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Oral
Questions
April 10, 2008
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| In the House | Question
Period
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
My questions today are
for the Premier.
Mr. Speaker, we have
heard many revelations over the past few weeks related
to the Commission of Inquiry into hormone receptor
testing.
I ask the Premier today, if
he is aware of all of the women affected and men with
breast cancer, have been contacted and given the proper
information surrounding their files and how they have
been affected by the hormone receptor testing?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury
Board.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. T. MARSHALL: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
The Minister of Health is
engaged in testimony at the Cameron Inquiry today, but I
will be certainly happy to take the Leader of the
Opposition’s question and get the information and
report back to her and back to the House.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Mr.
Speaker, my next question, as well, is for the Premier. I
would think that someone within Cabinet would know at
this stage if all of these women who have now been
affected have been contacted or not?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury
Board.
MR. T. MARSHALL: Again,
Mr. Speaker, I will ascertain that information from the
Department of Health and provide the information to the
hon. member.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
It was brought to my
attention last evening that at least one woman, that I
am aware of, was only contacted within the last
twenty-four hours and given notification and asked to
come in for retesting. Until this date, she had not
known that she has been part of this process.
I ask again: Is
there anyone who can tell me if there are any other
women who have not yet been contacted, and if there has
been any follow up done on that aspect of it?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Deputy Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. RIDEOUT:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
As my colleague, the
Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board has
said, in his capacity as the first alternate for Health,
the minister who would obviously have, I think, the
answer to that question at his fingertips is otherwise
engaged before the Cameron Inquiry, as we speak.
Now, none of the rest of
us who are here today is carrying that information
around in our head, and I do not think the general
public would expect us to. Our colleague, the Minister
of Health, I expect would be, and maybe the Premier
would if he were here, but both of them are engaged in
public business. We do undertake to get that information
and provide it to the House at the earliest opportunity.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
This is a very serious
issue and a serious circumstance. It is not my problem
that in the absence of the Premier or the minister, no
one is able to answer the question. I can only ask that
government look for the information and provide it to
the public and to the House in as short a time as
possible.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Deputy Premier.
MR. RIDEOUT: Well,
Mr. Speaker, that is exactly the situation, of course,
and both my colleague the Minister of Finance and
President of Treasury Board, and myself, have undertaken
to get the information from the Department of Health as
soon as possible and provide it to the House, whether
that is today or whether it is the next parliamentary
day, but certainly as soon as possible. Without any
delay, we will provide the information to the House as
soon as we have it.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: That
being the case, Mr. Speaker, I will move on to questions
in other departments.
My next question is for
the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs.
Mr. Speaker, both the
Innu Nation and the Metis Nation have supported 21,000
square kilometre land and waterway base park in the
Mealy Mountains. The government opposite is now
proposing to cut the footprint of that park
substantially.
I ask the minister of
Aboriginal Affairs: Has she
been involved in these discussions and is she supporting
this proposed cut in park boundaries?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. JACKMAN: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
First, let it be
understood that as a Province we are very much committed
to the Mealy Mountain Park. The discussions have been
ongoing for a series of time now around that particular
study area. Those discussions are continuing and we, as
a government, are acting responsibly in that regard.
Rest assured that we, as a Province, are very much
committed to a park in Labrador.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
My question was directed
to the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs, who is in her
seat.
I ask the minister again:
Have you been involved in these
discussions and are you supporting a reduced boundary
size for the Mealy Mountain Park?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. JACKMAN: Mr.
Speaker, the lead department on this is Minister Johnson
from Environment and Conservation. Unfortunately, she is
not able to be here today. I am the first alternate and
I will answer questions in that capacity.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. JACKMAN: Secondly,
Mr. Speaker, I will respond as I have already said, that
we, as a government, are very much committed to the
Mealy Mountain Park and discussions are ongoing and will
continue.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Mr.
Speaker, I would like to ask
the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs if she has any
intervention on any government files within government
as it relates to Aboriginal people and has she had
intervention on this file?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS POTTLE: As
a new minister of this government, I am pleased to say
that I am pleased to be here. I have had great support
and I have been involved in all issues involving
Aboriginal peoples in this Province.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Mr.
