May 7, 2026 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS Vol. LI No. 26
Please be advised that this is a PARTIALLY EDITED portion of the House of Assembly sitting for Question Period on Thursday, May 7, 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 Member for Conception Bay East - Bell Island.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
F. HUTTON: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The Premier only revealed he had hired two people with close ties to his party to review an MOU that’s already been reviewed after questions this week from the Opposition and from the media.
He doesn’t know how much they’re being paid and said in the media yesterday that they’re actually reviewing definitive agreements, and those agreements don’t even exist, Mr. Speaker.
Is this why the Premier hid his secret appointments for months?
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
PREMIER WAKEHAM: Speaker, I’m glad to hear the Member opposite talk about definitive agreements and none of them exist, which he’s absolutely right.
They were not doing a review of definitive agreements. They are talking about reviewing exactly the work of Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro and the work that has gone on prior to any MOU being prepared. That’s what they were focused on, and they’re also making sure that we can turn around and use the report that has been issued –
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
SPEAKER: Order, please!
PREMIER WAKEHAM: – that will be issued on May 19, reviewing it for the technical and legal issues.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Conception Bay East - Bell Island.
F. HUTTON: Thank you, Speaker.
Well, I wonder why the Premier would say that they were reviewing definitive agreements and other things if they don’t exist, because they don’t.
Yesterday, in Question Period, the Premier actually said, this is not about disclosure, which is a little bit funny because they ran on transparency.
Now, as alarming as that is, we shouldn’t be surprised. He won’t disclose his advisors. He won’t disclose the full Bay du Nord agreement.
What else is the Premier hiding about the MOU?
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
PREMIER WAKEHAM: Speaker, let me be perfectly clear, I haven’t hid nothing. There are lots of people who get employed in the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador every single day.
If you want to talk about hiding stuff, let’s talk about the Member opposite and his record as a Minister of the Crown, when he turned around and signed a $21-million lease without going to tender to one of his Liberal friends; when he turns around and sells land for less than it’s worth; when he turns around and buys land for more than it’s worth without ever getting appraisals on it.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
SPEAKER: Order, please!
PREMIER WAKEHAM: This is the record of that particular Member opposite. We will not do that. We never have. I said I would do an independent review. We’ve done an independent review and it will be released on May 19.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Conception Bay East - Bell Island.
F. HUTTON: Mr. Speaker, Jerome Kennedy, Natural Resources Minister for Muskrat Falls when it went through at that time, claimed – and this is hilarious – Muskrat Falls would pay for itself. He actually said that. Now we’re actually paying $500 million a year to keep power prices from doubling as a result.
Bern Coffey was a Conservative staffer, paid also by the Conservatives, to criticize the deal.
Mr. Speaker, other than the Muskrat Falls boondoggle, what experience does either Mr. Kennedy or Mr. Coffey have in negotiating or reviewing hydroelectric deals?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Energy and Mines.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
L. PARROTT: I would say they’re got a lot more experience negotiating deals than he does, according to what he did with the hotel.
Speaker, let’s be clear. This has been said a thousand times. There would be no conversation around Gull Island had there not been a Muskrat Falls. The only way to get to Gull Island is by Muskrat Falls being constructed. The Members opposite failed in execution during the construction phase. If they were so against it, they had the opportunity to cancel the contract in 2015 when they got elected. Thay had every opportunity to fix the things that they say are wrong. They just made them worse.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Conception Bay East - Bell Island.
F. HUTTON: Mr. Speaker, I would suggest that the Premier and the minister talk to the people who transitioned out of the hotel where they were getting the help they needed because they were homeless and are no longer homeless. I would say that it was a pretty good deal for them.
Speaker, why does the Premier feel he needs to hire two more advisors and negotiators when Danny Williams has already said that the deal is dead?
We all know that Mr. Williams is calling all the shots on the eighth floor when it comes to the MOU. If the Premier disagrees, will he, explicitly, stand in this House today and say that Danny Williams was wrong when he said he killed the deal?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
PREMIER WAKEHAM: Speaker, what I will do and stand in this House today – everyone is entitled to their opinion. That’s a fact. So I’m not going to argue with anybody or disagree about somebody who makes an opinion. Even the Members opposite are entitled to their opinion.
