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Oral
Questions
December 2, 2008
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| In the House | Question
Period
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime
Minister’s actions and dictatorial approach to
democracy have left this country in a political
upheaval. The Prime Minister’s attempt to attack
democracy and eliminate funding for Opposition parties
was certainly the actions of a heavy-handed leader. Mr.
Speaker, what happened in Ottawa is not unlike what has
been happening in Newfoundland and Labrador when the
provincial government members rejected funding increases
to Official Opposition parties, especially this party in
the House of Assembly.
So I ask the Premier
today, Mr. Speaker: Did you
direct or in any way, shape or form discuss the issue
with the government members of the House of Assembly
Management Commission on how they should be voting with
regard to funding for the Official Opposition in
Newfoundland and Labrador?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Government House Leader.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS BURKE: Mr.
Speaker, as the Government House Leader certainly I sit
on the Management Commission of the House of Assembly,
along with other colleagues, being the MHA for Topsail,
and the Minister of Transportation and Works. Mr.
Speaker, we have an open debate in the Management
Commission. It is a televised debate. It is one where we
are able to put forth our suggestions, our ideas, our
opinions and then we also have an opportunity to vote.
There are rules established around the Management
Commission as regarding who sits on that Commission, how
we deal with issues, and we deal with those issues in a
very public manner. Mr. Speaker, it is all recorded, as
you would know, in Hansard and it is also available to
the people of Newfoundland and Labrador through the
television. So, Mr. Speaker, we go to that, we perform
our role and we certainly make the decisions that we
are, I guess, empowered or we have the authority to do
at that Management Commission.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
But my question is for
the Premier. In light of what we are seeing happening in
the country today, in light of the fact that in
Newfoundland and Labrador government members rejected
funding for the Official Opposition as part of a
democratic process, I ask you Premier: Did
you engage in any discussion in any way with the members
of the management committee from your own caucus in
terms of how they should be voting with regard to this
funding?
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
The hon. the Government
House Leader.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS BURKE: Mr.
Speaker, the decisions that were made regarding the
funding were made at the Management Commission and were
made by the people who sat on that Commission. We have
heard it over and over again that the Opposition has no
funding but, in fact, Mr. Speaker, following the
election in 2007 there was a decision made by the
Management Commission at that time, although I was not a
member at that time, that without any background or any
reasoning just felt that resources needed to be
increased and $100,000 at that time was given to the
Official Opposition and the Third Party. When it came to
the Management Commission, there was a decision made
regarding the resources based on a report, but not
necessarily the fact we had to accept a report, they
were recommendations that came to the management
committee and the people who sat on the management
committee had the authority to make decisions. Based on
that, we certainly felt that the decision to have base
funding for all parties at $100,000 was reasonable, and,
Mr. Speaker, the Official Opposition received that
$100,000 as well.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Mr.
Speaker, this is the same member today who talks about
fiscal prudence who went in there and voted for
increases for her own caucus, increases far and above
what was even required or asked for but ignored the
independent recommendations in the report that said the
Official Opposition in the Province should have more
resources.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh,
oh!
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
MS JONES: Mr.
Speaker, I ask the government today. Differentiate
yourselves from your cousins in Ottawa, don’t take the
approach of Prime Minister Harper, and revisit this
issue and allocate the funding that was recommended to
the Opposition in Newfoundland and Labrador so we can
have a proper democracy in this Province.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh,
oh!
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
PREMIER WILLIAMS: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Don’t try and compare
us to what the Harper government has done in Ottawa. We
have not done anything with regard to cutting off any
political funding for your party. It is up to you to go
out and raise whatever funds you want to go out and
raise to support your party; it is a completely
different issue.
What has happened in this
Province - and I concur with the decision of the
management committee, I concur with the decision of the
majority of the management committee. In fact, there was
a base allocation that was given to each party of
$100,000. Yours was given to you early - that was not
even mentioned. You came back and you asked for $150,000
more. So you wanted the NDP to have $100,000, the
Conservatives to have $100,000, but the Liberals should
have $250,000.
When we were in
Opposition we had $28,000 per member for nineteen
members. You have $150,000, $150,000, $150,000, plus the
$150,000 that you are paid as Leader of the Opposition.
So that is $300,000 plus for you alone to do your job,
and $150,000 for you, and $150,000 for you, plus your
salaries. Now that is enough money for three people as
far as I am concerned!
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
The hon. the Leader of
the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you Mr. Speaker.