Speaker, maybe the Minister of
Aboriginal Affairs can tell me how much of this park
that her government is reducing and what size she is now
supporting as the new boundaries?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation.
MR. JACKMAN: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
When discussions are
ongoing it would lead you to believe that nothing has
been finalized. Discussions are continuing. We have not
given direction or specific direction as to what will be
the final determination of the size of this park.
Discussions are ongoing, and until something is
finalized we have really nothing other than that to
report.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Mr.
Speaker, it seems the Minister of Tourism, Culture and
Recreation wants to provide the answers here. Maybe
he can tell me why his government boycotted the steering
committee for the past two years, did not participate in
the meetings and, as a result, have delayed the process
of an important national park initiative in Labrador?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. JACKMAN: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
To the best of my
knowledge, Mr. Speaker, we certainly have not boycotted
any discussion. Discussions have been ongoing, the
steering committee is in place, very much representative
of all the stakeholders that are involved here and
discussions are continuing.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Obviously, the minister
has been out of the department so long he has forgotten
what has happened. You did not show up at the table for
two years. It was only less than three months ago I was
contacted by federal representatives of Parks Canada and
asked if I could find out why the Province was refusing
to participate in the steering committee. So, maybe the
minister has forgotten that.
Maybe he can tell me
this, Mr. Speaker: Will there
be certain sensitive parts of the ecosystem that were
initially included in this footprint, now be removed
based on the new figures that the government is
promoting for land mass?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. JACKMAN: Mr.
Speaker, the department has certainly been involved in
discussions in this regard and as I have already said,
nothing has been finalized. Discussions are ongoing,
continuing. As we allow those to transpire, then at the
end of this process we will see what happens; but we, as
a government, are actively involved, as I have already
said, very much committed to a park in the Mealy
Mountains.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Maybe
I can get some specific details from the minister here,
Mr. Speaker.
Have
the Eagle River waterways been exempt from the Mealy
Mountain National Park concept at this stage, in the new
lands being proposed by the provincial government?
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
The hon. the Minister of
Tourism, Culture and Recreation.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. JACKMAN: Mr.
Speaker, I think the Leader of the Opposition needs to
understand what the word finalized means.
I said, to the best of my
knowledge, there has been nothing finalized. Discussions
are ongoing. Until something is finalized, I cannot
report whether the Eagle River or any other area has
been exempted or included. Discussions are ongoing.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Mr.
Speaker, I have picked berries and it has been easier
than this. Let me just say, I have been on marshes where
there have been hard berries to pick and it has been
easier than this.
Mr. Speaker, let me ask
the minister this. Can he tell
me, in the new lands being proposed by the Province to
the steering committee, that the Eagle River waterways
will be excluded from the national park boundaries?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. JACKMAN: She
might have been picking berries, Mr. Speaker, but the
flies are awfully thick around, too.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. JACKMAN: Mr.
Speaker, this is a very serious matter in terms of
Labrador. We know the importance of establishing a
national park in Labrador, and the discussions are
ongoing with the entire study area. There is a study
area here that has been developed, and discussions are
ongoing about that.
As I have said before,
she does not understand the word finalized. Nothing has
been finalized. Things are under discussion.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Maybe,
Mr. Speaker, the minister would like to tell me, in
the proposed boundaries they have put forward, if the
Kenamu River Valley has been exempt, especially the area
around Area 19 where the timber stands are?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. JACKMAN: I
guess, Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition can
dance around every river, valley, whatever there is
within the study area, but I cannot repeat any more than
- all I can say to her is that discussions are ongoing.
Nothing has been finalized.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Mr.
Speaker, I can say to the minister, I might be dancing
around a river but I know what I am dancing about. I
don’t know if he does over there, but let me ask him
this: Mr. Speaker, can he at least commit that these new
proposed boundaries by the provincial government will at
least go to public consultation in Labrador? Because, as
he knows, a vote taken by Labradorians, administered by
the Protective Parks Association, showed unanimous
support for the 21,000 square kilometre park that was
originally there. With the reduced lands, is this going
to go to public consultation so people can have input?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Tourism, Culture and
Recreation.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. JACKMAN: Mr.
