HANSARD

 

 

NOVA SCOTIA HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY

 

 

COMMITTEE

 

ON

 

HUMAN RESOURCES

 

 

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

 

 

COMMITTEE ROOM 1

 

 

Agency, Board and Commission Appointments

& Agenda Setting

 

 

Printed and Published by Nova Scotia Hansard Reporting Services

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

STANDING COMMITTEE ON HUMAN RESOURCES

 

 

Mr. Mat Whynott (Chairman)

Hon. William Estabrooks

Ms. Becky Kent

Mr. Jim Morton

Mr. Gary Burrill

Hon. Wayne Gaudet

Mr. Zach Churchill

Hon. Christopher d'Entremont

Mr. Allan MacMaster

 

 

[Hon. William Estabrooks was replaced by Hon. Graham Steele.]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Attendance:

 

Ms. Jana Hodgson

Legislative Committee Clerk

 

Mr. Gordon Hebb

Chief Legislative Counsel

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HALIFAX, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012

 

STANDING COMMITTEE ON HUMAN RESOURCES

 

9:00 A.M.

 

CHAIRMAN

 

Mr. Mat Whynott

 

 

MR. CHAIRMAN: Good morning, I'm going to call the meeting to order. Welcome to the Human Resources Committee meeting. We'll begin by introducing ourselves.

 

[The committee members introduced themselves.]

 

MR. CHAIRMAN: Thank you very much, everyone. We will begin by doing our ABC appointments. We'll begin with Mr. Morton and the Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage.

 

MR. JIM MORTON: Mr. Chairman, I move that Malcolm Fraser and Joy Laking be appointed as governors to the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia Board of Governors.

 

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. Morton.

 

MR. MORTON: Mr. Chairman, I move that Margaret M.J. (Margie) Beaton be appointed as a governor to the Gaelic College Foundation Board of Governors.

 

 

1

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. Morton.

 

MR. MORTON: Mr. Chairman, I move that Erin MacPherson be appointed as a member to the Colchester-East Hants Regional Library Board.

 

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. Morton.

 

MR. MORTON: Mr. Chairman, I move that Jane Wood be appointed as a member to the Cumberland Regional Library Board.

 

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. Morton.

 

MR. MORTON: Mr. Chairman, I move that John N. Grant and Sylvia D. Hamilton be appointed as members to the Public Archives Board of Trustees.

 

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

 

The motion is carried.

 

Now we'll move to Ms. Kent, for the Department of Environment, please.

 

MS. BECKY KENT: Mr. Chairman, I move that the following be appointed to the Resource Recovery Fund Board: Joan Massey and Andrew Murphy as members, and Richard G. Ramsay as chair and member.

 

MR. CHAIRMAN: Mr. d'Entremont.

 

HON. CHRISTOPHER D'ENTREMONT: Of course I would have to ask this question, is this the same Joan Massey who was an NDP MLA?

MR. CHAIRMAN: Yes.

 

MR. D'ENTREMONT: Okay, thank you.

 

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

 

The motion is carried.

 

We'll move now to the Department of Labour and Advanced Education, and I'll go to Mr. Burrill, please.

 

MR. GARY BURRILL: Mr. Chairman, for the Department of Labour and Advanced Education, I move that the following be appointed to the Arbitration Advisory Committee: Bruce Archibald as chair; Gordon N. Forsyth, Linda Power, and Larry Wark as non-construction trade union representatives; and Gary R. Rankin, Rebecca Saturley, and Cynthia M. Yazbek as non-construction employer representatives.

 

MR. CHAIRMAN: Mr. d'Entremont.

 

MR. D'ENTREMONT: Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Linda Power, of course, ran for the NDP in 2011 and I believe in 2009, as well; Gordon Forsyth, we have found a donation but we don't know if that's the same guy or not; and of course, Larry Wark being a union leader there. I just underline those issues.

 

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

 

The motion is carried.

 

Mr. Burrill.

 

MR. BURRILL: Mr. Chairman, I move that Gordon Whittaker be appointed as a member to the Board of Governors of the Nova Scotia College of Art & Design.

 

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

 

The motion is carried.

 

Okay, we're going to move now to witness selection and agenda setting.

 

Ms. Kent.

MS. KENT: I move that the following witness list be scheduled for future meetings for the Human Resources Committee: the Department of Labour and Advanced Education, regarding an update from the Nova Scotia School for Adult Learning; the Department of Labour and Advanced Education for an update on Ships Start Here, readiness at NSCC; the Workers' Compensation Board, an update on services; as well as the Department of Labour and Advanced Education, regarding the Apprenticeship Program review.

 

MR. D'ENTREMONT: I'm wondering, out of that list whose is whose? Is it the suggestion of the caucuses or just yours? What is this rundown?

 

MS. KENT: The Department of Labour and Advanced Education, Apprenticeship Program review, was submitted by the Progressive Conservatives; the Workers' Compensation Board was presented on the Liberal caucus list; and the first two were on the NDP caucus list.

 

MR. CHAIRMAN: Mr. Gaudet.

 

HON. WAYNE GAUDET: My question is simply, the Workers' Compensation Board is certainly on our list, but it's certainly not our first priority, so I'm just wondering if we have a say in this matter or if it's basically run by the government members in determining or setting the agenda. I see one of the members on the government benches here indicating that they are in control of the agenda. I'm just seeking some clarification.

 

MR. CHAIRMAN: It is up to the committee to decide the agenda setting. There is a motion on the floor to have that agenda put forward.

 

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

 

The motion is carried.

 

There is another thing on here under Committee Business for our December meeting. As you know, we usually meet the last Tuesday of December, but that puts us in the middle of our Christmas holidays - actually, it falls on Christmas Day. Unless people want to meet on Christmas Day (Interruptions)

 

We don't typically have a witness in December - that has never been the custom, and who knows how long the session is going to go, but I'm just thinking outside the box here - if we have it sooner rather than later, then people don't have to come back into town if they don't need to. I'm thinking if we have it the first week of December - and it's just ABCs so it will probably go quite quick. Depending on some of the other committees' agendas and that sort of thing, I'm wondering if maybe we can say the first week of December and then at our next meeting decide the date. Is that fair?

 

 

We have to give Executive Council time to get the paperwork through, but as long as they know sometime that week, then we'll know by the end of November at our next meeting when and if the House will sort of finish up. Is that fair enough? Okay, so we'll decide the actual date for our meeting in December at the next meeting.

 

Okay, a motion to adjourn - thank you.

 

[The committee adjourned at 9:09 a.m.]