If the Premier is going
to speak to it, speak with the facts I say to you, hon.
member. Because let me tell you, Mr. Speaker, it is not
what we asked for, it is what was recommended by an
independent consultant hired and paid for by the House
of Assembly in Newfoundland and Labrador. It was that
individual in that report that recommended the funding
configuration for the Official Opposition. It was your
government who voted for more money for your own party,
more money for the NDP, but less money for the Official
Opposition.
I ask again: In
light of the fact that we have independent consultant
reports that justify the funding being given to the
Opposition in Newfoundland and Labrador and looking at
it under the premise that we are the lowest funded in
Atlantic Canada, will you do the right thing and will
you ask your members to support the additional funding
for the Opposition office?
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh,
oh!
MR. SPEAKER: Order
please!
The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
PREMIER WILLIAMS: Mr.
Speaker, the management committee makes the decisions.
The consultant does not make the decision. As far as I
am concerned, the fact that each one of the hon. members
opposite are receiving an extra $150,000 each is enough
money for them. When we break out what our forty-four
members are getting as support for what they do – and
they are also members of this House of Assembly – they
are averaging out at about $13,000 each. They are now
getting $13,000 extra support if we average it out.
When we were in
Opposition we got $28,000 for support and you are
getting $150,000 each, in addition to your salaries and
in addition to the CAs, Constituency Assistants, that
hon. members opposite have as well. Now that is a lot of
money for three people, I can tell you right now. I do
not care what they recommended, as far as I am
concerned, I concur with the Management Commission on
their decision.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: Order
please!
The hon. the Leader of
the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
The hon. member can spin
this however he wants. The reality is that three years
ago, on a pro-rated basis, when you were the Leader of
the Opposition five years ago you were getting more
money to run that office then than we are getting today,
and that is a fact, Mr. Speaker. That is the fact!
Mr. Speaker, let me –
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh,
oh!
MR. SPEAKER: Order
please!
I ask members to allow
the hon. member to ask her questions.
The hon. the Leader of
the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Let me move on to this
question since the Premier is speaking today, let me ask
this question: Mr. Speaker, media reports have indicated
– I asked your minister yesterday, I did not get an
answer – that the federal government is considering
the sale of federal assets, including the 8.5 per cent
share of Hibernia. Now, over the last number of weeks we
have heard your comments in the media about you kissing
and making up with Prime Minister Harper. In the course
of that happening, were there
any discussions in those friendly sittings that you had
with regard to the purchasing of those assets that are
currently there in Hibernia?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
PREMIER WILLIAMS: Mr.
Speaker, we are constantly evaluating and re-evaluating
our oil assets, we are re-evaluating the Hibernia piece,
which is now, of course, worth somewhat less as a result
of the price of oil, but now, because of the political
dynamic which is happening in Ottawa, if, in fact, a
coalition forms the government as early as possibly next
week, we will have a Liberal-NDP coalition, the NDP,
through Jack Layton, have offered to transfer the 8.5
per cent interest in Hibernia to the Province
(inaudible).
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
PREMIER WILLIAMS: So
my question to you would be: Why pay for it when you can
get it for nothing?
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
The hon. the Leader of
the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
I certainly thank the
Premier for his response, because my next question was
how he was going to challenge the NDP to meet that
obligation.
Mr. Speaker, we also know
that the Harper government does not support a loan
guarantee on the Lower Churchill, but in the process of
this strategy that is going ahead now to look at a
potential coalition government in Ottawa I ask the
Premier: What will be the
strategy of this Province to ensure that we get a
secured commitment this time from the government on the
Lower Churchill?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
PREMIER WILLIAMS: Mr.
Speaker, the current Prime Minister, Prime Minister
Harper, had indicated verbally that he would support a
loan guarantee.
Our strategy on a
go-forward basis would be to obtain the 8.5 per cent
interest from Hibernia, it would be to obtain a loan
guarantee from either the Harper government or a
coalition government, and, in addition, it would be to
obtain infrastructure funding – rapid infrastructure
green funding – from a coalition government or a
Harper government in order to help fund the Lower
Churchill and/or a transmission line from the Lower
Churchill to provide power to other areas.
I have in my hands a copy
of the policy accord from the recent coalition which was
formed. It is interesting to note that they have a
fairly detailed proposal laid out with regard to an
economic stimulus package, rapid support for those
affected by the crisis, other priorities, and in their
economic stimulus package it states: accelerating
existing infrastructure funding and substantial new
investments, including municipal and interprovincial
projects, transit, clean energy, water corridors and
gateways.
