Published by Order of the Legislature by Hansard Reporting Services and printed by the Queen's Printer.
Available on INTERNET at http://nslegislature.ca/legislative-business/hansard-debates/
| TABLE OF CONTENTS | PAGE | |||||||||
| PRESENTING AND READING PETITIONS: | ||||||||||
| TPW - Medway River Rd.: Pavement - Repair, Ms. V. Conrad | 4688 | |||||||||
| TABLING REPORTS, REGULATIONS AND OTHER PAPERS: | ||||||||||
| Anl. Rept. of the Superintendent of Pensions (Mar. 31/06), | ||||||||||
| Hon. M. Parent | 4688 | |||||||||
| Anl. Rept. of the Workers' Compensation Board of | ||||||||||
| Nova Scotia (2006), Hon. M. Parent | 4688^ | |||||||||
| GOVERNMENT NOTICES OF MOTION: | ||||||||||
| Res. 2923, Yom haShoah: Significance - Recognize, The Premier | 4689 | |||||||||
| Vote - Affirmative | 4690 | |||||||||
| Res. 2924, Pearl Sea Cruises - Hfx.: Home Port - Announcement, | ||||||||||
| Hon. L. Goucher | 4690 | |||||||||
| Vote - Affirmative | 4691 | |||||||||
| Res. 2925, Credit Union Sm. Bus. Financing Loan Guarantee Prog.: | ||||||||||
| Success - Applaud, Hon. R. Hurlburt | 4691 | |||||||||
| Vote - Affirmative | 4691 | |||||||||
| Res. 2926, Com. Serv.: Foster Families - Commend, | ||||||||||
| Hon. J. Streatch (by Hon. C. d'Entremont) | 4691 | |||||||||
| Vote - Affirmative | 4692 | |||||||||
| Res. 2927, East. N.S. Holstein Club - Anniv. (30th), | ||||||||||
| Hon. R. Chisholm | 4692 | |||||||||
| Vote - Affirmative | 4693 | |||||||||
| INTRODUCTION OF BILLS: | ||||||||||
| No. 192, Companies Act, Hon. J. Muir | 4693 | |||||||||
| No. 193, Municipal Government Act, Ms. M. Raymond | 4694 | |||||||||
| No. 194, Motor Vehicle Act, Mr. W. Gaudet | 4694 | |||||||||
| No. 195, Incompetent Persons Act, Hon. M. Scott | 4694 | |||||||||
| No. 196, Apprenticeship Program, Ms. D. Whalen | 4694 | |||||||||
| No. 197, Justices of the Peace Act, Hon. M. Scott | 4694 | |||||||||
| NOTICES OF MOTION: | ||||||||||
| Res. 2928, Cdn. Soldiers: Death of (Afghanistan 04/11/07) - | ||||||||||
| Tribute, Mr. D. Dexter | 4694 | |||||||||
| Vote - Affirmative | 4695 | |||||||||
| Res. 2929, Stewart, MCpl. Allan/Pentland, Tpr. Patrick James: | ||||||||||
| Death of - Tribute, Mr. M. Samson | 4695 | |||||||||
| Vote - Affirmative | 4696 | |||||||||
| Res. 2930, Pictou Ctr. MLA - NSSAF: Recognition - Congrats., | ||||||||||
| The Premier | 4696 | |||||||||
| Vote - Affirmative | 4696 | |||||||||
| Res. 2931, Cameron, Lockland MacLean: Death of - Tribute, | ||||||||||
| Mr. D. Dexter | 4697 | |||||||||
| Vote - Affirmative | 4697 | |||||||||
| Res. 2932, Nat'l. Victims of Crime Awareness Wk. (04/22-04/28/07) - | ||||||||||
| Recognize, Mr. M. Samson | 4697 | |||||||||
| Vote - Affirmative | 4698 | |||||||||
| Res. 2933, Hamlin, Marilyn & Wayne: Vol. Efforts - Recognize, | ||||||||||
| Hon. D. Morse | 4698 | |||||||||
| Vote - Affirmative | 4699 | |||||||||
| Res. 2934, E. Hants Pharmasave Penguins - Players/Coaches: | ||||||||||
| Championships - Congrats., Mr. J. MacDonell | 4699 | |||||||||
| Vote - Affirmative | 4699 | |||||||||
| Res. 2935, Savoy Theatre/Mgr: Continued Success - Wish, | ||||||||||
| Mr. David Wilson (Glace Bay) | 4700 | |||||||||
| Vote - Affirmative | 4700 | |||||||||
| Res. 2936, MacDonald, Theresa (Lauchie): Commun. Contribution - | ||||||||||
| Recognize, Hon. R. Chisholm | 4700 | |||||||||
| Vote - Affirmative | 4701 | |||||||||
| Res. 2937, Cusak, Edward - Reserve Mines FD: Serv. (65 yrs.) - | ||||||||||
| Congrats., Mr. F. Corbett | 4701 | |||||||||
| Vote - Affirmative | 4702 | |||||||||
| Vote - Affirmative | ||||||||||
| Res. 2938, Nickerson, Evan: Black Belt (1st Deg.) - Congrats., | ||||||||||
| Mr. L. Glavine | 4702 | |||||||||
| Vote - Affirmative | 4703 | |||||||||
| Res. 2939, Brown, Matthew: Outstanding Male Athlete Award, | ||||||||||
| Hon. K. Casey | 4703 | |||||||||
| Vote - Affirmative | 4704 | |||||||||
| Res. 2940, Home Grown Organic Foods: Continued Success - | ||||||||||
| Wish, Ms. J. Massey | 4704 | |||||||||
| Vote - Affirmative | 4705 | |||||||||
| Res. 2941, Daniels, Lillian/Barton Elem. Sch. - Cdn. Armed Forces: | ||||||||||
| Encouragement - Congrats., Mr. H. Theriault | 4705 | |||||||||
| Vote - Affirmative | 4705 | |||||||||
| Res. 2942, Col. Co. Sport Hall of Fame - Opening: Truro Sport | ||||||||||
| Heritage Soc. - Congrats., Hon. J. Muir | 4705 | |||||||||
| Vote - Affirmative | 4706 | |||||||||
| Res. 2943, Maxner, Grace - Aberdeen Hosp.: Donation - Congrats., | ||||||||||
| Mr. C. Parker | 4706 | |||||||||
| Vote - Affirmative | 4707 | |||||||||
| Res. 2944, Salsman, Murray: Vol. Contributions - Congrats., | ||||||||||
| Hon. D. Morse | 4707 | |||||||||
| Vote - Affirmative | 4708 | |||||||||
| Res. 2945, Breland, Eric: Athletic Achievement - Congrats., | ||||||||||
| Mr. G. Gosse | 4708 | |||||||||
| Vote - Affirmative | 4708 | |||||||||
| Res. 2946, Gibson, Rev. Bill - N.S. Vol. Awards: Recognition - | ||||||||||
| Congrats., Mr. C. Porter | 4708 | |||||||||
| Vote - Affirmative | 4708 | |||||||||
| Res. 2947, N.S. Cultural Action Network: Policies - Development, | ||||||||||
| Mr. L. Preyra | 4709 | |||||||||
| Res. 2948, Juurlink Fam.: Rest. Serv. - Congrats., Mr. P. Dunn | 4710 | |||||||||
| Vote - Affirmative | 4711 | |||||||||
| Res. 2949, Price, Jessica: Princess Hantsport - Success Wish, | ||||||||||
| Mr. C. Porter | 4711 | |||||||||
| Vote - Affirmative | 4712 | |||||||||
| Res. 2950, Environ. & Lbr.: Workstation Seating - Ensure, | ||||||||||
| Ms. M. Raymond | 4712 | |||||||||
| Res. 2951, Porter, Lucas: Musical Talent - Recognize, | ||||||||||
| Hon. M. Parent | 4713 | |||||||||
| Vote - Affirmative | 4714 | |||||||||
| Vote - Affirmative | ||||||||||
| Res. 2952, Smith, Katelyn/Crouse, Leslie: Vol. Efforts - Congrats., | ||||||||||
| Ms. V. Conrad | 4714 | |||||||||
| Vote - Affirmative | 4714 | |||||||||
| Res. 2953, Stewart, MCpl. Allan/Pentland, Tpr. Patrick James: | ||||||||||
| Death of - Tribute, Hon. M. Scott | 4714 | |||||||||
| Vote - Affirmative | 4715 | |||||||||
| Res. 2954, Rawdon Gold Mines Golden Youth Group - | ||||||||||
| Anniv. (25th), Mr. J. MacDonell | 4715 | |||||||||
| Vote - Affirmative | 4716 | |||||||||
| Res. 2955, Blake, Paul: Athletic Achievement - Congrats., | ||||||||||
| Mr. G. Gosse | 4716 | |||||||||
| Vote - Affirmative | 4717^^^ | |||||||||
| ORAL QUESTIONS PUT BY MEMBERS: | ||||||||||
| No. 532, Health: Private Home Care - Costs, Mr. D. Dexter | 4718 | |||||||||
| No. 533, Educ.: Student Assessment (Gr. 12) - Results, | ||||||||||
| Mr. L. Glavine | 4719 | |||||||||
| No. 534, Justice: Correctional Facilities - Overcrowding, | ||||||||||
| Mr. D. Dexter | 4721 | |||||||||
| No. 535, TCH: RV Camping - Rules, Ms. J. Massey | 4722 | |||||||||
| No. 536, Health: DHAs - Overtime Costs, | ||||||||||
| Mr. David Wilson (Glace Bay) | 4724 | |||||||||
| No. 537, Health: RCFs/CBOs - RFP Process, Mr. F. Corbett | 4725 | |||||||||
| No. 538, Simpson Hall: Closure - Arrangements, | ||||||||||
| Ms. M. More | 4726 | |||||||||
| No. 539, Econ. Dev.: Federal Gypsum Co. - Plans, | ||||||||||
| Mr. M. Samson | 4728 | |||||||||
| No. 540, Health Prom. & Protection: Beach Supervision - Dates, | ||||||||||
| Ms. V. Conrad | 4730 | |||||||||
| No. 541, Com. Serv. - C.B. Housing Auth.: Vacancies - Details, | ||||||||||
| Mr. Manning MacDonald | 4731 | |||||||||
| No. 542, Com. Serv. - Child Care: Provision - Time Frame, | ||||||||||
| Mr. L. Preyra | 4733 | |||||||||
| No. 543, Econ. Dev.: CAP Prog. - Funding, Mr. C. Parker | 4734 | |||||||||
| No. 544, Nat. Res.: Long-Term Forest Strategy - Vol. Task | ||||||||||
| Force, Mr. L. Glavine | 4735 | |||||||||
| No. 545, Econ. Dev.: Sweatshop Procurement - Policy, | ||||||||||
| Mr. H. Epstein | 4737 | |||||||||
| GOVERNMENT BUSINESS: | ||||||||||
| GOVERNMENT MOTIONS: | ||||||||||
| HOUSE RESOLVED INTO CWH ON SUPPLY AT 12:07 p.m. | 4741 | |||||||||
| HOUSE RECONVENED AT 1:47 p.m. | 4741 | |||||||||
| PUBLIC BILLS FOR SECOND READING: | ||||||||||
| Bill No. 189, Utility and Review Board Act | 4742 | |||||||||
| Hon. M. Baker | 4742 | |||||||||
| Ms. Maureen MacDonald | 4742 | |||||||||
| Hon. M. Baker | 4742 | |||||||||
| Vote - Affirmative | 4742 | |||||||||
| Bill No. 195, Incompetent Persons Act | 4743 | |||||||||
| Hon. M. Baker | 4743 | |||||||||
| Mr. M. Samson | 4743 | |||||||||
| Hon. M. Baker | 4744 | |||||||||
| Vote - Affirmative | 4744 | |||||||||
| Bill No. 197, Justices of the Peace Act | 4744 | |||||||||
| Hon. M. Baker | 4744 | |||||||||
| Mr. G. Steele | 4744 | |||||||||
| Hon. M. Baker | 4745 | |||||||||
| Vote - Affirmative | 4745 | |||||||||
| PUBLIC BILLS FOR THIRD READING: | ||||||||||
| No. 136, Justice Administration Amendment (2007) Act | 4745 | |||||||||
