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Oral
Questions
December 10, 2008
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| In the House | Question
Period
MS
JONES:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Last week we asked
several questions of the Minister of Natural Resources
regarding the mining operations at IOC. She responded in
the House on December 2 that IOC had delayed their
expansion plans.
Mr. Speaker, it seems
that the people in Labrador West are just learning about
this today and we have had a number of calls from that
area.
I would like to ask the
minister: Since you were
informed of this since November 28, why have you not met
with officials in the Town of Labrador City? Why have
you not met with the union there to get an understanding
of what this will mean to that community and if it will
be a significant setback or not?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Natural Resources and Deputy
Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS DUNDERDALE: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
The Leader of the
Opposition’s information apparently is not current.
What you are hearing about today is a result of an
announcement by Rio Tinto, who is the major shareholder
of IOCC. Rio Tinto has announced a number of
curtailments in their business because of the current
global crisis and the downward turn in commodities. This
will have another impact in terms of IOC. They have made
further announcements today. They are talking with their
employees today about further measures that they are
going to deal with as a result of Rio Tinto’s decision
that was made public this morning.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Unless the minister has
my phone tapped, I know the conversations that I had
today with the people in Labrador City, minister, and
the conversations that I had was around the expansion
plan, not the downsizing and the layoffs that Rio Tinto
has announced earlier today.
Now, Mr. Speaker, the
minister confirmed in the House of Assembly that she had
met with this company on November 28 and they had said
that they were going to postpone their expansion plans
for Phase I and Phase II in Labrador City.
I ask you, minister: Have
you met with the leaders and the representatives in that
town to get an understanding of what the impact is going
to be?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Natural Resources.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS DUNDERDALE: Mr.
Speaker, I met with the Combined Councils of Labrador
earlier this week. I have met with Terry Bowles, the CEO
for IOC, within the last six weeks. I have had a number
of telephone conversations with him, Mr. Speaker. I will
have another one today. The last communications we had
around this piece, which I reported in the House, was
that they were going to complete the work that was
already started in Phase I and Phase II of their
expansion but otherwise, plans were on hold.
As a result of Rio
Tinto’s announcement today, Mr. Speaker, they have
decided that they are not going to continue that work,
that it is going to shut down completely. They announced
a week, ten days ago, that they would require all their
employees to take four weeks’ vacation, but they were
going to keep different elements of the mining operation
going. They have withdrawn that. Everything will shut
down completely, including the pellet plant, Mr.
Speaker, for four weeks in July.
They are speaking with
their employees. Once that is complete today, Mr. Bowles
will have another conversation with me later in the
afternoon.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
The hon. the Leader of
the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Again, it is almost a
case of waiting for the phone to ring, and the minister
is in her office to see what industry is going to
collapse today.
Mr. Speaker, I asked the
minister last week what she was going to put in place in
the Labrador West area. You talked about a task force
you have in place in Grand Falls-Windsor to deal with
the downsizing of the AbitibiBowater mill – or the
closure.
What
are you looking at doing in Labrador West in response to
the news from IOC and Wabush Mines?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Natural Resources.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS DUNDERDALE: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
I have spoken with the
management of IOC, I have talked to the Mayor of Wabush,
I have been in contact with the union. At this point in
time, Mr. Speaker, they have not asked or requested any
kind of a specific response.
We had, in this House
yesterday, a financial update which talked about the
stimulous that we are providing all throughout the
Province, Mr. Speaker, to provide employment and jobs
for people. We have significant projects that are
underway at Labrador West, and these projects will
hopefully help mitigate some of the impacts that we are
feeling because of the downturn in this sector.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Mr.
Speaker, yesterday, the government again gave the unions
in this Province an ultimatum when it comes to their
contracts, either they sign before December 31 or they
risk losing the offer that is on the table.
Mr. Speaker, nurses are
one of the groups that this government is backing into
the corner to try and sign a collective agreement, but,
Mr. Speaker, the minister knows and the government
knows, the real issue around nurses in this Province is
the shortage of nurses in our health care sector.