Speaker, I cannot really commit to what the Leader of
the Opposition is asking for, but one thing that is
important here, there is a steering committee that is
set up of Aboriginal groups, the Metis, Parks Canada,
the provincial government and others, and the steering
committee is exactly that. They sit around, they
discuss, and they come forward with recommendations.
The discussions are
ongoing, so we really cannot commit until the
discussions are concluded and then they come forward
with the recommendation.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Opposition House Leader.
MR. PARSONS: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
The people certainly
watching this today see just how forthcoming this
government is when they answer questions.
My question is for the
Minister of Finance. He is always very up front and
straightforward, whenever he has been asked a question.
Mr. Speaker, VLTs are
widely recognized by health care professionals as a
scourge to those people who are prone to gambling
addictions. While government reaps the revenue, the
lives of some of those who play, and their families, are
being destroyed.
A new book was recently
put out by a political science professor from the
University of Prince Edward Island, Dr. McKenna, and he
contends that, in his interviews with provincial
officials, particularly of the Department of Finance, he
found there was fear. He used the words: people were
terrified to speak with him.
I ask the minister: Have
you or anyone in your department given specific
instructions to your staff not to discuss this VLT issue
with anyone outside the department?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Finance and President of
Treasury Board.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. T. MARSHALL:
Mr. Speaker, the answer to the hon. member’s question
is no.
I have seen media
interviews with Dr. McKenna, I think his name is, and I
am looking forward to reading his book, because this
government obviously has spent a lot of time dealing
with the issue of VLTs.
The VLTs were in place
before our government took office. We brought in
policies to freeze the number of machines, and to reduce
the number of machines by 15 per cent over five years.
We have further agreed to reduce the machines by another
5 per cent.
We know that there are
people who do enjoy gambling, and do not have a problem
with it, but we know there are people who have problems
with gambling. One of the things that amazes us is the
fact of how little research there is available out
there, so we are doing research ourselves and we will
continue to monitor it very carefully.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Opposition House Leader.
MR. PARSONS: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, besides what
the minister says the department is doing with regards
to VLTs, or has done concerning the reduction in the
numbers in the system, for example, the comments by Dr.
McKenna go well beyond that. Anyone who read the
articles, and listened to him, I mean, he uses some very
serious allegations and makes some very serious
statements. He talked about the four Atlantic provincial
governments being complicit in how they were dealing
with the VLT issue. In fact, he says, when he spoke to
certain staff in your department, Minister, the staff
said that they have been threatened with being fired if
they spoke with him, and they were quoted in his book.
Now, that is a pretty serious allegation. That goes
beyond what the VLT issue itself is even all about.
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
I ask the member to pose
his question.
MR. PARSONS: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
My question is: Minister,
have you done anything, since becoming aware of this
issue, to check out these allegations? These are very,
very serious.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury
Board.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. T. MARSHALL: Mr.
Speaker, again, as I previously indicated, I saw an
interview with Dr. McKenna talking about VLT revenue,
and the effect it had on certain people. I was not aware
of this allegation, that people in the Department of
Finance of the Government of Newfoundland were scared. I
can certainly advise you that there has been no
direction given to any employee of the Department of
Finance, or the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador,
and there will not be any direction to any employee in
the Department of Finance not to speak to members of the
media. Certainly, no one has to be scared about talking
about an issue that is part of the public discourse and
debate in this Province.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Opposition House Leader.
MR. PARSONS: Thank
you.
As an aside, but still on
the issue of the VLTs, Mr. Speaker, the Atlantic Lottery
Corporation, which administers this, is the agency
responsible for the VLTs in this Province and Atlantic
Canada. While their books receive regular financial
audits, they are not subject to public sector style
value-for-money audits - it is my understanding – the
same way that other government departments and agencies
would be.
I ask the minister: Are
you prepared, and is government prepared, to commit to
requesting that our provincial Auditor General would
examine the books of the Atlantic Lottery Corporation?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury
Board.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. T. MARSHALL: Mr.
Speaker, there were a number of incidents involving the
Atlantic Lottery Corporation and tickets and winners,
and as a result of that, the Board of Directors of the
Atlantic Lottery Corporation engaged, I think it was
KPMG, to do a thorough analysis of the affairs of the
Atlantic Corporation.
