May 6, 2026 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS Vol. LI No. 25
Please be advised that this is a PARTIALLY EDITED portion of the House of Assembly sitting for Question Period on Wednesday, May 6, 2026. The edited Hansard will be posted when it becomes available.
The entire audio/visual record of the House proceedings is available online within one hour of the House rising for the day. This can be accessed at: https://www.assembly.nl.ca/HouseBusiness/Webcast/archive.aspx
Oral Questions
SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
J. HOGAN: Thank you, Speaker.
Yesterday, we found out that the Premier had made secret hirings to advise him on the MOU; one, a former Cabinet minister during the Muskrat Falls boondoggle and, another, a vocal critic of the MOU.
Did the Premier hide these appointments because he knew the public would be outraged?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
PREMIER WAKEHAM: Speaker, one of the things that I said to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador during the election campaign is we would always put their interests first; we would always look to seek the best deals we can for the resources of Newfoundland and Labrador.
While they’re focused on individuals, we’re focused on issues: better health care, lower taxes and safer communities for all.
Yes, we are very concerned about the resources of Newfoundland and Labrador, and that’s why we’ll go out and hire the best people we can. There is no secret that government always uses lawyers at any different time and hires them to do all kinds of projects.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
J. HOGAN: Speaker, if the Premier wants to do what’s best for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, doesn’t he think Newfoundlanders and Labradorians know who’s giving him advice on the most important project in the history of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Why did the Premier fail to disclose that these advisors were hired back in January to tell him how to deal with Churchill Falls?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
PREMIER WAKEHAM: Speaker, I say again, there has been lots of lawyers hired to talk about the MOU, on both sides of the House, prior to us winning the election. So I’m not so sure that all of that information was ever disclosed.
This is not about disclosure; this is about making sure we get the best deal possible for Newfoundland and Labrador.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
PREMIER WAKEHAM: So if he wants to talk about that, that’s fine. They’re not the only two people we’ve hired. We’ve hired lots of people.
Let me tell you about Dan Levert. Dan Levert, a very prominent lawyer, a seasoned construction lawyer with over 35 years experience, but as an engineer and as a lawyer. We’ve brought him in to help us with this file. We’ve also brought in Vanessa Newhook, a well-known person in the oil industry here, most recently vice-president of Atlantic Canada.
We have lots of people that we continue to hire –
SPEAKER: Order, please!
The hon. Premier’s time has expired.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
J. HOGAN: Speaker, I’ve learned a lesson. When the Premier says it’s not about disclosure, it is about disclosure.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
J. HOGAN: What is the role of these advisors?
We have a Premier who won’t tell the public what he thinks about the MOU, who hired a panel to tell him what he thinks and now has two advisors to review the work of the panel.
Speaker, is anyone in charge? Is anyone going to make an actual decision or are we stuck in review mode for four years?
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
PREMIER WAKEHAM: Speaker, what we have is an MOU. We have no deal; there has never been a deal. There was not one definitive agreement signed – not one. When we took over –
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
PREMIER WAKEHAM: When we took over in October, not one definitive agreement had been signed.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
SPEAKER: Order, please!
PREMIER WAKEHAM: We’ve brought in a team to work with Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro to talk about where we go and what the next steps are and to review, exactly, what’s been done. That’s exactly what they’re doing.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
J. HOGAN: Speaker, I should hope no definitive agreements were signed because they stopped negotiating. One of the panel members has said the MOU is a betrayal and one of the new advisors has said it is the biggest strategic error.
Why is the Premier paying people to give advice, when these people have already publicly expressed their opinion at no cost to the taxpayer?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
PREMIER WAKEHAM: I find it somewhat hypocritical for the Leader of the Opposition to stand and talk about people with opinions. Let’s not forget the opinion of the person who they put in charge of their Independent Review Committee, a former client of his. Not only that. The ink wasn’t dry on the MOU when that former chair of the Independent Appointments Committee was out talking about how wonderful a deal it was and then he was appointed as the chair. So you tell me that that’s independence.
SPEAKER: Order, please!
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
J. HOGAN: Speaker, if the Premier feels that the Consumer Advocate in this province, whoever he or she may be, is not independent, we have a bigger problem.
