legislative reportslegislative reports new brunswick since the adjournment of the third session of...

Legislative Reports

New Brunswick

Since the adjournment of theThird Session of the Fifty-Fifth

Legislature of New Brunswick onDecember 23, 2005, Premier Ber-nard Lord, shuffled his Cabinet, anElectoral Boundaries and Represen-tation Commission completed itsmandate and released a final report,the House resumed to elect a newSpeaker shortly before the budgetwas brought down, and a specialchannel began broadcastinggavel-to-gavel coverage of legisla-tive proceedings, giving NewBrunswickers access to the politicalprocess and their elected officials.

As a result of Premier Lord's re-structuring of government follow-ing a “Five in Five” initiativeannounced a few days earlier in thestate of the province address, anumber of new Ministers weresworn in as Members of the Execu-tive Council on February 14:

• Claude Williams, MLA for KentSouth, Minister of Education

• Jody Carr, MLA for Oromocto-Gagetown, Minister of Post-Sec-ondary Education and Training

• Kirk MacDonald , MLA forMactaquac, Minister of BusinessNew Brunswick

• Brenda Fowlie , MLA forKennebecasis, Minister of Energy

• Bev Harrison , MLA forHampton-Belleisle, Minister ofSupply and Services and Govern-ment House Leader

Retiring to the backbench were:Elvy Robichaud , MLA forTracadie-Sheila, Peter Mesheau,MLA for Tantramar and Marga-ret-Ann Blaney, MLA for SaintJohn-Kings.

The Final Report of the ElectoralBoundaries and Representation Com-mission saw the boundaries of 20 ofthe province's 55 electoral districtsrevised and the names of nine elec-toral districts changed as a result ofpublic input. Major changes weremade in the Moncton-Dieppe area,and in western New Brunswick inthe electoral districts of York,Woodstock, Carleton, and Victo-ria-Tobique. The commission,which began its work last August,released a preliminary report onNovember 21, 2005, followed by thefinal report on February 20, 2006.

On February 21, Michael Malley,MLA for Miramichi-Bay du Vin andformer Government Whip, an-nounced his intention to sit as an In-dependent Member, bringing thestandings in the House on that dateto Progressive Conservatives, 27;Liberals, 26; and Independents, 2.

On March 23,Deputy SpeakersCy (Richard) LeBlanc, MLA forDieppe-Memramcook and JohnBetts, MLA for Moncton Crescent,

announced the launch of a NewBrunswick parliamentary channeldedicated to broadcasting proceed-ings to keep the public informed ofthe important work of the Houseand the province's elected represen-tatives. The Legislature acquired aprofessional broadcasting systemwith five state-of-the-art cameraslocated throughout the chamberand operated remotely by RogersTelevision, the company commis-sioned to manage the new channel.The new channel will be offered inboth official languages on televi-sions with secondary audio pro-gramming (SAP) features in majorcentres across the province. Ques-tion period will continue to beshown on the community channelin the smaller communities. The As-sembly will also approach satelliteproviders to expand coveragethroughout the province.

The House resumed in the fore-noon March 28 and elected Mr.Malley to be Speaker, subsequent tothe resignation of Speaker Harri-son.

The House resumed in the after-noon when Finance MinisterJeannot Volpé , MLA forMadawaska-les-Lacs, broughtdown his third budget, stating:“This budget supports our vision ofNew Brunswick and our balancedapproach. It builds on our resultsand our policies, further imple-ments our commitments, takessteps in meeting the Premier's Fivein Five Initiative and makes new in-vestments for people.”

Highlighted in the 2006-2007budget:

SUMMER 2006 /CANADIAN PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW 39

• $2.46 billion for record invest-ments in health and senior care, a75 per cent increase since 1999;

• $893 million for record invest-ments in Kindergarten to Grade12 education, including 240 newteaching positions;

• Over $100 million in energy relief,including the rebate of the pro-vincial portion of the HST onhome electricity and heating fu-els;

• $28.8 million more for senior care,including covering nursing homehealth care costs and fully pro-tecting the value of seniors'homes;

• $17 million in additional personalincome tax reductions for NewBrunswickers, resulting in 50,000New Brunswickers removedfrom the income tax rolls since1999;

• $20 million in tax reductions forNew Brunswick businesses, in-cluding the reduction of the NewBrunswick small business incometax rate to 1.5 per cent;

• $25 million over five years for anew Wellness InfrastructureFund;

• $15 million for regional economicdevelopment funds in Miramichi,Restigouche-Chaleur and theAcadian Peninsula;

• $26 million over two years in taxrelief and incentives as part of the$250-million, five-year ForestryAssistance Support Package tohelp the forestry sector;

• $9.2 million for culture, includingan additional $1 million for theCultural Policy and a new bookpolicy;

• A 27.8 per cent net debt-to-GDPratio, for the seventh consecutiveannual reduction;

• A $22.2 million surplus for an-other balanced budget.

In his response to the budgetspeech, Opposition House LeaderKelly Lamrock, MLA for Frederic-ton-Fort Nashwaak, pinch hittingfor Finance Critic Michael Murphy,characterized the budget as “a bud-

get that mentions everything butsolves nothing.” He submitted thatthe budget neglected to address jobcreation, affordable housing, theuncertainty facing mills in the prov-ince, the cost of nursing home careand post-secondary education, thelack of spaces in community col-leges, the prolonged care of specialneeds children, the clean-up of mu-nicipal harbours, or the lack of sup-port for small business owners.

He was critical of the numberscontained in the budget. While ac-knowledging a $5 million increasein spending on special education, hesubmitted that New Brunswick isone of only two provinces to cut ed-ucation in real dollars. He agreedmore money is being spent in thebudget, an increase of 1.7% from theprevious budget, but stated that thiswas inadequate when inflation roseby 2.5%. He further stated “when Ilook at this budget, we have a gov-ernment that cannot even meet itsown priority areas, a governmentthat cannot deliver change, a gov-ernment that has been given $1.6billion more in revenue and has notdelivered a single bit oftransformative change.”

On April 7 Speaker Malley casthis first deciding vote following adivision on the budget motion. Incasting his vote in the affirmative,Mr. Speaker stated that :

Questions of confidence are ofsuch importance that an ex-pression of nonconfidenceshould clearly be stated by amajority. In addition to my re-sponsibilities as Speaker, Ihave a responsibility to theconstituents of my riding ofMiramichi-Bay du Vin and tothe people of New Brunswick.In this instance, I am guided bythe principles of the Speaker'scasting vote, on questions ofconfidence.

On April 11, Speaker Malleyruled on a question of privilegeraised earlier by Government

House Leader Harrison regarding aletter from Abel LeBlanc, MLA forSaint John Lancaster, published inthe Telegraph-Journal on April 6,2006, which characterized the elec-tion of the Speaker as a sham. In giv-ing notice of his motion to refer thematter to the Standing Committeeon Privileges, the GovernmentHouse Leader claimed the com-ments in the letter demonstratedcontempt, disrespect, and calledinto question the legitimacy of theSpeaker and the proceedings in theHouse. Opposition House LeaderLamrock argued that the letter con-cerned only the process by whichthe Speaker came to Office and thatit did not reflect negatively on theSpeaker himself but was critical ofthe government. However, SpeakerMalley found that the remarks re-flected on the Legislature as a wholeand on the Office of Speaker andmade it more difficult for theSpeaker to fulfill his duties by di-minishing the respect owed to theOffice and to the institution. In rul-ing that a prima facie case of con-tempt had not been made, SpeakerMalley ruled that it would not beproductive to allow the matter to goforward for a debate and wouldonly serve to give more significanceto the remarks than they merit.Speaker Malley noted that the letterwas in poor taste and did a disser-vice to the House and the Office ofthe Speaker; the Member subse-quently apologized to the House.

On April 13, Speaker Malley an-nounced his intention to rejoin theGovernment caucus while continu-ing to fulfill the duties of the Officeof Speaker in a fair and impartialmanner, bringing the standings inthe House to Progressive Conserva-tives, 28; Liberals, 26; and Inde-pendent, 1.

Among the government bills in-troduced were Bill 34, to amend theMunicipalities Act introduced by Lo-

40 CANADIAN PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW / SUMMER 2006

cal Government MinisterRose-May Porier, and Bill 35, toamend The Residential Tenancies Actintroduced by Justice and Con-sumer Affairs Minister Bruce Fitch.The amendments would give mu-nicipal bylaw enforcement officersthe tools necessary to ensure thatnegligent landlords address issuesof health and safety in residentialproperties including ticketing land-lords for violations and undertak-ing repairs where a landlord fails todo so, with remedial costs beingadded to the owner's property taxbill.

Bill 47, An Act to Amend the Mem-bers' Conflict of Interest Act, intro-duced by Opposit ion LeaderShawn Graham, would prohibitany member of the Executive Coun-cil from accepting any salary, finan-cial assistance, or any other benefitfrom a registered political party or aregistered district association. In in-troducing the Bill, Mr. Grahamnoted that the Conflict of InterestCommissioner would have the dis-cretion to approve such a salary ifcertain conditions were met. TheBill was referred to the StandingCommittee on Law Amendmentsfor review.

On April 26, the OppositionHouse Leader gave notice of his in-tention to move a motion ofnon-confidence in the Speaker. Themotion was expected to come up fordebate in May during the two hoursreserved on Tuesday and Thursdayfor Private Members' Motions.

Restoration continues in the Leg-islative Council Chamber. Used al-most exclusively by committees inrecent years, the newly restoredroom promises to reveal the originalelegance of the 1882 Second Empiresandstone building. The meticulousand diligent work of conservatorsuncovered rich colours and details,including the discovery of paintchips from the original ceiling. The

room is the former home of theLegislative Council, or New Bruns-wick's Upper House.

Diane Taylor-MylesResearcher

Yukon

The last submission outlined cer-tain changes to the composition

of party caucuses in the Yukon Leg-islative Assembly. These changesincluded the resignation of HaakonArntzen (formerly the independentmember for Copperbelt, and beforethat the Yukon Party member forthe same constituency), the electionof Liberal Party leader ArthurMitchell in the Copperbelt by-elec-tion; and the resignation of PeterJenkins (Klondike) from the gov-erning Yukon Party cabinet andcaucus. Mr. Jenkins now sits as anindependent member.

As a result the House standings –which had been Yukon Party 11,NDP 5, Liberals 1 and one inde-pendent member during the 2005Spring Sitting – were Yukon Party10, NDP 5, Liberals 2, and one inde-pendent by the end of the 2005 FallSitting.

This, however, was not the end ofthe changes. On February 28 theleader of the official opposition,Todd Hardy (Whitehorse Centre,NDP) announced that his Houseleader, Gary McRobb (Kluane),had been dismissed from caucus.McRobb's transgression came in theform of a letter to his constituents

wherein he asked them to expresstheir view as to whether he shouldcontest the next general election(due later this year) as a New Demo-crat, Liberal or independent candi-date. The following day Mr. Hardyexcised Eric Fairclough (Mayo-Tatchun) from the caucus for hav-ing conducted a similar, if less for-mal, survey of his constituents. As aresult the party standings werenow: Yukon Party 10, NDP 3, Liber-als 2, and three independent mem-bers.

Given the reasons for the changein the NDP caucus speculation washigh that Mr. McRobb and/or Mr.Fairclough would join the Liberalcaucus. On March 16 Mr. McRobbdid so, giving the Liberal caucus thesame number of members as that ofthe NDP. Mr. Fairclough, however,remained an independent memberas the 2006 Spring Sitting began onMarch 30, 2006.

However, on May 1, 2006 Mr.Fairclough announced that he hadjoined the Liberal Party caucus. Thischanged the House standings to:Yukon Party 10, Liberal Party 4,NDP 3 and one independent. As aresult the Liberals have now sup-planted the NDP as the official op-position.

During the controversy overchanges within the NDP it has alsobeen revealed that the minister ofEducation, and Justice, JohnEdzerza (Yukon Party, McIntyre-Takhini), spoke with Mr. Hardyduring the fall of 2005 on the pros-pect of Mr. Edzerza leaving the Yu-kon Party caucus for the NDP. Mr.Hardy indicated that his partycould not accept a member who hadbeen elected under another party'sbanner. Mr. Hardy suggested Mr.Edzerza either sit as an independentmember or resign and contest aby-election as the NDP candidate.Mr. Edzerza has stayed with the Yu-kon Party.


