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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, just recently the Minister of Finance stated that he was not going to consider a change in policy to allow casinos in our Province. However, announcements last week that the Atlantic Lotto Corporation, along with the B.C. and Quebec Lottery Corporations, will be launching on-line casino gambling in the fall. The vision will be gambling on the go, including mobile phones, laptop computers and terminals at lottery kiosk to access a host of gambling games.

I ask the minister: What is the difference between gambling under one roof than gambling under every roof in the Province?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. MARSHALL: Mr. Speaker, this government has made it clear that we do not intend to have casinos in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. When we came into office we found that the previous government had introduced VLTs in 1991. There were about 2,700 VLTs in existence at the time. We announced in Budget 2005, and commenced in the year 2006, a five-year strategy to reduce the number of VLTs in this Province. We announced that we would attempt to reduce the number of machines by 20 per cent. Here it is, we are in the final year and I am pleased to say that we have reduced the number of machines by 26.1 per cent.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Unfortunately, the minister is not answering the question, so I will try again. There are currently many unregulated, on-line casino gambling sites but all of them are from outside of the country. The latest announcement from the Atlantic Lottery Corporation and other Canadian lottery corporations will see this change. In fact, the Atlantic Lottery Corporation will introduce its own on-line casino gambling that will see it compete with these offshore sites.

I ask the minister: What discussions has your government had with the Atlantic Lottery Corporation about introducing provincially regulated, on-line casino gambling in Newfoundland and Labrador?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. MARSHALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The ALC has indicated that there is a migration of gamblers in Atlantic Canada from things like VLTs and the ticket stubs to on-line gambling, which is illegal in this country, but I understand there are over 2,000 illegal sites that are up there from all over the world and that there are people in this Province, especially younger people, who are utilizing those on-line gambling activities – which we cannot regulate. We do not have the ability to regulate, although they operate in contravention of the Criminal Code of Canada.

Now, some preliminary discussions have take place. I understand that the provinces of P.E.I. and New Brunswick have made a decision to support the ALC going that way. The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador has not made a decision, neither has the Government of Nova Scotia. There is a meeting of Finance Ministers in a couple of weeks in Charlottetown, and the Finance Ministers will no doubt be having a discussion there.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We know that on-line gambling is a growing industry, and we know that Canadians will spend more than $1 billion in on-line casino gambling this year.

I ask the minister: In considering this regulated process, what is the Province’s anticipated cut of these on-line gambling revenues in Atlantic Canada, and for Newfoundland and Labrador, under that process?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. MARSHALL: Mr. Speaker, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador have made no decision at this time to take part in any on-line gambling. I suppose that if the ALC did proceed with that and the Newfoundland government went along with that, an agreement would be entered into. As to what our cut might be, at this time there have been no discussions along those lines.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The minister says they have not decided if they are going to be a part of this process, but I would assume that you would have the information, minister, as to what it entails. The Atlantic Lottery Corporation has added some on-line gambling through PlaySphere. However, those that have been introduced so far are the safer forms of gambling.

In government’s 2009 Gambling Prevalence Study, it estimates that none of the PlaySphere memberships are problem gamblers. This will change immediately if Atlantic Lottery Corporation introduces on-line gambling in our Province. The same study also shows that problem gambling rates for Internet poker is five times higher than the provincial problem gambling rate at present.

I ask the Minister of Health: Has your department had any discussions with the Atlantic Lottery Corporation about on-line casino gambling in this Province, and wouldn’t this be in a complete conflict with government’s own strategy to reduce the number of gambling machines in the Province?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. MARSHALL: Mr. Speaker, as I said there has been certain information provided. The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador has not given consideration to this and no decision has been made to take part in any Internet gambling.

Of course, the Internet gambling is already there. As I said earlier, there are about 2,000 sites that are up there that are totally unregulated. As a matter of fact we cannot regulate them; we do not have the ability to regulate them. What the Atlantic Lottery Corporation is proposing is that at least if they got into that particular business, at least on-line gambling would be offered in this Province and it would, in fact, be regulated.