Why doesn’t the Premier finally come clean and tell Newfoundlanders and Labradorians he’s abandoning the billions of dollars and the thousands of jobs, the economic upside that the MOU can deliver for our province?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
PREMIER WAKEHAM: Speaker, in 1949 we joined Confederation. We had the richest fishing ground in the world. We had hydro resources. We had forestry resources. We had mining resources. Along came oil and hydroelectricity and after 76 years of Confederation, what do we have to show for it?
After 10 years of Liberal government, our deficit is doubled. Well, I will tell you that I will not be pushed. I will not be forced and I will not be rushed into giving away the resources of Newfoundland and Labrador.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
PREMIER WAKEHAM: As Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, we’re going to take our time to make sure that it is the people of Newfoundland and Labrador that –
SPEAKER: The hon. Premier’s time has expired.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
J. HOGAN: Speaker, do not worry. It is very clear he will not be rushed. He spent the first seven months of administration hiring advisors to tell him what he thinks. This deal is not going anywhere.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
SPEAKER: Order, please!
J. HOGAN: He keeps hiring advisors to tell him how to think, to review one review to do another review. I can guarantee you, Newfoundlanders and Labradorians know there’s no rush, here, dealing with Churchill Falls.
The Deputy Premier tried to defend the Premier this morning on the radio and when asked why his government didn’t announce the hirings back in January, he said, we communicate when the time is right.
So I ask: Why wasn’t it the right time to say this when these advisors were, actually, hired rather than to wait to get caught in Question Period?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
PREMIER WAKEHAM: Speaker, once again, let’s talk about what we’re trying to do. We want the best deal for Newfoundland and Labrador, and the Leader of the Opposition agrees with us because on September 15, he said: Make sure that the deal we sign is the right deal for Newfoundland and Labrador. That is exactly what we’re doing.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
J. HOGAN: Yeah, as everyone has said in this province, we want to sign the right deal. However, you can’t sign the deal if you don’t negotiate and you will never sign the deal if your advisors tell you not to do it.
The Deputy Premier also said this morning when asked why these advisors were hired that the talent pool in our province is not deep. Why does the Deputy Premier not have faith in Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to do important work related to Churchill Falls?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Energy and Mines.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
L. PARROTT: Thank you, Speaker.
Speaker, he’s talking about not negotiating; 173 days, he didn’t do one definitive agreement. One hundred and seventy-three days as the Premier, he didn’t talk to Bay du Nord, he didn’t talk to Equinor or BP – 173 days.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
SPEAKER: Order, please!
L. PARROTT: We brought that deal forward. He didn’t even have a conversation. He talks about deals being done, here’s the deal that was done: He hired his former boss –
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
SPEAKER: Order, please!
I’m asking the Member for Burgeo - La Poile for your co-operation. If I have to ask again, you will not be speaking anymore today.
The hon. the Minister of Energy and Mines.
L. PARROTT: He hired his former boss, dismissed the LeBlanc inquiry, one that he sat on for the entire duration and billed close to $1 million. Now he’s in here trying to turn around and say that there was never people hired in secret.
SPEAKER: Order, please!
The hon. minister’s time has expired.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
J. HOGAN: Let me say one thing to the minister: It’s the last time he’s going to say things that aren’t true about me. I did not hire a former boss. He said yesterday that I was employed by him, that is not true. He said I did not meet with Equinor, that is not true. He said that there was a national energy agreement that I did not sign, that is not true.
I say to the minister: Stop saying untrue things in this House about me. Do your job, show some credibility and stick to the facts. I’m not standing for it anymore.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Energy and Mines.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
L. PARROTT: Speaker, I would say if that was addressed at me, perhaps the former premier should stand up and talk about the secret bonuses that they gave and how he came in as Premier and said he knew nothing about it. Never got an update from his own staff, and after he found out, he didn’t dismiss any of them for not updating him as the Premier. They didn’t vote for it, none of them knew about it, but they all would have accepted it. So if he wants to talk about people telling lies –
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
SPEAKER: Order, please!
L. PARROTT: – he should have a look in the mirror.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Conception Bay East - Bell Island.
F. HUTTON: Thank you, Speaker; nice deflection there by the minister.
The Conservatives have now appointed former Conservative Cabinet ministers, Ross Wiseman, Darin King and Jerome Kennedy, to powerful positions within government. We know, of course, that the former Premier Danny Williams has had a lot of input in this government as well.
What we don’t know is what the Premier’s plans are to develop the Churchill River. So are they bringing in these ministers to turn Gull Island into a boondoggle like they did with Muskrat Falls?