| Hon. M. Baker | 4745 | |||||||||
| Vote - Affirmative | 4746 | |||||||||
| No. 137, Livestock Health Services Act | 4746 | |||||||||
| Mr. J. MacDonell | 4746 | |||||||||
| Hon. M. Baker | 4747 | |||||||||
| Vote - Affirmative | 4747 | |||||||||
| No. 138, Medal of Bravery Act | 4747 | |||||||||
| The Premier | 4747 | |||||||||
| Mr. W. Estabrooks | 4748 | |||||||||
| Mr. M. Samson | 4748 | |||||||||
| The Premier | 4748 | |||||||||
| Vote - Affirmative | 4749 | |||||||||
| No. 141, Respiratory Therapists Act | 4749 | |||||||||
| Mr. David Wilson (Sackville-Cobequid) | 4749 | |||||||||
| Mr. M. Samson | 4750 | |||||||||
| Hon. M. Baker | 4750 | |||||||||
| Vote - Affirmative | 4750 | |||||||||
| No. 144, Municipal Grants Act | 4751 | |||||||||
| Hon. J. Muir | 4751 | |||||||||
| Mr. P. Paris | 4751 | |||||||||
| Hon. J. Muir | 4751 | |||||||||
| Vote - Affirmative | 4751 | |||||||||
| Vote - Affirmative | ||||||||||
| PRIVATE AND LOCAL BILLS FOR THIRD READING: | ||||||||||
| No. 102, Pugwash Village Grants Act | 4752 | |||||||||
| Hon. M. Baker | 4752 | |||||||||
| Vote - Affirmative | 4752 | |||||||||
| No. 105, Pugwash Village Capital Grant Act | 4752 | |||||||||
| Hon. M. Baker | 4752 | |||||||||
| Vote - Affirmative | 4752 | |||||||||
| HOUSE RESOLVED INTO CWH ON BILLS AT 2:08 p.m. | 4753 | |||||||||
| HOUSE RECONVENED AT 2:17 p.m. | 4753 | |||||||||
| CWH REPORTS | 4753 | |||||||||
| [GOVERNMENT BUSINESS] | ||||||||||
| PRIVATE MEMBERS' PUBLIC BILLS FOR THIRD READING: | ||||||||||
| Bill No. 106, Fairness in Fees Act | 4754 | |||||||||
| Mr. M. Samson | 4754 | |||||||||
| Mr. G. Steele | 4754 | |||||||||
| Mr. M. Samson | 4756 | |||||||||
| Vote - Affirmative | 4756 | |||||||||
| PUBLIC BILLS FOR THIRD READING: | ||||||||||
| Bill No. 145, Education Act | 4757 | |||||||||
| Hon. K. Casey | 4757 | |||||||||
| Ms. Maureen MacDonald | 4757 | |||||||||
| Mr. L. Preyra | 4758 | |||||||||
| Hon. K. Casey | 4759 | |||||||||
| Vote - Affirmative | 4759 | |||||||||
| No. 146, Environmental Goals and Sustainable Prosperity Act | 4759 | |||||||||
| Hon. M. Parent | 4759 | |||||||||
| Ms. M. Raymond | 4759 | |||||||||
| Hon. M. Parent | 4761 | |||||||||
| Vote - Affirmative | 4761 | |||||||||
| No. 163, Human Rights Act | 4761 | |||||||||
| Hon. M. Parent | 4761 | |||||||||
| Ms. Maureen MacDonald | 4761 | |||||||||
| Hon. M. Parent | 4763 | |||||||||
| Vote - Affirmative | 4763 | |||||||||
| No. 166, Undersea Coal Mines Regulation Act | 4763 | |||||||||
| Hon. M. Parent | 4763 | |||||||||
| Mr. F. Corbett | 4763 | |||||||||
| Mr. M. Samson | 4764 | |||||||||
| Hon. M. Parent | 4764 | |||||||||
| Vote - Affirmative | 4764 | |||||||||
| Vote - Affirmative | ||||||||||
| No. 168, Motor Vehicle Act | 4764 | |||||||||
| Hon. A. MacIsaac | 4764 | |||||||||
| Mr. C. Parker | 4764 | |||||||||
| Mr. M. Samson | 4765 | |||||||||
| Hon. A. MacIsaac | 4766 | |||||||||
| Vote - Affirmative | 4766 | |||||||||
| HOUSE RESOLVED INTO CWH ON SUPPLY AT 2:55 p.m. | 4766 | |||||||||
| HOUSE RECONVENED AT 5:25 p.m. | 4766 | |||||||||
| SPEAKER RULING: Admissibility of bringing individuals names and | ||||||||||
| personal cases to the floor of the Legislature (Pt. of Order by | ||||||||||
| Hon. J. StreatcH[Hansard p. 4738 ,04/12/07]) | ||||||||||
| Ruling Referred to Special | ||||||||||
| Committee on Assembly | ||||||||||
| Matters. | 4767 | |||||||||
| PRESENTING REPORTS OF COMMITTEES: | ||||||||||
| Law Amendments Committee, Hon. M. Scott | 4768 | |||||||||
| HOUSE RESOLVED INTO CWH ON BILLS AT 5:30 p.m. | 4769 | |||||||||
| HOUSE RECONVENED AT 5:33 p.m. | 4769 | |||||||||
| CWH REPORTS | 4769 | |||||||||
| PRIVATE MEMBERS PUBLIC BILLS FOR THIRD READING: | ||||||||||
| No. 170, Provincial Parks Act | 4769 | |||||||||
| Mr. W. Estabrooks | 4770 | |||||||||
| Vote - Affirmative | 4770 | |||||||||
| PUBLIC BILLS FOR THIRD READING: | ||||||||||
| No. 189, Utility and Review Board Act | 4770 | |||||||||
| Vote - Affirmative | 4771 | |||||||||
| No. 195, Incompetent Persons Act | 4771 | |||||||||
| Vote - Affirmative | 4771 | |||||||||
| No. 197, Justice of the Peace Act | 4771 | |||||||||
| Vote - Affirmative | 4771 | |||||||||
| ADJOURNMENT, House rose to meet again on Fri., Apr. 13th, at 9:00 a.m. | 4771 | |||||||||
| MOTION UNDER RULE 32(3): | ||||||||||
| Res. 2956, MacDonald, Sarah: Achievements - Congrats., | ||||||||||
| Mr. David Wilson (Glace Bay) | 4772 | |||||||||
| Res. 2957, Healey, Patti - Can. Winter Games: Team N.S. - | ||||||||||
| Preparation, Mr. David Wilson (Sackville-Cobequid) | 4772 | |||||||||
| Res. 2958, MacDonald, Michael - Can. Winter Games: Team N.S. - | ||||||||||
| Preparations, Mr. David Wilson (Sackville-Cobequid) | 4773 | |||||||||
| Res. 2959, Clarke, Christopher - Can. Winter Games: Team N.S. - | ||||||||||
| Perpetration, Mr. David Wilson (Sackville-Cobequid) | 4773 | |||||||||
| Perpetration, Mr. David Wilson (Sackville-Cobequid) | ||||||||||
| Res. 2960, Boutlier, Ashley - Can. Winter Games: Participation - | ||||||||||
| Congrats., Mr. David Wilson (Sackville-Cobequid) | 4774 | |||||||||
| Res. 2961, Beaton, Alex - Can. Winter Games: Participation - | ||||||||||
| Congrats., Mr. David Wilson (Sackville-Cobequid) | 4774 | |||||||||
| Res. 2962, McDade, Kathleen - Can. Winter Games: Participation - | ||||||||||
| Congrats., Mr. David Wilson (Sackville-Cobequid) | 4775 | |||||||||
| Res. 2963, Mury, Shawn - Can. Winter Games: Participation - | ||||||||||
| Congrats., Mr. David Wilson (Sackville-Cobequid) | 4775 | |||||||||
| Res. 2964, Sanford, Alison - Can. Winter Games: Participation - | ||||||||||
| Congrats., Mr. David Wilson (Sackville-Cobequid) | 4776 | |||||||||
| Res. 2965, Sidhu, Ajit - Can. Winter Games: Participation - Congrats., | ||||||||||
| Mr. David Wilson (Sackville-Cobequid) | 4776 | |||||||||
| Res. 2966, Ernst, Emily - Can. Winter Games: Participation - | ||||||||||
| Congrats., - Mr. David Wilson (Sackville-Cobequid) | 4777 | |||||||||
| Res. 2967, Wallace, Vanessa - Can. Winter Games: Participation - | ||||||||||
| Congrats., Mr. David Wilson (Sackville-Cobequid) | 4777 | |||||||||
| Res. 2968, MacPhee, Mike/Laurette, Bill - T-Time Jamboree: | ||||||||||
| Organization - Thank, Mr. W. Estabrooks | 4778 | |||||||||
| Res. 2969, MacDonald, Jillian/Burton, Jillian - N.S. Raiders | ||||||||||
| Female Pee Wee Elite Hockey Team: Selection - | ||||||||||
| Congrats., Mr. L. Glavine | 4778 | |||||||||
| Res. 2970, Fletcher, H. William - Can. Winter Games: Team N.S. - | ||||||||||
| Preparation, Mr. David Wilson (Sackville-Cobequid) | 4779 | |||||||||
| Res. 2971, Ewing, Amos (Bud): Commun. Dedication - Recognize, | ||||||||||
| Hon. D. Morse | 4779 | |||||||||
| Res. 2972, Gregan, Thelma/Duggan, Sherri: Educational Init. - | ||||||||||
| Congrats., The Premier | 4780 | |||||||||
| Res. 2973, N. Queens Elem. Sch. - Benefit Concert: Organizers/ | ||||||||||
| Participants - Congrats., Ms. V. Conrad | 4780 | |||||||||
| Res. 2974, Brine, Alice - Kidney Fdn.: Serv. - Recognize, | ||||||||||
| Hon. M. Scott | 4781 | |||||||||
| Res. 2975, Blue, Marie - Kidney Fdn.: Serv. - Recognize, | ||||||||||
| Hon. M. Scott | 4781 | |||||||||
| Res. 2976, Gogan, Donna & Frank - Kidney Fdn.: Serv. - Recognize, | ||||||||||
| Hon. M. Scott | 4782 | |||||||||
| Res. 2977, Brown, Arlene - Kidney Fdn.: Serv. - Recognize, | ||||||||||
| Hon. M. Scott | 4782 | |||||||||
| Hon. M. Scott | ||||||||||
| Res. 2978, Maddison, Marilyn - Kidney Fdn.: Serv. - Recognize, | ||||||||||
| Hon. M. Scott | 4783 | |||||||||
| Res. 2979, Taylor, Ian - Kidney Fdn.: Serv. - Recognize, | ||||||||||
| Hon. M. Scott | 4783 | |||||||||
| Res. 2980, Rector, George - River Hebert FD: Serv. (35 yrs.) - | ||||||||||
| Congrats., Hon. M. Scott | 4784 | |||||||||
| Res. 2981, Mombourquette, Alex - Richmond Co. Residents: | ||||||||||
| Serv. - Thank, Mr. M. Samson | 4784 | |||||||||
| Res. 2982, Digout, George - Richmond Co. Residents: | ||||||||||
| Serv. - Thank, Mr. M. Samson | 4785 | |||||||||
| Res. 2983, Bourque, Eric - Richmond Co. Residents: | ||||||||||
| Serv. - Thank, Mr. M. Samson | 4785 | |||||||||
| Res. 2984, Thorneycroft, Berni - Richmond Co. Residents: | ||||||||||
| Serv. - Thank, Mr. M. Samson | 4786 | |||||||||
| Res. 2985, Boudreau, Pauline - Richmond Co. Residents: | ||||||||||
| Serv. - Thank, Mr. M. Samson | 4786 | |||||||||
| Res. 2986, Martell, Annette - Richmond Co. Residents: | ||||||||||
| Serv - Thank, Mr. M. Samson | 4787 | |||||||||
| Res. 2887, Budden, Romana - Richmond Co. Residents: | ||||||||||
| Serv. - Thank, Mr. M. Samson | 4787 | |||||||||
| Res. 2988, Arsenault, Jeanette - Richmond Co. Residents: | ||||||||||
| Serv. - Thank, Mr. M. Samson | 4788 | |||||||||