I ask you, minister: How
are you going to deal with that problem?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury
Board.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. KENNEDY: Yes,
thank you, Mr. Speaker.
We indicated yesterday in
the fiscal update, that although we have a surplus this
year of $1.27 billion – which we are very proud of –
that there is not unlimited cash and that we have to be
concerned about the economic downturn and the global
crisis that exists. However, to characterize a 21.5 per
cent offer as being backed into a corner, I would
suggest does not do justice to anyone, to the Leader of
the Opposition.
What we have offered here
is an extremely generous package. Let me say to the
Opposition Leader, is that right now the nurses are
looking for 24 per cent over two years. That is, I would
suggest, an offer that simply cannot be met in these
economic times, and that if the issues are work,
overtime, and inability to obtain time off, issues like
that, once we get beyond the wage increases then we can
deal with those issues, but at this point we are not
even there.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Maybe the Minister of
Health would like to tell me now - the Minister of
Finance has no problem talking tough with the unions,
but maybe he would like to tell me - how
he is going to get tough and address the shortage of
nurses in this Province.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
I just want to put in
perspective my colleague’s comments. This is not
talking tough. Fundamentally, this is a collective
bargaining process where my colleague laid out for the
nurses’ union, and other unions in the Province,
certain realities we are facing in our economy, talking
about the benefits of the wage package we have on the
table.
If you compare the offer
being made by my colleague on behalf of government to
the nurses’ union and others, compare that to any
other jurisdiction across this country, I say, Mr.
Speaker, there is not another single jurisdiction who
has gone through the collective bargaining process in
recent years that can boast that kind of an offer in a
collective bargaining process. So, Mr. Speaker, this is
not talking tough at all.
Now, very specifically to
the question at hand, the issue around recruitment, I
think, Mr. Speaker, if you look at some of the
announcements that we made last year, some of the
announcements made last year, I think, reflect our
government’s commitment to want to put in place
financial incentives to help attract nurses into
Newfoundland and Labrador. I can speak to one very good
example -
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
I ask the hon. minister
to conclude his answer.
MR. WISEMAN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Eastern Health very
recently was able to repatriate ten former
Newfoundlanders who wanted to come back home because
they feel it is an attractive place to live.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
The minister’s
non-action is little comfort for the individuals who are
having their surgeries cancelled in this Province every
single week because there is not a nurse available. In
one such case, a gentleman whom I know contacted your
office; his surgery was cancelled because there was no
nurse to go in the ICU. He was told by your office that
the minister did not realize the health care sector had
gotten this bad. You saw the e-mails.
How
could you, Minister, actually say that to families and
individuals in this Province knowing full well that we
are short well over 1,000 nurses in this Province?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: One
of the problems, Mr. Speaker, in the member opposite
standing in this House and repeating comments that were
attributed to someone else, you always run the risk of
being inaccurate. Once more today we are hearing an
example of where the member opposite stands and speaks
with some authority, as if she fully understood.
She asked my colleague
earlier if her phone was tapped. Obviously, someone is
tapping my phone because she is now citing exactly what
I have said.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh,
oh!
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
MR. WISEMAN: Fundamentally,
Mr. Speaker, I would never, ever, say that I do not
appreciate the concerns that individuals would have when
they have their surgeries cancelled. Unfortunately, in
the recent past we have had that happen in a number of
our health facilities around the Province which have
been experiencing some difficulties with some
scheduling.
Mr. Speaker,
fundamentally, one of the things that we are trying to
do as a Province, in addition to the wage package that
has been offered by my colleague on behalf of the
government for nurses, trying to work with the nurses’
union and work with the ARNN to look at quality of work
life issues; because we, too, want to make sure that we
have an ample supply of capable, competent nurses in the
Province.
I can tell you, Mr.
Speaker, that today we have more nurses in this Province
than we ever had in our history.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Government has yet to
release the numbers of vacancies in the nursing
profession in this Province for the last two quarters.
