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Oral
Questions
May 7, 2008
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| In the House | Question
Period
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
My questions are for the
Minister of Health and Community Services.
On Monday, we tabled a
motion in the House of Assembly, a private member’s
motion on home care. Later today we will debate that
motion, asking government to bring in emergency
provisions for those in dire circumstances, requiring
immediate home care services.
I ask the minister, now
that you have had an opportunity to review the motion,
you know what the need is that exists in the Province
today, are you prepared to look at any emergency
solutions that could be implemented to help correct this
problem?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
As the member opposite
has pointed out, it will be the subject of a private
member’s motion that will be debated in the House, and
I expect that members on both sides of the House will
engage in a healthy discussion in around the issue this
afternoon.
As I said yesterday, Mr.
Speaker, it is important, very important, if we are
looking at the future, looking at what we need as a
Province, looking at what the seniors of this Province
need, and what the persons with disabilities need, we
need to look at this in a much more comprehensive way.
In fact, I was buoyed up
a little bit this morning as I listened to an Open Line
caller from the Independent Living Resource Centre, who
talked about the need to do it in a comprehensive way.
Acknowledge that a band-aid approach is not appropriate.
Acknowledging that a one-size fits all approach is not
appropriate. He was acknowledging just what I said
yesterday and the day before, we need to look at this in
a comprehensive fashion, do it in a planned way, and
whoever completed the exercise we are currently engaged
in, will then be in the position to roll out for the
people of Newfoundland -
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
I ask the hon. Minister
to conclude his answer.
MR. WISEMAN: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
We will be able to roll
out for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador a
comprehensive long-term care and community support
strategy.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Mr.
Speaker, what we are proposing the government, and we
are hoping that they will consider, is establishing
emergency provisions for those requiring home care but,
right now, fall outside the current financial assessment
tools.
I ask the minister: Would
government be willing to implement a program that would
allow those in our Province today in dire need to
receive at least ten hours of free emergency home care
on a weekly basis until his review is completed and a
longer-term plan can be put in place?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: Mr.
Speaker, government has always - in the last
four-and-a-half years since we have been in government
we have always, continuously, re-evaluated, considered
what our programs look like, what are some of the
necessary enhancements, do they reflect the current day
needs, current day demands. That is a continuous
process, I say, Mr. Speaker. We have given consideration
to what is the best approach to look at long-term care
and community supports and we believe, as a government -
and as we heard one caller to an Open Line show this
morning confirm for us that our thinking is right - that
we need to look at this in a comprehensive fashion.
Band-Aid approaches will not work, so we need to
understand fully what are the future needs of seniors,
and future needs of persons with disabilities, and our
strategy will reflect just that, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Mr.
Speaker, I want to be clear that we have no problem with
looking at a more comprehensive approach and a
longer-term strategy. In fact, we feel that it should
have been done. I understand, from the minister’s
comments earlier in the week, that review and those
solutions will be no sooner than at least the end of
this calendar year.
Minister, you set the
benchmark in this Budget at $31,072 as the rate of
earnings allowed for seniors in our Province in order to
qualify for the Seniors’ Benefit. I ask you today: Why
will you not use that income benchmark to assess those
individuals who need emergency care for home care
services right now today, not six months, eight months,
or a year down the road?
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
The hon. the Minister of
Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: Mr.
Speaker, the way the member opposite is framing the
question, you would not know but we have stopped
providing home support in the Province. We have not.
Every single day of the week somebody within some
Regional Health Authority’s boundaries are getting
home support services. New applicants are evaluated
every single day.
The way the member is
phrasing her question is as if we have stopped providing
emergency supports. Home support services are being
provided each and every day. New applicants are being
evaluated every day. Each of our Regional Health
Authorities respond to individuals who are in crisis and
emergencies on a daily basis, and we will continue to do
that as we have ever since we have been in government,
and we will continue to improve the investments we make
in home support, just like we have every single year
since we have been government.
We will continue to do
that, Mr. Speaker, responding to the emergencies that
the member talks about; but, on a go-forward basis –
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
The hon. the Leader of
the Opposition.
MS JONES: Mr.
Speaker, the reality is, and the minister knows, despite
the fact we have an ongoing home care program in this
Province, despite the fact that every day people are out
there looking for services and some may be getting them,
there is a large section of our population today - and
you have to recognize that, Minister - that is not
getting the crucial emergency home care services they
require.
In the absence of not
accepting the solution we put forward, do
you have another solution that you are prepared to
implement on an emergency basis until your review is
completed?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: Let
me make it abundantly clear - I do not know how much
clearer I can make it than I did the last time - each of
our four authorities are responding to emergencies each
and every day.
