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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, Multiple Sclerosis is an incurable progressive disease that causes pain, fatigue, and gradual paralysis. In November, MS patients were made aware of a condition known as CCSVI, in which the veins in the back of the neck and the chest become blocked and fail to allow blood to drain properly from the brain. This condition and latest research suggest that while CCSVI does not cause MS, it is seen as a causal factor and contributes to the progression of the disease in many cases.

I ask the minister today: If this test is available in the Province to diagnose CCSVI, and if so, why is it not being offered to MS patients?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENNEDY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, some time prior to the Budget I met with the representatives of the MS Society, or group, we discussed some of their needs and there was money set aside in the Budget to deal with the issues that were raised.

I was reading something yesterday, Mr. Speaker, about this new research, and it is my understanding that the researcher himself, and it may be an Italian doctor – I am not sure right off – that he was concerned whether or not patients should rush out at this point in time to avail of this new procedure. So, there is a lot of work to be done. Mr. Speaker, it is my understanding that this is being reviewed right now in Canada, and it is something that still is really questionable as to whether or not it will serve the purpose that it was initially thought to serve.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Many people who have MS are now speaking out on this issue, Mr. Speaker, because they want to have access to the test for CCSVI. Just last week we talked to a thirty-six-year-old man who travelled to Vancouver to have the test done because it was not available to him in Newfoundland and Labrador. On that same day he told us there was another Newfoundlander at the clinic in Vancouver having it done.

So, given there is a demand for this test: Why are patients and their family being denied access and forced to travel to other regions of Canada to receive the test?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

Mr. Speaker, I am aware of the individual who the Leader of the Opposition refers to. I also received e-mails from a number of other individuals.

As a government, Mr. Speaker, we are committed to providing the best quality health care we can in this Province and we have done that in spades, I would suggest, by the investment of a $2.7 billion Budget this year. However, we are dealing with science and when science accepts that certain procedures are worthwhile we will certainly look at that.

It is my understanding, from the reading I did yesterday, Mr. Speaker, that this procedure is still questionable as to whether or not it actually works and will achieve the purpose that was originally thought. So, we will monitor this very closely. My officials are watching it, and I can assure, Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition and MS patients in this Province that anything that we can do to alleviate their condition and help their condition we certainly will, but again, it has to be based on science and research.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The minister should know that a vascular surgeon did present to a sub-committee on neurological disease in May of this month, in the last couple of weeks, in terms of what the benefits are of having this particular testing done in Canada.

I would ask the minister, because he still has not told us, if this test could be available in Newfoundland and Labrador? Although we know it is not being conducted, we would still like to know the answer to that, and we would also like to know if government is prepared to support the procedures that are required to treat CCSVI in this Province?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENNEDY: Yes, Mr. Speaker.

We have physicians in the Department of Health, and we also have physicians who work with the various regional health authorities who look at procedures as they are brought forward and determine whether or not they will be approved.

Now, again, I could be wrong on this, and I will check and get back to the Leader of the Opposition, but it is my understanding yesterday, Mr. Speaker, that this procedure that she is referring to has not been approved by any province in this country right now as a proven technique for treating this disease. So, it is a question of when and how it is approved. If it is approved, Mr. Speaker, and it is shown to work, we will be very open to funding it and to providing the testing.

Again, it is my understanding that as of this point in time, that the original research has not proven to be reliable and that further research is being carried out to determine whether or not the original premise is correct.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

What we do know is that people in this Province today are spending their own money to travel to the Province of British Columbia. They are spending money to pay to have this test done to determine if there are blockages, and some of them are even seeking to have the surgery done in Poland.

I say to the minister, based on the fact that there are presentations to the federal committee, Mr. Speaker, on neurology diseases in the country, and based on the fact that people in our Province are going elsewhere to have this done: Will you at least undertake to tell us whether this particular procedure can be offered in Newfoundland and Labrador, and if so, if your government will move to provide it for people?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENNEDY: Yes, Mr. Speaker.

When I met with the representatives of the MS Society I was very sympathetic to the plight they found themselves in. I listened closely to what they had to say in terms of the needs they required and we addressed some of those needs in the Budget. I recently, Mr. Speaker, met with another doctor who was very familiar with MS.