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Energy and Mines.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
L. PARROTT: Speaker, it’s funny how they sit over there and they talk about the boondoggle that is Muskrat Falls, yet they fail to say how they failed to execute on construction. They fail to say how there would be absolutely no possibility of a conversation about Gull Island if Muskrat Falls does not exist. The only reason we can have that conversation is because it comes under the previous EA for Muskrat Falls; it’s why we are having those conversations. If he wants to know this Premier’s plans for this province, he has said he will electrify Labrador. We will build Gull Island. We will develop our resources.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
SPEAKER: Order, please!
L. PARROTT: And we will make the best possible place for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Conception Bay East - Bell Island.
F. HUTTON: Thank you, Speaker.
It’s going to be a neat trick. We’ll wait and see.
Speaker, it is very concerning that the Deputy Premier this morning, and the Premier for that matter here in the House of Assembly, did not know if these new advisors from a previous PC government are actually being paid and how much.
So can the Premier tell us how much the Conservatives are actually paying these new reviewers to review the work they’ve also paid other reviewers to review? It’s ongoing.
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Energy and Mines.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
L. PARROTT: Thank you, Speaker.
I’ll talk about a neat trick. I’ll talk about the trick that the people of Newfoundland and Labrador did. They made them disappear.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
SPEAKER: Order, please!
L. PARROTT: I’ll talk about another neat trick. I’ll talk about the $22 million hotel that was leased to their buddies by that previous minister which we could have bought for $4 million. We can talk about another neat trick in Snow’s Lane, how land was bought for more than it was sold for, for their buddies.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
SPEAKER: Order, please!
L. PARROTT: We can talk about another neat trick with Marco and all of the business they got, and how we had proponents leave this province because of the unfair bidding process. Speaker, there’s lots of tricks. The only difference is we’re not pulling rabbits out of our hats; we’re pulling deals.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Conception Bay East - Bell Island.
F. HUTTON: Mr. Speaker, again, more deflection; more deflection.
We’re happy to talk about land deals, big land deals, if you want to at any point in time.
Chris Huskilson, Speaker, an architect of Muskrat Falls from Emera is chairing the biased review panel, which also includes, Michael Wilson, an outspoken critic of the MOU. Bern Coffey, now being paid by the taxpayers, was paid as a Conservative staffer. Also a critic of the MOU, Jerome Kennedy has close ties to Danny Williams, who has said the MOU is dead. In fact, he said it was his greatest single accomplishment.
What a thing to say, to take away $225 billion from Newfoundland and Labrador.
Is the Premier simply cherry-picking advisors to tell him what he wants to hear? That he won’t deal with Quebec.
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Energy and Mines.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
L. PARROTT: It’s funny how we forget about things like Kenmount Crossing but I’ll tell you something about two individuals that he’s mentioned. I’ll tell you something about two individuals –
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
SPEAKER: Order, please!
L. PARROTT: – he’s mentioned. Two very esteemed individuals, one a lawyer and one a former minister of this House, Ross Wiseman and Bern Coffey who both come here to work with us for the betterment of this province and you know what they both have in common, both former Liberals, both seen the light, like the people of this province and they’re both on this side doing the work for the people of this province that will get us the best deals.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: Order, please!
The hon. the Member for Conception Bay East - Bell Island.
F. HUTTON: Mr. Speaker, they may have seen the light but they’ve also seen the cash is my guess.
Why did the Premier and the minister fail to disclose the identities of these advisors during Question Period and only to confirm that they had been hired afterward to the media? Do they have no respect for the House or did they just have to get their stories straight once they got caught?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Energy and Mines.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
L. PARROTT: Let’s talk about respect for the House and let’s talk about last December when this MOU was brought to the House. So the MOU was brought to the House with Liberal insider John Samms being a part of that and the other negotiators that were part of it, that nobody knew about. These guys did this for apparently over two years. They said they started in 2022.
So from 2022 to 2024 they had all these individuals hired to negotiate this contract and it was a negotiation, it was commercially sensitive. It was legally sensitive. It was technically sensitive. All of the things that they should understand and because they don’t understand that stuff, they’re over there and we’re over here.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Conception Bay East - Bell Island.
F. HUTTON: Yeah, Mr. Speaker, they ran on a platform of transparency and this is what we get. We don’t get to see agreements, we get to see redacted papers, page after page after page with Bay du Nord.
