, if it's going to be
virtual, if it's going to be in-classroom, if it's a going to be a combination
of both. Obviously there's going to be a lot of considerations in delivering
these programs, but I just want to say that parents are concerned.
I know
the minister knows this. I'm sure every Member in this House of Assembly has
gotten emails or phone calls or whatever from parents, families in their
districts who are concerned about their children's education, what it's going to
look like in September. Obviously, like the health care system, we need to make
sure we have a plan as we move forward, and this is just encouraging the
minister to make sure that that happens for September.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Education and Early Childhood Development with a response.
MR. WARR:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I
certainly appreciate the petition that the hon. Member for Mount Pearl -
Southlands has brought forward.
Mr.
Speaker, as he spoke so candidly, there are many, many concerns from parents,
from teachers. I've heard from students. I've heard from just about every Member
in this House of Assembly with regard to constituents within their own districts
on the education system.
Mr.
Speaker, discussions and planning with the school districts, the NLTA, Public
Health officials and as well as the Federation of School Councils, these
consultations are happening. Even this past week, consultations with school
council chairs and parent representatives were happening
The plan
will provide an approach, Mr. Speaker, and guidance for school districts to put
in operation, given the particular status of the pandemic at that time and the
advice of Public Health. Mr. Speaker, we are planning on having full in-class
instruction come September; however, depending on the chief medical officer of
health, we will make plans as we go forward.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Placentia West - Bellevue.
MR. DWYER:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I
present a petition on the Bull Arm Fabrication site again today for all the
concerned residents. I have signatures on this petition, Your Honour, right from
Chapel Arm to Swift Current, Clarenville. I think it's important that we're an
integral point in our economy, I guess, on such a big downturn to have such a
world-class facility sitting idly.
I
understand that we're doing some work there currently about warm stacking and
cold stacking. I'm not an expert in the engineering of oil and gas but from my
understanding, in layman's terms, that's shutting down our oil and gas industry.
That's not encouraging at all for all the people that I represent in the
beautiful District of Placentia West - Bellevue, which covers 5,503 square
kilometres. It takes in 45 communities with over 11,000 constituents. That's
just my district.
If we
can avail of this world-class fabrication site, then that gives us an
opportunity to bring us to the next level, not only in oil and gas but our
economy here in the province. These people never asked me to prepare a petition
and have them sign it so that it could fall on deaf ears or anything like that.
Currently, Irving Oil is in the process of purchasing the refinery. My
suggestion would be that we talk to them and engage them as soon as possible to
find out what their long-term goals are, and maybe they can understand that we'd
be willing to work with them to house them at the Bull Arm Fabrication site and
they can bring their corporation to another level.
It's an
Atlantic province company that we feel they're our partners too, that have been
in this province for a long time. I don't think the Irvings are going anywhere
any time soon. To have somebody local with that kind of interest in the area …
I would
ask that this Bull Arm Fabrication site and this petition be accepted by the
minister to understand that now is the time for talks. We can go on about a
pandemic all we want, but we still need to talk to these companies and let them
know how we're going to be coming out of this pandemic and setting up our
economy for success.
Like I
said, what the people here on this petition are asking for is that we bring this
facility at Bull Arm back to a full-fledged facility.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Natural Resources for a quick response.
MS. COADY:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The
Member has presented this petition in the past, and as I've said, we, on this
side of the House and I know throughout the community and I'm sure even the
Member opposite will say that we are very supportive of a robust oil and gas
industry.
We have
done everything possible to ensure growth and development. We have 650 leads of
prospects; we have eight new entrants and record bids in our land tenure
process. We have made arrangements in Bull Arm through a company to warm and
cold stack rigs, Mr. Speaker, to allow us to get into more exploration as
quickly as possible, rather than having to do a rig intake process. We will
continue to do everything possible to grow the industry.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
Orders of the Day
Private Members'
Day
MR. SPEAKER:
It being Wednesday, 3 of the
clock, we will now move to the private Member's motion. I'll call on the Member
for Stephenville - Port au Port to introduce his resolution standing in his
name, Motion 6 on the Order Paper.
MR. WAKEHAM:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I would
like to move the following private Member's resolution: BE IT RESOLVED that this
hon. House urge the government to table and bring to debate and concluding votes
the 2020-21 budget prior to any general election.
Again,
it is seconded by the Member for Windsor Lake.
Mr.
Speaker, this is perhaps the first time in memory that the province has been
without a budget in the middle of the summer. Instead, we're essentially running
on autopilot with an Interim Supply. The difference between Interim supply, of
course, and a budget is the level of scrutiny and transparency.
A budget
includes line-by-line Estimates that are brought to Estimates Committees, where
ministers and officials are questioned in painstaking detail. The House goes
through hours of debate over a period of weeks or months, and Members vote on
the detailed plan that has been brought before them. By contrast, Interim Supply
is a simple bill to provide a chunk of money to the government without any
details whatsoever.
Interim
Supply is a common provision for the first three months of a fiscal year to
cover spending while the House considers the budget. This year, because of the
COVID pandemic, we have provided six months of Interim Supply, which is very
unusual. The province cannot continue to run on autopilot without a fiscal and
economic plan for the year. A budget also includes an Economy document that
shows the state of the province's economy, sector by sector, and the plans to
drive growth. Employers hit hard by the COVID pandemic are eager to hear about
the province's plan to drive growth and position us all to rebound.
We don't
know, of course, whether any plans we make could be impacted by a second or a
third wave of the virus. No one can predict such things with certainty, but we
can provide realistic scenarios and adjust them later if the circumstances
require. A sound economic plan is an honest appraisal of the challenges we face
and the options for meeting those challenges.
Business
leaders are looking to the government for leadership and direction. They are
eager to partner in plans for growth, but the first step in building such a
partnership is to lay the facts on the table.
Labour
unions also want to know where we stand. Their participation in recovery efforts
is essential, but the first step in engaging their participation is to be honest
with them about the challenges.
Of
course, a new leader may argue that he can't do any of this without a fresh
mandate. He might argue that he can't bring down a budget without a fresh
mandate. While it is 100 per cent true that he will need to seek a mandate
within a year, it would be wrong to suggest he needs a fresh mandate to produce
a budget. To argue such a thing would be to fundamentally misunderstand the
obligations of government.
Every
government has an obligation to deliver an annual budget. No premier goes to the
people to ask, should we have a budget this year? Of course not. Delivering an
annual budget is part of the job. If you run to become premier, you take on that
obligation. The people have a right to know the state of the province's
finances. The people have a right to know what the government plans to do to
live within the fiscal constraints it faces.
Every
government has an obligation to respect those rights and deliver the facts and
their plan. But to refuse to deliver that plan and use an election as a cover
for that failure would be an insult to the people. A failure to deliver, an
approach that some would rightly call cowardly. If you are prepared to lead, you
must be prepared to take the bold decision to table your plan. If you are afraid
to show the people your plan, you do not deserve to lead.
The time
for an election will come soon enough. This is a time for the fiscal and
economic plan the province needs for this crisis year of 2020. We have found a
way to resume the Legislature within the public health constraints of the COVID
crisis, so there are no longer any excuses for a delay.
We
already know the picture this year will be terribly challenging, but every
government has to deal with the challenges it faces on its watch. If a
government feels it's not up to the task, it always has the option of stepping
down and passing the torch. I don't believe the government opposite is saying it
wants to do that.
So the
alternative is to step up to the responsibility of governing in these tough
times. Is the Opposition going to be tough on you? Are the people going to be
tough on you? Of course. When are we not? That goes with the job. But the crisis
is upon us and the time for information and planning and action is now. People
have questions they need answered, details they need filled in so they can plan
the next few months of their lives and to challenge the government if they feel
the answers are not adequate.
That is
all the more true when the province's fiscal and economic status is under
threat. The COVID pandemic has thrown national and provincial economies into a
tailspin, ours included, but in times of great crisis planning is all the more
important.
A ship
in a storm cannot just flail about. It needs a destination and a charted course
to get there. That course may need frequent corrections in the months that
follow, but having a plan is better than not having one.
We
understand that a big reason for this year's delay is that our federal partner,
the Trudeau government, has made things particularly difficult for Newfoundland
and Labrador. They promise to provide additional monies to help us cope with our
fiscal predicament, as they are obligated by the constitution, but apparently
they have not told us what monies to expect.
If they
had kept their promise five years ago, we might be $10 billion better off now
than we were then. It is outrageous that they broke their word on this. It is
outrageous that no federal Liberals held them to account for this, MPs or
senators. We all ought to be outraged over this. They have spent five years
promising to be fair and they have spent five years breaking that promise. The
value of their broken promises have compounded year after year.
The
Trudeau Liberals have also been reluctant to help our oil industry, which was
battered not just by the pandemic, but also by other pressures; American
fracking and glutting the market, the collapse of OPEC, and so forth. There are
ultra-green and anti-petroleum idealists around the Trudeau table that have
conspired to undermine our province's relatively green offshore oil and gas
industry.
