Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly, Wednesday 5 April 2023
Question Period was dominated by two recurring themes: Newfoundland and Labrador's role in Atlantic Loop negotiations and the province's ongoing health care staffing crisis, including a newly launched Health Care Action website. Opposition members pressed on child care implementation problems for private operators and ECE wages, poverty and food insecurity in the budget, school bus inspection transparency, and regional ambulance and hospital services. Government ministers largely defended their records, disputing Opposition characterizations while committing to provide certain data. The House sat on a Wednesday dealing primarily with budget debate. It adopted procedural motions to adjourn until April 25 and to concur in the Commissioner for Legislative Standards' Tibbs Report, then debated Motion 1 (the budgetary policy) with the Opposition House Leader moving a non-confidence amendment faulting the government on health care, cost of living, education and economic planning. Members' statements, ministerial statements (including recognition of Penelope Rowe and the Mel Woodward Cup winners), petitions and a private Member's resolution opposing health care privatization occupied the afternoon.
Members' Statements
U11 female hockey team (Brave Cats)
B. Warr
The Member congratulated the combined Springdale Braves/Grand Falls-Windsor Cataracts U11 female team on winning the A division provincial hockey banner.
Healey's Store 65th anniversary
S. Gambin-Walsh
The Member marked the 65th year in business of Healey's Store in Freshwater, Placentia, honouring the Healey family.
Sunnyside Wellness Centre opening
J. Dwyer
The Member recognized the grand opening of the Town of Sunnyside's new Wellness Centre.
Helping Hands volunteers, St. George's
S. Reid
The Member paid tribute to the Helping Hands volunteer group in St. George's for fundraising and community donations.
Herman Perry canoe odyssey
S. Stoodley
With leave, the Member congratulated Herman Perry on completing a trans-continental canoe journey from Rigolet, Labrador to Alaska.
Routine Proceedings
Recognition of Penelope Rowe
J. Abbott
The Minister of Children, Seniors and Social Development recognized Penelope Rowe's over 40 years leading the Community Sector Council; the Members for Bonavista and the Third Party Leader added tributes.
Mel Woodward Cup winners
A. Parsons
The Minister of Industry, Energy and Technology congratulated Notch Embedded (winner) and SmartBin (runner-up) of the 2023 Mel Woodward Cup start-up competition; opposition Members offered congratulations.
Tabling of documents
S. Coady
The Minister of Finance tabled an order-in-council on funding pre-commitment for 2023-24 to 2032-33 and a fact sheet on budget cost-of-living, housing and community supports.
Petition on long-term mental health care
P. Dinn
The Member for Topsail - Paradise presented a petition urging access to long-term mental health care; the Minister of Health responded citing $5 million for wraparound services and existing programs.
Petition on retention bonus for hospital support workers
J. Dinn
The Member for St. John's Centre presented 200 signatures urging a retention bonus for all eligible hospital support staff.
Petition to reinstate Bonavista driver's road testing
C. Pardy
The Member for Bonavista petitioned to reinstate driver's road testing in Bonavista so residents need not travel 1.5 hours.
Question Period
Newfoundland and Labrador's inclusion in Atlantic Loop negotiations
Asked by D. Brazil · Answered by A. Furey
The Premier insisted the province is and will remain at the working tables, calling the Opposition's claims 'political fiction' and citing a Minister Freeland quote that Newfoundland and Labrador is an essential player, since there is no generation capacity for the Loop without the province.
Health Care Action website omitting numbers of departing health workers
Asked by D. Brazil · Answered by T. Osborne
The Minister said the website would be updated and they have no issue providing the information but it is difficult to gather departure data; the Premier described it as a living education and information tool. No firm commitment was made to add monthly departure figures.
Consultation with private child care operators and $10-a-day plan
Asked by D. Brazil · Answered by J. Haggie
The Minister said licensed operators are integral, an RFP is closing to re-examine the operating grants program, a new ADM has been hired, and town halls and consultations have begun, calling it a work in progress.
ECE wage grid, pay rates and audited financial statement requirements for child care operators
Asked by B. Petten · Answered by J. Haggie
The Minister denied any ECE would be paid less under the experience-based wage grid, defended the RFP and Operating Grant Program as accountability for public money, and said consultations, town halls and direct communications are ongoing to simplify documentation.
Poverty, food insecurity and support for seniors in the budget
Asked by C. Pardy · Answered by S. Coady
The Minister said the budget centres on social determinants of health, cited increased Seniors' Benefit and Income Supplement payments, gas and vehicle registration reductions, home heating supplement and affordable housing funding, and accused the Opposition of playing politics by voting against it.