The Conservatives failed to admit that Bern Coffey was a paid political staffer for them during the MOU debate. He was probably the person who advised them to walk out and not even vote on it.
If this process is truly independent why is the Premier now layering on political connected advisors, one of whom has already made his feelings known about the deal –
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: Order, please!
F. HUTTON: – that it’s a betrayal to Newfoundlanders and future generations?
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Energy and Mines.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
L. PARROTT: I assume the Liberals don’t pay their lawyers; they only pay their construction people. I don’t know how this works. They probably only take the deals that they get and get consultations from them. I don’t know.
But I tell you, if you want a lawyer in this city to consult or give you sound advice on a project, I would think you would have to retain and pay. I think that’s how the process works. That’s what I think.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
L. PARROTT: And, you know, maybe – maybe – we could give them less money and sell it back for more money. I don’t know. Maybe it’s the same type of deal as it was with Snow’s Lane or Kenmount Crossing.
I don’t know, but we pay our people and we pay them very good because they deserve to be paid.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Conception Bay East - Bell Island.
F. HUTTON: So, Premier, as it is taxpayers’ money, why don’t they just tell us how much they’re paying them, or do they not know?
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Energy and Mines.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
L. PARROTT: These former ministers got to know. They know what happens with this non-disclosure agreement. You can’t disclose the amount of money. It’s pretty simple.
Do we know?
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
SPEAKER: Order, please!
L. PARROTT: We can find out how much they’re getting paid, obviously. We’re not allowed to disclose it. He knows that. He knows that.
He signed it. He signed it with Mr. Brown. They signed it with the previous clerk who was negotiating. They signed it with everyone; they know it. To come in here and stand up and pretend that that’s not how it works, it’s entirely wrong.
Two years they had special advisors hired, doing this MOU, they never disclosed one thing. As a matter of fact, they never ever invited us to the technical briefing until we pushed for it. So to come in here and pretend that’s not how it works is totally false.
SPEAKER: Order, please!
The hon. minister’s time has expired.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Corner Brook.
J. PARSONS: Speaker, now for something completely different, Transportation and Infrastructure has recently changed the Multi-Year Capital Works program without sufficiently consulting the 22 communities that use it or Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador. Now, the seven largest municipalities in the province will lose $2.6 million per year and the other 15 will lose access to reliable, predictable infrastructure money.
Can the minister explain the rationale for this change and the lack of consultation with stakeholders?
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
B. PETTEN: Thank you, Speaker.
I took over the department and I took over a municipal infrastructure program that was right for the picking for the AG, who happens to be here today. I didn’t want my name attached to any report so went and asked staff. We had to review the program and fix it. It needed to be reformed. We’ve reformed it. We did speak to Municipalities NL several times.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
B. PETTEN: We did speak to most municipalities, but what we’re doing now –
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
SPEAKER: Order, please!
B. PETTEN: We are still working on solutions. I’ve talked to a lot of municipalities. There is a lot of misinformation out there, but I’m not going down that road. I’ve put the olive branch out to MNL. If they want to come in and meet with us and offer suggestions, our door is open.
We are only partway through the process, I say to the Member opposite, and we’re always free to any advice anyone would want offer. Our door is open and our officials are more than welcome to talk to them and (inaudible).
SPEAKER: Order, please!
The hon. minister’s time has expired.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Corner Brook.
J. PARSONS: Speaker, this change also makes a three-year program into a four-year program, meaning that every community left in the program will receive less money each year: St. John’s will get $560,000 less each year; Corner Brook, $400,000 less; Grand Falls-Windsor, $300,000 less; and Mount Pearl will get $850,000 less each year.
Can the minister explain this arbitrary cut to the communities for much needed water, sewer and roadwork?
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
B. PETTEN: Speaker, what the Member needs to do, they need to do their homework. There are four years for this year because there’s a lot of money on the books that we’ve had – the Minister of Finance would be happy. We were carrying over every year, borrowing and borrowing and borrowing. We’re trying to stop that.
So this is only the four-year – they’ve got to use up the money they had left over this year. Then they’ll kick in to the three-year fund and it’ll be three years every year thereafter. As for all that said the municipality is losing money, there’s one. Mount Pearl lost money, unfortunately, because they were getting more than they should have got for years passed. I explained that in the House of Assembly yesterday and I know the Member opposite was listening and that’s the reason why. It was not anyone picked on. It was done per capita, $233 per person. That’s how the formula comes up, and whatever comes out of that formula, that’s where we’re to.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Virgina Waters - Pleasantville.
