MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday, Quebec’s Minister of Natural Resources rejected the Province’s attempt to reopen the Upper Churchill deal. In response to questions in the House yesterday the minister stated that they were still waiting to hear from Hydro-Quebec. Well, yesterday the President of Hydro-Quebec also rejected the idea in the public.

I ask the minister: Now that both the Quebec Minister of Natural Resources and the President of Quebec Hydro have refused to reopen the Upper Churchill contract, will the Province now commence court action?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Deputy Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS DUNDERDALE: Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition is almost as difficult to communicate with as is the Government of Quebec on Hydro-Quebec.

Mr. Speaker, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador are not proceeding with any action against Hydro-Quebec at this time. Mr. Speaker, CF(L)Co has written Hydro-Quebec asking them to reopen the Upper Churchill contract. They have given them until January 15 to respond. Mr. Martin, President of CF(L)Co, said he is waiting to hear in writing from Hydro-Quebec and when he gets the letter and the response and the answer, whatever it is, he will then decide - CF(L)Co will decide what their next steps will be.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The minister is not really talking to anyone else in the country but maybe she is talking to CF(L)Co. So maybe you could tell us, now that they have had their suggestion rejected by Quebec Hydro will they now take court action, minister?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Deputy Premier and Minister of Natural Resources.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I refer the Leader of the Opposition to yesterday’s edition of The Telegram where the President, Ed Martin, the President of CF(L)Co said, "It’s steady as she goes." He wrote a letter to Hydro-Quebec. He is waiting for a response in writing. Once that is received, CF(L)Co will decide what their next steps will be. That is pretty straightforward, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Last night the Premier and his counterpart in Nova Scotia released to the media a letter written to New Brunswick Premier Shawn Graham asking for a commitment that new transmission lines would be built in the Province.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the minister today: Why are you not engaging in real discussions with New Brunswick, and why is it that this government continues to commence negotiations through the media?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Natural Resources.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I again reference the Leader of the Opposition to all the editions of The Telegram for the last month and to do a media scan where she should already know, but obviously does not, that there were formal talks with Minister Graham in Churchill Falls at the CAP meeting. There were certain assurances given by Premier Graham at that time that Premiers from Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia asked for in writing.

The discussions have been had, answers were given, and what the two Premiers had asked Premier Graham was to put in writing what he had said to them in Churchill Falls.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

This is the way this government does business. Earlier in the week we saw them trying to commence a negotiation on the Upper Churchill with Hydro-Quebec through a media conference. Last night we heard them trying to commence another negotiation with New Brunswick through the media on two very important issues, two very important issues: one, building a transmission line through that province and access at a rate that would be installed at this particular time.

I ask you minister: On important issues like this, why is it that you, your Premier or someone else is not sitting down at the table with the Premier of New Brunswick, with the Government of New Brunswick as opposed, Mr. Speaker, to fighting the war in the media? Why is that not occurring?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

I ask hon. members, are they going to allow the minister to answer the question?

The hon. the Deputy Premier.

MS DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS DUNDERDALE: Mr. Speaker, we all hoped when Premier Grimes retired that we were going to get a different approach with a new leader of the Liberal Party, but it is the same old thing, Mr. Speaker. It is the same old thing.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MS DUNDERDALE: In the media on Monday, Mr. Grimes was saying: Negotiate; sit down and talk. On Tuesday, he was saying: Sue.

Mr. Speaker, in like manner, the Leader of the Opposition is all over the place. We had discussions. Both Premiers had discussions with Premier Graham in Churchill Falls several weeks ago at the CAP meeting. Both Premiers referred to it publicly. Premier Graham has referred to it publicly.

Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition really has to get in the loop.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MS JONES: Mr. Speaker, we are going to find out who is in the loop when this is all done. We will find out who is in the loop, because the minister has yet to have a meeting with anyone. She is the lead minister and she is yet to have a meeting with anyone on this issue.

Mr. Speaker, does the Province have any plans – maybe she can tell me this – to cover any of the costs that are associated with the construction of a new transmission line or the cost that is associated with an environmental assessment process to establish a transmission line through New Brunswick?

Tell us that, Minister; you thought it all out.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Deputy Premier.