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
I would ask the hon.
Premier to complete his answer.
PREMIER WILLIAMS: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
I would suggest, as a
result of this accord, if you took the time to read it,
you would realize that a new coalition government would
support, in fact, clean energy and water, and that is
what the Lower Churchill is all about.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday we
also posed questions with regard to the economic shift
that we see happening in the country, and how it is
affecting our Province. The ministers that responded
said it is business as usual. Well, Premier, it is not
business as usual for many of the industrial sectors out
there in the Province today, and the people who are
affected.
I ask you: At
what stage will your government now bring forward an
action plan to address the economic situation in
Newfoundland and Labrador and to give us a new fiscal
update and outlook?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
PREMIER WILLIAMS: Mr.
Speaker, I have already indicated in this hon. House,
and the Minister of Finance has indicated in this hon.
House as recently as yesterday, that there will be an
economic update which will be provided while this House
is sitting, during this current sitting, and that will
be sooner rather than later. That will, in fact, happen.
We will continue to do
exactly what we have been doing for the last five years,
and that is to run this Province properly, fiscally
responsibly, and to put us in the best possible position
that we could be in, in a very dire economic situation.
So we are well
positioned. We will continue to do what we are doing. We
will continue to do it right. We are monitoring on a
daily basis absolutely everything that is happening, and
I am sure the people of Newfoundland and Labrador are
quite comfortable with us at the helm in this particular
time.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
When I hear that we are
maintaining the status quo and it will be business as
usual, Mr. Speaker, I do not sense that there is going
to be any stimulus package in Newfoundland and Labrador
to help offset some of the things that are going on.
I ask you, Premier: Is
this part of the strategy that you are working on, and
will we see some additional investments in the economy?
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
PREMIER WILLIAMS: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, at this
point in time we have no reason to believe whatsoever
that we will be cutting back on our infrastructure
program in any manner whatsoever. We are spending as
much as a half billion dollars a year on infrastructure.
That includes roads; everybody in the Province can see
that. They drive over them every day; they know what we
are spending on our roads. That includes schools, as the
Minister of Education knows. That includes hospitals, as
the Minister of Health knows, and long-term care
facilities. That includes municipal infrastructure, as
the Minister of Municipal Affairs knows, and it goes on
and on and on.
We are spending as much
as we can to stimulate the economy without overheating
the economy, and making sure that we get the best bang
for our buck, and we will continue to do so.
Thank you very much.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
In the last couple of
days I have asked questions of the Minister of Natural
Resources with regard to IOC, and to tell us what is
happening with IOC. Again we have breaking news, after
just asking her questions yesterday, of temporary
employees and students who are definitely going to be
impacted.
I ask you today,
Minister: Can you give us some
real information in terms of the number of temporary
jobs that are impacted, and what the impact is going to
be to subcontractors in that area?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Natural Resources and Deputy
Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS DUNDERDALE: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
IOC informed me on Friday
morning, Mr. Speaker, that they were going to delay
Phase 1 and Phase 2 of their expansion program, that
this would not have an impact on their permanent
employees other than it might have an impact on
overtime. The delay of the expansion is going to have an
effect on services that they would have contracted to do
pieces of work around that. It would have an impact on
temporary workers who would be called upon to do that
kind of work.
They did not provide to
me at that time the numbers that were affected for
potential people who would be involved in that contract.
My main concern at that point in time, Mr. Speaker, was
for the permanent employees of IOC, and I am glad to
know that there will not be any layoffs of permanent
employees at IOC at this time or in the short term.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Do you
have any idea how many temporary employees will be
impacted, how many of the students that normally would
go to work there - because, as you know, the mining
training facility is there and those students depend
upon that company for that work for part of their
schooling as well - and can you tell us any idea what
the scope of the business impacts are going to be in
that area? Do you have a handle on this at all?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Natural Resources.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS DUNDERDALE: Mr.
Speaker, I am called upon to do many things, as a member
of this House of Assembly and as a member of the Cabinet
of this government. To manage the business plans of IOC
is not one of them.
Now, Mr. Speaker, I do
not have information on the expected number of people
who would be given contracted services. We know the
terms of the money that was announced for that
expansion, and it is significant, but they are not
people currently under the employ of IOC either in terms
of temporary workers or contractual services.
I will undertake to go
back to IOC, to see if they can provide any information
with regard to that, but I do not have it at the moment,
Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Mr.
