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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, in March of this year our office distributed a questionnaire to municipal leaders on the Provincial Waste Management Strategy, which involved the elimination of Teepee incinerators and the amalgamation of two hundred plus dumpsites into three engineered landfills, or, as we tend to call them, super dumps. Mr. Speaker, 55 per of those responding municipalities stated that they were not satisfied with the current direction of the plan and the cost associated with it.

I ask the minister today, if she is aware of the level of dissatisfaction with the department’s Waste Management Strategy, and if there is a process whereby municipalities can have their concerns dealt with.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Municipal Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS WHALEN: Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for the question.

We have waste management boards set up throughout the Province, and they are working quite well. There is a group of volunteers that manages those boards, and various municipalities are represented on that board, so they are moving. It is a strategy that this government has invested over $200 million in. It is a strategy that you cannot afford not to buy into.

We need to protect our environment. We need to protect it for our generations today and for future generations, so there are a lot of things that have to be worked out in these boards with various municipalities; but the cost to the waste management, in some cases, is about $8 a household so the cost is not exorbitant for the municipalities.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Under the policy direction of government, most of these municipalities are aware that they have to sign on, close down their dumps and incinerators by a certain deadline. Many of these municipal leaders have not been given answers on what the cost detail of the strategy is, and what resources or supports will be there to support them.

I ask the minister today: What cost analysis has the department done in the implementation of the Waste Management Strategy for each of the regions, and if you can table those figures in the House of Assembly?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. JACKMAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I will certainly endeavour to get any cost analysis that has been done, but one thing that is happening is that in various regions local boards have been set up and they are progressing quite well.

In other regions, incinerators are still operating but within confined time frames because agreements have been reached whereby they are moving ahead with their Waste Management Strategy, closing out their sites and conjointly sharing with other communities to go to one facility, and those have been granted extensions to accommodate that.

Mr. Speaker, our intent here as a government, as the minister just said, we have invested heavily in this. Look around. At one point there were some 250 of these dumps around the Province. Right now there are below 200, so progress is being made and we will continue to do so, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The concern that was outlined to us in the survey we did with these municipalities is on the annual cost, the usage cost, of operating the facilities.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the minister today: Can he confirm to the House that information received from municipal leaders is indicating that the cost of garbage collection and disposal has risen by nearly 500 per cent for some of these municipalities over a period of three years?

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Minister of Municipal Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS WHALEN: Mr. Speaker, the municipalities have been expressing some concern over the 100 kilometres transportation. We, as a government, have said that we would certainly look at that, so we are aware of the cost. In some cases I have been told that it works out to somewhere in the vicinity of half a cup of coffee in some cases - that is what it boils down to - to protect our environment.

There are figures available to the boards that they have been talking on the boards. We are aware of the cost with regard to over 100 kilometres and we will address that as a government.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

These municipalities are concerned. It is not that they do not want to participate in an environmentally-friendly program, Minister; it is the fact that they have to pay for it and pay extraordinarily for it in some cases, such as the one I just indicated.

Municipal leaders are also not being given a choice with regard to the Provincial Waste Management Strategy. We learned from one town, the Town of King’s Point, that they have been denied approved funding for their roadwork for not signing on to this strategy.

I ask the minister: Are there other communities besides King’s Point that are being denied approval of capital works money on the basis of not signing on to this agreement?

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Minister of Municipal Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS WHALEN: Mr. Speaker, there is no municipality being denied their capital works program. There is a process in place where they have to submit their applications for any of their capital works.

I will say to the Opposition Leader that the capital works program we are rolling out with this strategy in waste management, this year alone we have invested $43 million in Robin Hood Bay on the Avalon.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS WHALEN: Again, I cannot emphasize enough in this House of Assembly how important it is to move forward with this Waste Management Strategy, and from all indications the boards are doing just that in the Province and they are addressing all of the issues pertaining to cost (inaudible).

