Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly, Wednesday 22 March 2023
Question Period focused heavily on federal fisheries management decisions affecting Newfoundland and Labrador's crab and mackerel fisheries, with the Opposition criticizing the government for being reactive rather than proactive. Health care workforce shortages—particularly nurses and paramedics—dominated the second half, alongside concerns about municipal funding, MUN leadership turnover, and regional issues including road conditions, electricity supply in Labrador West, and cataract surgery wait-lists on the West Coast. The House debated Bill 22, which amends the Management of Information Act and the House of Assembly Accountability, Integrity and Administration Act to introduce a duty-to-document requirement for government decisions. The Official Opposition moved a three-month hoist amendment, citing concerns raised by the Privacy Commissioner about Cabinet exemptions and lack of independent oversight. Government defended the bill as best-in-Canada legislation developed through extensive consultation, while Opposition and independent Members argued the bill was rushed and required further review to address the Privacy Commissioner's objections.
Question Period
3L crab fishing zone split and quota caps for inshore harvesters
Asked by D. Brazil · Answered by A. Furey / D. Bragg
The Premier stated that quota distribution is a federal responsibility and he will meet with the federal Fisheries minister next week. The Fisheries Minister emphasized that a working group including harvesters, FFAW, and governments is addressing the management plan, and stressed the need to trust science and rebuild stocks sustainably.
Nursing shortages and retention bonuses compared to Nova Scotia
Asked by D. Brazil / J. Dinn · Answered by T. Osborne
The minister noted that the number of nursing bodies has remained consistent over five years and that the province is recruiting internationally (India, Ireland, UK). He defended the $3,000 retention bonus (offered months ago, with 90% uptake) and emphasized systemic improvements underway, including the Health Human Resources Plan, core staffing review, and early learning and child care for health workers.
Paramedic system integration and backup plans
Asked by P. Dinn · Answered by T. Osborne
The minister confirmed that integration of road ambulance services is actively underway and that more details will be available 'within hours, not days.' He stated that officials are working to ensure the best ambulance service and that it is better to get it right than to rush implementation.
Route 60 road conditions between Upper Gullies and Holyrood
Asked by H. Conway Ottenheimer · Answered by E. Loveless
The minister highlighted the recent announcement of $1.4 billion over five years for roads province-wide and mentioned collaboration with towns. He did not provide a specific timeline or commitment for Route 60 improvements.
Federal fisheries management (mackerel closure, 3L biomass split) and provincial plan
Asked by C. Pardy · Answered by D. Bragg
The minister defended reliance on federal science and the precautionary approach to rebuild stocks, citing the need to avoid repeating the moratorium. He noted that crab markets have shifted to the US and that multiple species are available, though some are in critical or precautionary zones.
Municipal Operating Grants frozen since 2015 and ICIP funding communication
Asked by J. Wall · Answered by K. Howell / E. Loveless
The Municipal Affairs minister said ongoing conversations with MNL are taking place and encouraged people to 'stay tuned' for the budget. The Transportation minister stated that $650 million has been invested in municipalities since 2015 and denied ignoring them.
Regionalization report and action plan
Asked by J. Wall · Answered by K. Howell
The minister said analysis of the joint working group report is ongoing and that any regionalization plan must make sense for the province's geography and population density. She did not commit to a timeline or confirm budget inclusion.
Moose signage on Route 330 (Child Death Review Committee recommendation)
Asked by L. O'Driscoll · Answered by J. Hogan / E. Loveless
The Justice minister confirmed the recommendation has been forwarded to Transportation and Infrastructure and expects the sign to be installed in the near future. The Transportation minister noted in-depth discussions on signage improvements are underway in conjunction with municipalities.
Confidence in MUN president and executive turnover
Asked by B. Petten · Answered by J. Haggie
The Education minister stated that the Auditor General has started a review of fiscal responsibility at MUN. He emphasized that MUN is autonomous under its act and governed by the Board of Regents, though the Premier and minister have raised concerns about the need for stability as a priority.