Six months ago we were being told that there were 1,017
vacancies of nurses across Newfoundland and Labrador.
I ask you, Minister: Why
are you not releasing the statistics for the last two
quarters, and will you give us an update in the House of
Assembly today of what the vacancy rate is?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: Mr.
Speaker, there has been a number floating around - the
member opposite just said it then - you pick a number of
1,000. One of the difficulties you have when you start
quoting statistics - because whenever you produce a
statistical report it is important to read what comes
before it and it is important to read what follows it,
because that is the explanation. That is what takes the
stats and the facts and puts them in some kind of
context.
So, before the member
opposite stands and talks about 1,000 vacancies, and
quotes a report, it is important to understand the
context in which that figure was printed, understand the
explanation that is associated with it, and
differentiate between what is casual, what is temporary,
what is permanent, what is full-time, because all that
explanation was there, but obviously you failed to read
that. These are the important points, Mr. Speaker,
because to do otherwise, which is what the member
opposite is doing today, is creating a sense of fear in
the people of Newfoundland and Labrador that the health
services in this Province are somewhat inadequate
compared to other jurisdictions. I say, Mr. Speaker,
(inaudible).
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
The minister can
sugar-coat this how he wants, it does not make any
difference. The reality is, the vacancies are there and
we will wait, Minister, for you to table in the House
the vacancy rate for the last two quarters for nurses in
this Province.
Mr. Speaker, back in the
spring we raised an issue with the shortage of diabetic
nurses in the Province, that there were a number of
people, adults, who were on insulin pumps that could not
be serviced within the Province because of the shortage
and the vacancies not being filled. The minister said he
would delay it out to September, then he would address
the problem.
I ask you, minister: Why
has it not been addressed, and why are those vacancies
still there?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: Mr.
Speaker, one of the challenges we are facing in this
Province, the demands on our health system have
increased significantly and it is adding – each and
every year we get increased demands, because the
population of this Province is ageing. We have some of
the highest rates of chronic illness in this Province.
So, some of these challenges, Mr. Speaker, put immense
pressure on our workforce.
So when you look at a
system, since we formed government in 2003, up until
last year I think it was, our nursing workforce has
increased by close to 3 per cent. That is a far cry from
talking about a decline in the nursing population. We
had the highest number we have ever had in our history.
Since we formed government there has been a growth of
close to 3 per cent from 2003 to 2007, but at the same
time, we have increasing demands for more nurses,
because our population is ageing, our population is not
as healthy as other jurisdictions. So we have continued
pressures for increased growth in that workforce. We are
trying, too, through a collective bargaining process,
through some of the quality work life initiatives, to
make sure that we are well-equipped for the future and
nurses find this an attractive place in which to live
and work.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
The
minister has still not given me any answer as to why the
critical staffing positions for diabetic nurses in this
Province have not been filled, and why they are still
rationing insulin pumps to adults in Newfoundland and
Labrador.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: Mr.
Speaker, the issue of insulin pumps – this is a real
good example. I am glad she raised it, because it gives
me an opportunity one more time to stand in this House
and talk about a great initiative this government
undertook a couple of years ago.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: A
couple of years ago, Mr. Speaker, this government
decided to provide insulin pumps and their supplies to
children. People under the age of eighteen would get
them free today. It did not cost a lot of money but we
have heard story after story, we have received letters
and e-mails from parents and families. In fact, I was
told a story this past summer about a bunch of kids who
had a camp, kids with diabetes were at a camp, and the
counsellors at that camp were making a comparison
between the level of activity of the children this year
with their pumps, versus what it was two or three years
ago. In fact, the story was so powerful we could not
help but be moved by it, and anyone who would listen to
the story could not help but be moved by it, because it
speaks to our interests in improving the quality of
lives of people with diabetes and other chronic
illnesses in this Province.
So thank you very much
for the question, because it gives me an opportunity to
repeat one more time a great initiative of this
government.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
It is unbelievable how
this minister avoids questions.
