MR. SPEAKER: Order, please. I will call the House to order at this time. We will commence with the daily routine.
PRESENTING AND READING PETITIONS
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Halifax Atlantic.
MR. ROBERT CHISHOLM: Mr. Speaker, I have a petition that was presented to me yesterday. It has 107 signatures from nurses from the Halifax Infirmary. It represents signatures that were collected during the 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. shift at the Infirmary. It raises concerns with the proposed amendments to Bill No. 122, the Workers' Compensation Act, and I have affixed my signature to the same.
MR. SPEAKER: The petition is tabled.
The honourable Minister of Health.
HON. RONALD STEWART: Mr. Speaker, I beg leave to table a petition, to which I have affixed my signature, from 48 medical students at Dalhousie University concerning the imposition of a smoking ban on all public places in Nova Scotia.
MR. SPEAKER: The petition is tabled.
PRESENTING REPORTS OF COMMITTEES
TABLING REPORTS, REGULATIONS AND OTHER PAPERS
STATEMENTS BY MINISTERS
GOVERNMENT NOTICES OF MOTION
INTRODUCTION OF BILLS
NOTICES OF MOTION
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Hants West.
MR. RONALD RUSSELL: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas considerable concern exists among Dartmouth City councillors over plans for a proposed new water treatment plant in that city; and
Whereas Dartmouth City Council is considering going it alone and building a new treatment plant but is unclear as to what would happen to it upon the formation of a new regional government in metro; and
Whereas if a decision is made to proceed with constructing a new water treatment plant, a consultant has said that assurances would have to be given to ensure a new regional government will not block the deal;
Therefore be it resolved that the member for Dartmouth North and also this province's Minister of Municipal Affairs undertake to clear up this confusion surrounding metro amalgamation so that residents in the City of Lakes, including her own constituents of Dartmouth North, can look forward to safe drinking water on a continued basis in the not too distant future.
MR. SPEAKER: The notice is tabled.
The honourable member for Halifax Atlantic.
MR. ROBERT CHISHOLM: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas the Kentville Advertiser asked its readers to phone in their view on the Liberal Government's plan to introduce casino gambling; and
Whereas the newspaper summarized the response as, "No, no and no again!", reporting 99.9 per cent against establishing casinos in Nova Scotia, with, ". . . phones rang constantly throughout last week."; and
Whereas the Advertiser summarized this as, ". . . a powerful comment from this region.", and asked, "Is the Provincial Government listening?";
Therefore be it resolved that the Environment Minister and other Liberals should find enough courage to represent their constituents on this issue, recognizing that if they do so, only a small rump of casino Liberals may remain. (Interruptions)
MR. SPEAKER: The notice is tabled.
The honourable member for Halifax Fairview.
MS. ALEXA MCDONOUGH: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas on June 9, 1994, the Premier told the Committee on Supply that lists of appointees to boards and commissions are, ". . . regularly returned to Cabinet members because they don't contain 50 per cent women."; and
Whereas somehow this vigilant Cabinet forgot to send the name of loyal Liberal Don Valardo back to the Municipal Affairs Minister, although his appointment reduced the proportion of women on the Municipal Finance Corporation board to one out of seven; and
Whereas affirmative action only seems to work in favour of well-connected Liberals, never against them, or else the 50 per cent rule was then, and this is now;
Therefore be it resolved that the Premier should carry out the self-congratulatory commitment he made seven and one-half months ago, and send back non-equitable appointment lists.
MR. SPEAKER: The notice is tabled.
The honourable member for Kings North.
MR. GEORGE ARCHIBALD: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas the audiences continue to grow at Liberal constitutional review commission meetings, with the largest audience to date turning out in Kentville (Interruptions) Wednesday evening to express their views on the Premier and leadership of the Liberal Party; and
Whereas the majority of the 163 Liberals, despite what members of the government caucus want done, supported a July review of the Premier's leadership; and
Whereas when asked what the chances were of the government being re-elected with John Savage as Premier, one Liberal Party member answered, two - slim and none;
Therefore be it resolved the Premier begin to understand if he does not already, as most Nova Scotians know, that with Liberals as friends, you don't need enemies.