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, it is a very serious issue for municipalities, I say to the members opposite, but municipalities have seen no increase in their Municipal Operating Grants and, in fact, over a period of time their operating costs have actually tripled.

I ask the minister: Without the increases in the MOGs, how are these municipalities which have a declining population base, as we know from the recent statistics, how will they afford the rising costs of garbage collection and disposal as is being forced upon them by government right now?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

I say to members that the Chair is having great difficulty hearing the questions and hearing the responses. I ask for your co-operation.

The hon. the Minister of Municipal Affairs.

MS WHALEN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Just in answer to your question, there have been no cutbacks in our MOGs. In fact, this year the municipalities are experiencing a 13 per cent increase in their MOGs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MS JONES: Many of the town officials also expressed to us their disappointment that the new gas tax secretariat has no autonomy to dispense the federal Gas Tax Funds for such things as helping them with garbage disposal and collection in transportation, despite the fact that it is an environmentally-focused program.

Minister, I ask you: Why are the municipalities unable to access their portion of the federal Gas Tax Fund for this purpose, and is that a decision of your department or is it a decision of the federal government?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Municipal Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS WHALEN: Mr. Speaker, the Gas Tax Fund is a federal program and there are also guidelines set down by the federal government of what they are able to do with that gas tax.

I have heard the concerns of the municipalities and we are going to endeavour to work with the federal government to see if we can have some flexibility with regard to those guidelines.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker

We had town clerks, as well, express to us that they almost felt panic as to what will happen to their council and senior residents when the Waste Management Strategy is implemented in some regions, all because of cost again.

I ask the minister: Has government considered any regulatory rate process that could be used for waste management in the Province so that people are not penalized based on where they live, or the distance in which their garbage needs to be transported under your particular strategy?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Municipal Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS WHALEN: Mr. Speaker, we are quite conscious about the cost with regard to this strategy. We would not be investing $200 million in this strategy if we did not think it was necessary, but the Province cannot afford not to buy into this. We are fifteen years behind our counterparts in other parts of the country.

I will say to the hon. member, that we work together with the municipalities, with our boards, we will indeed address the cost and it will be relevant and affordable to our citizens.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

While the minister says we cannot afford not to buy into it, I do not dispute that, but you have to realize that you have many municipalities in this Province with declining population and declining tax regimes and yet you are expecting them to pay more money for services.

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Environment had asked that the teepee incinerators in the Province be closed down -

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MS JONES: - for business on December 30 of last year. It could not have happened, Mr. Speaker, at that time.

I ask the minister today: What has changed that now you are able to meet a June 30 deadline to have all these teepees closed?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. JACKMAN: Mr. Speaker, the municipalities are as interested as we are in closing down these incinerators. Everybody recognizes stuff that gets spewed out of these things and we are very much at a different place than we were twenty-five years ago, Mr. Speaker.

What is happening at this particular point is that the municipalities are working through the waste management strategy and working with government to iron out the plan as to how they can close these incinerators. Our intent is to have them closed, it was our intent, will be, and these will be closed out, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We have already been made aware of one town in the Province who has been granted an exemption to the June 30 deadline. We are also aware that the Towns of Port aux Basques, Twillingate, Grand Bank, and Fortune have also applied for extensions on their teepee deadlines.

So I ask the minister today: What is the plan? Are you going to grant the exemptions to these towns or not? Of course, one of their concerns again is to do with the financial cost.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. JACKMAN: Mr. Speaker, I am going to give her a number now, that if we can have it by June 30 it will be quite a success. If it all works out, we are going to have twenty of them closed by the end of June, Mr. Speaker. The plans are in place and we are working with those municipalities. We certainly hope that we will, maybe we will not, but the thing about it, Mr. Speaker, is that we are progressing. Look at the money that was invested in waste management in the former government as compared to what is invested now. Two hundred million dollars, Mr. Speaker, is a sizeable amount and shows our commitment to cleaning up the environment.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The June 30 deadline is their deadline, not mine.

