Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly, Wednesday 22 April 2026
Question Period was dominated by the Opposition's attacks on the government's decision to stop depositing excess oil royalties into the Future Fund and by ongoing concerns over the expiring Churchill Falls MOU with Hydro-Québec and power for Labrador West. Other topics included school safety and communication protocols after threats, the nurse practitioner funding model, and repeated questions about the government's climate stance and a doctored AI-generated tourism photo of The Rooms. Exchanges were highly partisan, with ministers frequently deflecting to criticize the previous Liberal administration. The House spent the morning continuing second reading debate on Bill 9, An Act to Amend the Future Fund Act, with numerous Opposition members arguing the amendments weaken the fund by removing mandatory resource-royalty contributions, eliminating the definition of extraordinary circumstances, easing withdrawal restrictions and reducing transparency; debate was adjourned before a vote. After recess, members delivered statements recognizing community volunteers and organizations, ministers made statements on the RISE Awards, Earth Day and the northern cod stock recovery, and a petition on fair firefighting funding was presented. The afternoon Private Members' Day featured the Third Party's motion to cap Newfoundland Power executive salaries and fund bonuses from shareholders rather than ratepayers, which the government moved to amend to first require a jurisdictional scan and further research.
Members' Statements
Burnt Islands Recreation Committee
M. King
The Member for Burgeo - La Poile recognized the Burnt Islands Recreation Committee volunteers for their work supporting youth, seniors and families, naming several committee members.
Tribute to volunteer Wayde Rowsell
P. Pike
The Member for Burin - Grand Bank celebrated Wayde Rowsell of St. Lawrence for nearly 50 years of service, including terms as mayor, advocacy for miners, and authoring the book Waves of Courage.
Kiwanis Club of Carbonear Music Festival
R. Balsom
The Member for Carbonear - Trinity - Bay de Verde recognized the Kiwanis Club of Carbonear's 53rd annual Regional Music Festival and congratulated Senior Rose Bowl winner Liam Rowe.
Heritage Places Poster Contest winner Amber Lethbridge
L. Dempster
The Member for Cartwright - L'Anse au Clair congratulated Grade 7 student Amber Lethbridge, regional winner for Labrador in the Heritage NL poster contest, and acknowledged honourable mentions Abby Martin and Ali Elson.
Portugal Cove-St. Philip's 50-plus club
F. Hutton
The Member for Conception Bay East - Bell Island paid tribute to the PCSP 50-plus club on its 26th anniversary, recognizing president Marg Tucker, longest-serving member Cynthia Squires and late past president Gary King.
Routine Proceedings
Statement on the 2026 RISE Awards
L. Paddock
The Minister of Jobs and Growth, and Rural Development recognized the 20 recipients of the Research Inspired Student Enrichment (RISE) Awards for excellence in STEM; Opposition (B. Davis) and Third Party (S. O'Leary) responded, congratulating students and urging investment in classrooms and supports.
Statement on Earth Day
C. Tibbs
The Minister of Environment, Conservation and Climate Change recognized Earth Day (April 22) and highlighted the province's low emissions and commitment to renewable energy; M. King and S. O'Leary responded calling for stronger climate planning and completion of the climate action plan.
Statement on northern cod stock recovery
L. O'Driscoll
The Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture welcomed the northern cod stock assessment and food fishery survey results, noting he has raised increased limits, expanded seasons and fairness for harvesters with the federal minister; E. Loveless and J. Dinn responded emphasizing fair access and sustainable management.
Petition on fair distribution of firefighting funding
P. Parsons
The Member for Harbour Grace - Port de Grave presented a petition urging fair and timely distribution of firefighting funding, resources and equipment to all volunteer fire departments; Minister P. Forsey responded noting the Wildfire Prevention and Mitigation Program and the return of the water bomber.
Point of order regarding Standing Order 49
P. Parsons
The Member raised a point of order under Standing Order 49, alleging the Minister of Energy and Mines criticized a member for referencing past votes while himself doing so during Question Period; the Speaker took the matter under advisement.
Question Period
Changes to the Future Fund and oil royalty deposits
Asked by J. Hogan · Answered by C. Pardy
The Finance Minister insisted no money is being withdrawn from the Future Fund and it will continue to grow; excess oil royalties will only be contributed when the province reaches a cash surplus, arguing the government should not borrow to invest given the $20-billion debt inherited from the previous government.