Premier Fentie did not follow Mr.Hardy's example and expel Mr.Edzerza from the Yukon Party cau-cus for talking with the NDP. Pre-mier Fentie suggested that Mr.Hardy's eviction of Mr. McRobband Mr. Fairclough had been pre-cipitous. He said Mr. Edzerza hascontributed much to the govern-ment and has much more to contrib-ute.

These issues received a substan-tial airing in the Assembly on May 3when members debated Bill No.112, Act to Amend the Legislative As-sembly Act. This private members'bill, introduced by Mr. Hardy onApril 13, proposed to prohibit amember elected as a member of agiven party from joining the caucusof another party during the courseof a given legislature. The secondreading debate proved acrimoniouswith various allegations of im-proper motive and nefarious behav-iour being exchanged between theopposition caucuses. Despite thisthe bill passed second reading on avote of 14-1. Both the Yukon Partyand Liberal caucuses said theyvoted for the bill to give it more dis-cussion in Committee of the Whole.Oddly, the only member to voteagainst second reading was GlennHart (Riverdale South), a YukonParty cabinet minister. There wasmore acrimonious debate in Com-mittee of the Whole before the As-sembly reached its normal hour ofadjournment. The bill may be re-called for debate on May 17, whichis the next day when opposition pri-vate members' business has prece-dence.

2006 Spring Sitting

The 2006 Spring Sitting began onMarch 30. Pursuant to Standing Or-der 74 the government introducedall the bills it wanted to see dealtwith during this Sitting by the fifthsitting day, April 6. Subsequently,

pursuant to Standing Order 75, thethree House leaders met to deter-mine the length of the sitting. OnApril 11 the government Houseleader, Brad Cathers (Lake Laberge,Yukon Party) informed the Assem-bly that the House leaders could notreach agreement on the length of thesitting. As a result the Speaker, TedStaffen, declared, pursuant toStanding Order 75(3), that the 2006Spring Sitting would last 30 sittingdays, the 30th sitting day to be May24, 2006.

Nine government bills were in-troduced during this Sitting. Thesebills were:

• Bill No. 18, Interim Supply Appro-priation Act, 2006-07

• Bill No. 19, Third AppropriationAct, 2005-06

• Bill No. 20, First Appropriation Act,2006-07

• Bill No. 66, Act to Amend the Secu-rities Act

• Bill No. 67, Safer Communities andNeighbourhoods Act

• Bill No. 68, Act to Repeal the Physio-therapists Act

• Bill No. 69, Canadian Blood ServicesIndemnification Act

• Bill No. 70, Act to Amend the In-come Tax Act (2006)

• Bill No. 71, Dawson MunicipalElection Act (2006)

Bill No. 20 is the main appropria-tion act for the 2006-07 fiscal year.Through it the Government of Yu-kon is seeking authority to spend$793 million for the twelve monthsending March 31, 2007. It is the larg-est appropriation bill in Yukon'shistory.

The impetus behind Bill No. 67was a motion brought forward byMr. Hardy on November 9, 2005.The motion urged the Yukon Gov-ernment to develop a Safer Commu-nities and Neighbourhoods Act similar

to that which is in effect in Saskatch-ewan. The motion was not adoptedthat day, as the government movedan amendment that had not beenagreed to by the normal hour of ad-journment.

On November 14 the governmentbrought forward its own version ofMr. Hardy's motion, one that incor-porated the amendment proposedon November 9. This motion passedunanimously on that day.

On April 5, 2006 the Minister ofJustice, Mr. Edzerza, introducedand received first reading for BillNo. 67. The bill received unanimoussupport at all stages, passing sec-ond reading on April 27, being re-ported by Committee of the Wholeon May 1, and receiving third read-ing on May 4. With the passage ofthe Safer Communities and Neigh-bourhoods Act Yukon becomes thethird Canadian jurisdiction, behindManitoba and Saskatchewan, topass such legislation.

The Municipal Act provides thatYukon municipalities will holdelections this October. However,Bill No. 71 was required to allow theTown of Dawson City to hold mu-nicipal elections by June 15, 2006. Ina controversial move the YukonGovernment had removed the pre-vious council from office in April2004 due to financial irregularities.The government had appointed atrustee to run the municipality sincethen.

Despite the controversy engen-dered by the government's policy indealing with Dawson City, the billpassed through the Assemblyrather quickly. All members real-ized that whatever their differencesit was in the best interest of DawsonCity that it become self-governingas soon as possible. After introduc-tion and first reading on April 3, thebill received second reading onApril 10. The following day theDawson Municipal Election Act


(2006) was reported by Committeeof the Whole, received third readingand was assented to by Commis-sioner Geraldine Van Bibber.

Four private members' bills werealso introduced during this Sitting.They were Bill No. 111, Act to Repealthe Dawson Municipal GovernanceRestoration Act, the aforementionedBill No. 112, Bill No. 113, All-PartyCommittee on Appointments Act, andBill No. 114, Yukon Ethics and Ac-countability Act. So far, Bill No. 112 isthe only private members' bill to bebrought forward for debate.

Floyd McCormickDeputy Clerk

Alberta

On April 4, 2006, Premier RalphKlein announced that he

would be retiring in September2006. The Premier stated he wouldremain in office until his successoris chosen which is anticipated to oc-cur sometime in November 2006.The Premier's announcement oc-curred following a ProgressiveConservative convention at whichtime the Premier received an ap-proval rating of 55.4 per cent.

To date, the following individu-als have announced their intentionsto seek leadership of the Progres-sive Conservative party: formerMinisters Ed Stelmach (PC, FortSaskatchewan-Vegreville), DaveHancock (PC, Edmonton-Whitemud), Lyle Oberg (Ind,Strathmore-Brooks), and PrivateMember Ted Morton (PC, Foot-

hills-Rocky View). Former Provin-cial Treasurer Jim Dinning, wholeft politics in 1997 and former Cabi-net Minister Mark Norris, who wasdefeated in 2004 have also an-nounced their intentions to run.There is speculation that PrestonManning may announce his candi-dacy.

One candidate, Dr. Oberg, wasremoved from Cabinet and sus-pended from the Progressive Con-servative caucus for six monthsfollowing remarks made to his con-stituency association. Dr. Oberg re-portedly told members of theassociation that he would not beasking them to support PremierKlein at the March 31, 2006 leader-ship review. He now sits as anindependent in the Assembly.

Spring Sitting of theTwenty-Sixth Legislature

On February 22, 2006, LieutenantGovernor Norman L. Kwong deliv-ered the Speech from the Throne.The Speech outlined the Govern-ment's pledge to reduce the inci-dence of cancer and mortality fromcancer by improving cancer preven-tion, screening and research initia-t ives. It also outl ined thegovernment's plans in areas such ashealth, education and the environ-ment. Other highlights include:

• the exploration of new uses forcoal and clean coal technology;

• new legislation to protect chil-dren exposed to drug manufac-turing and trafficking in theirhomes;

• new standards for seniors 'lodges, supportive living andlong-term care facilities;

• changes to legislation to protectpeople from family violence.

During the Spring Sitting, the As-sembly approved supplementaryestimates totalling $1,354,485,000

for 12 departments. This amount in-cluded a $1,000,000,000 payment tothe Alberta Heritage Savings TrustFund. The Assembly also approvedinterim estimates total l ing$6,384,900,000.

At the time of writing, 15 Govern-ment Bills and 1 Private Members'Public Bill had been passed by theAssembly.

Government Bills

Some Bills before the Assembly in-clude:

• Bill 1, Alberta Cancer PreventionLegacy Act, creates and expandscancer screening and detectionprograms; creates a virtual cancerinstitute to coordinate research inthe province; and promotes thecoordination of public, private,provincial, national and interna-tional cancer research and screen-ing programs.

• Bill 4, Daylight Saving TimeAmendment Act, 2006, extendsDaylight Saving Time in Albertain accordance with legislationpassed in the United States, be-ginning with the second Sundayin March and ending the firstSunday in November, commenc-ing in 2007.

• Bill 20, Freedom of Information andProtection of Privacy AmendmentAct, 2006, makes eight amend-ments to the Act including the fol-lowing; l imits access toministerial briefing material forfive years; limits access to recordsrelating to audits of the chief in-ternal auditor of Alberta for 15years; enhances the security ofAlbertans' personal informationby making it less vulnerable tocollection by foreign agencies;and increases penalties for dis-closing personal information toforeign courts. The oppositionhas expressed significant criti-cism regarding the amendmentslimiting access to ministerial in-formation and audit information.

• Bill 24, Fiscal ResponsibilityAmendment Act, 2006, amends theAct to increase the limit of the useof non-renewable resource reve-


nue to $5.3 billion from $4.7 bil-lion for budgetary purposes.

• Bill 26, Mandatory Testing and Dis-closure Act, replaces the BloodSamples Act (a Private Members'Bill in 2004 which has not yet beenproclaimed). The Bill allowsfront-line medical workers, po-lice officers, firefighters, and cor-rectional officers to require ablood sample from an individualwhose bodily fluids they havecome in contact with.

• Bill 28, Local Authorities ElectionAmendment Act, 2006, amends theAct by setting and outlining stan-dards and processes for the elec-tion of municipal councils andschool board trustees. The legis-lation incorporates recommenda-tions from an investigation intovoter fraud regarding the use ofspecial ballots in the 2004 munici-pal election in Calgary.

Private Members' Public Bills

One Private Members' Public Billwas passed by the Assembly:

• Bill 203, Railway (Alberta) (Heri-tage Railway) Amendment Act,2006, sponsored by LeRoy John-son (PC, Wetaskiwin-Camrose),amends the Railway (Alberta) Actby creating a special designationfor heritage railways so that theyare not subject to the same regula-tions as freight and short line rail-ways.

Two Private Members' PublicBills before the Assembly include:

• Bill 208, Protection of FundamentalFreedoms (Marriage) StatutesAmendment Act, 2006, sponsoredby Ted Morton (PC, Foot-hills-Rocky View) would, as in-troduced, amend three statutes toadd provisions concerningsame-sex marriage. The Billwould amend the Human Rights,Citizenship and MulticulturalismAct by not allowing anyone to bedeprived of any benefit or subjectto any sanction for exercisingtheir freedom of speech or of con-science and religion by express-ing or exercising their beliefs

about same-sex marriage; theMarriage Act by allowing clergyand marriage commissioners torefuse to perform marriages be-tween persons of the same sexwhere to do so would violatetheir religious beliefs or moralvalues and not to be liable for anyaction arising from that decision;and the School Act by allowingstudents not to attend and teach-ers not to teach that part of acourse that has in its curriculumthat marriage may be the union ofpersons of the same sex.

• Bill 210, Election (Fixed ElectionDates) Amendment Act, 2006,sponsored by Kevin Taft (Lib,Edmonton-Riverview) amendsthe Election Act by requiring thatan election be held in the provinceof Alberta on the third Monday inNovember every four years, be-ginning in 2008.

A motion that the Chair nowleave the Chair was moved duringCommittee of the Whole consider-ation of Bill 201, Human Tissue Gift(Notification Procedure) AmendmentAct, 2006, introduced by RonLiepert (PC, Calgary-West). TheMember is now the sponsor of aGovernment Bill on the same topic.

Hoist amendments were movedin connection with the followingPrivate Members' Bills:

• Bill 202, Environmental Protectionand Enhancement (Methamphet-amine) Amendment Act, 2006,sponsored by Ivan Stang (PC,West Yellowhead), proposedamendments that would penalizeindividuals who release wastegenerated by the manufacturingof methamphetamine into the en-vironment. The Bill was hoistedduring Second Reading consider-ation after the Minister of Envi-ronment explained that thechanges proposed in the Billcould be done by regulation. An-other reason given for the hoistamendment was that the scope ofthe legislation was limited only tomethamphetamine drugs.

