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Oral
Questions
September 8, 2009
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| In the House | Question
Period
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Of course, today we are
debating a bill that is relative to the Lower Churchill
Project and I just have a couple of questions for the
Premier, to start.
Government’s latest
shift in position on the Lower Churchill has been to
announce that Gros Morne is officially off the table as
a transmission route, and this was after the Premier and
his government had adamantly defended this route as
being $100 million cheaper, money that they would have
rather seen invested in health care, I think were the
comments that were made, but then a few days ago the
government said: We are just kidding.
Mr. Speaker, kidding
about causing permanent damage to a UNESCO World
Heritage Site was an unbelievable statement for me to
hear, but my question to the Premier today is: How
serious are you about a north-south grid of power for
the Lower Churchill Project, or is that just another
joke that is being proposed by the government?
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
PREMIER WILLIAMS: The
first thing you should do is lighten up. You must have
had a bad summer; there must be something going on. I
saw you yawning over there a minute ago when the House
Leader there was speaking. Anyway, that was a very light
comment that was made in the course of a speech. It was
said jokingly, and it was received that way, and I would
say it again.
From our perspective, we
are very serious about the Churchill. We are not going
to go through the process that the Grimes’ government
went through, and had it all signed, sealed and
delivered, and were giving it all off to Quebec, and
Quebec were going to market it and they were going to
build it and they were going to sell it and they were
going to construct it, and we are going to give it away
- another big giveaway of the Lower Churchill. We are
not going to do that.
We are very serious about
what we are doing. We have put a lot of time, we have
put a lot of money, we have put a lot of hard work, and
we have put a lot of effort into this. We have the best
people, the best experts that money can buy. We have the
best people in the Department of Natural Resources, we
have the very best people at Nalcor Energy, and we are
going to do it right.
When we do it, we are not
going to give it away to Quebec, and if it means we are
going north-south and we can avoid Quebec, we will,
because they are trying to skin us again. They are
buying power from us, from the Upper Churchill, at
twenty-five cents, and they are selling it for over $9,
thirty-six times what they are paying for it from us. It
is disgraceful, and we are not going to let them get
away with it, so we are serious.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Reports today indicate
that New Brunswick is refusing to consider a plan from
Prince Edward Island to transmit power from P.E.I. wind
projects through New Brunswick into New England states.
Their reason is insufficient line capacity.
So, given that any
overland route to New England has to pass through New
Brunswick, what plans does your
government have in place with the Province of New
Brunswick to wheel power from the Lower Churchill
Project north to south through their province?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Natural Resources.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS DUNDERDALE:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, as I have
explained in this House before, and we have explained
publicly a number of times, there is, because of
Quebec’s commercial arrangements in the United States,
a process now under their FERC regulations called Open
Access Transmission Tariff. Basically what that says,
Mr. Speaker, is anybody who wheels power through states
in the United States has to have reciprocity and allow
states or other provinces to wheel power through their
states or provinces.
Mr. Speaker, under that
OATT process we have made two applications into Quebec
to wheel power through Quebec, and one application
through New Brunswick. Mr. Speaker, the Régie will hear
the application; they will find if there is room to
wheel power through New Brunswick. If there is not
sufficient room at this time and we are not able to come
to an agreement with people who hold capacity then they
will tell us what construction needs to happen to allow
the power being used in that province.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
The hon. the Leader of
the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
The minister should know
that the report released today in New Brunswick outlined
that a year ago New Brunswick’s utility tendered out
some of its transmission capacity for use by other
jurisdictions but all of the excess was bought up by
Quebec. Prince Edward Island did not bid during that
process, and today they are left out in the cold.
I ask the minister: Did
Nalcor participate in this tendering process and, if so,
did they secure any transmission capacity at that time?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Deputy Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS DUNDERDALE: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, we have an
old application in through New Brunswick; we have had it
in some time. Where you are in the process depends on
when you apply, because it is first-come, first-served.
Now, Mr. Speaker, when
the Régie looks at our application they will look at
the capacity on their line through New Brunswick; they
will see if that capacity can be reconfigured to allow
Newfoundland and Labrador access to go through.
Newfoundland and Labrador
can apply to New Brunswick Power or Hydro-Quebec who now
hold the extra capacity on that line and we may come to
an agreement where they may let us use up some of that
capacity, or the Régie will tell us what kind of
infrastructure is required to have new capacity through
New Brunswick and we will work that process through with
New Brunswick or with other utilities, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
My question to the
minister is: A year ago, when
the utility company in New Brunswick offered up the
power capacity on the line, did Nalcor Energy tender in
that process at that time? If they did not, I would like
to know the reason for that.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Natural Resources and Deputy
Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS DUNDERDALE: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I will go
back and check the exact time that we made application
under the OATT –
AN HON. MEMBER:
(Inaudible).
