November 5, 2026 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS Vol. LI No. 47
Please be advised that this is a PARTIALLY EDITED portion of the House of Assembly sitting for Question Period on Thursday, November 5, 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
SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
J. HOGAN: Thank you, Speaker.
During our September information session when the PCs were criticized for failing to answer questions about their Churchill Falls deal, they told us to bring those questions back in the fall and ask in Question Period. Well, we’ve tried that for two weeks and haven’t got any answers. We know the Premier is also afraid to debate the final agreements in the House before they’re signed.
When does the Premier believe the public will get the answers they deserve about why the PCs are giving Quebec the upside on our province’s most valuable resource?
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
PREMIER WAKEHAM: Speaker, I find it interesting that the Member opposite and the Opposition party are finding that Quebec somehow has a better deal when they agreed to a deal that would see $225 billion approximately coming to the province and our new deal provides $273 billion to the province. Why are they saying yes to $225 billion but saying no to $273 billion?
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
J. HOGAN: This week, Hydro-Québec filed with Quebec’s energy regulators their plans for our resources in Churchill Falls and Gull Island. Of course, we have to learn this from Quebec once again and not from our Premier.
Hydro-Québec is saying – quote – the framework agreement will give Hydro-Québec access to more than 10,000 megawatts of potential generating capacity from Labrador. The PC government and the Premier here say Quebec is getting 8,500 megawatts.
So why is Quebec claiming they’re getting almost 20 per cent more power than this Premier is telling Newfoundlanders and Labradorians?
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
PREMIER WAKEHAM: I, again, go back to what was voted on, supported by and campaigned on by the Member opposite, which was an MOU that said Newfoundland and Labrador would have 1,990 megawatts of power.
Well, the new agreement provides 2,350 megawatts of power. Again, more power than we ever had before, and they’re complaining about it. They’re complaining about it. They’re against prosperity for Newfoundland and Labrador. They’re voting against prosperity.
The federal government has stepped up. Everybody recognizes the greatness of this new deal. Talk to any of the labour unions. Talk to the boards of trades. Everybody except for the Liberals.
SPEAKER: Order, please!
The Premier’s time has expired.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
J. HOGAN: I’m just asking why Quebec has a different version of the deal than the Premier. It’s very troubling.
Hydro-Québec’s filing also says – quote – these projects, whose parameters have yet to be determined, are not included in the supply-demand forecast of this plan. So Quebec are upfront and admitting there are parameters left to be determined.
I’ll ask the Premier if he can answer this question without focusing on the past and actually listening to the question. Why won’t he admit that there are issues still to be determined and that the House did not vote on a final agreement?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
PREMIER WAKEHAM: Speaker, we’re not focused on the past. Not at all.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
SPEAKER: Order, please!
PREMIER WAKEHAM: Not at all.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
SPEAKER: Order, please!
PREMIER WAKEHAM: We know what the past brought us, a $10-billiion deficit, a billion dollars a year in the last 10 years.
For the last year we’ve been focused on developing our own resources – Bay du Nord. Bay du Nord will now move ahead. Look at what’s happening with our oil bids in our oil industry. Look what’s happening now.
We’ve got a brand new and better deal on the hydroelectricity development. One called the biggest deal in North American history. A deal supported by the federal Liberal government and Prime Minister Carney and we’re very proud of it.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
J. HOGAN: Of course, Bay du Nord is moving ahead. They gave away the opportunity to build topsides in our province.
It’s been more than a week since the Premier finally admitted he had secretly hired a new negotiator, a fact, of course, he kept hidden which he likes to do about the Churchill Falls debate. He also failed to disclose that Mr. Smith had recently worked for the federal natural resources minister raising serious questions from us and the media about a potential conflict of interest. What the Premier says is he didn’t bother to ask Mr. Smith about his past work history.
Now that time has passed, has the Premier actually taken the time to ask Mr. Smith whether he worked on the Churchill Falls deal on the federal side?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
PREMIER WAKEHAM: Speaker, when you have an opportunity to hire great people, to turn around and have Newfoundlanders and Labradorians who want to come home and work for their own province, that’s exactly what Mr. Smith has done. He was on a contract with the federal government. He gave up his work with the federal government to come back to Newfoundland and Labrador. He believes in Newfoundland and Labrador. He believes in the prosperity of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is unfortunate that the Members opposite do not believe in prosperity.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: Order, please!