Let me tell you one thing. We have a vision for this Province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
PREMIER WAKEHAM: We have a vision where we want this province, not simply to be a province where people come from, they come to. We want this to be a province where people live, not leave. We are going to satisfy that vision by making sure that we develop the resources of Newfoundland and Labrador in a way that the primary beneficiary is the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Conception Bay East - Bell Island.
F. HUTTON: Mr. Speaker, if their vision is one of the first things they’re going to do, cancel the Future Fund, they should change their motto from for all of us to God help all of us.
So let’s get this straight. There’s a minister who’s advising people to sue her own government –
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
SPEAKER: Order, please!
F. HUTTON: – if they can’t get health care. Another minister who’s blaming people for having expectations that are too high when it comes to snow clearing and we have a part-time political advisor getting $275,000 from MCP and now you’re bringing back the class of 2010 to run it all.
Speaker, it’s concerning and people want to know who is really in charge.
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Energy and Mines.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
L. PARROTT: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I would say to the wannabe leader of the Opposition, that Premier Tony Wakeham is in charge.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
L. PARROTT: And if we didn’t have to go back and get people from – do you know why we have to get people from 2010, because the last 10 years have been a disgrace to this province. It’s left us in a mess with health care. It’s left us –
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
SPEAKER: Order, please!
L. PARROTT: – in a mess with building trades. It’s left us in a mess economically, financially, from a social standpoint, every single failure –
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
SPEAKER: Order, please!
L. PARROTT: – that could have happened, happened, and the only people that are happy in the last 10 years are their Liberal buddies who got all the jobs.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Cartwright- L’Anse au Clair.
L. DEMPSTER: Thank you, Speaker.
On budget day, the minister was frustrated with Premier Tony Wakeham – two sides can play, if the rules are fair – and her government for failure to provide the care that the people needed.
I’m hearing from people who are asking now that this was raised and she asked people to sue her government: What concrete measures has she negotiated from the Premier since she made those comments and will the budget be updated to reflect those results?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
L. EVANS: Speaker, I want to talk about misinformation. I am going to just read from Hansard now, Thursday, April 30. The Member for Cartwright- L’Anse au Clair said the budget cuts to their air access program for Labrador and the Northern Peninsula. They cut it down from almost $6 million a year down to just $2.7 million. In actual fact, it wasn’t $6 million, that’s inaccurate. It was actually $3.5 million annualized, Speaker, and they didn’t even spend that.
For me, Speaker, what’s going to be in the budget – because I was taken out of context, there’s the illusion that myself and the Premier had a rift and me and my caucus had a rift, Speaker. In actual fact, I said at the beginning, I have solutions. I’m going to put solutions in place –
SPEAKER: The hon. minister’s time has expired.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Cartwright- L’Anse au Clair.
L. DEMPSTER: Speaker, the Labrador Air Access Program put in place by the Liberal Administration, $3.5 million. In the blue book, they promised to scrap it and come with something better. They cut it down to $2.7 million, the rest of it is the exact same. Another promise made, promise broken.
The government’s investment in MRIs and other equipment is a start, but radiologists are already struggling to run the equipment they have had to their full capacity because of lack of staff. These medical radiation technologists are as important as the equipment, yet the only mention of recruitment in the budget is for doctors and nurses.
What is the minister’s plan to recruit and retain other critical staff?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
L. EVANS: Speaker, I don’t think in the blue book we wrote that we were going to scrap the air access program – scrap it, Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
SPEAKER: Order, please!
L. EVANS: What we were saying was we were going to make more affordable travel for people of Newfoundland and Labrador and especially when we’re looking at Labrador, Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
SPEAKER: Order, please!
L. EVANS: The air access program provides two subsidized tickets to residents of Labrador. It does nothing to address the high cost. In actual fact, we are continuing the pilot program to allow people to be able to access these two tickets while we actually come up with solutions to bring down the cost for real –for real, Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Cartwright - L’Anse au Clair.
L. DEMPSTER: Speaker, no answer on the equipment. That’s a question we’re getting a lot of feedback on, an important question. So I’ll switch to another topic.