| Res. 2989, Mombourquette, Lorraine - Richmond Co. Residents: | ||||||||||
| Serv. - Thank, Mr. M. Samson | 4788 | |||||||||
| Res. 2990, Babin, Lisa - Richmond Co. Residents: | ||||||||||
| Serv. - Thank, Mr. M. Samson | 4789 | |||||||||
| Res. 2991, Boudreau, Chastity - Richmond Co. Residents: | ||||||||||
| Serv. - Thank, Mr. M. Samson | 4789 | |||||||||
| Res. 2992, Boudreau, Kathleen - Richmond Co. Residents: | ||||||||||
| Serv. - Thank, Mr. M. Samson | 4790 | |||||||||
| Res. 2993, Boudreau, Lana - Richmond Co. Residents: | ||||||||||
| Serv. - Thank, Mr. M. Samson | 4790 | |||||||||
| Res. 2994, Briand, Ann - Richmond Co. Residents: | ||||||||||
| Serv. - Thank, Mr. M. Samson | 4791 | |||||||||
| Res. 2995, Burke, Emma - Richmond Co. Residents: | ||||||||||
| Serv. - Thank, Mr. M. Samson | 4791 | |||||||||
| Res. 2996, Burke, Evelyn - Richmond Co. Residents: | ||||||||||
| Serv. - Thank, Mr. M. Samson | 4792 | |||||||||
| Serv. - Thank, Mr. M. Samson | ||||||||||
| Res. 2997, Campbell, Darlene - Richmond Co. Residents: | ||||||||||
| Serv. - Thank, Mr. M. Samson | 4792 | |||||||||
| Res. 2998, Collier, Tania - Richmond Co. Residents: | ||||||||||
| Serv. - Thank, Mr. M. Samson | 4793 | |||||||||
| Res. 2999, Davenport, Anne - Richmond Co. Residents: | ||||||||||
| Serv. - Thank, Mr. M. Samson | 4793 | |||||||||
| Res. 3000, Davison, Marilyn - Richmond Co. Residents: | ||||||||||
| Serv. - Thank, Mr. M. Samson | 4794 | |||||||||
| Res. 3001, Doary, Henrietta - Richmond Co. Residents: | ||||||||||
| Serv. - Thank, Mr. M. Samson | 4794 | |||||||||
| Res. 3002, Drake, Doreen - Richmond Co. Residents: | ||||||||||
| Serv. - Thank, Mr. M. Samson | 4795 | |||||||||
| Res. 3003, Farrell, Rose Marie - Richmond Co. Residents: | ||||||||||
| Serv. - Thank, Mr. M. Samson | 4795 | |||||||||
| Res. 3004, Fortune, Karen - Richmond Co. Residents: | ||||||||||
| Serv. - Thank, Mr. M. Samson | 4796 | |||||||||
| Res. 3005, Fougere, Ruth - Richmond Co. Residents: | ||||||||||
| Serv. - Thank, Mr. M. Samson | 4796 | |||||||||
| Res. 3006, Fox, Joan - Richmond Co. Residents: Serv. - | ||||||||||
| Thank, Mr. M. Samson | 4797 | |||||||||
| Res. 3007, Mauger, Sarah - Richmond Co. Residents: | ||||||||||
| Serv. - Thank, Mr. M. Samson | 4797 | |||||||||
| Res. 3008, Jollymore, Jackie - Richmond Co. Residents: | ||||||||||
| Serv. - Thank, Mr. M. Samson | 4798 | |||||||||
| Res. 3009, George, Mary - Richmond Co. Residents: | ||||||||||
| Serv. - Thank, Mr. M. Samson | 4798 | |||||||||
| Res. 3010, Hearn, Ann - Richmond Co. Residents: | ||||||||||
| Serv. - Thank, Mr. M. Samson | 4799 | |||||||||
| Res. 3011, Lahey, Gladys - Richmond Co. Residents: | ||||||||||
| Serv. - Thank, Mr. M. Samson | 4799 | |||||||||
| Res. 3012, Landry, Lorena - Richmond Co. Residents: | ||||||||||
| Serv. - Thank, Mr. M. Samson | 4800 | |||||||||
| Res. 3013, Landry, Lucy - Richmond Co. Residents: | ||||||||||
| Serv. - Thank, Mr. M. Samson | 4800 | |||||||||
| Res. 3014, Landry, Yvette - Richmond Co. Residents: | ||||||||||
| Serv. - Thank, Mr. M. Samson | 4801 | |||||||||
| Res. 3015, LeBlanc, Connie - Richmond Co. Residents: | ||||||||||
| Serv. - Thank, Mr. M. Samson | 4801 | |||||||||
| Serv. - Thank, Mr. M. Samson | ||||||||||
| Res. 3016, Marchand, Tanya - Richmond Co. Residents: | ||||||||||
| Serv. - Thank, Mr. M. Samson | 4802 | |||||||||
| Res. 3017, Matthews, Lorrie - Richmond Co. Residents: | ||||||||||
| Serv. - Thank, Mr. M. Samson | 4802 | |||||||||
| Res. 3018, Mauger, Anne - Richmond Co. Residents: | ||||||||||
| Serv. - Thank, Mr. M. Samson | 4803 | |||||||||
| Res. 3019, McGrath, Susan - Richmond Co. Residents: | ||||||||||
| Serv. - Thank, Mr. M. Samson | 4803 | |||||||||
| Res. 3020, Pettipas, Lola - Richmond Co. Residents: | ||||||||||
| Serv. - Thank, Mr. M. Samson | 4804 | |||||||||
| Res. 3021, Pettipas, Gerarda - Richmond Co. Residents: | ||||||||||
| Serv. - Thank, Mr. M. Samson | 4804 | |||||||||
| Res. 3022, Pottie, Cindy - Richmond Co. Residents: | ||||||||||
| Serv. - Thank, Mr. M. Samson | 4805 | |||||||||
| Res. 3023, Proctor, Marilyn - Richmond Co. Residents: | ||||||||||
| Serv. - Thank, Mr. M. Samson | 4805 | |||||||||
| Res. 3024, Samson, Hattie - Richmond Co. Residents: | ||||||||||
| Serv. - Thank, Mr. M. Samson | 4806 | |||||||||
| Res. 3025, Thibeau, Anne Marie - Richmond Co. Residents: | ||||||||||
| Serv. - Thank, Mr. M. Samson | 4806 | |||||||||
| Res. 3026, Woodlock, Betty Anne - Richmond Co. Residents: | ||||||||||
| Serv. - Thank, Mr. M. Samson | 4807 | |||||||||
| Res. 3027, Boudreau, Pauline - Richmond Co. Residents: | ||||||||||
| Serv. - Thank, Mr. M. Samson | 4807 | |||||||||
| Res. 3028, Fougere, Rita - Richmond Co. Residents: | ||||||||||
| Serv. - Thank, Mr. M. Samson | 4808 | |||||||||
| Res. 3029, Kehoe, Annette - Richmond Co. Residents: | ||||||||||
| Serv. - Thank, Mr. M. Samson | 4808 | |||||||||
| Res. 3030, Kinslow, Tina - Richmond Co. Residents: | ||||||||||
| Serv. - Thank, Mr. M. Samson | 4809 | |||||||||
| Res. 3031, MacLeod, Joyce - Richmond Co. Residents: | ||||||||||
| Serv. - Thank, Mr. M. Samson | 4809 | |||||||||
| Res. 3032, Venedam, Wendy - Richmond Co. Residents: | ||||||||||
| Serv. - Thank, Mr. M. Samson | 4810 | |||||||||
| Res. 3033, Marshall, Allister - N.S. Environmental Network: | ||||||||||
| Honour - Congrats., Mr. K. Colwell | 4810 | |||||||||
| Res. 3034, Nickerson, Mil - N.S. Environmental Network: | ||||||||||
| Honour - Congrats., Mr. K. Colwell | 4811 | |||||||||
| Res. 3035, Cole, Sheila - N.S. Environmental Network: | ||||||||||
| Honour - Congrats., Mr. K. Colwell | 4811 | |||||||||
| Res. 3036, RCL 61 - Anniv.(31st), Mr. K. Colwell | 4812 | |||||||||
HALIFAX, THURSDAY, APRIL 12, 2007
Sixtieth General Assembly
First Session
10:00 A.M.
SPEAKER
Hon. Cecil Clarke
DEPUTY SPEAKER
Mr. Wayne Gaudet
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please.
Before we move to the Orders of the Day, I wish to advise the House that the Clerk has conducted a draw for the late debate. The honourable member for Halifax Atlantic will debate at 6:00 p.m., or whenever the time permits:
Therefore be it resolved that this government move to appoint Community Prosecutors to better serve Nova Scotians.
We will now begin with the daily routine.
The honourable Minister of Justice.
HON. MURRAY SCOTT: Mr. Speaker, with your permission I would like to make an introduction, if I could?
MR. SPEAKER: Certainly.
MR. SCOTT: I would like to bring the attention of the members to the east gallery, and I would like to introduce Ms. Dulcie McCallum who is the Nova Scotia Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Review Officer. As all members would know, Ms. McCallum just accepted the position over the last number of months.
Ms. McCallum received her law degree from the University of Victoria and has expertise in administrative and human rights law. Over the past 30 years, Ms. McCallum has held positions in private practice and in the public sector. She was the Ombudsman for the Province of British Columbia for seven years, until 1999, and since then Ms. McCallum has worked for government and a number of organizations, including representative on the Canadian delegation to the United Nations to draft the new U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
I would ask Ms. McCallum to rise and receive the warm welcome of the House, please. (Applause)
PRESENTING AND READING PETITIONS
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Queens.
MS. VICKI CONRAD: Mr. Speaker, I would like to table the following petition, of which I have affixed my signature. The operative clause is "To whom it may concern: We the residents of Bangs Falls, residing on the Medway River Road, request that some consideration be given to replacing or repairing the pavement from route 210 through Bangs Falls, and back up to route 210."
MR. SPEAKER: The petition is tabled.
PRESENTING REPORTS OF COMMITTEES
TABLING REPORTS, REGULATIONS AND OTHER PAPERS
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Minister of Environment and Labour.
HON. MARK PARENT: Mr. Speaker, I take great pleasure in tabling a report from the Superintendent of Pensions of the administration of the Pension Benefits Act for the year ending March 31, 2006, and also the Workers' Compensation Board of Nova Scotia 2006 Annual Report.
I just note in that the percentage funded ratio has gone up once again and the injury frequency rate has gone down - so good news there.
MR. SPEAKER: The reports are tabled.
STATEMENTS BY MINISTERS
GOVERNMENT NOTICES OF MOTION
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Premier.
HON. RODNEY MACDONALD (The Premier): Mr. Speaker, before I read my resolution, if I might make an introduction?
MR. SPEAKER: Please do so.