The member opposite has
put forward a proposal, a financial assessment proposal
that might, in fact, be one of the options we are
exploring. It might become close to what we will have at
the end of the day. We do not know that yet. When we
have completed the exercise then we will be in a much
better position to respond to the issues.
The financial assessment
applies to not just home support. It applies to an array
of services that are provided to seniors and persons
with disabilities. We want to make sure that it
appropriately reflects the changing needs of the
populations that we are serving, so we are not about to
do, on an ad hoc basis, knee-jerk reactions, trying to
put something in place as a band-aid approach to
something that needs much more comprehensive
consideration.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
My next questions are for
the Minister of Education.
She stated yesterday in
the House of Assembly that there would be no teacher
layoffs under the new teacher allocation model, just
teachers being transferred out of schools into other
schools. I ask the minister today, however, how
many teachers are projected to retire this year and how
many positions will become vacant through attrition.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Education.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS BURKE: Mr.
Speaker, I do not have that information with me to
indicate how many teachers will be retiring this year,
but I can certainly get that information and provide it
to the House.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Maybe
the minister can tell me if she has any projections on
how many teachers will need to be hired in order to fill
those retiree positions, or other vacancies that are
occurring.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Education.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS BURKE: Mr.
Speaker, without the numbers of how many are retiring I
cannot say how many would have to replace those who are
being retired, but if we had 100 teachers who were
required in the system, who retired, I would assume we
would need 100 teachers to replace them. I would also
assume that if it was 200 teachers that retired in
positions that we had in the school system we would hire
200 to replace them.
Mr. Speaker, once we have
the numbers to know how many teachers are going to be
required in the system, how many of that allocation have
retired, we would be able to indicate how many we would
need to replace that number.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Mr.
Speaker, I cannot believe the minister does not know
these numbers. How can you possibly budget within your
department if you do not know how many are exiting, how
many need to come in, how many new positions need to be
created? I just do not understand it.
Mr. Speaker, the minister
also stated yesterday that some schools would gain
teaching units while others may lose teaching units. I
ask the minister: Are units
being transferred from certain schools into other
schools to address the need that is being created due to
people retiring from those schools, and also to meet
your own standards that you have put in place to cap the
number of students in a classroom?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Education.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS BURKE: Mr.
Speaker, when we figure and come to some decisions on a
budget for teaching positions, it is based on what we
perceive as the number of teachers that would be
required in the system, whether that was new hires or to
replace people who retired or whatever. So we looked at
the overall number of how many teachers we would need in
the system.
Mr. Speaker, the new
teacher allocation formula is one that looks at cap
sizes for certain grades in the primary, elementary, and
now into the junior high grades. It looks at specific
schools to try to determine how many teachers are needed
in the system.
Mr. Speaker, we needed
that for good reason; because, since we took government,
up until this time, until next year, there will be
actually 11,655 less students in our schools in
Newfoundland and Labrador. Based on those numbers, it
only makes sense that we need to be able to allocate
teachers in a fair and equitable manner. To have a
formula that is just strictly based on numbers would
have seen about, since we took government, if we had to
follow the way teachers were coming out, it would have
had, in this September coming, actually 831 less
teachers in the system.
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
I ask the hon. minister
to conclude her answer.
MS BURKE: So,
Mr. Speaker, we had to respond to that need.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Mr.
Speaker, I say to the minister, that formula should also
be based on programs and curriculum that is being
provided in the classroom.
Mr. Speaker, our list of
fifteen schools that contacted us has grown steadily
since yesterday, I say to you, Minister. We now have
pages of them who have called us. We are being
contacted, Mr. Speaker, from all across the Province
where units are being removed from schools. Some of
these schools already have multi-grading in the
classroom, and others will be forced to add more grades
to the classroom with a single teacher.
I ask the minister: Does
she consider this to be an acceptable standard of
education for students and teachers in our Province?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Education.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS BURKE: Mr.
Speaker, as I said, we have a declining student
enrolment; but, on the other side of that, we also have
schools where there is an increasing enrolment.
We have, as I indicated,
11,655 less students over a four-year period, so we have
to make sure that we allocate resources in a fair
manner. Mr. Speaker, there will be times when some
schools, based on numbers, will not offer certain grades
because there are no students coming in. There will be
times when the numbers are to a point that there will be
an introduction of multi-grade. That is a reality that
we are dealing with in Newfoundland and Labrador, and as
we are dealing with that reality we also have to be very
cognizant of the fact that we had to allocate resources
in a way that was going to meet the needs of the schools
and students.