They have also made the argument that by doing that there is more responsible gaming measures that can be put into the system in terms of finding how often somebody gambles, you would allow persons to put limits on how much they want to gamble, to put time limits on. It is early days, Mr. Speaker, we are not there yet.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

My question is for the Minister of Health and that is: Have you had any consultation with the Atlantic Lottery Corporation? Will this be in conflict with the strategy that the government has already in place to reduce the number of VLTs in the Province?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENNEDY: Yes, Mr. Speaker, as I have indicated on numerous occasions publicly and in this hon. House, the issue of mental health and addictions is a number one priority for me in this fiscal year and hopefully out years. Mr. Speaker, we are investing significant money in mental health and addictions. I have outlined on numerous occasions the kinds of money that we put into addiction.

One of the unfortunate realities of life, Mr. Speaker, is that certain people become addicted to substances, to gambling, alcohol, tobacco. As a government, what we have to do is balance the imposition of governmental power in saying to the public you can do this or you cannot do that, with the ability to regulate.

I have not had any discussions with the Atlantic Lottery Corporation in terms of the reduction of VLTs; that is something that comes under the Minister of Finance’s department. What I have been doing, Mr. Speaker, is dealing with the addictions. We have recently announced a new adult addictions treatment centre in Harbour Grace. We have the youth addictions centre in Grand Falls-Windsor and we are investing significant money, Mr. Speaker, in the treatment of addictions.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday in the House of Assembly the Minister of Natural Resources indicated that a German company had shown some interest in occupying the expropriated Abitibi mill in Grand Falls-Windsor. However, as well, Mr. Speaker, the day before the Minister of Transportation and Works was quoted in the local paper saying that they were 99 per cent sure as a government that they would be decommissioning the mill out there.

So I ask the minister: Is the mill on the dismantling list at this stage, or is it being sold off to another operator, or are you still trying to find a way to give it back to Abitibi-Consolidated?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. HEDDERSON: Mr. Speaker, again, obviously from the aspect of Transportation and Works, we are securing the mill and in securing the mill we are out with six or half a dozen displaced workers from the mill working there on security, keeping the basic systems going, basically keeping the lights on, awaiting a decision as to where we go forward with the mill, very encouraged by the news yesterday that there is an interested party. So, right now we are just holding in a holding pattern, neither decommissioning nor commissioning, I suppose, and waiting as we see what happens.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Now that the Minister of Works knows about the German company, he has obviously changed his tune since Monday when they were 99 per cent sure of dismantling it.

Mr. Speaker, since this company has toured the mill, I ask the minister if she can tell us what interest they have shown in that particular paper mill and also if they have been touring any other closed mills in the country as part of their sightseeing visit.

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

MS DUNDERDALE: Mr. Speaker, this company contacted us sometime ago expressing an interest in the mill in Grand Falls-Windsor. They have initiated a number of contacts with us. We have provided certain information to them. They expressed an interest.

Mr. Speaker, before I would engage with them, it was important to me and to this government that they come, have a look at the facility in Grand Falls-Windsor, understand exactly what it was that they were dealing with, and that we would move forward after that process had taken place.

The indication of their seriousness, Mr. Speaker, is they sent somebody from Germany to have a look at this mill. When I asked him what his observations were, he told me quite frankly that it was exactly what he had expected to see. They have gone back to do some work. We expect to have some kind of a submission from them in the next month or so, Mr. Speaker, and based on that we will see where we go.

It is early days – early, early days, Mr. Speaker

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

So the minister is not aware if the company has been looking at other closed mills in the country.

