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

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

My question is for the Minister of Natural Resources. Minister, on Tuesday of this week in Question Period when responding to a question regarding Abitibi and how you found out about the blunder government made in expropriating the mill, you referenced Enda, a searching company here in St. John’s.

Will you undertake to release to the public immediately and table in this House the report and the supporting documents provided to you by that searching company?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Yes, Mr. Speaker, we did hire Enda Searching to do the land consolidation registry, to move the land from Abitibi’s name to the Crown. Mr. Speaker, I will go back and I will get the documents and whatever can be tabled here in the House, I will be more than glad to do it.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. KELVIN PARSONS: Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, the minister refused in the Estimates Committee – the Minister of Natural Resources that is - and here in the House of Assembly recently, to provide details about the $8 million government has spent so far with respect to the Abitibi issue. The minister advised, at that time, the Opposition to file an FOI request, which we have done.

In the public interest and for openness and transparency, will you at least undertake to disclose immediately the name of the law firm or lawyers who provided advice to government regarding the NAFTA implications of Bill 75 prior to Bill 75 being introduced in this House in December of 2008?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Deputy Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS DUNDERDALE: Mr. Speaker, some of the problem we have in dealing with the Opposition is they have such difficulty in getting information correct. I have not done my Estimates yet, Mr. Speaker, so it would be very difficult for me to refuse to provide information in Estimates when they are not due to take place until May 17. However, Mr. Speaker, I will undertake to make available whatever information that we have in terms of the $8 million professional fees.

Mr. Speaker, I have said time and time again we are not trying to cover anything up here. We are being completely straightforward. We are saying what happened and what the circumstances were that led to the circumstances we find ourselves in at the moment.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

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

Minister, the Department of Justice routinely, every year, gives a listing when asked by the Opposition of all legal fees that are paid to any lawyer for work outside of the Department of Justice, no questions asked. We asked it last year and received it, asked this year again and the minister is in the process of compiling that information.

Why are you refusing in your department to release the information about the $8 million that you paid to lawyers for Abitibi so far?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I just undertook to make available all of the information that we could without interfering in any kind of way with proprietary information or whatever. Whatever can be released, we are going to release.

Mr. Speaker, all of the $8 million are not legal fees. Enda Searching is part of the $8 million, which I told the Leader of the Opposition during Question Period this week. CRA, which did work around environmental remediation, particularly as it pertained to Buchans, is part of that $8 million. So it is certainly more than legal fees. Again, Mr. Speaker, whatever we can make available we will certainly make available.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. KELVIN PARSONS: My final question for this minister: Minister, can you confirm that there was indeed legal opinions requested and obtained by your government with respect to the implications of NAFTA prior to introducing Bill 75 in this House in December of 2008?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS DUNDERDALE: Yes, Mr. Speaker, we asked a variety of questions. Let me point out once again to the Opposition House Leader, Mr. Speaker, that we shared what we had learned up to that point with the Members of the Opposition when we were about to introduce the legislation. Whatever we had, what we had been advised that NAFTA implications might be, in our briefing meeting with officials that took place in the Opposition caucus room, Mr. Speaker, we shared whatever information that we had at that time.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

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

For the record, at no time during any briefing was the Opposition provided with copies of any legal opinions that this government had obtained with regard to NAFTA. I just want that on the record, for the record.

Mr. Speaker, my next question is for the Minister of Education. Minister, earlier this week the President of CNA resigned. There has been some confusion given the multiple explanations as to what precipitated this action. We were first told that CNA has mismanaged their payroll and benefits to the tune of $5 million. We are later told that last month the college signed a one-year extension to the Qatar contract without proper authority and authorization.

Would the minister explain how these two items are related, and were they both involved in the sudden resignation of the president?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KING: Mr. Speaker, I do not think the confusion is in the explanations I have provided, it might be in the interpretation the Opposition has put on the explanations I have provided. I have been very clear on what has transpired.

In the first instance, the issue of the one-year contract extension, I made it very clear last week, or last Question Period, when I talked about our relationship in working to support the college. I provided that as an example of an issue that we encountered as a government, and we worked and provided support to the college president and to the college executive team in spite of protocols not having been followed by the president at the time. In spite of the president doing this of her own accord, against the protocols and the expectations of government and the college board, we worked with them to resolve the situation. I offered that, Mr. Speaker, as an example of the kind of support that this government has provided to the college system.

