HANSARD

 

NOVA SCOTIA HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY

 

 

 

 

 

 

COMMITTEE

 

ON

 

HUMAN RESOURCES

 

 

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

 

COMMITTEE ROOM 1

 

 

Agency, Board and Commission Appointments

 

 

 

Printed and Published by Nova Scotia Hansard Reporting Services

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

STANDING COMMITTEE ON HUMAN RESOURCES

 

 

Mr. Mat Whynott (Chairman)

Mr. Leonard Preyra

Ms. Becky Kent

Mr. Maurice Smith

Mr. Brian Skabar

Hon. Michel Samson

Ms. Kelly Regan

Hon. Christopher d’Entremont

Mr. Allan MacMaster

 

[Hon. Michel Samson was replaced by Mr. AndrewYounger.]

[Mr. Allan MacMaster was replaced by Mr. Eddie Orrell.]

 

 

 

 

 

In Attendance:

 

Ms. Jana Hodgson

Legislative Committee Clerk

 

Ms. Karen Kinley

Legislative Counsel

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HALIFAX, TUESDAY, JULY 26, 2011

 

STANDING COMMITTEE ON HUMAN RESOURCES

 

9:00 A.M.

 

CHAIRMAN

 

Mr. Mat Whynott

 

 

MR. CHAIRMAN: Good morning. I call this meeting of the Human Resources Committee to order. We will go around the room to introduce all the members. First of all, welcome to Mr. Orrell - I believe you are substituting for Mr. MacMaster.

 

[The committee members introduced themselves.]

 

MR. CHAIRMAN: The only thing on our agenda today is the appointments of agencies, boards and commissions. We will begin with the Department of Economic and Rural Development and Tourism. Mr. Preyra.

 

MR. LEONARD PREYRA: Mr. Chairman, I so move that David Ferns, Edward Towle and Gary Walsh be appointed as directors to Film Nova Scotia.

 

MR. CHAIRMAN: Are there any questions? Mr. Younger.

 

MR. ANDREW YOUNGER: I just had two questions and I’m not sure if anybody can answer this or not. Here we have three males being appointed and there were quite a few female applicants. I know in the past there has been some concern about getting gender balance, especially on Film Nova Scotia and so forth. It doesn’t seem to have been - usually it’s actually a consideration in some of these in the few times I’ve been at this committee and I just wondered, is there anybody here who can address that?

 

MR. MAURICE SMITH: I think there are three females now and two males.

 

1

MR. YOUNGER: It has been three males and I was just wondering, it just struck me - it’s fine. I mean I would also ask because I noticed that the second person - we’re getting, as usual, back into the patronage appointments - Mr. Towle, who is certainly a long-time worker for the NDP in Dartmouth East, which is fine, he’s certainly a qualified person. But it strikes me that - and I’m sure all three are very qualified. In fact, I know Mr. Towle is qualified, but it strikes me that there were a lot of qualified female candidates there as well. I know the NDP have actually raised this issue many times when they were in Opposition; my predecessor raised that very issue.

 

MR. SMITH: I’m just trying to see how many people applied.

 

MR. YOUNGER: I believe there were six women and three men that applied, if I’m not mistaken. We’re just changing around the gender balance of what was there, that’s all. I’m not suggesting that we should be making sure that every committee is 50 per cent men and 50 per cent women - we want to take the best qualified people. But I know that has been a concern, especially with the Film Nova Scotia ones.

 

MR. SMITH: Six men applied and three women applied.

 

MR. YOUNGER: Oh, sorry, I had it backwards but . . .

 

MR. SMITH: Six men applied and three women.

 

MR. YOUNGER: Either way there were still enough that applied to maintain the original gender balance. It’s more a question whether anybody knows what consideration is given to maintaining the gender balance, really.

 

MR. CHAIRMAN: The committee receives the information from the minister and we’re asked to . . .

 

MR. YOUNGER: Rubberstamp them.

 

MR. CHAIRMAN: We’re asked to go through it.

 

MR. YOUNGER: Okay.

 

MR. CHAIRMAN: We have a motion on the floor to accept these. Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

 

The motion is carried.

 

The Department of Health and Wellness. Mr. Smith.

 

MR. SMITH: Mr. Chairman, I so move that Betty Elaine Mattson be appointed as a member to the Annapolis Valley District Health Authority.

 

MR. CHAIRMAN: Is there any discussion? Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

 

The motion is carried.

 

The next one. Mr. Smith.