MR. SPEAKER: The notice is tabled.
The honourable Leader of the Opposition.
MR. TERENCE DONAHOE: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas New Brunswick Premier Frank McKenna has solicited yet another 75 jobs to New Brunswick, this time all the way from Phoenix, Arizona, bringing the New Brunswick Premier's job creation total to 1,000 in the first two weeks of 1995; and
Whereas a recent media report described the New Brunswick Premier as having developed a powerful customer-oriented marketing and sales approach, highlighted by a pro-business attitude; and
Whereas the best Nova Scotia's Minister for the Economic Renewal Agency has been able to do since taking office in June 1993, is drive approximately 500 high-tech Royal Bank jobs away from Nova Scotia while creating a limited amount of winter jobs in selected areas of Nova Scotia starving for work;
Therefore be it resolved that the Premier and his Minister for the Economic Renewal Agency bring forth a master plan for employment and begin competing with their New Brunswick counterpart instead of constantly being left behind in a cloud of dust.
MR. SPEAKER: The notice is tabled.
The honourable member for Halifax Atlantic.
MR. ROBERT CHISHOLM: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas the Municipal Affairs . . .
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please. There is too much catcalling, I want to hear the honourable member for Halifax Atlantic.
MR. CHISHOLM: Whereas the Municipal Affairs Minister has ordered that no severance be paid to long-time Glace Bay employees, protesting that, "this is taxpayers' money"; and
Whereas she went further, writing, "that a public perception of fraud or corruption could readily arise should surely never have been ignored"; and
Whereas the minister has never expressed such concerns about her own actions during the past year, nor about the millions of dollars in severance payments to Lucy Dobbin, Neale Bennet and many others;
Therefore be it resolved that this government should be just as strict, upright and careful with taxpayers' dollars as it demands that municipalities be.
MR. SPEAKER: The notice is tabled.
AN HON. MEMBER: Was that for or against the guys in Glace Bay?
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Pictou Centre.
DR. JOHN HAMM: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas the recent review into the Lunenburg Family and Children's Services Agency recommended the case load of social workers across Nova Scotia be reduced, so there will be a far less chance of anything such as the situation in Lunenburg ever happening again; and
Whereas the stress level among Nova Scotia's social workers is considered high when they have an average case load of 20 or more; and
Whereas based on September 1994 statistics released in early November by the Department of Community Services, the average case load for Colchester County social workers involved with child protective services was 29.2;
Therefore be it resolved that the Minister of Community Services not allow the present situation to become any more stressful and despite budgetary restraints begin working towards a reduced and not an increased case load for Nova Scotia's social workers.
MR. SPEAKER: The notice is tabled.
The honourable Leader of the Opposition.
MR. TERENCE DONAHOE: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas the Liberals focused on job creation during the 1993 election campaign saying, "We have the plan to put 63,000 Nova Scotians back to work"; and
Whereas the most startling revelations coming forth from members of the Legislature for Cape Breton are comments such as, "the obvious cause of unemployment is that people have no jobs", which can be read in the Cape Breton Post edition of January 13th; and
Whereas Nova Scotia's Minister of Finance less than two years after saying his government had the plan to put 63,000 Nova Scotians to work is quoted in the Cape Breton Post on January 9th as saying, "unemployment in Cape Breton is a serious problem and unfortunately, it is a very, very difficult problem to deal with";
Therefore be it resolved that members of the Legislature for Cape Breton revisit the pledges they made during the 1993 election campaign and come up with creative long-term employment projects for the people they represent.
MR. SPEAKER: The notice is tabled.
The honourable member for Halifax Fairview.
MS. ALEXA MCDONOUGH: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas the Premier has, with the help of his $300,000 a year staff trio, told Nova Scotians that in Davos, Switzerland, he will, "be able to establish personal contact with some of the world's foremost business leaders"; and
Whereas the Prime Minister of Canada and the Chinese Government are still recovering from "personal contact" with the Premier, on the human rights issue in Beijing last fall; and
Whereas the Nova Scotia Liberal Party is today reaping the harvest planted by the Premier's first-hand "personal contact" with grass roots Liberals throughout the summer of 1994;
[8:15 p.m.]