The second item, Mr. Speaker, I have also been very clear upon, is that the resignation came to me at approximately 4:00 o’clock Sunday past and I received it while I was en route back from my district to here. There was no discussion with me, between me and the college president. I have been very clear about that. There is no confusion from this side of the House on what transpired there and we announced it shortly thereafter.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. KELVIN PARSONS: Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, earlier this week the Minister of Education challenged the Opposition to go to the former president and find out from her what caused this resignation. As you well know, minister, the former president of CNA is subject to a gag order which you placed in her employment contract.

I ask the minister: In the public interest and to ensure complete openness and transparency, would you agree to remove the gag order and allow Ms Madill to tell her side of this resignation?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KING: Mr. Speaker, certainly I do not have to stand here and talk to the Opposition House Leader about contracts and about legal law and how you interpret legal law. Certainly, Mr. Speaker, I do not have to stand here and explain that in Question Period today to the hon. member opposite, I am sure of that, but I will, if you would like me to, Mr. Speaker.

Let me give a little quick history lesson, the senior contracts that are signed by officials with this particular government, with senior bureaucrats and officials of the College of the North Atlantic or school boards or health boards or any other organizations, Mr. Speaker, that we are engaged with, are no different than they have always been. We did not invent the wheel on that. There have been many previous governments who have employed senior officials with the same kinds of contracts. So certainly, Mr. Speaker, a former Minister of Justice ought to recognize why that clause is put in place and why it will stay there.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

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

I remind the minister that it is not me he has to explain anything to it is the people of this Province. I guess from his answer, the answer is no, he is going to keep the gag order on the former president.

Mr. Speaker, minister, you had told us that CNA overcharged the Qatar government $2 million for administration and there was a $3 million salary overpayment. What, and who, caused these overpayments, and why are we not seeking reimbursement of the $3 million salary overpayment?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KING: Mr. Speaker, I hate to have to repeat myself over and over in the House of Assembly here but the member opposite keeps asking the questions that require the same answer. This government has taken a very proactive step in calling for an external review. If I had the answers to all the questions that the member is posing, there would be no need to do a review. As a matter of fact, Mr. Speaker, we would have all the problems solved. We do not know why the events occurred. This government did not make the decisions that put us in this situation. Under the leadership of the former President of the College of the North Atlantic, that group made the decisions that put us where we are today.

Now I will gladly, gladly share with the public, as I have already said, anything that we find out that we can do to rectify this problem and correct it so that it does not happen in the future. The member opposite is quite welcome to that information when I become in possession of it, Mr. Speaker, but I do not have that. That is why we have called for an external review to look at the whole situation.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

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

The minister cannot speak out of both sides of his mouth. He says on the one hand, we are doing a review and we will give you the answers. He has already publicly announced that we will not seek reimbursement of this $3 million. So you have obviously made some conclusions already, before you get back the very report you are talking about.

Now, minister, we have seen this government chase people for workers’ compensation overpayments, social service overpayments, and school tax that have been outstanding for decades, yet you are refusing to go after this $3 million which you acknowledge should not have been paid. Would you explain the logic of this decision and why it is okay to write-off $3 million of the taxpayers’ money?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KING: Mr. Speaker, let me say this, that I will gladly stand here today and use logic in my explanations if I thought the member opposite would actually understand logic. What is very clear from the last three days’ line of questioning, Mr. Speaker, that logic is not the rule of the day here, and leadership on the other side is not the rule of the day.

Perhaps, Mr. Speaker, that is why they are coming back from the political grave today in the name of a former Premier who lost to the leadership on this side of the House in the election of 2003, because they did not have what it takes to provide leadership to this Province. Well that is what we are doing. That is why we are reviewing the situation, and it is why we are going to get to the bottom of it, and it is why we will fix it!

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

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

Now maybe that we are past the rhetoric, maybe the minister would like to give the people an answer to my question.

Why are you not seeking repayment of $3 million, which you acknowledge should not have been paid out to this staff in the first place? Maybe we can have a straightforward answer, without the rhetoric.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Minister of Education.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KING: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I will try to be as straightforward in my answer as I always am. It becomes very challenging when you provide a straightforward answer and it is not understood by the member opposite, Mr. Speaker.

What I have said are the facts as we know them today. The $3 million the member references, for the record, let me just say that it is a very, very ‘unfirm’ number. I have talked about $3.5 million, $4.5 million but I have also said, Mr. Speaker, we have shared those numbers to give people of the Province an idea of the magnitude of this problem, to make sure that the whole issue, from my perspective, is very open and very transparent.