The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
J. HOGAN: We do and we also believe in openness, transparency and democracy.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
J. HOGAN: Mr. Smith was present at the Churchill Falls announcement in August.
I ask a very simple question to the Premier: Was he there as a federal government staff member or as the lead negotiator for the province?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Energy and Mines.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
L. PARROTT: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I’ll tell you who else was there. Mr. Speaker, Roger Grimes was there.
Mr. Speaker, Dwight Ball was there. Dwight Ball said the previous MOU was a mulligan but this MOU is a straight shot right down the fairway, hole in one. His words.
Mr. Speaker, we are bringing forward a better deal and they still want to play politics. It is pure politics what they are doing –
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
SPEAKER: Order, please!
L. PARROTT: They are looking for things that aren’t there. This is a better deal than they had. They supported a much poorer deal. Now, all of a sudden, they don’t like prosperity.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
J. HOGAN: Thank you, Speaker.
Yesterday, the Minister of Environment again refused to speak to the media. The media asked which is worse, a minister refusing to speak to the media or the Premier insisting that his ministers don’t speak to the media. Let me be clear, both are unacceptable.
But I ask the Premier – who also, by the way, refused to scrum with the media yesterday after Question Period – which is it, are ministers refusing to speak or are you directing them to be silent?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.
PREMIER WAKEHAM: Let’s set the record straight, Speaker. I spoke to the media yesterday. I held a scrum out in the lobby of the Confederation Building here yesterday. I spoke to the media, and we will speak and my ministers will speak any time to the media when we have something to tell them –
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
SPEAKER: Order, please!
PREMIER WAKEHAM: We have no hesitation in speaking to the media about any issue that needs to be discussed that affects and impacts the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.
We will continue to do that. We will continue to speak to the media to spread our story –
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh
SPEAKER: I want to hear the Premier, only.
PREMIER WAKEHAM: We will continue to speak to the media and my ministers will continue to speak to the media to spread our story of Newfoundland and Labrador, the prosperity of Newfoundland and Labrador, the opportunities for Newfoundland and Labrador and we are going to continue to make it happen.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
J. HOGAN: I noticed the Premier caught himself because he was about to say our ministers will speak to the media when the media asks, but he did not finish that thought. What he said was, we will speak to the media when we have something to say.
I say to the Premier, this is not how it works. When the media have questions and when the Opposition have questions, the ministers and the Premier are there to answer them. Guess what? It is in the job description.
Why isn’t the Premier and why aren’t the ministers doing their jobs and answering the questions that Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are asking?
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
PREMIER WAKEHAM: Speaker, we are doing our jobs. We have done our jobs for the last year. Let’s talk about what we have been able to do in the last year, what my ministers have done, what my caucus have done: the new historic Churchill Falls deal; advancing Bay du Nord; an $8 billion-dollar commitment on 5 Wing Goose Bay; putting money back in people’s pockets, including today’s announcement, which brings it over $300 million back in people’s pockets.
That is what we have been doing, Speaker. Living up to commitments we made in our blue book. We will continue to make those commitments. We will continue to live up to them and that is what we will do for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
J. HOGAN: Speaker, you wouldn’t know from media reports because we have seen time and time again media stories over the last year which report no comment from the minister, but rather a statement from someone who works in the department. This has been how this government has been operating since the election.
Why does the Premier think it’s acceptable to Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to hide his Cabinet ministers who are accountable to the public and rely on Members of the department to just simply file statements?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Energy and Mines.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
L. PARROTT: Mr. Speaker, maybe if this government had spent the last 10 years doing their jobs instead of out talking to the media, taking photo ops and looking for things to make themselves look better –
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
SPEAKER: Order, please!
L. PARROTT: – actually doing the work required instead of putting us where we are right now, he’d understand why we’re doing our jobs. We’re doing our jobs to make Newfoundland a better place for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
L. PARROTT: We’re cleaning up a mess that was left behind and we’re doing a hell of a job at it.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Burgeo - La Poile.
M. KING: Mr. Speaker, let’s be very clear. We are doing our job on this side of the House and that is to hold this government to account.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
M. KING: The Conservative’s lack of transparency isn’t limited to the Churchill Falls file. This week the media asked for the Minister of Environment to answer questions about her draft climate action plan, but she wouldn’t make herself available. This plan is very important, especially in rural communities in this province that are facing coastal erosion.