I can liken this, Mr. Speaker, to the Prescription Drug Program. Oftentimes we will get requests for drugs that are experimental or drugs that are not proven at this point in time by research to be effective, safe and reliable. So, there is a body that reviews these drugs, for example, and determines when they will be added to the drugs that we will provide. Well, a similar procedure has to be adopted, or process has to be adopted, Mr. Speaker, in relation to any medical procedure. What we have is, from my understanding, a researcher or scientist who says there is a link between this particular procedure and dealing with MS.

Now, Mr. Speaker, if that link is proven to be correct - and it is my understanding that across North America right now tests are being carried out and research is being carried out. I will probably even address this later on this afternoon in the House, Mr. Speaker, and update the public of this Province as to the steps that have been taken and what we, as a government, are willing to do.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

In our discussion in the House of Assembly related to the Province’s preparedness for an offshore oil spill, the Minister of Natural Resources has continuously stated that we are prepared to deal with such an incident. It was reported last week that Chevron warned regulators five years ago that it would be unable to clean up a major spill offshore. They also confirm that the same challenges exist today with their Orphan Basin project, the deepest offshore well in Canada.

So I ask the minister: How can you say that we are ready to deal with such a disaster when the company doing the drilling has said the very opposite?

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, the regulation of our offshore is a responsibility that is shared between the federal government and ourselves, the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The arm that deals with the regulation is our board, the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board, Mr. Speaker, and they have requirements for oil spill prevention and in terms of a reaction to an oil spill. Those procedures go through a public process, a private process, and they are made known to the public at large.

They are risks that we undertake in this Province, in this country, and around the world. There is no guarantee that this activity is risk free. It is not, Mr. Speaker. We understand the risk; we mitigate the risk as best we can.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We know the process. We are wondering about the preparedness, Minister, of dealing with a disaster.

Mr. Speaker, in the report Chevron also estimates that only 2 per cent to 12 per cent of an offshore oil spill could be retrieved under typical environmental conditions. They stated that physical recovery of spilled oil off the coast of Newfoundland will be extremely difficult and inefficient.

I ask the Minister of Environment: In light of those statements, what confidence do you have that our marine environment would not be severely impacted by such a spill?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Deputy Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, again, as I said in my earlier answer, this is about known risk and what we can do to mitigate that risk.

We understand the impact of an oil spill in our offshore and we have a fairly good understanding of what might happen in that instance. This lies within the purview of the C-NLOPB, our regulator. As I have said before, we have a Chief Conservation Officer. We have a tiered response plan in case of a spill, and, Mr. Speaker, we have a very strong spill prevention program as well.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We have yet to hear the Minister of Environment speak on this issue at all, and all we hear from the Minister of Natural Resources is passing the buck to someone else.

Now, Mr. Speaker, we know that the C-NLOPB announced last week improved monitoring of the Orphan Basin drilling project; however, when approved, this project did not require a comprehensive study to be completed as was the normal process.

I ask the minister why the rules would be relaxed for an exploration project that is in deeper water than has ever been drilled off our shores.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Deputy Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the minister –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MS DUNDERDALE: Again, a point of clarification for the Leader of the Opposition – I have to do this every day, Mr. Speaker. Our Minister of Environment is not responsible for the offshore. That all falls within the purview of the federal government, Mr. Speaker, through the board of the C-NLOPB. I am surprised you do not know that.

Mr. Speaker, the regulations were not relaxed. We are currently undergoing a thorough review, a thorough review of our oil spill prevention and response. That will be done within ninety days. Mr. Speaker, we will see at that point if we need to do further strengthening of our rules.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I guess that sums it all up when the Minister of Environment is not responsible for anything to do with the environment in offshore oil and gas projects in this Province. Now that makes a whole lot of sense I would say to the Minister of Natural Resources.

