Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly, Thursday 5 March 2026
Question Period was dominated by the Opposition's attacks on the government's Equinor offshore deal and dry dock arrangement, with repeated clashes over whether adequate debate and technical briefings were provided. The Liberal Opposition also pressed the government over broken campaign promises on court closures, police hiring, snow clearing, tax cuts and school safety, while the Third Party and NDP raised school safety audits, pay equity and intimate partner violence. The session ended with an extended point of privilege discussion, as veteran members from all parties decried the deterioration of decorum, personal attacks and heckling in the House. The House opened with the Speaker ruling that no point of order existed regarding comments alleged the previous day, followed by welcomes to guests from the John Howard Society, a new Page, and new Table officers. Members delivered statements recognizing community volunteers and events, while Ministers marked the 2026 Brier, John Howard Society Week, and International Women's Day. The bulk of the day was devoted to second reading of Bill 1, An Act Respecting the Disability Advocate — the government's first piece of legislation — which drew extensive, cross-party support with many members sharing personal and lived experiences before debate was adjourned. The sitting closed with tributes to retiring Sergeant-at-Arms Robert Escott.
Members' Statements
Recognition of Alister MacDonnell
E. Joyce
The Member for Humber - Bay of Islands recognized Alister MacDonnell for organizing donations of over 350 sets of soccer uniforms valued over $10,000 to youth in Uganda.
Cain's Quest 20th anniversary
J. Power
The Member for Labrador West celebrated the 20th anniversary of Cain's Quest, the world's longest snowmobile race, congratulating winners Randy and Sebastian Malleck and thanking racers, organizers and volunteers.
Tribute to Reginald Frederick Bowers
K. Russell
The Member for Lake Melville honoured the late Reg Bowers of Happy Valley-Goose Bay for his service as town councillor, in the Masonic and Shriner communities, and his compassion in helping families access medical care.
Central Newfoundland Hockey League
M. Butt
The Member for Lewisporte - Twillingate recognized the Central Newfoundland Hockey League and its four teams, thanking players, coaches, organizers and volunteers for keeping competitive hockey thriving.
Recognition of Rhona Hynes
L. Stoyles
The Member for Mount Pearl North recognized community leader Rhona Hynes for her decades of volunteerism, including leadership in the Catholic Women's League and roles in tourism and parish life.
Recognition of retiring Sergeant-at-Arms Bob Escott
B. Davis
With leave, the Member for Virginia Waters - Pleasantville recognized constituent Bob Escott for his service as Sergeant-at-Arms since 2021 and over 45 years of uniformed service, and congratulated incoming Sergeant-at-Arms Alex Brennan.
Routine Proceedings
Ministerial Statement: 2026 Montana's Brier
A. Barbour
The Minister of Tourism, Culture and Arts welcomed athletes and fans to the 2026 Brier, noting Brad Gushue's final Brier and Team Young also representing the province. The Members for Gander and St. John's East - Quidi Vidi responded, celebrating the event and stressing continued support for sport infrastructure.
Ministerial Statement: John Howard Society Week
H. Conway Ottenheimer
The Minister of Justice and Public Safety celebrated John Howard Society Week and the organization's 75th anniversary, commending its work in the justice system. The Members for Harbour Grace - Port de Grave and St. John's East - Quidi Vidi responded in support, calling for proper investment in the organization.
Ministerial Statement: International Women's Day
L. Evans
The Minister of Women and Gender Equality recognized March 8 as International Women's Day, honouring women's achievements and the 100th anniversary of women's right to vote. The Members for Placentia - St. Mary's and St. John's East - Quidi Vidi responded, noting ongoing challenges including gender-based violence and the need for pay equity legislation.
Tabling of documents
C. Pardy
The Minister of Finance tabled 15 Orders-in-Council relating to funding pre-commitments for fiscal years 2026-27 to 2035-36, and the Speaker tabled minutes of the House of Assembly Management Commission meetings.
Notices of Motion
Multiple
The Minister of Finance gave notice of a bill to amend the Future Fund Act (Bill 9), and the Minister of Government Services and Labour gave notice of a bill to amend the Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Act, 2022 (Bill 10).
Petition for more policing supports in Conception Bay North
P. Parsons
The Member for Harbour Grace - Port de Grave presented a petition calling for increased policing staff, patrols, community policing initiatives, mental health crisis response and crime prevention investment in Conception Bay North.
Petition to remove PST from residential electricity bills
M. King
The Member for Burgeo - La Poile presented a petition urging government to remove the provincial sales tax from residential electricity bills to provide financial relief and recognize electricity as an essential service, and referenced smart metre concerns.
Question Period
Equinor deal, dry dock and lack of guarantees / debate
Asked by J. Hogan · Answered by Premier Wakeham
The Premier defended the deal, saying it brings the province back into the oil business and creates a new industry ending boom-and-bust cycles, and cited support from Trades NL, the industry and the federal government. He declined to address the lack of guarantees or the pre-signing debate his own words had called for, framing the deal as about workers rather than politicians.