B. DAVIS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The minister was full way through the cuts but only part way through the consultations.
Urgent Care in our community has closed early twice in just the past couple of weeks. What immediate, concrete actions will the government take to retain front-line health care workers to stop these service disruptions from being the norm?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
L. EVANS: Thank you, Speaker.
I spoke on this in the House earlier because, actually, we had a couple of recent closures where they didn’t have staff to be able to extend the hours. So for us, Speaker, we’re dedicated to actually making sure that there’s proper recruitment and retention for the urgent care. We’re gone back now. There’s going to be a human resources investigation into the resources allocated for the urgent care and how they’re actually staffed and call-ins and what to do, Speaker, if a physician calls in sick or a nurse practitioner calls in sick because our government is dedicated to providing health care, Speaker. We’re not going to allow this Urgent Care Centre to continue closing early.
SPEAKER: Order, please!
The hon. minister’s time has expired.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Virginia Waters - Pleasantville.
B. DAVIS: Thank you, Speaker.
We’re seeing closures in St. John’s while the Urgent Care Centre in Mount Pearl still hasn’t even opened as planned?
How can the minister claim progress when existing services are faltering and new ones are delayed?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
L. EVANS: Seriously, seriously, Speaker. Seriously, like it’s kind of puzzling when I talk about how this government, actually, rolled out family care teams but not put the cost in the budget – $20 million deficit was what we were facing. These urgent care centres - yes, long-term leases – buildings secured without adequate planning for staff.
One of the things we realized is that what we’ve been left with is there are problems in recruitment and retention and also, Speaker, things as important as patient relation. In actual fact, when they took the Health Authority –
SPEAKER: The hon. minister’s time is expired.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Waterford Valley.
J. KORAB: Speaker, the Minister of Health told this House in April of 2022, that restoring the freight boat to the coast of Labrador was a reason for running for politics. She’s now front-row Cabinet minister.
I ask: Why wasn’t she able to get funding in this budget for that?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Labrador Affairs.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
L. EVANS: Again, I say really, Speaker. We’re in government what? Seven months. I don’t know if people realize that that Liberal government eroded the dock services in Lewisporte. We wouldn’t be able to put a boat in there right now if you wanted to. Also, too, is the MHA that was part of that Liberal government – his district was promised $10 million. In actual fact, he had to take action by himself to force the premier to deliver on their promise.
Freight is not going to be a problem this spring because we’re going to address the needs for my district and all of Labrador including the Cartwright - L'Anse au Clair –
SPEAKER: The minister’s time is expired.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Burin - Grand Bank.
P. PIKE: Speaker, the budget has a new MRI for Labrador and for Grand Falls-Windsor but not for Burin.
Why is the Minister of Health playing politics with health? How did she break the news to my colleague, the Member for Placentia West - Bellevue?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
L. EVANS: Speaker, obviously, the Member who asked the question doesn’t understand how budgeting works and how government works. We are delivering two MRIs. Two MRIs in our first year. I think that’s unheard of. To the rural parts of Newfoundland and Labrador – we are going to increase access for health care in rural parts of Newfoundland and Labrador where we have a mandate –
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
SPEAKER: Order, please!
L. EVANS: – a four-year mandate. Our blue book is for a four-year mandate – two MRIs for rural parts of this province. We’re actually lifting up rural Newfoundland and Labrador and we’re very proud of it.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Third Party.
J. DINN: Thank you, Speaker.
Speaker, when in Opposition the Premier railed against the lack of transparency of the previous administration, yet he has failed to work with Opposition MHAs in striking a new independent review committee. He’s refusing to hold a special debate in the House of Assembly on the report and now we learn that he secretly hired two special advisors to review the report.
I ask the Premier: Why should people believe that he and his government are any different than the last government?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
PREMIER WAKEHAM: Speaker, we continue to hire people every single day. There’s nothing secret about it. At the end of the day, though, what we did do is live up to our commitments, because when the election started –
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
SPEAKER: Order, please!
PREMIER WAKEHAM: – we said we would order an independent review to make sure that the MOU was the best deal possible for Newfoundland and Labrador. That MOU has delivered; it’s been delivered to us on April 30. It will be made public on May 19. It will be tabled in the House and every Member of the House will have an opportunity to ask lots of questions.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. John’s East - Quidi Vidi.
