Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly, Wednesday 20 May 2026
Question Period was dominated by the Churchill Falls MOU and the Independent Review Committee report, with the Opposition demanding public disclosure of the panel's evidence and clarity on what the government would concede in new Hydro-Québec negotiations, while the Premier and Energy Minister repeatedly attacked the former Liberal government for signing the MOU. Other exchanges covered the summer student employment program, population growth and labour strategy, the dissolution of Celebrate NL, court closures and small claims access, heritage building preservation, electricity rate mitigation, and regional health care and road infrastructure issues on the West Coast. The House continued debate on Motion 1 (Budget 2026), with the Member for St. John's West and several MHAs speaking to affordability, public safety, health care, housing, tourism, the food fishery and district-specific concerns. After recess, the Speaker ruled on outstanding points of order and privilege regarding unparliamentary language and photography/videography in the parliamentary precinct, and Members delivered statements and ministerial statements. Private Members' Day featured a resolution from the Member for Windsor Lake urging government to consult and examine restricting social media access for children under 16, with a government amendment ruled out of order.
Members' Statements
Meals to Give program - Brenda Quinlan Anderson
B. Ford
The Member recognized Brenda Quinlan Anderson for leading the Meals to Give program in Gander since 2021, building a network of about 3,000 members and supporting over 400 individuals with meal deliveries.
Tourism attractions in Burgeo-La Poile
M. King
The Member highlighted tourism destinations across his district including the Rose Blanche Lighthouse, Scott's Cove Park, Grey River, La Poile, Ramea, Harvey's Trail, Cape Ray Lighthouse and Burgeo Sandbanks Provincial Park.
Decade Dancers
P. Pike
The Member recognized the Decade Dancers from Grand Bank and Fortune, started in 2008, for keeping traditional Newfoundland and Labrador dancing alive through performances and community service.
Bay de Verde Heritage Premises / Blundon Heritage House
R. Balsom
The Member recognized the historic Blundon Heritage House, built in 1896 and donated to the Town of Bay de Verde, noting its Southcott and Manning awards for heritage restoration.
Belles with Balls
F. Hutton
The Member recognized Belles with Balls, co-founded in 2018 to raise money for ovarian cancer research, for surpassing the one million dollar mark this year with funds staying in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Routine Proceedings
Newfoundland and Labrador Laubach Literacy Council 40th anniversary
P. Dinn
The Minister of Education celebrated the Laubach Literacy Council's upcoming 40th anniversary on May 22 and its work helping thousands improve literacy and numeracy; responses were given by P. Pike and J. Dinn, who called for greater investment in public libraries.
East Coast Music Awards - Newfoundland and Labrador nominees
A. Barbour
The Minister of Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation celebrated 36 Newfoundland and Labrador nominees at the 38th East Coast Music Awards; responses came from B. Ford (noting St. John's will host the 2027 Canadian Country Music Awards) and S. O'Leary (calling for increased arts funding).
Question Period
Public disclosure of Churchill Falls review panel's evidence and work
Asked by J. Hogan · Answered by Premier Wakeham
The Premier declined to commit to disclosing the panel's underlying evidence, instead repeatedly redirecting to criticize the former Liberal government for signing the MOU and quoting the report's conclusion that the MOU is not in the public interest.
Independent review of any future Hydro-Québec deal and what NL will give up
Asked by J. Hogan · Answered by Premier Wakeham
The Premier and Energy Minister refused to commit to an independent review of a future deal or to say what would be conceded, stating they would not negotiate in public but would seek more power, transmission and value for the province.
Whether the review report's recommendations will be included in a new deal and retroactive payments
Asked by J. Hogan · Answered by L. Parrott
The Energy Minister and Premier said the report would serve as a roadmap for a better deal and that a new negotiating team was already in place, but declined to guarantee that every recommendation would be included or to commit to retroactive payments back to January 2025.
Contingency options if Hydro-Québec proceeds without NL and advisors hired
Asked by F. Hutton · Answered by Premier Wakeham
The Premier said discussions with Quebec were already underway and both sides were prepared to negotiate a better deal, while the Energy Minister defended the government's approach and attacked the former administration's record, without detailing contingency options.
Summer student employment program eligibility and funding for community groups
Asked by B. Davis · Answered by L. Paddock
The Minister said the Summer Employment Program remains open, unsuccessful applicants go into a queue as funding becomes available, and pointed to a wage subsidy program, without committing to funding for previously supported groups.
Population growth strategy and responsibility for labour on major projects
Asked by B. Davis · Answered by L. Paddock
The Minister denied being behind on the population growth strategy, saying the government plans then executes, and stated labour needs for major projects span across government and would be addressed.
Dissolution of Celebrate NL and its budget for major events
Asked by B. Ford · Answered by A. Barbour
The Minister said the CCM Awards would come to St. John's in 2027 with $1.3 million in support, and assured there would be no changes to grants as Celebrate NL is absorbed into the department.
Court closures and compensation for missed small claims limitation periods
Asked by P. Parsons · Answered by H. Conway Ottenheimer
The Minister pointed to budget investments and a court working group and progress on sheriff's officer recruitment, but did not commit to compensating individuals who missed limitation periods or could not recover money owed.