MS DUNDERDALE: Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition is absolutely right; we have thought it all out.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS DUNDERDALE: Something they should have done, Mr. Speaker, before they tried to give it away the last time.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS DUNDERDALE: Now, Mr. Speaker, wherever there is going to be transmission, whether there is existing transmission or new transmission, anybody who is using that transmission, including Newfoundland and Labrador, will have to pay a tariff to use the transmission or help pay the cost of the transmission. We have said that day after day after day in the House of Assembly. They just are not listening, Mr. Speaker.

Of course we do not expect somebody to build transmission and let us use it for free, Mr. Speaker. We are more than prepared to pay our way.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I would say the only thing the minister has not thought out at this stage is how she is going to get us out of the hole that their government has dug us in on this Lower Churchill deal, Mr. Speaker. They have not an ally left in this country to negotiate this deal with; not one.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

I appeal to members for their co-operation. There are important questions being asked.

The hon. the Leader of the Opposition has been recognized.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The truth of the matter is that they have no one left to talk to, they have no one left to negotiate with, they have no market for the power, they have no access to transmission, they have no money to develop the project, they have no environmental assessment completed, they have no Aboriginal claims signed off, Mr. Speaker, and every day is smoke and mirrors -

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

I ask the hon. member to pose her question now.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I ask the minister at this stage to table what the cost will be to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador to build a transmission line through New Brunswick, Mr. Speaker, to transport power for the Lower Churchill. She says they are prepared to do it. She says they have thought it out. I would like to know what –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Deputy Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, earlier this week we saw a shining example of the research capacity of the Opposition. They do not know what they are doing, Mr. Speaker. The sad thing about all of that is they did not know what they were doing over here when they were trying to negotiate a deal on the Lower Churchill with all of the expertise of the public service at their command, plus any external advice or support they needed. I will guarantee you, Mr. Speaker, they know even less about what they are talking over there now.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Every time there are no answers the only thing you get is all fluff from the other side, Mr. Speaker. A great big bowl of fluff is what we got coming across there today.

Mr. Speaker, my next questions are for the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs. Mr. Speaker, our office received a very disturbing report. I referenced it yesterday in my comments in the House of Assembly concerning the delivery of education and social issues facing Jens Haven Memorial School in Northern Labrador, in the Community of Nain.

This report, which was completed in 2006, was never released to the public. I ask the minister today why that document was kept hidden.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Education.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KING: From one minister to another, Mr. Speaker, she continues to come with lies, innuendos and half information -

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

There are some things that the Speaker will wait until the end of Question Period to deal with, there are other comments that are made here, language that is used that he won’t, and I ask the hon. Minister of Education to withdraw those remarks and withdraw them now.

The hon. the Minister of Education.

MR. KING: I withdraw, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Education.

MR. KING: Mr. Speaker, with reference to the report that the hon. member is referencing, there is no secret report. The report was produced by an administrator of the school of the day, several years ago. It was used as part of an advocacy effort to try and lobby for more resources for the school, Mr. Speaker.

The Department of Education has responded in part to that report. We have allocated more teachers to that particular school, Mr. Speaker. We have engaged in discussions of the review of the curriculum in the school, Mr. Speaker, and we have engaged with the local community to look at what other things we can do to strengthen education delivery in that school.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the document was provided to the Department of Education.

I ask the minister: Why was it that your government and the department did not move to further investigate the issues that were provided for in that documentation, and why have there been no targeted initiatives designed to bring down the statistics that were outlined in that report?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Education.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KING: Mr. Speaker, for the record, the hon. member opposite should know that report was not commissioned by government. That report was like many, many other documents, Mr. Speaker, which we receive on a daily basis from people who are advocating for a particular cause.

We received the report, Mr. Speaker, we have assessed the report, and like for every other community in this Province, we made significant investments in education to try and strengthen the program for all children throughout the Province, and that includes Nain.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

This report was submitted to the Department of Education. Any report that shows up on a minister’s desk that says: In a school in this Province, 72 per cent of the students have been directly affected by suicide of a close family member; two-thirds of these students require either moderate or intense support to be able to follow the provincial school curriculum; 0 per cent of Grades 4 to 7 students are performing at an advanced performance level; and the retention rate is only 46 per cent of those in the school actually graduate.