Speaker, the entire industrial sector in this Province
is shifting. The minister could not tell us what was
going on with Abitibi in its future in Grand Falls. She
cannot tell us what the impacts are going to be with the
changes in IOC in Labrador West. We have Wabush Mines
today going in to meet with their unions, to look at
where they will be downsizing.
Maybe,
Minister, you could give us an update; tell us what the
future of Wabush Mines is going to be, the amount of
workers going to be impacted there, and what the impact
is going to be in the local economy?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Deputy Premier and Minister of Natural
Resources.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS DUNDERDALE: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I am going
to tell you quite honestly, I am not interested in
engaging in this kind of foolishness with the member of
the Opposition. This is a very, very serious time for
industrial workers in this Province, in Grand
Falls-Windsor, in IOC, and certainly in Wabush today as
the management meets with workers to find what is in
store for them over the next coming months.
Mr. Speaker, we are
engaged on a daily basis with these companies. We are
being proactive and supportive where we can. We are
doing everything that we can in the Province to provide
an economic stimulus. We are encouraging the federal
government in whatever form that it takes to come with
an economic stimulus program so that we can ride out
this storm, and hopefully, have something to work with
at the end of the day that we can rebuild the economies
in these commodity markets.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
The hon. the Leader of
the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
I am pleased to hear that
the minister at least thinks it is serious. So maybe she
can get a better handle on what is happening in all of
these sectors because it affects every single one of us
in Newfoundland and Labrador, I say to the minister.
Yesterday the government
announced the results of this year’s offshore land
sales. The numbers for this year are way down, with
total bids of $2.4 million and three of five parcels not
receiving any bids.
I ask you minister: Have
you been given any indication, do you have any idea as
to why the interest is down this year? Is it a result of
the downturn in the economy or is it business as usual,
like you said yesterday?
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
The hon. the Minister of
Natural Resources.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS DUNDERDALE: Mr.
Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition gave us a history
lesson yesterday on Abitibi and its operations here in
Newfoundland and Labrador over the last 100 years. I
would respectively suggest that she start using some of
that research money, not on that piece, Mr. Speaker, but
what is going on in the world today so she can better
understand it.
So yes, we have -
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh,
oh!
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
I ask members for their
co-operation.
The hon. the Minister of
Natural Resources.
MS DUNDERDALE: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I am happy
to report that in the land sales that we have had in the
last two years, we have commanded some of the highest
prices for land for oil exploration in this Province
since the beginning of that whole industry here. The
lands that we had for sale in this last round, Mr.
Speaker, are in areas that there has not been a lot of
prospecting; they are a very challenging environment. We
are absolutely delighted that one of the land sales was
picked up in the Sydney Basin. So there are absolutely
reasonable answers to why – given the price of oil and
the times that we are in – those land sales were not
picked up.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: Order
please!
The hon. the Opposition
House Leader.
MR. KELVIN PARSONS: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
My question is for the
Minister of Justice. I asked a couple of questions
yesterday about the release of the recent report that
was done into the correctional facilities, submitted in
September, not yet released. The minister indicated, or
did not give us much timelines as to when it would be
other than that it would be.
In the course of
answering a second question yesterday, the minister
indicated – when I asked about the preventable death
at HMP and the suicide, would there be any further
inquiries into those particular incidents. You indicated
you had had some conversations with the general public.
I ask the minister
specifically, I understand a former minister did meet
with the parent of one of the deceased and asked that
some specific action be taken. Did
you, in fact, follow up on the commitments that were
made by the former member? Because according
to our information, the parents have not had any further
contact or follow up from the Department of Justice
since that meeting took place.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Justice and the Attorney General.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. T. MARSHALL: Mr.
Speaker, I do not know what parent or what person the
hon. member is referring to. Since I have become
Minister of Justice I have had meetings with the parent
of one person who suffered a death. The questions were
asked. I met with the parent at his request. I have had
discussions with the officials of my department and at
the appropriate time we will make the appropriate
decision.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Opposition House Leader.
MR. KELVIN PARSONS: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
The ministry has
obviously found enough in the report so far, or the
former minister did, to justify the firing of
Superintendent Scoville and the second in command, Ms
Aylward, I understand.
Can
the minister tell us, this report that you are so far
keeping secret, have you picked anything else out of the
report or acted upon it in any way that we are not yet
aware of, in addition to these firings?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Justice and the Attorney General.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. T. MARSHALL: Mr.
Speaker, first of all, let me say that it would be
totally inappropriate for me in my capacity as the
Minister of Justice, to comment on any personal
employment matters, and I will not do so.