Why won’t the minister answer questions about her plan. whether it is a draft or not?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Environment, Conservation and Clime Change.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
A. BARBOUR: Thank you, Speaker.
I am so excited that climate change is getting so much attention, needed attention. I’m here to answer any questions about climate change. The truth is, what was put out in the media, what was mentioned, the model that was ATIPPed was a draft. I thought it was just the NDP that didn’t clearly understand what was going on, but it was also the Liberals as well.
So it was a draft. It was a draft model and we’re working on a final model. But right now, we’re looking for feedback from the communities, from the people of this province to talk to us at engageNL until November 26.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Burgeo - La Poile.
M. KING: Mr. Speaker, accountability and answering questions does not stop at the door of this Chamber. It is incumbent on ministers of this government to answer questions for the media for the public of Newfoundland and Labrador. We are seeing a pattern being developed here. First it was the climate action plan, then it was refusal to talk about her trip to Beaumont-Hamel, also it was about the inappropriate sole-sourced contract for key chains of an inappropriate symbol at a very solemn ceremony.
Why is this minister refusing to answer questions to the media, and will the Premier and this government commit to answer the questions from the media as it is the standard practice here?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Energy and Mines.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
L. PARROTT: I think we should have a conversation about openness and transparency here, Speaker. If they want to stand up and play politics like this, which is exactly what they’re trying to do, they should take self-realization. I challenge anyone in the public to ATIPP the amount of emails that these guys on that side have sent to the ministers on this side looking for information on anything.
I can tell you, everyone in here is probably much similar to what I get, nothing from these guys. I have not gotten one email from my energy critic.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
SPEAKER: Order, please!
L. PARROTT: I haven’t received one email from the leader with regards to Bay du Nord –
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
SPEAKER: Order, please!
L. PARROTT: – or with regard to the Churchill Falls MOU, nothing.
So they come in here and they try to play politics in front of the media and they’re getting it dead wrong – pure politics.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
J. HOGAN: The minister still hasn’t responded to the letter I wrote him as soon as he got appointed.
SPEAKER: I never recognized you.
Could you just have a seat for a second, please?
I just want to say to all Members, we got to have order in this House. I’ve been hesitating yesterday and today to start naming people again because, quite frankly, I feel it’s embarrassing to be naming people every day, but if I’m going to have to start again, I’m going to have to start again.
So from now on, ask the question, then be quiet and listen to the answer and vice versa.
Thank you.
The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
J. HOGAN: Speaker, it’s been seven months since the PCs said they would expeditiously draft a letter required by law.
Quick question for the Deputy Premier: Did you get that letter to the chief justice written overnight or do you still need a few more months?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Deputy Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
B. PETTEN: Thank you, Speaker.
It’s good to see their priorities are straight. This is the biggest issue facing the province today.
All I can tell the Member opposite is we’ll have that letter drafted. We’ll have something coming to announce in the next week or so. Just stay tuned, it’ll get there.
I can tell you right now, the people in CBS and the rest of the province, the last thing on their minds is a boundaries commission, but we’ll get there. I promise we’ll get there.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Mount Pearl North.
L. STOYLES: Speaker, earlier this week the Premier said – and I quote – any MHA, literally any MHA that asks to meet with me, I will meet with them. Yet, the premier hasn’t responded to my letter from August asking him for a meeting about one of my constituents who has been dealing with lockjaw for almost two years with very little action from this government.
Speaker, will the Premier keep his promise and meet with me to help find a solution to this lady’s problem?
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
J. WALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the Member opposite for the question.
I’m happy to provide an answer. The Member opposite did reach out and a meeting was scheduled within my department with my officials and I. The Member opposite cancelled the meeting. For whatever reason, I don’t know and I didn’t ask.
However a meeting was scheduled. We were prepared to meet to discuss the MHA’s issues with respect to her constituent. The MHA herself cancelled the meeting. I’m happy to meet with her at any point in time to discuss any issue with any constituent.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Mount Pearl North.
L. STOYLES: Thank you, Speaker.
Yes, I had a meeting scheduled with the minister that I cancelled because of a family emergency. My office reached out to the minister and his staff said that they will meet with me, maybe in January.
Again, I ask the Premier: This lady is waiting –
AN HON. MEMBER: The Premier?
SPEAKER: Order, please!
