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Oral
Questions
May 7, 2009
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| In the House | Question
Period
MS
JONES:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
St. Patrick’s Mercy
Home is a long-term care facility in St. John’s that
has 214 beds; we received information that St.
Patrick’s has an asbestos problem. The individual
contacted our office has informed us that past staff and
patients have not been contacted and the public has not
been advised of this problem.
I ask
the minister, if you can confirm that there is indeed an
asbestos problem at St. Patrick’s Mercy Home and to
what extent it exists?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: Mr.
Speaker, I would not want to dismiss the significance of
the question or the significance of the issue that she
is raising but yesterday we had a similar question in
the House talking about a crisis at the Janeway
cancelling surgeries. What she was really talking about
was a day in the O.R. at the Janeway where there were
four O.R. lists booked and one had to be cancelled
because of nurses being off sick for an extended period
of time and there were two cases involved and we get a
question in the House, the place is falling apart. The
O.R.s are being cancelled, we have a crisis in nursing,
have a crisis in the O.R. at the Janeway.
Today we have another
phone call, mysterious phone call to the Opposition
office wondering about the asbestos in St. Patrick’s
nursing home. I say, Mr. Speaker, many older buildings
in Newfoundland and Labrador may have asbestos in them.
As I understand it, as I understand the whole process of
managing asbestos, is it is safe within buildings to
have asbestos as long as the building is not being
renovated or the asbestos itself is not being disturbed.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
If the minister wants to
read Hansard he will find out that the question
yesterday said one of four of the surgery lists at the
Janeway. Obviously, he does not listen.
Mr. Speaker, Eastern
Health was given directives by Occupational Health and
Safety to disclose this information. Since 2007 an
asbestos plan has been in place for the building but
those who were there before that time have not been
advised even though they know the seriousness of the
prolonged exposure of asbestos in these buildings.
I ask the minister: Why
were not past staff, patients and the public advised
that such a problem exists even though Eastern Health
knew that people were exposed?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: Mr.
Speaker, if the member opposite wants to talk about
listening to answers to questions all she has to do is
just pay attention to some of the answers I gave
yesterday, and she will not go out into the media today
and try to marry two answers from two different
questions as if they are one and the same.
With respect to the issue
at hand and the question she is posing, the day to day
maintenance of buildings is something that each of our
four health authorities are responsible for. If they are
undertaking some maintenance or changes in a building as
a part of their normal maintenance program where they
need to give consideration to the protocols around
asbestos abatement, then that is an issue that they
would deal with on a day to day basis I say, Mr.
Speaker, and that is something that I ordinarily would
not be involved with.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
The minister would not be
involved because he does not want to be involved. This
is a minister who claims he knows the answers to
everything and yet knows nothing. If there is a public
building in our health care system that has an asbestos
problem and there has been a report since 2007,
minister, you should know about it.
I ask you today: What
plans are in place to deal with this problem, have they
been outlined to your department or have you even
consulted with Eastern Health to find out?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: If
Eastern Health is undertaking some work at St. Pat’s
Home, I will undertake to find out if there is an issue
that they need to deal with, with respect to asbestos,
but let me reiterate, Mr. Speaker. There is asbestos in
many buildings in Newfoundland and Labrador. I do not
know the date, but many years ago to insulate with
asbestos was pretty standard practice. As I understand
the protocols in and around this, my colleague the
Minister of Transportation and Works may be able to
enlighten me even further, but as I understand the whole
protocols around asbestos is if it is left stable, not
disturbed, there is no hazard, there is no risk. As soon
as you start to disturb it, then there is a process –
but there is a protocol in place, I think it is called
the asbestos abatement protocol that you trigger when
you start to do some renovations or modifications to a
building that has asbestos. Other than that, it can be
in a building for fifty years and not have posed any
health risk to the residents or to the employees I say,
Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
The hon. the Leader of
the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
A Quebec judge has ruled
this morning that AbitibiBowater no longer has to make
special payments to its underfunded pension plan while
the company is under bankruptcy protection. This means
that some workers or their survivors will no longer
receive pension cheques for the foreseeable future, if
ever.
I ask the government
today: What contingency plans
do you have in place to assist these workers and their
families that are impacted?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Innovation, Trade and Rural
Development.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SKINNER: Mr.
Speaker, there was a judgement handed down today in a
Quebec courtroom respecting an application that was made
by AbitibiBowater on Friday, I believe it was, of last
week , whereby the company itself indicated that it did
not want to continue to top-up the unfunded portion of
the pension plan, given that it was in creditor
protection.
