PROVINCE OF NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY Third Session Forty-Eighth General Assembly Proceedings of the Standing Committee on Resources April 24, 2018 - Issue 3 Department of Advanced Education, Skills and Labour Published under the authority of the Speaker of the House of Assembly Honourable Perry Trimper, MHA RESOURCE COMMITTEE Department of Advanced Education, Skills and Labour Chair: Brian Warr, MHA Members: Derrick Bragg, MHA Jerry Dean, MHA John Finn, MHA Jim Lester, MHA Lorraine Michael, MHA Pam Parsons, MHA Tracey Perry, MHA Clerk of the Committee: Kimberley Hammond Appearing: Department of Advanced Education, Skills and Labour Hon. Al Hawkins, MHA, Minister Genevieve Dooling, Deputy Minister Bren Hanlon, Departmental Controller Debbie Dunphy, Assistant Deputy Minister, Corporate Services Donna O’Brien, Assistant Deputy Minister, Regional Service Delivery Walt Mavin, Director, Employment & Training Fiona Langor, Assistant Deputy Minister, Workforce Development Candice Ennis-Williams, Assistant Deputy Minister, Post-Secondary Margot Pitcher, Executive Assistant Jacquelyn Howard, Director of Communications Glenn Branton, Chief Executive Officer, Labour Relations Board Also Present Barry Petten, MHA James Sheppard, Researcher, Official Opposition Office Ivan Morgan, Researcher, Third Party April 24, 2018 RESOURCE COMMITTEE Pursuant to Standing Order 68, Barry Petten, Skills and Labour – I’ll let my staff introduce to MHA for Conception Bay South, substitutes for make sure we’re all online. Tracey Perry, MHA for Fortune Bay - Cape La Hune. MS. DOOLING: Good evening. I’m Genevieve Dooling, Deputy Minister. The Committee met at 6:03 p.m. in the Assembly Chamber. MR. HANLON: Brendan Hanlon, Departmental Controller. CHAIR (Warr): Okay, if we can get ourselves comfortable, we will begin. MS. DUNPHY: Debbie Dunphy, Assistant Deputy Minister of Corporate Services and Good evening everybody. Welcome to the Policy. Estimates of the Department of Advanced Education, Skills and Labour. MS. ENNIS-WILLIAMS: Hi, I’m Candice Ennis-Williams; I’m ADM, Post-Secondary Just a note that Mr. Petten is substituting for Ms. Education. Perry tonight and the first thing I’ll ask is the Committee to introduce themselves, starting MS. LANGOR: Hi, Fiona Langor, Assistant with Mr. Petten. Deputy Minister, Workforce Development, Labour and Immigration. MR. PETTEN: Thank you, Mr. Chair. MR. MAVIN: Walt Mavin, Director of Barry Petten, MHA for Conception Bay South. Employment and Training Programs. MR. SHEPPARD: James Sheppard, MS. O’BRIEN: Donna O’Brien, Assistant Researcher, Official Opposition. Deputy Minister for Regional Services. MS. MICHAEL: Lorraine Michael, MHA, St. MS. PITCHER: Margot Pitcher, Executive John's East - Quidi Vidi. Assistant to Minister Hawkins. MR. MORGAN: Ivan Morgan, Researcher, MS. HOWARD: Jacquelyn Howard, Director NDP caucus. of Communications. MR. FINN: John Finn, MHA, Stephenville - MR. BRANTON: Glenn Branton, CEO, Labour Port au Port. Relations Board. MR. BRAGG: Derrick Bragg, MHA, Fogo CHAIR: Thank you. Island - Cape Freels. Just before we get started, I’d just remind the MR. DEAN: Jerry Dean, MHA, Exploits. staff of the department if you’re asked to speak just say your name and wait for your tally light CHAIR: My name is Brian Warr; I’m the MHA to light up. It’s most helpful for the Broadcast for Baie Verte - Green Bay and your Chair for Centre, so we’d appreciate that. this evening. Minister, if you’d like to start off with a few Minister, we will offer you some opening remarks? remarks. I’d like for your staff to introduce themselves as well. MR. HAWKINS: Thank you, Mr. Chair. MR. HAWKINS: Thank you, Mr. Chair. I certainly thank you – To make sure the mics are working – Al CHAIR: I’m sorry. Hawkins, Minister of Advanced Education, CLERK (Hammond): (Inaudible.) 94 April 24, 2018 RESOURCE COMMITTEE CHAIR: Okay. Thank you. probably some of them will come up in the questions. But just in case we don’t get a chance CLERK: (Inaudible) procedure. to discuss that, I wanted to highlight some of these initiatives that we had. CHAIR: I’ll ask the Clerk to call the first subhead. Twenty-five of the 39 initiatives, Mr. Chair, of The Way Forward on Immigration in CLERK: 1.1.01. Newfoundland and Labrador, our five-year Immigration Action Plan, were initiated or CHAIR: Shall 1.1.01 carry? implemented by the end of the 2017-18 fiscal year. This includes measures such as convening Mr. Minister. the Minister’s Roundtable on Immigration with the first round table held in February, expanding MR. HAWKINS: Thank you, Mr. Chair. newcomer settlement services throughout the province and supporting the foreign qualification I certainly thank you for the opportunity to recognition. In partnership with the federal discuss the Estimates, the budget relating to government we expanded the Atlantic Advanced Education, Skills and Labour. I want Apprenticeship Harmonization Project to to say thank you to my colleagues, the interest include six additional trades and we will that they have and look forward to some continue to work on increasing that as well. questioning