Newfoundland and Labrador
is represented on the board. We have two representatives
on the board. One is a Mr. Greene and the other is Mr.
Terry Paddon, the Deputy Minister of Finance. If I
recall, obviously the financial statements of the
Atlantic Lottery Corporation are audited by a firm of
chartered accountants, and I certainly would be prepared
to pass on to the members of the board the suggestion
that possibly the Auditor Generals of the Atlantic
Provinces or representatives of the four be allowed to
go in and conduct such an examination.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Opposition House Leader.
MR. PARSONS: Thank
you.
My next question is for
the Minister of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development.
This morning The
Telegram reported that the ICT group who had a call
centre in Carbonear is slated for closure on June 3. I
direct my question to that particular department because
they did - I believe ICT received funding from this
government by way of a wage subsidy program. This
decision to close this call centre will leave 150 people
in that particular town out of work, and any place in
this Province needs the jobs. Maybe not so much and so
urgently on the Northeast Avalon but certainly anywhere
in rural Newfoundland outside the Northeast Avalon,
every job counts.
My question to the
minister is: Were you aware of
this impending closure and what discussions have
transpired between yourself and the company in this
regard?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Business.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. ORAM: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
No, the fact is that we
were informed yesterday of this particular closure. We
had no idea about this closure until yesterday.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Opposition House Leader.
MR. PARSONS: Thank
you.
Minister, in that regard,
then you have not been contacted. Now
that you are aware of it, what has your department done?
Have you initiated anything to find out what happens
here in terms of the programming? Has the program come
to an end? Did they just make use of the provincial
money and now they have closed up shop? What have you
done within the department to find out what is going on
here, and when might we expect something back from you
in that regard?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Business.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. ORAM: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Yes, in fact we have been
in contact with the company. They are actually getting a
briefing note ready for us now to give us the
information as to what their plans are. From what we
understand, they are going to give eight weeks notice to
their employees at this point, and from there the
department will look at our options and see where we go
from there. I want to say though and stress, the fact of
the matter is this funding has been used. It expired in
2006 for this particular operation. So, the agreement
that they had with the provincial government is over.
Their funding expired, as I said, in 2006.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Opposition House Leader.
MR. PARSONS: Thank
you.
For
clarification maybe, can the minister explain to the
public as well, under the agreements, were there any
timelines or carry-overs? I know the program
was of a certain duration that you would receive the
subsidisation or the wage subsidy.
Is
there any carry-over beyond the time that they received
those subsidies, that they were required or expected to
continue to carry on business in the Province, or did
any obligations on their part, in terms of jobs and
staying in business, did that cease the minute that the
wage subsidy ceased?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Business.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. ORAM: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, in all
honesty, I cannot give you that answer for sure. It is
my understanding that there are no obligations to the
company after their funding is used.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Opposition House Leader.
MR. PARSONS: Thank
you.
Again, to the minister;
call centres, of course, have become a major employer in
this Province; in Central, as it was in Carbonear, in
the Corner Brook area, and certainly here in the City of
St. John’s, one of the major employers. It is our
understanding, and we even had some indication of it
before the situation in Carbonear hit us, that some of
these other call centres might be in jeopardy.
Could
the minister tell us of what information he might have
in that regard? Is it, in fact, true that there are some
concerns in the call centre industry and what is
government doing in that regard?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Business.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. ORAM: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
No. In fact, Mr. Speaker,
we have looked into this and from our understanding,
there are no plans, either by this particular company or
any other company on reducing their jobs and reducing
the number of people who work in this sector.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Member for the District of Port de Grave.
MR. BUTLER: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Despite denials from the
Minister of Education that the School for the Deaf will
close, students and parents still have concerns.
Students are raising concerns with us that they are
being forced into mainstreaming, while the proper
resources are not available to provide the kind of
education they deserve.
I ask the Minister of
Education: How do you respond
to the concerns that are being raised by those students?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Education.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS BURKE: Mr.
Speaker, I would like to say that this government has no
plans to close the School for the Deaf. We do have the
opportunity to offer high school students the option, if
they wish, to do some courses at Gonzaga, basically to
assist with integration. Mr. Speaker, we will continue
to offer those choices to students.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Member for Port de Grave.