• Bill 204, Parental Consent to Medi-cal Treatment for Minors Act, intro-

duced by Tony Abbott (PC,Drayton Valley-Calmar), pro-posed a requirement for minorsaged 15 and under to obtain writ-ten consent of a parent or guard-ian prior to receiving medicaltreatment. During Second Read-ing debate a hoist amendmentwas agreed to after several Mem-bers raised concerns about mi-nors being denied access tomedical care. Concerns were alsoraised that the legislation was toobroad given that the intent of thesponsor was to address the issueof access to abortions by minors.

• Bill 206, Designation of Child Ac-cess Exchange Centre Act, intro-duced by Alana DeLong (PC,Calgary Bow), proposed the des-ignation of facilities in Alberta ascentres where children can asso-ciate with their parents or guard-ians. These facilities would besubject to the same regulations asday care facilities. A hoist amend-ment was moved after both theMinister of Justice and AttorneyGeneral and the Minister of Chil-dren's Services outlined projectscurrently in place to deal with theproblem the legislation was ad-dressing. Several Members alsooutlined issues that the Bill posesfor rural communities.

Budget 2006

On March 22, 2006, ShirleyMcClellan, Minister of Finance,presented the Budget and the esti-mates for the 2006-07 fiscal year.Revenue for the 2006-07 fiscal yearis estimated to be $32.4 billion andtotal resource revenue is expectedto be $11.35 billion. The Ministerprojected total expenditures of$28.31 billion in 2006-07. Surplusrevenue is estimated to be $4.1 bil-lion. The Budget increases the basebudget for the Department ofHealth and Wellness by 7.7 per centto $10.3 billion which accounts for37 per cent of the Budget. Fundingfor Advanced Education (whichoversees post-secondary educationprograms) will increase by 19 percent to $2.2 billion while program


support for Education will increaseby 6.7 per cent for a total of $5.3 bil-lion. In the 2006-07 fiscal year, Edu-cation expenses account for 26.9 percent of the Budget. Funding for In-frastructure programs will be in-creased by 45 per cent to $13.3billion over the next three years.

Other elements of Budget 2006 in-clude:

• an additional $1 billion to beplaced into the Heritage SavingsTrust Fund in the 2006-07 fiscalyear;

• a reduction in the corporate taxrate from 11.5 per cent to 10 percent;

• funding for 80 new RCMP offi-cers, 25 prosecutors and severaljudges;

• a base operating spending in-crease of 8.3 per cent;

• the assumption that prices will be$50.00 US a barrel for oil and $7.50Cdn per gigajoule for natural gas.

Cabinet Changes

Premier Klein announced changesto the Cabinet on April 5, 2006. Anew Cabinet position of AssociateMinister of Infrastructure andTransportation and Minister Re-sponsible for Capital Planning wascreated, bringing the number ofCabinet Members to 25, includingthe Premier.

Ministers changing portfolios areTy Lund, Minister of Infrastructureand Transportation and Gary Mar ,Minister of International and Inter-governmental Relations.

New Ministers are: DenisHerard, Minister of Advanced Edu-cation; Denis Ducharme, Ministerof Community Development;George VanderBurg, Minister ofGovernment Services; and BarryMcFarland, Associate Minister ofInfrastructure and Transportation,and Minister Responsible for Capi-tal Planning.

Gene Zwozdesky was appointedGovernment House Leader whileMinister of Justice and AttorneyGeneral Ron Stevens and Ministerof Municipal Affairs Rob Rennerwill serve as Deputy GovernmentHouse Leaders.

Other Events

On March 13, 2006, Speaker KenKowalski hosted a ceremony in theLegislature Building Rotunda rec-ognizing Alberta's Francophonecommunity. Les Rendez-vous de laFrancophonie is a celebration of theprovince's French culture and his-tory. Joining Speaker Kowalskiduring the recognition ceremonywere Premier Klein, Premier of Al-berta; Harry Chase, MLA, Cal-gary-Varsity, representing theOfficial Opposition; Raj Pannu,MLA, representing the Third PartyOpposition; Jean Johnson, Presi-dent, Canadian Francophone Asso-ciation of Alberta; and DenisDucharme, MLA, Bonnyville-ColdLake, Chair, Francophone Secretar-iat.

On March 13, 2006, SpeakerKowalski unveiled in the AssemblyAlberta's Westminster chairs whichwere copied from Augustus WelbyPugin's design of the chairs thatcontinue to be in service in the NewPalace of Westminster. Conceivedas a Legislative Assembly Centen-nial project three years ago, threedozen chairs were fabricated bycraftsmen who were employees ofAlberta Infrastructure and Trans-portation. The chairs, all individu-ally numbered and embossed withAlberta's Mace, have been placed inthe lobbies and lounges of theHouse.

On March 13, 2006, the Assemblyapproved a motion to allow formerMember, Ray Speaker, onto thefloor of the House to address the As-sembly to mark the occasion of the100th anniversary of the convening

of the Legislative Assembly of Al-berta on March 15, 1906. On March15, 2006, Speaker Kowalski hostedcurrent and former Members of theLegislative Assembly at a noonhour reception in the LegislatureBuilding. Following the reception, aspecial ceremony was held in theAssembly honouring 100 years ofdemocracy. To mark the occasion,Lieutenant Governor Kwong,Speaker Kowalski, former MemberSpeaker, Premier Klein and Leadersof the Opposition parties spoke ofthe achievements of the Assemblyand the contributions of current andformer Members over the last 100years.

The day was highlighted by agala dinner attended by 475 guestsand hosted by Speaker Kowalski.That evening, over 200 current andformer Members were presentedwith commemorative medallionsfor each term served as an MLAsince 1905. A series of plaques trac-ing the history of the first 25 Legisla-tures as well as the history of theprovince prior to 1905 were also un-veiled at the dinner. Guests werepresented with a coffee table bookhighlighting the Legislature Build-ing. A new Legislative Assembly tieand scarf have also been created tocommemorate the centennial.

Their Excellencies, the RightHonourable Michaëlle Jean, Gov-ernor General of Canada and Mr.Jean-Daniel Lafond visited theLegislature on May 4, 2006. Her Ex-cellency addressed the LegislativeAssembly and guests from theSpeaker's Chair. It was the first timein Alberta's history that a GovernorGeneral took the throne inside theChamber.

Micheline OrydzukClerk of Journals/Table Research


The first session of the 37th Legis-lature was prorogued on Friday,

March 10, 2006. The Lieuten-ant-Governor's address and the de-livery of the Opening Speech by thePremier for the second session tookplace on Tuesday, March 14, 2006.The twenty-five hour debate on thisspeech was interrupted by the Bud-get Speech, on Thursday, March 23,and concluded in time to allow forthe adoption of one quarter of theestimates of expenditure beforeApril 1, 2006. It should be noted thatthe full speeches are available on theInternet site of the National Assem-bly, under the heading “Travauxparlementaires”.

At the second sitting of the newsession, the Government HouseLeader moved a motion to return tothe Order Paper nineteen of thetwenty-six bills that had remainedthere at the end of the first session.

Changes in the Assembly

The Premier of Québec, JeanCharest, carried out a minor Cabi-net shuffle on February 27, 2006.The new Member for Outremont,Raymond Bachand, was given theduties of Minister of Economic De-velopment, Innovation and ExportTrade. His predecessor, ClaudeBéchard, became Minister of Sus-tainable Development, Environ-ment and Parks and DeputyGovernment House Leader, replac-ing the Member for Chomedey,Thomas Mulcair . Final ly,Henri-François Gautrin wasnamed Minister of Government Ser-

vices, replacing the Member forOrford, Pierre Reid.

The Member for Taillon, PaulineMarois, who had been in politics fortwenty years, resigned at the begin-ning of the sitting, on Monday,March 20, 2006. A few days earlier,the Member for Pointe-aux-Trem-bles, Nicole Léger, announced shewould end her term of office on June1, 2006.

On April 10, 2006, a by-electionwas held in the electoral division ofSainte-Marie-Saint-Jacques. MartinLemay, representing the PartiQuébécois, was the candidate re-turned. The composition of the As-sembly now stands as follows:Québec Liberal Party, 73 Members;Parti Québécois, 45 Members; Inde-pendent, six Members, five ofwhom are from the Actiondémocratique du Québec; and onevacant seat.

Interparliamentary Relations

The steering committee of the Net-work of Women Parliamentariansof the Assemblée parlementaire dela Francophonie (APF) met in To-ronto, Ontario, on January 18-19,2006. The committee more particu-larly discussed the implementationof the Convention on the Elimina-tion of All Forms of DiscriminationAgainst Women.

Québec parliamentarians alsotook part in other APF activities: theMeeting of the Committee on Coop-eration and Development(Délémont, Jura, March, 14-16,2006); the Meeting of the Committeeon Education, Communicationsand Cultural Affairs (Antana-narivo, Madagascar, March 21-22,2006); the Meeting of the Confer-ence of the Section Presidents of theAmerica Region (Augusta, Maine,March 21-24, 2006) and the Meetingof the Committee on ParliamentaryAffairs (Ottawa, March 27-29, 2006).

In March 2006, Québec delegatesparticipated in the meetings of theExecutive Committee of the Parlia-mentary Conference of the Ameri-cas (PCOA) and of the ExecutiveCommittee of the Network (Puebla,Mexico).

As part of the delegation for Rela-tions With the United States(DANRÉU), Québec parliamentari-ans took part in three activities dur-ing winter 2006: the meeting of theLegislative Summit of the Commit-tees on Agriculture (Tempe, Ari-zona, January 20-22, 2006), themeeting of the Executive Commit-tee of the National Conference ofState Legislatures (Santa Barbara,California, January 27-28, 2006) andthe mission of the Canada/UnitedStates Committee of the Eastern Re-gional Conference on “The WesternHemisphere Travel Initiative(WHTI)” (Washington, D. C., Janu-ary 31-February 2, 2006).

As part of the delegation for Rela-tions With the French Communityof Belgium/Walloon Region/Bel-gium (DANRB), Québec MNAsparticipated in the 19th Session ofthe Joint Committee of the NationalAssembly/Parliament of the FrenchCommunity of Belgium held inQuébec City from March 28 to April2, 2006. On this meeting's agendawere the comparison of electoralsystems and the school dropoutissue.

Finally, the beginning of 2006was marked by two activities in re-lation to interparliamentary coop-eration: a fact-finding visit of thoseresponsible for documentation ser-vices, libraries and archives of par-liaments and assemblies benefitingfrom the special support of the No-ria programme of the Assembléeparlementaire de la Francophonie(APF), from January 30 to February3, 2006, and, from February 20 to 24,2006, a working visit of the directorsof legislative services of parlia-


ments and assemblies benefitingfrom the generalized support of theNoria programme.

Student Forum, Youth Parliamentand President's Tour

Over 140 participants hailing from27 Québec cegeps took part in theStudent Forum parliamentary sim-ulation in January 2006, at the Par-l iament Building. The bil lsexamined this year focussed on thepromotion of the role of Members,sustainable development and theconservation of natural resources.Cegep students examined thesebills in parliamentary committeebefore proceeding to their final pas-sage following a debate in the Na-tional Assembly Room. Participantswho did not have a Member's seattook on either the role of clerk, pressagent or journalist; one of them waseven given the duty of ser-geant-at-arms.

During the 4th Legislature of theYouth Parliament (composed ofsecondary 3 and 4 students), the ap-prentice Members and young clerksexperienced significant events inparliamentary life at the ParliamentBuilding: the swearing-in of Mem-bers, the debate on the openingspeech of the session and oral ques-tion period. Three bills were dis-cussed: the Act concerning theimprovement of the health of Québec'syouth (passed); the Act concerningcertain measures fostering the reduc-tion of Québec student debt (passed);the Act concerning certain measuresfostering a peaceful climate in elemen-tary and secondary schools (nega-tived). An interesting fact to bementioned is that, in addition tohaving a student play the role of ser-geant-at-arms, for the first time, twoparticipants were given the role ofpage.

