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Oral
Questions
May 5, 2008
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| In the House | Question
Period
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, over the
past couple of weeks the Minister of Education
continuously stated that there were no fire and safety
hazards in schools.
In last week’s The
Compass newspaper, the fire chief of Bay Roberts
noted his frustration in conducting fire inspections. He
noted problems such as overcrowding at concerts,
improper storage of flammable materials, storage in
improper spaces, and even a lawn mower and gas being
stored in a closet.
As these problems still
exist at schools and are being raised by the fire chiefs
at a local level, I ask the
minister: Is she still certain today that all fire
regulations are being followed in every school across
the Province?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Education.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS BURKE: Mr.
Speaker, as I have said, certainly fire safety is very
important in our schools. If a fire chief from any
particular area has been dealing with a school which has
not been co-operative with following orders, I would
certainly like to see those reports forwarded; and, in
discussing with the school board, it would absolutely be
a priority that if any fire department or any fire chief
has any outstanding orders against the school that I
will make sure they are followed.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
It is my understanding,
from talking to these fire chiefs and the fire
inspector’s office, that these people do the
inspections on the schools but there is no process or
protocols in place in which they must follow up on those
inspections or ensure that there is compliance, so I ask
the minister: How are they
supposed to know if the changes are actually made and
corrections are made?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Education.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS BURKE: Mr.
Speaker, if a fire department or a fire chief out there
has a report on a school and has orders that they want
followed, I will ensure that the school board follows
those orders and I will also follow up and make sure the
school board confirms back with that fire department or
with that fire chief to let them know that work has been
completed.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Mr
Speaker, I understand now that in the event, and because
there is a gap in the process that is followed for these
inspections, that on a go-forward basis the minister,
herself, is now going to take it upon herself to ensure
that work is done and compliances met?
I am
asking that a process be put in place. Do you think that
is an acceptable process?
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
The hon. the Minister of
Education.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS BURKE: Mr.
Speaker, I suggest that if the Leader of the Opposition
does not want me to follow up or to take action when she
is asking me a question in this House, she need not
bother ask.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Mr.
Speaker, we are talking about serious life safety issues
in our schools, and I don’t appreciate the
minister’s attitude here.
What I
am asking the minister, Mr. Speaker, is what the process
is.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh,
oh!
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
MS JONES: Once
the fire chief in a community goes into a school and
conducts an inspection and writes up an inspection
report, Minister, that says this, this, this and this
has to be done, there is no process in this Province
whereby that inspector can follow up or ensure there is
compliancy.
Am I
hearing right, that on a go-forward basis, that will now
be your job?
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
The hon. the Minister of
Education.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS BURKE: Mr.
Speaker, I expect that the school boards in the Province
of Newfoundland and Labrador do take fire safety very
seriously. We have our daily reports done, monthly they
go into the boards, annually we have companies go in and
inspect the schools as well.
Mr. Speaker, in the case
where we have a fire chief or a fire department that
puts a request into the school board to ensure that work
is done, I will ensure and make sure that the school
boards do take those orders seriously and follow up.
If we do have a situation
that needs follow-up, and the Leader of the Opposition
is asking me here in the House if that work will be done
and the department will be notified that the work is
done, yes, they will be notified.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Mr.
Speaker, the only process that we are aware of that is
in place is a checklist that is conducted in schools
either by a janitorial staff or signed off by the
principal at the end of the day, whatever the case.
I ask the minister: Does
she feel that this current checklist process is detailed
enough to, first, not only identify the problems that
exist but to also ensure that the corrections are made
and that the compliancy is met?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Education.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS BURKE: Mr.
Speaker, there is a process in place to bring issues to
the school board so that they can address the issues as
they are made aware of the issues.
Mr. Speaker, we have
invested significantly in the infrastructure of our
schools. We have the biggest budget. We have $88.8
million. We take the conditions of our school very
seriously. We want to make sure that we have safe,
healthy environments for our students. We certainly make
sure that life safety issues, including fire safety, are
part of that process.
Mr. Speaker, we have
taken other initiatives, as well, to make sure that our
schools are safe places for our students, and we will
continue to do so.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Mr.
Speaker, fire departments across the Province are
currently responsible for conducting fire inspections at
schools, and, as we know, many of these departments are
volunteer.
I ask the minister: With
the current process that is in place, who does the
liability rest with should an inspection report be
completed and then a fire happens in that school?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Education.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS BURKE: Mr.