Let me tell you this,
minister, forty-four of those children that you put on
insulin pumps are now not being serviced in this
Province, because when they reach the age of eighteen
there are no services in Newfoundland and Labrador for
them to access because the system is to capacity and
there are no nurses that work there.
So let me ask you this,
minister: While you are putting
them on the pumps, when are you going to provide the
service for them after they turn age eighteen so that
they do not have to come off the pump at that stage?
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
The hon. the Minister of
Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: Mr.
Speaker, I ask the member opposite not to get so
excited, because it is one thing to stand in House and
ask me a question – and I will give you an answer. I
have answered every single question you have ever given
me, but, Mr. Speaker, to stand in this House and to say
that there are absolutely no benefits out there, or no
services provided to children with diabetes after the
age of eighteen. Now, Mr. Speaker, if they are going to
stand in this House and ask a question, that is fair
game, but if they are going to stand in this House and
fear monger and make statements like there are no
services out there, nothing could be further from the
truth.
What you are saying, Mr.
Speaker, is that throughout Newfoundland and Labrador
today, that if you are eighteen or nineteen or twenty
years old, and you have diabetes, there is no service
available to you, and nothing could be further from the
truth, Mr. Speaker. All you need to do is canvass
eighteen, nineteen, twenty year olds with diabetes. I
tell you, Mr. Speaker, we have family physicians, we
have nurse practitioners, we have specialists throughout
Newfoundland and Labrador, diabetic educators who are
providing great services to diabetics.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
The hon. the Leader of
the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, my next
question is for the Minister of Natural Resources.
Several months ago we
were told that there was a report of financial
irregularities with regard to the Chicken Marketing
Board, and as a result of it, your office asked for a
forensic audit to be completed.
I ask,
was that audit ever completed, and if so, who did it and
what were the findings of it?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Natural Resources and Deputy
Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS DUNDERDALE: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
I will have to check on
the status of that report. There was some reporting made
that there may have been some irregularities. We went
back and looked at all the audited reports. There was
nothing reported there, Mr. Speaker, nothing that we
could see. We looked for a firm to do a forensic audit
and we could not engage anybody to do that because on
the face that the chicken board had already been audited
and nothing had been found. We were looking within
government to see if we had the capacity in there to do
a forensic audit, just to ensure, Mr. Speaker, that
there was nothing untoward going on. Nothing has been
reported to me up to this point on any findings of any
wrongdoing or any inaccuracies or anything in terms of
the auditing process, but I will check further, Mr.
Speaker, and report back to the House.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Member for the District of Port de Grave.
MR. BUTLER: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
On October 28, 2008,
government announced a pilot project for twenty-four
hour snow clearing in the Province. While I admit, Mr.
Speaker, it is a step in the right direction, there are
many areas still left out of this program.
I ask the minister: What
criteria was used to determine what areas would get
twenty-four hour snow clearing service?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Transportation and Works
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. TAYLOR: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, in the
budgetary process last year the Department of
Transportation and Works was allocated $1.7 million to
proceed with a pilot project on twenty-four hour snow
clearing in the Province. As part of that process, the
department was asked to identify regions of the Province
where that $1.7 million would be spent. The department
evaluated traffic flows, traffic volumes and what have
you throughout the Province, as well as snowfall and ice
accumulation data through our road weather information
systems and what have you.
As a result of that
analysis, Mr. Speaker, the pieces of road that we have
already indicated were identified as being the
priorities for the pilot project. We understood that
traffic flows from major airports within the Province
were important, and the major trunk roads. We do
acknowledge that there are some parts of the Province
where if we had more money after the pilot project was
completed that we might like to go into, but $1.7
million gets you a certain amount of snow clearing and
we made our decision on where that is based on the
information that I have provided, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Member for the District of Port de Grave.
MR. BUTLER: Mr.
Speaker, I thank the minister for his answer, but I am
sure we have heard in the media, the area from Port aux
Basques to Stephenville, which we all know is a very
high travelled area taking the flow of transport trucks
and other vehicles on the ferry service. Most of those
people like to travel, get their business and their
products all the way through to St. John’s. We have
had many calls from mayors, town councils, development
associations saying that they were not consulted.