THE PREMIER: Mr. Speaker, I would like to draw the attention of the House to the Speaker's Gallery where we have a very special guest with us here today, Mr. Tim Margolian, Treasurer of the Atlantic Jewish Council, who graciously agreed to serve as the council's representative here in the House today. I would ask Mr. Margolian to rise and receive the warm welcome of the House. (Applause)
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Premier.
THE PREMIER: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas Yom haShoah - Holocaust Memorial Day - will this year be honoured on April 16th, setting aside a brief moment to honour and reflect on the memories of those who suffered unspeakable cruelties and death; and
Whereas Yom haShoah, the Holocaust, refers to the state-sponsored, systematic persecution and annihilation of European Jewry by the Nazis between the years of 1938 and 1945; and
Whereas this singular tragedy, which saw the lives of six million innocent Jewish men, women, and children extinguished at the hands of the Nazis, while almost incomprehensible for most, should for that very reason never be forgotten;
Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House recognize the significance of this day, which stands both as a symbol of one of history's most treacherous incidents of man's inhumanity to man, and hence a time to honour the millions of victims of the Holocaust and its survivors still living with its nightmares.
Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.
MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.
Is it agreed?
It is agreed.
Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.
The motion is carried.
The honourable Minister of Tourism, Culture and Heritage.
RESOLUTION NO. 2924
HON. LEONARD GOUCHER: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas cruise ships contribute much more to our economy when they pick up and drop off their passengers at a Nova Scotia port because these passengers tend to stay in the home port before and after the cruise; and
Whereas encouraging more home porting in Nova Scotia is part of the gateway strategy in our new tourism plan developed through the industry-government Tourism Partnership Council; and
Whereas after discussions with Tourism, Culture and Heritage, Destination Halifax and the Halifax Port Authority, Pearl Sea Cruises recently announced that starting in July, 2008, they will make Halifax the home port for a new luxury cruise ship for 165 passengers and add another 210 passengers in 2009;
Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House welcome Pearl Sea Cruises and acknowledge this positive step for Nova Scotia's tourism industry.
Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.
MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.
Is it agreed?
It is agreed.
Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.
The motion is carried.
The honourable Minister of Economic Development.
RESOLUTION NO. 2925
HON. RICHARD HURLBURT: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas the Credit Union Small Business Finance and Loan Guarantee Program has leveraged a total of $18.1 million in loans to 245 small businesses throughout the province; and
Whereas this loan program has created or maintained more than 1,500 jobs, mainly in rural Nova Scotia; and
Whereas given the current trends, the program is expected to reach 1,000 businesses over the next decade or could double or triple the current job creation figures;
Therefore be it resolved that all members of the House applaud the success of the program and the partnership with the Credit Unions, the Nova Scotia Co-op Council and the Nova Scotia Department of Economic Development.
Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.
MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.
Is it agreed?
It is agreed.
Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.
The motion is carried.
The honourable Minister of Health.
RESOLUTION NO. 2926
HON. CHRISTOPHER D'ENTREMONT: Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the honourable Minister of Community Services, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas the week of April 15th to 22nd is Foster Family Recruitment Week in Nova Scotia and Foster Care resource teams are working across the province to raise awareness about the rewards of fostering a child or youth; and
Whereas in Nova Scotia, foster parents work as part of a team of professionals who ensure children and youth receive the love and support they need; and
Whereas Nova Scotia is committed to attracting and training caring families who can help children and youth and Nova Scotia has made great strides in recruiting and retaining foster parents in recent years with significant success;
Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House commend Nova Scotia's existing foster families and encourage more families to open their hearts and homes to children in need.
Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.
MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.
Is it agreed?
It is agreed.
Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.
The motion is carried.
The honourable Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture.
RESOLUTION NO. 2927
HON. RONALD CHISHOLM: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas members of the Eastern Nova Scotia Holstein Club, which involves Holstein producers from Antigonish and Guysborough Counties and producers from Cape Breton, recently celebrated their 30th Anniversary; and
Whereas the Eastern Nova Scotia Holstein Club is host to a sold out pre-tour of the Canadian Holstein Producers today and yesterday, prior to the National Holstein Convention in Charlottetown this coming weekend; and
Whereas the two day pre-tour involved tours of Sugarloaf Holsteins, Gleann Holsteins and West River Holsteins in Harbour Centre yesterday and stops at Lindenoord Holsteins and Trivee Holsteins today, before having lunch at the Scotsburn ice cream plant in Antigonish and leaving for Charlottetown later this afternoon for "Holstein Heaven 2007";
Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate the Eastern Nova Scotia Holstein Club for their many years of success and for showing the rest of Canada what great Holstein farms exist in eastern Nova Scotia.
Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.
MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.
Is it agreed?
It is agreed.
Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.
The motion is carried.
[10:15 a.m.]
INTRODUCTION OF BILLS
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Minister of Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations.
HON. JAMES MUIR: Mr. Speaker, with your permission I would like to make an introduction in advance of introducing the bill.
MR. SPEAKER: Please do so.
MR. MUIR: I direct the attention of the House to the east gallery where we are joined by three people who were instrumental in doing the work that has produced this document that I will soon table - it is amendments to the Companies Act. I would like to ask Maurice Chiasson, a corporate lawyer from Stewart McKelvey; Fae Shaw, a corporate lawyer from McInnis Cooper; and Kerry MacLean, who is the Registrar of Joint Stock Companies in my department, to stand and receive the warm welcome of the House and thanks. (Applause)
Bill No. 192 - Entitled an Act to Amend Chapter 81 of the Revised Statutes of 1989. The Companies Act. (Hon. James Muir)
Bill No. 193 - Entitled an Act to Amend Chapter 18 of the Acts of 1998. The Municipal Government Act. (Ms. Michele Raymond)
Bill No. 194 - Entitled an Act to Amend Chapter 293 of the Revised Statutes of 1989. The Motor Vehicle Act. (Mr. Wayne Gaudet)
Bill No. 195 - Entitled an Act to Amend Chapter 218 of the Revised Statutes of 1989. The Incompetent Persons Act and Certain Other Statutes. (Hon. Murray Scott)
Bill No. 196 - Entitled an Act to Require the Minister of Immigration to Implement an Apprenticeship Program for Newcomers and Internationally Trained Persons. (Ms. Diana Whalen)
Bill No. 197 - Entitled an Act to Amend Chapter 244 of the Revised Statutes of 1989. The Justices of the Peace Act. (Hon. Murray Scott)
MR. SPEAKER: Ordered that these bills be read a second time on a future day.
NOTICES OF MOTION
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Leader of the Opposition.
RESOLUTION NO. 2928
MR. DARRELL DEXTER: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas it is with great sorrow that once again we are hearing of the deaths of yet two more Canadians in the conflict in Afghanistan, following so closely on the heels of the deaths of six young soldiers in that conflict earlier this week; and
Whereas the news of yet more lives of young men and women being lost in this war is becoming an all too common occurrence; and
Whereas despite the frequency with which we are faced with the loss of young lives that were filled with such great potential, the news is never easier to face for their families, friends and community, and in fact for the entire nation;
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House rise for a moment of silence in memory of those who lost their lives yesterday and throughout this conflict and in solidarity with those who love them and are now facing a time of deep sorrow.
Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.
MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.
Is it agreed?
It is agreed.
Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.
The motion is carried.
Please stand for a moment of silence.
[One minute of silence was observed.]
MR. SPEAKER: Please be seated.
The honourable Leader of the Liberal Party.
RESOLUTION NO. 2929
MR. MICHEL SAMSON: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas the men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces risk their lives every day and believe in the duty they have undertaken in Afghanistan; and
Whereas late yesterday afternoon we learned of two more casualties for the Canadian Armed Forces from the conflict in Afghanistan; and
Whereas Master Corporal Allan Stewart and Trooper Patrick James Pentland, both originally from New Brunswick, were with the Royal Canadian Dragoons based at CFB Petawawa in Ontario;
Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly offer our condolences to the families of Master Corporal Allan Stewart and Trooper Patrick James Pentland and pledge our support to our men and women serving overseas.
Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.
MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.
Is it agreed?
It is agreed.
Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.
The motion is carried.
The honourable Premier.
RESOLUTION NO. 2930
THE PREMIER: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas April, 2007 marked the retirement of one of Pictou County's premier athletic coaches; and
Whereas that gentleman also happens to be the member for Pictou Centre, having earned the respect, admiration and trust of players, parents, officials and fans over the past 31 years; and
Whereas throughout his 31-year career the member for Pictou Centre has been recognized by the Nova Scotia School Athletic Federation for his outstanding services, was a founding member of the Pictou County Junior High School Softball League, while earning four provincial championships, different regional titles at Trenton Junior High School, Trenton High School, North Nova Education Centre, as well as with Pictou County Minor Hockey, New Glasgow Minor Soccer and the Stellarton Ringette Association;
Therefore be it resolved that all members of the House of Assembly recognize the tremendous and important dedication to youth and amateur sports in Pictou County offered by the member for Pictou Centre over the past 31 years.
Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.
MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.
Is it agreed?
It is agreed.
Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.
The motion is carried. (Applause)
The honourable Leader of the Opposition.
RESOLUTION NO. 2931
MR. DARRELL DEXTER: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas Lockland MacLean Cameron of Woods Harbour was a loving father, grandfather, brother and friend; and
Whereas Mr. Cameron's family and friends know that he will long be remembered for his quit wit, candidness and amazing inner strength; and
Whereas Mr. Cameron will be particularly remembered by his daughter, Luella, who was by his side so much in recent months and by her husband, Sterling Belliveau and their daughters;
Therefore be it resolved that this House extend its deepest sympathy on the death of Lockland MacLean Cameron to Luella Belliveau and to our colleague, the MLA for Shelburne, to their daughters and to all who knew and loved him.
Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.
MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.
Is it agreed?
It is agreed.
Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.
The motion is carried.
The honourable Leader of the Liberal Party.
MR. MICHEL SAMSON: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas April 22nd to April 28th marks the 2nd National Victims of Crime Awareness Week in Canada; and
Whereas to help communities observe the week locally, a resource guide has been published with a range of practical tools, valuable tips, testimonials, success stories and current information about victim issues; and
Whereas this year's theme is "It's time to listen" which focuses on the need for all Canadians to heed the calls of help from victims of crime across the country;
Therefore be it resolved that members of this House of Assembly recognize April 22nd to April 28th as National Victims of Crime Awareness Week and help those who have been victimized by crime in our country.
Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.
MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.
Is it agreed?
It is agreed.
Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.
The motion is carried.
The honourable Minister of Natural Resources.
HON. DAVID MORSE: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas Marilyn Hamlin, an educational assistant in New Minas, will be retiring in June after 25-plus years service to the children of New Minas Elementary School; and
Whereas she and her husband, Wayne, have coordinated the breakfast program for over 10 years and volunteer to pick and deliver all supplies needed for the program; and
Whereas Marilyn and Wayne's volunteer efforts have contributed to the enhancement of the learning environment for hundreds of students annually;
Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House recognize the outstanding contribution and volunteer efforts of the Hamlins and indeed all school volunteers in making our schools a better place for our children to learn.
Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.
MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.
Is it agreed?
It is agreed.
Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.
The motion is carried.
The honourable member for Hants East.
MR. JOHN MACDONELL: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas junior hockey is exciting and affordable entertainment for the whole family; and
Whereas the Nova Scotia Junior A Hockey League is comprised of teams representing a wide variety of towns and communities across Nova Scotia; and
Whereas the East Hants Pharmasave Penguins won their first league championship with a perfect 12-0 record in the playoffs;
Therefore be it resolved that this House of Assembly congratulate the coaching staff and players of the East Hants Pharmasave Penguins on their championship win and outstanding season.
Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.
MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.
Is it agreed?
It is agreed.
Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.
The motion is carried.
The honourable member for Glace Bay.