L. STOYLES: The Premier I’m asking. Maybe it’s time for this Premier to step down if he’s not going to meet with the MHAs. There are only 40 of us here and 15 of us on the Liberal side. Maybe it’s time if he’s not willing to meet and I’m waiting. I’m willing to meet any day with anybody to discuss this issue and a couple of other issues that I have related to health. I have reached out to the minister’s office again.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
J. WALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I’m happy to respond to the Member’s question.
Mr. Speaker, I will meet with anyone within this House and outside of this House to discuss any issue. I can tell you my schedule has been ATIPPed many times. I have a full schedule till Tibbs’s Eve and I’m not ashamed to say that. I can say I will meet with any minister or any Member of this House and I offered the time in January. If that is not sufficient, I will look at it again to see if I can fit her in, but, Mr. Speaker, I never turn anyone down for a meeting, ever.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Virginia Waters - Pleasantville.
B. DAVIS: Thank you, Speaker.
There are concerns about schools in St. John’s that have been down custodial services since September. As a result, only the bare minimum is getting done and after two months the condition of the schools are deteriorating.
Does the minister consider this an acceptable level of services for our schools?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
B. PETTEN: Speaker, anything not up to acceptable standards is not good enough. We don’t condone any of that. It’s a challenge to keep ahead of all this stuff. That’s an ongoing issue within my department, as we look at school infrastructure, all infrastructure for that matter.
Any schools that need required repairs, there’s a continuous work plan. There’s some of the stuff that we have on the scope that’s been misinterpreted by an ATIPP request, but that work is getting scheduled to get done and it will get done. We’re keeping ahead of that as best we can. It’s a challenge because there are a lot of schools, our geography is vast and it just takes time. We’re well aware of the issues and we’re dealing with them.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Virginia Waters - Pleasantville.
B. DAVIS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I wasn’t talking about maintenance in the school, I was talking about cleanliness of the schools. We have a rise in absenteeism due to sick children and staff because these schools aren’t being cleaned appropriately.
These schools are now entering a third month without adequate custodial staff. Is this the standard of maintenance the families and staff and students should become accustomed to under this government?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
B. PETTEN: Thank you, Speaker.
I’d ask the Member opposite to provide me with the list of schools and I’ll get them checked out.
He’s standing on the House of Assembly floor and questioning me on this. Do you know what? I’m the minister responsible for the maintenance of schools; I never heard it before. So if he wants to, again, as my colleague says, play politics, go right ahead. I will fix the problem. Give me the list of schools and I will quickly get my staff to look into it.
I will not stand on the House of Assembly floor and answer set-up questions that he knew ahead of time. Why didn’t he just pick up the phone and call me like my colleague said? Maybe we have to start playing politics.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
SPEAKER: Order, please!
B. PETTEN: This is a waste of everybody’s time. Give me a call; send me an email. It’s not political. I’ll get it done. I don’t want any schools dirty in this province, not in his or anyone’s district in the province, and I will make sure –
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
SPEAKER: Order, please!
I’m over here looking at you and everybody is just continuing on with the conversations like I’m saying nothing. I’m going to start naming people, and people are going to lose speaking privileges. I’ve had enough.
Does the minister want to finish off? I’ll give you 10 seconds.
The hon. the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure.
B. PETTEN: Just provide me the list of schools that need cleaning done or custodial work done and we’ll endeavour to get it done. This is wasting our time on the House of Assembly floor, trying to create politics over something like this. Nobody wants dirty schools, especially myself.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Virginia Waters - Pleasantville.
B. DAVIS: Mr. Speaker, that is unbelievable to say it’s a waste of time to ask questions, after the schools have been asking for two months.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
B. DAVIS: Not me, the schools have. They have been asking for two months. I’d like the minister to do something about it. There are custodial staff that are missing because they can’t recruit them. That’s a problem, but there are fixes to it as long as the minister wants to get involved to do it.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
B. DAVIS: It’s a waste of time, I guess.
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
B. PETTEN: Thank you, Speaker.
If the schools are not getting the answer, he’s the MHA representing those schools. Email me. He has no problem emailing me.
B. DAVIS: You’re the minister.
SPEAKER: Order, please!
The hon. the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure.