S. O’LEARY: Speaker, Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador, the well-respected advocacy organization for all Newfoundland municipalities big and small have vocalized deep concern with the changes made to the province’s multi-year capital works program, highlighting the lack of meaningful consultation in the development and changes. They say they do not reflect the priorities or recommendations consistently brought forward by municipalities.
I ask the minister: Why weren’t key municipal groups consulted before changes were made and should we be concerned that there are other changes in the budget that we made without proper consultation?
Thank you.
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
B. PETTEN: Speaker, sometimes you have to make changes for the right reasons, this is one of them changes. I have no qualms, I have no regrets on making it, it needed to be done, because that program was really, really in bad shape. There were no parameters. There were no guidelines. It had to be changed.
All we’ve done now; we’ve changed the structure. There’s no municipality, outside of Mount Pearl, no other municipality are losing funding. The smaller municipalities should benefit because there is more money going into that program. We’re working on guidelines because I think we need to help small municipalities. That’s my issue. I think small municipalities are struggling with the consultants, with the engineering work and they need our help and I’m wiling to help them. That’s part of the process we’re working on. So no municipality needs to be alarmed. I’m going to contact all mayors of the province and tell them –
SPEAKER: The hon. minister’s time has expired.
The hon. the Leader of the Third Party, for a quick question.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
J. DINN: Thank you, Speaker.
Speaker, the Premier claims he wants the best Churchill Falls deal for the people of the province. So what does this mean? Actually negotiating a deal with Quebec or developing Gull Island on our own and risking another Muskat Falls debacle?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Energy and Mines.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
L. PARROTT: Thank you, Speaker.
This government has been very clear where it stands on Churchill Falls and the Gull Island development. We have never once said that we were not going to try and get the best deal for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. We’ve been very clear in our focus from January 6 of last year when we came in here and asked questions that these guys couldn’t answer, when we asked to bring in our own experts and we weren’t allowed, when there was a four-day debate that probably could have gone on for 14, we were clear as to what we wanted: the best deal. Clearly, we didn’t think it was the best deal.
On May 19, we’ll find out whether it was or wasn’t.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Humber - Bay of Islands.
E. JOYCE: Mr. Speaker, the emergency department at the Corner Brook Regional Hospital is crowded on many occasions. One of the main reasons is that there are approximately 50 acute-care beds with long-term care patients in these beds. I’ve advocated for long-term care beds to be constructed at the old Western Memorial Regional Hospital. The Premier and the minister committed to this, and they had it in the Budget 2026.
I ask the minister: Can you please update this House on the start date, and when will these long-term care beds be available for these seniors to help alleviate the pressure on the much-needed acute-care beds?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
L. EVANS: Speaker, we’ll live up to our commitments. In actual fact, Western Memorial, the long-term care beds, we’re going to have 15 beds probably open up within the first 12 months, so 15 beds. The rest of the 30 will be done within the six months after that, so 45 beds in 18 months, Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Humber - Bay of Islands.
E. JOYCE: I ask the Minister of Environment, Conservation and Climate Change on the status of any permits requested for the removal and the status of the Baltic III.
Mr. Speaker, the Baltic III shipwreck in the Cedar Cove was a disaster waiting to happen. With the great work of the search and rescue and the Canadian Coast Guard, there were no lives lost and no environmental disaster.
I ask the minister: Can you give us an update if there are permits requested, the status of these permits, and can you please inform me so I can help get these permits to get this shipwreck removed safely in Cedar Cove?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Environment, Conservation and Climate Change.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
C. TIBBS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I thank the hon. Member for the question. I know how important it is to him and the constituents out there.
Mr. Speaker, we recognize how challenging an operation this is, and we applaud the ongoing operation as it has ensured the least amount of environmental impact possible.
Mr. Speaker, my Department of Environment, Conservation and Climate Change has reviewed the updated work plan submitted by the Coast Guard for any permitting requirements regarding the removal of the MSC Baltic III, and we are dealing with them currently.
Also, Mr. Speaker, my officials are in contact constantly with the Coast Guard and the federal government because they are taking the lead on it, but make no mistake, we will keep the hon. Member updated as this goes so he can keep his constituents updated.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The time for Question Period has now expired.
Please be advised that this is a PARTIALLY EDITED portion of the House of Assembly sitting for Question Period on Wednesday, May 6, 2026. The edited Hansard will be posted when it becomes available.