No.49/2012
House
of Assembly
Province
of Newfoundland & Labrador
_______________________________________
1st
Session – 47th General Assembly
________________________________________
Wednesday, June 20,
2012
ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS
(a) Statements
by Members
(b) Statements
by Ministers
(c) Oral
Questions
(d) Presenting
Reports by Standing and Select Committees
(e) Tabling of
Documents
(f) Notices of
Motion
(g) Answers to
questions for which notice has been given
(h) Petitions
ORDERS OF THE DAY
1. C
Address in Reply
Bills Referred to Committee of the Whole
2. C Committee
of the Whole on a Bill C “An
Act To Amend The Fatalities Investigations Act”. (Bill
No. 33)
(Progress) (Justice and Attorney
General)
3. C Committee
of the Whole on a Bill C “An
Act To Amend The Labour Relations Act”. (Bill No. 37)
(Environment & Conservation and Minister Responsible for Labour
Relations Agency)
4. C Committee
of the Whole on a Bill C “An
Act To Amend The Public Service Collective Bargaining
Act No. 2”.
(Bill
No. 38) (Environment &
Conservation and Minister Responsible for Labour Relations Agency)
Second
5. C Second
Reading of a Bill C “An
Act Respecting Procurement By Public Bodies”.
6. C Second
Reading of a Bill C “An
Act To Amend The Public Service Collective Bargaining Act”. (Bill No. 31)
(Finance and President
of Treasury Board)
7. C Second
Reading of a Bill C “An
Act To Amend The Public Service Commission Act”. (Bill No. 32)
(Finance
and President of Treasury Board)
8. C Second
Reading of a Bill C “An
Act To Amend The Assessment Act, 2006”.
(Bill
No. 34) (Municipal Affairs)
MOTIONS
1. C MR. DWIGHT BALL (
“WHEREAS
the labour
force of Newfoundland and Labrador has traditionally been one that is disproportionally based on seasonal employment compared
with other provinces given the large rural population and broad seasonal
industries including the fishery, tourism, forestry, roadwork, construction,
cultural industries and agriculture.
Many of these industries depend upon seasonal labour
for their continued existence and success;
AND
WHEREAS the Government
of
AND
WHEREAS these changes
will adversely affect more than 50,000 persons in Newfoundland and Labrador who
are in receipt of Employment Insurance each year, including more than 7,000
recipients of fishery benefits;
AND
WHEREAS the changes,
including the requirement for EI recipients to find a job paying at least 80
per cent of pay in a similar occupation within six weeks and the requirement
that recipients to be willing to work at a job that is within a one hour
commute from their home are aimed at urban populations and ignores the needs
and realities of the rural economy;
AND
WHEREAS the changes made
to the Employment Insurance appeals and review process denies the right for a
speedy, meaningful and comprehensive appeal;
AND
WHEREAS the changes were
conceived, announced and will be implemented without consultations with the
population of Canada, without advance warning to the government's of the
provinces or territories, without a proper debate in the Parliament of Canada
on the principles or implementation, and without mandate to do so given these
changes were never proposed during the most recent federal election;
THEREFORE
BE IT RESOLVED that this
House of Assembly condemns the substance and implementation of the changes to
the Canadian Employment Insurance program;
BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that
this House calls upon Government to immediately conduct a detailed research
program to examine the long-term effects of these changes on individuals,
communities and the Province as a whole with the goals of gathering evidence to
use in a campaign against these changes and also for use in determining what
Provincial Government programs may be required to mitigate the negative effects
of these changes;
BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that
this House calls upon the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to join
forces with the governments of the
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this House calls upon the
Government of Newfoundland and
2. C MS. GERRY ROGERS (
“WHEREAS the Provincial Government currently only
has a strategy for social housing that does not deal with the full crisis of
affordable housing in the Province;
AND
WHEREAS the home ownership assistance program promised by this Government
in the provincial election has not come to fruition;
AND
WHEREAS shelter is a human right and all people in the Province have the
right to housing that meets the national occupancy standards;
AND
WHEREAS the House of Commons passed a motion on May 4 to provide that the
Federal Government should: (a) keep with
Canada's obligation to respect, protect and fulfill the right to housing under
the UN International Covenant in Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; (b)
support efforts by Canadian municipalities to combat homelessness; and (c)
adopt measures to expand the stock of affordable rental housing, with a view to
providing economic benefits to local housing construction businesses;
THEREFORE
BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Assembly urge Government to commit to a
provincial housing and homelessness action plan;
BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the House of Assembly urge Government to call upon
the Federal Government to renew the Homelessness Partnering Strategy, the
Affordable Housing Initiative and the Residential Rehabilitation Assistance
Program when the programs are up for renewal in 2014;
BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the House of Assembly urge Government to create a
Division of Housing and Homelessness that will be given the responsibility to
co-ordinate Government-wide action, work with all levels of Government and the
community on affordable housing, and be responsible for research and the
development of provincial housing policy issues.”
___________________
Published under the authority of the
Speaker of the
House of Assembly by William E. Parsons,
Queen's Printer