B. PETTEN: Thank you, Speaker.
Email me. Call me. Talk to me in the House. There’s no issue whatsoever. Schools should not be dirty. We shouldn’t be short staffed. Sometimes that happens, but that’s not acceptable. I’m not condoning it, but I can’t be blindsided here in the House of Assembly when I know nothing about this issue.
But I will try and endeavour to fix it, but getting on your feet in the House of Assembly and playing politics and trying to get your gotcha moment, it don’t cut it with me. Anyone that knows me, that does not work with me.
Call me, email me and I will look after it, no questions asked. Standing in the House of Assembly playing politics, we are getting tired of it.
SPEAKER: The minister’s time has expired.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Mount Scio.
S. STOODLEY: Speaker, the Premier refused to bring the 17 final agreements to the House, refuses to hold the referendum he promised and anyone can see the costly taxpayer-funded ads he is using to try and sell the public on his deal.
Speaker, I ask the government: How much are they spending advertising for the Churchill Falls deal?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Energy and Mines.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
L. PARROTT: Thank you, Speaker.
I cannot reference the order or magnitude of how much it is in comparison to the soccer scandal that they had, but we are spending money on advertising, no question.
As for her referendum comment, she publicly stated that she was against the referendum, so she should be relieved by it. It is a waste of money – her words, not mine.
Third to that, as for how much we are doing and what we are doing with regard to all of that, she voted for less and voted against more, and now she comes in and she wants these questions asked.
I can tell you what, Mr. speaker, at the end of the day, there is no referendum; she didn’t want a referendum. There is a good deal; she don’t want a good deal. It is all about prosperity; they don’t want it. It is pure politics.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Mount Scio.
S. STOODLEY: Speaker, I did not promise Newfoundlanders and Labradorians a referendum and I did not get elected on a promise of a referendum.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
S. STOODLEY: Taxpayer-funded Churchill Falls ads actually feature the Conservative government’s election slogans.
Why does the Premier think it is acceptable to use partisan slogans to sell Newfoundlanders and Labradorians on something the Energy Minister says is a done deal?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Energy and Mines.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
L. PARROTT: It is a great question, after 10 years of political slogans and red signs and Members campaigning saying that if you want your roads done, you need to vote for me on their campaign signs and in their letters – it’s an incredible question to have.
What I will say is this, the public deserves the knowledge.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
SPEAKER: Order, please!
L. PARROTT: The government has the means to advertise and get knowledge out to the public. That is our job to do. She voted for less. She voted against more. It is –
L. STOYLES: (Inaudible.)
SPEAKER: I ask the Member for Mount Pearl North for your co-operation.
L. STOYLES: Sure.
SPEAKER: If I have to speak again, your speaking privileges are gone.
The hon. the Minister of Energy and Mines I will give you 10 seconds.
L. STOYLES: He isn’t going to answer it anyway.
SPEAKER: Okay, the hon. the Member for Mount Pearl North, your speaking privileges are revoked for the day.
The hon. the Minister of Energy and Mines – I will give you 10 seconds to answer because you were interrupted.
L. PARROTT: Thank you, Speaker.
A $160,000 soccer ad that was proven went nowhere. Mr. Speaker, the answers are clear. We are doing what is right for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Virginia Waters - Pleasantville.
B. DAVIS: Deflect, deflect, deflect, Mr. Speaker.
Yesterday, the RNC issued an advisory following reports of an armed individual in East White Hills Road area.
Can the minister outline what protocols are in place to ensure schools in the vicinity of that area are notified of the potential safety threat in their community?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
P. DINN: Thank you, Speaker, and thank you for the question.
With our schools, of course, as you know, safety is paramount and we work towards the finalization of a new draft of our Safe and Caring Schools protocol. That deals with any armed individuals or any violence that’s close to the school, and certainly anything that enters the school in terms of lockdowns and ensuring that the proper officials are called.
Those are the protocols. I know in recent days there were some instances that required that to be followed, and I can guarantee that the administration in those cases have followed the protocol to the T, and responded by contacting the appropriate legal people, the RNC. To date, we haven’t had an issue.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. John’s East - Quidi Vidi.
S. O’LEARY: Thank you, Speaker.
There’s no playing politics in this House of Assembly; it is politics.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
S. O’LEARY: So far in this House of Assembly session alone, we have seen a lack of transparency around Churchill Falls team members terminating their contracts or leaving positions, government backtracking on its commitment to bring the final agreements before the House before signing, multiple ministers taking jabs at the integrity of the media with one even refusing to speak to reporters after directly accusing them in this House. Transparency and accountability are essential to building public trust.