I could easily do what the Leader of the NDP wanted me to do three or four days ago, washed my hands of it, abdicate my responsibility, walk away, pretend it never happened, write-off the $5 million and perhaps do as my colleague the Minister of Tourism would say, add it to the NDP debt clock. I could have done that, or I could have done what the Leader of the Liberal Party asked me to do which was the complete opposite.

Well, Mr. Speaker, we are taking a responsible action here and when we determine what exactly has transpired here, and when we determine the appropriate actions that need to be taken; we will take them. Until such a time as we have the information to draw the appropriate conclusions, I am not prepared to stand here and speculate for a bit of political posturing on the other side of the House.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

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

It is nice to see that the Minister of Education thinks letting $3 million go down the tubes is a bit of political posturing. It looks like he is not prepared and will not give the people of this Province an answer. We will find the answer; we will find out why. This is not over yet.

I will move on at this point, Mr. Speaker. The Premier was in Ottawa this week for meetings. While he was there, we certainly hope he visited suite 1604 on Metcalfe Street, also known as the empty office of the Province’s Ottawa representative, as the empty space is costing the taxpayers of this Province almost $100,000 a year in rental expenses.

I ask the Premier, the position of the Ottawa representative has been vacant since January: Is there any necessity to be throwing tax dollars away for the position that has proven to be totally ineffective?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER WILLIAMS: Mr. Speaker, during that trip I really did not have time to put my feet up and have a cup of coffee in the office, to be quite honest with you. From the time we landed until the time we left, we were very, very busy. We went through an extremely successful group of meetings.

I met with Minister Strahl with regard to Aboriginal issues and actually dealt with the Innu issue and the lands claim agreement and facilitated an upcoming meeting between the Innu Nation and the federal government. That will take place, hopefully, within the next couple of months.

Then, we left there and went to the House of Commons where we were very well-received, favourably received by all parties in the House of Commons which is very nice. Then proceeded to an in-depth meeting with the Prime Minister and discussed a broad range of issues commencing with the fisheries, and the Lower Churchill, and Coast Guard and rescue and a host of issues.

Mr. Speaker, because of his time frames, we then moved on to another meeting and moved to the meeting with the Minister of ACOA, Keith Ashfield, and discussed funding for the Province with regard to the Atlantic Gateway, the Northern Gateway and a lot of other issues. Then, met with the minister responsible for the Province, Peter MacKay, and started with discussions on Labrador, 5 Wing Goose, Search and Rescue, and, again, another host of issues, and then finished up with a very, very fruitful meeting with the Minister of Finance with regard to the acquisition of the eight point five interest in Hibernia.

So, no, I did not have time to stop at the Ottawa office.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

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

I appreciate the Premier’s update as to who he did see there. Obviously, he did not go by 1604 Metcalfe.

Mr. Speaker, it has been reported by The Telegram on a recent visit to Ottawa that newspapers were piling up by the door and there was no presence at this office. Meanwhile, there is $378,000 budgeted for this office this year, including a support worker making $54,000 a year.

I ask the Premier: What is the current status of the office? Is there anyone still on the payroll there, and if so, what are they doing when we do not have a representative in Ottawa?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER WILLIAMS: Mr. Speaker, we still have a presence on the ground in Ottawa, as the office is staffed. We are maintaining that office because that office has been very useful for meetings when ministers attend in Ottawa; they use it on a frequent basis.

I had conversations in Ottawa whereby people in Ottawa on the ground spoke extremely – very, very highly of Dr. FitzGerald, who is referred to as Dr. Feelgood by the Opposition. I refer to him as Dr. Sealgood because of all the fantastic work he has done with regard to promoting the sealing industry in Ottawa.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER WILLIAMS: So we intend to maintain that office. We intend to keep it there. We think it is very, very important that we have a connection. We think it is also very, very important that when ministers go to town that they have a place where they can operate out of. In fact, we will be looking in the very near future then to recruiting to have that position refilled.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

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

Both New Brunswick and Manitoba closed their offices in Ottawa. It is certainly obvious that our office has had very little impact as the past few years have represented the most strained relationship our Province has ever had with the federal government.

I ask the Premier: Are you prepared to follow the lead of these other provinces, let the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs do his job, save the taxpayers of this Province some $400,000 a year, finally admit the experiment did not work, and close down the office?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER WILLIAMS: Mr. Speaker, I can tell the hon. member opposite what I am not prepared to do. I am not prepared to give up fighting for the interests of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER WILLIAMS: Time and time again we have aggressively challenged Ottawa on major issues of importance to the people of this Province. The first round that we had with the former Liberal government, we came back with a cheque for $2 billion, so I would think –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER WILLIAMS: I would think our balance sheet is in pretty good shape at this stage, but we do intend to fight for the interest of the people of the Province, but at the same time we have also proven during the last round, which we consider to be a goodwill round, met with all the senior representatives of the federal government, all of the ministers were made available to us on reasonable notice, they were prepared to discuss any issues of importance to Newfoundland and Labrador, so I think at this stage, as a result of our efforts in fighting for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians we have the respect of Ottawa.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

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

I say to the Premier, I would not crow too loudly about the Accord money these days. By the time we get Abitibi settled there might be none of it left.

