Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly, Thursday 2 April 2026
Question Period was dominated by affordability and cost-of-living concerns ahead of the Easter weekend, with the Opposition pressing the government to use levers such as gas tax cuts, grocery tax relief, and additional oil revenue, while the Finance Minister deflected by citing CRA administration costs and pointing to the forthcoming budget. Health care recruitment and retention, Family Care Team rollouts, a new Labrador MRI, and Labrador medical travel featured prominently, as did concerns about overcrowding and conditions at Her Majesty's Penitentiary and court staffing pressures under Jordan timelines. Education issues, including school meal programs, skilled trades training and the teacher recruitment/retention shortage, also drew questions, with ministers repeatedly deferring specifics to the upcoming budget. The Speaker ruled on a point of order regarding unparliamentary language, finding the Member for Lake Melville's phrases (including 'choke on it') unparliamentary and requiring their withdrawal, which was ultimately given unequivocally. Members' statements recognized young Francophones, a fallen soldier's memorial garden, a local mayor's business award, volunteer firefighters, and the late Stephen Lewis. Ministerial statements covered correctional officer training expansion in Labrador and progress on the fifth water bomber, and petitions addressed the closure of the Port aux Basques Provincial Court and health service gaps in Southern Labrador. In Orders of the Day, Bill 8 (Wild Life Act amendments) passed all stages, and second reading debate began on Bill 4 to repeal the sugar-sweetened beverage tax.
Members' Statements
Young Francophones at Pancanadian Youth Parliament
S. Stoodley
The Member for Mount Scio recognized young Francophones from Newfoundland and Labrador—including Nicholas Abrard, Rania Amirouche, Maya Marmouche and Meaghan Lee—who participated in the Pancanadian Youth Parliament in Ottawa in January.
Private Kevin Kennedy Memorial Garden
S. Gambin-Walsh
The Member for Placentia - St. Mary's honoured Private Kevin Kennedy, killed in Afghanistan in 2007, and the memorial garden in St. Vincent's that recognizes 38 soldiers with ties to the area.
Mayor Carol Molloy named Top 25 Most Powerful Women in Business
J. Dwyer
The Member for Placentia West - Bellevue congratulated Come By Chance Mayor Carol Molloy on being named one of Atlantic Business Magazine's Top 25 Most Powerful Women in Business.
St. George's Fire Department
H. Cormier
The Member for St. George's - Humber recognized the dedication and service of the volunteer members of the St. George's Fire Department.
Tribute to Stephen Lewis
J. Dinn
The Member for St. John's Centre paid tribute to the late Stephen Lewis, a former NDP leader and UN advocate for social justice, HIV/AIDS response, and anti-apartheid work.
Routine Proceedings
Correctional officer recruitment training program
H. Conway Ottenheimer
The Minister of Justice and Public Safety announced the Correctional Officer Recruitment Training Program will be offered in Labrador this summer, with 38 students currently enrolled in St. John's and Mount Pearl; Opposition members welcomed the training while calling for a broader retention plan and better working conditions.
Fifth water bomber progress
B. Petten
The Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure reported that repairs on the fifth water bomber are on schedule for a May 1 return to service; Opposition members welcomed the news, credited former MHA Jordan Brown, and urged permanent hiring of seasonal wildfire staff and pilot recruitment.
Notice of motion on House hours
L. Parrott
The Government House Leader gave notice under Standing Order 11(1) that the House not adjourn at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 21.
Notice of Bill 12
H. Conway Ottenheimer
The Minister of Justice and Public Safety gave notice of a bill to amend the Children's Law Act and the Family Law Act (Bill 12).
Answer regarding roadwork fairness
B. Petten
The Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure responded to questions about roadwork fairness by listing amounts spent in former Liberal districts over the past five years, defending the government's approach as fair.
Petition to reopen Port aux Basques Provincial Court
M. King
The Member for Burgeo - La Poile presented a petition calling for the reopening of the Provincial Court in Port aux Basques, citing barriers to justice, and criticized the delay of the working group report which acknowledged staffing shortages.
Petition on Labrador South Health Centre services
L. Dempster
The Member for Cartwright - L'Anse au Clair presented a petition urging the return of doctor, X-ray and lab services to the Labrador South Health Centre; the Minister of Health responded committing to work with NL Health Services to restore services and improve communication about doctor availability.
Question Period
Cost of living relief — gas tax, grocery tax, oil revenue and budget cuts
Asked by J. Hogan · Answered by C. Pardy
The Premier defended having the lowest gas tax in Canada and pledged not to balance the books on the backs of residents, while the Finance Minister repeatedly cited a roughly $3 million CRA administration cost as the barrier to cutting grocery tax and said he was not aware of any budget cuts, deferring substantive relief measures to the upcoming budget.
Court staffing and risk of dismissed trials under Jordan timelines
Asked by J. Hogan · Answered by H. Conway Ottenheimer
The minister declined to comment on the specific halted murder trial but assured sufficient officers would be in Corner Brook, and said she was optimistic about a Provincial Court Working Group's findings and initiatives like virtual bail court to address systemic Jordan-timeline pressures.