What we do know is that the C-NLOPB has said that they will do more monitoring and they will do more visits to the site. However, I ask the minister: Why are we not requiring that there be independent monitors and observers on these platforms because what they have not told is how that is going to be done and who is going to do it?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Deputy Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS DUNDERDALE: Mr. Speaker, again we have a perfect example of the calibre of knowledge from which these questions come. They do not even know what the mandate of the Minister of Environment and Conservation is for the people of Newfoundland and the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Mr. Speaker, three of the four members of the Official Opposition sat in government, approved projects - something they like to boast about on a regular basis here in the House - and they do not know what part of the offshore that the Province is responsible for and what part that the federal government is responsible for - shameful, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is quite obvious the minister has no answers herself. She has no knowledge, so you attack the messenger, attack the one who is asking the questions because they have no gauge on what is happening out there offshore today and if we are prepared to deal with a disaster in this Province if one should occur.

Mr. Speaker, it was reported over the weekend in The Globe and Mail that British Petroleum, the company responsible for the oil spill off the coast of Louisiana, is now going to try a top kill approach to stop the oil which involves pumping heavy mud into the oil well to stop the flow. If this fails they are saying their backup plan includes a junk shot in which golf balls, shredded tires - of which we have lots we know – knotted rope and other materials are used to clog the well.

I ask the minister: Does she see this as a backup plan to deal with a disaster in the oil industry in Newfoundland and Labrador if one should occur, or is she prepared to put forward what the actual plan and the options are?

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Deputy Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, of the many attributes that the Leader of the Opposition might have, expertise in oil spill response, I will guarantee you, sir, are not one of them.

Now, Mr. Speaker, we have a board and expertise within that board that deals with that whole piece. We are watching carefully what is happening in the Gulf. If she is watching half as closely as we are, she will know, at least from the anecdotal information at this point, that it was human error that caused the spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Mr. Speaker, we have the C-NLOPB who has lay on an extra layer of vigilance and surveillance, and we have an independent review of our oil prevention and oil spill response. At the end of all of that piece of work, Mr. Speaker, we will see if further amendments need to be made.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The minister’s answers today say it all. They have no idea how they would deal with a disaster offshore in this Province. Two weeks ago everything was fine, now we have the main company, Chevron, out there saying that in the case of a disaster they are unable or unprepared to deal with it, Mr. Speaker, and we get no answers from the government.

Mr. Speaker, the Premier stated on May 3 that the impact of a spill on our ocean environment would be limited because of the viscosity of the oil off our shores.

I ask the Premier today if he could clarify what he meant by this comment. Would the oil simply sink to the bottom affecting the ocean floor, would it rise to the top affecting the sea birds, or would it just destroy all fish habitat in the ocean, Mr. Speaker?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Deputy Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, it would be helpful if the Leader of the Opposition associated herself in some way with the science that has been done around these issues before she asks the question.

Mr. Speaker, in terms of an oil spill offshore, the greatest vulnerability will exist to the bird population. Mr. Speaker, based on forty to fifty years of wind study it is shown that oil –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MS DUNDERDALE: - because of the wave action and the coldness of the sea, Mr. Speaker, breaks up and disperses.

Mr. Speaker, we had an oil spill in 2004 on the Terra Nova. Mr. Speaker, that oil dispersed, broke up, and went away. Ocean floor studies have been done, Mr. Speaker, there is no evidence of oil from that oil spill on the floor around our Terra Nova project.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. DEAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, today we understand a Twin Otter will be flying to St. Anthony to remove parts and equipment related to the air ambulance move to Goose Bay. Two of the recommendations of the Drodge report included a new airplane to be stationed in St. John’s and a medevac team to be stationed in Happy Valley-Goose Bay with the aircraft. Neither of these recommendations will obviously be implemented in the foreseeable future. So therefore, there is no basis for interfering with our present air ambulance program.

I ask the minister: If you are accepting the recommendations of this report in its entirety, how are you able to move the plane out of St. Anthony before the other necessary pieces are in place?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

As we have indicated on numerous occasions, we are satisfied that the placement of the air ambulance in Happy Valley-Goose Bay is the best placement that serves the majority of people and in the best interest of the people of this Province.

Mr. Speaker, we announced a new medical flight services team in this year’s Budget, along with a new plane. The plane in St. Anthony will be moved to Happy Valley-Goose Bay. I have explained in this House on a number of occasions, that it takes anywhere from six months to a year to recruit and train a medical flight services team. That we will embark upon that process, Mr. Speaker, and we are looking at other options as we go along here in terms of trying to ensure that there are medical flight service personnel available.