Again this year, in mid-February,the President of the National As-sembly began his tour of 14 high

schools in 5 Québec regions(Côte-Nord, Capitale-Nationale,Montérégie, Nord-du-Québec andSaguenay Lac-Saint-Jean). Duringthis tour, the students were able toexchange views with Mr. Bissonneton the themes of democracy andQuébec parliamentary life, thus im-proving their knowledge of the roleof the National Assembly, its his-tory and achievements, as well asthe role of Members and of the Pres-ident.

Rulings from the Chair

On November 23, 2005, the Presi-dent communicated to the Assem-bly a directive relating to the tablingof petitions after having noted thatthe texts submitted, particularlysince the resumption of proceed-ings in the fall, contained a signifi-cant number of words. StandingOrder 63 provides that a petitionshall make “a clear, concise, accu-rate, and temperate statement of thefacts for which the intervention ofthe Assembly is prayed”.

The Chair had never been re-quired, until this day, to interpretthe word “concise” stipulated inthis Standing Order; each petitionerthus interpreted it according to hisunderstanding thereof and peti-tions containing between 500 and1500 words were regularly submit-ted. The tabling of such petitionssubstantially prolongs the periodset aside for Routine Proceedings,which in turn has the effect of delay-ing the proceedings of the Assem-bly and of the committees.

President Bissonnet specified thathe deemed it advisable, for theproper conduct of parliamentaryproceedings, to provide a frame-work for the length of the statementof facts contained in the petitions.Inspired by the consensus reachedby the members of the StandingSubcommittee on ParliamentaryReform, he stated that the statement

of facts and the intervention prayedfor would be restricted to no morethan 250 words. The President fur-ther stated that this directive wouldbe available the following day onthe Internet site of the Assembly,thus ensuring that all persons inter-ested in tabling a petition would beinformed before undertaking theirendeavour.

Therefore, all petitions tabled inthe Assembly since the beginning ofthe 2nd session are subject to the ap-plication of this directive.

Johanne LapointeSecretariat of the National Assembly

Standing Committees

This spring, after having receivedan order of the Assembly, the Com-mittee on Social Affairs held a gen-eral consultation and publichearings on the document entitledGuaranteeing Access: Meeting theChallenges of Equity, Efficiency andQuality concerning the Governmentorientations on health and socialservices.

In keeping with the Govern-ment's desire to improve the healthand social services system's capac-ity to adequately meet the currentand future needs of Quebecers, thisdocument presents avenues of reso-lution to the numerous internal andexternal pressures it faces as well asthe political response to the Chaoullicase, rendered in June 2005 by theSupreme Court of Canada, regard-ing the private sector's place inhealth.

By mid-April 2006, the Commit-tee had received 131 submissionsand had heard 38 individuals andorganizations that came to presenttheir points of view on the solutionsadvocated by the Ministère. Also, inparallel with this open public de-bate, the Committee members hadthe opportunity to examine the re-


sults of an on-line consultation ofcit izens with regard to theMinistère's document. Over 3572 in-dividuals answered the five ques-tions on the proposals to improvethe health and social services sys-tem.

The public hearings will continueafter the examination of the esti-mates of expenditure, in mid-May2006.

Within the framework of its orderof initiative on Québec's religiousheritage, the Committee on Cultureselected two members, BernardBrodeur, the Member for Sheffordand chairman of the Committee,and Nicole Léger, the Member forPointe-aux-Trembles, as well as aCommittee clerk to carry out astudy mission in Belgium andFrance, from February 5 to 10, 2006.

The choice of these two countries,which have characteristics quitesimilar to Québec since they aremostly Francophone and Catholic,was mainly based on their interna-tionally recognized experience inthe conservation and enhancementof the religious heritage.

This mission in Europe enabledthe Québec delegation to broadenthe Committee's reflection with re-spect to this complex issue in thepreparation of the report that will betabled in the Assembly in spring2006.

During this tour, the parliamen-tary delegation held hearings com-plementary to those conductedduring the public hearings held inautumn 2005; developed its under-standing of the various church own-ership characterist ics anddecision-making processes of par-ish councils; compared different re-ligious heritage management andfinancing models; examined theproperty inventory methods and ar-chiving methods used abroad; ob-served certain European initiativeswith regard to religious tourism

and heritage presentation; visitedseveral places of worship recyclingprojects.On February 23, the members of theCommittee on Culture elected Dan-iel Turp, the Member for Mercierand Official Opposition critic forculture and communications, asvice-chairman. Elected by the ma-jority of the members of each parlia-mentary group, Mr. Turp replacesAndré Boulerice, former Memberfor Sainte-Marie-Saint-Jacques,who resigned from politics last au-tumn.

The Committee on Public Financelaunched a general consultation onthe protection of investors in Qué-bec in the mutual funds sector.Close to a dozen experts were heardprior to the consultation, in a delib-erative meeting, to provide someorientation regarding the mandate.

The consultation focuses on fourmajor issues: 1) governance short-comings; 2) problems related to theexchange of information betweenaudit organizations, police servicesand the Autorité des marchés finan-ciers; 3) investor indemnity; 4) thepenalties imposed.

Furthermore, the Committee willexamine the issues surrounding in-vestor education, the role of theAutorité des marchés financiers andexit fees for fund investment with-drawal owing to a change in man-ager.

It is important to note that theCommittee is also holding anon-line consultation from itsInternet site. The Committee hopesto hold its public hearings before thesummer.

Two Members of the Québec Na-tional Assembly took part in theSpring Forum of the National Con-ference of State Legislatures(NCSL), which was held in Wash-ington, D.C., from April 6-8, 2006.

On this occasion, Jean-PierreSoucy, the Member for Portneuf

and member of the Committee onTransportation and the Environ-ment, took part in the meeting of theCommittee on the Environment andNatural Resources of the NCSL.

For her part, Cécile Vermette, theMember for Marie-Victorin, partici-pated in the proceedings of theCommittee on Economic Develop-ment, Trade and Cultural Affairs.Mrs. Vermette delivered an addresson a resolution concerning theWestern Hemisphere Travel Initia-tive of the American Governmentwhich will require all travelers whowish to enter the United States tohave a passport or other accepteddocument. For the occasion, theseMembers were accompanied by acommittee clerk and aninterparliamentary relations advi-sor of the National Assembly.

The Assembly has been an inter-national associated member of theNCSL since 2000 and has been tak-ing part in its activities for severalyears. Established in 1975, this nonpartisan organization brings to-gether representatives from the leg-islative assemblies of the 50 UnitedStates and territories.

On April 11, in compliance withan order of the Assembly, the Com-mittee on Transportation and theEnvironment heard John Harbour,chairman and chief executive offi-cer of the Société de l'assurance au-tomobile du Québec (SAAQ),concerning the proposals for in-creasing insurance contributions.

The head officer of the SAAQ pre-sented his opinion before the parlia-mentarians for more than an hour.Subsequently, two exchange peri-ods totalling two and a half hoursshared equally between the Mem-bers of the parliamentary groupforming the Government and theMembers in opposition enabled theMembers to further question Mr.Harbour on the announced in-creases.


Within the framework of the spe-cial consultations of the order of ini-t iative on highway safety inQuébec, the Committee on Trans-portation and the Environmentheard 23 individuals and organiza-tions on the subject.

A noteworthy fact , MichelDesprés, the Minister of Transport,was heard in compliance withStanding Order 163, which stipu-lates that every committee shallhear any minister who asks to speakto some matter that is before it forconsideration.

Furthermore, over 830 citizensanswered the on-line consultationby filling in the questionnaire on theCommittee's Internet site. The Com-mittee members are currently pre-paring the report that wil leventually be tabled in the Assem-bly.

Martin CardinalSecretariat of CommitteesTranslation: Sylvia Ford

Secretariat of the Assembly

Nunavut

The Third Session of the SecondLegislat ive Assembly of

Nunavut reconvened on February21, 2006. Finance Minister andBaker Lake MLA David Simailakdelivered his first Budget Addresson February 22. The proceedings ofthe House during the Febru-ary-March sitting were dominatedby the Assembly's scrutiny of theGovernment of Nunavut 's

2006-2007 Main Estimates and de-partmental business plans.

During the morning of February27, the Nunavut Leadership Forum,an informal body consisting of allMLAs, met to select a new memberof the Executive Council ofNunavut, to replace PangnirtungMLA Peter Kilabuk, who resignedfrom Cabinet in January. NanulikMLA Patterk Netser andUqqummiut MLA James Arreakwere nominated to serve on Cabi-net. Mr. Netser was chosen in a se-cret ballot election followingremarks from both candidates. Aformal motion to recommend Mr.Netser's appointment was madeduring the afternoon sitting of theHouse.

On March 1, the Legislative As-sembly recommended by way ofmotion the appointment of themembers of the Nunavut ElectoralBoundaries Commission, whichwas established pursuant to theNunavut Elections Act. BeverleyBrowne of Iqaluit, Senior Judge ofthe Nunavut Court of Justice, servesas Presiding Member of the Com-mission. John Ningark ofKugaaruk and BernadetteNiviatsiak of Rankin Inlet alsoserve on the Commission. The Com-mission has a mandate to examineNunavut's current electoral bound-aries and develop recommenda-tions for consideration by theLegislative Assembly. The Com-mission is required to report itsfindings to the Legislative Assem-bly by the fall of this year.

On March 6, Mr. Kilabuk was ap-pointed by the Assembly to serve asDeputy Speaker and Chairperson ofthe Committee of the Whole. Healso sits on two Standing Commit-tees of the Legislative Assembly.

A total of six Bills were passedduring the February-March sitting,including amendments to the Con-flict of Interest Act, the Financial Ad-

ministration Act and the ExemptionsAct. A new Statistics Act and Bills toamend the Liquor Act, the Senior Cit-izens and Disabled Persons PropertyTax Relief Act and the Fire PreventionAct are presently under consider-ation by Standing Committees ofthe Legislative Assembly. Substan-tive amendments to the NunavutElections Act were passed during thefall 2005 sitting.

The Legislative Assembly re-cessed on March 14. On March 15,Premier Paul Okalik announcedthe appointment of Mr. Netser asMinister of Environment and Min-ister responsible for the Workers'Compensation Board.

The Standing CommitteeAjauqtiit held hearings on April 6on the most recent Report of theLanguages Commissioner ofNunavut to the Legislative Assem-bly, which was tabled in the Housein March. Languages Commis-sioner Johnny Kusugak appearedbefore the Standing Committee torespond to Members' questions onhis first report since being ap-pointed to the position. The Lan-guages Commissioner is one of fiveindependent Officers who report tothe Legislative Assembly. The oth-ers are the Integrity Commissioner,the Information and Privacy Com-missioner, the Chief Electoral Offi-cer and the Auditor General. TheStanding Committee is chaired byAkulliq MLA Steve Mapsalak. Theother Members are Co-Chair Mr.Kilabuk, Mr. Arreak, KugluktukMLA Joe Allen Evyagotailak andSanikiluaq MLA Peter Kattuk.

On April 18, Governor GeneralMichaëlle Jean was in attendanceat the swearing-in ceremony forHelen Maksagak, Nunavut's newDeputy Commissioner. Mrs.Maksagak previously served asNunavut's first Commissioner. Theswearing-in ceremony took place inthe Chamber of the Legislative As-


sembly. The Governor General wasin attendance as part of her first offi-cial visit to the territory.

The Standing Committee on Gov-ernment Operations and Account-ability held hearings from April25-27 on the most recent Report ofthe Auditor General of Canada tothe Legislative Assembly, whichwas tabled in the House in Febru-ary. Auditor General Sheila Frasermade her fourth appearance beforea Committee of the Legislative As-sembly. The Standing Committee ischaired by Iqaluit Centre MLAHunter Tootoo. The other Membersare Co-chair and Cambridge BayMLA Keith Peterson, Arviat MLADavid Alagalak, Quttiktuq MLALevi Barnabas and Rankin InletNorth MLA Tagak Curley. A num-ber of senior Government ofNunavut officials, including theDeputy Minister of Finance, ap-peared before the Standing Com-mittee to respond to Members'questions concerning issues raisedin the Auditor General's Report.