Mr. Speaker, the minister also indicated that she had met with the company and she advised them of what this Province has to offer, and I ask her today: Will the past power arrangement that was held by Abitibi be available to any new operator of that mill?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Deputy Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS DUNDERDALE: Mr. Speaker, when the members opposite sat over here they certainly had no expertise in developing deals, negotiating contracts, as we saw on a number of occasions in the fourteen years of their mandate. Voisey’s which we had to renegotiate, I tell the Opposition Leader, Mr. Speaker. Not one job in the Voisey’s Bay contract - not one job guaranteed, Mr. Speaker. Thankfully we were able to correct that last year and now have secured 8.9 million person hours of work for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, the work of this government.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS DUNDERDALE: Now, Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to debate their record on negotiating any time, but one thing I am not prepared to do is engage in a negotiation of a contract with anybody who is prepared to make an investment in this Province on the floor of the House of Assembly with somebody who does not have the facts.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

If the minister is out there promoting this operation and trying to entice a new operator for the pulp and paper mill in Grand Falls-Windsor, I ask the minister, they must have something that they are offering these companies.

I ask her again, Mr. Speaker: Will the past power arrangement that was held by Abitibi be available to a new operator that is looking at coming into Grand Falls-Windsor?

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, what we have to offer are the people of the Central Region of the Province, the people of Grand Falls-Windsor who have 100 years of accumulated experience in operating our forest operations in this Province and making pulp and paper. What we have, Mr. Speaker, is a land and fibre three times the size of P.E.I. that is available for production here in the Province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS DUNDERDALE: Mr. Speaker, we do have access to cheap industrial power. That is a pretty powerful package to put on the table for anybody who is considering an investment in this area.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Maybe I will put it to the minister this way. If there is a company interested in coming into Grand Falls-Windsor, will there be a deal on the power? Will they have to now go through Nalcor Corporation to negotiate a separate power deal at a separate rate in order to be able to operate, I ask the minister?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS DUNDERDALE: Absolutely! Absolutely, Mr. Speaker!

Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition almost seems to me to be angry because somebody has expressed an interest in doing something in Grand Falls-Windsor.

Mr. Speaker, Nalcor is managing those assets on behalf of the people in Newfoundland and Labrador. We are a good place to invest and we have shown that in three major oil deals that we have negotiated with a value to this Province over the life of those projects, Mr. Speaker, of $35 billion. So I think we know a little bit about what we are doing over here when we are negotiating with companies.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS JONES: We saw, Mr. Speaker, what this government does when they negotiate with companies. That is why we have two pulp and paper mills closed down in this Province already, I say to the minister opposite. That is why we have no industrial development on the horizon right now, minister. If there is a company out there serious, put it on the line, tell us what it is. You are not even telling us if there is any power going to available to them.

Let me ask you this: Will the timber rights, Mr. Speaker, that were held by Abitibi be available to any other company that comes in to operate under those conditions?

MS JOHNSON: At least we have them.

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS DUNDERDALE: Mr. Speaker, I want to reiterate a point just made by my colleague, the Minister of Environment and Conservation, at least we have them! Because we would not have them –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS DUNDERDALE: If we had left it to them we would not have it. They stated that time and time and time again in this House, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, we held 280,000 cubic metres of wood so that we could use it for industrial development in Central Newfoundland. Mr. Speaker, we have a very good company coming out of Germany that have expressed an interest in that fibre. Mr. Speaker, we are going to follow that through and if something good can come of it, we will take advantage of it. If it does not work for the people of Central Newfoundland, Mr. Speaker, if it does not work for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador we will not be inking any deals. We will wait until we get the right deal.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The questions are quite simple. We know the government could not negotiate to keep Abitibi in Grand Falls-Windsor. We are asking today, Mr. Speaker, in a negotiation with another potential customer, as the minister allows, if there is going to any energy rights reserved, if there is going to be any timber rights reserved, and they are not prepared to answer those questions. Well, Mr. Speaker, let’s see if she will answer this question.

I ask the minister, Mr. Speaker: Are they committing to deal with the environmental liabilities around that particular mill before they do any deal with any potential customers?

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, let’s get one thing straight. Abitibi was not looking for a deal in Grand Falls Windsor. Abitibi was not looking for the people of Newfoundland and the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to keep that mill operational. They were in very, very serious problems, having very serious problems, on the brink of bankruptcy, Mr. Speaker. They would not talk to us, they were moved on. They had bigger fish to fry. So let’s get that one straight first Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, Corner Brook Pulp and Paper are operational here in this Province, with tremendous support from this government and providing work to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. We will continue to support them where it makes sense to do so.