MR. BUTLER: Mr.
Speaker, serious concerns are being raised about the
deterioration of services being offered to deaf students
in this Province. Students are telling us that even
though technology has advanced in this area, deaf
students still need special assistance which they are
not receiving outside the School for the Deaf.
I ask the minister: Is
she aware of these deficiencies and what is she going to
do to see that these students get the resources they
require?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Education.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS BURKE: Mr.
Speaker, technology is changing certainly, and because
of advances in technology, students who are deaf or hard
of hearing have the ability to learn or be able to hear
from these devices. One thing we have done is we have
replaced the FM systems so that all students have the
most modern systems that are available.
The other thing we did
is, in one particular case, one student who needs to use
American sign language because there is no cochlear
implants or no technology that is going to enable this
student to hear - up until this year, Mr. Speaker, the
only place where that student could go to school and
learn in American sign language would be at the School
for the Deaf. One thing we have done this year is we
have a teacher who teaches in American sign language,
who is teaching at a school outside the School for the
Deaf so this one particular student can live at home
rather than come to the School for the Deaf. So we are
putting services out in schools.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
The hon. the Member for
Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi.
MS MICHAEL: Thank
you very much, Mr. Speaker.
My first question is for
the Minister of Finance.
I recently had a report
from a constituent that an establishment in her
neighbourhood has just increased its number of VLTs.
My question is: How can
businesses be increasing the number of VLTs on their
premises if government really does have a policy with
regard to the reduction and eventual freeze of machines?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury
Board.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. T. MARSHALL: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Government does have a
policy, initially, to freeze and then to reduce the
number of VLTs in the Province by 15 per cent. We have
now brought in another policy to reduce them by a
further 5 per cent. At the same time, we have funded our
own research in an attempt to find out what we can do to
ensure that people who do have gambling problems are
protected.
I do not know the answer
to the question. I am surprised, as you are, that an
establishment would be able to increase the number of
VLTs. It does not seem to make any sense. I certainly
would be happy, if you would give me the name, to have
my officials check into it.
SOME HON MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Member for Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi.
MS MICHAEL: I
would be very happy, Mr. Speaker, to give the
information to the minister, and I will do that. I also
will be able to give him information about some
practices there where they advertise that if you cannot
use machines on our premises here, you can do it at an
establishment next door, which they also own. Are there
regulations that would say that that kind of advertising
is not appropriate?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury
Board.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. T. MARSHALL: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
I am unaware of any rules
relating to advertising in these facilities, which are
usually liquor licence facilities. I do know we
certainly introduced a number of measures, such as
eliminating the stop button in order to slow down the
pace of play and to have the machines have an automatic
turnoff at a certain period of time.
I understand that
initially there were so many VLTs allowed per
establishment and that the establishments were
encouraged to open a second establishment, sometimes in
the same building, sometimes next door. We are in the
process of eliminating that and reducing the number of
machines per establishment down to five.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Member for Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi.
MS MICHAEL: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
I will continue this
discussion with the minister outside of Question Period.
I do have a question for
the Minister of Justice. I am sorry that I could not get
some information to you ahead of asking this. I am
hoping we can, at least, start a discussion but because
of the way things have gone today, I was not sure I was
going to ask this question.
In the recent Regional
Health Authorities regulations that are now filed, in a
section in those regulations, section 6(5) actually,
there are restrictions on clients who access their files
from a Regional Health Authority. They are restricted
from publicizing information that may be in their files
that could damage, actually, be detrimental to the
personal interest, reputation or privacy of physicians,
members of staff of regional -
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
I ask the hon. member to
pose her question.
MS MICHAEL: I
will, Mr. Speaker.
My question is, we have a
restriction on people using information from their
files: What was Cabinet’s intent in adding this
regulation to the regulations that formerly existed?
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
The hon. the Minister of
Justice and Attorney General.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. KENNEDY: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
I am not aware of that
amendment or the regulations you are talking about. I
certainly will have a look at them and come back. It
does strike me as somewhat strange in terms of
restricting people’s ability to use their information,
but there would have to be an overriding of public
interest. So, I certainly will check into that and we
can continue this discussion further. |
