MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for the District of Port de Grave.

MR. BUTLER: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

I think I have six more petitions left, two for this week and four for next week. It is getting close to the twenty-fourth of May weekend. All our campers and trailer owners - but a lot of them I guess will not be up singing at their cabins this year like they were in any other years.

Mr. Speaker, I want to read the prayer of the petition:

WHEREAS we the people of Newfoundland and Labrador have always built cabins and tilts away from our home for hunting, fishing, berry picking or just spending time up in the country or places around our shores sometimes just to get away from the stress of everyday living, a place to relax and enjoy the great outdoors - this is word for word, not a word changed, Mr. Speaker.

WHEREAS your government has come down hard on the thousands of cabin and trailer owners that are out on our land with eviction notices and forcing them to move without providing them with an alternative; and

WHEREAS Kruger Incorporated has timber rights to approximately one-third of all forest land on this Island and is refusing the vast majority of application for cabin development;

WHEREUPON your petitioners call upon all members of the House of Assembly to urge government to have compassion on the citizens of this fair Province and allow them to enjoy what is rightfully ours. We were born on this land and should have the right to enjoy it, and as in duty bound your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr. Speaker, I have another couple of hundred names here today from the following areas: Robert’s Arm, Triton, Seal Cove, St. Alban’s, St. Jacques, Conne River, Corner Brook, Harbour Breton, South Brook, Grand Falls-Windsor. Mr. Speaker, those people are asking that we would present those petitions on behalf of them with regard to the life that they have enjoyed and their families for many, many years. Originally, this was not targeted - they would not target gravel pit campers because it was culture uniqueness and a historical meaning to the practice of the people who enjoyed the great outdoors.

Mr. Speaker, many of them are speaking out and asking - in their petition they ask the government to sit down with them, to consult with them. I know there are different areas around this Province where there are major environmental problems. We understand that, and the greater number of those people understands that. They are just asking government to sit down and have a conversation with them so that this can come to a successful conclusion, so they can enjoy the great outdoors like they did for many, many years.

Mr. Speaker, since the last petition I have had a couple of phone calls where people are saying: we hear our member standing up praising rural Newfoundland, and rightly so, talking about how wonderful the Premier is - rightly so - but they said surely they must be able to get up and express the concern that we have with this issue. They are our elected officials. We just want them to ask – it is not being down on government – just ask them to reconsider what they are doing here. This has been going on for years and that is all they are asking each and every member of this House, Mr. Speaker: to reconsider; that they will have another look at it and allow, through the proper procedures, through following all the environmental issues, that lands will be provided for them to continue on with the enjoyment that they have had for many years.