Speaker, if there is an inspection done on any
particular school by the fire department or by a fire
chief and it is submitted to the school board for them
to act upon, it would be incumbent upon them, as they
are responsible for the operations of that school and
for the maintenance, that they would follow up on such
activity.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
My question is about
liability issues. This is a case when a local fire chief
goes into a school, does an inspection, and presents it
to the school board and the fire commissioner’s
office. In the event there is a fire or some other
unsafe practice that happens in that school, I ask the
minister again, who is liable
in that particular situation, knowing there is no
follow-up process?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Education.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS BURKE: Mr.
Speaker, it would be incumbent upon the school board, as
I said, who is responsible for the operations of the
school, whether they receive a report from the fire
commissioner’s office or a fire department or an
individual in the community who outlines a life and
safety issue, whether it is a fire safety issue or a
hazardous situation in a school, that any time
information comes forward that could jeopardize the
safety of the students it would incumbent upon the
school board to act on that information.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, fire alarm
companies say that they often go to schools to inspect
alarms and they are equipped to fix most malfunctions on
the spot. However, in schools they usually have to wait
between five to six months in some cases for the schools
to receive financial authorization from their boards
before they can actually go back and do those repairs.
I ask the minister, to
ensure the safety of teachers and students, will you
allow schools to immediately authorize these expenses
and have these alarm systems fixed at the same time that
inspections are being done?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Education.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS BURKE: Mr.
Speaker, as I have indicated – certainly, this
government takes the maintenance and the operations of
our schools quite seriously - we have probably had the
largest allocation for school construction and
maintenance at $88.8 million.
In addition to that, Mr.
Speaker, last year we increased the allocation to school
boards for maintenance of their schools so that it went
from fifty-five cents a square foot up to ninety-two
cents. So, Mr. Speaker, we are very serious about that.
We certainly increased the budgets for our school boards
to do that. I would also expect that the school boards,
when they are dealing with life safety issues, that they
make that a priority and ensure that that work is done
on a priority basis.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
I ask the minister: Will
she give authorization or certainly give guidance to the
school boards at this stage to ensure, in the future,
when fire alarm companies are going in to inspect alarms
in schools, if they find malfunctions, that they will
have the authority to correct it right there, right on
the spot?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Education.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS BURKE: Mr.
Speaker, I will make sure that the chairs of the school
boards and the Directors of Education understand that
life safety issues that need to be rectified and fixed
in an immediate or short-term basis should receive that
attention.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Mr.
Speaker, there are a number of schools out there in the
Province, it is our understanding now, that are not
being inspected by fire chiefs or fire departments
simply because the volunteer fire departments in those
areas are not active for some reason or another. In
cases like this, we are coming to understand that the
only kind of inspection at all being done is a checklist
being performed at the school by individuals that have
not been properly trained in what the fire and safety
codes are.
I ask the minister, is
she concerned about this and what she will do to change
it?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Education.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS BURKE: Mr.
Speaker, as I have said a number of times during this
particular Question Period, is that the school boards
are tasked with the responsibility for the operations of
the school. I would think that the people who do the
daily inspections are people who understand what they
are looking for, who know how to complete the checklist.
It is co-signed by the principal who would be available
to answer questions if the particular person who is
responsible for that did not understand what they were
asked to do. In addition to that, those reports are
submitted to the school board, to an operations manager
as well.
Other than the reports
that go to the school board, the operations manager
would have the ability to act on any issues that need to
be corrected. There is also an annual inspection done by
independent companies in our schools. So, Mr. Speaker,
there is a process in place. In addition to that, a fire
department or a fire chief as well has the ability to do
an inspection of the school. That is another safeguard
that we have in our schools. So, Mr. Speaker, the
process that is -
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
I ask the hon. minister
to conclude her answer.
MS BURKE: The
process that is set up by the school board does
encompass more than a daily checklist. There is also
checks and balances in place.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
I know the minister has
said repeatedly in this House that they would not send
the fire commissioner in to do the inspection on the
schools or his office, but, Mr. Speaker, we heard the
same response when we talked about hospitals in this
Province. After the hospitals were inspected, we found a
very different situation; actually, a whole list of
facilities that need work.