MS DUNDERDALE:
That is the only process that is available to us, I
advise the Leader of the Opposition, and you really
ought to make yourself more familiar with the
regulations.
Mr. Speaker, it is on a
first-come, first-served basis; so, once you make the
application, whatever capacity is available you have
first dibs on that capacity. Our application was made
some time ago, Mr. Speaker. It obviously was made after
New Brunswick and Hydro-Quebec made their application.
It is now being looked at. If the capacity can be found
on existing lines it will be awarded to Newfoundland and
Labrador. Otherwise, Mr. Speaker, new infrastructure
will have to be constructed.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Last week government
announced that they would remove lab and X-ray services
from health facilities in Lewisporte and Flower’s
Cove, and Mr. Speaker, hopefully they were just kidding
when they made that announcement, but we will find out I
guess. But this will certainly negatively impact the
services to thousands of people in dozens of communities
in these regions of rural Newfoundland.
I ask the minister today:
Why is government attacking
basic front-line medical services in these rural
communities that some have had the ability to enjoy for
nearly fifty years?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. ORAM: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, it is
important that we put this whole thing into context
here. The fact of the matter is, is that this government
is investing unprecedented amounts of money in health
care in this Province, certainly in the Lewisporte area.
When we look at all the services that are provided
throughout this Province we have to look at sometimes
streamlining services that we may provide, and that is
exactly what we did here in Lewisporte. We looked at it
in Lewisporte, we looked at it in Flower’s Cove, and
we understood that we need to be able to make advances
in promoting and providing services, for instance, to
seniors in Lewisporte.
We were given a task by
Central Health in saying we want to see a priority of
building a new long-term care facility in Lewisporte,
for instance. As a government we listened to that, but
again, we have to look at ways to streamline the system
in order to be able to provide funding for these type of
things, and to provide quality service to people.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Mr.
Speaker, I don’t believe the rationale I am hearing
from the government when you say to people, because we
give you infrastructure in your community it entitles us
to take something away. It is an absolutely ridiculous
statement!
Mr. Speaker, I listened
to a CBC interview that the minister did last week when
he stated: I have no idea if there is any money savings
or not, I have no idea. Mr. Speaker, I was appalled that
a minister would announce such a significant closure of
medical services without completing the due diligence of
looking at the cost measures.
I ask the minister today:
Have you looked at cost at all
in this case, and if so, what are the savings to
government on closing services like X-ray and labs in
rural areas of this Province?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. ORAM: Mr.
Speaker, the fact of the matter is, is when I was asked
the question I certainly did not know what savings there
were involved. This is not only about saving money, Mr.
Speaker. This is about streamlining a system to make a
system work better for people. Just because a service is
actually in your small community does not mean it is the
best service that we can provide as a Province. At that
time, Mr. Speaker, we were not looking at exactly how
much money we were going to save. However, I can tell
you that the program in Lewisporte, for instance, costs
about $400,000 a year to keep lab and X-ray in that
particular community. We look at that, Mr. Speaker, and
we decide, can we go ahead and provide a service as good
or better by removing that particular service? And not
only removing it put it in a different location,
centralizing that particular service. We feel very, very
comfortable with what we are doing and it is a final
decision. It is the right decision for the people of the
area. It is the right decision for the people of
Newfoundland and Labrador.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Mr.
Speaker, two weeks before this announcement was made the
Minister of Health was in Lewisporte and met with the
local health care committee and toured the local health
facilities. At that time residents there told me he was
encouraging them to continue to lobby for improved X-ray
and laboratory services.
I ask the minister today:
Were you aware when you visited
Lewisporte two weeks ago that this announcement was
coming, and if so, did you hide the information from the
people in that area? And if you did not know, why
didn’t you know as the minister two weeks before a
major service was being closed in this Province?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. ORAM: Mr.
Speaker, I do not know - you know, I do not really know
how the Opposition operated because I was not around
when they were government you know, and we do not hide
things in this government. You know, we are upfront with
what we do. We could have decided to leave the
announcement on laboratory and X-ray and waited until we
built the new facility and then we would go out and tell
everybody that we are not doing it now.
I met with the people in
Lewisporte back two, three, four weeks ago whenever it
was, and we were very clear with them. This particular
facility would not include X-ray and laboratory services
in the new building that we are building, just as simple
as that. It was just as clear as that and that is
exactly what I delivered to the people.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Officials from Central
Health have stated that they had no role in the
decision. They only found out a couple of hours before
it was actually announced and it came as a complete
shock. Local doctors in both Lewisporte and Flower’s
Cove believe this is downgrading patient services and
patients’ health will be negatively affected. In fact,
I heard a doctor from Flower’s Cove on the radio state
that lives will be lost as a result of this decision.
