MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for the District of The Straits & White Bay North.

MR. DEAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is my privilege to rise again today and present this position on behalf of the air ambulance service from St. Anthony and the district that is being taken away.

I would like to read again to the hon. House of Assembly of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in Parliament assembled the petition of the undersigned residents:

WHEREAS it has been brought to our attention that the air ambulance service is being removed;

WHEREAS St. Anthony airport can provide the most optimal service to the whole of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador;

WHEREUPON the undersigned, you petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the House of Assembly to support and maintain the air ambulance service in the St. Anthony area and furthermore will proceed with strengthening the service with the placement of a Flight Specialist Team located in St. Anthony.

And as in duty bound your petitioners will ever pray. I present that today in this House.

I would like to just refer back to some of the comments or the preamble, if you will, to one of the questions that I asked the Minister of Health regarding the inclusion – or the exclusion, really, of the Rural Secretariat being involved in this decision making process.

I recall being a part of the Rural Secretariat when it was formed back two years ago and I took time to just go on the Web site and to pull off the vision and just look at what it was supposed to be all about. Certainly, as you read that you would think that it certainly would be one of the government bodies in this Province that would be consulted and would be – certainly have a valued opinion in terms of the decision being made before it was made as in this case.

It says: "The vision of the Rural Secretariat is of sustainable regions with healthy, educated, prosperous people living in safe, inclusive communities." Then it lists its mandate. First of all, it talks about promoting "the well-being of all regions of Newfoundland and Labrador through a comprehensive and coordinated approach to economic, social, cultural and environmental aspects of regional development." It says that the Rural Secretariat should act as a "focal point for the provincial government to work with local and regional partners to build strong and dynamic regions and communities." Then it says that the Rural Secretariat – the mandate is to "Ensure that regional concerns are considered throughout the provincial government and promoted at the federal level." If that was not enough, it also says that it is to "Carry out research and analysis of economic and social issues affecting all the regions of Newfoundland and Labrador."

One has to ask the question, when you read that and understand the vision and the mandate, and then also come to the conclusion or come to the realization that this piece of government, if you will, this arm of government’s advisory was never consulted in terms of the consultation process by Mr. Dodge, being consulted by the department, being consulted by the board. Certainly, it brings you back to the conclusion which I have made in this House before and which I will continue to make, and the case that I will continue to make on behalf of the residents of my district, on behalf of the employees of the air ambulance service who are being impacted by this decision having to relocate from St. Anthony to Goose Bay, certainly that this process is anything but a sound researched, well thought out, methodical process. Again it is just one other reason, another reason why today I would call upon government again to be open and honest and realize that this consultation just did not go where it needed to go.

It is my pleasure to present that petition. It will not be the last one, Mr. Speaker.