FRED TILLEY: Mr. Speaker, perhaps the reason the Premier doesn't want to keep his promise on the Privacy Commissioner is that he knows that he'll be held accountable.

In February, Nova Scotia's Information and Privacy Commissioner released two reports. In each, she found the Premier's Office violated Section 7 of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, which requires the office to make every reasonable effort to assist the applicant and to respond without delay to the applicant openly, accurately . . .

BRENDAN MAGUIRE: We're all adults here. We've all had private sector jobs. We've all had careers in our lives. We've all seen things like this happen. I almost guarantee you, when you saw it in the private sector and you weren't involved in it, you were like, oh my God, that is horrific - who does that? But now you're all complacent. When a ball of paint blows up, you're all going to get splattered on. That's what's going to happen. As this progresses, and as the public . . .

BRENDAN MAGUIRE: I think it's shameful, absolutely shameful, that we had historical nominations in this Legislature that made national and international news. That because we had a Speaker of the House who's one of the most respected MLAs - definitely the most respected MLA in Cape Breton from what I hear. Definitely more respected than the member for Sydney-Membertou, that's all I'm saying. (Laughter)

HON. COLTON LEBLANC: Mr. Speaker, I stand on a point of order. During the member's point of order, I believe he referred to my honourable colleague's speech as a terrible speech. I don't think that's parliamentary in any sense of democracy, especially in this Chamber, so I would ask the member: Are you to rule on whether the member has to apologize or not for referring to my honourable colleague's speech as being a terrible speech?

THE SPEAKER: The honourable member for Sydney-Membertou.

MR. BAILLIE: It's clear what's going on here - we have a blatant coverup of a deliberately misleading statement made to a woman in this province, Ms. Coffin, who asked a legitimate question, and that is not acceptable. She deserves the truth, and women's centres deserve the truth so that people will know what really happened.

TIM HOUSTON: I just wish, if this really was what this government determined as the real solution, the most urgent, pressing need in education, that they'd done it properly. They haven't done it properly, and that's gone all the way through their communications efforts to some of their slanderous activities. They take everything as half . . .

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please. We remind the honourable member for Pictou East that inferring the government is undertaking slanderous activities is indeed unparliamentary. I will once again ask him to retract that statement.

HON. JAMIE BAILLIE: To drive the point home, about the way this government runs health care, it's like a company like McDonald's that actually sells their hamburgers at a very high price and then takes the beef out.

I would like to table, for the benefit of the House, an example of what I'm talking about. I'll give this to the Page to table. I do hope that it gets back, I do hope that it gets back . . .

MR. SPEAKER: Before I call on anyone else, I do want to remind the members of this House, and I will remind the honourable member for Pictou East, that the terminology "alternative facts" is unparliamentary. I request that you withdraw that statement.

The honourable member for Pictou East.

MR. TIM HOUSTON: I apologize to the House and withdraw that statement.

[page 3232]

THE SPEAKER: Order, please. The member for Halifax Atlantic, there was a word that I caught a little while ago. I'm going to have to ask you to leave the House because it was unparliamentary language.

HON. BRENDAN MAGUIRE: What did I say that was unparliamentary?

THE SPEAKER: The word was "liar" - "you're lying." (Interruption)

We'll get a ruling on that, and we'll let you know.

...

[page 3250]

ALLAN MACMASTER: Sorry, Mr. Speaker, but I have to stand on a point of order on some language I think was unparliamentary during Question Period.

The Leader of the Official Opposition referred to the Premier in a question, to the suggestion "if he has the courage." Mr. Speaker, I think that is unparliamentary. I ask the member to retract his comment.

THE SPEAKER: After the word was said, I did check the words that were here that are unparliamentary, and "courage' is not one of the words that's unparliamentary.