So I ask the minister: Why
did you refuse to consult with professionals within the
health boards and why did you not accept advice from
professional doctors who are working in those
communities?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. ORAM: Again,
Mr. Speaker, we have a situation here where the
Opposition is obviously not listening to what is being
said by Central Health. Central Health was very, very
clear. Karen McGrath, the CEO of Central Health, was
very, very clear when she said we were a part of this
whole discussion. We have always been a part of this
discussion. We understood exactly what government was
looking at doing here. We understood that there had to
be some decisions made. In fact, Central Health, Mr.
Speaker, were the people who came to us. They came to us
and asked us if we would consider doing this piece of
work to be able to continue on and, for one thing,
create a cost savings, and number two, to be able to
provide quality service to the people of Lewisporte and
area.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
The minister also hinted
in the media that Lewisporte and Flower’s Cove will
not be the only areas that are affected by this –
AN HON. MEMBER:
(Inaudible).
MS JONES: Why
don’t you go meet with your constituents in Flower’s
Cove and explain to them why you are closing their
service as opposed to shouting at me across the House of
Assembly?
Mr. Speaker, when the
minister was discussing it in the media he said that
there may be more to come, and I ask the minister today:
What other areas of the
Province are slated for closure and when will those
communities be notified?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. ORAM:
Mr. Speaker, we were very upfront in telling people that
we are now doing an assessment of all X-ray and labs
throughout the Province. As we know, the Cameron report
was very, very clear in its recommendations that we had
to look at laboratory services. I can tell you now that
we are assessing every particular site in Newfoundland
and Labrador. The assessment is not complete yet but
when it is complete we will certainly be back, and we
will certainly be making announcements as they become
available.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
In 2007, during the last
Voisey’s Bay strike, I questioned the government on
their plans to bring forward anti-replacement worker
legislation in the Province. The minister at that time
and his colleague, the Minister of Labrador Affairs,
indicated that this was a priority for their government
and a review was taking place. It is two years later, we
have another strike related to the Voisey’s Bay mine
that is currently taking place and we have not seen any
anti-replacement worker legislation.
So, I ask the minister
today: What is the status of
this legislation and when will workers in the Province
see some kind of a bill being presented to the House of
Assembly?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Human Resources, Labour and
Employment.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS SULLIVAN: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Just to be clear,
business, labour and government committed to reviewing
that particular legislation, and I should point out that
that particular review is underway. What we are trying
to do is to try to find ways to modernize all labour
legislation. The review is ongoing. When the review by
all three parties, business, labour and government, is
completed we will bring forward the appropriate
legislation.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
It is easy for the
minister to say that, but today while striking workers
are on the picket line replacement workers are being
flown in to take their jobs. Two years ago your
government announced that they would do this, and I ask
you today, minister: How much
longer is it going to take, and when will we see some
action from your government on this legislation?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Human Resources, Labour and
Employment.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS SULLIVAN: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
And I point out once
again, that that process is underway, Mr. Speaker. It is
a piece of work that we have picked up that we said we
will review. We are reviewing however, in consultation
and in partnership. This is a tripartite procedure that
is happening between or among business, labour and
government. All partners here are working diligently
toward this end.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Member for the District of Port de Grave.
MR. BUTLER: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
The deadline for
registering home heating fuel tanks was reached on July
31, 2009, meaning that it is now illegal for oil to be
delivered to any unregistered oil tanks in the Province.
We have received numerous calls and inquiries from
seniors, low-income earners, people with disabilities,
and social assistance recipients who require oil tank
replacements in order to maintain a heat source.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh,
oh!
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
MR. BUTLER: I
ask the minister responsible, Mr.
Speaker, can you confirm that there are close to 5,000
families in Newfoundland and Labrador that are unable to
meet the regulations due to financial barriers, and I
ask what action has been taken on their behalf?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Environment and Conservation.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS JOHNSON: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, about 50,000
out of 60,000 people have had their tanks registered. As
the hon. member opposite mentioned, the deadline was
July 31, 2009. That was after several extensions within
seven years. As the minister would know, the
environmental cost of not registering your tank is far
greater than the cost of doing so. The cost to your own
property, your neighbour’s property and to the
environment can sometimes lead up to $250,000 we have
seen, to clean up these. I am sure the hon. member will
agree, because it was his government in 2002 that
brought in these regulations.
