Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly, Tuesday 28 April 2026
Question Period was dominated by child safety concerns following news reports of a toddler wandering out of a St. John's daycare and the use of tethers to restrain children at a Stephenville pre-kindergarten, prompting a Premier commitment to investigate. Opposition and Third Party members also pressed on intimate partner violence staffing, drug houses, homelessness comments, tourism air routes and labour, a government benefits privacy breach, pharmacare, and AED availability. The Finance Minister confirmed no layoffs in the upcoming budget ahead of its tabling. The Speaker delivered a lengthy ruling on a point of privilege raised by the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Arts concerning personal attacks online and in the House, finding no prima facie breach of privilege or contempt but announcing several measures to address the respectful use of social media by Members. The House heard Members' statements, several Ministerial Statements (including recognition of the National Day of Mourning, the 50th anniversary of Legal Aid, and the ParksNL season), petitions on road paving and an occupational health clinic, and debated and passed second reading of Bill 12 (family law amendments) and Bill 4 (Revenue Administration Act). The House adjourned until budget day.
Members' Statements
Port aux Basques Lions Club 75th anniversary
M. King
The Member for Burgeo - La Poile recognized the Port aux Basques Lions Club for 75 years of service and thanked its volunteers.
Brimstone Head Folk Festival and Fogo Island
J. McKenna
The Member for Fogo Island - Cape Freels highlighted the 41st annual Brimstone Head Folk Festival and encouraged residents to visit Fogo Island's attractions.
Davis Didham Memorial and mental health
S. Gambin-Walsh
The Member for Placentia - St. Mary's honoured Davis Didham, who died by suicide at 19, and commended his family's memorial golf tournament, which has raised over $66,000 for mental health initiatives; she encouraged province-wide mental health first aid training.
Marystown Lions Golden Age 50+ Club kitchen party
J. Dwyer
The Member for Placentia West - Bellevue acknowledged the Marystown Lions Golden Age 50+ Club for hosting a kitchen party and thanked volunteers and musicians.
Centreville Place community centre grand opening
J. Dinn
The Member for St. John's Centre congratulated the Centreville Neighbourhood Association on the grand opening of Centreville Place community centre and highlighted its programs and community-building role.
Routine Proceedings
National Day of Mourning
M. Goosney
The Minister Responsible for WorkplaceNL recognized April 28 as the National Day of Mourning, honouring workers killed, injured or made ill on the job, and emphasized prevention. The Members for St. John's West and St. John's East - Quidi Vidi responded, noting 17 workers lost last year and calling for stronger protections, more OHS investigators and published reports.
50th anniversary of Legal Aid
H. Conway Ottenheimer
The Minister of Justice and Public Safety recognized the 50th anniversary of the Legal Aid Act and thanked Legal Aid NL's staff. Responding Members from Virginia Waters - Pleasantville and St. John's East - Quidi Vidi celebrated the milestone while raising concerns about court closures, delays and the need for sustainable funding.
ParksNL 2026 season
A. Barbour
The Minister of Tourism, Culture and Arts announced a record-breaking start to the 2026 ParksNL season with over 6,000 reservations on launch day, a 19 per cent increase. The Members for Gander and St. John's East - Quidi Vidi responded, with the latter calling for expansion of protected areas and reconsidering the cancelled South Coast National Marine Conservation Area.
Petition on paving Winterland Road Phase II
P. Pike
The Member for Burin - Grand Bank presented a petition calling for funding to pave the remaining section of Winterland Road, citing road deterioration, community growth and access to health care and schools.
Petition on branch roads in Labrador
L. Dempster
The Member for Cartwright - L'Anse au Clair presented a petition to pave branch roads in Labrador (Routes 513, 514, 516), citing increased traffic and safety concerns, and urged the minister not to cancel previously approved and engineered work.
Petition on occupational health and safety clinic
S. O'Leary
The Member for St. John's East - Quidi Vidi presented a petition urging government to act on the Health Accord recommendation to establish an occupational health and safety clinic to help injured workers recover and prevent injuries.
Question Period
Child safety at licensed daycares (toddler wandering onto street and tether restraints)
Asked by J. Hogan · Answered by P. Dinn
The minister called the incidents troubling and unacceptable, saying the department has mandatory reporting protocols and can post violations, provide training, dismiss employees or suspend licences. He noted communication with affected parents amid privacy concerns and that the centre will be monitored more frequently.
Province-wide investigation into use of restraints in child care
Asked by J. Hogan · Answered by Premier Wakeham
The Premier agreed the issue is serious and committed to conducting an investigation into why restraint incidents are happening.
Concrete policy changes to prevent children leaving daycare facilities
Asked by J. Hogan · Answered by P. Dinn
The minister said child care safety policy is not static and is continually reviewed and improved, and that the centre involved will be monitored more frequently and given required training, but did not detail specific completed changes.