Mr. Speaker, if we had
increasing enrolment everywhere in Newfoundland and
Labrador we would be bringing on teachers everywhere.
That is not the case that we are dealing with here in
this Province, but we have to address reality.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
The hon. the Leader of
the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
I think we all accept
that there is declining enrolment, but minister we shall
not accept in this Province a lower standard of
education in small schools and multi-grading of
classrooms where teachers will be overworked and have
unrealistic expectations placed on them. There are
eighteen units being cut at schools in Labrador coastal
communities and these eighteen positions are being
transferred out of Labrador. In one case, there is no
choice but to multi-grade a class of K-6 in the one
classroom.
I ask the minister: Are
you aware that teaching units in Labrador schools right
from Forteau to Nain are being gutted, and I ask you
what you intend to do with it?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Education.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS BURKE: Mr.
Speaker, there is an interesting point to be made here
because there is multi-grading going on in many of our
schools in Newfoundland and Labrador. Under the new way
that we are allocating teachers, we actually have a more
generous formula for multi-grades than what was
previously there. So, we have actually improved that in
some circumstances.
Mr. Speaker, there is a
declining enrolment in many communities in Newfoundland
and Labrador and we have to make sure that we are able
to meet the needs of the students and be able to offer
the programs that meet the prescribed provincial
curriculum in this Province. We were not satisfied with
just pulling out teachers based on numbers only. We have
introduced many new initiatives at this time to make
sure, as I have said before, that we have an equitable
distribution of teachers in Newfoundland and Labrador.
It will mean, in some cases, that where there is a
declining enrolment we will have to face that reality.
Where we have increasing enrolment, Mr. Speaker, we will
have to deal with that issue as well. As we do it, we
will make sure that the program and the education to our
students is an excellent program that we can offer, and
probably the best in Canada.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, every school
in Northern Labrador will lose teaching units. In fact,
Jens Haven Memorial School in Nain will be losing
eight-point-five teaching units under the minister’s
advanced education formula. This is an area of the
Province where it has been difficult to recruit
teachers, where special benefits have had to be put in
place in the past in order to maintain a good complement
of teachers in the classroom.
I ask the minister, how
does she expect this school and those teachers to absorb
such a huge cutback?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Education.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS BURKE: Mr.
Speaker, as I have indicated, there are many schools in
Newfoundland and Labrador that have a declining
enrolment, and over the years - particularly in the
school referenced by the Leader of the Opposition, I
think there are sixty-two less students in that school
than what was there previously when we took government.
We have to deal with that
reality, Mr. Speaker. We have to make sure that our
classrooms have sufficient resources to ensure that the
curriculum is offered, and that is exactly what this
formula is doing. I cannot stress enough, that if we
continued down the road that we had for a teacher
allocation formula, come this September there would have
been 813 teachers less than what there is going to be
this year. Mr. Speaker, in our Budget this year we
actually put in more money for teacher’s salaries
because we anticipate, when all the final numbers are
in, that there will actually be more teachers in the
system next year than there was this year.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Mr.
Speaker, I cannot believe that the minister would think
it is perfectly acceptable to have a school, like the
one in Nain, lose eight-and-a-half teaching units and be
able to absorb that come September and deliver the same
standard of programs. I certainly cannot accept that
answer, minister, and I am sure the people in Nain are
not prepared to accept it either.
I ask you again: Will
you look at these allocations for small schools again,
and see if there is a better way that we can enhance and
keep the programs, and not see more workload placed on
teachers and less quality to the education these
children are receiving?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Education.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS BURKE: Mr.
Speaker, as I indicated in this House yesterday, the
final numbers on teacher allocation are not available at
this time as we are continuing to work through the
allocation for teachers for September. I am hesitant to
go getting into particular numbers on a particular
school, but what I can say is, based on the information
that I received in the department, compared to what the
Leader of the Opposition is saying, is that her
information and my information are not correct, and the
number of teachers that I assume will be in that school
next year is more generous than what she is saying.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Mr.
Speaker, the way to resolve this is, ask the minister to
table the numbers in the House of Assembly and make them
available to the public. I have spoken to and had calls,
Mr. Speaker, from people in Nain; people who are in the
education system, I say to the minister. I cannot say
they were the ones who spoke directly to the school
board. I do not know that to be the case, but what I
will say to her is I feel that
the information I have was very legitimately given to
me, and if you have something that says differently, I
ask that you table it in the House of Assembly.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Education.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS BURKE: Mr.
