MR. SPEAKER: Further petitions?

The hon. the Opposition House Leader.

MR. KELVIN PARSONS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I appreciate an opportunity, the last time this session, to enter a petition on behalf of the people of La Poile. Hopefully, we will have it done, so when I come back here in the fall, Mr. Speaker, I will not have to hound the Minister of Transportation and Works anymore to get this done. I think this is the number eleventh or twelfth time we have done this.

The petition reads, very clearly worded, Mr. Speaker, to say what it is that is needed:

WHEREAS the people of La Poile must use the provincial ferry system in order to travel to and from La Poile; and

WHEREAS the people of La Poile and visitors are required to wait at the Town of Rose Blanche from time to time for the ferry; and

WHEREAS there is no restroom-waiting room at the Town of Rose Blanche where users of the ferry service may use washroom facilities; and

WHEREAS citizens of all ages, men, women, children, seniors, disabled persons require washroom facilities as a basic human need in the course of their travels, and particularly while they are awaiting transit systems; and

WHEREAS it is an abuse of human dignity as well as health and safety regulations to allow such degrading and dehumanizing circumstances to continue;

WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the House of Assembly to urge government to immediately construct and operate a waiting room-washroom facility at that location.

People commonly call it the porta-potty petition, Mr. Speaker. In fact, we do not want a porta-potty petition, we want a washroom petition. We did this back earlier on for Ramea, Grey River area, and the minister of that time came through with it. I have had some conversations with the current minister and hopefully he will see his way clear so that we can manage to do this, because it is one of the few locations and areas in the Province where people are still using very demeaning, dehumanizing circumstances. Hopefully, they can get a washroom. It is not a big deal but absolutely essential if you are travelling and using their provincial government service.