Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly, Thursday 16 May 2024
Question Period focused heavily on education and housing issues. The Opposition challenged the Premier and Minister of Education on a reported 500% increase in unqualified emergency teachers and poor student performance results, while the government defended its teacher credentials and blamed COVID-related learning loss. Additional topics included mental health committee amendments, Small Claims Court limits, environmental damage from a highway incident, water bomber readiness, shelter inspections, and court delays in Labrador. The House conducted routine business including tabling a Public Accounts Committee report on Muskrat Falls wetlands mitigation, presenting petitions on health care access and child abuse limitation periods, and debating Bill 71 (An Act to Amend the Correctional Services Act) in Committee of the Whole. Three bills received first reading: amendments to the Crop Insurance Act, Vital Statistics Act, and Credit Union Act. The House also adopted a motion to cancel Private Members' Day on May 22 in favour of government business.
Members' Statements
Tribute to constituency assistant Judy Bolt
E. Joyce
The Member recognized Judy Bolt for 31 years of dedicated service to constituents of Humber - Bay of Islands, praising her compassion and commitment to helping vulnerable residents.
Carol Players 60th anniversary
J. Brown
The Member congratulated The Carol Players community theatre group in Labrador West on their 60th anniversary, noting their performances locally, provincially, and internationally since 1964.
Heart of Labrador 50 PLUS Club
P. Trimper
The Member celebrated the new Heart of Labrador 50 PLUS Club in Lake Melville, founded by Mary and Leo Abbass, which promotes active aging and wellness through social activities for residents over 50.
Vanda Maunder Dance Studio 50th anniversary
H. Conway Ottenheimer
The Member paid tribute to Vanda Maunder for 50 years of operating her dance studio in Brigus, teaching ballet, jazz, tap and other forms to generations of students, some of whom have pursued professional careers.
Routine Proceedings
Ministerial statement on World Family Doctor Day
T. Osborne
The Minister of Health recognized May 19 as World Family Doctor Day, highlighting government commitments to family medicine including recruitment of over 50 family physicians in the past year, expansion of medical school seats, and development of Family Care Teams.
Public Accounts Committee Report 4 tabled
P. Forsey
The Member tabled Report 4 of the Public Accounts Committee reviewing the Auditor General's report on Physical Mitigation of Muskrat Falls Reservoir Wetlands, thanking Committee members and the Auditor General's office.
Notice of motion for Bill 79
S. Stoodley
The Minister of Digital Government gave notice of intention to introduce Bill 79, An Act to Amend the Highway Traffic Act and the Provincial Offences Act.
Petitions on health care access, child care, child abuse limitations, and justice
Multiple
Members presented petitions calling for: reinstatement of chemotherapy services at Bonavista hospital; removal of limitation periods for civil child abuse claims; accessible child care; timely health care for Northern Labrador residents; and amendments to the Limitations Act for abuse survivors.
Question Period
Increase in unqualified emergency teachers
Asked by T. Wakeham · Answered by A. Furey / K. Howell
The Premier acknowledged being unaware of the increase rate and committed to working with the NLTA on pilots and supports. The Minister of Education clarified that the 500% figure refers to available resources (education students), not actual use, and defended teacher credentials as the highest in Canada.
Poor student performance results and correlation to teacher qualifications
Asked by T. Wakeham · Answered by K. Howell / A. Furey
The Minister stated there is no correlation between emergency teachers and poor results, attributing the decline to COVID-related learning loss and prioritization of mental health. The Premier committed to transforming the education system through an Education Accord with all-party input.
Amendments to mental health and addictions private member's resolution
Asked by B. Petten · Answered by T. Osborne
The Minister of Health defended removing words like 'expedite' and 'right away' to depoliticize the All-Party Committee process. He stated he repeatedly asked for stakeholder names at meetings but none were provided by Opposition members until officials compiled a list.
Increasing Small Claims Court monetary limit
Asked by H. Conway Ottenheimer · Answered by J. Hogan
The Minister of Justice confirmed he is already reviewing the Provincial Court Act, including the small claims cap. He noted the need to balance increased access with ensuring the court has resources to handle additional caseload, and cited recent additions of two new judges.