I ask the minister: What
stakeholders were consulted before government announced
this pilot project?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Transportation and Works.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. TAYLOR: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
The public have made a
fair number of comments over the years about the need
for, in their view, twenty-four hour snow clearing in
certain parts of the Province. Certainly, Mr. Speaker, I
think it is fair to say that just about everybody in the
Province would like to see twenty-four hour snow
clearing. However, we have a budget and we have a pilot
project that we are proceeding with. We have looked at
traffic flows, but more importantly we had to look at
where snow falls and where roads are most troublesome.
On the basis of that, Mr. Speaker, we have identified
the areas where we will proceed with the pilot project.
As for the area from Port
aux Basques through to Stephenville, Mr. Speaker, we
understand that is part of the Trans-Canada and it is a
high traffic area, however, if you look at that area
compared to the piece of road from Deer Lake to Rocky
Harbour through Gros Morne National Park, where there is
a fairly high volume of traffic as well, the snow fall
accumulation in that area far exceeds what you would see
in the Port aux Basques to Stephenville area. We have
identified the snow belts from Stephenville through to
Deer lake and as well on the Isthmus.
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
I ask the hon. minister
to conclude his answer.
MR. SPEAKER: Yes,
Mr. Speaker. Thank you.
We have identified those
areas. It has been based on traffic volumes and snow
fall accumulation. That is the basis for the decisions
we made. When we have a chance to look at this and
reflect on it, maybe we will make changes in the future.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Member for the District of Port de Grave.
MR. BUTLER: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
I know recently the joint
councils, the CBN Joint Councils Association and the
Joint Mayors Association of the Trinity Bay side of
Trinity-Bay de Verde, have major concerns. We were very
pleased to know that the Trans-Canada will be opened all
the way through from I think it is Logy Bay Road through
to Clarenville.
The concerns that they
have are not only getting to the hospital in Carbonear
or to St. John’s. We have 50,000 or 60,000 people in
that area with the Trans-Canada open, but they can’t
get to them. I think they are going to try to arrange a
meeting with the minister.
My next question is: There
have been concerns brought to our attention, that the
pilot project – and I may be corrected on this – is
only from Monday to Friday. I ask the minister: Does
this program include weekends? If not, why not?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Transportation and Works.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. TAYLOR: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I understand
the member and the concern from the people in Conception
Bay North. I understand the representation that is
coming from the Southwest Coast and representation from
my own district where they are looking to be included as
part of the pilot project.
Mr. Speaker, a pilot
project is just that; it is $1.7 million. If you take a
kilometre of road off on one end, you can put it on, on
the other end, but at the end of the day we have $1.7
million to work with. We have done it based on the
evaluation that we did, as I say, previously.
Mr. Speaker, again, as
for the nights, if you want to put it that way, we will
be operating twenty-four-hour snow clearing. The member
is correct, it is a five-day-a-week program and that is
when the volume of the traffic again is focused. We can
add it to seven days a week, if people want us to, but
you have to understand that something has to give. We
either have to limit the period of time over a
seasonality perspective - we have to limit that time -
or we have to reduce the amount of road that we are
going to clear.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Member for the District of Port de Grave.
MR. BUTLER: Just
a quick question, Mr. Speaker, I know my time is running
out.
I will just ask the
minister: What would the
estimated additional cost be to include weekends or even
if it went as a full provincial pilot project?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Transportation and Works.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. TAYLOR: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
I cannot give the member
a very accurate number on that. The one that I can give
you is that in estimates from the department over the
course of the past number of years, if we were to do
this Province-wide, our estimate has been, the best
estimate that we have available, is that this would cost
$15 million.