Speaker, allNewfoundlandLabrador has reported that there will be significant cuts coming at the IOC mine in Lab West, the decommissioning of drilling machinery, parked other equipment and cancelling the purchase of new equipment.
What can the minister tell us about these cuts to a vital part of Labrador’s economy?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Energy and Mines.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
L. PARROTT: Thank you, Speaker.
A very important asset to this province, and during the last 10 years, while IOC was high grading –
AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible.)
SPEAKER: Order, please!
L. PARROTT: – and they were not utilizing the mine in the way it should have been because of oversight from this group of people over here who never oversaw the mine, they’re in a situation now where they have to make up for it and readjust. That is exactly what they do.
We have talked to them on a very regular basis. They’re coming here to meet with us on May 19. We have been helping them through the way, and we will continue to help them.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Cartwright - L’Anse au Clair.
L. DEMPSTER: Speaker, it’s really frustrating when you ask a decent question and you can’t get a decent answer without them going down in the basement.
We were well on the way with the MOU. What Lab West needs is the opportunity for more growth, and that was in the form of an MOU which would have delivered more electricity.
Mr. Speaker, what has IOC told the minister about the need for more electricity in Labrador West? Not just for IOC, but for other operations who desperately need more power, but see the potential slipping away as this government clearly does not want to proceed with the MOU which included a plan to deliver four times more power to electricity for Labrador West.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Energy and Mines.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
L. PARROTT: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
In my old house, below the basement there was a cellar. So we’ll go down to the cellar this time, where they’ve been living since this House opened.
They know exactly when it comes to power for Labrador West. They know this because they heard it for 10 years. For 10 years, they were told.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
SPEAKER: Order, please!
L. PARROTT: Instead of coming up with the proper plan for the residents of Labrador –
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
SPEAKER: Order, please!
L. PARROTT: – all of Labrador, they signed an MOU –
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
SPEAKER: Order, please!
L. PARROTT: – that has no foresight into the future, that will not deliver the power requirements and needs for anyone to do the things in Labrador that has to be done.
IOC talks to us on a regular basis, as does Kami, Tata, Tacora, Iron Bear. They know when they’re ready to build, they will have electricity.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Harbour Grace - Port de Grave.
P. PARSONS: Thank you, Speaker.
The Supreme Court in Happy Valley-Goose Bay is expected to remain closed until the end of the week due to a shortage of sheriff’s officers. While the Provincial Court in Wabush is also closed. The minister and her working group have stated multiple times that more sheriff’s officers are needed.
Why was there no support for sheriff’s officers in their very first budget?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Justice and Public Safety.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
H. CONWAY OTTENHEIMER: Thank you, Speaker.
I can say, first of all, that any decisions that are made with respect to operational or scheduling matters in the courts is entirely within the purview of the courts. They are independent and, therefore, I cannot comment on that.
But I am glad that the Member opposite brought up the issue of the budget. It gives me great pleasure to mention the significant investments that this government has made in terms of modernizing our justice system, which is now in a new era of justice in Newfoundland and Labrador, and we’re really looking forward to the improvements we’re going to make.
Thank you, Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Harbour Grace - Port de Grave.
P. PARSONS: Another promise made, another promise broken, unfortunately.
Speaker, we know that that Member said something differently when she was on this side of the House. It’s all about the political will.
With both Happy Valley-Goose Bay and Wabush affected this week, can the minister guarantee that there will not be more court closures elsewhere in the province?
Does she expect any further court closures in Happy Valley-Goose Bay and Wabush after May 8?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Justice and Public Safety.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
H. CONWAY OTTENHEIMER: Speaker, I have to say, over the last number of days in Question Period, with respect to questions that we have received regarding the budget, it is very disappointing, and I can say that it also saddens me, because we are not getting a complete and balanced perspective with respect to key facts in our budget.
That gives a misleading impression to the public. When you are omitting important facts like that, the public are not made aware of the good things as well. I think it’s incumbent on any Member opposite –
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
SPEAKER: Order, please!
H. CONWAY OTTENHEIMER: They have a responsibility to the people that they represent to present an objective and neutral portrayal, at least, of what’s being done.
SPEAKER: Order, please!