The judge ruled today
that AbitibiBowater, in fact, does not have to top-up
the unfunded pension plan, but all of those pensioners
who are receiving pension cheques will continue to
receive them. There will be no effect on the people who
are pensioners of that company. They will continue to
receive their cheques, and the amount of those cheques
will be the same as they always were. There has been no
reduction in the amount of the cheques. AbitibiBowater
still continues to contribute to the pension plan, they
are just not topping it up while it is underfunded,
given the market conditions that we face today.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Is the
minister telling me today that none of these workers
that are pensionable or the survivors that are receiving
an income, will have their incomes impacted at all and
that they will continue to receive cheques as they did
in the past, because that is not our understanding?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Innovation, Trade and Rural
Development.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SKINNER: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, with regard
to the court ruling today, that ruling referred to
registered pensions that AbitibiBowater has. They have
many thousands of employees who are receiving pension
cheques from that pension fund, and the ruling today
states that AbitibiBowater does not have to top-up the
fund. There is a legal, legislative requirement that
over a period of five years, that fund must be kept
whole. The court now has removed that requirement from
AbitibiBowater. The cheques that were being sent out to
the pension holders will still come, they will still be
for the same amount, and the company will continue to
contribute to the pension plan as well.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Just for clarification, I
want to ask the minister if that includes the widowers
that were affected as well, if they will still continue
to be paid?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Innovation, Trade and Rural
Development.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SKINNER: Mr.
Speaker, the issue that we are dealing with is a very
complex one and there are many pockets of people, I
guess is what I would say to the hon. member. When she
refers to the widowers, I am making an assumption you
are referring to those people who are receiving the
early retirement allowances, is what they are actually
called, and those are separate from the decision that
was made today.
The decision today is
strictly about the registered pension funds and those
employees and former employees of AbitibiBowater who are
receiving pension cheques from the registered pension
fund. Those who were receiving early retirement
allowances or work force reduction program special
payments were not a part of that ruling, and are
separate and distinct from that.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
A group of former
AbitibiBowater workers in the fifty-two and under age
group, which is the group the minister just referred to,
also proposed an economic stimulus package that would
benefit the Central Region while providing benefits to
those same workers who were unable to access any kind of
a pension.
I ask the minister today:
What progress has government
made on evaluating this proposal and when can these
workers expect a response from government?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Innovation, Trade and Rural
Development.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SKINNER: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I have made
reference in this House before to the submission that I
received. I indicated at that time that that submission
is under review. Since I received the original
submission I have talked to the person who sent that to
me. That individual indicates that there is
supplementary information that they have available. I
have indicated that I would like to see that
supplementary information. I have asked the individual
to send that to me. I am awaiting receipt of that
information, and I will be corresponding with that
individual as well in the very near future.
It is under review. There
is more information that the individual says that he
has. I have asked him to provide it to me.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
The government is clear
in their statements that they will deduct severance
payments from any eventual compensation packages that
are paid out to the company for expropriated assets, but
we have certainly not seen any timelines around when
this could occur.
I am asking today: What
are the obstacles to government providing those
severance payments sooner rather than later?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Innovation, Trade and Rural
Development.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SKINNER: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, as I have
said many times in this House of Assembly, there are
processes in place that we must abide by. There are
court processes that are currently ongoing. We are not
going to jeopardize our position, as a government, or
the position of anybody who is intervening on behalf of
the workers in these court processes, by taking any
intervention.
The severance and
pensions and all of those things are AbitibiBowater’s
responsibility. We are going to do everything we can to
ensure that AbitibiBowater lives up to that
responsibility. One of the ways in which we are doing
that is through the court process that we have now, and
we will see what those court processes bring to us, Mr.
Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Within the Town of
Botwood there is a large storage tank. The tank was
built from forty yeas ago and it was used by
AbitibiBowater to store caustic soda. Caustic soda is a
highly corrosive and highly reactive material that is
used as a bleaching agent in paper making.
We have been told, Mr.
Speaker, that this tank, which is only 500 metres from
the school, is showing signs of deterioration.
Now
that the company has ceased all of its operations in the
Province, has government inspected this tank to
determine whether it is safe, and to ensure the contents
of it are safe?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. JACKMAN: Mr.