Thousands of jobs, at enormous sums of revenue, have been impacted by the
pressures crushing our offshore industry, but Ottawa can't seem to get around to
stepping up. If it were the Quebec aircraft industry, the Ontario auto industry
or Western pipeline, would they be as reluctant to step up? Where are the
national voices fighting for Newfoundland and Labrador when we need them? If
there are none, then we, as a province, must step up to fill the void by making
a noise of our own.
Of
course there are the pressures we are experiencing because of the huge cost
overruns on the hydro project that Ottawa enabled us to pursue to bring green
energy to Eastern Canada, and as a partner and facilitator in that project,
Ottawa has a moral obligation to step up. We are still waiting to see what
Ottawa will do in terms of fiscal stabilization, oil industry support and rate
mitigation.
These
are giant holes in the 2020 fiscal and economic plan. Nevertheless, despite
Ottawa's failure to behave responsibly, we need to produce the plan sooner
rather than later. Frankly, we should not have to cut services or raise taxes
because of Ottawa's constitutional obligation to ensure every province is able
to provide comparable levels of public services at comparable levels of
taxation, even when revenues suddenly fall as our oil revenues have fallen.
A
comprehensive fiscal and economic plan could state this clearly and lay at
Ottawa's feet the responsibility they bear. With one voice across party lines,
we could make a strong and unignorable case, and a budget would be a great place
to articulate that.
It might
be a particularly harsh message for the political cousins of the Members
opposite, and for at least one of the leadership contestants who evidently has –
quote – close federal ties, but it's time to be honest and forthright about our
circumstances and what it's going to take to deal with them.
We need
to put our province's people ahead of partisan loyalty and fight proudly for
what's right. This approach has proven to be effective in the past and it can
prove to be effective again, now that we most need Ottawa to pay attention.
One
thing that concerns us is that the new premier elected at the start of August
might want to seek a fresh mandate before telling people exactly what sort of
fiscal and economic plan he proposes to impose on them. We believe people have a
right to know the plan that government intends to deliver.
If the
plan is missing key elements that the federal government ought to be providing,
we want to know how loudly and strongly a leader will fight Ottawa for fairness.
Will that leader let Ottawa off the hook because of partisan considerations or
will that leader put the people of this province first, ahead of party and fight
tooth and nail for fairness?
These
are the things, Mr. Speaker, that a budget can spell out without mincing words.
Denying them a budget means treating voters with contempt. People want to know
if the government is leaning towards austerity or leaning towards stimulus. They
want to know the new path to fiscal balance and the whittling away of debt.
People want to see the numbers. Those numbers are not going to be as pretty as
they would have been but for COVID, but people still want to see them and
understand where we are.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER (Bennett):
The hon. the Minister of
Finance and President of Treasury Board.
MR. OSBORNE:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I
usually start off by saying it's a pleasure to speak in the House – and it is,
there's absolutely no question about it, but when we're talking about the
finances of the province in such an uncertain time, I think it's fair to say
every Member of the Legislature has a concern. The people of the province, the
business community have concern. This is certainly an unprecedented time and a
time of great uncertainty.
Mr.
Speaker, in the 48th General Assembly, this government, in 2017, brought forward
Bill 65, An Act to Amend the Financial Administration Act. The amendment was
something that our government did specifically to prevent us and any future
governments from trying to call an election without giving a fiscal update. The
reason that was done, Mr. Speaker, when we saw the election of 2015 without
anybody in the election or the general public having a full understanding of the
situation the province was in.
Bill 65
read: “This bill would require that, in addition to tabling of Public Accounts
on the required date, where a general election is to be held in accordance with
the provisions of section 3 of the House
of Assembly Act other than subsections 3(2) to (5), an unaudited financial
report on the financial state of the province be submitted in the same manner as
the Public Accounts no less than 15 days before the date fixed for the general
election unless, within 3 months of the date fixed for the general election,
other indicators of the financial state of the province have been made publicly
available.”
So, Mr.
Speaker, we as a result of that – that is legislation, it's a bill, it would
actually be illegal to call an election without providing a fiscal update to the
province, either three months prior to an election, and if that had not
occurred, at least 15 days prior to an election.
We made
that change specifically to make government more transparent and to avoid a
situation where an election was called without an update, as we did see in 2015.
I'd also
like to remind everybody in the Chamber of our financial record in this province
compared to what had come before us. The deficit in 2015-2016 was $2.2 billion,
and we all acknowledge it would've been significantly higher than that without
immediate actions by our government when we took over.
In
2016-2017 we reduced the deficit to $1.1 billion. That was not easy, to
literally cut the deficit in half in one year. Mr. Speaker, it wasn't popular.
We faced challenges from the general public and the province because we did
that. But government was essentially given direction by lenders, lender
syndicate, even by bond rating agencies at the time because the deficit was
unsustainable and without immediate and decisive action, as unpopular as it was,
the province was absolutely on a crash course.
Mr.
Speaker, in 2017-18 we further reduced the budget to $910.8 million and in
2018-19 we reduced the deficit further to $552.1 million. Every one of these,
Mr. Speaker, is a fact that these are looked at and accounted by the Public
Accounts numbers. These are the audited financial statements. They are the true
numbers and show the progress that this government has made.
A few
weeks ago, Mr. Speaker, I did what the former administration was afraid to do; I
delivered a very difficult fiscal update. The 2019-20 fiscal year, based on what
we know, looks like a deficit of $1.1 billion without the Atlantic Accord. We
all know that with the Atlantic Accord, we had showed a surplus. The accounting
of the Atlantic Accord was done based on accrual accounting and accounting
standards signed off on by the Auditor General. When we received the money for
the Atlantic Accord, I will point out that I wanted to have that spread over
each and every year as opposed to accounting for it in one year, as we were
supposed to do and we did.
Mr.
Speaker, it is the definition of a setback what we faced this year because it
puts us back, essentially, to where we were in 2016-17, not as dire as 2015-16,
but obviously not where we wanted to be. This number could change again when
Public Accounts are complete, but, Mr. Speaker, I've been honest and forthright
about the fact that there is a lot of uncertainty right now so I think it's
realistic to admit that to the people of the province.
In that
update, I was also very forthright on the fact that we're looking at a very
difficult year in 2020-21. I said that we expect most revenues to be down and we
expect increases in several expenses across the board. The reason, Mr. Speaker,
that I'm not simply tossing around numbers is because I take this job very
seriously and I want to be as accurate as possible when speaking about the
provincial finances. I won't apologize for that because before the current
challenges, we have made significant process against our plan. Our fiscal plan
for the last five years has looked inward at how best to manage the government's
programs and services. We have balanced that with a focus on investing in
people, businesses and sectors with potential for economic growth.
Our
plans have been supported through collaboration with stakeholders representing
several industry sectors. There were several pillars of how we've worked smarter
as a government: shared services, operating reductions, digital government,
attrition, post-employment benefits, zero-based budgeting, working with
agencies, boards and commissions and that work is far from over.
Mr.
Speaker, I can keep talking about the work our government has done and which I'm
proud of, but I'd like to bring to the attention of Members, and anybody who may
be watching the broadcast, some quotes from others about how hard we've worked,
specifically, our bond-rating agencies.
We've
been told by our bond-rating agencies that our financial management is a credit
positive. We've been told that Muskrat Falls is a downward pressure on our
credit rating and the single-largest contingent liability on the province. We've
been told that the management of the Treasury is seen as a positive towards our
credit ratings.
Mr.
Speaker, Standard & Poor's in their most recent report said the following: We
view the province's financial management favourably. The ruling Liberal Party
was re-elected in 2019, albeit as a minority in the Legislature. We do not
believe this will be a significant constraint on the government's ability to
enact fiscal policies. That's the one where during COVID or shortly after COVID.
To date,
since the last oil price shock in 2014, the government has already acted
decisively in implementing a two-pronged fiscal policy response through tax
increases and expenditure reductions. Leading up to the current fiscal year,
government was on track to meet its target of a balanced – a budget by fiscal
2023.
DBRS, in
their most recent rating – and, again, during COVID pandemic – stated: The
government set out an ambitious plan in 2016 amid a challenging economic
environment. The province's progress in reducing deficits has slowed somewhat
relative to DBRS's expectations. While the plan is unlikely to evolve precisely
as planned because of underlying volatility in the economy, the government
remains strongly committed to restoring the province's finances.
Moody's,
Mr. Speaker, has said Newfoundland and Labrador has demonstrated its ability to
set aggressive budget targets and achieve them, which will help guide the
province through the current pressure as well. The province successfully lowered
the consolidated deficit from 36.9 per cent of revenues in 2015-16 to 71 per
cent in 2018-19, through the use of revenue and spending measures.