The minister’s time has expired.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Harbour Grace - Port de Grave.
P. PARSONS: Thank you, Speaker.
Well I’m sorry that the minister doesn’t like the line of questioning, but, I mean, the facts are the facts. There was nothing for sheriff’s officers. We know that they are an essential part to the justice system and advise you to go back to the drawing board and reconsider the budget on what you’ve done.
SPEAKER: Address the Chair, please.
P. PARSONS: Speaker, why was the minister not being accurate in Estimates about not terminating any employees in her department without cause when we know, in actual fact, there were people let go without cause?
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Justice and Public Safety.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
H. CONWAY OTTENHEIMER: Again, Speaker, I can say that this Member opposite has a pattern; she has a pattern of asking questions that she knows very well that we cannot answer, especially when it comes to a HR issues.
That would be completely inappropriate for me as a minister or any minister to comment on in terms of privacy issues.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
H. CONWAY OTTENHEIMER: So, really, shame on the Member opposite –
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
H. CONWAY OTTENHEIMER: – for asking such inappropriate questions. She certainly is exhibiting a pattern for this.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
SPEAKER: Order, please!
H. CONWAY OTTENHEIMER: It should stop, Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Fortune Bay - Cape La Hune.
E. LOVELESS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I don’t think the Member was asking to disclose who, I say to the minister.
I say the Premier, this question I’m going to ask is not my opinion. It is the voice of my constituents.
Mr. Speaker, I’ve had many people in my district that are upset that the former premier is claiming he killed the Churchill Falls deal, which is important to them, and the fact that that former premier is saying more about the deal than the current Premier – the same minister who delivered the Muskrat Falls burden on the people of the province, Jerome Kennedy along with Bern Coffey, who had already called the MOU a mistake.
Why is the Premier surrounding himself with partisan, outspoken critics –
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
SPEAKER: Order, please!
E. LOVELESS: – and not the independent experts, like he promised?
Maybe the Minister of Health would like to answer.
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Energy and Mines.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
L. PARROTT: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, the people in this province voted us in, based on their fallacies about the MOU. The people of this province voted us in because they trusted us to deliver for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians –
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
L. PARROTT: – the right deal. Not just a deal that got pulled out of the clouds, like everything else they’ve done. No consultation, nothing. Speaker, we will deliver the best deal for this province.
I would say to the Member across, in the last seven months, I haven’t heard from him about the MOU. He hasn’t written my office and asked any questions nor has anyone from his district.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Fortune Bay - Cape La Hune.
E. LOVELESS: Maybe we don’t write him because we don’t get answers. The hon. Member across the way, he preaches relevance. Well every answer he gives to every question is not even relevant to the question that’s being asked, I say to the Member.
Speaker, this week the Premier is saying nothing and doing nothing on a $225 billion opportunity for our province. When he announced his bias panel in December, he said they would table a report on April 30. Now he claims he needs more time, yet again.
We know the Premier doesn’t believe deadlines exist because he said it right here. But why is he not meeting his own deadlines?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Energy and Mines.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
L. PARROTT: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I tell you what now, when they were in government, I had Members from his own Cabinet and caucus come to me and say that he didn’t answer their messages or phone calls; not even answer his own people.
But I will go back and I will say something to you, about this deal –
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
SPEAKER: Order, please!
L. PARROTT: – 173 days is how long the former premier was in office. The MOU was signed last December. This November is when they left office and guess how many –
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
SPEAKER: Order, please!
L. PARROTT: – definitive agreements they had signed? Not one and now, they’re here trying to say that they would have had it done by April 30 and met deadlines.
Their own independent panel said it could not be done. So maybe they should take the advice of the people they hired and listen to them because –
SPEAKER: The minister’s time has expired.
L. PARROTT: – they don’t listen to the public.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. John’s West.
K. WHITE: Speaker, residents in St. John’s West were alarmed to hear that a young man was attacked by as many as 10 individuals and beaten with weapons and chains leaving him hospitalized with serious injuries.