Speaker, I cannot speak specific to that one. If need
be, I will get some information on it, but all of the
environmental liabilities associated with the Abitibi
case here are under review.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: I
guess one of the questions we have is: Would
tanks and properties like this have been any part of the
expropriation deal of assets that government did as a
result of the legislation in the House, or would those
things be completely outside of that agreement?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. JACKMAN: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
These are environmental
liabilities and they have to meet the stringent
guidelines and regulations; and, as such, they will be
treated in the most serious way.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Has
government determined who has the liabilities for
properties like this? We are talking about a tank, now,
that we have been told might be unsafe, located next to
a school. Has it been determined who has the liabilities
for those properties or for any environmental damages
that are there at this stage that need to be cleaned up
immediately as opposed to a longer period of time?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. JACKMAN: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
At this particular time,
all of the environmental liabilities are still the
responsibility of Abitibi. Despite that, assessments are
being made and reviews will be made, and then decisions
will be made accordingly as they unfold.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
The minister indicated
earlier that the Province was doing an inventory. I
would like to ask when the inventory will be completed,
and a full report of all the environmental hazards that
have been left by AbitibiBowater.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Tourism, Culture and
Recreation.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. JACKMAN: Mr.
Speaker, I do not have that with me, but certainly I
will undertake to get that information.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Member for the District of Port de Grave.
MR. BUTLER: Mr.
Speaker, the Minister of Transportation stated last
month, in the hon. House of Assembly, and in Estimates
since that time, that there were no changes to the
summer maintenance program this year. The calls that I
have received tell me something different, Mr. Speaker.
I ask the minister again:
Will there be any layoffs this
year in the summer maintenance program?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Transportation and Works.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. TAYLOR: Mr.
Speaker, the hon. Opposition member should be running a
recycling depot, because that is the third time that I
have had to answer that question.
No, Mr. Speaker, there
are no changes from the summer maintenance program of
last year and the year before. The staff complement will
be the same. The budget is the same. The depots that
were closed last year as part of our summer downsizing
exercise that has been going on for the last four years
will close, and those that were open last year will be
open this year, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Member for the District of Port de Grave.
MR. BUTLER: Mr.
Speaker, the minister says that there will be no job
losses this year. This past week I had workers from the
Bay Roberts depot in my office and they state that the
summer maintenance crew in Bay Roberts will be two to
three workers short this year versus last year. I have
had calls from the Trinity Bay area that in Whitbourne
they will be one or two workers short of the maintenance
crew last year.
I ask the minister: Can
he confirm if this would be layoffs or not?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Transportation and Works.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. TAYLOR: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, all I can
tell the hon. member is that the budget for summer
maintenance is the same as last year. From the
departmental executive perspective, all things are
basically the same as last year.
Now, if there are
regional supervisors who are making decisions on how
they move their staff complement around, that I cannot
speak to but I will certainly undertake over the course
of the afternoon to find out exactly what the member is
talking about and get back to him on it.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Member for the District of Port de Grave.
MR. BUTLER: Mr.
Speaker, the two individuals I met with, in the winter
program they are operators. In the summer, for the past
three or four years, they dropped back to be carpenters.
They also tell me that there were only two positions as
carpenters last year on the full Avalon and this year
there will be nobody in those positions as carpenters.
I ask
the minister why this is, or is his department
contracting out the carpentry work of last year?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Transportation and Works.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. TAYLOR: Mr.
Speaker, when it comes to contracting out, we have a
collective agreement with our unionized employees. We
cannot contract out work that would otherwise be done by
our unionized workforce, so it would not be a decision
that we would lay off people and contract out. Any
contracting out would have to be over and above the
normal work that would be done by our unionized
employees; but, again, if we he identify those
individuals I will certainly look into it and report
back to him.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Member for the District of Port de Grave.
MR. BUTLER: I
will consent to that, Mr. Speaker, because there are
only two on the full Avalon and the two of them came
from that area so I will definitely let you know that.
Mr. Speaker, this
government, back a few years ago, closed down thirteen
depots. The union at that time, from my understanding,
took government to court and they won their case. Then
government appealed that decision. It is my
understanding from the information that I have received
that the judge involved in the case apparently made a
ruling on that issue in the fall of 2008.
I ask the minister: What
was the ruling by the judge? Did it take place at that
time, and will he table that decision today in the
House?
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh,
oh!
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
The hon. the Minister of
Transportation and Works.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. TAYLOR: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, to the best
of my knowledge -
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh,
oh!
MR. TAYLOR: Mr.
Speaker, can you…?
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
I ask members for their
co-operation. There was a question asked and an answer
about to be given.
The hon. the Minister of
Transportation and Works.
MR. TAYLOR: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Protect me from the
Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Speaker. Thank you very
much for that favour.