On April 22, Speaker JobieNutarak passed away following anaccident while hunting on the landin the vicinity of his home commu-nity of Pond Inlet. A memorial cere-mony for the Speaker was held inthe Chamber of the Legislative As-sembly on April 28. Mr. Barnabasdelivered the eulogy. All Membersand staff of the Legislative Assem-bly have appreciated the expres-sions of condolence that have beenreceived from legislatures acrossCanada and as far away as Green-land.

MLAs are scheduled to conductthe Mid-Term Leadership Reviewof the Executive Council ofNunavut from June 6-8. This reviewwill take place under the auspices ofthe Nunavut Leadership Forum. Asimilar review was held during theFirst Legislative Assembly(1999-2004). The Third Session will

reconvene on June 9 for the springsitting of the House.

Alex BaldwinDirector, Research and

Library Services

British Columbia

As outlined in the Legislative As-sembly of British Columbia's

parliamentary calendar, Membersadjourned the first session of the38th Parliament on November 24,2005. The eight-week fall session in-cluded the conclusion of the debateon estimates, as well as the intro-duction of several pieces of legisla-tion. The second session begansitting on February 14, 2006, and isscheduled to conclude on May 18,2006.

The first session marked a morecooperative working relationshipbetween government and opposi-tion Members. On the final sittingday, both the Government HouseLeader Mike De Jong and Opposi-t ion House Leader MikeFarnsworth commented on the pos-itive tone the new agreement hashad on the workings of business inthe house. Lieutenant GovernorIona Campagnolo congratulatedthe Members of the house for the ex-traordinarily and unprecedentedcourteous manner during the de-bates of the first session and com-mented that the Members had donea remarkable job in bringing a newsense of civility to public life.

Legislation

Bill 14, Electoral Boundaries Commis-sion Amendment Act passed thirdreading on November 15, 2005. TheAct expands the mandate of theElectoral Boundaries Commissionin its work in reconfiguring theprovince's electoral boundaries. Inaddition to making recommenda-tions for redrawing the province'selectoral map for up to an addi-tional six electoral districts (for a to-tal of 85), the Electoral BoundariesCommission is required to con-struct an electoral map for both thecurrent first-past-the-post and pro-posed single transferable vote(STV) electoral systems. The Com-mission is required to make the rec-ommendations for the revisedelectoral maps by February 2008 inorder to ensure that Brit ishColumbians have the informationin advance of a second electoral re-form referendum. The referendum– originally scheduled to coincidewith BC's 2008 municipal elections– will be held at the time of the nextprovincial election in May, 2009.

Bill 16, the Apology Act – whichwas originally introduced as a pri-vate member's bi l l by LorneMayencourt, MLA (VancouverBurrard) will allow for corpora-tions, governments and individualsto offer an apology without fear oflegal liability. This is the first suchlegislation introduced in Canada.

Other bills receiving Royal As-sent include: Bill 6, Northern Devel-opment Initiative Trust AmendmentAct, which provides additionalfunds to the northern communitiesto help fight the pine beetle infesta-tion and diversify their economies;Bills 7 and 8, Southern Interior/NorthIsland-Coast Development InitiativeTrust Acts, which infuses more re-gional funds to create economicgrowth and jobs; Bill 11, WorkersCompensation Amendment Act ,


which recognizes certain cancers asoccupational diseases associatedwith long-term employment as afirefighter under the Workers Com-pensation Act; and Bill 11, the NewRelationship Trust Act – which estab-lishes a not-for-profit corporationand a seven-member board of direc-tors to manage a $100 million fundto support First Nations capacitybuilding.

Parliamentary CommitteeActivities

The Special Committee to Appointan Information and Privacy Com-missioner concluded its delibera-t ions and recommended there-appointment of DavidLoukidelis for a second, six-yearterm as British Columbia's Informa-tion and Privacy Commissioner.

The Special Committee to Ap-point an Ombudsman has com-pleted its work and unanimouslyrecommended that Kim Carter beappointed as British Columbia'snext Ombudsman. She will be tak-ing over for Howard Kushner, whohas completed his six-year term asthe province's Ombudsman.

Parliamentary Committees havealso been assigned to recommendindividuals to fill vacancies for twoother Statutory Officer positions.Currently, a special committee hasbeen established to appoint a MeritCommissioner, while the SelectStanding Committee on Public Ac-counts has been mandated to ap-point an Auditor General.

The Special Committee to Ap-point a Merit Commissioner isunique as it will be creating a newlyestablished Statutory Office for theLegislative Assembly. Although theprevious Merit Commissioner wasappointed through a special com-mittee, it did not hold a StatutoryOfficer title.

For the first time, a member of theOfficial Opposition will both chair

and have a majority of members ona British Columbia parliamentarycommittee. The Special Committeeon Sustainable Aquaculture hasbeen tasked to make conduct a com-prehensive reviews and public con-sultations on the environmentaland economic impacts ofaquaculture on the local and theprovincial economies; review op-tions for sustainable aquaculture tobalance economic goals with envi-ronmental imperatives; and assessBritish Columbia's aquacultureregulatory regime vis-à-vis otherjurisdictions.

The Select Standing Committeeson Health and Education have bothbeen provided with interesting andpertinent topics. The Health Com-mittee has been asked to make rec-ommendations on effectivestrategies to change behaviour andencourage children and youth toadopt healthy lifestyle choices tocurb the rate of child obesity. TheEducation Committee will be find-ing strategies to address the specificchallenge of adult literacy. In addi-tion, the Committee is to specificallyexamine strategies to improve liter-acy rates among aboriginal people,English-as-a-Second-Languageadults, and seniors. Both Commit-tees are to report back to the Houseby November 30, 2006.

On April 24, the ninth selectstanding committee – the SelectStanding Committee on Childrenand Youth – was established. Thecreation of this committee followsrecommendations from an inde-pendent review of B.C.'s child-pro-tection system completed in April.It is also expected that a new inde-pendent children and youth repre-sentative – appointed to oversee thechild- protection system and reportdirectly to the legislature – will alsobe established.

Visits

On March 7, 2006 the GovernorGeneral of Canada Michaëlle Jean'smade her first official visit to BritishColumbia by visiting the Parlia-ment Buildings and addressingMembers of the Legislative Assem-bly. Her speech focussed on the his-torically-strong linkages betweenBritish Columbia and Canada, aswell as highlighted the importantrole multiculturalism plays inbreaking down barriers.

Brant FelkerCommittee Research Analyst

Saskatchewan

The Assembly began its springsession on March 14th and pro-

ceeded to consider a number of spe-cial debates. The first took the formof an emergency debate on the chal-lenges faced by agricultural pro-ducers. Introduced by theAgriculture Minister , MarkWartman, the motion called uponthe federal government to provide afair and equitable formula for the2006 Canadian Agricultural IncomeStabilization program with a disas-ter component and a minimumone-time cash payment of $200 mil-lion to Saskatchewan producers.The amendment moved by the Op-position agriculture critic, BobBjornerud (Melville-Saltcoats), fo-cused on the position taken by theprovincial government by urging it“to take a leadership role in the fu-ture design of Federal and Provin-cial agriculture programs by


attending the national negotiationsas well as [by] properly funding theprovince's share of the programs”.Several members participated in thedebate before it was adjourned to becontinued on a later day.

The following day, a secondemergency debate was held. Thismotion concerned the urgency ofthe nursing shortage in the provinceand was introduced by the Opposi-tion Health critic, Don McMorris(Indian Head - Milestone). TheHealth Minister, Len Taylor, re-sponded with an amendment thatrecognized the challenges in the re-cruitment and retention of healthcare professionals and encourageda united support for the recommen-dations of the “Working Together:Saskatchewan Health's WorkforceAction Plan”. At the hour of normaladjournment, the debate was unre-solved and held over for furtherconsideration on a later date.

On March 16th, the Minister ofLearning, Deb Higgins, introduceda motion to recognize the impor-tance of child care and to express theAssembly's dissatisfaction with thefederal government's announce-ment to withdraw its support forfamilies by canceling the earlylearning and child care agreementswith provinces and to not fulfillcommitments made by the previousfederal government. Ted Merriman(Saskatoon Northwest) then movedto amend the motion by urging thefederal government to continue tofund the current child care agree-ments in addition to implementingits new child care allowance. Thedebate continued throughout theday until the amendment was de-feated on a recorded division. Themotion in its original form was thenagreed to.

Peter Prebble (SaskatoonGreystone) was appointed DeputyChair of Committees on March 16th.Mr. Prebble had previously served

in this capacity from December 1999until March 2001 when he was ap-pointed a legislative secretary forenergy conservation and later en-tered cabinet.

Budget

On April 6th, Finance Minister An-drew Thomson delivered his firstbudget under the title “Building abetter future – Right here”. Fourbroad themes were identified.Firstly, business tax cuts amountingto $95.3 million were to be imple-mented to improve tax competitive-ness, attract and stimulate capitalinvestments and create jobs and op-portunities for youth. Communitiesand farm families were to be as-sisted by increases in revenue shar-ing with municipalities, and byadditional funding for health, cropinsurance, crime prevention andhighway improvements. Incentivesto encourage young people to buildtheir futures in the province in-cluded a freeze on university tuitionincreases until 2008, funding for32,000 university seats and 34,000training spaces, a tax credit for em-ployed trades people and $100 mil-lion for student assistance. Thefourth theme centered on ensuringthat the most vulnerable were notleft behind on the path to opportu-nity by increasing funding for assis-tance rates, the Transit ionalEmployment Allowance and childcare subsidies. $18.2 million wasalso provided to Project Hope to en-hance treatment, detox beds, SecureCare, outreach services and drugprograms.

The response of the official oppo-sition was delivered by its Financecritic, Ken Cheveldayoff, on April7th. Pleased that the governmenthad implemented tax cuts, Mr.Cheveldayoff argued that growth inthe population and job areas wouldnot be achieved unless changeswere made to labour laws and limits

placed on government interventionin the economy. His leader, BradWall, summed up the budget as“Sask Party light” in that his partyhad long advocated for businesstaxes to be reduced but that whatwas needed was the SaskatchewanParty's plans to create jobs and keepyoung people in the province.

During the Budget debate onApril 11th, Acting Speaker, Mr.Prebble, was called upon to nameAllan Kerpan (Carrot River Valley)for his refusal to withdraw unpar-liamentary language. Mr. Kerpanhad opined that the governmenthad lied about its involvement inSPUDCO. SPUDCO was a govern-ment initiative in the potato indus-try which resulted in significantlosses. An internal report found thatthe government's financial risk andthe nature of the private sector in-volvement were not fully disclosedto the public. This was the firstnaming in the Saskatchewan As-sembly since May 1996.

Committee Business

The start of the spring session saw anumber of changes in the chairman-ship of committees. Warren McCall(Regina Elphinstone-Centre) hastaken the helm of the EconomyCommittee while Sandra Morin(Regina Walsh Acres) now headsup the Crown and Central AgenciesCommittee. Judy Junor (SaskatoonEastview) serves as chair of twocommittees – Human Services andmost recently, the Private BillsCommittee. Final ly, JoanneCrofford (Regina Rosemont) hasassumed the deputy chair positionon the Public Accounts Committee.

The Economy Committee, underthe lead of Ron Harper (ReginaNortheast), initiated its review ofregulations on April 28th. The scru-tiny of delegated legislation hadpreviously been the mandate of theSpecial Committee on Regulations.


The restructuring of the committeesystem in 2003-04 resulted in thedissolution of the Regulations Com-mittee and the transferring of its du-ties to the four policy fieldcommittees. An orientation forMembers and staff on the historyand practices of the review of dele-gated legislation in Saskatchewantook place on March 30th.

Margaret (Meta) WoodsClerk Assistant

Senate

The Opening of Parliament is aspecial event steeped in tradi-

tion that is over three centuries oldwith the Governor General, the Sen-ate and the House of Commonscoming together. In keeping thistradition, the formal ceremony toopen the First Session of theThirty-ninth Parliament took placeon April 4. At that time, the Gover-nor General, Michaëlle Jean, readthe Speech from the Throne.