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 go back to the minister again because
she failed to answer my question.
Since this issue has
resolved, I have been dealing with officials with
Newfoundland and Labrador Housing who have confirmed
that there are 5,000 people that they deal with or HRL&E
deals with, who are unable to look after this expense. I
have been in touch with officials, and I also spoke with
the Minister of Human Resources, Labour and Employment,
and they have confirmed with me that various provincial
agencies are looking at alternate considerations and it
could take up as high as two months. People have
concerns knowing that the winter months are upon us.
I ask again: What
has been done, and when will we hear some word on what
those various agencies are planning?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Environment and Conservation.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS JOHNSON: Mr.
Speaker, I am not sure if the hon. member heard me
correctly but I did say 50,000 out of 60,000 have
registered. So, if you subtract from that, there is
10,000 left. At the time when the government opposite
brought in the regulations they also brought in a $300
rebate at that time, and while that does not sit with my
department, I am sure the Minister Responsible for
Finance can very eloquently speak to that; that $300
rebate remains in effect today.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Member for the District of Port de Grave.
MR. BUTLER: Mr.
Speaker, I guess I will let it go for now but the
question has still not been answered. I can assure you,
Mr. Speaker, I have been in touch with officials with
Newfoundland and Labrador Housing. I have also had
correspondence with the Minister of Human Resources,
Labour and Employment, I have her e-mail here.
So, I will go to my
second question. Mr. Speaker, oil companies -
AN HON. MEMBER: Third.
MR. BUTLER: Third,
I am sorry.
Oil companies and
licensed inspectors have been backlogged with requests
from homeowners who have the ability to pay for
inspections on their unregistered oil tanks for some
time. The Minister of Environment is allowing homeowners
leave to receive oil delivers while they wait but we
also know that there are communities in rural areas of
this Province, such as the North Coast of Labrador, who
have yet to receive inspections.
I am asking, what
assistance is your department offering oil companies and
licensed inspectors in meeting their urgent demand for
fuel tank replacements in areas such as the remote areas
of Northern Labrador?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Environment and Conservation.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS JOHNSON: Mr.
Speaker, we did hear from the industry that there was a
capacity issue out there, and that is why we extended.
We had said that anybody who has an arrangement in place
with the oil companies can continue to receive oil until
March of 2010.
In terms of Labrador and
various parts throughout Labrador, the member from that
area has met with me. We have discussed this with the
Nunatsiavut government. They have gone forward and hired
somebody to come in and inspect the oil tanks there, and
that is moving forward and they have until 2010 to do
it, but I cannot emphasize enough that this has been
seven years now. You know, I agree with the move that
you took back in 2002 to bring these regulations into
effect because the year before that there were over 600
oil spills. We are down to twenty-nine in recent years.
So it was a good move and we are following through.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Member for the District of Port de Grave.
MR. BUTLER: A
final question, Mr. Speaker, is for the minister. She
has stated that her department has made an arrangement
with the oil companies to allow them to deliver oil to
households waiting for inspections and we applaud that
because those people were placed in a very awkward
position. However, some of those people are calling now
and asking: Can you check with
the department or with the Minister of Environment, in
the event of a spill from my unregistered tank while I
am waiting, who is responsible? Will the department bear
the financial cost, or the oil company?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Environment and Conservation.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS JOHNSON: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Any responsible homeowner
would certainly have an insurance policy in place, I
would expect. If there is a tank that an oil company
sees it is not fit to deliver, they will not deliver,
and that is the practice that they have been following
for years and years. If a tank is not suitable for
delivery, then they will not do it, as part of their due
diligence, anyway.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Opposition House Leader.
MR. KELVIN PARSONS: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
My question is for the
Minister of Transportation and Works.
Mr. Speaker, over the
past week, residents of Stephenville have been reeling
over news that the Stephenville Airport Corporation has
reached a breaking point in its capacity to pay their
employees and the Canada Revenue Agency. There was, as
we were aware earlier, funding available through the
Building Canada Fund that saw $3 million invested into
the Deer Lake Airport, I believe, along with $3 million
from the Province.
I ask the Minister of
Transportation and Works: Has
your department identified the Stephenville Airport as a
priority, and is there any application pending for
financial assistance with the federal Department of
Transportation under the Building Canada Fund that might
be able to assist Stephenville?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Transportation and Works.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. TAYLOR: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, as the
member pointed out, we have provided funding and the
feds will cost-share funding for infrastructure
improvements at Deer Lake Airport.
I did have a
teleconference with people in Stephenville back I guess
it was back in May, if my memory serves me correctly.