MR. DAVID WILSON (Glace Bay): Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas the Savoy Theatre situated in downtown Glace Bay is celebrating its 80th Anniversary this year and is managed by Mr. Donald Ferguson; and
Whereas the Savoy, as it is commonly known, was built by MacSween Contractors for John Connors in the 1920s to the specifications of the famed Victorian show houses and
used as a movie theatre, and in the early 1970s, through the initiative of Mayor Dan Munroe, the Town of Glace Bay bought the theatre from Famous Players and it was renovated and restored to its former glory; and
Whereas, over the past 80 years, the Savoy has hosted a wide range of events and has become known as the cultural centre for Cape Breton;
Therefore be it resolved that the members of the House of Assembly wish the Savoy Theatre, its manger, Donald Ferguson, and staff continued success and a prosperous future in the coming years.
Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.
MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.
Is it agreed?
It is agreed.
Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.
The motion is carried.
[10:30 a.m.]
The honourable Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture.
HON. RONALD CHISHOLM: Mr. Speaker, my resolution today is seconded by the member for Antigonish, the Minister of Transportation and Public Works, as well.
Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas Theresa [Lauchie] MacDonald of Heatherton, Antigonish County has been a community volunteer for over 50 years; and
Whereas Theresa has been the Treasurer for the Heatherton Activity Centre for over 32 years, a member of the Catholic Women's League for over 50 years and has been supervising children at the Heatherton School for over 26 years, and is also a volunteer and fundraiser for the Nova Scotia Kidney Foundation, as well as many other charitable organizations; and
Whereas Theresa is a wonderful, loving mother of five children and a grandmother of eight and a good friend to many;
Therefore be it resolved that members of this House recognize the amazing contribution of Theresa [Lauchie] MacDonald to her community.
Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.
MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.
Is it agreed?
It is agreed.
Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.
The motion is carried.
The honourable member for Cape Breton Centre.
RESOLUTION NO. 2937
MR. FRANK CORBETT: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas Edward Cusak of Reserve Mines joined the Reserve Mines Volunteer Fire Department 65 years ago, this April; and
Whereas Mr. Cusak has served this department in many capacities such as Lieutenant of the Engines, Assistant Deputy Chief, Deputy Chief and Chief; and
Whereas Eddie continues to service his department by working with the Bingo Committee and various other functions;
Therefore be it resolved that this House of Assembly congratulate Edward Cusak for his 65 years of service to the Reserve Mines Fire Department and for his leadership role in his community.
Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.
MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.
Is it agreed?
It is agreed.
Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.
The motion is carried.
The honourable member for Kings West.
RESOLUTION NO. 2938
MR. LEO GLAVINE: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas Evan Nickerson has been awarded the Junior Shodan 1st Degree Black Belt in Aikido; and
Whereas Evan is the first student of Yoshinkan Aikido to have earned this level; and
Whereas for the past seven years, Evan has trained at the Aikido program offered at
École Rose des Vents in Greenwood;
Therefore be it resolved that members of this House congratulate Evan Nickerson for earning his 1st Degree Black Belt and wish him continued success in all his future endeavours.
Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.
MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.
Is it agreed?
It is agreed.
Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.
The motion is carried.
The honourable Minister of Education on an introduction.
HON. KAREN CASEY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and if I could draw the attention of the members of the House to the gallery opposite, I would like to introduce to all members of the House, the Special Education Review Team. I've spoken about that team and their mandate and they are here today, I would like to introduce them. Chair of that team is Walter Farmer. I'd like Walter to stand please for an introduction. Walter is a retired Assistant
Superintendent, and he brings a lot of expertise and education to the committee. He will be joined by Miles MacDonald. Miles MacDonald is a retired teacher who has worked with special needs' students throughout his career and Professor Lynn Aylward. Not here? Professor Lynn Aylward represents the university sector and so we have boards, classrooms and university sector here, on that team. I'm looking forward to their report and hopefully recommendations that we can bring forward in the form of amendments to the Act. So thank you very much for your work, and welcome to the House (Applause)
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Minister of Education.
RESOLUTION NO. 2939
HON. KAREN CASEY: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas Matthew Brown, a member of the Truro Kwik Kopy Bantam AAA Bearcats hockey team, has been awarded the Assante Capital Management Limited Outstanding Male Athlete Award in the 15 and under age category; and
Whereas Matt, as captain of the team, scored 97 goals and set up 46 others to lead the Bearcats to a provincial championship; and
Whereas Matt also participated in the Canada Winter Games in Whitehorse;
Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House extend their congratulations to Matthew Brown for winning this Outstanding Male Athlete Award.
Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.
MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.
Is it agreed?
It is agreed.
Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.
The motion is carried.
The honourable member for Dartmouth East.
RESOLUTION NO. 2940
MS. JOAN MASSEY: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas Home Grown Organic Foods was started in 1999 by Gordie Octerloney; and
Whereas Home Grown Organic Foods helps make locally produced organic foods more affordable and accessible by providing an on-line shopping system and a home delivery service; and
Whereas Home Grown Organic Foods is helping to make a stronger connection between local producers and local consumers;
Therefore be it resolved that this House of Assembly congratulate Home Grown Organic Foods on doing their part to help make it easier for consumers to choose locally grown organic food, and wish them continued success in the future.
Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.
MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.
Is it agreed?
It is agreed.
Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.
The motion is carried.
The honourable member for Digby-Annapolis.
MR. HAROLD THERIAULT: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas the most recent loss of Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan only proves to us the bravery and dedication our men and women show every day in this region which needs our help; and
Whereas Lillian Daniels, a teacher at Barton Elementary School, has collected and sent more than fifty letters from students to soldiers from the Digby area serving in Afghanistan; and
Whereas local students like Logan Doucette and Brittany White are showing their support to our troops stationed overseas by writing these letters, and showing us that compassion starts from the time we are very young;
Therefore be it resolved that the members of the House of Assembly congratulate Lillian Daniels and her students at Barton Elementary for their encouragement of our Canadian Armed Forces overseas, and pledge our continued support to these heroic men and women.
Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.
MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.
Is it agreed?
It is agreed.
Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.
The motion is carried.
The honourable Minister of Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations.
HON. JAMES MUIR: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas the Truro Sport Heritage Society officially opened the Colchester County Sport Hall fo Fame on November 3, 2006; and
Whereas the Colchester County Sport Hall of Fame now has a permanent home in the recently opened Marigold Cultural Centre, and consists of the honour roll inductees of the Truro Sport Heritage Society; and
Whereas as part of the official opening, seven members were added to the Hall of Fame - Mike Henderson, Jim Cumming, Randy Crowell, Dave Piers, and deceased athletes Hanson T. Dowell, Jack Learment, and Vern "Newt" Hopper;
Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House congratulate the Truro Sport Heritage Society on the official opening of the Colchester County Sport Hall of Fame and thank it for its continuing contribution to the recognition of athletic excellence in Colchester County.
Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.
MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.
Is it agreed?
It is agreed.
Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.
The motion is carried.
The honourable member for Pictou West.
MR. CHARLES PARKER: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas Grace Maxner of Scotsburn recently celebrated her seventh birthday; and
Whereas for her birthday party Grace asked that her friends and family not give her presents, but instead a donation to a charity; and
Whereas the approximate $130 that Grace received was donated to the pediatric unit of the Aberdeen Hospital in New Glasgow;
Therefore be it resolved that this House of Assembly commend Grace Maxner of Scotsburn for her initiative and generous donation to the pediatric unit of the Aberdeen Hospital in New Glasgow - a fine example of paying it forward.
Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.
MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.
Is it agreed?
It is agreed.
Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.
The motion is carried.
The honourable Minister of Natural Resources.
HON. DAVID MORSE: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas Murray Salsman has been a member of the Kings Crime Prevention Association since 1999; and
Whereas Murray initiated, and is currently coordinator of, the Neighbourhood Watch Program in Grafton and presently sits as vice-chair of Valley Crime Stoppers, devoting countless hours of volunteer work; and
Whereas he also started a fundraising campaign, selling gladioli in memory of his late wife, Marg, for the Patient Navigator Service at the Valley Regional Hospital, and formed a registered charity called the Marg Salsman Cancer Care Memorial Fund which has raised thousands of dollars, since 2004, for assisting families of cancer patients with related expenses;
Therefore be it resolved that all the members of this House recognize the extraordinary volunteer health and safety contributions that Murray Salsman has made to his community and continues to make for the citizens of Nova Scotia.
Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.
MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.
Is it agreed?
It is agreed.
Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.
The motion is carried.
The honourable member for Cape Breton Nova.
MR. GORDON GOSSE: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas on March 6, 2007, Atlantic University Sport announced its 2006-07 Men's Basketball All-Stars; and
Whereas Cape Breton Caper's Eric Breland was selected as a first team all star; and
Whereas Eric led his team both in scoring, including six games scoring 20 or more points as well as in rebounding;
Therefore be it resolved that this House of Assembly congratulate Eric Breland on his outstanding athletic achievement of being named the 2006-07 first team all star and wish Eric all the best in his future endeavours.
Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.
MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.
Is it agreed?
It is agreed.
Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.
The motion is carried.
The honourable member for Hants West.
MR. CHUCK PORTER: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas Windsor resident, the Reverend Bill Gibson, is one of 69 volunteers from across Nova Scotia who was recognized Tuesday at Nova Scotia's 33rd Annual Provincial Volunteer Awards ceremony; and
Whereas Bill's name was put forward by the Town of Windsor for being actively involved with the Windsor Fire Department for the past 12 years, providing support and critical-incident debriefing to fellow firefighters and being named Firefighter of the Year in 2005; and
Whereas Bill's volunteer work goes beyond the Windsor Fire Department as he has volunteered with the Windsor Food Bank, the Windsor Economic Development Advisory Committee, chairing the Friends of the Library Committee and serving on five local school-based crisis intervention teams;
Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House extend our gratitude to Windsor's Reverend Bill Gibson for his cheery personality, his humour and exceptionally
quick wit and for his well-deserved recognition at the 2007 33rd Annual Nova Scotia Volunteer Awards ceremony and dinner.
Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.
MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.
Is it agreed?
It is agreed.
Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.
The motion is carried.
The honourable member for Halifax Citadel.
MR. LEONARD PREYRA: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas the launch of the Nova Scotia Cultural Action Network, or Nova Scotia CAN, took place on February 22, 2007, at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia; and
Whereas Nova Scotia CAN is a coalition of individuals dedicated to the progressive development of the province's arts and culture for the benefit of all Nova Scotians; and
Whereas the organization is striving to make Nova Scotia a world leader in the arts and cultural sectors and is calling for support from all levels of government, businesses and the public to help realize this vision;
Therefore be it resolved that this House of Assembly commit to working with the Nova Scotia Cultural Action Network to develop policies that are reflective of the needs and collective wisdom of individual artists and arts and cultural organizations in this province.
Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.
MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.
Is it agreed?
I hear several Noes.
The notice is tabled.
The honourable member for Pictou Centre.
MR. PATRICK DUNN: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas a landmark is closing, the West Side Family Restaurant in New Glasgow, which grew from being a diner to a special meeting place; and
Whereas the eatery first opened in 1959 as the House of Hay Drive-In Restaurant and it became a traditional place in the county with generation after generation going there; and
Whereas waitress, Stella MacKenzie, has worked at the restaurant for 38 years;
Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House congratulate the owners, John and Wilma Juurlink, and John's parents, Tony and Chris, for their dedicated service, loyalty and friendship to all the customers who entered their restaurant during the past several decades.
Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.
MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.
Is it agreed?
It is agreed.
Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.
The motion is carried.
[10:45 a.m.]
The honourable member for Queens.