People are asking how violence of this extent is happening in our communities and wondering what immediate action is this government taking to address the rise in serious violent crime and assaults?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Justice and Public Safety.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
H. CONWAY OTTENHEIMER: Speaker, I can say, first of all, that public safety is a priority for our government. The Premier spoke earlier about the vision that our government has and part of that vision is to create a safer community for everyone who’s here and we are intending to do that. We are showing that by some of the investments, first of all, that we’ve made – significant, historic investments in justice in our province. We’ve never seen this before to this extent.
That is a commitment. That is our priority and we’re going to honour those commitments and we have shown that we’ve done that already by looking at the investments we’ve made in the budget.
There’s much more to come in terms of legislative reform as well.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. John's West.
K. WHITE: The RNC themselves said that 21 new RNC officers is insufficient to reach the national average for officers per capita.
Speaker, this was not a minor altercation. Reports allege a coordinated assault involving multiple individuals and weapons.
Does the Minister of Justice and Public Safety believe her level of policing, prevention and intervention resources in St. John's is sufficient to deal with the increasingly violent incidents such as this?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Justice and Public Safety.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
H. CONWAY OTTENHEIMER: Thank you so much, Speaker.
Our government has invested in this budget. We have invested in our police officers. We’re providing 21 new RNC officer, as well as 25 –
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
SPEAKER: Order, please!
Who wants their mic cut for the day?
H. CONWAY OTTENHEIMER: – new RCMP officers. In fact, last month, I was able to attend the graduation ceremony. We saw 18 new RNC officers.
I’ve also met with the RNCA president, Staff Sergeant Mike Summers and we are working with them to discuss how we can support the officers going forward who keep our communities safe.
Thank you, Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Gander.
B. FORD: Thank you.
The Minister of Tourism has stated Newfoundland and Labrador will be the tourism capital of Canada. However, tourism operators say high operating costs threaten affordability.
What is her plan to keep tourism experiences accessible for families and profitable for businesses?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
A. BARBOUR: Speaker, I’d like to thank the Member opposite for the question,
Our government is committed to what we said in the blue book and we said that we are focused on making Newfoundland and Labrador the capital of tourism in Canada and we have a vision. We have a plan for that and I guess you’re going to have to stay tuned.
But I will say that we do have the lowest gas tax in Canada. So that helps. We also have a decrease in small businesses of 5 per cent –
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
A. BARBOUR: – and we also have the personal exemption for taxes up to $15,000.
SPEAKER: Order, please!
The hon. minister’s time has expired.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Gander.
B. FORD: Thank you.
Speaker, a CBC story this week details the difficulties and uncertainty that skyrocketing fuel prices are creating heading into peak tourism season. Yet, the Conservatives kept the gas tax the same. Tourism operators are now being forced to change how they run tours just to save fuel.
Does the Minister of Tourism see this as sustainable or a sign that more intervention is needed from the Department of Tourism?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
C. PARDY: Speaker, my hon. colleague had stated that we have the lowest gas tax in the country. We do appreciate that there are pressures out there because of the elevated price of gas in our province. We are aware of that. Thus, the Premier has committed that we’re going to keep an eye on affordability and we’re going to address in the near future.
I want to address one thing: The Member for Cartwright - L’Anse au Clair said decent questions. The only thing I would say, if I were an administrator for Clarenville Middle School and this was the class, I would say I’d probably need three extra teachers in that class to make sure that learning occurs. Case in point – case in point.
SPEAKER: Order, please!
The minister’s time has expired.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Virginia Waters - Pleasantville.
B. DAVIS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I wish he’d start schooling his own people instead of trying to school us.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
B. DAVIS: Mr. Speaker, last night in Estimates –
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
SPEAKER: Order, please!
B. DAVIS: Last night in Estimates, the minister was asked if he would continue the vital work of the ministerial committee on anti-racism. His answer was he’d check on it. Speaker, this is not about politics, it’s not about who started what, it’s a matter of fundamental justice.
I ask the minister today: Will you commit right now to keeping this committee in place? Yes or no?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Jobs and Growth, and Rural Development.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
L. PADDOCK: Speaker, our government is not driven by rhetoric. We walk the walk. With regard to hatred, hate speech, there is zero tolerance across this government.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
L. PADDOCK: Our government is fully committed to ensure that every Newfoundlander and Labradorian, including newcomers, feels safe, feels welcome and has a platform for respectful speech.