I ask you again minister, for the Town of Port aux Basques, the Town of Twillingate, Grand Bank and Fortune, who have already asked for exemptions, given the fact that there is no infrastructure in place for reducing and handling their waste at this time and no financial assistance for the increased cost associated with it, I ask you, minister: What is your response to those towns?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

I ask members to stop their shouting back and forth the House.

The hon. the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. JACKMAN: Mr. Speaker, the thing about it, in the cases that she has identified, is the towns are not operating in isolation. We are working with them. That is the reason for granting the extension, but our intent is to have them closed.

So, Mr. Speaker, we will continue to work with them, the plans are in place, and as they unfold we will see what we have to do.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well, twice I have asked the minister if he is going to grant them an extension, obviously he has not made up his mind or he would be answering the question.

Mr. Speaker, Municipal Affairs identified themselves $12.7 million in the 2007-2008 Budget that was announced and committed for infrastructure for municipalities that never got spent. They also identified $7.2 million in municipal federal-provincial infrastructure money that was allocated and never got spent. They also identified $3 million under the gas tax program for that year that did not get spent. That was $23 million that was announced in this Province in 2007-2008 that did not flow to municipalities.

I ask the minister: What is being done now to ensure that monies that get budgeted and get announced for municipalities actually reach their towns and infrastructure gets done?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Municipal Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS WHALEN: Mr. Speaker, we have invested $103 million worth of municipal infrastructure works in this budget alone.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS WHALEN: Just recently we announced seventy-one projects affecting forty-six municipalities in this Province. Just two weeks ago, with the federal minister and myself, and Minister Taylor we rolled out that program. We also announced a number of projects with Senator Manning with the federal government and our contribution.

So we have made investments in our municipalities. We are going to continue to make those investments to see that they have a standard of living.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I say to the minister, there was $23 million that you announced in 2007-2008, too, that never reached into municipalities. Also, Mr. Speaker, in 2008-2009 the government opposite budgeted $31 million for municipal infrastructure under the same agreements and only $19 million of it ever got spent in municipalities.

I ask the minister today: Why did $12 million from this program, although it was committed and announced, not get spent in that budget year and will it be spent this year?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Municipal Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS WHALEN: Mr. Speaker, we are spending, as I just told the hon. member, $103 million in provincial is budgeted for this 2009-2010 Budget. We are continuing to spend with our municipalities. We are continuing to invest in infrastructure, water and sewer, roads. We have worked very closely with our municipalities. They make an application. In fact, this year we have even streamlined their application to make it much more simpler that they can get their work done.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Once again, my question is about the fact that money is being announced, money is being allocated, money is not getting into the municipalities. Mr. Speaker, in last year’s budget there was $52 million for the gas tax program. Only $40 million of it was ever allocated.

I ask the minister: Why did the department hold back the other $12 million in that fund, and will it be committed this year or can municipalities still apply for it?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Municipal Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS WHALEN: Mr. Speaker, the municipalities for the gas tax has to make an application to Municipal Affairs, and outlined in that application they had to do ISCPs, and there is an audit and accountable to the federal government. So in some cases - and I do not know, hon. member, if this is the case, but in some cases municipalities have not completed that paperwork and they would not be entitled to that gas tax, but once they complete the paperwork their gas tax money will be allotted to them.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS JONES: So the minister is saying that the reason the money was not spent is because the municipalities did not do their work. Well, Mr. Speaker, the program this year, the federal gas tax program this year has $62 million in it and it has a deadline by the federal government that says it has to be spent by 2010.

So I ask you, minister, if for the last two years in this Province we could not get out half that amount of money to municipalities, how do you plan this year to ensure that the $60 million allocated under this program for municipalities will be spent before the deadline of 2010?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Municipal Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS WHALEN: Mr. Speaker, I would just like to back up and say to the hon. member that I did not say the municipalities were not doing their work. There are some municipalities that have not completed (inaudible).