They inquired, at that time, as to whether or not we
would entertain a proposal from them, as we were as well
inquired of by the people in Goose Bay. We told them
that anybody who wanted to put forward a proposal, we
would entertain it; we would provide the appropriate
level of analysis, do our due diligence, and if it made
sense we would go forward to the federal government.
As of today, Mr. Speaker,
I am not aware that there has been any application made
by the Stephenville Airport Corporation to our
department or the feds for any support when it comes to
infrastructure improvements in Stephenville.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Opposition House Leader.
MR. KELVIN PARSONS: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
We know that the Town of
Stephenville, within the last few days actually, has
committed to giving the Airport Corporation $200,000 to
keep the operation open. We also know that this is only
a temporary band-aid solution.
I ask the minister: Is
the Province prepared to invest in the Stephenville
Airport, with or without federal assistance, given the
precarious situation that they are now in?
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, the
government has invested in the Stephenville Airport
Corporation. We have done it now for a number of years.
There is an operating line of credit, for instance, that
the government has guaranteed for the corporation. We
have also given some money to them so they can do some
business planning. We have also provided some funds for
them so that they can do some short-term planning that
they are currently involved in.
In direct response to the
member’s question, if the Stephenville Airport
Corporation has any needs, they have, in the past,
approached government; we have been able to satisfy
them, we have been able to work with them, and I would
assume we will continue to do that in the future.
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, in spite of
all the expertise that government has had working for
years in Nalcor and in the Department of Natural
Resources, we are here now in a special session of the
House to enshrine in legislation the correct definition
of the Lower Churchill River in what is, without doubt,
a very important piece of legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I ask the
Premier if he could tell the House how it came to be
that the Lower Churchill River definition was not
properly worded in legislation in the first place.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Deputy Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS DUNDERDALE: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, we know,
certainly in terms of legislation, that you try to be as
careful as you can as you construct the legislation so
it expresses clearly what you mean; but, Mr. Speaker,
when lawyers go at it - and will all due respect to
lawyers - there can be different interpretations of what
the legislation actually says.
We are very comfortable
with the legislation, Mr. Speaker, but the lawyers for
CF(L)Co feel there is some ambiguity around the
definitions. Rather than argue the point, Mr. Speaker,
or to add to any kind of confusion, we decided that the
right thing to do was to come into the House of
Assembly, address the ambiguity so it is absolutely
clear what it is we are talking about, so Nalcor can get
on with the work of developing the Lower Churchill.
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.
I probably agree with the
minister a bit on what she is saying about lawyers, but
maybe if they had a GPS in their hands at the time they
may have gotten co-ordinates straight, because that
seems to be what is clearing up the ambiguity.
Mr. Speaker, we are here
today because of this poorly worded legislation that has
led to confusion between Nalcor and one of its
subsidiaries.
AN HON. MEMBER:
(Inaudible).
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
MS MICHAEL: Mr.
Speaker, I am happy to have this situation, in one way,
because it brings to light the negations that are going
on between these two bodies, Nalcor and CF(L)Co, and
highlights the fact that the water rights of this
Province are not sacred, and we have known that.
Mr. Speaker, I ask the Premier: Is it the intention of
government to allow Nalcor to give away, in the future,
more of the Province’s water rights?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Deputy Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS DUNDERDALE: Mr.
Speaker, we had a situation when we came to government
that the Province was not the steward of our water
resources here in the Province. We brought legislation
here under the Water Rights Act to ensure that the
Newfoundland and Labrador government held true
responsibility for all the resources of this Province,
Mr. Speaker, including our water, which is extremely
important to us.
Mr. Speaker, when we
brought in legislation setting up our energy company, we
put into effect in that legislation the governance of
that company and under what circumstances they could –
in terms of their assets, what they could do with those
assets. Nothing can be divested from Nalcor unless it
comes back to the Lieutenant-Governor in Council.
We had a great debate
about this in this House, Mr. Speaker. We abandoned the
rules for a week so that everybody’s questions could
be totally satisfied, Mr. Speaker, and they could have a
comfort level as we move forward with the establishment
of this company.
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.
Mr. Speaker, following
up, then, on what the minister has said, what is this
government going to do to ensure that, having given that
right to Nalcor, that any government coming after is
going to have the right intention to say no to Nalcor
doing something which would be giving over water rights?
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
The hon. the Deputy
Premier.
MS DUNDERDALE: Mr.
Speaker, all I can do is refer the Leader of the NDP not
only to the legislation governing Nalcor itself but also
in terms of the legislation governing water rights in
this Province, and the body that will have the ultimate
authority with regard to water rights in this Province,
Mr. Speaker, is the PUB.
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
The time allotted for
questions and answers has expired. |
