Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly, Tuesday 15 April 2025
Question Period was dominated by health care and public safety concerns, notably the integration of volunteer fire departments into the provincial ambulance/911 system and the lack of funding for their growing medical-call workload, alongside long ambulance wait times. The Opposition also pressed on unfulfilled mental health commitments from the Towards Recovery report, a proposed integration of adult gynecology into the Janeway children's hospital, an acting Public Service Commission CEO, the sugar-sweetened beverage tax, highway safety in Grand Falls-Windsor, and a promised disability advocate. Ministers largely defended government's record and offered to look into specific cases, while committing to highway signage changes. The sitting focused on the main budget debate (Budget 2025), during which several members delivered lengthy statements on health care access, cost of living, housing, seniors' care, roads, education and public safety. The Speaker made housekeeping announcements regarding the Management Commission and tabled a by-election finance report, and four petitions were presented on roads, seniors' home care and housing. The debate produced a non-confidence amendment moved by the Opposition House Leader, which was ruled in order, and the Minister of Finance responded before debate was adjourned to allow Estimates to proceed.
Routine Proceedings
Management Commission membership and by-election finance report
The Speaker
The Speaker advised the House of the members of the Management Commission under the House of Assembly Accountability, Integrity and Administration Act, and tabled the May 27, 2024 Baie Verte - Green Bay By-Election Report on Election Finances.
Petition on potholes in the District of Bonavista
C. Pardy
Presented a petition urging government to fill every pothole in the District of Bonavista with hot asphalt within six weeks and before the end of June, citing vehicle damage, safety concerns and impacts on tourism including the Discovery Geopark.
Petition on seniors' home care hours
P. Forsey
Presented a petition urging government to increase seniors' home care hours at the previous lower rate, noting difficulties with assessments, reassessments and staffing to keep seniors in their homes.
Petition on Livingstone Street NLHC housing units
J. Dinn
Presented a petition urging government to develop a plan and timeline to repair vacant NLHC units on Livingstone Street and surrounding streets and to invest funding and hire workers, citing fires, disrepair and safety concerns. The Acting Minister of Housing responded, defending NLHC staff and noting an extra $8 million in the budget and the scale of units and work orders maintained.
Petition on Long Run Road repairs at Petty Harbour-Maddox Cove
L. O'Driscoll
Presented a petition urging government to complete repairs to the Long Run Road, the main access road to Petty Harbour-Maddox Cove, citing its deplorable condition and its importance to tourism and the fishing industry.
Question Period
Volunteer fire departments funding for medical calls and ambulance response times
Asked by T. Wakeham · Answered by The Premier
The Premier praised volunteer firefighters and pointed to an additional $4 million in the budget plus existing grants, pledging to address any funding gaps, but did not directly commit to compensating them specifically for medical-response costs. Ministers Haggie and Davis offered to investigate specific reported cases of long ambulance waits and 911 hold times.
Mental health community beds and Towards Recovery report recommendations
Asked by B. Petten · Answered by J. Haggie
The Acting Minister of Health disputed the claim that no new community beds exist, describing community beds, supportive living, transitional beds, ACT/FACT teams, mobile crisis teams and Doorways clinics under a hub-and-spoke model. He maintained care is being delivered at and close to home and did not concede the report's recommendations were ignored.
Acting CEO of the Public Service Commission remaining in role for seven years
Asked by L. Paddock · Answered by S. Coady
The Minister of Finance defended the individual as a 30-year civil servant doing strong work, called the questioning of his character shameful, and did not explain why the position remains an acting appointment.
Sugar-sweetened beverage (sugar) tax in Budget 2025
Asked by L. Paddock · Answered by S. Coady
The Minister of Finance declined to scrap the tax, defending it as supported by health organizations to reduce sugar consumption and comparing it to tobacco tax, while touting broader budget supports and blaming Muskrat Falls for fiscal pressures.
Highway safety at the divided highway in Grand Falls-Windsor
Asked by C. Tibbs · Answered by F. Hutton
The Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure committed to implementing changes as soon as possible, specifically relocating signage to indicate which side of the divided highway to use, saying safety is paramount.
Establishing an advocate for persons with disabilities
Asked by H. Conway Ottenheimer · Answered by P. Pike
The Minister of Children, Seniors and Social Development pointed to engagement with community organizations and the Accessibility Standards Advisory Board but did not commit to tabling legislation for a disability advocate this spring.
Proposed integration of adult gynecology into the Janeway children's hospital
Asked by J. Dinn · Answered by J. Haggie
The Acting Minister of Health insisted there is no intention to reduce children's services and no finalized plan, describing the NLHS presentation as the start of consultations addressing bed occupancy imbalances. He did not commit to tabling the presentation or data and defended the CEO's approach.
Orders of the Day
Budget 2025 debate - health care and cost of living (Harbour Main)
H. Conway Ottenheimer
Criticized Budget 2025 for failing to improve health care, recounting cases of a senior on a stretcher for days and long ER waits in Carbonear and elsewhere, and argued cost of living and taxes are crushing working people, calling for the sugar tax and carbon tax to be scrapped.
Budget 2025 debate - Labrador West housing, health care and air access
J. Brown
Argued the budget offers nothing new for Labrador West, criticizing the lack of seniors' housing, homelessness despite the mining economy, reliance on repeatedly denied federal applications, understaffed health services and high air travel costs, and called for a community-first approach and adherence to benefits agreements.
Budget 2025 debate - health care access in the District of Bonavista
C. Pardy
Detailed repeated diversions and locked emergency doors at Bonavista hospital, recounting cases including a death attributed to closed doors and patients forced to travel to Clarenville, and criticized the ineffective Community Advisory Council; also recognized constituents and the Fort Point Lions Club 46th Charter Night.
Budget 2025 debate - Topsail-Paradise infrastructure, health investments and education
P. Dinn
Raised the reannounced Paradise high school, Route 60 rehabilitation and an alternative route lacking detail, and advocated for funding continuous glucose monitoring devices and expanding the shingles vaccine to all seniors as cost-saving health investments, while raising concerns about education funding, class composition and inclusion.
Budget 2025 debate - health care, seniors, safety, personal care homes (CBS)
B. Petten
Delivered an extended speech reflecting on his path to office and advocating for a collaborative care clinic in Conception Bay South, arguing there is no health access there, and raised ambulance response times, 911 delays, hospital cleanliness, Frank Roberts school conditions, crime, and the Auditor General's personal care home report highlighting deaths, medication errors and neglect. He also delivered partisan commentary on Liberal branding and federal politics.
Non-confidence amendment to the budget motion
B. Petten
Moved an amendment, seconded by the Member for Stephenville - Port au Port, faulting the Liberal government for failures to support and retain health care professionals, provide primary care, lower the cost of living, decrease crime and stimulate a diversified economy. After a recess the Speaker ruled the amendment in order.
Government response to non-confidence amendment
S. Coady
The Minister of Finance rebutted the amendment, citing increased Auditor General funding, new doctors and nurses hired, Family Care Teams, public safety and policing investments, record GDP, employment and retail sales, and cost-of-living measures, arguing the Opposition failed by not supporting these initiatives, before moving to adjourn debate.
Adjournment
L. Dempster
The Government House Leader moved that the House adjourn; the Speaker reminded the Resource Committee of Estimates debate on Environment and Climate Change at 6 p.m. and the House adjourned until 10 a.m. the next day.
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.