MS. VICKI CONRAD: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas on Tuesday, April 10, 2006, all members of the House of Assembly received a postcard from the Friends of Port Mouton Bay in their mailbox in-house; and
Whereas Eugene Broome, a lifelong resident of Southwest Port Mouton and a fisherman for 67 years, fears the end of a way of life for his family and his community if Aqua Fish Farms Limited is allowed to put a 70- acre fish farm in Port Mouton Bay; and
Whereas Eugene Broome is quoted as saying something's wrong when you have to fight like this just to keep your friggin' harbour;
Therefore be it resolved that this House of Assembly recognize and support Eugene Broome, the Friends of Port Mouton Bay, local council and the community at large in their efforts to stop the expansion of Aqua Fish Farms Limited in Port Mouton Bay.
Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.
MR. SPEAKER: I would like to look at that resolution before it is tabled, please.
The honourable member for Hants West.
RESOLUTION NO. 2949
MR. CHUCK PORTER: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas Princess Hantsport 2007 is Jessica Price, daughter of Daniel and Kandy Price of Hantsport; and
Whereas Jessica is presently enrolled and attending her second year at Bethany Bible College in Sussex, New Brunswick, as she pursues a degree in ministry after doing exceptional volunteer work in the United States - at places such as Cerebral Palsy Hospital in New York City - and the New Brunswick Youth Correctional Facility; and
Whereas Jessica is an inquisitive learner, enjoys cooking and working with children as she prepares to represent the Town of Hantsport in the 75th Annapolis Valley Apple Blossom Festival, and she could become the 9th Princess of Hantsport to ever be chosen Queen Annapolisa during coronation ceremonies, Friday, June 1st, at University Hall in Wolfville;
Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House extend our sincere best wishes to Ms. Jessica Price as she carries out her official duties on behalf of the Town of Hantsport, while wishing her continued success in her education studies for the ministry.
Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.
MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.
Is it agreed?
It is agreed.
Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.
The motion is carried.
The honourable member for Halifax Atlantic.
RESOLUTION NO. 2950
MS. MICHELE RAYMOND: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas cashiers, bank tellers and other members of the service economy in Nova Scotia spend long hours standing at one workstation; and
Whereas prolonged standing in one spot is associated with chronic back pain, joint compression, muscle strain, and other muscular skeletal disorders often leading to disability; and
Whereas European practice has long allowed cashiers and bank tellers the option of sitting while at their workstation, and there is no obvious advantage in requiring these personnel to stand;
Therefore be it resolved that this House of Assembly take a lead in improving the lives of working people in this province by ensuring that seating is available for those workers required to spend more than two hours at a time standing at a single workstation.
Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.
MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.
Is it agreed?
I hear several Noes.
The notice is tabled.
The honourable Minister of Environment and Labour.
RESOLUTION NO. 2951
HON. MARK PARENT: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas 15-year-old pianist Lucas Porter of Port Williams submitted his first orchestral composition to an international competition and won; and
Whereas Lucas defeated hundreds of applicants worldwide to claim the Realize Music Challenge, sponsored by the software company Notion Music Incorporated; and
Whereas his piece, entitled Port Williams Overture, took him three weeks to write and he then performed it with the Royal Conservatory of Music orchestra;
Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House recognize the musical talent of Lucas Porter and wish him continued success as he strives to achieve his goal to be a concert pianist.
Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.
MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.
Is it agreed?
It is agreed.
Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.
The motion is carried.
The honourable member for Queens.
RESOLUTION NO. 2952
MS. VICKI CONRAD: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas two North Queens students of the cooperative education program through their school, North Queens Rural High School, chose to do 100 hours of volunteer work in the North Queens Nursing Home; and
Whereas these two young women completed a variety of tasks which included crafts, stuffing envelopes, cleaning bird feeders, helping residents, and helping out with bingo during their school hours and over the odd weekend; and
Whereas both young women are in Grade 12 and upon graduation have their eyes set on furthering their education in the health field;
Therefore be it resolved that this House of Assembly recognize Katelyn Smith and Leslie Crouse for wanting to expand their skills in the health field and for their volunteering efforts at the North Queens Nursing Home.
Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.
MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.
Is it agreed?
It is agreed.
Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.
The motion is carried.
The honourable Minister of Justice.
RESOLUTION NO. 2953
HON. MURRAY SCOTT: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas it is with great sadness that yesterday we learned of the untimely deaths in Afghanistan of Master Corporal Allan Stewart and Trooper Patrick James Pentland of the Royal Canadian Dragoons; and
Whereas this marks the seventh and eighth deaths this week of Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan; and
Whereas Master Corporal Allan Stewart and Trooper Patrick James Pentland demonstrated the heroism and bravery long associated with members of the military, past and present;
Therefore be it resolved all members of this House offer our sincere condolences to the respective families, the members of the Royal Canadian Dragoons, and the members of the military community during this difficult time.
Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.
MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.
Is it agreed?
It is agreed.
Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.
The motion is carried.
The honourable member for Hants East.
RESOLUTION NO. 2954
MR. JOHN MACDONELL: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas growing old can mean a loss of good friends and companionship; and
Whereas seniors' groups provide support and friendship for those going through their golden years; and
Whereas the Rawdon Gold Mines Golden Youth Group recently celebrated their 25th Anniversary;
Therefore be it resolved this House of Assembly congratulate the Rawdon Gold Mines Golden Youth Group on their 25th Anniversary, their dedication and support to seniors, and wish them well in their future activities.
Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.
MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.
Is it agreed?
It is agreed.
Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.
The motion is carried.
The honourable member for Cape Breton Nova.
RESOLUTION NO. 2955
MR. GORDON GOSSE: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas on March 6, 2007, Atlantic University Sport announced its 2006-07 Men's Basketball All-Stars; and
Whereas Cape Breton Capers' Paul Blake was selected as a Second Team All-Star; and
Whereas Paul scored 14 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, attributes that solidify his all-star status;
Therefore be it resolved this House of Assembly congratulate Paul Blake on his outstanding athletic achievement, on being named 2006-07Second Team All-Star, and wish Paul all the best in his future endeavours.
Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.
MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.
Is it agreed?
It is agreed.
Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.
The motion is carried.
The honourable member for Cape Breton Centre.
MR. FRANK CORBETT: Mr. Speaker, on a point of order. The wear and tear in this House shows harder on some than others. What I want to point out today is that people like myself, and probably the member for Cape Breton South, haven't weathered it as well as some others. Some people have turned 39 today, and on behalf of our caucus I wish the Speaker a happy 39th birthday. (Standing Ovation)
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please. That's not a point of order, but the honourable member for Cape Breton Centre just made my mother very happy. (Laughter)
The honourable member for Cape Breton South.
MR. MANNING MACDONALD: Mr. Speaker, on the same non point of order, I'd like to rise on behalf of our caucus and also extend our best wishes to you on your 39th. But, you know, everybody says they're 39 - once they hit 39, they never get any older, they're
holding at 39. I can tell you, the last couple of years have certainly - maybe not in terms of your years on this Earth, but in terms of wearing the years, you have certainly grown considerably.(Laughter)
I wish you well in your continued efforts to keep this place operating. Thank you. (Applause)
MR. SPEAKER: Thank you.
The honourable Government House Leader.
HON. MICHAEL BAKER: Thank you. I rise with some trepidation as well on this non point of order, in fear that my PDA might be in trouble as well. I want to indicate our good wishes as well on your 39th birthday, to both you and your mother who, I suspect was there, has been with you for many years (Laughter) and also to point out, Mr. Speaker, that the test is not your age, but do you look it. Thank you very much. (Applause)
MR. SPEAKER: Thank you very much. We'll continue - do you remember what you're supposed to do next? I do believe, the Orders of the Day, Oral Questions Put By Members. Question Period begins at 10:56 a.m. and will end at 11:56 a.m.
ORDERS OF THE DAY
ORAL QUESTIONS PUT BY MEMBERS
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Leader of the Official Opposition.
MR. DARRELL DEXTER: My question this morning will be for the Minister of Health. I'm going to table a letter from Peter MacKeigan whose wife, Helen, has Alzheimer's disease. Mr. MacKeigan is in his 80s and he is helping to care for his 79-year-old wife. Provincial home care hours are inadequate, so Mr. MacKeigan and his wife rely partly on private home care. The bill I have just tabled, Mr. Speaker, is for one month of private care for December 1 to 31, 2006, and it is for over $4,300.
My question to the Minister of Health is why should elderly Nova Scotians have to pay so much to get the care they need?
HON. CHRISTOPHER D'ENTREMONT: Mr. Speaker, all seniors, as they need services, are assessed and assessed accordingly and receive the service that they are assessed to have.
MR. DEXTER: Well, Mr. Speaker, not much luck there, so I'm going to try the Minister of Finance. In the bill I just tabled, he will see that the cost of home care was actually $3,810 for December - the remaining $533.40 was for HST. Private home care services, which many seniors have no choice but to utilize, are subject to the harmonized sales tax - services that should be provided by the provincial system in the first place are taxed. My question to the Minister of Finance is this: Why should Nova Scotians pay tax on essential health care services?
HON. MICHAEL BAKER: Mr. Speaker, first of all I won't try to debate a bill that is before the House, because I am sure that the honourable members (Interruption) Oh, Bill's bill, is it?(Interruption)
That's right. Oh, that kind of bill, yes, the other kind of bill, Mr. Speaker. I'm so used to another term being used.
This issue has come up and I respect what the honourable member is trying to do, which is to try to highlight the burden of taxation of certain people. The difficulty we have is that we have a broadly based sales tax in this province, and we have a broadly based sales tax for a reason - because it replaced a very much higher provincial sales tax which was narrowly based.
Mr. Speaker, obviously there's no money in this budget to accommodate these requests, but clearly in the budgetary process for next year we will review all of these issues and determine priorities for Nova Scotians based on what is in the best interests of Nova Scotians. We have to be able to fund our programs in this province. We have many problems - of course the largest one is health care in this province, it is the most costly program we have and therefore we will balance our taxation reduction issues, like this bill, against the needs of Nova Scotians. Thank you.
MR. DEXTER: Well, Mr. Speaker, I thank the Minister of Finance for his answer because, in fact, it leads very neatly into my next question which is for the Premier - and I am sure there will be a broad review of tax measures just before the next election.
So home care, funerals, children's medication, wheelchairs - these are just a few of the things in this province that are subject to the HST. So my question to the Premier is this: The HST is a decade old, why won't the government initiate a review to determine whether or not some of these necessities of life should be taxed or not?
[11:00 a.m.]
THE PREMIER: Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance has given an indication that he will take a look at some of the issues put before the House of Assembly and that we will have a review of some of those items before next year's budget. Hopefully, we'll have that opportunity - I'll know that tomorrow. The Leader of the Opposition can help in that matter,
that's the first step. (Laughter) Let's get through tomorrow, Mr. Speaker, and I'm sure we'll be able to do those items next year.
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Kings West.
EDUC.: STUDENT ASSESSMENT (GR. 12) - RESULTS
MR. LEO GLAVINE: Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Education. The minister released a report of the department's student assessment results. This is the sixth annual minister's report to parents containing results from provincial testing during the 2006 school year, in seven Grade 12 courses. Despite some improvement, the results for mathematics and advanced math are worrisome. Only 28 per cent of students writing the mathematics Grade 12 provincial exam passed; a significant drop from the 2005 assessment, which was low at 31.2 per cent. My question to the minister is, can the minister tell Nova Scotia parents why their children's provincial exam scores have decreased this year?
HON. KAREN CASEY: Mr. Speaker, and to the member opposite, I want to thank the member for sitting in on the press release this morning and for asking questions with specific reference to the results of the report. It's true that the scores in math are not where we want them to be. As a result of that we have invested heavily both last year and this year, in our resources and our initiatives, at both the elementary and at the high school level, to try to address the issue of math scores. What we're practicing in literacy and reading has certainly paid off and those scores have gone up to a level where we're very proud and we're anxious to apply the same resources and some of the same strategies to math.