Mr. Speaker, there is no investor going to come in and spend money in Newfoundland and Labrador unless they can get a good return on that investment. We are not interested in doing business with stupid people, Mr. Speaker, and this company is not stupid. So unless they get the deal they want, and we get the deal we want, we will not be doing business.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Great speeches but no answers.

I ask the minister again: Are you committing to clean up the environmental liabilities at this mill before signing on with any company? Is that the commitment that you are putting out there to these people today in order to attract business?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS DUNDERDALE: Mr. Speaker, anybody who had any understanding of how this work is done, anybody who had any interest in seeing a successful investment in the Central part of our region that would help grow that economy again, will welcome the news that was announced yesterday and do everything they can to support it.

Mr. Speaker, as I have said, it is very early days and these questions have yet to be determined. We do not have all of the answers. I said that very clearly yesterday –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MS DUNDERDALE: – I am saying it again here in the House of Assembly today, Mr. Speaker. We will find the answers to these questions and when we have something in terms of a package to put forward, with all of these questions answered, we will be forthcoming with it, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

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

Mr. Speaker, the federal government is ready to roll its legislation for a single national securities regulator to replace thirteen separate regulators with thirteen separate sets of rules.

I ask the Minister of Government Services, Mr. Speaker: Will this government be supporting or rejecting this initiative by the federal government?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Government Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. O’BRIEN: Mr. Speaker, we have had a lot of meetings over the last couple of years with regard to security regulation in Canada and in regard to the passport system. A lot of work has gone into the passport system. We still support that passport system, but we are very interested in regard to the process and the proposed legislation that has now gone to the Supreme Court of Canada for a ruling in regard to security regulation. There are certain items that we would want addressed before we would be able to support that single regulator system in Canada. It has merit, the same as the passport system, but we will wait to see what the Supreme Court decision is and then we will make decisions thereafter.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

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

Notwithstanding any court challenge, the federal government is ready for this to roll now, as we speak.

In the past, the minister, Mr. Speaker, responsible for this, Government Services Minister, has stated that certain conditions had to be met prior to agreeing to this new federal single regulator, including the fact that there had to be a regional office for the new regulator and compensation to this Province for a loss of revenue.

Have these conditions been met to date, as far as you are concerned, minister?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Government Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. O’BRIEN: First off, to correct the hon. member across the House who asked the question, Mr. Speaker, is that this piece of legislation is tabled in the House of Commons but it is not tabled as a piece of legislation. It has not been given a number in the House of Commons, it is therefore information only.

I had a conversation with the Minister of Finance at about 7:30 yesterday evening in regard to that piece. So now we will see what the Supreme Court will rule in regard to if it is legal or not to move forward on that piece of legislation. In the meantime, during the summer months we will meet with the minister in Ottawa at his request in regard to the items that we want addressed before we would support that piece of legislation.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

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

While we do not have a very active security sector compared to some provinces, Ontario, Quebec and so on, and Alberta, we still have local companies who raise investment capital within this Province.

How will this decision impact on their ability to raise needed public equity capital?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Government Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. O’BRIEN: Mr. Speaker, the way the securities regulation system works in Canada right now in regard to Newfoundland and Labrador is that we engage a regulator in one of the provinces that have regulators placed in them. Then, in regard to those particular companies, they deal with that single regulator in regard to the process they have to go through.

In regard to this piece of legislation in regard to the federal government is that we derive about $7 million worth of revenue from the security system in Canada as it sits today. We have to have that protected as long - we would desire to have an office placed in Newfoundland and Labrador as well in that process.

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 MMSB issued a tender that was advertised the weekend in The Telegram for a turnkey operation for the compaction and redistribution of used tires in the Dunville area.