Senator Noël A. Kinsella was ap-pointed Speaker on February 8.Summoned to the Senate in 1990,Senator Kinsella has held numerouspartisan positions, including Whip,Deputy Leader and Leader of theOpposition. A university professor,Senator Kinsella also chaired theNew Brunswick Human RightsCommission and was President ofthe Canadian Human Rights Foun-dation for many years. The Speakerof the Senate is appointed by theGovernor General on the advice ofthe Prime Minister.

Michael Fortier, a Montreal law-yer, was called to the Senate on Feb-

ruary 27 after being appointed Min-ister of Public Works andGovernment Services. The decisionto place a high ranking Governmentminister in the Senate, althoughcontroversial, was not without pre-cedent. Over the years, a numberSenators have served as members ofthe Cabinet. Senator Fortier was for-mally sworn in and took his seat as aMember of the Senate on April 3.

The appointment of the Commit-tee of Selection is a matter that mustbe dealt with promptly at the start ofeach parliamentary session. Its roleis to nominate a Speaker pro temporeand to propose the names of Sena-tors to serve on all standing commit-tees. On April 6, the Senateconfirmed the nomination of Sena-tor Rose-Marie Losier-Cool asSpeaker pro tempore . SenatorLosier-Cool held this position be-fore from 1999 to 2002. A list of Sen-ators nominated by the SelectionCommittee to serve on committeeswas also approved by the Senate thesame day.

Once established and organized,committees are required by theRules of the Senate to report any spe-cial expenses incurred during thepreceding session. Most standingcommittees tabled reports of theseexpenses during the last week inApril. At the same time, the Senatealso approved orders of referencefor some committees. With theirmembership in place and other pre-liminary matters taken care of, thesecommittees are ready to beginwork.

Speaker's Statement

In recent years there have been sev-eral complaints about the use ofwireless electronic devices in theSenate. The point of order raised bySenator Eymard Corbin on April 27was the latest in a series of objec-tions to the use of cell phones andBlackBerries in the Chamber. He

was concerned, in particular, withthe interference to the sound systemwhich interrupts speeches beingmade by Senators. A number of Sen-ators supported his complaint, cit-ing the Rules of the Senate whichclearly ban such electronic instru-ments from the Chamber. Otherssuggested instead that the Senateinstall proper filters to eliminatethis interference. In his preliminarystatement, the Speaker called onSenators to respect the Rules and toturn off these electronic devices.

Milestones

Two highly respected Senators diedbefore the opening of the new Par-liament. Senator Bill Doody ad-vanced the interests ofNewfoundland and Labrador inprovincial politics and later at thefederal level in the Senate. Ap-pointed in 1979, he served as theDeputy Leader of the Governmentfrom 1984 to 1991. Senator Doodydied on December 27, 2005. SenatorShirley Maheu, who ably repre-sented her home province of Que-bec, was summoned to the Senate in1996. In October of 2004 she becameSpeaker pro tempore, a position sheheld until her death on February 1,2006.

The Senate also paid tribute to thelate Ian Sinclair and DuncanJessiman. Mr. Sinclair, who died onApril 7 at the age of 93 years was aSenator from 1983 to 1988. He wasremembered for his service asChairman of the Standing Commit-tee on Banking, Trade and Com-merce. The death of DuncanJessiman occurred on April 19. Ap-pointed to the Senate in 1993, he wasactive on numerous committees un-til his retirement in 1998.

On April 6, the Senate bid fare-well to Senator John Buchanan whoretired on April 22. Senator Bu-chanan, who was premier of NovaScotia for 12 years before his ap-


pointment to the Senate in 1990,held the distinction of being the lon-gest-serving Conservative premierin the history of that province.

Speaker's Parade

On April 6, for the first time, theSpeaker's Parade opening the sit-ting took a new and longer routethrough the Hall of Honour beforeentering the Senate Chamber. TheParade consists of a member of thesecurity staff, the Usher of the BlackRod, the Mace Bearer, the Speaker,two Pages, the Clerk, Deputy Clerkand Reading Clerk. The Parade willtake the longer route every Thurs-day so that visitors to the CentreBlock can see the procession as itpasses down the Hall of Honour.

Mary MussellJournals Branch

House of Commons

Like its predecessor, the 39th Par-liament is a minority Parliament.

The new Conservative Governmentappears confident of its ability, de-spite its slim plurality of 125 of the308 seats in the House of Commons,to form alliances with oppositionparties on an issue-by-issue basis inorder to facilitate the passage of keylegislation. In this, it is strengthenedby widespread public antipathy to apremature end to this Parliament.

Opening of Parliament

On April 3rd, Members of Parlia-ment gathered in the Chamber toelect their Speaker. Presiding for

the second time over such an elec-tion was the Dean of the House, BillBlaikie (Winnipeg-Transcona,NDP). Following a single ballot, thePresiding Member declared PeterMilliken elected as Speaker of theHouse, a clear indication of the con-fidence Mr. Milliken enjoys from allparties in his exercise of this office.

It is worthy of note that no Con-servative Member stood for elec-tion, the number of governmentMPs currently being barely suffi-cient to ensure passage of any mo-tion with the support of any one ofthe opposition parties.

The Speech from the Throne, de-livered on April 4th, was of excep-tional brevity, omitting much of theusual rhetoric, and focusing on thefulfillment of the new Govern-ment's five main election promises.

On April 24th, following the pre-scribed days of debate, the motionin respect of the Address in Reply tothe Speech from the Throne wasadopted by the House without a re-corded division.

On April 4, 2006, Standing Order81 was amended (for 2006 only) tofacilitate the Business of Supply viachanges in tabling dates, etc.; it wasdetermined that 15 allotted dayswere to be designated for the periodending Dec. 8, 2006.

The following day, Standing Or-ders 104(2), 106(2), 108(3)(d), and108(3)(e) were amended, increasingthe number of Standing Commit-tees by four, requiring that the Chairof the Standing Committee on theStatus of Women be a Member ofthe Official Opposition, and modi-fying the mandates of the StandingCommittee on Human Resources,Social Development and the Statusof Persons with Disabilities, and theStanding Committee on Justice andHuman Rights.

On April 28th, pursuant to Stand-ing Order 112, the Speaker ap-

pointed a panel of Chairs of Legisla-tive Committees.

Legislation

On April 11th, the Government in-troduced Bill C-2, An Act providingfor conflict of interest rules, restrictionson election financing and measures re-specting administrative transparency,oversight and accountability, themuch-discussed “AccountabilityAct”, and the first Government Billof this 39th Parliament.

Consequential amendments in-cluded in the Bill would affect liter-ally dozens of federal statutes.Specific measures of the proposedAct include: a ban on corporate, un-ion and large personal political do-nations; a five-year lobbying ban onformer ministers, their aides and se-nior public servants; increased pro-tection for governmentwhistleblowers; increased powersfor the auditor general; extension ofthe Access to Information Act to someCrown corporations, federal foun-dations and agents of Parliament;and the creation of a new Officer ofParliament – the “Procurement Au-ditor", charged with oversight ofthe awarding of government con-tracts.

The Bill was introduced by Trea-sury Board President John Baird,who described it as “the toughest ofits kind in Canadian history.” Sec-ond Reading of the Bill, will be fol-lowed by its referral for study to alegislative committee constituted,pursuant to Standing Order 113(1),by concurrence of the House in theFourth Report of the Standing Com-mittee on Procedure and House Af-fairs on April 28, 2006.

Significant Government legisla-tive initiatives introduced in theHouse during the week beginningMonday April 24th, also included:Bills C-3, An Act respecting interna-tional bridges and tunnels and makinga consequential amendment to another


Act; C-5, An Act respecting the estab-lishment of the Public Health Agency ofCanada and amending certain Acts;and C-7, An Act to amend the NationalDefence Act.

Bill C-3, also known as the Bridgesand Tunnels Act, will give the Gov-ernment exclusive authority over 29bridges and tunnels to the U.S.which are currently controlled by amix of public and private interests.Its aim is to permit thorough andcoherent management of trade andsecurity at important border points.

Bill C-5 provides for the establish-ment of a “Public Health Agency ofCanada” to assist the Minister ofHealth in the exercise of his or herduties in relation to public health.The Bill also provides that the Gov-ernor in Council may make regula-tions respecting the collection andmanagement of public health infor-mation and the protection of confi-dential information, includingpersonal information.

Bill C-7 seeks to respond to theneed for a fair, just and transparentparallel system of justice to meet theunique requirements of the armedforces. The Bill proposes: to clarifythe roles and the responsibilities ofthe Minister of National Defenceand the Judge Advocate General; tostructure the system's investigative,prosecutorial, defence and judicialfunctions; to institute summary trialreform; to eliminate the death pen-alty; and to establish a “CanadianForces Grievance Board” and a“Military Police Complaints Com-mission”.

Other Matters

On Tuesday, April 4th, the Houseadopted a motion respecting mem-bership of the Standing Committeeon Procedure and House Affairs,which is required by the StandingOrders (S.O. 104(1)) to serve as thestriking committee for all Standing

Committees of the House andStanding Joint Committees of theHouse and Senate.

Membership lists must be pre-pared and reported to the Housewithin the first ten sitting days afterthe appointment of the StandingCommittee on Procedure andHouse Affairs. This requirementwas satisfied with the presentationof the First Report of the Committeeto the House on Wednesday, April26, 2006, and the adoption of a mo-tion for concurrence in the reportlater that day. The election of Chairsfor the new Standing Committees iscurrently pending, with numerousmeetings scheduled.

On April 27th, the House con-curred in the Second Report of theStanding Committee on Procedureand House Affairs, recommendingthat the guidelines for access tocommittee meetings by the elec-tronic media, contained in the Nine-teenth Report of the StandingCommittee on Procedure andHouse Affairs, which was pre-sented and adopted by the Houseon May 16, 2001, continue in placeuntil the end of the First Session ofthe 39th Parliament.

Standing Order 87 requires thatthe Order of Precedence for items ofPrivate Members' Business be de-termined on the twentieth sittingday, after a draw to establish theList for the Consideration of PrivateMembers' Business. The aforemen-tioned draw was held on Friday,April 7th, 2006, and the Order ofPrecedence should be determinedon Wednesday, May 17, 2006. OnMonday, May 1, 2006, a take notedebate was held on the subject of theongoing crisis in Darfur (Sudan).

On the evening of April 6th, thethird sitting of the new Parliament,a take note debate was held on “ag-ricultural issues”. A secondtake-note debate, on the subject of“Canada's significant commitment

in Afghanistan”, took place onMonday, April 10, 2006.

By Order of the House, a minuteof silence was observed on Thurs-day, April 27, 2006, in memory offour fallen Canadian soldiers in Af-ghanistan.

Gary SokolykProcedural Clerk

Table Research Branch

Manitoba

On March 6, 2006 the ManitobaLegislature assembled as the

Fourth Session of the Thirty-EighthLegislature resumed. Finance Min-ister Greg Selinger delivered hisspeech on the NDP Government'sseventh budget. The total operatingexpenditure for the 2006-2007 Bud-get was listed as $8.7 billion, an in-crease of 6.8% from 2005-2006. Thegovernment based this year's finan-cial plan on the following four“building blocks”: Growing Green,Growing Smart; Healthy Families,Healthy Communities; Tax Savingsfor Manitoba Families and Busi-ness; and Responsible Approach toGovernment Finances. Specifichighlights from the budget in-cluded:

• More hydroelectric developmentin partnership with Aboriginaland local communities

• New wind-farm projects, attract-ing $2 billion in potential invest-ment

• New environmental enhance-ment loan program for farmers


• New children's physical activitytax credit to parallel federal pro-posal

• $60-million, three-year fundingplan for universities and colleges

• Resources to fight crystal meth,auto theft and gangs

• Reduction in farmland school taxincreased to 60 per cent

• Business tax reductions to reach$146 million annually

• Personal income and property taxcuts to total $472 million annually

• $148 million summary budgetsurplus forecast for 2006-07

• $110 million payment towardsdebt and pension liabilities

In his last budget speech as partyleader, on March 9, 2006 OfficialOpposition Leader Stuart Murraymoved a motion expressingnon-confidence in the government.The motion noted the opposition'sregrets that the budget ignored “thepresent and future needs ofManitobans”, listing a number ofdeficiencies, including:

• failing to be accountable toManitobans for overspendingand fiscal mismanagement;

• failing to be accountable for thedismal state of agriculture inManitoba;

• failing to provide opportunitiesfor Manitoba youth to remain inthe province;

• failing to be accountable for theprovince's unprecedented levelof debt;

• failing to provide adequate fund-ing for post-secondary institu-tions;

• failing to be transparent and ac-countable for health care spend-ing;

• failing to be accountable for theincreased court backlog and pro-bation breaches; and

• failing to provide a long-termstrategy for the revitalization of

rural Manitoba and continuing toignore rural Manitobans.