Mr. Speaker, as late as
last week I inquired of the Deputy Minister of
Transportation and Works as to the status of the court
case. It is my understanding that it is still with the
judge and that no decision has been made. Again, I will
reconfirm that this afternoon but that was the
information that was provided to me when I inquired on
it last week.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Member for the District of Port de Grave.
MR. BUTLER: Mr.
Speaker, I have to say to the Minister of Health and
Community Services, those were not anonymous phone
calls. They were real live individuals who sat down in
my office.
MS JONES: Real
people.
MR. BUTLER: Real
people, real workers.
I thank the minister for
his last response. I know he said he will check that
out. When he does, I am wondering if he will let me
know, if he has a report back - because we heard that
the report was there - what is
the monetary figure attached to the decision; and, if
so, will this money be paid to the workers in that
particular case?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Transportation and Works.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. TAYLOR: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
As I said, I am not aware
that there is a report so I would not be able to give
him any monetary figures that might be associated with a
report that I do not know exists.
Mr. Speaker, I will
endeavour to find out the answers on that, and I can
assure the hon. member that if there is anybody in this
House who wants to bring closure to the issue at hand
here it would be me. The faster we can get a decision
from the court and get it reviewed by the Public Service
Secretariat and by Treasury Board and our department,
that will be in the interest of all involved, including
the government, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Opposition House Leader.
MR. KELVIN PARSONS: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
I asked some questions
yesterday of the Minister of Tourism, Culture and
Recreation. Because of time, of course, I did not get to
ask them all.
Just to continue,
Minister, we know that only "qualified tourist
operations" can obtain a sign under the new TODS
program that the government is about to implement. If an
operation is not approved under TODS because they are
not within your definition of "tourist
operation" will there be any other way for anyone
to advertise at all along our highways?
I use as an example here
- there was one in the media - the Jiffy Cab, for
example. If that does not
qualify as a "tourist operation" will there be
any form of advertising, other than what the government
specifically designs, possible?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. JACKMAN: Mr.
Speaker, what we are involved in here is directional
signage. I think the first thing we have to recognize is
that our highway corridors are not advertising signs for
businesses such as Jiffy Cabs, the infamous cab that is
out there. As such, in our TODS program what we are
looking at is a national and internationally recognized
set of symbols that we will be continuing with. As to
other types of establishments, from my perspective we
are trying to unclutter the highways not to re-clutter
the highways, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Opposition House Leader.
MR. KELVIN PARSONS: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
We know there will be
fees associated with this program in terms of the
placement. In other provinces, for example, there is a
one-time, non-refundable standard application fee, a
one-time sign fee based upon the number and type of
approved signs, and an annual renewal fee based on the
number and type of signs.
How
does your cost - and what cost do you have in mind with
respect to this program - compare to what anybody who
has a sign under the current legislation pays? What is
the fee structure going to be like?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. JACKMAN: Mr.
Speaker, I would like to reiterate that at this
particular point we will be - as of June 8 we will be
dealing with illegal and non-compliant signs. We have a
committee that is going to be established that will take
a look at implementation costs and overall costs, but I
can tell you that, at present, an individual in this
Province can buy a fingerboard sign - I believe it is at
$142 - so I do not see that changing, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Opposition House Leader.
MR. KELVIN PARSONS: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
A year after an open
house was held at the Colonial Building in November 2005
the Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation
announced plans for the restoration and development of
this important historic landmark for the Province and
said they were underway. Since then, the government has
taken zero action with respect to that plan. The
building is still closed to the public, and no
restoration work has been done.
I ask the minister: Can
you provide us with an update on where we are right now
with that intended restoration project?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. JACKMAN: Mr.
Speaker, $3 million we as a government are investing in
the Colonial Building.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. JACKMAN: Second
to that, Mr. Speaker, interpretive work has been done,
design work has been done. We are in the process now of
reallocating workers within the Colonial Building so
that we can start phase one, the structural type of work
that needs to take place.
Mr. Speaker, I am very
pleased to report that the work at the Colonial Building
is progressing quite well.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Opposition House Leader.
MR. KELVIN PARSONS: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
There has been no money
allocated to the refurbishment of the Colonial Building
since the 2006-2007 Budget. Time may have stopped for
government but, of course, it has not stopped for the
deteriorating building. It has deteriorated even
further. The minister is well aware that the site has
turned into an open-air drug market, a blight on the
neighbourhood and an eyesore for the city, instead of a
tourism highlight for our visitors.