with regard to what we have budgeted within the department. We also completed preparations to introduce an online training option in 2018-2019 for five of I’ll just make a few comments before we get into the trades, enabling apprentices to continue the questioning piece. It’s a pleasure for me to working while completing the training they represent a department such as Advanced require for journeyperson certification. We think Education, Skills and Labour. I took over as this is a very important move because we’ve minister at the end of July 31, the 1st of August. heard complaints in the past that some of the It’s certainly been a rewarding eight months apprentices would have to conclude their since that change. I know the first few months employment in order to get their training. Now, trying to embrace all the changes and trying to we’re going to be providing that opportunity so embrace all of the different functions and they can do online training and still continue programs within Advanced Education, Skills their employment. and Labour was a challenge but, hopefully, I’m getting there. We passed amendments to the Labour Standards Act that align with changes to the Canada Whether through skills training, student Labour Code to enable working parents to financial assistance, immigration, labour access the new federal parental leave benefits relations, or various socio-economic supports, introduced, job-protected leave of up to 17 the objective of the Department of Advanced weeks to provide care for critically-ill adult Education, Skills and Labour is one and that’s to family members and to expand the eligibility for help the people. We are guided by the critically-ill child care leave to include philosophy that we should do everything immediate and extended family members. The possible to meet our commitments in The Way amendments also enable nurse practitioners to Forward to enable people to live independent provide medical certificates to verify entitlement and fulfilling lives. We want to ensure that only for new and existing leaves under the Labour the best of services and programs are offered to Standards Act which should make it easier rather Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to help them than having the physician make that achieve employment and independence. determination. Over the past year, the department has marked I’d like to take a few moments to share some of significant milestones in immigration, skills the highlights from Budget 2018 and then turn it training, apprenticeship and labour legislation. over to the Committee to ask the questions. In I’m going to highlight some of these, and I know the budget this year our government has 95 April 24, 2018 RESOURCE COMMITTEE allocated a total of $366 million for Memorial million provided for the Memorial University’s University, which includes $55 million for the Core Science Facility, $13.6 million allocated faculty of medicine in recognition of its critical for the construction of the Centre of Excellence role in the province’s society, culture and for Heavy Equipment and Industrial Trades at economy. That’s significant, Mr. Chair. That’s College of the North Atlantic and $10.8 million more than New Brunswick provides for its four to support the construction of Memorial’s universities and almost as much as Nova Scotia Animal Resource Centre. provides for all 10 of its universities. Budget 2018 provides funding for programs and Put another way, this provincial funding services to maintain the province’s skilled represents approximately 80 per cent of workforce and prepare Newfoundlanders and Memorial University’s general operating Labradorians for emerging and future labour revenues compared to the Canadian average of demands. As a continuation of our government’s 49 per cent. It works out to be a public commitment on The Way Forward to expand investment of over $22,000 per full-time agriculture, aquaculture, oil and gas and student. This funding helps Memorial University technology sectors, we are supporting career deliver high-quality programming more development opportunities for youth by affordably than anywhere else in Atlantic allocating $196,000 for a new Student Canada and well below the national average. Mentorship Program. Canadian and international students can currently complete an undergraduate Budget 2018 also includes an investment of engineering degree at Memorial University for $13.1 million to delivering employment and about three times less cost than the average training programs; $6.1 million for youth- elsewhere in Canada. There is $87.6 million, this focused employment and career related year’s budget, in operating funding provided for activities; $1.3 million to build capacity and the College of the North Atlantic and its 17 provide online training in the apprenticeship campuses. system; $641,000 in federal government funding this year to establish the Atlantic Apprenticeship As you can see, our commitment to accessible, Harmonization office in this province – a first affordable, post-secondary education remains for Newfoundland and Labrador and we’re strong.