Jon Gerrard (Independent Lib-eral - River Heights) moved asub-amendment to Mr. Murray'samendment on May 1, 2006. Mr.Gerrard perceived a number ofother shortcomings in the govern-ment's financial plan, including:

• failing to call a public inquiry intothe Crocus Investment Fundscandal;

• failing to take adequate measuresto protect children in the care ofManitoba Child and Family Ser-vices;

• failing to provide an effectivestrategy to deal with child pov-erty; and

• failing to provide Manitobanswith the legal right to timely,quality health care.

On May 9, 2006 Mr. Gerrard'ssub-amendment was defeated ondivision, while Mr. Murray'samendment was defeated on a re-corded vote of yeas 21, nays 34. Themain budget motion carried on a re-corded vote of yeas 34, nays 21.

Budget Debate

While the rules allocate eight sittingdays for debate on the budget, justover two months passed in the Leg-islature this spring between thetime of the Minister's budget speechand the final votes. The official op-position Progressive Conservatives,in cooperation with the two inde-pendent Liberals, orchestrated a se-ries delaying tactics as a means ofholding up the debate. The com-bined opposition launched this ini-tiative after Premier Gary Doer didnot agree to their calls for a publicinquiry into circumstances sur-rounding the failure of the CrocusFund, a labour-driven investmentfund. More than 33,000 Crocus in-

vestors lost millions of dollars in2004-05 when the company stoppedtrading and was forced into receiv-ership following allegations that itmisled shareholders and overval-ued its assets. The fund was the ob-ject of an investigation and reportby the Auditor General of Manitoba(released in May 2005).

The government has stated that apublic inquiry is not needed as theAuditor's report, as well as investi-gations by the Manitoba SecuritiesCommission, addressed the out-standing questions and issues re-garding the Crocus fund.

The opposition maintains that apublic inquiry is necessary to deter-mine the extent of government in-volvement in the collapse of thefund. They further suggest that theAuditor General's report raisesquestions about when the govern-ment became aware of “red flags” atCrocus.

This impasse over the Crocus is-sue led to the delay in the debate onthe budget. In the first few sittingdays of the budget debate, follow-ing (or during) question period theopposition began to interrupt pro-ceedings with a series of challengesto rulings of the Chair. Our rules al-low for almost all decisions of theSpeaker to be appealed to the Housefor a recorded vote. Our rules alsoallow the division bells to ring forup to one hour summoning mem-bers for recorded votes. With this inmind several MLAs, including Offi-cial Opposition House Leader LenDerkach and Kevin Lamoureux(Independent Liberal - Inkster), be-gan to raise many points of orderand matters of privilege. WhenSpeaker George Hickes ruledagainst a point of order or matter ofprivilege, the opposition wouldthen challenge that ruling, request-ing a recorded vote and thus delay-ing house business for an hourwhile the division bells ring. This


process would continue until thehour of adjournment. In this man-ner, debate was delayed on the bud-get for many weeks.

The impasse broke on May 1,2006 when the opposition began de-bating the budget. The House spenta total of 22 sitting days occupiedwith the delaying tactics.

Legislation

The spring legislative package fea-tures a number of high profile Bills,including:

• Bill 11 – The Winter Heating CostControl Act, which prohibits anyfurther increases in natural gasprices for customers of CentraGas during the 2005-06 winterheating season, and allows thegovernment to limit such price in-creases in 2006-07. The Bill alsorequires Manitoba Hydro to es-tablish a stabil ization andaffordable energy fund.

• Bill 21 – The Public Health Act,which replaces the existing Act,includes new and updated mea-sures to deal with health hazards,communicable diseases, epidem-ics and public healthemergencies.

• Bill 22 – The Elections Reform Act,encompassing several compo-nents, this bill includes an exten-sive revision of The Elections Act,written and organized to makethe Act clearer and easier to un-derstand. It deals with all aspectsof elections to elect Members ofthe Legislative Assembly. TheAct proposes a number ofchanges to the electoral systemintending to improve voter turn-out, strengthen the democraticprocess, prevent sitting membersof the assembly from joining an-other caucus, and completely re-move the ability of the legislatureto determine electoral bound-aries. The amendments flow fromchanges recommended by thechief electoral officer.

• Bill 36 – The Youth Drug Stabiliza-tion (Support for Parents) Act is de-signed to help parents deal with

children who have serious drugproblems. They can apply to havethe young person taken to a safeand secure facility for up to sevendays, where his or her conditionwould be assessed and stabilized,and a plan for treating the drugabuse developed.

Progressive ConservativeLeadership Contest

Following the resignation last fall ofMr. Murray as leader of the Progres-sive Conservative party, the race tofind a new leader began in earnest.The Leadership convention tookplace in Winnipeg on April 28 and29, 2006. While speculation flour-ished over the winter regarding po-tential leadership hopefuls, threeofficial candidates emerged in therace.

The newest member of the House(winning a by-election in December2005) Hugh McFadyen (PC - FortWhyte), is a Manitoba native whohas been involved in politics formany years as Chief of Staff to for-mer Premier Gary Filmon and alsoas an advisor to current WinnipegMayor Sam Katz. Mr. McFadyenserved as the critic for Intergovern-mental Affairs and Trade.

Ron Schuler (PC - Springfield),began his political career in 1995 asa school trustee and was firstelected to the Legislative Assemblyin the general election September1999. Re-elected in the June 2003election, Mr. Schuler has served ascritic for Labour & Immigration, En-ergy, Science & Technology, (KyotoAccord), Lotteries & Gaming andthe Public Service Commission.

The only candidate who was notcurrently a sitting MLA, KenWaddell is the former mayor of therural Manitoba town of Neepawa.Mr. Waddell is the publisher andeditor of two weekly communitynewspapers.

After the ballots were counted onApril 29, Mr. McFadyen emerged as

the new leader of the Manitoba Pro-gressive Conservatives, garneringsupport from 66.6% of delegates.Mr. Schuler received 21.4% of thevotes while Mr. Waddell came inthird with 12% of delegate support.

During this leadership process,the party's membership grew toover 13,000 members. The Progres-sive Conservative party's last con-tested leadership race occurred in1983 when Mr. Filmon becameleader.

Summer Recess

According to a sessional orderpassed last year, the House is sched-uled to sit until June 13, 2006.

Rick YarishClerk Assistant /

Clerk of Committees

Ontario

The Ontario Legislative Assem-bly sat for three weeks, from

February 13, 2006, to March 2, 2006before beginning the spring sessionon March 23, 2006.

In the Spring 2006 issue of Cana-dian Parliamentary Review, we re-ported on a number of Bills thatwere before Committees. Some ofthese Bills have since receivedRoyal Assent. Among them:

• Bill 206, An Act to revise the OntarioMunicipal Employees RetirementSystem Act,

• Bill 210, An Act to amend the Childand Family Services Act and makecomplementary amendments to otherActs,


• Bill 27, An Act to amend the Arbitra-tion Act, 1991, the Child and FamilyServices Act and the Family Law Actin connection with family arbitrationand related matters, and to amend theChildren's Law Reform Act in con-nection with the matters to be consid-ered by the court in dealing withapplications for custody and access,

• Bill 21, An Act to enact the EnergyConservation Leadership Act, 2005and to amend the Electricity Act,1998, the Ontario Energy Board Act,1998 and the Conservation Authori-ties Act, and

• Bill 36, An Act to provide for the in-tegration of the local system for thedelivery of health services.

On March 29, 2006, the Govern-ment introduced Bill 85, An Act toAmend the Assessment Act, alsoknown as the More Time to AppealAct. The Bill proposed to extend thedeadline for complaints with re-spect to the 2006 taxation year fromMarch 31, 2006 to June 30, 2006. TheBill received Second and ThirdReading on March 30, 2006 andRoyal Assent on March 31, 2006.

On May 10, 2006, the LegislativeAssembly met outside its regularmeeting times (sitting from 9:00a.m. to 12:00 p.m.) for the purpose ofconsidering three Private Members'Public Bills. All three Bills were de-veloped by Ontario students in-volved in a project initiated by CBCNews called “Making the Grade”.

The Bills involved, and theirsponsors, were:

• Bill 93, An Act to Amend the Educa-tion Act (Frank Klees , OakRidges, on behalf of the studentsof Cardinal Carter Catholic HighSchool, Aurora). This Bill wouldrequire school boards: to ensurethat pupils receive instruction innutrition standards for healthyeating; to establish a committee toadvise on what standards shouldform part of the subject matter ofthe instruction; and, to post acopy of the two publications of

Health Canada in cafeterias theyoperate.

• Bill 95, An Act to Amend the Em-ployment Standards Act, 2000 andthe Occupational Health and SafetyAct with respect to providing infor-mation to student employees aboutemployment rights (AndreaHorwath, Hamilton East, on be-half of the students of St. Ignatiusof Loyola Catholic SecondarySchool, Oakville, Cardinal CarterCatholic High School, Aurora,and Lisgar Collegiate, Ottawa.)This Bill would obligate employ-ers to provide their student em-ployees with information in theform of posters as well as bookletson the Employment Standards Act,2000 and the Occupational Healthand Safety Act.

• Bill 96, An Act to Amend the Educa-tion Act (Kathleen Wynne, DonValley West, on behalf of the stu-dents of Georgetown DistrictHigh School). The Bill would im-pose duties on school boards toensure that every classroom hasseparate recycling containers forpaper, plastic and aluminium andthat every school cafeteria has arecycling facility.

All three Bills received SecondReading and were referred to theStanding Committee on Regula-tions and Private Bills.

Committee Activity

The House originally referred Bill190, Good Government Act, 2006 tothe Standing Committee on SocialPolicy. On April 6, 2006 the Bill wasdischarged from that Committeeand referred to the Standing Com-mittee on the Legislative Assembly.

On April 20, 2006, the StandingCommittee on the Legislative As-sembly conducted public hearingsand clause-by-clause considerationof Bill 190. The Bill is an initiative ofthe Liberal Government intended topromote good government andamends various Acts which are setout in separate schedules. Eachschedule is titled for the ministry

under which the amendments fall.The Bill was reported back to theHouse, as amended, on April 24,2006.

The Standing Committee on theLegislative Assembly continued itsreview of the use of technology inthe Chamber, pursuant to an Orderof Reference received from theSpeaker. The Committee intends topresent its report to the Speaker inthe near future.

The Standing Committee on Gov-ernment Agencies reviewed ap-proximately twenty-one intendedappointees to agencies, board andcommissions in the past threemonths.

According to the Committee'sterms of reference under the Stand-ing Orders, “the Committee is em-powered to review and report to theHouse its observations, opinionsand recommendations on the oper-ation of all agencies, boards andcommissions to which the Lieuten-ant Governor in Council makessome or all of the appointments,and all corporations to which theCrown in right of Ontario is a ma-jority shareholder, such reviews areto be made with a view to reducingpossible redundancy and overlap-ping, improving the accountabilityof agencies, rationalizing the func-tions of the agencies, identifyingthose agencies or parts of agencieswhich could be subject to sunsetprovisions, and revising themandates and roles of agencies”.

After a ten-year hiatus, the Stand-ing Committee on GovernmentAgencies has decided once again toreview the operation of agencies,boards and commissions. The Com-mittee will be selecting the agencies,boards or commissions they wish toreview in the upcoming month.

The Standing Committee on Gen-eral Government considered Bill 53,Stronger City of Toronto for a StrongerOntario Act, 2005. The purpose of


the Bill is to give the City of Torontomore autonomy in the decisionsthat affect the City. The Committeeheld public hearings on the Bill onApril 26, May 1, 3, 8, and 10.Clause-by-clause considerationwas scheduled for May 15 and 17,2006.