Damage to Gooseberry Cove cemetery from highway vehicle incident
Asked by L. Parrott · Answered by J. Abbott
The Minister of Transportation apologized for any delay and committed to remediating all damage if the department is at fault, including working with Environment on fuel contamination concerns and covering all costs for affected families.
Status of fifth water bomber and pilot staffing
Asked by P. Forsey · Answered by J. Abbott
The Minister stated proposals are being evaluated for the bomber out of service since 2018, with no timeline given. He confirmed four crews are fully staffed, a fifth is being hired, and a sixth can be added if needed for firefighting season.
Number of residents and staff at Comfort Inn shelter (106 Airport Road)
Asked by J. Wall · Answered by F. Hutton
The Minister of Housing stated some residents are there with security and health services staff, and End Homelessness St. John's is operating the site and still recruiting, but could not provide exact numbers and offered to follow up.
Speed camera implementation timeline
Asked by L. O'Driscoll · Answered by S. Stoodley
The Minister of Digital Government stated a pilot found over 94,000 speeding violations and promised an update within 10 minutes of Question Period, committing to roll out speed cameras 'as fast as possible' after extensive due diligence across government systems.
Shelter inspection reports and standards
Asked by J. Dinn · Answered by F. Hutton
The Minister committed to tabling draft shelter standards in early June (around June 3) once received from the steering committee, but did not address the request for quarterly inspection reports or current standards.
Reliance on for-profit shelters and affordable housing construction
Asked by J. Dinn · Answered by F. Hutton
The Minister defended the government's commitment, noting the housing budget has doubled, and rejected claims of evictions from the Colonial Building site, stating people were offered safer options with wraparound supports at 106 Airport Road.
Court delays in Labrador causing harm to residents
Asked by L. Evans · Answered by J. Hogan
The Minister stated the recent budget allocated funding for a policy position to review all courts province-wide, assess caseloads, and work with the chief judge to allocate judges, staff, and potentially build new facilities where needed to improve access to justice.
Orders of the Day
First reading of Bill 76 (Crop Insurance Act amendment)
L. Dempster
The Deputy Government House Leader introduced Bill 76, An Act to Amend the Crop Insurance Act, which received first reading and was ordered for second reading tomorrow.
First reading of Bill 77 (Vital Statistics Act amendment)
L. Dempster
Bill 77, An Act to Amend the Vital Statistics Act, 2009, received first reading and was ordered for second reading tomorrow.
First reading of Bill 78 (Credit Union Act amendment)
L. Dempster
Bill 78, An Act to Amend the Credit Union Act, 2009 No. 2, received first reading and was ordered for second reading tomorrow.
Motion to cancel Private Members' Day
L. Dempster
The House adopted a motion to cancel Private Members' Day on May 22, 2024, and instead meet at 2 p.m. for government business, adjourning at midnight if not earlier.
Committee of the Whole debate on Bill 71 (Correctional Services Act)
Multiple
The House resolved into Committee of the Whole to consider Bill 71, An Act to Amend the Correctional Services Act. Members discussed modernizing correctional legislation, independent adjudicators for disciplinary hearings, inmate rights, health care access in facilities, and timelines for proclamation. The Minister committed to proclaiming the act with regulations within three to six months and confirmed independent adjudicators will be from outside the correctional system with a 96-hour timeline for hearings. The bill was reported without amendment and ordered for third reading tomorrow.
Other business
Point of order regarding amendment rulings during PMR debate
B. Petten
The Opposition House Leader raised concerns about inconsistent rulings on amendments during the previous day's Private Member's Resolution debate, arguing two substantially similar amendments received different rulings and that the accepted amendment fundamentally changed the original motion's intent. The Speaker took the matter under advisement for a later ruling.
Point of order on use of names in the House
Multiple
The Government House Leader objected to continued use of names in the House. The Opposition House Leader defended saying 'Premier Furey Liberals' as acceptable practice. The Speaker indicated a comprehensive ruling would be issued on Tuesday regarding acceptable use of names.
Point of order regarding unparliamentary language
J. Dinn
The Leader of the Third Party objected to the Minister of Housing characterizing his statements as 'misinformation,' arguing this was tantamount to calling him a liar. The Speaker agreed to review Hansard and report back.
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.