MR. GLAVINE: Mr. Speaker, the education of our children is vital to the future success of Nova Scotia, particularly as we have moved toward a knowledge-based economy. The results for students taking advanced math did not fare any better. The provincial average fell to 51.3 per cent, compared to last year's 54 per cent, while the passing rate decreased to 51.8 per cent, a drop from 57 per cent in 2005. These are disturbing figures that this minister and government have to address immediately. My question to the minister is, what will the minister and her department do differently to address the low provincial examination scores in mathematics?
MS. CASEY: Mr. Speaker, to the member opposite, he does reference the advanced math and what we were finding, the advanced math course is designed for approximately 20 per cent of our best and our brightest in high school. We're finding that about 40 per cent of our students have enrolled in that and so what we're attempting to do with our guidance counsellors is try to assist students in selecting a course that is most appropriate to them and to their ability. We're never wanting to close the door for any student to register in any course, but we are trying to work with our students to help lead them appropriately into the program that's best designed for their needs.
MR. GLAVINE: Mr. Speaker, this minister and her department have a duty to school administrators, parents and their children to provide necessary resources for children to succeed in the education system. The marks for students taking the advanced Grade 12 math range from 97.5 per cent to a dismal 5.5 per cent. We know from the minister's report that the average was 51.3 per cent, which means the majority of students did not fare well. It is time this government and minister provide our Nova Scotia students the necessary resources to successfully complete high school math. My question to the minister is, what resources is the minister and her department providing to students having difficulties in Grade 12 math?
MS. CASEY: Mr. Speaker, to the member opposite, I am pleased to be able to announce that in last year's budget we had $1.5 million dedicated to math resources supports for our students. In the proposed budget this year, we have $1.6 million dedicated to that and with the approval of the budget, we will continue to provide those supports in addition to $1.2 million for math text books. We are making every effort to try to address the problem. We recognize it, we want to correct it.
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Leader of the Opposition.
JUSTICE: CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES - OVERCROWDING
MR. DARRELL DEXTER: Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Justice. I understand that the department is studying the possibility of two new correctional facilities to replace the aging Antigonish and Cumberland Correctional facilities. In addition to last year's new project for the electronic supervision of a small group of offenders. While this may appear to be helpful in preparing for future needs, I understand from correctional staff and their representatives that the correctional facilities across the province are facing an incredible overcrowding situation.
For example, Mr. Speaker, the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility in Burnside alone, has admitted more than 1,000 offenders since January 1st. This is a one-year increase in admissions of 33 per cent. My question to the minister is, what is being done in the interim to deal with the serious overcrowding in our correctional facilities?
HON. MURRAY SCOTT: Mr. Speaker, I thank the honourable Leader of the Official Opposition for the question. He is right. We have seen an increase in the incarceration in this province in regard to our provincial facilities. Correctional staff and the director are in constant contact with superintendents to ensure that we are able to adequately house those who are incarcerated in provincial institutions in Nova Scotia. I know there are lots of times when we have to transfer among the institutions that we presently have.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to take the opportunity, as well, to say that in our discussions with the federal government and in discussions with the correctional staff here in the province, we are looking in the long term. As you know, the federal government has embarked upon some pretty strong law and order agendas which I support and I know this province does and this government does, which will mean, down the road, that we are going to need additional space as well. This province is dealing with the issue in the short term but, as well, we are looking at the long term to solve this very important issue.
MR. DEXTER: Mr. Speaker, let me provide some further evidence of how bad this overcrowding situation is. Just last weekend, at the Burnside facility, there were as many as 44 offenders serving intermittent sentences due to overcrowding. They are expected to regularly report on their whereabouts. Of this group, 12 were on temporary absences without supervision. Burnside is recognized by senior officials in the correctional services division, as the catchment facility for all of the province. It is where all the high-risk offenders serve their sentences. So my question for the minister is this, will the minister tell correctional staff and concerned Nova Scotians what he is doing to address the serious overcrowding that is happening this month at the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility?
MR. SCOTT: Mr. Speaker, again to the honourable Leader of the Official Opposition, my understanding is that just in the last few days that Burnside, in fact, was not full. In fact, there were several beds that were available, I think 12 the last time I checked. There are times when intermittent sentences are imposed, that offenders are required to do their time on weekends, or whatever, but if the honourable member would realize, as well, that we have included in this year's budget a substantial increase for electronic supervision. In fact, I believe the only GPS system in North America has been introduced by this province and this government in the past year. So there are a lot of initiatives underway in regard to dealing with the issue the member brings forward to this House.
MR. DEXTER: Mr. Speaker, in addition to the overcrowding, what makes matters worse is the serious understaffing that is also taking place. For example, I understand that in both the north and west units at Burnside, there are as few as three staff on the floor to deal with as many as 112 inmates during the day and only two staff at night to deal with as many as 132 inmates. This situation would literally be impossible to handle if there was a disturbance or some other serious issue on the floor. I have to assume that the minister will not tolerate this kind of an unsafe situation. So my question to him is, since this serious understaffing can't possibly be considered a safe working environment, what immediate steps is the minister taking to bring staffing up to safe levels?
MR. SCOTT: Mr. Speaker, thank you, again to the honourable Leader of the Official Opposition. I can assure the member in this House that there is adequate staff in place at the correctional facilities, not only in Burnside but right across this province. Those issues are occupational health and safety issues, obviously, there is an opportunity for staff to bring those forward to administration but I can guarantee that those issues are and will be addressed by correctional staff in Nova Scotia.
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Dartmouth East.
MS. JOAN MASSEY: Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Heritage. Despite knowing that legislation does not make RV camping in parking lots illegal, the province undertook an enforcement campaign in 2005 that has caused confusion and anger among RV owners. I'll table an exchange, obtained through freedom of information, between department staff and an irate RV owner who states that "in Nova Scotia it is illegal to stay anywhere but a campground, and for many of us it is just too intimidating and unfriendly to visit the province." My question to the minister - given the dozens of letters he has received saying the same thing, will he now admit our reputation among the RV community is in trouble?
HON. LEONARD GOUCHER: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, and thank you very much to the member opposite for a very important question. It is one, without question, within the RV sector throughout the province, and obviously from some visitors, that has caused some confusion. We have very clearly communicated to all RV associations, to the press, to anybody who has written me, that there are no laws being broken by individuals who seek permission to park on private property.
This is what this whole issue is over, Mr. Speaker, where there is some belief by the member opposite and some others that some law is being broken in accordance with the Tourism Accommodation Act which, by the way, three days into my mandate as a new minister I undertook a review, which is currently going on as well, and there are no laws being broken in this province at this time by any RVer who seeks permission or parks on private property. As a government, we have no right to refuse that.
MS. MASSEY: Mr. Speaker, what is perhaps even worse is the department's response. They do nothing to correct the misconception and go on to say "Please accept our invitation to explore Nova Scotia and see for yourself. There is no need to hurry, relax and stay with us. Make memories for a lifetime." Another response from the department states "We would be pleased to have you and your friends visit us and experience Nova Scotia hospitality."
My question to the minister, when will the department pull its head out of the sand and admit there is a serious communications problem here?
MR. GOUCHER: Mr. Speaker, with all due respect, I guess the member opposite wasn't listening to my previous response. There are no laws being broken. We are communicating with owners and industry alike in this regard.
Mr. Speaker, again, we have undertaken a full review of the Tourism Accommodation Act which is currently in its final review stages and we will have more
information on that, but at this time we have made the correspondence to all involved - there are no laws being broken and, other than that, I mean I don't know what else the government can say.
MS. MASSEY: Mr. Speaker, I will say my hearing is quite good and I can hear everything you're saying. (Interruptions)
Mr. Speaker, we are weeks away from the tourism season - RV numbers are in serious decline, and for the third year Web sites, RV magazines and chat boards label Nova Scotia as the RV-unfriendly province. While the legislation is reviewed, this department is doing nothing to address the misconceptions about parking rules. My question, Mr. Minister, how many more seasons will come and go before your department works out a solution for this issue?
MR. GOUCHER: Mr. Speaker, again, I do appreciate the question; I'm glad this issue has come to the floor. We are looking forward to our new tourism strategy launch very shortly and, just for the information of the House, air traffic is up 37 per cent this year; travel, the number of total visits is up 7 per cent; and the number of road nights sold is up 5 per cent. This government is working toward a successful tourism season and we are going to accomplish that with the new tourism strategy.
[11:15 a.m.]
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Glace Bay.
MR. DAVID WILSON (Glace Bay): Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Health. Yesterday it was reported that the Cape Breton District Health Authority paid about $1 million in overtime costs to cover patients' critical care needs last year. A posting was placed in the emergency department of the Cape Breton Regional Hospital that shows that within 54 days the hospital spent over $95,000 to cover 1,500 hours of overtime at over $1,700 per day. According to the district's chief executive officer, that's running about double the normal budgeted amount.
My question to the minister, Mr. Speaker, is what other DHAs are paying overtime and was that overtime pre-approved by his department?
HON. CHRISTOPHER D'ENTREMONT: Mr. Speaker, as always, the DHAs are responsible for their individual budgets and I know that they work within them to make sure that they can provide quality care for all Nova Scotians and if that requires paying overtime, then they do so.
MR. DAVID WILSON (Glace Bay): Mr. Speaker, this is not the first year, nor will it be the last, when overtime will have to be paid to fill in vacancies and take care of heavy workloads. In fact, the district CEO indicated yesterday that he expects a similar expense for this year as well. With the province spending almost half of its entire budget on health care this year, that percentage keeps going up, that kind of spending is just not sustainable.
My question to the minister, Mr. Speaker, is, will he commit to hiring enough staff to fill the needs and avoid the extra expense of overtime?
MR. D'ENTREMONT: Mr. Speaker, the issue is not necessarily one of hiring staff and we will continue to work through the nursing strategy and other employment strategies in order to have full complements of staffing in each hospital, but we're also talking about extra usage when it comes to our alternate level of care patients, looking for placements for them in long-term care facilities and those types of things that require extra staffing.
I can say even though they had some overages last year in terms of overtime, that the district health authorities in 2005-06 came back at one-twentieth of one per cent of their budgets, which is phenomenal work of mitigating their budgets.
MR. DAVID WILSON (Glace Bay): Mr. Speaker, I would think that it is pretty obvious to anyone who read that article that the Cape Breton District Health Authority, like most other DHAs across this province, is in dire need of additional permanent staff. Filling vacancies as they arise creates extra work for the administrators and uncertainty in the public who don't know from week to week which emergency departments are open and which are not.
My final question to the minister is, where is your health human resources plan, Mr. Minister?
MR. D'ENTREMONT: Mr. Speaker, again it is not necessarily that of vacancies but actual use that is going on in our hospitals. Some of our hospitals are running now at about 104 per cent and if they need to run at 104 per cent, they need to have extra staffing to provide the quality and expert care that they provide every day.
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Cape Breton Centre.
MR. FRANK CORBETT: Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Minister of Health. In the Law Amendments Committee we heard all week about this government doing little consultation, no consultation or consultation where they just don't listen to people, so I want to ask the Minister of Health about the RFP process that has begun around building new nursing homes and residential care facilities and community-based option homes. We've been hearing from these operators who either have RCFs or community-based options and
they are saying that these residents want to submit a proposal but they feel the process has been set up in favour of the larger groups, such as the MacLeod Group.
I want to ask the minister, why is his department continuing to work against residential care facilities and CBOs and not allowing them to participate fully in this process?
HON. CHRISTOPHER D'ENTREMONT: Mr. Speaker, as we construct 832 beds across this province, as we replace 721 beds across the province, we need to have a transparent process. That transparent process is one that is held within the RFP process, all Nova Scotians, all companies in Nova Scotia, all private companies in Nova Scotia, all private associations in Nova Scotia, can apply for this RFP process.