Financial incentives for preserving heritage buildings under the Historic Resources Act
Asked by S. O'Leary · Answered by A. Barbour
The Minister described existing grant streams for heritage homes and historic sites that private owners can apply for to fund maintenance and restoration, but her answer was cut off before addressing new incentives.
Plans to get power to Labrador and continued rate mitigation beyond 2030
Asked by J. Dinn · Answered by L. Parrott
The Energy Minister defended the government's rejection of the flawed MOU without confirming a concrete plan for Labrador power transmission, while the Finance Minister said affordability was recognized and various levers were being discussed for future rate mitigation without a specific commitment.
Kidney referral changes and doctor recruitment at Western Memorial Regional Hospital
Asked by E. Joyce · Answered by L. Evans
The Minister said she was not aware of any referrals to St. John's but committed to looking into it, and noted NLHS has active recruitment for the Western Zone.
Damage to Route 450 from Baltic III salvage trucking
Asked by E. Joyce · Answered by B. Petten
The Minister said the issue was news to him but committed to having officials check with the insurance company, stating he believes the insurer, not the province, should be responsible for repairing road damage.
Orders of the Day
Budget 2026 Debate (Motion 1) - St. John's West
K. White
The Member spoke on Budget 2026, acknowledging positive measures (basic personal amount increase, Seniors' Benefit, Child Benefit expansion, more police, school supports and housing investment) but arguing it falls short on poverty, income support, crime and public safety, drug houses, renters' protections and community organization funding in St. John's West.
Budget 2026 Debate - Virginia Waters-Pleasantville
B. Davis
The Member highlighted his district's features (Regatta, trails, schools) and notable residents including Alex Newhook, Abby Newhook, Jaida Lee, Seth Hyde and the three Sergeants-at-Arms who live in his district, noting some budget measures he supports and promising more detailed commentary later.
Budget 2026 Debate - Burgeo-La Poile
M. King
The Member raised concerns about the reduced food fishery days for South Coast NAFO divisions (safety and fairness), tourism supports and summer students, 24-hour snow clearing, road conditions on Route 480, rural health care access, pay equity for self-managed home care workers, and the closure of the Port aux Basques courthouse.
Budget 2026 Debate - Conception Bay East-Bell Island
F. Hutton
The Member reflected on his district, his prior media career and major provincial events, called for a reliable Bell Island ferry service to support tourism and commuters, and urged Members to maintain civility while doing their job of questioning the budget on behalf of residents.
Budget 2026 Debate - Carbonear-Trinity-Bay de Verde
R. Balsom
The Member supported Budget 2026, highlighting $25M for wildfire recovery, rebuilding Cabot Academy, doubled volunteer firefighter tax credits, rural connectivity, small business tax reduction, seniors and youth supports, housing programs, $5.4B in health care, 46 new police officers, and no new taxes or fees.
Budget 2026 Debate - Burin-Grand Bank
P. Pike
The Member raised cost-of-living pressures, the exclusion of 3Ps from the food fishery, the emotional importance of the fishery and safety, rural health care gaps including lack of a doctor in St. Lawrence and a homegrown doctor unable to get a placement, the history of the U.S. Memorial hospital, and the absence of summer students in many communities.
Budget 2026 Debate - Fortune Bay-Cape La Hune
E. Loveless
The Member advocated for recreation investment, detailed the aquaculture industry's economic value, raised food fishery fairness and safety concerns, discussed agriculture plans, fire mitigation and the water bomber decision, and stated he cannot support the budget due to the absence of the 10-bed expansion in Harbour Breton; debate was then adjourned and the House recessed.
Private Members' Business
Private Member's Motion - Restricting social media access for children under 16
J. Hogan
The Member for Windsor Lake moved a resolution urging government to consult stakeholders, examine legislative and regulatory changes to restrict or prohibit social media access for children under 16, and call on the federal government to establish national standards, citing evidence of harm to youth mental health.
Government amendment to the social media motion (ruled out of order)
P. Dinn
The Minister of Education spoke in support of protecting children online and moved an amendment to remove the word 'Liberal' and soften several action words in the resolution; after a recess the Deputy Speaker ruled the amendment out of order, and the Minister reiterated the issue was provincial and non-partisan.
Debate on social media motion - supporting speakers
Multiple
Members B. Davis, M. Butt, J. Dinn, P. Parsons and R. Balsom spoke in support of the resolution, discussing AI-generated content, cyberbullying, media literacy education, the need for consultation, and the balance between restriction and teaching responsible use, with J. Dinn noting rising anxiety and suicidal ideation among students.
Other business
Ruling on point of order - unparliamentary language
Speaker (Lane)
The Speaker ruled that the Government House Leader's May 6 statement suggesting the Leader of the Official Opposition should 'look in the mirror' regarding lies was unparliamentary and asked for its withdrawal; the Government House Leader withdrew his remarks.
Ruling on point of privilege - photography and videography in the precinct
Speaker (Lane)
The Speaker ruled on the Leader of the Official Opposition's point of privilege regarding precinct photography/videography, finding no breach of privilege, obstruction or contempt to date given misunderstandings on both sides, but clearly set out that common spaces cannot be used for partisan purposes and warned future non-compliance could be contempt.
Guest introductions
Speaker
The Speaker welcomed members of the organizing committee for the Canadian Open 5 Pin Bowling Championships and the co-chairs of Belles with Balls, along with other belles and friends.
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.