Technical briefing and pre-signing debate on the Equinor MOU
Asked by J. Hogan · Answered by L. Parrott
Minister Parrott said the deal is about the people of the province and asserted the Opposition was offered technical briefings but did not attend or could not accommodate the times. He accused the Opposition of misleading the House and of not truly debating, and defended the deal as far exceeding the 2018 arrangement.
Timing of technical briefing not offered the night of the announcement
Asked by F. Hutton · Answered by L. Parrott
Minister Parrott said the member had attended the Tuesday night announcement, that technical briefings are always offered on Wednesdays, and that the department went over the scheduled hour (an hour and a half) to answer all questions this morning.
Courthouse closures and delayed court pressures report
Asked by M. King · Answered by H. Conway Ottenheimer
The Minister of Justice said timely access to justice is a priority and attributed the report delay to weather and scheduling disruptions, stating the working group is making great progress and the report is coming.
Broken promise to hire more RNC police officers
Asked by P. Parsons · Answered by H. Conway Ottenheimer
The minister acknowledged the difficulty of police work and said she had met with RNC leadership to discuss service delivery, committing that the government would deliver on its promise to prioritize public safety without specifically confirming new hires.
Tourism capital of Canada plan and funding for arts/culture/tourism
Asked by B. Ford · Answered by A. Barbour
The Minister of Tourism repeated the goal of making the province the tourism capital of Canada and said her team is developing a plan, citing a 4 per cent rise in visitors, but did not directly confirm that arts, culture and tourism funding would be protected from budget cuts.
Support for teachers and early childhood educators absent from Throne Speech
Asked by P. Pike · Answered by P. Dinn
The Minister of Education said he has met repeatedly with the NLTA and child care agencies and completed consultations, emphasizing that solutions must come from listening to front-line educators, but did not announce specific new supports.
24-hour snow clearing promise
Asked by J. Korab · Answered by B. Petten
The Minister of Transportation defended returning to 24-hour clearing on 14 busy routes, saying crews are now stationed at depots rather than being called from home, acknowledged challenges with recruitment and market adjustments, and committed to adding routes next year based on data. He denied overpromising and called the Opposition's characterization disingenuous.
Promised tax cut and potential cuts to services
Asked by S. Stoodley · Answered by C. Pardy
The Minister of Finance cited an inherited $948 million deficit and said the upcoming budget would honour the commitment to lower taxes ('stay tuned'). On cuts, he pointed to Bill 5 making the gas tax reduction permanent but did not promise there would be no cuts to services or the public service.
Short application timeline for forest fire prevention funding
Asked by J. Parsons · Answered by P. Forsey
The Minister of Forestry, Agriculture and Lands highlighted the merger of Emergency Services and Forestry, plans to hire more firefighters, more training and a fifth water bomber, and committed to working with communities to keep them safe, without directly addressing the short application window.
School health and safety audit following Tumbler Ridge
Asked by J. Dinn · Answered by B. Petten
The Minister of Transportation said audits and ongoing maintenance reports are done and took the issue seriously, but refused to commit to a deadline, saying he would consult officials and come up with a plan rather than pledging to table a full audit to the House by May 2026.
Pay equity legislation and consultations
Asked by S. O'Leary · Answered by L. Evans
The Minister of Women and Gender Equality said the government is now reviewing pay equity and taking steps to eliminate jobs labelled as 'women's jobs,' aiming to extend equity beyond the public sector to the private sector, but gave no firm timeline for new legislation or consultations.
Declaring intimate partner violence an epidemic
Asked by S. O'Leary · Answered by L. Evans
The minister said the government recognizes gender-based violence as an epidemic and that she, along with the Ministers of Justice and Tourism, are working on the process to formally declare it, committing to that goal without giving a specific date.
Orders of the Day
Bill 1, An Act Respecting the Disability Advocate — second reading
Multiple
The Premier moved second reading of Bill 1, establishing an independent statutory Office of the Disability Advocate as the government's first piece of legislation, with the Minister of Social Supports and Well-Being detailing its independent structure, appointment process, mandate and investigative authority. Members from all parties spoke in support — many sharing personal and lived experiences with disability — including the Members for Humber - Bay of Islands, Placentia - St. Mary's, Fogo - Cape Freels, Waterford Valley, Lake Melville, Burin - Grand Bank, Placentia West - Bellevue, Cartwright - L'Anse au Clair, St. John's East - Quidi Vidi, the Minister of Justice, the Government House Leader, and the Leader of the Official Opposition. Debate was adjourned.
Other business
Ruling on point of order and welcomes
The Speaker
The Speaker ruled there was no point of order regarding comments alleged by the Member for Waterford Valley, being unable to confirm them due to noise, and reminded Members of their Oath and Code of Conduct. He welcomed guests from the John Howard Society, a new Page (Rokiat Adewunmi), and new Table officers Ian Tucker (acting Law Clerk) and Emily Gushue (committee analyst).
Tributes to retiring Sergeant-at-Arms Robert Escott
Multiple
The Leader of the Official Opposition, Leader of the Third Party, Premier, and Speaker paid tribute to retiring Sergeant-at-Arms Robert Escott, recognizing his decades of public service in the Navy, RNC, and House of Assembly, and wishing him well in retirement.
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.