Now, Minister, whether you commissioned the report or the report showed up on your desk, it is an alarming uncover of statistics of students in one school in this Province –

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

I ask the hon. member to pose her question.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I ask you today: What initiatives were targeted for this school to ensure that those rates were reduced over the last three years?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Education.

MR. KING: Mr. Speaker, as I said a few moments ago, the report was not commissioned by us. That was a matter, a point for the record, Mr. Speaker, because the suggestion was made by the Leader opposite that we hid away a report that we commissioned, and we did not commission that report. I state that for the record for this House, that it was a document that was received, the same as hundreds of others that I receive on almost a weekly basis, people looking for extra resources. Now I will repeat, Mr. Speaker, if the member wants to listen, I will repeat the things we have done.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. KING: We have invested in human resources in that particular school. We have invested in resources to update the assessment of students and we have addressed issues around student absenteeism and we are continuing to work with the local school board and the local community on a daily basis.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for the District of The Straits & White Bay North.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. DEAN: Mr. Speaker, in February the FFAW met with the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture to discuss the challenges in the fishery for the coming year and what solutions would be forthcoming. Well, 2009 was a challenging year with a serious depletion of markets as a result of global economic crises, and the FFAW, coming out of their symposium, has put your government on notice that there will not be a fishery this year based on the prices that were offered last year. It is just not economically feasible, so they say.

I ask the minister: What is your government’s plan to deal with the warning from the union and the industry, and unlike this year, will your contingency plan be ready by early spring so that harvesters are not forced to fish late in the season and under dangerous circumstances as was the case in 2009?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. JACKMAN: Mr. Speaker, unfortunately at this time of global recession, the fishery is being struck rather hard, there is no doubt about that.

One of the things that I said to the hon. member yesterday that our government has invested in and is committed to is $800,000, Mr. Speaker, to an MOU that we hope the harvesters, the fisheries union, the processors and government can enter into and then come up with a way forward, because we are faced with this on an annual basis. Mr. Speaker, if we are going to make progress that is simply where it has to be. Protests, ultimatums, are not going to cut it, Mr. Speaker. It has to be an agreed path forward, and we are committed to investing in that, Mr. Speaker, and we are certainly hoping that the other sides are committed to it as well.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for the District of The Straits & White Bay North.

MR. DEAN: Mr. Speaker, price for the product is paramount in the operation of this industry, as any industry. The processors and harvesters need a certain price to make this industry economically feasible. This past fishing season I constantly heard from fish harvesters in my area of the inequity in pricing compared to other Atlantic Provinces and how other provinces offered a price that was substantially higher, a price that would make their enterprise economically feasible.

I would ask the minister: Can he tell us why there is such a difference in pricing from one province to the other?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. JACKMAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We are faced with – I do not know if you would call it a dilemma or whatnot, Mr. Speaker, in this Province. On the one hand we have the harvesters who are asking for certain measures to be taken around the selling price of fish. On the other hand, we are faced with the challenge of having the product processed in this particular Province, Mr. Speaker.

I will ask the member opposite; if he has any solutions I would certainly sit down with him any time. Being new in his role, maybe he has some new, fresh ideas. I would be certainly willing to sit down and speak to him about that, Mr. Speaker. One thing about it, if we are going to make any way forward, we have to sit at the table. This means the processors, the union and government. Mr. Speaker, if we commit and other parties commit to that, we will have success.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Opposition House Leader.

MR. KELVIN PARSONS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

On Monday of this week I asked the Minister of Justice about the pretrial detention centre planned for Happy Valley-Goose Bay and asked when the tender might be forthcoming on that because it has been delayed for quite some time. The minister was not very specific. He talked about some preliminary work being done. The records will show that the planning monies for this were in the Budget of 2008. The $2 million for the construction of the facility was in 2009, yet we still have not seen the tender.

I am wondering if the minister can give us some more specifics as to why this is being delayed, and can he make a commitment that it will be announced in this year?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Justice and the Attorney General.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. F. COLLINS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to clarify something that was said in the hon. gentleman’s question on Monday. I think he prefaced his question by stating that the pre-detention centre was one of the seventy-seven recommendations in the Decades of Darkness report and that is not the case; it was not one of the recommendations of the Decades of Darkness report.