I ask the Premier: How does he expect the public to trust his government when this is how it operates?
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.
Mr. Speaker, the people of Newfoundland and Labrador showed what party they trusted in the last election We have a job to do and we are doing it. We are delivering on better health care, we are delivering on safer communities and we are delivering on a brighter future –
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
SPEAKER: Order, please!
L. PARROTT: – for all of Newfoundland and Labrador.
We can sit here all day and talk about policy and the different things that we want to do. For the Member across the way to stand up and ask a question like that with all of the ideas that they’ve had and no way to fund anything, and all they want to do is halt prosperity and shut everything down. I think it’s atrocious.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. John’s East - Quidi Vidi.
S. O’LEARY: Speaker, it appears that the government just can’t stop thinking about the NDP.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
S. O’LEARY: We were the ones who had a costed platform in our campaign.
We’ve also seen multiple statements from the Premier himself about how this government is engaging with the Innu Nation, or not, on the Churchill Falls deal. Yet until yesterday, when the Innu Nation had to interrupt an event just to be heard, the Premier had not even met with them.
I ask the Premier: Why did you allow the public to be given the impression that meaningful engagement was taking place when you knew you hadn’t even met with the Innu Nation?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Labrador Affairs; Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
L. EVANS: Thank you, Speaker.
I’m really glad to have the opportunity to clarify something. There was an impression yesterday that we weren’t scheduled to meet with the Innu when the Innu was talking publicly. In actual fact, we had a meeting scheduled for 9:30 that day. That was preplanned. All our staff knew about it. It was organized and it was at the request of the Innu.
So for the media and people out there, I just want you to know that, basically, we had that meeting planned. We weren’t bullied into meeting; we weren’t harassed into meeting or anything like that.
J. KORAB: (Inaudible.)
SPEAKER: Order, please!
I ask the Member for Waterford Valley for your co-operation.
L. EVANS: We actually had set up a meeting scheduled for 9:30 that morning, after the Premier did his speech. So it’s very, very important for people to understand that, Speaker.
Thank you for the opportunity to clarify.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. John’s East - Quidi Vidi.
S. O’LEARY: I’m very happy to hear this government talk about transparency and how transparent they are. Surely, they have no trouble at all with the next questions.
We just saw an amazing mid-term tsunami in the US, showing that people are tired of corruption and big money influencing in their politics.
So seeing as this government is making many legislative changes to put our province in line with the rest of the country, I ask the Premier: Will his government bring forward legislation to ban corporate and union donations as most other provinces have done?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
SPEAKER: Order, please!
PREMIER WAKEHAM: Speaker, I will take that question, but I also want to talk about legislative reform. What the Member opposite talks about is something that’s part of legislative reform.
Just as we’ve talked about everything we need to be doing in this House of Assembly when we talk about legislative reform, about how we recruit new people to come into the House of Assembly, what that would look like. We have lots of things that we need to be doing in this House of Assembly.
So when we talk about legislative reform, I think it’s not just about one thing, it’s about many different parts of it, including how we recruit more candidates for the House of Assembly.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. John’s East - Quidi Vidi.
S. O’LEARY: Speaker, we’re talking about money and bias and conflict of interest. That’s what the question was about.
Speaker, nine MHAs in this House are landlords but the public can only find out that information by booking an appointment with the office of Legislative Standards whose only office is in St. John’s.
If you live in a rural community or in Labrador, there’s no way to find out what possible conflict of interest your MHA may have. Also to keep us in line with the rest of Canada I ask the Premier:
Will this government also bring forward legislation to make MHA disclosures and conflicts of interest available publicly online? Full transparency.
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Energy and Mines.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
L. PARROTT: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, the first thing I’d like to address is the preamble. It’s pretty rich of the Member to stand and talk about union donations when their party accepts them. If they had such an issue with the donations from the unions, they should not have taken them over the last three years, which they have. You can go online and you can look at them, they’re clearly there.
As for the second part of her question, the reality of it is there’s a legislative process that surrounds this and we’re always reviewing legislation. Right now, the legislation is in place, it’s how it is and that is exactly the rules that surround how an MHA’s pensions and salaries and everything they help is accessed.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
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, November 5, 2026. The edited Hansard will be posted when it becomes available.