 

MR. SMITH: Mr. Chairman, I so move that Sonya Corkum and Alan Harvey be appointed as members to the Capital District/Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre/ Nova Scotia Hospital Health Authority.

 

MR. CHAIRMAN: Actually, I’ll ask you to do the one for Cape Breton first. You missed one.

 

MR. SMITH: Mr. Chairman, sorry about that. I so move that Shauna MacLean be appointed as a member to the Cape Breton District Health Authority.

 

MR. CHAIRMAN: Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

 

The motion is carried.

 

Mr. Preyra.

 

MR. PREYRA: Mr. Chairman, I so move that Sonya Corkum and Alan Harvey be appointed as members to the Capital District/Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre/ Nova Scotia Hospital Health Authority.

 

MR. CHAIRMAN: Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

 

The motion is carried.

 

Mr. Skabar.

 

MR. BRIAN SKABAR: Mr. Chairman, I so move that Frank G. Carroll, Brian Connick, Isobel A. Cream, and Catherine Yuill be appointed as members to the Colchester East Hants Health Authority.

 

MR. CHAIRMAN: Is there any discussion? Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

 

The motion is carried.

 

Mr. Skabar.

 

MR. SKABAR: Mr. Chairman, I so move that Mr. John M. Hill be appointed as director to the Cumberland Health Authority.

 

MR. CHAIRMAN: Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

 

The motion is carried.

 

Mr. Smith.

 

MR. SMITH: Mr. Chairman, I so move that G. Murray Hill be appointed as chairman/member and Lynne M. Sheridan be appointed as a member to the Pictou County Health Authority.

 

MR. CHAIRMAN: Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

 

The motion is carried.

 

Mr. Skabar.

 

MR. SKABAR: Mr. Chairman, I so move that Dr. Charles F. Daniels be appointed as a member to the South West Nova District Health Authority.

 

MR. CHAIRMAN: Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

 

The motion is carried.

 

Mr. Skabar, would you do the South Shore District Health Authority as well. You missed that one - it’s the one above it.

 

MR. SKABAR: Mr. Chairman, I so move that Joy Calkin, John L. Murray and Sheila Woodcock be appointed as members to the South Shore District Health Authority.

 

MR. CHAIRMAN: Is there any discussion? Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

 

Mr. Preyra.

 

MR. PREYRA: Mr. Chairman, I so move that the following appointments be made to the Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation: Dr. Jean Gray, chairman/ member, G.R. William Lahey, vice-chairman/member, and W. Carl Breckenridge and Corina Walsh, members.

 

MR. CHAIRMAN: Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

 

The motion is carried.

 

That concludes our committee business, but just one quick thing. At our last committee meeting we discussed Hansard not being sent out to caucus offices so what Jana is going to do is once Hansard is up on the Web site, she’s just going to send a quick e-mail out, just like we get the briefing books on-line now, if you want. She will send an e-mail with a link to the Web site from where you can get the Hansard.

 

Ms. Regan and then Mr. Younger.

 

MS. KELLY REGAN: I just wanted to reflect that I was here. (Laughter) I would actually like to yield the floor to my colleague.

 

MR. YOUNGER: I just had a question and I don’t know if the chairman would be willing to look into this for me or not, but the last appointments to the Shubenacadie Canal Commission were made in September 2008. There have been no appointments by this committee since then. The government is legislatively required to have that committee operate, but it now cannot reach quorum because seven of the nine provincial appointees are vacant over that time - I recognize that falls under Tory time as well, two governments.

 

We called the Executive Council office and traditionally they would tell you how many people had applied. Our understanding is there were about 20 applications that have been sitting there over time, but now they won’t even give a number - I know they can’t give names - of how many people have applied or when they might be coming. The commission is in limbo at the moment and they can’t meet their legislative duties.

 

MR. CHAIRMAN: Mr. Smith.

 

MR. SMITH: Do they not continue to sit until they’re replaced?

MR. YOUNGER: No, their terms actually have expiry dates on them and they had expired.

 

MR. SMITH: But a lot of the ones we’ve just gone through, a lot of them have expiry dates and they continue to sit until they’re replaced.

 

MR. YOUNGER: In the case of the commission they don’t. And this has been . . .

 

MR. CHAIRMAN: I’ll look into it - I have no problem looking into it.

 

MR. YOUNGER: Okay, I’d appreciate that. Thank you.

 

MR. CHAIRMAN: Is there anything else?

 

Thank you very much. Have a great rest of the summer.

 

The meeting is adjourned.

 

[The committee adjourned at 9:10 a.m.]