Therefore be it resolved that the Premier should spare Nova Scotians from the usual effects of his personal contact with others and avoid issuing news releases about his personal contact with such foremost business leaders as Dr. Louis Berger, founder of the Berger Group.
MR. SPEAKER: The notice is tabled.
That brings the daily routine to a conclusion, unless there is additional business to be introduced under that heading. If not, we will advance to Orders of the Day.
ORDERS OF THE DAY
GOVERNMENT BUSINESS
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Government House Leader.
HON. RICHARD MANN: Mr. Speaker, I would move that you do now leave the Chair and the House resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole House on Bills.
MR. SPEAKER: The motion is carried.
[8:16 a.m. The House resolved itself into a CWH on Bills with Deputy Speaker Mr. Gerald O'Malley in the Chair.]
[4:00 p.m. CWH on Bills rose and the House reconvened with Deputy Speaker Mr. Gerald O'Malley in the Chair.]
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please. The Chairman of the Committee of the Whole House on Bills reports:
THE CLERK: That the committee has met and begs leave to sit again.
MR. SPEAKER: Is it agreed?
It is agreed.
The honourable Government House Leader.
HON. RICHARD MANN: Mr. Speaker, on Monday we will be sitting from the hours of 2:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m. The order of business following the daily routine will be Committee of the Whole House on Bills and Bill No. 122.
I move that we adjourn until 2:00 p.m. on Monday.
MS. ALEXA MCDONOUGH: Mr. Speaker, on a point of privilege. I have had three separate approaches in the last couple of days from people who were complaining of having phoned in an attempt to reach their MLA here at the House and being told that messages would not be taken for their MLA because there is a concerted labour campaign underway to tie up the phones at the Legislature.
Mr. Speaker, I have to say that I have certainly satisfied myself as has my colleague, the member for Halifax Atlantic that those are not the instructions that have been given to staff and that staff, to the best of anyone's ability, have not been, in fact, giving that misinformation out. But there have been three separate people who have been treated in that manner on the other end of the phone.
For the record, I would raise that point of privilege, because I think it is an important privilege of members of this House to be accessible to their constituents and an important privilege of constituents in a democracy to have access to their members.
I would ask for the assurance from you, Mr. Speaker, that any such impediment to that kind of access between members and their constituents is, in fact, removed.
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Government House Leader.
HON. RICHARD MANN: Mr. Speaker, I am certainly not aware of any members who are having any difficulty getting messages. I know our messages are coming through from our constituents. I would say that if there are very detailed messages to be given, that perhaps they would be better given to our constituency offices or to our departmental offices, so our secretaries could take down those messages or they could simply leave a message that we return the phone call. But attempting, I believe, to leave a very detailed message with the messengers at the House may, in fact, be creating a problem, if that is what it is. I can assure the member that we are having no difficulty getting our messages from constituents. I would advise anyone if the messages are to be detailed, perhaps leave them with our secretaries who would be able to give them to us.
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Halifax Atlantic.
MR. ROBERT CHISHOLM: If I may on that point of privilege. I think it is important to note, and I just want to clarify, Mr. Speaker, that the point that has been raised by my colleague, the member for Halifax Fairview has been done because that matter has been brought to our attention. Whether in fact some members have not been made aware of it, that is neither here nor there. The fact is that it was brought to our attention. We were concerned about it and my colleague, the member for Halifax Fairview brought that point of privilege to your attention for your consideration.
MR. SPEAKER: The Chair can assure all members of the House that the Chair has absolutely no knowledge or any earlier information concerning this whole matter. The matter has now been brought to the Chair's attention. The Chair will look into the matter and assure that if there is any impediment on the privileges of any member of this House, the Chair will ensure that they are removed.
With that, the motion for adjournment has been made and carried.
The House will now rise to sit again at the hour of 2:00 p.m. on Monday.
[The House rose at 4:04 p.m.]