Family Care Teams and patient continuity
Asked by J. Dinn · Answered by T. Osborne
The minister assured that patients can move with their family doctors to the new teams and that the issue of 'orphan patients' from earlier teams has been addressed to prevent future occurrences.
Electricity supply for development in Labrador West
Asked by J. Brown · Answered by A. Parsons
The minister acknowledged electricity demand in Labrador West and stated that multiple conversations are underway, including discussions with Quebec on 2041 and possible expansion. He emphasized the need for partnerships among the province, companies, and others to realize opportunities.
Cataract surgery wait-lists on the West Coast and NLMA consultation
Asked by E. Joyce · Answered by T. Osborne
The minister explained that the October 2022 increase was a one-time allocation to address disproportionate wait-lists on the East Coast and that wait-lists have been reduced across the province. He did not confirm whether NLMA was consulted per the agreement but hinted at further announcements in the upcoming budget.
Orders of the Day
Motion to cancel Private Members' Day on March 22, 2023
J. Hogan
The Government House Leader moved that the House not proceed with Private Members' Day on March 22, 2023, but instead meet at 2 p.m. for Routine Proceedings and Government Business. The motion was carried.
Bill 22 - Second Reading (Management of Information Act amendments)
S. Stoodley
The Minister of Digital Government introduced Bill 22 to amend the Management of Information Act and House of Assembly Accountability Act, introducing a duty-to-document requirement for important government decisions. She stated this would make Newfoundland and Labrador only the second province in Canada (after BC) with such legislation, applying to over 160 public bodies. The Minister noted the Privacy Commissioner requested oversight authority but government determined this falls under the Auditor General's mandate. Cabinet records would be exempt from the duty-to-document requirement.
Opposition response and hoist amendment to Bill 22
D. Brazil
The Leader of the Official Opposition raised concerns that the bill was rushed (provided less than 12 hours before debate), exempts Cabinet from duty-to-document requirements, and ignores concerns from the Privacy Commissioner. He moved an amendment to delay second reading by three months to allow proper consultation with statutory officers and the public. He cited the Privacy Commissioner's public statement identifying three major flaws: Cabinet exemption, no independent oversight, and discretionary rather than mandatory implementation.
Government defense of Bill 22
S. Stoodley
The Minister responded that consultation began in January 2020 (three years ago) with extensive engagement of public bodies and the Privacy Commissioner. She argued the Privacy Commissioner already has oversight of all records through ATIPPA powers, the Auditor General provides independent oversight of policy implementation, and the legislation will be strongest in Canada. She stated Cabinet exemptions relate to classified federal security information and existing Cabinet confidentiality processes remain unchanged.
Third Party support for hoist amendment
J. Dinn
The Leader of the Third Party supported the three-month delay, comparing the situation to the recent health act debate where the Privacy Commissioner's concerns were also initially ignored. He questioned who would perform the documentation work given public service vacancies, raised concerns about Cabinet Secretariat's expanded role, and argued the Privacy Commissioner should have oversight authority to ensure documents actually exist rather than only reviewing documents that are created.
Independent Member concerns about Privacy Commissioner exclusion
P. Lane
The Member for Mount Pearl - Southlands supported the hoist amendment, stating that while he initially welcomed duty-to-document legislation, excluding the Privacy Commissioner from oversight was a critical flaw. He argued the Privacy Commissioner needs auditing authority to verify that important decisions are actually being documented, not just review documents that already exist. He cited the Privacy Commissioner's integrity and expertise, and compared the situation to the flawed Bill 29 process.
Government House Leader defense of Bill 22 process
A. Parsons
The Minister of Industry, Energy and Technology defended the consultation process and argued against the hoist amendment, though the transcript was truncated before his full remarks were recorded.
This is Tabled's summary of the sitting, written from the official record; Hansard is only ever quoted at the link above. Search Newfoundland and Labrador Hansard for the words themselves, or read this sitting in the archive.