Verbatim Report
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PROVINCE OF NEWFOUNDLAND THIRTY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NEWFOUNDLAND Volume 4 4th. Session Number 22 VERBATIM REPORT TUESDAY, APRIL 1, 1.975 SPEAKER: THE HONOURABLE M. JAMES .RUSSELL April 1, 1975 Tape no. 875 Page 1 - mw The House met at 3:00 P.M. Mr. Speaker in the Chair. MR. SPEAKER: Order, please: STATEMENTS BY MINISTERS: MR. SPEAKER: The Hon. Minister of Fisheries. HON. JOHN C. CROSBIE (Hon. Minister of Fisheries): Mr. Speaker, I think we should take note of the anniversary date today, this is the twenty-sixth anniversary of the Province's Confederation with Canada. Of course, last year was a special occasion on the twenty-fifth anniversary. But I do not think we should let the day go without officially noting that this is our twenty-sixth year of Confederation. And I am sure that all members of the House hope that we will have another good year this year as a part of the Canadian Confederation as we have had in increasing measure over the last twenty-five. MR. SPEAKER: The Hon. Leader of the Opposition. AN HON. MEMBER: Just take note that Joey is in good health. HON. E. M.ROBERTS (Leader of the Opposition): He is getting ready, getting ready. SOME HON. MEMBERS: (Inaudible). MR. SPEAKER: Order, please! MR. ROBERTS: Mr. Speaker, on this side, we would like to join in taking note of the anniversary. Actually, Your Honour, it is twenty-six years and one day today, because, as is well-known, Confederation did not come on this first day of April, but rather at one minute before midnight on March 31, 1949. Confederation has been not only good for Newfoundland, it is hard to conceive where Newfoundland would have been today without Confederation. It has shaped our lives,and it has shaped them very much for the better. The years ahead, I would hope, will be even more productive for Newfoundland,. more productive as a member of the Confederation. 2608 April 1, 1975 Tape no. 875 Page 2 I also feel, Mr. Speaker, that the next twenty-six years will and I hope in fact they will bring, I believe they will see and I hope they will bring a change in the nature of Confederation. The last twenty-six years, Sir, and even ~oday we have been a"have-not"Province. I would hope that during the next twenty-six years, Sir, Newfoundland will become a'have"Province and thus play an even fuller role in Confederation than we have. But I think the House Leader is well-advised to take note of it. It was an auspicious day in Newfoundland's history, a day that has brought betterment and brought joy and brought better conditions in every way to all the people of Newfoundland. I think it is only fitting that we, as a House of Assembly, should commemorate it. And I think also we should commemorate, without getting into current politics, both present and wishful on the part of honourable gentlemen opposite, to commemorate the role played by, both by Mr. Smallwood and by the men who worked with him. We would not have had Confederation in 1949 if it had not been for the work of Joey Smallwood and the men who worked with hilll, including, I may say, the honourable gentleman's father who, although he did not sign the Terms of Union for reasons which he stated publicly at the time, worked long and hard to make Confederation come once the decision of the people had been rendered in the two Referendums, particularly the second one,and then after Confederation worked equally hard at being a good Canadian and making Confederation work and making Newfoundland a part of the Canadian Confederation. So in noting the anniversary, we should note the contribution of those who J111ade it possible. I think it is only fitting that this House, on this anniversary, should note both these events, the men and the event itself, and I would hope would recognize them in an appropriate fashion. Thank you. MR. SPEAKER: The Hon. Minister of Forestry and Agriculture. HON. H. COLLINS (Minister of Forestry and Agriculture): Mr. Speaker, in view of several misleading statements that have been given to the press during the last couple of days with regards to the operation 2609 AoTil 1, 1975 Tape no. 875 Page 3 - mw of Eastern Provincial Airways in Gander, I would like to try and clarify the situation. First of all, l would like to say that the President of E.P.A., Mr. Keith Miller, announced some weeks ago that his company intended to consolidate their mainland operations from the various points, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Quebec into Halifax for the simple reason that it made good economic sense. At that time the President, Mr. Miller , saw fit to come to the Province, the provincial government. He also had meetings with the Gander Chamber of Co!!llllerce, I understand, and certainly with the Gander Town Council to explain to the people involved just what was happening so that nobody would misunderstand the approach which E.P.A. was taking to the overall economic problem. The people who are moving into Halifax, it is not a case of providing new jobs, it is a case, Mr. Speaker, of consolidating the operation, moving people from the ends of the various routes into the Halifax area for resting purposes and for training purposes. I might add that within the next two or i.hree days, certainly within the next week, the headquarters of E.P.A. at Gander will be moving into a new facility, a new building, not a new building, but a building which has been renovated f ' extensively to the tune of about $2 million. ill their headquarters staff will be moving in there within the next week. I would also 2610 April 1, 1975 Tape No, 876 NM - 1 like to point out that negotiations are now in progress with this government, the provincial government, with the Government of Canada, in connection with the establishment of a major maintenance and servicing facility at the· Gander Airport. The idea behind this is that all the maintenpnce work on the six 737 jets and the additional jet which is coming in pretty soon, plus all the other different types of aircraft which are used on the Mainland to service Mainland points, all those aircraft will have all their maintenance done at the Gander facility. In addition to that what is known in the trade as "D" checks which heretofore has been done in Vancouver, or at the factory in the US, all those checks will be made available and - not make available, all those checks will be performed at the new facility when it is provided. In addition to that, Mr. Speaker, the provincial government, always cognizant of what is going on with EPA, the need for maintaining the growth of EPA activies in Gander, sometime ago gave approval to a major extension of the Gander District Vocational School. I think the cost is in the order of $1 million and one of the main reasons for that is to provide facilities for training young Newfoundlanders in the trades of aircraft mechanics and aircraft frames mechanics, that is aircraft angine mechanics and aircraft frames mechanics. EPA anticipate that when those services are performed at Gander that an additional eighty to ninety top paid mechanical types, engineering types of jobs will be made available. Now with the extension to the District Vocational School in Gander, we hope to be ahead of the game to the extent that young Newfoundlanders will have beer. in there, will have obtained their degrees, their certificates, whatever it is they do obtain at the vocational schools. The courses are acredited by the Department of Transport so that when 2611 April 1, 1975 Tape No, 876 NM - 2 those jobs come on stream, young Newfoundlanders will be readv to p,o in there and take the jobs, My reason, Mr, Speaker, for brining up this, I think that a lot of people have been a little mischievous, if you might call it that7in trying to stir up some doubts in the people's minds, Certainly in Gander during the years there has been enough doubts, adequate doubts stirred up, people have been tormented by statements here and statements there, what is going to happen and what is not going to happen and I want to put it on record that this government reaffirms its faith in EPA by doing everything in their power, along with EPA, to ensure that the company not only maintains its Gander operation but that the thing grows and expands, MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Bell Island. MR, NEARY: Mr, Speaker, the honourable Member for the District of Gander did not make it clear, Sir, whether he was speaking as the government's representative on the Board of Directors of EPA, if in fact he is, if in fact the member is on the Board of Directors of EPAJor if he was speaking as a minister speaking on behalf of the government or speaking as the Member for Gander District. The minister did not make that clear, Sir, because I am not quite sure whether this matter comes under the minister's department or the Minister of Industrial Development. The minister, Mr. Speaker, also did not make it clear whether or not the Province had made a bid to get this new hangar that is being constructed in Halifax at the cost of several million dollars) if the provincial government here in Newfoundland had made a bid to get that moved to Gander.