This
improvement highlights both the willingness and ability of the province to
adjust its revenues and expenditures to meet budget targets. They go on to say,
the province's debt management is considered to be strong, keeping debt services
costs low and affordable. That's based on the debt that the province had
acquired, Mr. Speaker, up to the time we formed government and the deficits we
were faced with.
Now, Mr.
Speaker, I know that we've received outlook changes due to oil price volatility
and COVID-19, and I'm not so naïve as to pretend that everything that the rating
agencies say about our situation is positive because even prior to COVID, while
we had made significant progress, Mr. Speaker, and that progress had been
identified in our bond rating agency reports year over year for the past three
years, they've identified the progress we've made, this province still faced the
challenges. Because of COVID, because of the spiraling oil prices, Mr. Speaker,
those challenges have become significant.
Mr.
Speaker, I don't anticipate that our critics would point out our positives. I
understand the role of critics in the Legislature, but it is their job, Mr.
Speaker, just as it is the job of bond rating agencies, to rate based on the
external factors we face and have very little control over.
Mr.
Speaker, the fact that our bond rating agencies see us as working hard, as
having good treasury management, of having a commitment to fixing this problem
is only one reason that we haven't seen major downgrades in recent years. They
recognize the work this government has done.
Mr.
Speaker, in closing, I have no problem reiterating my position that government
will bring forward a budget before an election, when we are in a position to do
so. We have a fiscal update from the federal government in July. It looks very
likely we'll probably have a budget, federally, by September – or hopefully in
September, I'm certainly hoping.
September would be a reasonable date for this province to bring forward a
budget, Mr. Speaker. We are more likely to see the federal budget by then, as
I've said, we're more likely to see more predictability in the economy, in the
outlook for the province, in employment levels for the province. Mr. Speaker,
officials in the department say they are more likely to have the ability to
provide accurate estimates to the people of the province.
Mr.
Speaker, we will not abandon our principles, our strong fiscal management and
our approach to providing the public with as accurate a picture as we can when
we present our fiscal updates.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Cape
St. Francis.
MR. K. PARSONS:
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
It's
indeed a pleasure to get here again today and to represent the beautiful
District of Cape St. Francis, like I always do say.
This is
an interesting PMR today that we're having here. The discussion is basically
about what we're going to do. We need to find out our financial situation.
I spoke
yesterday on a motion that was here before the House and a lot of the things
that I said yesterday, I'm going to repeat again today.
We're in
difficult times, and to be the Minister of Finance in a situation like we find
ourselves in right now, I know it's not going to be easy, but that's why we're
elected, that's why we're here in this House of Assembly and that's why people
put faith in us to make the decisions on their behalf and make the right
decisions.
What
we're talking about here today, basically, is to make sure that government – we
know there will be a new leader of the Liberal Party in a very short time and
under our legislation an election has to be called within a year. That's what
has to happen and that's part of legislation. We'd like to see, and what the
people in Newfoundland and Labrador, and I'm sure the people in Newfoundland and
Labrador would also like to see, is that we make sure we do our part, and a
collaborative part.
We're
not here just to tear down government and say wrong, wrong, wrong. We're in a
difficult situation. We have constituents in every district in this province
that are very concerned, not only about their health – health is number one, bar
none – but people are worried about the fiscal situation of our province.
It's
important, as elected officials and elected representatives, that we represent
the people in our districts, that we show them, listen, there are going to hard
decisions that are going to have to be made. There are decisions that are going
to have to be made that are going to be very difficult. It's difficult times. We
spoke on a bill yesterday, a motion in this House, about giving judges raises.
In normal times, I think that motion would have went through in flying colours,
but we're not in normal times; we're in very difficult times and we have to
consider everything. Like I spoke yesterday, a budget to me means making sure
that you do the essentials, make sure you take care of the vulnerable people.
Mr.
Speaker, I grew up in a good household. I grew up in times when it was good. I
had brothers, and sisters and everything else. We never did without, but our
parents always did the best for us. I, as a parent, for many years was a single
parent and I had to make big decisions. I had to make decisions of how I had to
spend the few dollars that I was making at the time to make sure that my
children were taken care of. That's something that we all have to do and it's
something that we all have to do in our personal lives, is we get a budget and
we make sure we take care of our loved ones. That's what we do.
In this
House of Assembly, we have the responsibility to take care of the people of the
province and do it to the best of our ability. Sometimes, to the best of our
ability, decisions have to be made and sometimes these decisions – I've been
around this place now since – 2008 was the first budget that I was involved in.
Those times were good times. They were great times. I remember one Finance
minister said the money was flowing. There were a lot of good expenditures.
When I
was here in 2008, our infrastructure demands were so high it was unbelievable. I
had schools in my district, when kids walked down the hallway, the squeaking
noise interrupted the class underneath them. I had a bridge in Outer Cove that
pieces of concrete were falling off it that if it struck a car, it would crush a
car. We had to do the bridge. The infrastructure needs back in the late '80s
were huge. I don't know the number of schools we built in this province, but we
built an awful lot of schools. We built a lot of roads. We did a lot of work.
I'll
give examples in my own district of expenditures which made a big difference.
The Torbay Bypass Road: At the time it cost, I think it was about $8 million,
and now today I think if you built it, it would probably cost $30 million
because things have gone. But that road, every morning when I used to go to work
I'd either make a decision to go early or wait until the school got open in
Torbay at 9 because on Piperstock Hill you couldn't get by. Today on the
investment that government made because of monies, the expenditures that were
there, there's a new Torbay Bypass Road. And it's a great expenditure.
I always
talk about education in my district and since I've been elected we have two new
schools built: Juniper Ridge school and Holy Trinity Elementary. We've done
investments in schools at Cape St. Francis in St. Francis of Assisi. Those are
great investments.
I look
at a budget and those were monies that were allocated in a budget when times are
good. We're going to have to go to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador – and
like I said, it's going to be difficult decisions. We'll get in this House of
Assembly and hope we'll have the opportunity to debate. That's what we're
looking for here today, is that opportunity to debate a budget and see where the
expenditures are.
I'm sure
that everyone in this House of Assembly, from the Premier down, would want to
see us have a surplus of money so that we could take care of our grandchildren
and our children and the most vulnerable people in society. We're going to come
into a year that's going to probably be one of the most difficult, and I'd say,
they most difficult time in our province probably since Confederation. Since
people started sitting in this House of Assembly. There are going to be tough
decisions made. We've got to decide how we're going to spend our money and we've
got to decide what way we're going to spend our money.
Again,
like yesterday, when the motion came down to give an increase to somebody or to
a group of people I believe until we do that we have to see what the financial
situation of our province is in. I really believe we have to make sure that we
know that things that need to be taken care of have to be taken care of.
When I
look around this House of Assembly and I look at our new caucus Members that are
on this side of the House – and there are a couple of new ones on the other side
– and I know that when you first get here, listen, there's a lot you have a lot
of ambition, you have a lot of wants and you have a lot of demands that you
really wanted to see in your districts. But once you get in here and you realize
that, listen, it's all about can we afford to do it and setting priorities. I
see it in our caucus, and I'm sure it's in caucuses, both the NDP caucus and the
Liberal caucus as well.
We've
got to be realistic. And we're going to have to be very realistic when the new
budget comes down. But I think the people of Newfoundland and Labrador deserve
to see what the financial situation of this province is and to see where we are
– they'll judge us. They'll judge us on election day. Whether they judge us on
election day in September or they judge us on election day in May, they'll still
be the judge and they'll be the people that will decide who does the job and who
they wants to move forward to do their job for them.
I have
no problem with elections. I've been very successful, I have to say, and I
really want to thank the people of the District of Cape St. Francis for giving
me that confidence vote that they give me every year. Election time to me, I
love it, because I get the opportunity to knock on people's doors, to talk to
people, especially our seniors. It seems like when you knock on their door, they
wants to haul you in the house and have a yarn with you, but you have to explain
to them that you can't stay. Election time is a very exciting time; it's a great
time. It's a great time for an MHA to really get to the grassroots and
understand what people want and the needs of people and understand their
problems.
I really
have to say that we're very lucky to live in the province that we live in
because our people are so respectful. So respectful when you knock on their
doors, so respectful to the way they talk to you. The main thing is you better
be respectful back to them too. You have to do that.
We have
some huge costs that this province has to look at. We have some huge costs in
our health care system. The Minister of Health, he can tell you. Questions were
asked of him today about surgeries. I have lots of them. I send him a few emails
every now and then on people waiting for cataract surgery, waiting for heart
surgery, waiting for hip replacement, stuff like this. Those are the places our
investments need to go. Those are the places where we need to be spending our
money wisely.
Everyone
in Newfoundland and Labrador, you'll hear it all the time – and it doesn't make
any difference what side you're on or where the budget is coming from – the
people in Newfoundland and Labrador will always say that we have a spending
problem. We're going to have a real big spending problem because our revenues
are going to be way down.