Appointment of a provincial director for intimate partner violence
Asked by S. Gambin-Walsh · Answered by L. Evans
The minister confirmed a stand-alone division was created and a director hired on a temporary basis, and defended the move as prioritizing gender-based violence, while criticizing the previous Liberal government rather than detailing consultations.
Landlords profiting from drug houses and system gaps
Asked by K. White · Answered by J. Wall
The minister called it a priority, said eight or nine such houses have been closed since taking office, and committed to working with NL Housing and the RNC and to taking responsibility, though he did not commit to specific legislative changes.
Airline route cancellations affecting tourism
Asked by B. Ford · Answered by A. Barbour
The minister said the department is in regular contact with airlines and airports and monitoring the situation, and highlighted strong tourism numbers, but did not directly assure that all Canadian routes would be maintained.
Tourism sector staffing shortages ahead of busy season
Asked by B. Ford · Answered by A. Barbour
The minister responded by citing strong booking and occupancy figures for Western region operators rather than outlining specific steps to address labour challenges.
Minister's claim of no homelessness in Deer Lake
Asked by K. White · Answered by J. Wall
Minister Wall acknowledged homelessness exists throughout the province and committed to working across departments and on a poverty reduction strategy; Minister Goosney later clarified his comment was well-intended and made to draw attention to helping others.
Layoffs or job losses in the upcoming budget
Asked by B. Davis · Answered by C. Pardy
The minister confirmed directly that there will be no job losses or layoffs in tomorrow's budget.
Safety of the Kilbride turnoff from Pitts Memorial Drive
Asked by J. Korab · Answered by B. Petten
The minister agreed the intersection is dangerous, said brush cutting is planned and a broader traffic study covering the area will assess it, and committed to sharing the study, but would not guarantee all signage and safety work would be completed this year.
Privacy breach through government group benefits provider
Asked by S. Stoodley · Answered by C. Pardy
The minister confirmed a breach occurred but said no banking information or SIN numbers were accessed, that affected employees were notified, credit counselling and monitoring are available, and the system was secured within hours.
CorCare rollout and MyChart accuracy issues
Asked by S. Stoodley · Answered by L. Evans
The minister called the CorCare rollout successful with anticipated issues being addressed, said only one patient's MyChart record was inaccurate and was corrected quickly, and thanked staff.
Provincial pharmacare for diabetes medication and contraceptives
Asked by L. Dempster · Answered by L. Evans
The minister said the province is going back to the federal government seeking to be included in the pharmacare pilot and intends to hold the federal government to account, rather than accepting the door is closed.
Substance-exposed pregnant women, stigma, supports and data tracking
Asked by S. O'Leary · Answered by L. Evans
The minister said she plans to meet with Dr. Drover, is working to reduce stigma through supports and information, and committed that CorCare will now enable province-wide tracking of babies born exposed to substances so services can be targeted; she did not confirm specific budget funding.
AED availability in government buildings and a provincial AED registry
Asked by J. Dinn · Answered by B. Petten
The minister said he would confirm the number of AEDs later, expressed strong personal support for more AEDs and a 911-linked provincial registry with legislation, but stopped short of a firm commitment, saying it falls to the responsible minister and he would work collaboratively.
Orders of the Day
Bill 12 - An Act to Amend the Children's Law Act and the Family Law Act (second reading)
H. Conway Ottenheimer
The Minister of Justice and Public Safety moved and introduced Bill 12, aligning provincial family law with the federal Divorce Act by replacing terms like 'custody' and 'access' with 'decision-making responsibility,' 'parenting time' and 'contact,' defining family violence, establishing relocation rules and encouraging family dispute resolution, all centered on the best interests of the child. Ten Members spoke in support—several sharing personal experiences—and the minister closed debate; the bill was read a second time and referred to Committee of the Whole tomorrow.
Bill 4 - An Act to Amend the Revenue Administration Act (second reading)
C. Pardy
The Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board closed debate on Bill 4, which cleans up the remnants of the discontinued sugar tax legislation, noting the tax collected $12.5 million in 2023-24 and referencing his party's long-standing opposition to it. The bill was read a second time and referred to Committee of the Whole tomorrow.
Adjournment
L. Parrott
The Government House Leader moved adjournment; the House adjourned until Wednesday, April 29 at 2 p.m., budget day.
Other business
Ruling on point of privilege regarding personal attacks and social media
Speaker (Lane)
The Speaker ruled on the point of privilege raised April 23 by the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Arts, finding no prima facie question of privilege or contempt, as the minister was not obstructed in her parliamentary duties and Opposition questions were not intended as personal attacks. The Speaker commented at length on the harmful effects of social media, particularly on women, and announced actions including raising the issue with the Commissioner for Legislative Standards, writing the Standing Committee of Privileges and Elections to consider updating the Code of Conduct, and reviewing orientation and training programs.
Welcome of guests
Speaker (Lane)
The Speaker welcomed representatives from Centreville Place community centre, Legal Aid NL, and former Sergeant-at-Arms Robert Escott to the public gallery.
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.