I ask the minister: What exactly is the purpose of this tender? Will the Dunville storage yards close? Are you looking for someone to move the tires and store them elsewhere, or is there finally a proposal presented to government that will address this problem once and for all?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Minister of Environment and Conservation.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS JOHNSON: Mr. Speaker, by my estimation we have about five minutes left to Question Period, so perhaps a minute per question.

Yes, there was a tender issued; we are dealing with the tire issue. In the interim, we are trying to develop whatever measures possible we can to cut down on the costs that we spend there to store the tires and provide security. This will further cut down on the cost. They will be baled in a way that can be used when the proposal that is before us hopefully comes on stream. In terms of safety, this will be a more safe method on a go-forward basis as well.

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, the latest Student Drug Survey reported that 12 per cent of Grade 12 students played video lottery terminals, or VLTs; a rate that is twice as high as in the other Atlantic Provinces. Mr. Speaker, this arena is not where we want our students to be leading in the Atlantic Provinces.

Mr. Speaker, playing VLTs is not the kind of entertainment we want our children to be engaged in either. We do not want thirteen-year-olds sneaking their parent’s credit cards to play the machines.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the Minister of Finance: What is this government going to do to deal with the issue of the use of VLTs by children?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. MARSHALL: Mr. Speaker, I read the in preamble to the motion that we are going to debate later today and moved by the Leader of the NDP, it referred to this study. I must say I have some real difficulties with those numbers because for that many junior high school students and high school students to be actually gambling on VLTs, they have to get into these bars. That is prohibited and if that is the case then the police are going to be asked to crack down on that in a major way.

I really have some concerns with some of the numbers in that study.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS MICHAEL: Well, Mr. Speaker, I have to ask the minister if –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MS MICHAEL: - he is so concerned about the figures in that study - and I am as well - and he has known about that study for a couple of years, what is the minister doing about the information that is in that study? Has he taken any action to find out, number one, if the numbers are correct - I have no reason to think they are not - and, number two, how these young people are getting to use the VLTs?

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. MARSHALL: Again, Mr. Speaker, for young people to use the VLTs they would have to get into bars, which is not allowed. It could be that they were referring to on-line gambling. On-line gambling they can do in their home and there is nothing we can do about that. We cannot regulate that at all, unfortunately.

This information will, of course, be provided to both the RNC and the RCMP and we will ask for a report from them as to what is happening here.

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 will be following up with the minister on what he has just said, and I would like to point out there are separate figures in the study with regard to on-line gambling. There are two separate sets of figures.

Mr. Speaker, the VLT action plan is ending in March 2011 and there is no sign from government of anything to take its place. The VLT addiction rate remains unchanged over the period of the last two prevalence studies. Mr. Speaker, this indicates that the government has been ineffective in reducing the rates of addiction amongst VLT users.

I ask the minister: What plan does government have for discontinuing making money from people who are addicted to VLTs?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. MARSHALL: Mr. Speaker, we have had two prevalence studies done, one in 2005 and one in 2009. In 2005, it showed that 90 per cent of the people were either not gamblers and did not have any problems with gambling. The 10 per cent were at risk, low risk, medium risk and high risk. Of the high risk, the problem gamblers were 1.2 per cent. That was done in 2005. In the 2009 study, it dropped from 1.2 per cent down to 2.7 per cent and those numbers are – from what I understand – pretty well on par with what is happening across the country.

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 will add to that to that information that the minister said during my speaking to the motion that will be on the floor of the House today because there are many more figures to backup the fact that we still have a continuing problem in this Province.

Mr. Speaker, government is responsible for the health and welfare of the people in this Province, and yet, we have no one on the Atlantic Lottery Corporation’s board representing those interests. Mr. Speaker, I ask the minister if this government will commit itself to nominating a representative to the Atlantic Lottery Corporation board from the Department of Health and Community Services.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. MARSHALL: Mr. Speaker, government has two representatives on the board of ALC. One is Mr. Terry Paddon, who is the Department Minister of Finance, and the other is Mr. Kevin Breen, a former city councillor, I believe, in the City of St. Johns.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The time allotted for Oral Questions has expired.