Speaker, we are still continuing through the process to
know what the teacher allocation will be exactly for
September 2008. As I indicated yesterday, once those
numbers are final, I will be tabling that information
and it certainly will be public information.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Maybe
the minister can tell me, then, why
the school board is contacting individual schools and
telling them that you will now be losing one unit, or
one-and-a-half units, or eight-and-a-half units in the
case of Nain? Why is that happening if decisions have
not been made?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Education.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS BURKE: Mr.
Speaker, it is my understanding that the school board
has to give teachers notification regarding next year by
a certain date, which I understand is this week. So they
are legally required to do that at this point in time;
however, if there are changes to be made because the
final numbers are not in and they may be able to relay
those numbers or that indication back to the teachers,
they will have to do it. It is my understanding, at this
time, that there is a date that they are legally
required, unless they have that confirmed, that they
need to notify the teachers, and I assume that is
probably what they have been doing.
Thank you.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Mr.
Speaker, another concern that has been raised with us -
and in the event that numbers are fluctuating, as the
minister says, maybe she might be able to do something
about this as well - in Central Newfoundland, the school
board in that particular area had a very successful
program involving placing literacy and numeracy support
teachers to assist primary students, and I raised this
yesterday in the House. They have informed us, in that
region, that they may lose some of this allocation model
and not be able to offer the same support services in
the classroom. In fact, there is one school that have
confirmed with us that is the case.
I ask the minister: Is
there a way that this can change, more resources being
provided to that program, so they do not have to be
shifted out of one school that needs it just to be put
into another school that needs it as well?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Education.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS BURKE: Mr.
Speaker, that whole issue goes beyond just teacher
allocation.
One thing that is
extremely important in the education system in
Newfoundland and Labrador is that we continuously
evaluate how we are doing. We do CRTs in Grade 3, Grade
6 and Grade 9, and public exams every year. We also
embarked on an Excellence in Mathematics Strategy and we
introduced twenty-five new mathematics specialists into
the schools last year to assist with that strategy, and
that goes across all grades in Newfoundland and
Labrador.
As we look at the needs
and we work with the school boards based on the needs,
we make sure that we put the emphasis on the academics,
on the teacher allocation, and on the needs of the
school and the school board based on student
achievement.
Mr. Speaker, it is not
just based completely - teacher allocation - on what
types of specialists the board needs. It is certainly a
broader piece of work that is done. The boards are
encouraged to look at the needs, to bring forward their
needs based on student achievement, to help us, as the
Department of Education, to be able to match the needs
with the teacher allocation in this Province.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Mr.
Speaker, just for clarification, is
the minister saying that any new strategies and
programs, like the one you referred to in mathematics,
are extra units that are placed with the board for those
regions and it does not come out of the normal
allocation of teachers that goes in to schools? Is that
what you are saying?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Education.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS BURKE: Mr.
Speaker, last year this government announced, as part of
the Excellence in Mathematics Strategy, that we would
hire twenty-five teachers to provide supports in the
schools in the area of mathematics. That is over and
above the allocation.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Mr.
Speaker, the minister announced yesterday - the Minister
of Municipal Affairs - that it was National Emergency
Preparedness Week, and the minister encouraged us all to
have plans in place in case of emergencies.
As we have witnessed over
the past couple of months, it is unfortunate that this
advice was not incurred in your own department when it
comes to fire inspections, especially in hospitals
within the Province.
Mr.
Speaker, he did commit to undertake a review of the
inspection protocols, so I ask the minister today: Who
is conducting this review, and when did it start?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Municipal Affairs.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. DENINE: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
I did commit to the
review. The review is done by my officials, and they
will bring in people who are - any stakeholders that
they deem necessary to come to some type of conclusion,
some type of recommendation, so we can look at it.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Mr.
Speaker, the officials - does he mean the fire
commissioner’s office or within the Department of
Municipal Affairs? Also, can he give me the timeline in
which that review will be completed?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Municipal Affairs.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. DENINE: Mr.
Speaker, the Fire and Emergency Services Agency, which
started about eighteen months ago, which is basically in
its infancy stage because of the initiatives taken by
this government, the officials in that department, which
include the fire commissioner’s office, they will be
included on it.
The timeframe, Mr.
Speaker, I cannot give you an exact timeframe but we are
trying to do it as efficiently and effectively as
possible. I am not going to rush this, because there are
issues here that we are dealing with, life safety
issues, and I want to make sure that when the plan comes
in it is the right one for us to take.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Over the last number of
weeks, I have tried to take some comfort in the Minister
of Education’s answers around how inspections are
being done for fire and safety in schools.
Mr. Speaker, she talked
about a checklist that was completed, similar to this.
Mr. Speaker, we know that a recent directive was sent
out from the school boards to all the schools, asking
them to submit these checklist forms. We also know from
fire chiefs in this Province that many of the schools
were not doing these and submitting them, at least to
their offices, on a regular basis.