Mr. Speaker, we requested travel claims for the former Ottawa representative through FOI and we were charged significant fees; however, we did pay for his 2007 travel claims to get a glimpse of his activities. As outlined in the documents, the former Ambassador charged the people of this Province seventy-two taxi trips from his private residence to work. There is nothing in his employment contact that permits such claims and no other public servant is permitted to claim travel to and from work each day.

I ask the Premier: Why did your office sign off on these travel claims, and do you consider it an appropriate expense to be reimbursed by the taxpayers?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER WILLIAMS: Mr. Speaker, now that the hon. member opposite has raised it let’s talk about the Abitibi exercise and let’s talk about what we have done with regard to Abitibi.

The hon. member opposite knows, he is a lawyer, he is trained, he knows what the consequences would have been if we, in fact, had not acted on the Abitibi file. If, in fact, we had stood back and had not stepped in when we did and had not expropriated the property, one of two things would happened, either the property would have been sold and the assets would have gone outside the Province, and the people of the Province would have no say or no interest, or otherwise they would have entered into a receivership, or a bankruptcy, or a consumer protection. At that point as well, the assets of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, our timber, our land, our water and our infrastructure would have been gone. We would have been left, however though, with the environmental responsibilities and we would have been left with the responsibility that we had to the workers in Grand Falls-Windsor, Botwood and all the surrounding areas.

What we did, Mr. Speaker, because we had those assets, we, in fact, will be in a position, if we have to, to do the environmental cleanup. We have put nearly $50 million into severance and the hon. member opposite has stood up and has – knowing the difference – said that dealing with Grand Falls and dealing with the Grand Falls mill we have incurred liabilities, environmental liabilities of over a couple of hundred million dollars. That is just absolutely untrue – untrue.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

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

I guess we will see at the end of the day when all the court dust has settled on the court cases as to what we actually are going to be on the hook for.

I will just ask the Premier: Would you like to give us an answer to my question about the taxi fares of Dr. Feelgood?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER WILLIAMS: Mr. Speaker, it is obvious the priorities of the Opposition. You know, we are here today – we have a fishery that is being dealt with, that is very, very important to all the people of this Province, to all the communities in the Province. Have we heard a question on the fishery today? Not a question.

AN HON. MEMBER: No, not one.

PREMIER WILLIAMS: Do you know what the hon. –

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible).

PREMIER WILLIAMS: Maybe you will make some up now. Well, good for you if you make some up out of it after.

What the hon. member opposite is concentrating on today is the Ottawa representative getting a drive in bad weather from his office to the House of Commons where he does his business. Now if you want to concentrate on taxis, then fill your boots, but I have more important things to do.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Member for the District of Port de Grave.

MR. BUTLER: Mr. Speaker, we have been speaking to concerned residents of Bell Island relating to the disruption of their ferry service in recent weeks. While there are a number of issues being raised, the immediate question of residents is when will the Beaumont Hamel be returning to service?

I ask the minister, Mr. Speaker, when will the refit be completed and will the Beaumont Hamel be returning to the Bell Island run?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Transportation and Works.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. HEDDERSON: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

In response to the question from the member opposite, the Beaumont Hamel right now is into the last inspection stage. She will be back within the next couple of days and back on the Bell Island run.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. BUTLER: Mr. Speaker, the motor vessel Captain Earle W. Winsor, which currently services Fogo Island, Change Islands is apparently due to go on dry dock for maintenance at the beginning of May. This is causing significant concern for many people, considering that the crab fishery only started a couple of weeks ago in that area and tourist season is about to begin. The spring and summer months, Mr. Speaker, would be the absolute worst time to take the Winsor out of service.