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS WHALEN: Mr. Speaker, I have hired a new official in my department to look after the gas tax program to help the municipalities that require help with getting their paperwork done.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

They may have gotten in on time if they did not change the rules twice since the program was implemented, and implement new criteria that they had to meet on two different occasions.

Mr. Speaker, this government has a record of announcing municipal infrastructure money but not always following through on the delivery of it, and that is our concern.

In light of the fact, Minister, that there is stimulus money out there this year, I ask you today: What process will you implement in this Province to ensure that we have a tracking system of municipal infrastructure money so that municipalities know when it is being committed, where it is being committed, and when it will be spent?

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Minister of Municipal Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS WHALEN: Mr. Speaker, this government has made changes in the way that the programs are rolled out. In fact, in our department alone we have gone through pre-engineering with the projects in the fall and in the winter so that we can get our tenders out early and get our work done.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

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

My questions are for the Minister of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development.

Mr. Speaker, the call centre industry is being impacted by –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Opposition House Leader.

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

There is an old saying, when the cat is away the mice will play – and the kids will play, in this case, today.

Mr. Speaker, the call centre industry is being impacted –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

For the final time this Question Period, the Chair is going to appeal to members who are shouting and continually disrupting not only the person asking the question but the person answering it as well.

There are important questions being asked, there are important answers being given, and I ask members, for the final time this Question Period, to please uphold the rules of the House.

The hon. the Opposition House Leader.

MR. KELVIN PARSONS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate your protection.

Mr. Speaker, the call centre industry is being impacted by global economic conditions. Last week, Teletech in Mount Pearl announced that they were experiencing problems and would shut down unless they could secure new contracts. We are now hearing from other call centre employees who are fearful of their operations also being impacted.

I ask the minister: Have you been contacted or given any indication by these other call centres that they may, in fact, be experiencing some difficulties as well?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SKINNER: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, we obviously are living in a global economy. The work that is being done by the contact centres is work that is reaching throughout the world. They are competing for contracts across the world. In some cases they win those contracts and we have good employment, and in some cases they may lose the odd one and their employment numbers may fluctuate a little bit. That is the nature of the business and the industry that they are in.

In terms of whether or not I have been contacted by other operations to discuss what is happening with them, I do not feel that it would be appropriate for me here in the House to discuss the business of those other contact centres and I will not give any indication of that at this time.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. KELVIN PARSONS: Thank you.

With all due respect, Mr. Speaker, if it is public money into any business I would think the minister has a responsibility to advise the public. Never mind not talking about them. If these people are receiving public funds they should be talked about and the answer should be given.

Mr. Speaker, call centres such as Teletech were receiving public funds, money to subsidize the rates that they paid their employees. Teletech is the second call centre to close in the past year. We had an incident in Carbonear; ICT closed and there was a loss of 150 jobs, several months ago. The minister recently stated that the current subsidy program may need to be reviewed to see what improvements can be made.

I ask the minister: Is government still committed to the subsidy program? If so, what aspects of the program are you, in fact, reviewing?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SKINNER: Mr. Speaker, in terms of commenting on the operations of any business that may be involved with government, I have no difficulty speaking to any public money that government may have involved in any companies in the Province, and certainly it would be my place to do so, but I am not going to speak about the operations, the private and confidential operations of private companies out in the workforce that we have here and the industry that we have here. I think it would be irresponsible and inappropriate to do so.

In terms of are we committed to the contact centre industry, we certainly are. We are committed to the programs that we have in place and we do a review of those programs on a regular basis to determine whether or not we can improve upon them. I myself have visited a number of contact centres in the last little while to talk to the management team to see whether or not the programs that we have in place are addressing their needs, and based upon the feedback that I have received we may be making some changes in the future but I have some more visitations that I will be doing.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

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

Given the minister’s need for secrecy I will pose the question in such a way that hopefully we can get some indication from him. Mr. Speaker, I ask the minister: Have you been given any indication whether the other existing call centres are, in fact, looking for additional incentives in order to maintain their operations during the current recession? Have you been approached and asked for additional incentives to support these existing call centres?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SKINNER: Mr. Speaker, I just want to point out, first of all, I have no need for secrecy. I do, however, respect the confidentiality of the businesses that I deal with, and I will continue to respect that confidentiality.