I was
here in 2014-2015 when oil prices went boom, went down, and to see the effect
that had on our province and our bottom line at the time was amazing. It was
unbelievable; I couldn't believe it myself. Recently, we saw the same thing
again. I believe yesterday oil prices were about $40 a barrel. I would say the
Finance Minister and the Premier and everyone in this House of Assembly, we'd
like to see $140 a barrel so we could give the people of our province the needs
and what they want – and needs and wants are two different things; we need to
make sure we give them what they need.
People
will want everything, but we got to make sure that the needs are there when it
come to our health care system, when it comes to our education system. I feel
that a new budget is going to have to be adjusted because we're going to see
more people needing help – individuals, vulnerable people – with income support.
The whole economy, what is happening in Alberta, what's happening in
Saskatchewan, what's happening in BC affects what happens in Newfoundland and
Labrador.
We
always say the key to Newfoundland and Labrador, the heart and soul of our
economy is small business, and it is. Small businesses are going to need our
help. When we talk about restaurant owners opening a restaurant and you say you
can open your restaurant but you're only going to be at 50 per cent capacity.
Well most of the restaurants I know, and fast food places and everywhere you go,
suppertime, lunchtime they have to be booming in order to make a dollar. What's
going to happen to those small businesses?
Tourism
in our province is huge. The tourism industry, especially in rural Newfoundland
– and in my area, too, tourism is huge: bed and breakfasts, tour boats, you name
it, down the Southern Shore. I mean it's a huge industry. Anyone that comes
around – in the summertime we all take pride in our tourism industries, what we
have to offer. We're going to need money for people in our tourism industry.
Stay
vacation? I'm going to stay; I'm going to go to Millertown. I'm going to go up
and hopefully get my moose like anyone else. I'm going moose hunting. I'm going
to stay.
We need
to spend money in Newfoundland and Labrador. We need to encourage people in
Newfoundland and Labrador to buy local. We need people in Newfoundland and
Labrador to ensure that we support each other because that's who we are as
Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. In times of crisis, we come through. I know in
the small community I come from, any time there's a crisis you can count on
everyone in that community to come through.
We're in
a crisis, there's no doubt about it. This pandemic, the oil prices, everything
else is after hitting us in the bank, but I believe as a person in this
Legislature, we can get through those. We're going to get through it because
we're going to work together, we're going to go forward and make sure that
people in our society are taken care of. That's what we're all about. It's about
planning.
Sometimes we'll argue in this House and we'll ask government all the time about
your plan. Where's the plan? Now is the time that we need to know where the plan
is. Where is this budget? Where are we going? There has to be a plan for our
health care system, there has to be a plan for our education system and people
in this province need to know it.
We came
out with a program last week about essential workers and trying to help
essential workers. We're going to have to help a lot more workers.
I look
at the fishing industry, and we're very lucky this year so far. The crab
industry has been very, very good. It's too bad it wasn't the price that it was
last year because it would be really, really good, but we have people in the
fishing industry we have to be concerned about.
While
the federal government came down with a program for harvesters, we have a lot
more people in the fishing industry. We have plant workers, we have monitors. We
have observers and everybody on the wharf. We have a lot of people working on
the wharf that I'm concerned about whether they're going to be able to qualify
for unemployment insurance, because we started so late that people couldn't get
in. When you talk about a plant worker or a monitor or an observer, they work a
little different. They have to get a number of weeks and hours in order to
qualify for unemployment insurance.
There
are so many different groups in this province we have to be concerned about.
I've gone beyond, because I could speak for an hour on this, I know I could, but
all I have to say is, listen, we need to show the people of Newfoundland and
Labrador that we're going to bring in a budget, we're going to answer their
needs and we're going to do our best to give them the future they deserve.
Thank
you very much.
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
always a pleasure to speak in this House and it's also a pleasure to speak after
my colleague from Cape St. Francis because he hit a lot of the important topics
today in his remarks. I'll certainly move into my remarks just in a moment, but,
first of all, it's always a privilege to represent the people of Carbonear -
Trinity - Bay de Verde.
I want
to take this opportunity, if you will beg me some leeway, to thank all the
essential workers in the district and everybody who helped out: our first
responders, our local town council and everybody who did so much during the
period we just came through and the period that we're still in. It's really
encouraging to see the way that Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, not only in
the district I represent, but all around the province have taken on this
challenge that we face.
Mr.
Speaker, I guess I'll start by saying I'm happy today to be voting in favour of
this motion. I won't dwell in the past very much, Mr. Speaker, but I will just
for context.
On
September 28, 2015, I was a Member of this House, and I was a Member actually
sitting on that side of the House, and the Premier of today actually wrote a
letter to the premier of the day, the premier in 2015, asking for a fiscal
update going into an election, which we knew was going to happen that November.
And disappointingly so, that response was never given and we went into that
election without a fiscal update, and we know where that led to.
We've
taken a lot of criticism over the last five years, or going on five years now,
for the Budget of 2016. I can tell you as any Member who sat here in this House
in 2016, that type of a budget is something that nobody would ever want to do,
and I wouldn't wish that on anybody in this House.
That's
one of the reasons I'm happy to support this motion today, because never again
should we be left in a situation the way that we were left in 2015. Subsequent
to that, we actually brought in some changes that mandated that there be a
fiscal update, before any election – I think it's six months before any vote in
this province – that there would have to be a fiscal update.
That's
so important, not only for the government but for the people who want to be in
government, because then you have to be responsible in the promises you make. If
you have the books, if you have a budget in place, Mr. Speaker, that actually
affords you the opportunity – anybody, any leader, any party – affords them the
opportunity to make reasonable presumptions going in as to how they would spend
that money.
Mr.
Speaker, if you think about the election we came through in May of last year,
there was a budget in place. Everybody had the opportunity to look at the books
and build their platforms accordingly.
I think
it's important that as we go into any election that not only do the people with
their names on ballots have the opportunity to know the fiscal situation of the
province, but so do the people who are voting. They have the opportunity to
actually test the platforms of parties and say, well, it's very easy to promise
things but what's your fiscal capacity to deliver? If that fiscal capacity is
there, that it's not able to deliver, it makes for a more informed voter, and I
would agree it puts all parties on a much more level platform going into an
election.
Again,
that's why I'll be supporting this today, and as a caucus we will be supporting
this motion today – as we did back on March 11. There was a very similar PMR on
March 11 of this spring, brought in by the Official Opposition, asking the
government to deliver a 2020 budget at the usual time in the spring prior to a
general election. So, unfortunately, that was days before we really entered in
to the COVID crisis that we found ourselves in but, again, on that private
Member's resolution on March 11 of 2020 our caucus supported it as well.
So we've
been very consistent in our belief that delivering a budget or at least a fiscal
update as we had asked for in 2015 be delivered. So that's important.
The
Member for Cape St. Francis brought up a lot of very true remarks or remarks
that really hit the situation that we're in today. It's important, because this
is a time in our province that I don't think we've ever faced, and I really
hope, to the good Lord, we never face again the challenges that we are about to
face.
This
really is not about political stripe, not about the colour of your party. This
is going to have to be one voice and all hands on deck as we move forward with
the next budget. It's going to be extremely challenging. The choices are going
to be difficult, but they're going to have to be made when you think about the
future for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. I'm a parent of two young adults,
both at Memorial.
AN HON. MEMBER:
Very smart.
MR. CROCKER:
Thank you, Sir. They turn
after their mom.
Mr.
Speaker, just to get back to my remarks. I think about their future and I think
about other parents that I interact with on a daily basis with kids all ages
along the spectrum of age, and why we actually all get into politics. I don't
think for one minute there's anybody in this hon. House or any hon. House that
doesn't come here for the right reasons.
We're
going to face some challenges. We would never have predicted that we would have
the perfect storm that we're facing today along – we have the challenges of
COVID, and the health crisis has been immensely challenging. I know the Premier
and Minister Haggie and Dr. Fitzgerald have done an amazing job in guiding
Newfoundlanders and Labradorians through this crisis. All three of those
individuals are certainly to be commended for that effort.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. CROCKER:
What we've seen in the health
crisis with regard to Newfoundlanders and Labradorians pitching in to get us
through – through determination and just the nature of Newfoundlanders and
Labradorians – we're going to need the same resolve when it comes to the
economy. The same way as we've come through the health crisis – and by no means
am I saying the health crisis is over. There are many challenging months ahead.
That is
another one of the reasons that I don't feel for one moment we're in a position
as a province right now to have a traditional election. It will also bring
questions, I think, to the House committee on democratic reform, as to what
advancements can we make in getting voting in a lot of ways away from the
traditional methods. I think this is another reason, not only for voter
engagement but for voter apathy, is to explore new ways, to use new technologies
as we go into voting. Certainly, that's not something that could ever be in
place for an election in anywhere near the immediate future, for something that
we haven't tried as a province for a provincial election.
The
economic crisis that we are going to face will also be as challenging, and in
some ways maybe more challenging. Because the health crisis, we had good
strength, I think, going into it with good leadership.