I ask the minister: Why is the Winsor being pulled out of service at a time that is particularly disruptive to the ferry users and will you consider delaying the refit to the fall months?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Transportation and Works.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. HEDDERSON: Mr. Speaker, I am well aware of the challenges that we as a government have in dealing with the current ferry fleet that we are managing, and managing as well as we can. Again, it just kind of irks me a little bit, Mr. Speaker, to get up and to have someone from across the way talk about ferries when the last ferry that was built, the last two really, were under the Peckford Administration. For fifteen years this former Administration ignored this fleet and left us with a legacy of trying to manage. We are doing as best we can under the circumstances. Of course, you also know on the other side that we have made significant investments. As a matter of fact, $55 million in this particular Budget to try to deal with the issues that we have.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. HEDDERSON: So, I say, Mr. Speaker, I am working very closely with the people in Fogo to make sure that we are doing everything we can with what we have to ensure, not only service to the people, but that economic piece as well. We have worked out with the Fogo committee a schedule that will certainly address their particular concerns.

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 January, Eastern Health informed the public that they had developed a plan to deal with the rheumatology outpatient wait-list because of the impending loss of a doctor in May which will bring them down to four. As a result, 1,000 people with chronic non-inflammatory symptoms were dumped on family doctors who do not have the expertise or time to deal with these individuals. Rheumatologists say this is not a good change. Though there are four rheumatologists at present, in practice the rheumatologists say there really are only 2.5 of them doing full-time clinical work because of teaching and research commitments. Also, their workload will increase astronomically because we have a rapidly aging population.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the Minister of Health and Community Services: What immediate action is he taking to recruit rheumatologists?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENNEDY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

As I have indicated on many occasions in discussions in this House about health care, it is a very emotional issue, it is one that affects people’s lives; it affects everyone on a daily basis. The issue, Mr. Speaker, also relates to politicians and the people who serve in this House.

We know from what has gone on with the air ambulance – again, the height of the emotion. I say to the Leader of the NDP, I understand that in a Facebook Web site that was put up in St. Anthony, in talking about the Premier, that an NDP candidate of record suggested that the symbol for the Web site should be a black heart with a bullet hole in it. Is this the kind of action that is supported by the Leader of the NDP or is she going to do something about that? That would be my question to her, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

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, I asked a question of the minister and he has not answered it.

Mr. Speaker, there are 89,000 people in the Province suffering from some form of arthritis. The outpatient wait times are 9.6 months for someone with an acute inflammatory condition or forty-two months for chronic non-inflammatory condition. Successful management of this debilitating disease needs prompt treatment. Delays mean peoples’ conditions will worsen. Mr. Speaker, we have a serious situation with regard to people suffering from the various forms of arthritis.

This minister has not answered my former question, so I have to ask him: How can he continue to do nothing in the face of the suffering of so many people in this Province?

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENNEDY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, on March 30 I met with Brenda Kitchen, the Executive Director of the Arthritis Society and we discussed this issue of the shortage. We had an appointment set up with Dr. Hamilton, one of the rheumatologists, but he could not make it that day. So, Mr. Speaker, we are taking steps.

In relation to an allegation we are doing nothing, is what is the Leader of the NDP going to do about that candidate of record who made this comment that the Premier should have a - the symbol should be a black heart with a bullet hole in it? Do you support that position?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

I remind the hon. members again to address their comments to the Chair, not to individuals.

Further questions?

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

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

Mr. Speaker, governments across the country, including our own, are starting to expand –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MS MICHAEL: Mr. Speaker, I want to make one comment before I go on with my question. I am not responsible for the behaviour of people outside of this House of Assembly. I am responsible for myself, and I will not…

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The time for Question Period is getting nigh. If the hon. member has a question I ask that she pose it now.

MS MICHAEL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, governments across the country - including our own - are starting to expand medical schools now after years of ignoring the problem of doctor shortages. The unfortunate thing, Mr. Speaker, is that these new spaces will not produce doctors for another ten years, and in the case of rheumatologists it is twelve years.

I ask the minister: Considering the toxic environment government has created around the doctors’ negotiations, what are his department’s plans for being able to recruit doctors to this Province?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENNEDY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am glad that the Leader of the NDP mentioned the expansion to the medical school. That is a very important step that we have taken, and one that I understand Dean Rourke was on with Randy Simms today speaking very positively about.

Mr. Speaker, in the last year, in 2009-2010, we had nineteen family practice residents, of which seventeen are going into practice. Fourteen are practicing in this Province, so we have retained fourteen of them. Twenty-seven specialists, Mr. Speaker; and, of the twenty-five going into practice, seventeen are practicing in this Province, so we are retaining specialists.

Mr. Speaker, again, when she asks what the government is going to do about things, what is she going to do about that site and the allegation or the insinuation that the Premier should have a bullet hole through his heart? Is that the kind of policy supported by (inaudible)?

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

Time allotted for questions and answers has expired.