Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly, Wednesday 14 May 2025
Question Period was dominated by affordability and food insecurity concerns following a new report showing over 30 per cent of Newfoundland and Labrador households are food insecure, with the Opposition pressing for higher benefits and expanded child and seniors' supports. Other major themes included violence in schools, out-of-pocket costs for nurse practitioner visits, inclusion grants for children with disabilities at summer camps, the accounting treatment of tobacco settlement revenue, and cost-of-living measures tied to the repealed sugar tax. The NDP and other members also raised rural health care access, home heating costs, and infrastructure and environmental concerns related to the Baltic III grounding. The House continued debate on the subamendment to Budget 2025, with Opposition and third-party members raising rural concerns including the loss of 24-hour emergency service at Dr. Hugh Twomey Health Care Centre, Supported Employment funding, the Lionel Kelland Hospice, roads/brush cutting, food security, policing and the province's largest fentanyl seizure. Government ministers rose to correct the record on Connaigre Peninsula health services and the Supported Employment program. Members' statements honoured community figures including the late Bell Island Fire Chief Jim Pendergast and Canada's Got Talent winner Jacob Lewis, and ministerial statements marked Nursing Week and Seniors' Month. The private member's resolution, brought by the Member for Labrador West, called on government to work with Indigenous partners, businesses and the federal government to reduce the cost and increase availability of air travel to, from and within Labrador.
Members' Statements
Recognition of Julius (Joe) Dicker of Nain
L. Evans
The Member for Torngat Mountains honoured Julius 'Joe' Dicker for decades of leadership with the Labrador Inuit Association and as AngajukKâk of Nain, wishing him a return to good health after stepping down for medical reasons.
CBS Kiwanis Minor Baseball Field of Dreams grant
B. Petten
The Member for Conception Bay South congratulated the CBS Kiwanis Minor Baseball Association on receiving a Jays Care Foundation Field of Dreams grant exceeding $100,000 to enhance Jim Crosbie Field.
Recognition of Kyle Morgan of Bishop's Falls
P. Forsey
The Member for Exploits recognized Kyle Morgan, who lives with DiGeorge syndrome and is an accomplished accordion player and Elvis/Jimi Hendrix impersonator.
Sowing Seeds – Growing Community
L. O'Driscoll
The Member for Ferryland congratulated the Sowing Seeds – Growing Community initiative for distributing thousands of pounds of produce to food banks and community organizations.
Robbins family of Lumsden
J. McKenna
The Member for Fogo Island - Cape Freels acknowledged the Robbins family's multi-generational entrepreneurial contributions to Lumsden, including Robbins' Clover Farm, Robbins Trucking and Kev's Corner.
Recognition of Jacob Lewis, Canada's Got Talent winner
P. Parsons
The Member for Harbour Grace - Port de Grave, with leave, recognized constituent Jacob Lewis of Butlerville for winning the $1 million grand prize on Canada's Got Talent.
Mount Pearl Youth of the Year
L. Stoyles
The Member for Mount Pearl North, with leave, recognized Courtney Abbott and Eamon Fogwill as Mount Pearl's Youth of the Year for their community involvement.
Tribute to Fire Chief Jim Pendergast
F. Hutton
The Member for Conception Bay East - Bell Island, with leave, honoured the late Fire Chief Jim Pendergast for 50 years with the Wabana Volunteer Fire Department and 52 years with the Town of Wabana, extending condolences to his family.
Routine Proceedings
Ministerial statement on National Nursing Week
K. Howell
The Minister of Health and Community Services marked National Nursing Week, citing investments in recruitment, retention, child care and expanded scope, and a reduction in nursing vacancies from over 700 in 2023 to below 400 in 2025; Opposition (B. Petten) and third party (J. Brown) responded urging greater use of nurse practitioners and better incentives.
Ministerial statement on Seniors' Month
J. Abbott
The Minister of Seniors recognized June as Seniors' Month, highlighting programs and Budget 2025 supports; responses from C. Pardy and J. Brown raised rising senior food insecurity, fall-related hospitalizations and the need to expand access to senior benefit programs.