I think, personally, that
people would rather see us spend $15 million in good
snow clearing equipment, to put the equipment on the
road at the time of the day when the vast majority of
people are travelling, and put it into salt and sand,
put it into road repairs, so that the vast majority of
the travelling public have access to a good highway
system when it is needed for them as opposed to – and
what is being lost here in a lot of this debate is that
there is a toll-free number available at any time, day
or night, whether our snowplow equipment is on the road
or not, if it is in the middle of a snow storm or
otherwise. If people need access to a snowplow, to get
them to a hospital, there is a number they can call and
our equipment will be dispatched immediately.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Member for the District of Signal Hill-Quidi
Vidi.
MS MICHAEL: Mr.
Speaker, I will make it very quick, I do not have very
much time left.
Yesterday, the Finance
Minister produced a glowing financial picture from the
government and then he tarnished the announcement by
issuing an ultimatum to workers.
Mr. Speaker, this
government is trying to lay the burden of a possible
deficit on the backs of its workers. If the government
is willing to keep its offer to the unions on the table,
as has been said by the Premier and the minister, they
must have confidence in being able to meet that offer.
Mr. Speaker, I ask the
Premier: Why did this government throw down an ultimatum
when it obviously makes no difference to your offer
whether or not there is a deficit?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
PREMIER WILLIAMS: Mr.
Speaker, we put out this offer in good faith as a
genuine payback to our public sector employees who took
zero and zero in times of hardships and then three and
three after that. We figured we would come back very
generously on the front end to give them 8 per cent to
allow them to catch up for what they have lost in the
past, and then gave them above-average increases over
the next three years.
We did it in good faith.
That offer still stands. We are not putting that offer
back on the table. That offer compounds to 21.5 per cent
over four years, compared to 6.8 per cent being offered
by the federal government over three years.
We figure it is a very,
very good offer. We are doing absolutely everything we
can to hold that offer. We would love to hold that
offer. We want to hold that offer. We will hold that
offer if we can afford it. We even went so far during
the economic update to say that we will guarantee the 8
per cent, because they have certainly earned that, and
in this particular year when we have a generous surplus
we have the money to pay it and we are certainly going
to try and deliver on it.
We are trying to do
everything we can, and to be saying we are threatening,
we are basically being held to ransom now. Nurses, for
example, are now trying to basically say there are not
going to be enough nurses around, and everything else.
We offered to meet with
nurses. We have met with them on three occasions. The
former minister, the current minister and myself, met
with nurses.
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
PREMIER WILLIAMS: We
met with nurses individually, to hear their concerns. We
asked to meet this summer, they would not meet with us,
and they came back with 24 per cent over two years, and
another twenty-six monetary offers.
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
I ask the Premier to
conclude his answer.
PREMIER WILLIAMS: You
cannot even sit down to the table with them.
We are doing everything
we can to give as much as we can to our public sector
(inaudible).
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Member for the District of Signal Hill-Quidi
Vidi.
MS MICHAEL: Mr.
Speaker, it was very clear to me yesterday, unless I am
not hearing correctly, that letters were sent to the
unions and they were told, if you do not settle by, or
if you do not sit down with us, or whatever it is the
government wants them to do, by December 31, the offer
was off the table.
I am saying: Why are you
saying that the offer is off the table? Why don’t you
stick with that offer, no matter when they settle?
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh,
oh!
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
PREMIER WILLIAMS: Mr.
Speaker, the Prime Minister of Canada is saying the
worst is yet to come. The President-Elect of the United
States is saying the worst is yet to come. We are not in
control of the world economic situation. Fortunately, as
a Province, we are in a very, very good position, and we
are trying and we are fighting valiantly to sustain that
position.
We are out meeting with
people in Grand Falls. A big company like Abitibi is
under huge (inaudible). The stock price is at sixty
cents. As a result, we have a closure in Grand Falls. We
see IOCC cutting back. Rio Tinto are cutting back
because their company is in trouble, there is some
possible takeover by BHP Billiton, so there are all
kinds of outside economic factors that are completely
outside our control.
Fortunately, two years
ago, we decided to be masters of our own destiny, and we
are doing our damned to make sure that we are, I can
tell you that much right now.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
The time for questions
and answers has expired. |