Mr. Speaker, we have been
contacted by a number of people. We do not know if the
information we have been given is factual or if it is
not but we will be passing on a list of schools to the
fire commissioner’s office to have checked in the
Province.
I ask the minister: Is
she prepared to grant the fire commissioner the
permission to be able to go out and do the checks on
those schools at least?
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
The hon. the Minister of
Education.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS BURKE: Mr.
Speaker, the fire commissioner’s office has the right
to inspect any public building in Newfoundland and
Labrador, including schools.
Mr. Speaker, if the fire
commissioner’s office decides they are going to
inspect any school, I would think that as the Minister
of Education I do not have the right to stop the fire
commissioner from doing any type of inspection. Mr.
Speaker, nor have I ever said, as the Minister of
Education, that we would be in any way blocking the fire
commissioner’s office from inspecting any school.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Last week the government
unveiled more details related to the $1,000 baby bonus
plan. The cut-off date for qualifying is one issue that
has been a major concern to women and families that have
contacted us.
I ask the minister: Why
was the baby bonus not retroactive to October, to the
date the Premier announced the program, which was at the
height of an election campaign?
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
The hon. the Minister of
Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
It is interesting to note
that the member opposite, the Leader of the Opposition,
would have thought that an election platform was a
government announcement. That is how confident they were
that we were going to actually form government.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: Mr.
Speaker, I just want to remind members of the House and
the members of Newfoundland and Labrador, the people of
Newfoundland and Labrador, that during election time it
is common practice for political parties to lay out a
platform: here are the kinds of things that we plan to
do over the next four years or eight years, depending on
the mandate that the people would give us.
Last year, in 2007, our
party laid out a very extensive platform of things that
we would do as a government if we were to be re-elected
and what we planned to do over the course of four years
and lay out a blueprint for Newfoundland and Labrador
for many years into the future. One of those items, I
say, Mr. Speaker -
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
I ask the hon. member to
conclude his answer.
MR. WISEMAN: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
One of those items we
announced last week.
I remind the member
opposite not to confuse a political party’s election
platform with a (inaudible) announcement.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
The hon. the Leader of
the Opposition.
MS JONES:
Mr. Speaker, I think the minister needs to realize that
when the announcement was made, at the end of September,
it was taken as a commitment by a lot of people in this
Province. I think he is getting the e-mails, just as I
am getting the e-mails, that this was going to be a
program retroactive to the date in which government was
actually out talking about it.
Mr. Speaker, last week,
when questioned in the House of Assembly, the Minister
of Health and Community Services stated that women who
had their babies before January 1, but were still on
maternity leave, would receive the $100 monthly
supplement. He later corrected the information and said
that women or families would not receive any funding.
I ask the minister: Why
would a woman currently on maternity not be eligible for
this $100 a month supplement?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, every
program that has ever been announced in this House by
this government, or any government prior to us, always
had an effective date. One of the issues with effective
dates is there is obviously a date before the effective
date that many people might say: Had I been there or had
it been effective much earlier, I would have benefited.
This program is no
different, Mr. Speaker. We introduced this program
effective January 1, so on a go-forward basis here are
the benefits that you are entitled to. If something
happened prior to that date, if you had a child maybe in
2007, 2006 or 2005, this program will not apply to you
because it comes into effect January 1, 2008.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
The hon. the Opposition
House Leader.
MR. PARSONS: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
My questions are for the
Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation.
Mr. Speaker, it has come
to light as a result of a court case currently being
covered in the media that some historical documents in
the Province are being sent to a private company for
shredding. I want to make it clear, I am not concerned
about the court case; I am concerned about the issue of
the shredding.
I ask the minister: Why
are documents which potentially have historic
significance being sent to be shredded, and who makes
the decisions as to what documents will, in fact, be
destroyed?
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
The hon. the Minister of
Tourism, Culture and Recreation.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. JACKMAN: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
We, in the Province, and
certainly as a government, value the historical records
here. There is a three step process that takes place.
The archivists make the first decision. Then it goes to
the director. Then it goes to a specialized committee
that is set up, made up of various departments and
expertise in that particular area. So it goes through a
very rigorous process and that is where it is, Sir.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Opposition House Leader.
MR. PARSONS: Thank
you.
Mr. Speaker, it is quite
obvious, I guess, from the details that are coming out,
that the process failed somewhere. As I understand, the
documents were originally in The Rooms, or part of The
Rooms storage facilities, and yet they are being valued
by experts at Memorial University to the tune of
possibly a quarter of a million dollars.
