MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I stand today to present a petition on behalf of the people in Labrador with regard to the Trans-Labrador Highway. Mr. Speaker, the prayer of the petition reads:

WHEREAS the Trans-Labrador Highway is a vital transportation lifeline for the Labrador communities, providing access, generating economic activity, and allowing residents to obtain health care and other public services; and

Mr. Speaker, this petition is being circulated all throughout Labrador. It is a concern not just for Labradorians but for all people in the Province who have to use that section of highway. Every single day I am bombarded with e-mails from people who have to use that particular section of road. The horror stories, Mr. Speaker, the horror stories of travelling over this section of gravel road at this time in the year. It is absolutely ridiculous that people in this Province could be left and expected to travel over such a road in such a deplorable condition.

The government and the Department of Transportation and Works have not deployed people to that part of the Province, Mr. Speaker, to look at these sections of roads and to address what the need is. People there are beating up their machines, businesses are doing extensive damage to their trucks and tractor-trailers, and they have gotten no response from the government.

Now, Mr. Speaker, it is unreasonable and irrational even for government to expect this area of the Province to continue on and carry out the kind of business and traffic volumes they have without having suitable roads. The people are desperately asking government to look at this section of road and to do something about it.

One truck driver in the Corner Brook area just started his own Facebook site because he travels that road with one of the largest trucking companies in the Province. He goes in and out of that section of the Province on a weekly basis. He has done that much damage to their trucks in the last number of weeks they even started a Facebook site so he could continuously update people in the Province about every one of his trips and the sections of highway that are the worst. People by the dozens are signing onto that site and writing their own experiences. That is what the people in this part of the Province have had to come to, to try to get the attention of government to address the need to upgrade the highway in that area. It is a gravel road. It is in bad condition. It needs at the very minimum to have crushed stone put on it and to have it grated so that the volumes of traffic that have to depend upon it, Mr. Speaker, have a suitable road to drive over.

I do not know how many members realize this, but all of those small clinics along the Coast of Labrador have no other choice but to take all of their patients out by road ambulance to a larger hospital, ones who are not air medevaced. In order to do that, Mr. Speaker, they need suitable roads. Last week there was one gentleman –

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

I remind the hon. member that her time for speaking has expired.

MS JONES: Thank you.

May I have leave to clue up, Mr. Speaker?

MR. SPEAKER: Does the hon. member have leave?

AN HON. MEMBER: Yes.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. member, by leave.

MS JONES: Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, just two weeks ago I had one patient from the Coast of Labrador who had major back surgery at the hospital, Western Memorial, in Corner Brook. They were trying to transport him home to Labrador. They got him to St. Barbe and the ambulance operators would not pick him up in St. Barbe, take him across on the ferry, and take him over the road because the road was too bad. It was too bad for a man in his condition, who had just had this surgery, to be transported by road. That is how bad these roads are.

I think it is time for someone to start opening their eyes, Mr. Speaker, paying attention to what the plea and the need is for people in this area, and address the road concerns that have been raised by these individuals.