Secondly, as I said
yesterday in this House, government is going through the
normal processes and protocols that it would be involved
with respect to the release of the report, and when the
report is released, and it will be released very
shortly, the answers to the questions will be apparent.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Opposition House Leader.
MR. KELVIN PARSONS: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
In June of 2007, the
Office of the Citizens’ Representative released a
report recommending improvements to the Newfoundland and
Labrador Correctional Centre for Women at Clarenville.
It noted at that time, 2007, that there was insufficient
programming and no counselling team had even entered the
facility since 2006. We are now aware of further
problems at Clarenville.
I ask the minister: Was
the report of 2007 by the Citizens’ Rep ever acted
upon?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Justice and the Attorney General.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. T. MARSHALL: Mr.
Speaker, as I said yesterday in the House, my
predecessor in the Department of Justice, with a view to
safe living and working conditions in all of our
correctional institutions, including the women’s
institute at Clarenville, hired two officials with - or
contracted with former senior managers of the
Correctional Services of Canada to do a complete and
independent review.
That review is very
all-encompassing. It was a very comprehensive report.
There are seventy-seven recommendations over ten general
themes, and that report will be released shortly. We
look forward very much to the recommendations and how it
can help the correctional system in the Province of
Newfoundland and Labrador.
Mr. Speaker, last year I
went around this Province with a clock to draw attention
to the interest on the public debt. I think this report
will draw attention and make the needs of the correction
services of this Province part of the public debate and
public discourse to the Province of Newfoundland. That
is very important, and we all look forward to it.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Member for the District of Signal Hill-Quidi
Vidi.
MS MICHAEL: Thank
you very much, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday
and the day before I had some questions for the Minister
of Government Services, and I just have a couple of more
that I would like to put to him to get more information
on what I have been asking about.
Yesterday, the minister
said that he did not believe that all occupational
diseases can be covered at all times under regulation
and that diseases will continue to develop and be
recognized as time goes on, and that is so, I understand
that. However, the evolving nature of occupational
disease is not a reason to remove the listing section
for the OHS regulations.
In particular, Mr.
Speaker, if the list under section 24 of the Workplace
Health, Safety and Compensation Regulations is not
sufficient, I ask the minister why this government
cannot find a regular mechanism to keep the section
updated and current. There shouldn’t be a time lapse.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Government Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. O'BRIEN: Mr.
Speaker, as I said in the House yesterday and I said on
Thursday, the mandate of Occupational Health and Safety
is to identify and keep the people of Newfoundland and
Labrador, in regards to their workplaces, safe on an
ongoing basis. We identify, we evaluate, and then we
enforce. We remove the actual issue or we have it
controlled within the work site itself.
In regard to section 24,
the way it was written forty years ago is very, very
broad. It was hard to actually be able to maintain. It
was never enacted, it was never used. It is also covered
off under S.23 of the Workers Compensation Act which
identifies diseases in regard to industrial sites and as
well in regard to mining and everything else that is out
there.
We don’t see the value
in duplicating. We have Codes of Practice within our
regulations themselves that identify specific issues in
specific workplaces. We identify those –
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
I ask the hon. minister
to conclude his answer.
MR. O'BRIEN: -
and we follow them thereof.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Member for the District of Signal Hill-Quidi
Vidi.
MS MICHAEL: Thank
you very much, Mr. Speaker.
My next question relates
directly to section 23 of the Workplace Health, Safety
and Compensation Regulations under the related act.
I am asking the minister:
Does that section cover all the specific cancers that
have been proven to be related to fire fighting?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Government Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. O'BRIEN: Mr.
Speaker, what I will say to that is, in regard to the
safety of workers on the job sites in Newfoundland and
Labrador, I, as the minister responsible for
Occupational Health and Safety, actually doesn’t need
a list. Our officers are very, very – and I mean very
– professional. They go in and they identify and they
remove or they control the issue. We don’t need a
list. If there is an issue in regard to a workplace in
this Province at any given time our Occupational Health
and Safety officers are in there on an ongoing basis and
we will identify and evaluate and then we will enforce.
In regard to the registry
itself which you come back to all the time, they are
contained within the Codes of Practice, such as the
Silica Code of Practice which is hailed worldwide as a
template in regard to any issues with regard to the
mining industry.
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
I ask the hon. minister
to conclude his answer.
MR. O'BRIEN: This
is the way we do it. We have the opportunity to extract
valuable information… |