The Standing Committee on So-cial Policy considered Bill 78, An Actto amend the Education Act, the On-tario College of Teachers Act, 1996 andcertain other statutes relating to educa-tion. This Bill was introduced to setprovincial education outcomes andset clear goals for improved studentperformance.

The Standing Committee on Jus-tice Policy considered Bill 14, An Actto promote access to justice by amend-ing or repealing various Acts and by en-acting the Legislation Act, 2005. Twodays of public hearings were held inApril, and additional hearings willbe held in September 2006. The Billwould reform the justice of thepeace system and regulateparalegals. It would also amend theCourts of Justice Act and the Limita-tions Act, and create a new act thatwould be a single source for rulesabout Ontario's laws.

The Committee is also consider-ing Bill 56, An Act to amend the Emer-gency Management Act , theEmployment Standards Act, 2000 andthe Workplace Safety and InsuranceAct, 1997. The Bill was introduced toprovide the province with the emer-gency powers needed to act quicklyand effectively in case of anemergency situation.

Following eight days of publichearings during the winter, theChair of the Standing Committee onFinance and Economic Affairs pre-sented the Committee's Report onPre-Budget Consultation 2006 to theHouse on Monday, February 27,2006.

On Thursday, May 4, the FinanceCommittee held public hearings on,

and conducted clause by clauseconsideration of Bill 81, An Act toimplement 2006 Budget measures andto enact, amend or repeal various Acts.All public submissions were di-rected to Schedule H of the Budgetbill, which provides for an exten-sion of municipal election termsfrom the current three years to four.As directed by the time allocationmotion that governed the Commit-tee's consideration of Bill 81, the Billwas reported back to the House onthe following Monday, May 8, andwas reported without amendment.

Other Matters

On January 24, 2006, the IntegrityCommissioner Coulter A. Osborne,tabled his report regardingHarinder Takhar, Minister ofTransportation, and whether or nothe had breached the Members' Integ-rity Act or parliamentary conven-tion. The Commissioner's reportwas in response to a request by JohnTory, MPP, Dufferin-Peel-Wellington-Grey, Leader of the Op-position. The report concluded thatthe Minister had “breached s. 11 ofthe Act, and parliamentary conven-tion associated with the establish-ment of management trusts byallowing” the treasurer of his ridingassociation to continue as histrustee and by failing to disclosethis under the Election Finances Act.The Commissioner recommendedthat “since this is a matter of first im-pression, … it would be unfair tosanction the Minister beyond issu-ing a reprimand under s.34(1)(b).Upon the filing of this Report withthe Speaker, that reprimand will beduly recorded.” The Commissioneralso recommended that the Minis-ter replace his trustee with someonewho is at arm's length with the Min-ister.

The report was debated on Febru-ary 15, 16, and 17, 2006. On March 2,2006, the Legislature adopted the

Report of the IntegrityCommissioner and approved therecommendations containedtherein.

When the federal general electionwas called for January 26, 2006,three members resigned their seatsto run for the House of Commons:John Baird, Nepean-Carleton; JimFlaherty, Whitby-Ajax (both PCs);and NDP Member MarilynChurley, Toronto-Danforth. Mr.Baird and Mr. Flaherty were bothelected as MPs for their respectiveridings.

By-elections to fill the vacancieswere held on March 30, 2006. InNepean-Carleton, Lisa McLeod,PC, was elected to replace Mr.Baird, and Whitby-Ajax electedChristine Elliott , PC. In To-ronto-Danforth, the NDP candi-date, Peter Tabuns, was elected.The new Members took their seatsin the Legislative Assembly onApril 10, 2006.

During the March adjournment,the Legislative Assembly was con-vened earlier than anticipated, re-turning on March 23, 2006 when theGovernment tabled its 2006 Budget.The Budget was debated March 27,28, and April 3, 2006 and adoptedon April 4, 2006.

On April 4, 2006, the Speaker in-formed the House that he had re-ceived a letter of resignation fromJim McCarter, Auditor General ofOntario, effective June 9, 2006. Mr.McCarter was appointed AuditorGeneral December 15, 2004 afterserving as Acting Provincial Audi-tor from September 30, 2003.

Susan SourialCommittee Clerk


Prince Edward Island

The Legislative Assembly openedfor the Third Session of the

Sixty-second General Assembly onNovember 16, 2005. It adjourned tothe call of the Speaker on December15, 2005, after 18 sitting days, andwas recalled on March 30, 2006.

Changes in the House

Veteran MLA, Jim Bagnall, wasjoined by family, friends and col-leagues on March 27, 2006, as he wassworn in as a Cabinet Minister andMember of Executive Council. He as-sumed responsibility for the Depart-ment of Agriculture, Fisheries andAquaculture. Mr. Bagnall had previ-ously served as Government HouseLeader, Chair of Government Cau-cus, Chair of the Legislative ReviewCommittee, and Vice-Chairman ofthe Standing Committee on PublicAccounts. The agriculture, fisheriesand aquaculture portfolio had beenthe responsibility of the Premier fol-lowing the resignation of the formerminister, Kevin MacAdam, in Febru-ary of this year.

Premier Pat Binns also announcedthe appointment of Cletus Dunn(District 26, Alberton-Miminegash)as Government House Leader andChair of Government Caucus.

Olive Crane (PC) was elected inthe by-election of March 20, 2006, forthe district of Morell-Fortune Bay, aseat left vacant by the resignation ofMr. MacAdam on February 17, 2006.

Ms. Crane has been a career civilservant with the provincial govern-ment since 1979 working in the De-

partment of Health and Social Ser-vices, the Office of the AttorneyGeneral, and the Department ofAgriculture, Fisheries andAquaculture. She has been a boardmember on the National Councilof Welfare, as well as the CanadianAssociation of Education. Ms.Crane and her family operate awild blueberry farm in DouglasStation, Prince Edward Island.

Helen MacDonald (District 22,St. Eleanors-Summerside), wasappointed, by motion, to the posi-tion of Acting Deputy Speaker onApril 5, 2006. Deputy SpeakerAndy Mooney (District 1 ,Souris-Elmira) is absent duringthe spring sitting of the LegislativeAssembly due to illness.

Appointments of Chief ElectoralOfficer and Deputy ChiefElectoral Officer

Lowell Croken was appointedChief Electoral Officer for theProvince of Prince Edward Islandby the Lieutenant Governor inCouncil on May 9, 2006. Since1996, Mr. Croken held the positionof Deputy Chief Electoral Officerat Elections P.E.I. and is a careercivil servant. His appointment fillsthe vacancy created by the retire-ment of Merrill Wigginton inApril 2005.

Norma Palmer was appointedDeputy Chief Electoral Officer forthe Province of Prince Edward Is-land by the Lieutenant Governorin Council on May 9, 2006. Since1996, Ms. Palmer held the positionas Elections Officer at ElectionsP.E.I. and is a career civil servant.

Committee Activity

The Special Committee on PrinceEdward Island's Electoral Bound-aries met six times during Marchand April 2006 to conduct consul-tations and receive opinion con-cerning recommendations made

by the PEI Electoral BoundariesCommission in its final report,dated October 5, 2004. In addition,the Committee solicited public in-put on the desirability of establish-ing fixed dates for provincialgeneral elections.

As a result of its deliberations, theCommittee made a number of rec-ommendations to improve the pro-cess of adjusting electoralboundaries, including proposalsfor legislative changes.

The main recommendation of theCommittee was that the area andboundaries of the existing 27 elec-toral districts of the Province ofPrince Edward Island be re-distrib-uted so as to balance, as far as prac-ticable, community concerns asexpressed during the public consul-tations, and that the deviation in ab-solute parity in the number ofelectors in each of the 27 electoraldistricts be limited to plus or minus15% as compared to the electoralquotient (that is, the total number ofelectors in the province divided by27), with the exception of the districtof Evangeline-Miscouche where thedeviation is permitted to be greaterto accommodate the culturaldiversity of that area.

During the public consultations,the Committee received feedbackconcerning the advisability of hold-ing provincial general elections atfixed intervals and on fixed dates.Proponents identified several ad-vantages of a fixed date system in-cluding greater certainty for partiesand their candidates in preparingtheir strategies and campaign poli-cies, economic efficiency of admin-istering predictable elections, andincreased voter confidence in theprocess. The Committee also heardthat the ability to call an election at adate of the government's choosingcould well constitute a significantadvantage for the party in power.Others were opposed to change,


and pointed out that the maximumtime period between general elec-tions is already defined in legisla-tion, and that fixed date electionswould open the door to lengthy andexpensive campaigns.

As a result, the Special Commit-tee on Prince Edward Island's Elec-toral Boundaries recommendedthat a referendum on the question offixed date elections be conducted inconjunction with the next provincialgeneral election.

Other Matters

Speaker Greg Deighan announcedthe launch of a CD-ROM, entitled“Discover the Legislative Assemblyof Prince Edward Island” on April27, 2006. This educational resourceis designed to promote a better un-derstanding and appreciation of thework of the Legislative Assembly.The CD is interactive, allowing theuser to navigate photos, video andtext at his or her own pace. It will beavailable at no cost to schools acrossthe province.

The re-designed website for theLegislative Assembly (www.as-sembly.pe.ca) was also made publicon April 27, 2006. The site receivesmany thousands of hits each month,and is used on a daily basis byMLAs, their administrative and re-search staffs, and members of thepublic. The new look is designed tomake the site more useful andattractive.

Speaker Deighan attended theCommonwealth Parliamentary As-sociation mid-year meeting of theExecutive Committee held Douglas,Isle of Man, from May 3-7, 2006.

Marian JohnstonClerk Assistant and

Clerk of Committees

Nova Scotia

The 2005 Fall sitting of the NovaScotia House of Assembly be-

gan on October 13, 2005, adjournedon November 3, 2005, reconvenedon December 8, 2005 and adjournedon December 8, 2005. Just before theHouse met, several events of politi-cal importance took place includ-ing:

• the announcement by PremierJohn Hamm that he would be re-signing after the ProgressiveConservative Party had chosen anew leader,

• the calling of a leadership con-vention by the Progressive Con-servative party for February 11,2006; and

• the resignation of the formerleader of the Liberal Party,Danny Graham, as member ofthe House of Assembly for Hali-fax Citadel.

As a result, the standings in theHouse, when it started its Fall sit-ting, were as follows: ProgressiveConservatives – 25, New Democrats– 15, Liberals – 11 and Vacant – 1.

Shortly after the House met, Rus-sell MacKinnon, the MLA for CapeBreton West, left the Liberal Caucusto sit as an independent.

Twenty-eight public bills werepassed at the sitting, twenty-four ofwhich were introduced by the Gov-ernment, one of which was intro-

duced by a Government back-bencher and two of which were in-troduced by NDP members.

There were three candidates atthe Progressive Conservative lead-ership convention, namely, Wil-liam Black, former President andChief Executive Officer of MaritimeLife, who is a newcomer to politics,Neil LeBlanc, a former Minister ofFinance, who was not a candidate inthe last election, and Rodney Mac-Donald who was Minister of Tour-ism in the Hamm Government. Theresult of the first ballot was as fol-lows William Black – 742; NeilLeBlanc – 730, Rodney MacDonald789 and there were 3 rejected bal-lots. Mr. LeBlanc was then droppedfrom the ballot, and the results ofthe second ballot were as follows:William Black – 855, Rodney Mac-Donald 1263 and 12 rejected ballots.

The new Government formed byMr. MacDonald was sworn in onFebruary 24, 2006. Since the office ofSpeaker of the House became va-cant as a result of Murray Scott be-ing appointed as Minister of Justiceand Attorney General and the officeof Sergeant-at-Arms was also va-cant, a special sitting of the House tofill these vacancies was held onMarch 3, 2006. Cecil Clarke, MLAfor Cape Breton North and EnergyMinister in the Hamm Government,was elected Speaker and KennethGrantham was named Ser-geant-at-Arms.

Art FordhamAssistant Clerk


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