Availability of school bus inspection reports online
Asked by C. Tibbs · Answered by S. Stoodley
The Minister apologized that up-to-date reports were not online, said her team is quickly updating them, and assured that all buses on the road passed their most recent inspection; she confirmed the bus in the recent accident was last inspected in January 2023 and passed, with an RNC investigation ongoing.
Rapid response paramedic unit and ambulance staffing on the Southern Shore
Asked by L. O'Driscoll · Answered by T. Osborne
The Minister said the ACP is in place and the unit will be on site once a vehicle is procured and equipped, offering to get an exact date; on Trepassey, he noted the ambulances are private contracts and the operator is continuing to recruit staff.
Purpose of the Health Care Action website and nurse staffing breakdown
Asked by J. Dinn · Answered by T. Osborne
The Minister described the website and briefings as informing the public of progress on the 10-year health plan amid a global shortage, and undertook to get figures on how many of the 6,429 licensed nurses are full-time, agency or not working, noting the number of bodies working has remained constant.
Number of nurses lost and needed to fully staff facilities
Asked by J. Brown · Answered by T. Osborne
The Minister did not provide specific loss numbers, attributing shortages to an aging population and retirements, and said recruitment efforts include nurses anticipated to arrive from India.
Corner Brook acute-care hospital construction, radiation unit and laundry services
Asked by E. Joyce · Answered by T. Osborne
The Minister said the hospital is on time and on budget, expected to open later this fall/2024, with recruitment underway for radiation therapists; on laundry, he said Western Health and the new authority intend the laundry facility employees to remain public employees.
Orders of the Day
Adjournment motion (Motion 8)
L. Dempster
The Deputy Government House Leader moved that, notwithstanding Standing Order 8(3)(b), the House adjourn at the conclusion of proceedings April 5 to April 25, 2023; motion carried.
Concurrence in the Tibbs Report (Motion 7)
L. Dempster
The Deputy Government House Leader moved that the House concur in the Commissioner for Legislative Standards' Tibbs Report, thanking the Commissioner; the motion carried.
Budget debate (Motion 1) and non-confidence amendment
B. Petten
The Opposition House Leader spoke at length against the budget, criticizing health care wait times, alleged uneven treatment of PC districts (e.g. CBS vs Deer Lake), child care ($10/day program applied to for-profit operators), Crown Lands, the sugar and carbon taxes, and moved a non-confidence amendment faulting the government on retaining health workers, ER closures, the Health Accord, cost of living, education and economic planning; the Speaker ruled the amendment in order.
Government reply to budget amendment
S. Coady
The Minister of Finance opposed the non-confidence amendment as a bid to force an election, offered a 'brutal assessment' comparing the current fiscally sound budget to the 2013-14 PC budget's deficit and layoffs, and detailed budget investments in education, recruitment/retention, Family Care Teams, cost-of-living measures and affordable housing the Opposition would vote against.
Budget debate - Member for Ferryland
L. O'Driscoll
The Member spoke on ER wait times, thanked the minister for restoring an ambulance to Cape Broyle while recounting a constituent's fatal delay in ambulance response, raised daycare space shortages, road paving and brush-cutting needs, the Witless Bay Line, the sugar tax and lack of consultation, and questioned how the home heat pump credit works.
Recess
J. Hogan
The Government House Leader moved that the House recess until 2 p.m.
Private Members' Business
PMR opposing health care privatization
J. Dinn
The Member for St. John's Centre moved a resolution urging government to reject further privatization, roll back current privatization and invest in a publicly funded, publicly administered health care system, citing US-style care, Loblaw/Maple virtual care, agency nurses and for-profit long-term care failures.
Debate on the health care privatization PMR
Multiple
Members from all sides (Joyce, Haggie, Brown, Osborne, Lane, Byrne, Brazil) largely opposed the resolution as too broadly and ambiguously worded, arguing NL's publicly funded/privately delivered model (doctors' offices, cataract surgery, nurse practitioner clinics, home care, P3 hospital) complies with the Canada Health Act with zero clawbacks, while some noted concerns that budget constraints push nurse practitioners into private clinics.
Other business
Welcomes and Moose Hide Campaign
The Speaker
The Speaker welcomed guests including Penelope Rowe, childhood licensees, family of Herman Perry and Moose Hide Campaign representatives, noted the Legislature's sixth year participating in the Indigenous-led Moose Hide Campaign against violence toward women and children, and bid farewell to Pages Tanisha and Gala.
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.