What
happened here so that the process did not work? These
documents, boxes of them, were sitting in this private
company to be shredded. Can you tell us what went wrong
so that this happened?
If this case had not
happened, and the box had not been stolen or whatever,
they would have been destroyed.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Tourism, Culture and
Recreation.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. JACKMAN: Mr.
Speaker, I met with the staff last week and again this
morning on this exact issue.
Mr. Speaker, this goes
through a process, as I have said. It is unfortunate
that in this case these records have shown up. I guess
it is fortunate that we have arrived at - and these
records will be protected; but, as I have said, articles
are routinely dispersed of. In this particular case,
they arrived at The Rooms collection and there were
issues around mould, fungus, and so on and so forth. It
went through a process and it was decided upon that
these records would be indeed disposed of.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Opposition House Leader.
MR. PARSONS: Thank
you.
With all due respect, Mr.
Speaker, to the minister, that is not sufficient. We
know there is a process, as you say. We know the process
failed. Somebody was going to destroy documents that we
know the people at Memorial University were prepared to
pay $122,000 for, possibly up to a quarter of a million.
What
is the minister going to do to make sure that the
process does not fail us again?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Tourism, Culture and
Recreation.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. JACKMAN: Mr.
Speaker, that situation has been rectified.
As of 2005, there is a
new system that has been put in place under The Rooms
Act. Prior to that, these records were stored in
numerous places, many of them where damp and mould could
collect.
First off, those records
in question have been put on microfilm. I can assure
you, Mr. Speaker, that, as of now, records are much more
efficiently taken care of. They are kept in a good state
of repair. There are people now within the system,
because of the increased capacity and financial support
for that, conservatists who get out, take a look at
these particular records, and keep them in mint
condition, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Opposition House Leader.
MR. PARSONS: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
I ask the minister: Have
you made any overtures, since this case became public
knowledge, to have the twenty or so boxes that are the
subject matter of that particular trial actually
returned to The Rooms, now that they realize there is a
mistake been made? Will they, in fact, be returned? Have
you done anything to see that these documents - which
are significant, according to many experts now,
apparently - will they be returned?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. JACKMAN: Mr.
Speaker, I will not speak on particulars about it
because it is before the courts, but we did have a
discussion about that particular issue this morning and
we will continue that discussion.
It is important to
recognize that, as a government and as a department, we
do not look at the monetary value of these. We look at
the historical importance of those, and in light of that
comment, Mr. Speaker, we will continue that discussion.
Pending the court case, we will decide where we go from
there.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Opposition House Leader.
MR. PARSONS: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
My final question to the
minister in that regard is: Given the process that you
have outlined - and that is the first time I was aware
that there actually is a process to decide if there
shall be destruction of documents - is it part of the
process, or would you be prepared to have it be part of
the process, that even if the so-called experts at The
Rooms or wherever decide that it is not to be retained
within the Province’s mandates, these documents, is
there anything in the process to see that some other
body might have access to them rather than destruction -
for example, public libraries around the Province?
Because there are other agencies who may have an
interest if government does not have the storage room. Is
that part of the current process, or would you be
prepared to have that included as part of the process?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. JACKMAN: Yes,
Mr. Speaker, it is. Indeed, part of the conversation
that we had last week and again this morning was in
respect to the exact point that has been made. It is
certainly something that we will be taking a look at.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Member for Port de Grave.
Mr. Speaker, the
government recently announced long overdue changes to
the teacher allocation, and the minister stated that the
allocation would be on a needs basis.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. BUTLER: Mr.
Speaker, she stated that the focus would be on a needs
basis, and that the teacher ratio would remain as is or
possibly some schools would get additional units;
however, we are receiving many phone calls from schools
throughout the Province saying that their numbers will
be reduced this year.
I just ask the minister: Can
she make a commitment that there will be no drop in
teaching staff in any of the schools this year?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Education.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS BURKE: Mr.
Speaker, we announced a new method, a new means of
allocating teachers in Newfoundland and Labrador because
the other method that was in place was based on numbers
only, but that did not work. I have some really
interesting statistics as to indicate why that did not
work.
What we have decided, Mr.
Speaker, is that we have a cap size on our classes.