Tabling of documents on Corner Brook hospital PET scanner and laundry services
E. Joyce
The Member for Humber - Bay of Islands, with leave, tabled letters regarding the Corner Brook hospital PET scanner and laundry services decisions; the Minister of Jobs, Immigration and Growth tabled ATIPP documents indicating 2016-17 decisions not to include a PET scanner in the new facility.
Question Period
Food insecurity and support for low-income families and children
Asked by T. Wakeham · Answered by S. Coady
The minister acknowledged the seriousness of food insecurity and pointed to $750 million returned to residents, increases to the Seniors' Benefit, Income Supplement and Child Benefit, and a program supporting food-insecure children, but made no new commitment.
Increasing the Seniors' Benefit and reviewing program thresholds
Asked by T. Wakeham · Answered by S. Coady
The minister said the Seniors' Benefit was increased by 15 per cent and is now indexed, citing fiscal responsibility, and stated a full review of thresholds is underway, but did not commit to the 20 per cent increase recommended by the Seniors' Advocate.
Out-of-pocket costs to see nurse practitioners
Asked by T. Wakeham · Answered by K. Howell
The minister said she did not have the number of people paying out of pocket but would get it, and committed to working with the Nurse Practitioners Association to build a plan, without committing to reimbursement.
Tobacco settlement revenue and its impact on the deficit
Asked by L. Paddock · Answered by S. Coady
The minister declined to provide a deficit figure excluding the tobacco revenue, defending the public sector accounting standard, and stated the province's $520-million share, less about $130 million in legal fees, leaves roughly $390 million bookable this fiscal year while payment terms are still being finalized.
Inclusion grants for children with disabilities at summer camps
Asked by H. Conway Ottenheimer · Answered by J. Korab
The minister described the $1,000 family grant and $5,000 organization grant, noted he was three days into the job, and repeatedly committed to taking the concerns back to the department for review rather than offering a specific fix.
Violence in schools and safety measures
Asked by P. Dinn · Answered by B. Davis
The minister said any school violence is unacceptable, cited the School Safety Coalition, $20 million in the budget, and doubled student assistants, but declined to endorse measures like metal detectors and framed the issue as reflecting broader societal problems.
Breakdown of funding for 400 new teaching positions
Asked by P. Dinn · Answered by B. Davis
The minister said he did not have the exact numbers on hand but estimated roughly 170 assistants with the remainder educators, and committed to providing the figures.
Expanding the school meal program to all K-12 students
Asked by C. Pardy · Answered by B. Davis
The minister expressed a goal to expand the school meal program to every school in the province but made no firm commitment to extend it to Grade 12.
Targeted income support for families experiencing food insecurity
Asked by C. Pardy · Answered by J. Korab
The minister cited $42 million for the Income Support Program and enhancements coming in 2025 including removal of age-based variation rates and clawbacks, and committed to taking the suggestion for targeted support back to the department.
Health care access and Internet infrastructure on Change Islands
Asked by J. McKenna · Answered by K. Howell
The minister acknowledged Internet and cell service gaps affecting virtual care and said the Department of Health would work with Transportation and Infrastructure to address them, without a specific timeline.
Diabetes supports and signing on to federal pharmacare
Asked by J. Brown · Answered by K. Howell
The minister said there will be no impact on Health programs from ending the sugar tax and that glucose monitoring will continue, and committed to reaching out to the new federal minister on pharmacare.
Funding and expansion of the school lunch program after loss of sugar tax revenue
Asked by J. Brown · Answered by B. Davis
The minister said the school lunch program would not be impacted, noted 6,000 students are enrolled in the pay-what-you-can program, and expressed intent to further expand it.
Removing HST from home heating
Asked by J. Brown · Answered by S. Coady
The minister pointed to the continued home heat rebate and rate mitigation, noting HST is under federal control, and did not commit to removing HST from home heating.
Road upgrades for Baltic III cleanup traffic near Cedar Cove
Asked by E. Joyce · Answered by E. Loveless
The minister committed to honouring the previous minister's commitment to bring the road to standard and said he had asked staff for an assessment before presenting options.
Environmental restoration after Baltic III road construction
Asked by E. Joyce · Answered by S. Reid
The minister said the Canadian Coast Guard is the lead agency, that the restoration expectation seemed reasonable on its face, and noted the road work had been released from environmental assessment.