Having said that, to reaffirm my statement read on Monday, we are committed to improving the justice system in Labrador, including the pre-detention centre for women. We have made significant improvements, Mr. Speaker, in our judicial system and in our correctional institutions. We have spent $7 million in the last year on improvements to our correctional system; on planning and staffing and programming. We will continue to do that.

Just last week, Mr. Speaker, I visited Happy Valley-Goose Bay and talked to all the stakeholders in the justice system down there. I must say that I was impressed with the response that I got. Certainly, the circumstances that presented the need for this facility still very much exist. We are still working on it, Mr. Speaker. We have some planning; we had some money to spend on planning.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

I ask the hon. minister to conclude his answer.

MR. F. COLLINS: Yes, Mr. Speaker.

We have spent some money on planning. We have a couple of models presented. We are investigating it further. We have still some more work to do on it.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Opposition House Leader.

MR. KELVIN PARSONS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I guess we will see this pre-detention centre take the same road in terms of progress as we have seen with the hospital in Labrador West, announced six times.

Well, Mr. Speaker, contained in that report, the seventy-seven recommendations, one of the other ones was that it showed that 90 per cent of the inmates in Her Majesty’s Penitentiary suffer from personality and addictions disorders, and government responded with a commitment to fund an addictions counsellor for HMP and for the Clarenville Women’s Correctional Centre.

I ask the Minister, to date we know that the department has not as much as even advertised for that position, let alone fill it, and this report was made and this recommendation was made and commitment was made a year ago. So I ask the minister: Why the delay again in getting that position filled?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Justice and the Attorney General.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. F. COLLINS: Mr. Speaker, the addictions counsellor for HMP is being hired and currently waiting classification from Treasury Board.

With respect to the Labrador correctional institution, correctional centre; we have in that particular facility increased our psychological services for inmates in that centre. We have hired a full-time fetal alcohol syndrome co-ordinator. We have increased the nurse practitioner’s hours to twelve hours per week. We are, as well, hiring an Aboriginal liaison training co-ordinator.

Mr. Speaker, we are doing these things as they unfold. We are spending a lot of time on them, a lot of planning on them, and they are being done.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Opposition House Leader.

MR. KELVIN PARSONS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I guess the minister must have been referring to the wrong page of notes. The position I talked about was for the HMP and for the Women’s Correctional Centre in Clarenville. In any case, that is fine.

My final question to the minister is: Minister, there was an incident that happened at HMP when a gentleman by the name of Mr. Aylward, Austin Aylward passed away. He had been taken off his medications while he was at HMP. In May of last year, the former Minister of Justice announced that retired Justice Robert Wells would be conducting an independent investigation into Mr. Aylward’s death, and that was announced in the local media. Yet, we have heard nothing of it since.

Now, we are all aware, of course, that Justice Wells became involved in the Cougar investigation after that, but I am wondering if you could –

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

I ask the hon. member to pose his question.

MR. KELVIN PARSONS: Yes.

Can the minister tell us what the status of that investigation is that Justice Robert Wells was supposed to undertake with respect to Mr. Aylward’s death?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Justice and the Attorney General.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. F. COLLINS: Mr. Speaker, Justice Wells completed his review into the circumstances surrounding the untimely and unfortunate death of the inmate. Mr. Speaker, at this time I would like to extend condolences to the family of that inmate for that tragedy.

The review was commenced on March 18 and the department has received the report. The family of the inmate has been provided a copy, stakeholders in the Department of Justice, the Crown prosecutors’ office, Legal Aid, both police forces, Adult Corrections, the Law Society, the Bar Association, all have been given the recommendations from the report and have been asked to respond to these recommendations by February 26.

This report contains very personal information, Mr. Speaker, and consequently we will not be releasing the report in its entirety, but if Members of the House of Assembly would like to receive a copy of the recommendation we would only too happen to provide it.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for the District of Port de Grave.

MR. BUTLER: Mr. Speaker, government recently closed the controversial New Harbour dump in Trinity Bay, but the concerns of the people about the contaminated site are by no means closed. Allan Williams of New Harbour, in partnership with the environment organization known as Friends of the Earth, made an application to the federal government. By the way, his application was accepted.