I can indicate, and I have given instructions to my officials, that until the court case is heard on Friday that there will be no parts, nothing will be moved until a ruling is made by the court in that respect. So, Mr. Speaker, at the end of it all, this is a matter that we have already discussed in detail. There is nothing that has been brought forward that will change our mind and the plane will move in the very near future.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. DEAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Again, I think it is worthy to note that what makes that move work, so to speak, in that report is the availability of this new aircraft and the medevac team.

Mr. Speaker, the Premier is quick to use the courts when it involves Abitibi and Hydro-Quebec but unwilling to allow the process to - when he is being challenged, and the minister just indicated that nothing will move or that is correct until that case is heard, but we submitted an access to information request for information relating to the Drodge report, and we were presented with a significant bill, which we agreed to pay for the information, but now we are being told, in contravention of the time frames legislated in the Access to Information Act, that we will not be provided access to these documents until at least June 19.

I ask the minister: Why are you hiding this information, and are you hoping the plane will be gone before it is released?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENNEDY: Yes, Mr. Speaker.

First, I have no idea what the member is talking about in terms of hiding information. We have been totally upfront with all the information relating to the air ambulance, Mr. Speaker. We have provided Mr. Drodge’s report. I indicated the cost of the report recently, and I have outlined, Mr. Speaker, that there are certain discussions ongoing now in terms of the implementation of the Drodge recommendations and how we operationalize the report.

Mr. Speaker, any information that is accessible by the Protection of Privacy Act is something that the Liberal Opposition is certainly entitled to. As for the deadlines or what is being imposed upon them, Mr. Speaker, if they do not like that, my understanding is that the Privacy Commissioner can deal with that, but I can assure the member opposite that there is absolutely nothing to hide here. We have received the report from the Lab-Grenfell employees. We reviewed that in detail, Mr. Speaker, and again, as I have indicated, the plane will move and it will move very shortly.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. DEAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the Northern Peninsula Region, along with many other rural areas of Newfoundland, continues to be hit hard by decisions that are being made by this government. Now residents in the Anchor Point and Black Duck Cove area are expressing concern about shrimp resource landed on the Peninsula but trucked off the coast, upwards of twelve hours away, while two local plants remain closed up today.

I ask the Minister of Fisheries: Can he explain to the people of the area why this is being allowed to happen, this injustice that really is affecting their livelihoods and is compromising their living?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. JACKMAN: Mr. Speaker, I had hoped that the hon. member would recognize that a fish product landed in one particular area has no restrictions to stay in that particular area. We ship cod all across this Province.

Mr. Speaker, if my memory is correct, last year at one point shrimp was shipped in from Port Union, I believe, on to the Northern Peninsula, and we had shrimp that came in from Nova Scotia on to the Northern Peninsula. As of today, Mr. Speaker, we have the plant in Anchor Point, I believe the maintenance people were in there, and that should be open soon. Black Duck Cove, I believe that will be open today or within the next couple of days, and the two OCI plants on the Peninsula, Mr. Speaker, are up and operating.

So, we know that there has been some delay in the fishery starting because of the price setting panel. Mr. Speaker, that is something that we spent a fair amount of time with this year and we hope that we will not find ourselves with delayed opening of the season in the coming years, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. DEAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, part of the problem is the issue of the protection that was put in place back in the 1990s to ensure that shrimp was not trucked off the coast but instead processed by the plant. This cap was lifted by this government during the failed attempts to impose the RMS.

I ask the minister: Are you prepared to reinstate this protection to ensure that shrimp does remain in the region in plants, at places like Anchor Point and Black Duck Cove, have the raw material they need when the season opens?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. JACKMAN: Mr. Speaker, as I have indicated, many of these plants are – some of them are open and others will be open in the next few days.

What will be the policies in the future, Mr. Speaker? I cannot speak to it right now. We certainly hope and we put a lot of faith in this MOU process whereby we should address a number of issues, in particular around the structure of the fishery, where plants are located, so on and so forth.