With that, we are also engaging –
SPEAKER: The hon. minister’s time has expired.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Third Party.
J. DINN: Thank you, Speaker.
Government announced $31.1 million over three years to construct new public housing. We estimated $250,000 per unit. The Minister of Housing says some could be as low as $160,000. Local housing advocate Hope Jamieson notes that current construction costs are about $350,000 per door.
I ask the Premier: How has government arrived at $31.1 million as the right size to solve our housing crisis?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Social Supports and Well-Being.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
J. WALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the Member opposite for the question.
We are certainly looking at housing for the entire province of Newfoundland and Labrador. We are doing that with our data that we do have and the bills that we have allotted for certain areas.
He speaks of the Metro area here in St. John’s. We’re looking right across the province, Speaker, and we’re looking at the different type of builds and how they can best serve the people of our province.
I cannot put a dollar figure on it per unit right now because we’re going from microhomes to one-bedroom to two-bedroom to apartment buildings to quadplexes. Speaker, we are looking for all options to best serve the people of the province, and we’ll certainly deliver.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Third Party.
J. DINN: Thank you, Speaker.
Author the Reverend Maggie Helwig says that “we have chosen, as a society, to set social assistance rates at a fraction of what we acknowledge is necessary to survive.” Local advocate Hope Jamieson says, “providing people what is well-known to be a substandard amount of money to account for the cost of living is an intentional policy choice.”
So I ask the Premier: Why is his government choosing to keep social assistance at a fraction of what is necessary to survive?
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Social Supports and Well-Being; and Housing.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
J. WALL: Thank you, Speaker, and I thank the Member opposite for the question.
It’s very important, when we have to serve the people of our province, the most vulnerable that we serve, we are looking at all options, Mr. Speaker. We are looking at the income support.
Right now, we have many affordability plans in our current budget to help the people of our province, but we are certainly looking at all options, including what the Member opposite said with respect to basic income.
We are looking at our income support levels, Speaker. I and my department and all of my staff are certainly doing what we can to help the people of this province, and we will certainly deliver the best that we can.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. John’s East - Quidi Vidi.
S. O’LEARY: Speaker, a former RNC officer has opened up about her experience describing – and I quote – “a workplace rife with misogyny, organizational failures in training, governance, and leadership, which deprioritized mental health support for members.”
This is not the first time these systemic issues have been raised; they even led to a workplace review completed in 2022.
So I ask the minister: What is your plan, aside from a much-needed, independent civilian-led oversight board, to combat these system issues?
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Justice and Public Safety.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
H. CONWAY OTTENHEIMER: Speaker, I can say it is important to talk about the civilian-led oversight board. Our government is committed to strengthening this model of police oversight. That is important because we need to have a more transparent and independent framework.
I’m looking forward to introducing, as well, through reform in terms of legislation in the fall. We are looking at, and I’ve been working with the Policing Transformation Working Group on this, in terms of a new police act. We will implement a stronger model of oversight and that will include new legislation that will establish a better oversight model in our province.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. John’s East - Quidi Vidi.
S. O’LEARY: Thank you, Speaker.
We know that police work is hard on officers’ mental health. The 2022 RNC Workplace Review highlights the need for more mental health supports for officers, citing that the government EAP program worked, but they had a hard time due to the limits placed on the number of sessions provided.
The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour has consistently called for stronger mental health supports for first responders and all workers.
So I ask the minister: What will you do to ensure officers and civilian workers at the RNC can access mental health help when they need it?
Thank you.
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Justice and Public Safety.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
H. CONWAY OTTENHEIMER: Speaker, I can say with respect to wellness of officers, it’s very important and it’s a priority for us to ensure that when officers go to work every day, that they have that state of well-being. That is very important.
I have had discussions with leadership of the RNC and the RCMP with respect to ensuring that is a priority for them as well. I can say that we cannot direct the operations, but we can work with them in terms of service deliver and we have had the discussions, and it’s very important to continue to do that.
Thank you, Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The time for Question Period has expired.
Please be advised that this is a PARTIALLY EDITED portion of the House of Assembly sitting for Question Period on Thursday, May 7, 2026. The edited Hansard will be posted when it becomes available.