HMP replacement penitentiary construction
Asked by P. Parsons · Answered by B. Petten
The minister defended cancelling the new hospital but confirmed the sole-source HMP replacement contract, costing north of $700 million, would proceed and be built despite it being an inherited agreement.
Expansion of the Physical Activity Tax Credit and travel/gas cost impacts
Asked by B. Ford · Answered by C. Pardy
The Finance Minister praised the questions but repeatedly declined to reveal details, saying anything providing relief for children in sport is taken seriously and that measures would be reflected in the budget when delivered.
Paid student work terms and tuition rebates for graduates
Asked by B. Davis · Answered by C. Pardy
The minister said extensive consultation had occurred on these platform commitments but would not confirm inclusion, directing the member to wait for the budget which he said would reflect those consultations.
New Labrador MRI machine and medical travel commitment
Asked by L. Dempster · Answered by L. Evans
The minister confirmed the MRI commitment in the blue book will be delivered and touted a Labrador regional health council, but did not clearly answer whether medical travel would be 100 per cent free versus merely 'affordable.'
Physician and clinic closures and patient care plans
Asked by J. Korab · Answered by L. Evans
The minister blamed the state of health care on ten years of Liberal government and said she is working with physicians, providers and NL Health Services to address affected patients and deliver timely, accessible care.
Corner Brook Family Care Team opening date
Asked by J. Parsons · Answered by L. Evans
The minister did not provide an opening date, instead emphasizing that many Family Care Teams were announced but not properly staffed, and committing to focus on recruitment and retention to 'clean up the Liberal mess.'
Expansion of the K-12 school meals program
Asked by P. Pike · Answered by P. Dinn
The minister committed to continuing and rolling out the school lunch program to additional schools this year with the goal that all eligible children can access it.
Roadwork, brush cutting and ditching in Placentia - St. Mary's
Asked by S. Gambin-Walsh · Answered by B. Petten
The minister said brush cutting and ditching would be done as needed based on expressed need and road safety, noting increased moose fencing budget as part of the government's safer communities initiative.
Skilled trades course expansion and teacher recruitment/retention shortage
Asked by J. Dinn · Answered by P. Dinn
The minister said the government is working with the NLTA, meeting again next week, to encourage skilled trades in classrooms and to reverse the rising reliance on retired substitute teachers, attributing the trend to the previous government.
HMP overcrowding conditions and restorative justice funding
Asked by S. O'Leary · Answered by H. Conway Ottenheimer
The minister said inmate and staff safety is a priority and that she has discussed overcrowding solutions with NAPE and correctional officers, and affirmed commitment to rehabilitation and programming, but gave no specific budget funding figure for restorative justice.
Orders of the Day
Bill 8 - An Act to Amend the Wild Life Act (Committee of the Whole and third reading)
Multiple
The House considered Bill 8 in Committee of the Whole, with members questioning the Minister of Forestry, Agriculture and Lands on search powers and telewarrants, coyotes as fur-bearing animals, licence revocation, not-for-profit moose licences, invasive species, cormorant permits, food bank donations, and wildlife nuisance issues; the bill passed all clauses without amendment and was read a third time and passed.
Bill 4 - An Act to Amend the Revenue Administration Act (second reading, sugar tax repeal)
C. Pardy
The Minister of Finance moved second reading of Bill 4 to fully eliminate the sugar-sweetened beverage tax from legislation, arguing it was an affordability issue, that the province was the only jurisdiction to adopt it, and that sugar consumption was declining before the tax; the Minister of Jobs and Growth added supportive remarks calling it a tax on culture, business and tourism.
Bill 4 debate - Opposition responses
Multiple
The Member for Mount Scio noted the tax had already been removed since July 1, 2025 per the previous government's press release, and criticized the government for debating a change from zero to zero rather than promised income and small business tax cuts; the Member for Corner Brook discussed sugar's health impacts, nudge theory, and criticized the government for unproductive bills that change nothing.
Adjournment of debate and House
L. Parrott
The Government House Leader moved to adjourn the debate on Bill 4 and then to adjourn the House until Tuesday, April 21 at 1:30 p.m.; both motions carried.
Other business
Speaker's ruling on point of order regarding unparliamentary language
Speaker (Lane)
The Speaker ruled on a point of order raised by the Member for Cartwright - L'Anse au Clair under Standing Order 49, finding that the Member for Lake Melville's phrases 'choke on it' and other remarks were unparliamentary and asking that he withdraw them.
Withdrawal of unparliamentary remarks
K. Russell
The Member for Lake Melville withdrew his remarks, and after the Speaker requested he do so unequivocally, he withdrew them unequivocally.
Welcome of guests to the public gallery
Speaker (Lane)
The Speaker welcomed Mayor Carol Molloy of Come By Chance and her family, along with young Francophones Nicholas Abrard and Rania Amirouche and their families.
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.