She
was going to undertake a process of looking into this
and bringing the information to the House of Assembly.
We have yet to see it, and I would like to know how much
longer it will be.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Education.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS BURKE: Mr.
Speaker, I did undertake to get that information. We are
certainly working on that within the Department of
Education. As soon as it is available, I will table it
here in the House.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Mr.
Speaker, it was on March 11 – two months ago – when
the minister agreed to provide that information to us. I
am wondering, why is there such
a delay? I know there are schools scrambling
today to get this done, based on a memo.
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
MS JONES: I
ask the minister: How much
longer will it be? You have had two months. We would
like to get the information.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Education.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS BURKE: Mr.
Speaker, as I indicated, as soon as the information
becomes available – and I cannot put a date to it now,
but as soon as it becomes available - I will certainly
table it here in the House.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Member for Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi.
MS MICHAEL: Thank
you very much, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, on April 3
the Minister of Health and Community Services announced
a campaign to promote the child care subsidy program. In
November, last year, families were hit with a big fee
increase. Families on low income were hit the worst, and
many middle income earners are also hurting from the
additional cost of $200 or more per month for each
child. In response, government only raised the income
threshold of eligibility.
I ask the minister: When
will this government raise the subsidy rates to help the
families that continue to suffer from high fees?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Our government has
continued to expand the program areas. We have increased
the capacity we have in the system. We have increased
the number of subsidies. The most recent investment was
announced, as you just noted, back in the fall of last
year when we announced some new investments that will
make it more accessible, increase the threshold and
increase capacity. We are continuing to honour our
commitment to ensure that - in this term our commitment
has been to increase the number of spaces by 30 per
cent, increase the number of subsidies by 30 per cent,
which is consistent with the track record we had the
first four years we were in government.
So I say, Mr. Speaker,
looking at the past, looking at our commitment to the
future and what we are doing today, clearly reflects our
government’s commitment to the children in this
Province.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Member for Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi.
MS MICHAEL: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
The minister ignored the
point of my question, which is there are many people on
subsidies for whom the subsidy is not enough. He did not
answer that question, what is he going to do for them?
Mr. Speaker, one of the
stated goals of the Budget was to improve economic
opportunity for people so that they can go to work and
ensure that their children are cared for.
I ask the minister again:
Why this government will not take child care seriously
enough and put in place a real strategy to create
affordable child care spaces for everyone, affordable
child care spaces?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: Mr.
Speaker, I take exception to the notion that this
government does not take it seriously. I just laid out
very clearly, in the four years, our first four years of
government we increased capacity by a little over 30 per
cent. We increased the number of subsidies by a little
over 30 per cent. We have made a commitment that we will
do that again in the next four years. In addition to
that, we will develop a long-term strategy to ensure
that the future needs of children in this Province are
met.
So, I say, Mr. Speaker,
that is not a reflection of a government that do not
take it seriously. That is not a reflection of a
minister who does not take it seriously and that is not
a reflection of a government who has its eye on the
future, I say, Mr. Speaker. It was very much a
reflection of a government who has a genuine concern for
the future of children in this Province.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Member for Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi.
MS MICHAEL: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
I wish that my colleagues
on the other side of the House, if they are going to
quote me would say all the words that I said. I said the
government is not taking seriously enough. I did not say
you are not taking it seriously. So if you are going to
take it seriously enough, I think that you missed a real
opportunity in this year’s Budget. Government could
have really helped parents by creating new spaces,
especially new non-profit programs in rural and urban
areas.
Mr. Speaker, would the
minister please tell me how many new spaces that the
Budget of 2008-2009 has created?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
When the member, and she
will find this out when she goes through the Estimates
Committee some time next week with our department. There
is a piece in that Budget that says the budget for
Regional Health Authorities and within that budget there
is an allocation for a variety of programs and services.
We have made a commitment that will continue to increase
the number of spaces. I think in the last, a little less
than twelve months, we have increased by some 100 in
some more rural and remote areas where capacity was an
issue. Our Regional Health Authorities have within their
budget allocations sufficient funding to be able to
accommodate the growth that we are projecting for this
year. So, it is not a single line item that the minister
read out in the Budget, but he read out a number. He
talked about the strengthening of the Regional Health
Authorities by giving them additional money to carry out
the programs they now have a mandate for.
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
I ask the hon. member to
conclude his answer.
MR. WISEMAN: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
The increased capacity
that we will deal with this year, the money is within
the Regional Health Authorities budget to do so. So, it
is false to say there is no money for capacity this
year. |