Orders of the Day
Budget 2025 subamendment debate
P. Forsey
The Member for Exploits criticized the 2016 removal of 24-hour emergency service at the Dr. Hugh Twomey Health Care Centre, cuts to Supported Employment funding for people with disabilities, and the funding of a Liberal office in Grand Falls-Windsor, arguing the money could support the hospice, fire departments and other priorities.
Correction on Connaigre Peninsula health services
E. Loveless
The Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure rose to dispute the Member for Exploits' claim of closures and diversions on the Connaigre Peninsula, calling it inaccurate and asking the Member to table his source and correct the record.
Correction on Supported Employment program
S. Stoodley
The Minister of Government Modernization and Service Delivery corrected the record on the Supported Employment program, stating contracts were extended to end of July with new contracts starting August 1, that funding is maintained and no participant loses employment, and that government is not the employer.
Budget 2025 subamendment debate
J. Dwyer
The Member for Placentia West - Bellevue marked Nurses' Week, praised Housing staff Wayne Follett and Joe Mercer, and raised health care gaps, a home-support hours case, a Swift Current diesel spill, the Arnold's Cove clinic and road/depot maintenance issues in his large district.
Budget 2025 subamendment debate
J. Wall
The Member for Cape St. Francis challenged the Premier's 'we care' remark, disputed government's food-bank statistics, praised local food banks and the Pouch Cove food pantry run by Tony and Mary Palmer, and raised road grading/shoulder concerns on Routes 20 and 21 and housing wait-lists.
Budget 2025 subamendment debate
P. Dinn
The Member for Topsail - Paradise congratulated the new Premier and Jacob Lewis, and called for investments in drug coverage, long-term and dementia care, the shingles vaccine, glucose monitors, IVF, mental health and school violence, questioned the hydro MOU against the Muskrat Falls inquiry's first recommendation, and raised the overdue Education Accord and Route 60 road conditions.
Budget 2025 subamendment debate
H. Conway Ottenheimer
The Member for Harbour Main argued the budget reflects poor fiscal management and recycled Liberal reannouncements in Justice, commended government for scrapping the sugar and carbon taxes, defended the Opposition's role, and highlighted the province's largest-ever fentanyl seizure and insufficient policing and addictions resources during Police Week.
Budget 2025 subamendment debate
L. Paddock
The Member for Baie Verte - Green Bay advocated bridge funding for the Lionel Kelland Hospice (proposing closing the Grand Falls Liberal office to fund it), road safety and brush cutting on numerous routes, and nurse-practitioner front-line care, and called on government to honour promised clinics in La Scie and Triton and roadwork on Routes 391/392.
House recess
L. Dempster
The Government House Leader moved that the House recess until 2 p.m.
Private Members' Business
Private member's resolution on reducing Labrador air travel costs
J. Brown
The Member for Labrador West moved a resolution calling on government to work with Indigenous partners, businesses and the federal government to reduce costs and increase availability of air travel to, from and within Labrador, describing prohibitive fares (over $1,200-$1,600 return) and noting it is cheaper to fly to Montreal ($500, Quebec-subsidized) than to St. John's.
Debate on Labrador air travel resolution
Multiple
Members from all parties spoke in support, including P. Trimper (calling for third-party cost evaluation and charter opportunities), E. Joyce, F. Hutton (Minister of Tourism, committing to meet stakeholders), L. Parrott, L. Dempster (Minister of Labrador Affairs, citing MTAP and sport travel subsidy expansions), L. Evans, K. Howell, L. Paddock, P. Lane and J. Dwyer, many criticizing the $15-million intra-provincial tourism airfare subsidy as excluding Labrador.
Other business
Withdrawal of remarks and reminder on decorum
The Speaker
The Member for Baie Verte - Green Bay retracted comments from the previous afternoon and the Minister of Seniors withdrew use of the word 'misleading'; the Speaker reminded members of Standing Order 49 and the importance of decorum and respect in the House.
Welcome of visitors and Moose Hide Campaign
The Speaker
The Speaker welcomed Eileen Pendergast and family and colleagues of the Wabana fire department and recognized members' participation in the eighth consecutive year of the Moose Hide Campaign against gender-based and domestic violence.
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.