I ask the minister: What
are the timelines to get this project done and completed
so that it will have the respect and be the tourism
attraction that it ought to be?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. JACKMAN: I
think, Mr. Speaker, a $3 million investment shows quite
a bit of respect for the building. We recognize it as a
significant historical site. Second to that, as I have
just alluded to, we have the interpretive and design
work done. We are moving the workers out. We are doing
phase one, which is the structural soundness and other
types of stuff that has to be done before anything else
can be done. Then, the second part of it is to restore
the integrity of the building, Mr. Speaker.
I think that speaks to
progressive work which the department and government is
committed to doing.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Member for the District of Signal Hill-Quidi
Vidi.
MS MICHAEL: Thank
you very much, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, we know that
the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture and his
officials met with stakeholders on February 4 when the
Fish, Food and Allied Workers brought up concerns about
the global economic crisis and the effect it may have on
this year’s fishery.
Mr. Speaker, the union
wanted to know what kind of contingency plan the
government had in place, so government and industry
would not be caught in a bind. I am told the minister
and his officials downplayed the situation.
Mr. Speaker, I am asking
the minister: Why did the government ignore the warning
signs which would have given him ample time to get ready
for the current situation?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. HEDDERSON: Yes,
Mr. Speaker, I remember well the meeting of February 4,
where we did bring the players in the fishing industry
together around one table to look ahead, to see what we
could do as a government, what they could do as an
industry to prepare for this recession that is global.
It was a good discussion. Suggestions about slowing down
the season, making sure that we were all on our Ps and
Qs, that we were all ready to start the season and we
left that meeting with a challenge for us to put
together some working groups if the industry certainly
wanted to. At that particular point we did not get any
follow-up.
So, again, we are where
we are today, fighting against a recession throughout
the world that is not only affecting the fishing
industry but other industries as well.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Member for the District of Signal Hill–Quidi
Vidi.
MS MICHAEL: Well
I would like to point out to the minister, it might be
affecting other parts of the world but it is not
affecting Nova Scotia where the fishermen yesterday were
getting $1.65 a pound for their crab, which equals about
$1.50 here, when adjusted.
I say, Mr. Speaker, that
we have a storm brewing now over the crab fishing
industry in this Province. Yesterday we heard from the
Fisheries minister that only 20 per cent of plants are
still processing crab. Mr. Speaker, that means that
about 80 per cent of plants are not working. Harvesters
already have their pots in the water and there are many
plant workers who may not get the fourteen weeks they
need to apply for EI.
So, Mr. Speaker, I ask
the Minister of Fisheries: Is he going to have an
emergency meeting with all the same stakeholders he had
at the meeting on February 4, to overcome the current
condition of the industry?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. HEDDERSON: I
say to the hon. member across the House, you have to be
very careful about comparing and making statements about
other jurisdictions because you are very much comparing
apples with oranges in this particular case and it is
statements like that that can send ripple effects, as I
pointed out before.
As well, I would remind
the member that even as we speak that the industry are
working with the price setting panel and bringing forth
what conditions are on the go right now and trying to
find a way to making sure that this season continues,
that it continues in a way that is in the best interests
of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, and
especially the workers involved in this particular
industry.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Member for the District of Signal Hill-Quidi
Vidi.
MS MICHAEL: Mr.
Speaker, I point out that I asked why not all the
stakeholders are working together because that is not
happening.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday
the Minister of Human Resources, Labour and Employment
said that she had a meeting with one of the processing
groups in the crab industry. Mr. Speaker, the
minister’s seafood industry and review issued in
March, 2009 says that the crab fishery brought in
approximately $179.6 million last year.
So I ask the minister: If
he is so concerned about the industry, why was he not at
the meeting with the Minister of HRLE and the
processors, the meeting that she talked about?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. HEDDERSON: I
have to chuckle because again, both myself and the
Minister Responsible for Human Resources, Labour and
Employment, both of us have been accessible to any of
the groups that want to meet with us. I have met with
the processors, I have met with the harvesters, I have
met with both of them together. The minister has
followed up. We are doing everything that we possibly
can to work with this industry to make sure that this
season continues on. We have 25 per cent of the crab
already in. We do have people, enterprises that are out
on the water. This is the dance that goes on every year.
It is no different than any other year, except the
markets right now are not where they were last year. We
are trying to settle on a price, and even as we speak
there are hopefully deals that have been made that will
break this blockade and move us to where we need to be
with the completion of the season.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
The time allotted for
questions and answers has expired. |