In terms of any of those businesses coming forward and asking government for any further subsidies or any enhancements, at this point, there has been no direct communication with the department. However, I have indicated, in my previous answer, that I have been visiting contact centres and a number of things have been discussed but there has been no official representation in that regard.

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.

Potential crisis in the Province’s health care system continue to exist. We have been made aware that not-for-profit and private ambulance operators have been without a contract since April, 2008.

Mr. Speaker, at this moment twenty-two rural community-based ambulance operators, representing one-third of all the ambulances in the Province, are waiting for an agreement between government and the ambulance operators. Some of the community-based operators are running out of funding to provide emergency medical services because of government’s foot-dragging. Many Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are in danger of not receiving critical care at the moment they need it most.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the Minister of Health and Community Services: Will this government move quickly to rescue this service before another disaster hits our health care system?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. WISEMAN: Yes, Mr. Speaker.

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

MS MICHAEL: Mr. Speaker, that is the shortest answer we have ever gotten from the Minister of Health and Community Services. So let me ask him a question that he will not be able to say yes or no to.

I am aware, from the not-for-profit operators, that there has been no joint meeting of the not-for-profit operators and the private operators since January 19, and the not-for-profit operators do not know what is happening.

Mr. Speaker, some of the not-for-profit community ambulance operators are at a breaking point. In plain terms, some groups cannot afford to keep ambulances on the road. They need funding for fuel, insurance coverage for the staff and equipment repairs, very basic requirements. Some have even borrowed money –

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

I ask the hon. member to pose her question.

MS MICHAEL: Yes, I have a question, Mr. Speaker, and I will ask it.

They have borrowed money that they do not even know if they are going to be able to return.

So I am asking the Minister of Health and Community Services: Will he please tell us why this government is not aggressively working towards a contract that will allow ambulance operators to provide essential emergency services?

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. WISEMAN: Mr. Speaker, I was attempting to lead by example by having a very short answer but unfortunately the member opposite did not pick up on it and a very long preamble into a question. So I will take the same indulgence and give her a fairly lengthy answer.

Mr. Speaker, the issue of ambulance operations in this Province has been something that our government has taken very seriously. If you look at the investments we have made in ambulance services in this Province, investments we have made in our emergency services, Mr. Speaker, speaks volumes I think for our commitment to that industry.

Next week, I believe, Mr. Speaker, is the next - the member opposite asked questions about negotiations and where that might be. Next Wednesday I believe is the next meeting of the negotiating team, representatives from Treasury Board, representatives from the ambulance industry, representatives from my department are going to be together next week for what might be, I think, might be the second if not third time that they have been together trying to work through an agreement. We acknowledge there is an agreement that has been in place. It has expired but we are attempting to have a new one in place, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS MICHAEL: Mr. Speaker, as I indicated, we know from the not-for-profit operators that they have not been invited to a meeting since January 19.

Can the minister please tell us who exactly is going to be at the meeting when it comes to the ambulance operators?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. WISEMAN: It is really important, Mr. Speaker, when you ask questions in the House to do some research. There are two different things here, Mr. Speaker. The member opposite is talking about what might be an ongoing liaison committee that takes place on - because within that industry there is a relationship between the department and the industry and there is a liaison committee, a working group of representatives from each of the associations, together with representatives from my department who work on issues on an ongoing basis. That is one entity that currently exists.

The second piece, Mr. Speaker, which was the focus of her question, where are we with respect to negotiations. There is a negotiating team and the negotiating team is made up of representatives from Treasury Board, my department, Department of Health and Community Services, and each of the ambulance service industries in the Province, Mr. Speaker. So they are meeting next week. Now with respect to other groups, Mr. Speaker -

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!