When you
think about the price of oil and what happened to that. Two things; one was
COVID, but the other was the breaking away in the OPEC nations and the price war
with Russia and Saudi Arabia. It was a perfect storm for this province, one that
I'm more than confident we can weather but it's going to be one of those that
we're going to have to be all in this together.
The
Minister of Finance spoke earlier and he talked about a process that we will, I
guess, lay out in the coming months for a budget, and I really look forward to
going through that process. I guess I'd be remiss to say I look forward to it
because it's not going to be an enjoyable process but it's going to be a
necessary process.
We're
given an opportunity now where, I guess, we've stripped it back to the
foundation. That's where we are as a province, we're back to the foundation, and
it's incumbent on us all now to pitch in and find ways to rebuild our economy.
We're resilient people, we've seen that in the health care crisis and we will
see that in the economic crisis that we face as we move forward.
There
have been many steps. The Government of Canada, the federal government, I think
has made very nimble moves to get money, to get immediate economic relief to the
people of Canada. I applaud them for that because a lot of the programs that
they've instituted over the last three months, certainly under normal
circumstances are programs that would take years to develop. Are they perfect?
No. No, they're not perfect.
I share
the concerns of some of my colleagues I heard here earlier today around the
essential worker program and the efforts of our Finance Minister and our Premier
on moving the federal government from what was announced as a program that would
be a cap at $2,500 a month, to moving that program and pressuring our federal
colleagues to actually move the bar on that program from $2,500 to $3,000. That
made it open to a lot more people.
Now, Mr.
Speaker, there's no way to express the gratitude that we, as Newfoundlanders and
Labradorians, owe our essential workers and owe our front-line health care
workers: our nurses, our doctors, our custodians in those facilities. The work
they did to actually protect our most vulnerable is nothing less than heroic.
If you
look at Canada as a whole, the last time I heard a number, some 82 per cent of
the people in Canada who lost their lives to COVID were in long-term care
facilities. The work the workers in our long-term care, in our health system and
our service industries did to protect our most vulnerable, again, it's nothing
less than heroic.
Again,
Mr. Speaker, my time is winding down. I'm very pleased to follow the Member for
Cape St. Francis and his remarks about all hands on deck and that we all know
the challenges we're going to face, because that's where we are as a province.
We're going to have to come in here into this Chamber and have our debates and
have our disagreements, but the fundamentals of this will be, at the end of the
day, it will be incumbent on all 40 of us elected in this House to come together
for the betterment of our province and make those tough decisions together.
Because there's not going to be, in my opinion, appetite for the idea of this
debate of: it's your problem, it's my problem. It's just the to and fro on this.
We will have that to and fro, but this is going to have to be everybody in
looking for those solutions.
Again,
I'm very pleased to support this motion today, that the books of this province
be certainly put before the people sometime, I guess, late summer, early fall,
and be back in here this fall to have an opportunity to vote on a budget that
will be an all hands on deck and do what we can to make sure that we build up
the foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador once again.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the
Official Opposition.
MR. CROSBIE:
Mr. Speaker, I thank you and
I thank the hon. Members who preceded me in delivering their remarks in a
thoughtful to this resolution, an important resolution. I feel honoured to be
the seconder of the resolution, as well.
The
resolution is “BE IT RESOLVED that
this Honourable House urge the Government to table and bring to debate and
concluding votes the 2020/21 budget prior to any general election.”
Mr.
Speaker, I had occasion this morning to deliver a letter to two gentlemen who
are in the process of seeking the leadership of the Liberal Party of
Newfoundland and Labrador and thereby the premiership, of course, because
whoever becomes the leader of the party ipso facto becomes the premier. I will
take a moment to read the text of the letter into the record of the House:
“Gentlemen,
“Congratulations on making the enormous commitment to public service required to
seek the leadership of the Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador. The
winner will be responsible to lead us as Premier through the most difficult
challenges we have ever faced as a province of Canada.
“Many in
the public believe that the new Premier plans to call a general election soon
after the winner of your leadership contest is announced on August 3.
“Our
province is facing a financial catastrophe. We also face grave issues in health
care and education which demand the full attention of the new Premier for the
balance of this year. The threat of a second wave of infection also looms this
fall.
“The
public deserves their Premier – their employee – to show up for work on day one
and stay at work for the balance of the year instead of hitting the campaign
trail. An election before a budget would confirm the worst – the Liberal
government is hiding the true state of the financial crisis from the public.
“Any
Premier whose first act is to call a snap election in the midst of financial
crisis is only in it for himself.
“Any
Premier who calls an election this year without grappling with all the issues
which demand a fully functioning government would be viewed the same way.
“Accordingly, I ask that you each publically commit to table by September and
bring to debate and concluding votes the 2020/21 budget, and that you each
publically commit to put your full time attention without interruption by
general election, on managing the crisis caused by COVID-19 for at least the
balance of 2020.
“Yours
respectfully ….”
What I
was just read, Mr. Speaker, is the text of a letter that was delivered to the
two candidates this morning.
The
scope of the letter was slightly larger than the arguably more narrative scope
of the resolution, which focuses on debate and tabling and voting on the budget
prior to any general election. That's very important, Mr. Speaker. In the larger
picture, though, a budget is a planning document. It's an economic document.
It's not merely a disclosure document that shows you what the revenues have been
for a given period, what the expenditures have been in a given period and what
the deficit between the two, if any, is.
It is
also an economic document that reviews the economy sector by sector and it's a
planning document that sets out the government's agenda for how the government
plans to stimulate growth in the various economic sectors the budget document
reviews.
I think
we can all agree that any competent review of the economic sectors of this
province, undertaken today or for that matter two or three months from now, is
going to show in many sectors a very grim picture.
It's not
just a document which tells us revenues and expenditures, which gives us a
glimpse into the state of finances of the province, it's a planning document as
well and it tells us how the government of the day plans to spend the money that
it has. Choices about how you spend the money you have say a lot about a
government. They say a lot about a government because they are value choices.
They're choices as to what the government's priorities are.
The
importance of a budget is more than just an accounting for what money is spent
and what money has come in to spend. It's a statement that gives the public an
insight into the government's values and plans and their plan for, in this
particular situation, finding a path out of the dire fiscal and economic
circumstances in which we find ourselves, partly as a result of a number of
decisions that have accumulated over the years that have added up to a debt and
a deficit which would have been daunting regardless but also now, coming on top
of that, the back-breaking pressures exerted by the lockdown, which was required
in one degree or another to respond adequately from a public health standpoint
to the exigencies of the COVID-19 pandemic – pandemic because it's
multi-continental.
So
that's the significance of a budget. It goes beyond just a glimpse into the
state of finances, which I believe the hon. Premier has said he's intending to
give us before the end of the summer or before he steps down, I should say,
which would be in early August. It goes beyond that glimpse into the fiscal
state of the province because, as I say, it's a document which tells us what the
government's priorities area, therefore what the government's values are and
it's a planning document which gives us a glimpse into how the government plans
to get us out of the fiscal and economic mess into which we have devolved.
From the
point of view – and this may appeal to you, Mr. Speaker – of parliamentary
process, it's interesting to consider what a budget is. For this, I'm going to
information notes which have been supplied by House staff of this House,
actually. The Speaker will be aware that those of us on the Standing Orders
Committee went through a process of meeting numerous times in an effort to feel
our way along, and come up with and sanction eventually a process by which, in
case of necessity, our presence in this House could be facilitated in a virtual
way without physically having to be there. In the process, some information
notes were generated by the staff of this House, and there's an interesting
distinction.
I'm
looking at one Information Note. The Analysis says: “Legislatures in the
Westminster tradition have responded to physical distancing required by the
pandemic in a number of ways, with many making a distinction between
scrutiny proceedings (questioning) and
substantive proceedings (where decisions are required, e.g., a vote
on a Bill or resolution).”
Mr.
Speaker, the note here doesn't say it, but it strikes me that a budget is both
of these kinds of proceedings. It's a scrutiny proceeding because you're taking
a deep-dive look through the Estimates into the government spending and it's
also a substantive proceeding of the House because it requires decisions to be
made, e.g., a vote on a bill – the note says – and of course, budgets must be
voted on as well.
Very
importantly, they're regarded as the classic case of a confidence vote. A
government which loses a vote on a budget is universally, I believe, deemed to
have lost the confidence of the House and consequences follow from that.
That's
the importance of a budget. It has, for many hundreds of years in Parliamentary
tradition, been regarded as absolutely key to a system of government that
recognizes the supremacy of Parliament, in our case, restrained only by the laws
of the Constitution.
As the
scrutiny proceedings or questioning, the suggestion is these would include the
following: Members' statements, Ministerial Statements, Question Period,
Presenting Reports by Standing and Select Committees, Tabling of Documents,
Notices of Motion, Answers to Questions for which Notice has been Given and
Petitions, and all that will sound very familiar to the Speaker, I'm sure.