So, Mr. Speaker, we will wait and see what the outcome of that is, but right now we are pleased that the plants are opening up. We are disappointed in the delay that it has taken because of the price setting mechanisms that are in place, but, Mr. Speaker, we will wait and see what results will come of our MOU process.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. DEAN: Mr. Speaker, I raise the issue of DFO’s Northern shrimp quota cut in the House last week and the devastating impact that it will have on the Northern Peninsula, especially since NAFTA will lose its special allocation of Area 6. This will mean an income loss of over 350 fishing enterprises in this region alone.

Given that this quota cut is an extremely important issue for all members of the House, I ask the minister: Is he prepared to strike an all-party committee of this House to exert pressure on the federal government to alter its last-in first-out approach and base this quota instead on the principles of a fair decrease and on adjacency of the resource?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. JACKMAN: Mr. Speaker, on April 26, on hearing about this possibility, last-in first-out option, I wrote a letter to Minister Shea. Since then I have a call put in that I want to go to Ottawa to meet with Minister Shea. Today, I will sign a letter to send off to her again expressing disappointment that this was the decision that was made despite our submission that we did not agree with that.

We still think that all sectors of the shrimp industry that are involved in this cut, the cut should be shared evenly. Mr. Speaker, I will make that point in my trip to Ottawa. As to future actions that we will take, that will remain to be seen, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

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

My questions today relate to the AbitibiBowater sites environmental cleanup. The Premier says that we are better off because we have the AbitibiBowater assets, and the Province will use those assets to counter any liabilities incurred. So he says we are in a net positive position, Mr. Speaker. By the Premier’s own admission, the mill is not really much of an asset; the real assets are the forest resources and the hydro power.

So I ask the Premier, Mr. Speaker, to explain to us what the government is going to do to turn these so-called assets into real benefits that will put our books in the net positive situation that he talks about, taking into account the cost of the environmental cleanup.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER WILLIAMS: Mr. Speaker, I am sure the Member for Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi understands that anything that I may say in answer to that question would only help the Abitibi case in the NAFTA dispute. It is not available for me to do that, to be quite honest with you. What she does also clearly understand, though, is that without the expropriation of those assets we would have nothing. So, if you start to stack any of those liabilities, whether they are environmental liabilities, whether it is the generous severance that we paid to the workers, whether it is costs that we have had to use in order to represent the interests of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, we would have nothing to offset against it. By way of example, and this is a very simple example, the land that we recovered, the land alone that we recovered for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador - forget the water rights, forget the timber rights - is three times the size of Prince Edward Island.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS MICHAEL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the Premier knows that hydro from the Abitibi assets cannot currently be incorporated into the provincial power grid because of technical issues. This means that Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro cannot gain access to the power unless huge investments are made to upgrade the grid. The Minister of Natural Resources is on record saying that she is waiting for another major business to arrive in Central Newfoundland that can use the power; that was her hope. Mr. Speaker, how long are we to wait? Five, ten, twenty years?

I ask the Premier: How long are we going to have to wait before these assets are turned into real benefits, instead of pinning everything on phantom hopes?

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Deputy Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, as Abitibi went through its crisis, struggling and stumbling on its way to bankruptcy, where it finds itself today, the overwhelming plea we heard from the people of Central Newfoundland in particular was: Please, do not let them go with our natural resources.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS DUNDERDALE: Give us, give our children, and give our grandchildren, the opportunity to earn their living once again from the land and from our hydro assets.

Mr. Speaker, we are not writing off Central Newfoundland. We may not have an industrial customer at the moment looking for that power, but that day will come, Mr. Speaker. When that day does come, we will have the assets to do something with, to drive economic development in that part of the Province, Mr. Speaker, once again.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS MICHAEL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Since that is so important - I agree it is - I am asking the Premier: Are they out looking for that major industrial customer to make that happen? That is the question I am asking.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Deputy Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, we had an Expression of Interest where we looked at a number of proposals for economic development around the fibre, particularly in Central Newfoundland. While we have not had the results that we are looking for particularly from that Expression of Interest, Mr. Speaker; I am happy to say that we have had an Expression of Interest from Germany last week, principals in, looking at what we have to offer in Central Newfoundland. We are very hopeful about that prospect, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The time allotted for questions and answers has expired.