Churchill Falls MOU April 30 deadline and power for Labrador West
Asked by J. Hogan · Answered by Premier Wakeham
The Premier dismissed the April 30 deadline as arbitrary, said he would not be held ransom by Quebec, and committed to developing the Churchill River and electrifying Labrador on the province's own terms after an independent review of the MOU is completed.
Power to Labrador West and status of the Upper Churchill MOU
Asked by F. Hutton · Answered by L. Parrott
The Minister of Energy and Mines did not directly answer how power would reach Labrador West, instead attacking the Opposition over MHA pay increases and Liberal donations and contracts, and criticizing their record on the file.
Doctored AI-generated image of The Rooms for National Tourism Week
Asked by B. Davis · Answered by L. Parrott
The Minister of Energy and Mines, a veteran, responded to Davis by defending the Tourism Minister who had admitted her mistake, and accused the Opposition of ignoring health and education issues.
Use of ChatGPT to alter The Rooms image
Asked by B. Ford · Answered by A. Barbour
The Minister of Tourism, Culture and Arts apologized again for using AI in the photo, said she regretted it, noted an AI policy review is under way, and stated her intent had been to celebrate National Tourism Week.
School safety audits and communication after a school threat
Asked by M. King · Answered by B. Petten
The Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure said audits and security work are ongoing conversations led by the Department of Education and could not provide audit details, affirming that student safety is the top priority; the Finance Minister and Justice Minister each committed to investigate the communication issue and report back to the House.
Nurse practitioner program - permanent model versus pilot
Asked by L. Dempster · Answered by L. Evans
The Minister of Health said the program is called a pilot because it is a new, evolving model that will be improved based on feedback from nurse practitioners and patients, emphasizing engagement with practitioners that she claimed the former government lacked, but did not directly address the clinic-based solution.
Minister's comments on oil industry and value of workers
Asked by J. Dinn · Answered by L. Parrott
The Minister of Energy and Mines refused to apologize, defended his moral compass, and criticized the NDP and previous Labrador West MHA over their positions on turning off the taps and carbon tax.
Climate change, the oil industry, and a climate action plan
Asked by S. O'Leary · Answered by L. Parrott
The Minister of Energy and Mines said the Premier's words were twisted, defended the province's offshore oil as the cleanest option and pledged support for both oil and gas and the environment; the Minister of Environment added that the government will balance oil and gas with climate action and is working with stakeholders toward a greener future funded by oil revenues.
Orders of the Day
Bill 9 – An Act to Amend the Future Fund Act (second reading debate)
Multiple
Opposition members P. Pike, J. Dinn, L. Dempster, M. King, B. Ford, E. Loveless, L. Stoyles and K. White spoke against Bill 9, arguing it weakens the Future Fund by removing mandatory non-renewable resource royalty contributions, the definition of extraordinary circumstances, withdrawal restrictions and regulation-making authority, tying deposits to a surplus cash position, and reducing transparency around withdrawals. They framed the fund as a legacy for future generations and cited Norway, Alberta and Quebec funds as models; a point of order on relevance (Standing Order 48) was raised regarding references to Churchill Falls.
Adjournment of debate on Bill 9
L. Parrott
The Government House Leader moved, seconded by the Minister of Finance, that the debate on Bill 9 be adjourned; the motion carried, and the House recessed until 2 p.m.
Private Members' Business
Motion to cap Newfoundland Power executive salaries and fund bonuses from shareholders
J. Dinn
The Leader of the Third Party moved a motion urging amendments to the Public Utilities Act to cap Newfoundland Power executive salaries at rates comparable to deputy ministers and mandate bonus pay come from shareholders rather than ratepayers, citing high executive compensation, rising electricity rates, disconnection practices and precedent from Nova Scotia's 2012 Fairer Power Rates Act.
Government amendment to the Private Member's motion
L. Parrott
The Minister of Energy and Mines proposed a friendly amendment, seconded by the Member for Harbour Main, to first require a jurisdictional scan on power bills/rates and further research before considering the suggested amendments; he disputed claims about winter disconnections and noted Newfoundland Power is a private regulated utility overseen by the PUB. The Speaker ruled the amendment in order.
Debate on the Private Member's motion
Multiple
Members debated the motion and amendment: F. Hutton, M. Butt and H. Conway Ottenheimer (government) framed the issue around cost of living, the PUB's regulatory role and the need for careful research, noting Newfoundland Power is a private Fortis subsidiary; M. King, S. O'Leary and P. Parsons (Opposition/Third Party) supported the motion, sharing constituent hardship stories, citing already-available jurisdictional data, and arguing the change could be implemented now.
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.