Substantive proceedings, which involve deciding things, are proceeding which
require a decision or vote of the House. These are thought to be somewhat more
complex when you're dealing with the prospect of a virtual proceeding.
There
was another Information Note, which explained matters the following way. It
listed the background, and one of the bullet points is the need to find a way
for “Members to fulfil their parliamentary duties as legislators and to hold the
government to account ….” I'm reading from a document prepared by House staff,
not by Opposition research staff. That point is absolutely basic and essential
and fundamental to the functioning of a Legislature and the need, the
responsibility to hold the government to account.
The
analysis goes on and says parliaments around the world, including many within
the Westminster system, are exploring ways in which their constitutional duties
can continue to be fulfilled during a time where rigorous social distancing and
working from home, wherever possible, is required. Core constitutional duties of
parliament include: holding the government to account, assenting to finance,
passing legislation and representing constituents. These are described as core
constitutional duties.
These
things are stated as a matter of general understanding and legal scholarship and
are not conveniences that Opposition Parties think up because it happens to suit
their passing interest of the moment. They are core constitutional
responsibilities.
It goes
further, this memo by our staff: Oversight and accountability – integral
function of a Legislature is to hold government to account. It is an
accountability body, not just the legislator acting on behalf of government.
Members must also be seen to represent the interests of their constituents.
That's what our research staff have had to say on the matter in the last month.
One
other point I'd like to make in response to this resolution about tabling and
bringing to debate, including votes on a budget this year and that is I made the
larger point, when I read the letter in, about the public interest lying in
there not being in fact an election this year at all. Budget, yes, but there are
many things for a new premier to deal with and it's going to take months to deal
with them or to start to deal with them; in other words, at least the balance of
the year.
There
will be an election within 12 months of the swearing-in of this new premier in
any event. This is not something that would put off an election until four years
down the road. No, that's not possible because the legislation, the
House of Assembly Act, by section 3.1
requires that there be after the swearing-in of a new premier an election not
later than 12 months afterward. So we will have a general election soon enough
but in the face of the economic and fiscal fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic,
which has wrought such destruction to our economy and our public finances, an
election within 12 months, but not until a period of time has been put in
grappling with the several problems that this province faces will occur.
Mr.
Speaker, on those grounds, I support the resolution, as those, I think, who
proceeded me do, that the hon. House urge the government to table and bring to
debate and concluding votes the 2020-21 budget prior to any general election.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER (Reid):
The hon. the Member for
Lake Melville.
MR. TRIMPER:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I was
just listening carefully to the words, it's interesting – and I was reflecting
just one week ago when I led the private Member's resolution, and I think I made
some words to the effect that the discussion will be very important to look back
upon, as I talked about net zero last week and as the Opposition Party has
brought forward the idea of making sure we have a budget tabled in time for
catching our fiscal responsivities with our Interim Supply by the end of
September.
The
commitments and words here, there is actually not a lot of disagreement, but I
think it's important to bring forward a few concepts and a few points to the
floor just so we can have a proper consideration.
My
colleague, who I know in other lives and so on, representing Stephenville - Port
au Port, he talked about the unprecedented nature of the fact that here we are
this late in the year and we don't have a budget. In terms of recent memory, he
is absolutely correct. I would also suggest that in terms of recent memory it's
been a long time since we've had a pandemic grip, not just our economy but the
entire world, as it has. So we are, as we've all said, in unprecedented times
and it's obviously a great challenges and a great struggle.
I have
talked about this little story before so I won't elaborate on it, but I just
want to go back because what we, as a province, what the country, what the world
has just gone through has been a massive collection of sacrifice to deal with a
very serious problem.
When I
go back to where so many of my colleagues, and frankly many of the folks in this
House of Assembly on both sides, were back in the fall of 2015. I think a very
good point was made by the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board
when he talked about the new legislation that was brought in about ensuring that
there is a fiscal update in sufficient time prior to there being an election.
As we
walked into that situation – and the Member for Cape St. Francis, he talked
about it. He talked about the difficulties they faced in 2014 and 2015 when oil
started going down and the challenges that the then Leader of the Opposition,
now Premier, had with trying to understand exactly: Where are we, where were we
as a province and what were we facing?
So there
we are, 14th of December, I've recently been elected. It's pretty interesting; I
just left a career in science, now I'm a politician. Boom, now I'm a Cabinet
minister. I walk into the Cabinet room, spending about an hour getting to know
my colleagues, and then I remember the Premier distinctly saying: I've got some
folks from the Department of Finance going to come in and give us a little chat.
And I remember the honeymoon being over. I just recall all that happened. We've
all been through roller-coasters; that was definitely a roller-coaster moment.
What
happened over the next several months and what happened in this House, this
room, so many vivid memories and images. I can remember the Minister of Finance
and President of Treasury Board at the time as she prepared to deliver that
infamous 2016 Budget Speech. Many of us were down, actually, in the media room,
because she talked a little bit about what was going to go on and we had met as
a caucus and we had been briefed on the contents. Certainly, sitting in Cabinet,
I was well aware of the days and days of decisions that were made and the
horrific news that we were about to deliver everyone.
I
remember her saying I need to go catch my breath. I watched her walk out into
the parking lot there, a place I call Trimper's trail, and she just was trying
to gather her emotions before she came in here. It was probably the quietest
Budget Speech ever delivered in this Legislature. I think it's important to
reflect back on that time and remember all that happened.
I went
through some interesting situations myself, and I reflected back and in
preparation for this – and some of my colleagues have talked about it. We all
knew this was going to be tough and we all knew we had to make the tough
decisions. Again, as with the virus, we said we've got to take it now. We have
to make these tough calls, and we did. We set ourselves on a seven-year course;
a chart, if you like. The Opposition often asks us for a plan, well, that was a
heck of a plan.
We said
that in seven years we would get to a fiscal surplus. I've got the numbers in
front of me and my colleagues have read them. In the interest of time, I won't
go back through them, but, frankly, and I would suggest, we were making very
good progress on that plan. The Atlantic Accord is a little aberration,
fluctuating oil prices, always an aberration, but if you look at the targets and
then you look at what we achieved, we were doing very, very well thank you. I
was looking forward to getting there.
A little
side point, you might've met a little while ago my mother-in-law, she came to
visit here. She and her husband ran Hong's Take-Out for many years. She didn't
fully understand and grasp all that we were dealing with but she knew it was all
about money and she knew we needed money. So she presented me, the day after the
budget – it was really interesting, the Chinese custom – she presented me with a
money tree.
For
those of you who have ever been in to my office, in different capacities I've
had, I call the money tree, I call it Fiscal. Fiscal is actually getting along.
He's four or five years getting old now, and he's into a new pot – thanks to
Dianne Randell, she's taking good care – but Fiscal continues to hang in there.
She's often asking me about Fiscal and I get the plant and I show it to her.
So in
the same way I've been tracking our fiscal performance and then along came this
pandemic and it's like, wow, what a setback. All I can say to all my colleagues
is that the sacrifices we've made for this virus and the sacrifices we've made
to get ourselves back to eliminating this deficit are equally a challenge and
have certainly called so much of all of us to move forward.
I'm also
always thinking, and coming from a science background, I am a politician so I
try to think politically. Some people say: Trimper, you don't – the MHA for Lake
Melville, you don't think politically enough. I'll correct myself, Mr. Speaker.
I said,
what can they go at us with now? Because we here for this last, almost two
hours, have spoken with a great deal of agreement. We all realize where we are.
We all realize the tough decisions we have to make but, at the end of the day,
you know what? We have kept most of the residents of this province alive through
our measures, and that's been a collective, all-party effort. It's something we
can all celebrate. It has cost us a lot. It's cost us a lot emotionally,
socially and, as we're all focused here today, economically.
I've
been doing something quite interesting. As I set up in my kitchen, for these
last three months, I kept track of what happened everyday, sort of highlight of
events. I have a calendar, and I asked my wife this morning, can you take a
photo, please, of the month of March and send it down to me? I'm just reflecting
back on some of those things. The other thing that got me thinking about this
is, I haven't been down here much in three months and so I disconnected the
cable in my place. So I've been watching reruns of the news broadcasts from
March and April. Extremely fascinating to see.
If you
look at the news broadcasts when we were all sitting here together, for those
days in March, if you might remember we adjourned on the 12th, which was the
Thursday. We were introduced to Dr. Charlene Fitzgerald; the Minister of Health
and Community Services knew her very well. We got to see a superstar, and we
knew we were going to be –
AN HON. MEMBER:
Janice.
MR. TRIMPER:
Janice.
AN HON. MEMBER:
(Inaudible.)
MR. TRIMPER:
Oh my goodness, Charlene is
my neighbour. Janice Fitzgerald. Thank you very much for the correction, to my
colleague.