Kindergartens at twenty; from Grades 1-3, it has now
been twenty-five. It is being rolled out into the
elementary grades at twenty-five, and twenty-seven
starting in Grades 7-9 in this September coming. We also
brought in an allocation for specialist teachers in the
K-6, which has never been in place before.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
I ask the member to
conclude her answer.
MS BURKE: So,
Mr. Speaker, based on the new method of allocating we
have right now, we have put more money in the Budget
this year for teachers’ salaries, but the allocation
this year will be based on need.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
The hon. the Member for
Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi.
MS MICHAEL: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
My questions are for the
Minister of Health and Community Services.
In February, the minister
stated that the current home care financial assessment
tool was not working and needed to be changed. If this
government can afford to put over $1 billion towards the
debt, it can afford the extra cost of using a fair
assessment tool for home care.
I ask the minister: Will
this government completely replace the home care
financial assessment tool to allow seniors to qualify
without restrictions for the home care support they
need?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: Mr.
Speaker, I do not like repeating myself, but let me
repeat something I said last week in the House.
Last week in the House,
in response to a very similar question from the Leader
of the Official Opposition, I had indicated that our
government is doing a complete evaluation of our
long-term care and community support system. There are
many aspects to that, Mr. Speaker, home support
services, long-term care homes, personal care homes,
alternate family living arrangements and an array of
issues we are looking at. One of the things that is a
piece of that is the whole financial assessment process.
That mechanism determines how much a client contribution
should be for an array of services, including the home
support piece.
As I said last week, it
is very difficult for us, as a government, or anybody
who is being responsible, to cherry-pick one particular
aspect of a major strategy and decide that you are going
to respond to an issue today and try to plug a hole.
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
I ask the hon. member to
conclude his answer.
MR. WISEMAN: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
We would rather do it in
a much, more comprehensive fashion. As I said last week,
we are in the middle of that. It is an extensive piece
of work. Some time during 2008, I suspect that we will
have something to roll forward with.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Member for Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi.
MS MICHAEL: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
It is obvious this
government is refusing to address a current crisis in
home care until the long-term and continuing care
strategy is completed.
Today the media reported
that the change in the assessment tool, as the minister
is indicating, will not happen before September, if
then. Meanwhile, seniors like Patrick Connors must
endanger his health because of providing full-time home
care to his wife because the co-pay is too high.
Government cannot force seniors to wait for a strategy.
What practical plans is
this minister willing to put in place right now to deal
with the short-term emergency that is happening right
now for seniors needing home care? Don’t we deal with
the emergencies, Mr. Minister?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: Mr.
Speaker, I was not sure what the question was. Great
speech!
I just want to say to the
members of this House, our government has only been in
power for a little over four years, I say, Mr. Speaker,
and we have taken our home support budget to just a
little over $80 million a year, now close to $115
million a year we will pay in home support.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: Mr.
Speaker, that is a reflection of this government’s
commitment to home support services. We have had five
increases in the wages paid to home support workers
since we have been in government.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN:
Mr. Speaker, you plot that rate of increase in a dollar
investment and rate of increase for the salaries being
paid and compare that to any jurisdiction in this
country and I say, Mr. Speaker, that will compare very
favourably. Add that to the commitment we have made -
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
I ask the hon. member to
conclude his answer.
MR. WISEMAN: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Add that to the
commitment we have made to the redevelopment of our
long-term care and community support services. I would
say, Mr. Speaker, that reflects that government is truly
committed to seniors in this Province.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
The hon. the Member for
Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi.
MS MICHAEL: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
I will ask the question
again, as clearly as I can make it: Does this government
care about emergencies? We have situations which are
emergencies that actually deal with people’s health
worsening because of the government not listening. Will
you please consider putting something in place to deal
with emergencies, Mr. Minister?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: Every
single day in Newfoundland and Labrador one of our four
health authorities, or all four of them at any given
day, and I suspect every single hour of every single
day, our health authorities are responding to
emergencies in this Province. It is the very nature of
what we do in Health and Community Services, Mr.
Speaker. We deal with people sometimes who are at the
most vulnerable times in their lives. That is why we as
a government, in the last four-and-a-half years, have
increased our investment in health and community
services by over one-half billion dollars, I say, Mr.
Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: The
Minister of Finance stood in this House earlier this
week and delivered another Budget this year with, again,
record increases in health and community services and
we, as a government, will continue to make that kind of
investment on behalf of the people of Newfoundland and
Labrador. |