I ask the minister: What is your department’s plan for dealing with this investigation and the accusation that this site remains in violation of the federal Canadian PCB regulations and prosecutions may be imminent?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Environment and Conservation.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS JOHNSON: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the Opposition member pointed out that government closed the site. I would just like to clarify that it was the Trinity Bay South Waste Management Committee who closed the site, and I commend them for doing that. That was, in fact, done on September 26 and now their waste is coming to Robin Hood Bay.

Mr. Speaker, as the member mentioned, this is a federal investigation and certainly our role in it will be to follow that investigation. In the meantime, we are very committed to the New Harbour site. To date, we have spent $750,000 and we will continue to do work there in terms of monitoring, site modifications and putting a liner on the site to close it out properly.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Member for the District of Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi.

MS MICHAEL: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

My question is for the Minister of Human Resources, Labour and Employment.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MS MICHAEL: Mr. Speaker, today is International Day of Persons With Disabilities, as we know. As we have learned today from the Canada Paraplegic Association more than 24.8 per cent of people living with disabilities in our Province are unemployed. Mr. Speaker, just this past year government set up a Disability Policy Office again, as we know, to deal with barriers to inclusion in our Province.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the minister: Does this Province have a concrete plan in place to deal with barriers to employment beyond the two already existing programs under Human Resources, Labour and Employment, and if so, Mr. Speaker, could the minister describe the plan?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister Responsible for the Status of Persons with Disabilities.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS SULLIVAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, as the member opposite so rightly pointed out we do have a Disability Policy Office in place now under the very capable leadership of Mary Reid. That Disability Policy Office, in conjunction with the newly announced council that we recognized here today, is in the process now of investigating those exact same concerns and putting into place some new programs that will in fact address all of the concerns that you have raised.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for the District of Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi.

MS MICHAEL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank the minister; I look forward to hearing more from her in the future.

Mr. Speaker, there has been much publicity over the past few days about the absence of accessible washrooms in the two St. John’s general hospitals. Mr. Speaker, it is unbelievable that today we still have to fight to have our public buildings made accessible. Making facilities accessible is basic infrastructure. Accessible washrooms are not benefits or perks.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the Minister of Health and Community Services if the government is going to ensure that Eastern Health will make the necessary changes to help people living with disabilities who are admitted to these two hospitals?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENNEDY: Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I say to the Leader of the New Democratic Party this is a very serious issue and one that we will take very seriously. In conjunction with my colleague, the Minister Responsible for Persons with Disabilities and the new office of disabilities we will certainly look into it.

I have read the comments made by the individual on CBC and also the comments of Vickie Kaminski, the CEO of Eastern Health. This is an issue that we will address and I have to say it does cause me very grave concerns also. We are striving as a government to ensure equal access for all and it is something that we will consider seriously and look at.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for the District of Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi.

MS MICHAEL: Thank you, very much, Mr. Speaker.

The Coalition of Persons with Disabilities has stated that there is an affordable way to provide accessible washrooms in the short terms, and I think Ms Kaminski, publicly, has also made a similar statement. One private or semi-private room can be made accessible in each section of a hospital at a cost of about $25,000 each. This seems to be a small amount of money for government to invest to stop discrimination against people with disabilities. I think the minister probably will agree.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the minister: Will government work with all of the health authorities to provide immediate short-term solutions for the lack of accessible washrooms in hospitals wherever they are needed in the Province, not just with Eastern Health?

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENNEDY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I can indicate to the member opposite that our commitment will be to the people of all parts of this Province, as we have indicated as a government throughout our mandate. I have read the comments made on Open Line by the executive director of the coalition. He indicated at that time an official request would be coming forward, and I certainly look forward to receiving the same. I am aware of the comments being made as to the cost of how this can be done. I will certainly, over the next short period of time, have discussions with Ms Kaminski, Mr. Lane and any other interested parties.

Again, I reiterate, Mr. Speaker, that our commitment to persons with disabilities has been indicated by the establishment of this office. We will do what we can to ensure equal treatment for all persons in our society.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!