I have
two female Fitzgeralds in my life. One is a neighbour and head of the NLMA and
the other is leading us through this pandemic, and they're both tremendous
ladies. Thank you to my colleague. Yes, Dr. Janice Fitzgerald.
It's
fascinating to see because I'm thinking, okay, so maybe the Opposition will
challenge us with moves we've made during this pandemic. I listened to a
gentleman this morning on VOCM. The file was clipped to me and I just happened
catch it a little bit. He was feeling some tough situations and he has had some
tough times, no question, but he's reflecting, he said, government didn't get on
this quick enough. He said, that House of Assembly, they did not move quick
enough.
Well, I
can recall the chief medical officer standing there before us and saying this is
coming. That was, what, a Tuesday or a Wednesday. We all met here and, well,
Saturday, guess what? It's in my backyard, the very first case in
Labrador-Grenfell Health, very close to home. I just watched the panic and I was
keeping track of reaction over the next couple days, because if you remember,
that happened Saturday. My phone, and I bet the phone of everybody in this
House, started ringing: close down the schools. Guess what – and the minister is
looking at me – Monday, two days later, 48 hours, closing the schools. We moved
as fast as we could.
I'm glad
I kept that record and I don't need to go through it. Suffice to say that I'm
proud of the way we and I'm proud of the way the All-Party Committee worked, in
fairness, to supporting everyone in this Legislature.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. TRIMPER:
We came together when we
needed to and, boy, have we been through some sacrifice, from funerals that were
missed, to weddings that have been delayed, to what I think is the toughest –
and many of us have talked about it – is the inability to visit loved ones in
long-term care or in the hospitals. It's just been probably the most
gut-wrenching part of this.
Similarly, folks, I will tell you that budget of 2016, when the minister
concluded, you could have heard a pin drop here. I walked out here into the
lobby area and there were people saying well done. We have this fiscal thing;
we're rooting away. I had to leave. I could only stay there about a minute. I
walked over to my department and the deputy minister – and I wanted to put this
back on the floor because every now and then I hear somebody challenge me or
challenge somebody here on this floor and say: You haven't brutal enough; you
should be laying off that civil service.
Well, I
can tell you, this guy and many other people watched it happen. To walk across
that area and up into my department and watch the deputy minister walk down and
tap somebody on the shoulder – can you come with me? They went into the
boardroom and there's the representative of the human resources department, the
taxis are waiting outside; their careers were over. That was a lot of fun.
That
kind of sacrifice and that kind of (inaudible), we lost a lot of good people
then and we lost a lot of good people again, I can tell you, in February 2017. I
don't want to do back there. We have to stay with the plan.
I
welcome everything the Opposition has brought forward. As we've done with this
virus, we have to tackle the deficit in the same way. It is an enemy. It will
take us down. We have to work together on it.
Mr.
Speaker, I thank you very much.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the
Third Party.
MS. COFFIN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I
appreciate hearing from everyone. I want to let the Member for Lake Melville
know that my money tree died and there is a lesson in that, Sir.
My money
tree started off much like yours. It came from the grocery store; probably about
four inches high and it grew to touch my nine-foot ceilings. Isn't that
incredible? I was kind of hoping that perhaps my money tree was indicative of
great piles of money and that was not the case. Perhaps the lesson we can learn
is maybe if you don't tend to your fiscal circumstances, then they deteriorate
and possibly die. But then, of course, you can use them to mulch and start a new
money tree, perhaps, so we have lessons abound.
I do
appreciate your calendar and your tracking of the things that have happened.
Mine is slightly more substantial in book form. I occasionally go back and look
at: what has been the response, what has happened and, oh my goodness, that was
not four years ago, that was only four weeks ago. I completely concur with you
that we are certainly in unprecedented times.
I would
like to point out that many of our circumstances are very similar to that of
other provinces and other countries in that we're facing a fiscal cliff that
have significant ramifications for all of us. We are also facing two other
circumstances, one of which is that we now have an election of a new premier
that is forthcoming. I think that provides an extra layer of complication when
presenting a budget.
Of
course, the implications as we saw in our private Member's resolution, one of
the reasons that we want to insist upon this budget is in preparation for a
potential election. That adds another layer of complication to our budgeting
process, of course, because we all know that there is some politics involved in
budgeting. An extra layer of complication there.
Then, if
we want to do a little throwback to the Auditor General's reports, because as
many of you know, I'm an economist. One of the things that I did was I taught
courses on the structure and issues of the Newfoundland economy. For fun – and
this made me the most fun economics professor ever I'm sure – I would read aloud
from the Public Accounts. I'm not going to reflect on those because I have 15,
12 minutes now and I don't think any of us need that; there will be ample time
for it in the future.
We also
have a concern about flexibility, accountability and vulnerability. Those are
key issues that we do need to address in any budget. I do look forward to seeing
how our budget is going to try and address each of those particular issues as we
move forward with developing it. I think those are all key things that we do
need to keep in mind as we prepare a budget.
Now, I
must also say that I do not envy the Minister of Finance. There was a time that
perhaps from quite afar I may have, but I'm pretty sure that all 40 of us, not
one of us is looking forward to the budget that we are going to see. We all know
that our revenues have been drastically reduced and we know that the
expectations on our spending have changed dramatically. I will continue to talk
about some of those shortly.
What I
want to point out is that all 40 of us have a fiduciary duty to the public
partners. We are all responsible for ensuring that the needs and the
expectations of our constituents – and in some cases, our parties – are
reflected accurately and appropriately in our budget. That is a weighty
obligation for sure and I think that we all need to be very cautious. When we
demand more of the public purse, we are eventually going to have to stand up and
defend those demands. I think we need to do this prudently, wisely and well.
I do
commend the Member for Stephenville - Port au Port who brought forward this
private Member's resolution. I'm rather pleased that it will solidify some of
the answers that we've gotten from some of my questioning from the Finance
Minister who was committed that we will have a budget prior to September, prior
to Interim Supply running. I do like that we have solidified that.
If I was
to – and I wouldn't right now – propose any amendments to that private Member's
resolution, I would offer that two other pieces may need to be included in that
to have a more fulsome perspective. Not only do we need a budget, we also need a
plan. If I was to amend the private Member's resolution I would suggest that we
need a very clear fiscal plan and we need to see that manifested in our budget,
because as the Member for Windsor Lake did point out, a budget is a reflection
of a plan which, of course, is the manifestation of our public policy. That is a
key thing that we need to incorporate.
In
addition to that amendment, I would have also went so far as to say not only
should we not have a general election before a budget; I would like to submit
that perhaps we ought not to have a by-election before a budget either. We all
know that a by-election is very distracting and can cause all of us to be drawn
away from our other duties, which are paramount at this time. I would recommend
something to that effect but, again, it is a little too late.
Not only
that now, if I was to go back –
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MS. COFFIN:
Mr. Speaker, I can barely
hear myself.
MR. SPEAKER:
Sorry.
MS. COFFIN:
Thank you.
AN HON. MEMBER:
Everyone else can.
MS. COFFIN:
Good.
Mr.
Speaker, I would also like to go on and talk a little bit about that plan. In
our plan, what we've seen so far is a very piecemeal response to the pandemic.
We seem to have a consultant that is identifying what needs to be addressed, by
how much and what measure it will be addressed by.
That has
not involved our joint Committee. There doesn't seem to be a clear vision about
what that plan is going to be as opposed to a little bit here and a little bit
here and a little bit here and a little bit here with no one solid direction to
give everybody to whom we are responsible a sense of where our province is
going, nor will it give any sense of security or sense of we need to be
optimistic for the future. That relationship between plan and budget is
absolutely paramount.
One of
the key things I would like to see in such a budget is we have some very
important things that have been requiring addressing for quite some time now. We
have not heard anything about rate mitigation in quite some time. We don't know
what's going to happen once our supports for essential workers end. We're not
quite sure what's going to happen when all of the supports that have been put in
place to help offset some of the negatives that have happened as a result of
COVID – we don't know what's going to happen next. So the individuals who are
worried about their jobs, the individuals who are worried about paying their
mortgages when their mortgage relief has been stopped –
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
I ask
Members to stop the chatter back and forth in the House. I'm having trouble
hearing the Member.
MS. COFFIN:
Businesses as well need to
have some certainty that they can survive once their supports have passed. The
people of Newfoundland and Labrador also need to make plans and those plans are
often very dependent on the supports that we provide.
If we do
not provide a plan sooner and a budget sooner, rather than later, we are going
to be at risk of increased out-migration. We are going to see individuals who
are uncertain of what their future holds and they're going to start making
decisions that will not include living here in Newfoundland and Labrador. Mr.
Speaker, that is one of the things that we must avoid at all costs.
Mr.
Speaker, I'm not going to go into great detail about what we need to demand in
the budget or some of the problems that I see coming from the budget, but I
would like to just have a glancing conversation about some of the things that
will need to be considered. When we talk about Health-in-All-Policies, we know
we are going to have additional demands on our budget because we need new
procedures and processes in place and we need more PPE put in place. This will
cause an increased cost in our health care system.
We have
seen, in some instances, 300 and 400 per cent increases in the demand for mental
health services. That tells us that we need to continue to spend more money on
mental health services. That is an additional demand on our budget as a result
of this pandemic and we are going to need to address it.
Here's
another little one that's exacerbated an already bad situation: it's the
COVID-19. For all of us who have been locked up or who have been in isolation
during this pandemic, many of us have gained weight. As we know, obesity is a
problem in Newfoundland and Labrador and it is also a contributing factor that
can cause trouble recovering from COVID-19. We do not need to make our
vulnerable population any more vulnerable than it already is. That will require
additional spending.
We have
seen that the pandemic has shone a very bright light on vulnerable populations.
We see too many individuals who are front-line workers who we realize now that
the individual who is in a convenience store providing maybe groceries for an
individual who has a very limited income, that person is an essential worker.
When we look at what our minimum wage is, it's a little bit embarrassing to
think that the person who is the most vulnerable, the person who was on the
front lines of our pandemic at the height of the pandemic is making minimum
wage.
That
person is going to be much more susceptible to catching that virus and that
person is likely not protected by any labour legislation. That person is
probably covered by Labour Standards and Labour Standards does not have
presumptive COVID-19, nor does our workers' comp legislation. There are
implications to that and our budget and our plan ought to tie those things back
together.
Here's
another thing that we've been talking about lately: our tourism industry. Our
tourism industry is struggling. That has been the bright light in our economy
for a very long time. Mr. Speaker, if we do not have a plan and if we do not
have a budget, then it's going to be very hard to tie how do we make our tourism
industry – how do we bring the shine back to that jewel if we are not putting
the right amount of money into our roads?
We need
to be able to coordinate these two pieces together and say: Do we want to
highlight Fogo Island or do we want to highlight Rigolet or do we want to
highlight Isle aux Morts? If we do, we had better make sure that the roads to
each of these areas are going to work. That is why we need a plan and a budget
that manifests that plan.
AN HON. MEMBER:
(Inaudible.)
MS. COFFIN:
Exactly.
Mr.
Speaker, here are some other things that we would like to see when we talk about
this budget. Our Interim Supply – we have given the government more than $4
billion and we have had no accountability on that. In fact, what has happened,
as part of this piecemeal approach to pandemic response, we have increased the
procurement thresholds that do not require us to go out for tender.
We have
no idea now what accountability is going to come with that other than we promise
to announce the person who got that contract once it is all over. I think that
we need greater accountability in something like that. That, Sir, ought to be
included in our budget and in government's accountability to the Legislature
because we have allowed it, but also accountability to our constituents and
everybody in Newfoundland and Labrador, Mr. Speaker.
Excellent, I have a whole minute. Here are some other things that we need to
address that we have not addressed. These are problems that have existed long
before COVID-19 has ever crossed our borders. Mr. Speaker, we have had a problem
with Family Courts because on the heels of the oil boom and the great bounty
that we receive from that, we also saw an increase in divorces. We saw an
increase in drug use. We've seen an increase in gangs. We've also seen a
decrease in the affordability of housing. We have an increase in the sex trade
and all of these things need to be captured in the budget and addressed clearly
because even though they are not bright, shiny things and they are not something
that we hear constantly every day, these issues need to be addressed and they
are not going away.
Mr.
Speaker, my caucus and I resoundingly support this resolution and look forward
to a budget.
Thank
you very much, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Bonavista.
MR. PARDY:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
It is a
pleasure to speak on this PMR. It's great we have consensus in the House. That's
quite obvious. It's not too often we get consensus in the House but it just
shows the merit of the PMR. The PMR states: to table, bring to debate and with
concluding votes, so it is the full meal deal.
I went
through my first provincial election in the District of Bonavista last year and
regardless of political stripe, most people had an issue with a budget not being
presented – or tabled I should say – debated and voted on. They also had an
issue with an election. The vast majority would like to see a fixed date for an
election. I would say that for those people I spoke with, whether it is the
Millers in New Bonaventure, the Flemings in Spillars Cove or the Connors in
Tickle Cove or Open Hall, then I would say to you I would think they're pleased
today with our PMR and we have a consensus.
One
thing that the people are unaware of in relation to the budget is that they know
we debate it in the House, but I would say to you what they don't know in a lot
of cases – and I certainly didn't prior to arriving in in this House last year –
was that we have the Estimates where we pour over and scrutinize in each sector
of government we have, whether it be in the Fisheries, Education, Health, we go
over and question line by line the value in each one.
Another
thing important about the budget – and I think as the Leader of the Opposition
stated – it's one thing to show the numbers, but we'd like to see what the plan
would be. If anybody in business is looking to create revenue, everyone would
have a plan. The budget is no different. When the Minister of Finance and
President of Treasury Board rolls out his budget, it will contain a plan that I
hope will have investments. One would say: How can you speak of investments when
we're looking at the fiscal? But there has to be a plan to come out of a
situation that we currently find ourselves in. That is the merit of the budget.
If the
Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board comes out and says, we are
going to invest in our youth, we're going to invest in education, we're going to
invest in the wellness of children going forward because we think that is a
long-term investment to bring down the $3.2-billion expenditure in health, that
would be a very noble and credible debate and plan. If we have the wellness of
our staff that are working with children, if that is of an issue, it is
certainly something that would come out in a budget.
There
are lots of things that we celebrate and we can celebrate through the budgetary
process. I spoke to a worker at OCI. OCI in Bonavista, with 350 workers – none
of them essential services; none of them would fall under the essential
services, but they were all essential. They produce one million pounds of crab
per week. Their payroll for Bonavista is about $335,000 into the local economy
per week. The minister a short time ago talked about the stud market in the
upper part of the District of Bonavista. I would say that production, Sexton
Lumber, is a great supporter of the economy. So we have things that are working
that we certainly can possibly build upon, extend upon and make it a little more
revenue productive.
I would
say all those things comes under a budget, not just a presentation of numbers,
but it is strictly the presentation and then the debate and listening to as to
what the investment and the plans would be going forward.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
It being quarter to 5, as
pursuant to our Standing Orders, I'm going to call on the Member for
Stephenville - Port au Port to close the debate.
MR. WAKEHAM:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I want
to start by first of all thanking all of the colleagues here in the House of
Assembly; people that stood and spoke to this motion. I think there was a lot of
commonality in what we all had to say and I think everybody in this House has
the best interests of Newfoundland and Labrador first. I think that's what we're
all focused on.
I'd also
like to thank the Minister of Finance for his commitment that he will indeed
bring down a budget in the fall and have it debated and tabled. I'm glad to hear
that. Thank you for that.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. WAKEHAM:
Mr. Speaker, 2020 is not the
time for an election. People are concerned about health care; they're concerned
about their physical health, their mental health. People are concerned about
education and how they can get their children back in school. People are
concerned about jobs.
The last
labour stats showed a loss of 30,000 jobs in one year. That's huge. That's the
impact of the Northern cod moratorium, which cost around 35,000 jobs I believe.
When you compare those employed in May of 2019, approximately 231,000, with
those employed in May 2020, 201,000, it's approximately a loss of 30,000 jobs.
People are concerned about getting back to work.
People
are concerned about having to choose between their job and caring for their
children. People are concerned about a second wave. People want their government
to govern. People want us to work together. People want government to open the
books and fully disclose the province's finances.
People
are not concerned about an election. We had an election 13 months ago costing
approximately $4.9 million. We don't need a snap election. That $4.9 million is
much better used helping the people of this province recover from this pandemic.
Without a new leader, of course, there would be no talk of an election or
anything at this time in the time of a pandemic. A crisis is a time for
stability and prudent decision-making. 2020 has been a very difficult year.
While we have flattened the curve – and as the Minister of Transportation and
Works said, crushed it – there is a significant economic uncertainty and a
threat of a second wave.
Again,
2020 is not the time for an election. It's the time to get our economy back on
track, it's a time to get people back to work and it is the time to deal with
the backlog of the health system. As a former health care administrator, I know
that our health care system in this province was already very stressed with many
demands, long wait times and concerns. I am concerned about how our health care
system can recover and be there for the people of our province when they need
it.
It is a
time to ensure our children can go back to school and have teachers teach. The
NLTA recently released a press release that actually talked about the need to
get back into the classroom.
It is
time to prepare again our health system for a second wave. It is time for a new
leader of the Liberal Party to put the people of the province first. 2020 is not
the time for an election; it's the time for leadership, it's the time for
governing. God guard thee Newfoundland and Labrador.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Is the House ready for the question? Yes?
All
those in favour, 'aye.'
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
MR. SPEAKER:
All those against, 'nay.'
Carried.
Given the hour of the day and pursuant to our Standing Orders, the House now stands adjourned until 1:30 tomorrow afternoon.