MR. CORBETT: Well the transparency here is that this does not work in favour of CBOs, Mr. Speaker.
Now one of the homes - and I know the minister knows about this because we've talked about it - is the Dominion Guest Home in my constituency, that is held and run, managed by a health care professional with some years experience. Now this group wants to submit a proposal as a small options home but Dominion Guest Home doesn't seem to fit anywhere in the criteria outlined in the RFP process. The area served by this home is in desperate need of these beds. They have six beds now but only three are sponsored by the Department of Health. My question to the minister is, why do CBOs continue to be excluded from licensing and apparently the RFP process?
MR. D'ENTREMONT: Mr. Speaker, I can say that throughout the continuing care process, as we rolled out the continuing care strategy - looking at the requirements of beds across the province, looking at the Level 1 or Level 2 nursing home - it was where we needed to focus our energies or focus our monies. That is where we're going to be focusing that. I know there are a number of options there for RCF level of care, as well. There is very little requirement for CBO from our first stage of work. The RFP does represent that requirement of Level 2 nursing homes across the province.
MR. CORBETT: Mr. Speaker, he should talk to the people who want access to those beds. Continuously, three beds sit empty in that CBO because the Department of Health refuses to fill them. Not every small-options home has the ability to expand to have the number of licensed beds for a long-term care facility. They want fair consideration, that's all they want is fair consideration. My question to the minister is, what assurances can he offer small operators that the process is not going to favour larger nursing homes at the expense of CBOs?
MR. D'ENTREMONT: Mr. Speaker, I can assure the member opposite that the RFP process is one that is transparent, one that has set guidelines, one that will be followed
through and one that will benefit all seniors requiring long-term care facilities in Nova Scotia.
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Dartmouth South-Portland Valley.
HEALTH - SIMPSON HALL: CLOSURE - ARRANGEMENTS
MS. MARILYN MORE: Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Health. We know that the problems with the physical plant at Simpson Hall, at the former Nova Scotia Hospital site, have been growing worse over the past few years. It may come as no surprise then that Capital Health, in a memo dated April 2, 2007, announced to those who run the mental health and addiction treatment programs that the facility will be closed by the summer. I will table that memo. We're given to understand that the facility is not being replaced, however. I'd like to quote for the minister from that memo: "We recognize the turmoil for staff and client services during the move and apologize for any inconvenience this may cause."
I ask the minister, what arrangements are being made to assist and limit any negative impact on the up to 200 staff and clients who use Simpson Hall every day?
HON. CHRISTOPHER D'ENTREMONT: Mr. Speaker, the issue of Simpson Hall is one that we deal with on quite a regular basis, looking at alternatives and trying to find ways to provide that outpatient service that it does so well. The members opposite have brought to the floor of this House before the state of that building and the requirement for a new one or alternate locations. We'll be working with Capital Health through their redevelopment phase, through their facilities' phase, to see what the options are. We will work with all those people involved to make sure that services are not interrupted and that if a move is warranted, there will be the least disruption possible.
MS. MORE: Mr. Speaker, some of these programs require sustainability. This is going to be another temporary move for the addiction prevention and treatment services' staff and clients. To quote the memo again, "... it is difficult to determine the length of time before a permanent home will be secured."
Let me list some of the additional affected programs and services within this facility - Community Mental Health; detox; core addictions services, such as methadone program; the Schizophrenia Society; Dartmouth Literacy Network and the Dartmouth Community Health Board. Most of these are outpatient services on which the clients have come to rely. It is easily accessible via public transit, an important factor for the many clients without private transportation. My next question is, will these services be relocated to areas that are just as easily accessible by those clients reliant on public transit?
MR. D'ENTREMONT: Mr. Speaker, as I said in my previous answer, as the process does finalize, as we know exactly what we're going to be doing, we'll be communicating
that with the community, we will be communicating that with the member opposite, and we will be ensuring that the services will be available to those individuals who require those services today and in the future.
MS. MORE: Mr. Speaker, there is a lot of apprehension and unrest among the clients and staff of these programs. My final question will be for the Minister of Transportation and Public Works. The facility at Simpson Hall currently houses many programs that need to coordinate their work within the same facility in the best interests of their clients. I ask the minister, what options has his department presented to Capital Health to ensure that another suitable site can be found for these important outpatient services?
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Minister of Transportation and Public Works.
HON. ANGUS MACISAAC: Mr. Speaker, I'm going to refer that question to the Minister of Health, he has more intimate knowledge of the subject.
MR. D'ENTREMONT: Mr. Speaker, the Capital District Health Authority is the one that is developing their resource plan of the requirements of their facilities and then coming back to us with their request of where they would like to either relocate, renovate or what have you of Simpson Hall. It wasn't so long ago that the member for Queens had presented to the floor of this House, the deplorable condition of Simpson Hall and we are trying to address that. We will ensure that the services are available to those people who so much need it.
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Leader of the Liberal Party.
MR. MICHEL SAMSON: Mr. Speaker, over the past 12 months the Strait area has gone from a high level of excitement over the proposed Anadarko liquified natural gas facility, to witnessing the complete deteriorization of this LNG project and now comes news of the loss of 20 jobs at the Federal Gypsum Plant in Point Tupper, Richmond County. The jobs at Federal Gypsum are good paying jobs and provided a significant economic impact to the Strait area. This government has poured millions into Federal Gypsum to help move the company along, but apparently has now given up on this facility. We now have 20 workers in the Strait area looking for help and direction from this government. My question to the Premier is, what is your plan now for the Federal Gypsum Company and for the 20 workers whom you have allowed to slip into unemployment?
THE PREMIER: Mr. Speaker, I refer that to the Minister of Economic Development to provide an update with respect to this file.
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Minister of Economic Development.
HON. RICHARD HURLBURT: Mr. Speaker, I can assure the member opposite and all members that this government has been involved with Federal Gypsum from day one. We have invested the taxpayer's money into the project there. We had concerns with Federal Gypsum and we've relayed that off to the management of Federal Gypsum. My staff at OED and NSBI has been working weekly with Federal Gypsum to look at other provincial investors into the company.
MR. SAMSON: Mr. Speaker, ironically, in the concerns raised by the minister, at no point did he raise a concern for the 20 workers and the 20 families that are now unemployed because of this government's inability to be able to work with the company to make it a success. Residents of the Strait area gave their full support for the new liquified natural gas facility in Point Tupper, yet it now appears that Anadarko has all but given up on this project. More worrisome is the fact that it appears that the Premier and his government have all but given up on this project as well. This was a project of terrific opportunities for economic creation in this province and at the same time could have provided an alternate source of energy for our province as well. My question, again to the Premier, can he advise what he is doing to establish a liquified natural gas industry in our province?
THE PREMIER: Mr. Speaker, I will refer that again to the Minister of Economic Development so that he can provide an update.
MR. HURLBURT: Mr. Speaker, we are still working with the company that owns the property up there; Nova Scotia Business Inc. is the lead agency working on that file. We are working in conjunction with the Minister of Energy on that file and are in hopes of finding a company that will take the project on.
[11:30 a.m.]
MR. SAMSON: Mr. Speaker, LNG could have provided a great opportunity here in this province for all sorts of alternative forms of energy - they could have even helped with ironing some of the minister's shirts here in Province House as well.
Mr. Speaker, we are aware that a company has approached this government in regard to building a new refinery in the Strait area, yet once again this government has all been but silent on this project. Such a project of this magnitude could mean hundreds of jobs for the Strait area and a great economic benefit for our province. This government should be doing all it can to work with this company, but it appears there is little interest by the government, as a parcel of land apparently has yet to be identified by this government for the proponent of this project.
Therefore, my final supplementary, Mr. Speaker - and hopefully he will answer this one - why will the Premier not show leadership in the establishment of long-term, good-paying jobs in rural Nova Scotia, more importantly in his own backyard in the Strait area?
THE PREMIER: Mr. Speaker, again, I would like to thank the Leader - the Interim Leader, sorry - of the Liberal Party . . .
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh. Oh . . .
THE PREMIER: . . . for the question, and I will refer that to the Minister of Economic Development.
HON. RICHARD HURLBURT: Mr. Speaker, maybe my shirt hasn't been ironed, but I don't have enough grease in my hair to grease a whole fleet of trucks. (Interruption)
This government, since 1999 we have created over 20,000 jobs in this province. I read a resolution this morning, here in the House, on the Credit Union program that we have - that I believe that you had an input in developing in this province - it has created and maintained over 1,500 jobs. We are working with the RDAs and the communities to develop economic growth in that community and all communities and we will keep on doing so.
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Queens.
MS. VICKI CONRAD: Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Health Promotion and Protection. The 19 supervised beaches in Nova Scotia are kept safe by the Nova Scotia Lifeguard Service - last year serving from the July 1st weekend until August 27th, except Aylesford Lake and Lawrencetown beaches, which were supervised until September 5th. In the supervised areas, the lifeguard service has enjoyed a 33-year, no drowning record, and this is a testament to the good work done by these diligent guardians.
The one problem I have had raised with me is that the season does not take into account the Labour Day long weekend, when many people are trying to get in that last day at the beach. My question to the minister is what will be the duration of supervision on Nova Scotian beaches this summer?
HON. BARRY BARNET: Mr. Speaker, to the member opposite, we intend to provide the same service this year as we provided last year. The member does raise a legitimate concern, however I am led to believe, or I understand that we have an issue specifically being able to retain the employees during that Labour Day long weekend. Many of the lifeguards are university students who are returning to classes during that Labour Day long weekend, and we would be unable to provide the services with the existing employees that we have.
MS. CONRAD: Mr. Speaker, last summer there was a tragic loss of life at Melmerby Beach in Pictou County on the Labour Day long weekend. A mother, seeing her young daughter struggling in the water, attempted to assist her and was herself swept away by a
strong undertow. The beach was unsupervised at the time, and even with the quick work of first responders the mother drowned while her daughter was saved by another beach-goer. My question is, why doesn't Nova Scotia have supervision on the Labour Day long weekends so families can safely enjoy the last weekend of summer?
MR. BARNET: Mr. Speaker, as I said in my first response, it's difficult for the lifeguard system to be able to retain employees for that long weekend. Many of the people we employ for that service are university students and often they are heading back to university for that long weekend. We do, however, clearly mark the beaches that are supervised, they are swim at your own risk, and certainly it's a tragic event and we would encourage people to follow the directions of the signs and to swim safely when there aren't supervisors in place.
MS. CONRAD: Mr. Speaker, through you to the minister, I would encourage he and his department to at least try to look at the necessity of having full supervised beaches throughout our long weekends. It's just too important to at least not try to find ways to fund and increase the number of lifeguards. Two beaches last year were supervised through to September 5th. What was done on these two beaches should be expanded to all supervised beaches. We have heard of the potential difficulties in supervising these beaches. However, I want to ask again, what steps has this minister taken to explore the other possibilities of expanding the supervised season?
MR. BARNET: Mr. Speaker, what I'll say to the member opposite is that our lifeguards do a great job for the Province of Nova. Many of them are university students who have gone through the lifeguard training process that we have here in the Province of Nova Scotia. It's a service that we're proud to offer but, unfortunately, because of the nature of the employees, they're often university students and they have to go back to university. The incident that the member opposite refers to is a tragic incident. It happened at a point in time when there were very, very high seas at that time, and I understand that there were signs in place to warn people from swimming during that particular day.
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Cape Breton South.
COM. SERV. - C.B. HOUSING AUTH.: VACANCIES - DETAILS
MR. MANNING MACDONALD: Mr. Speaker, my question today is to the Minister of Community Services. As of March 19, 2007, the Cape Breton Housing Authority indicates there are 109 vacant public housing units in that area waiting for refurbishment. In addition to these units, another 40 units become vacant on a monthly basis as existing tenants move out of public housing. Now, there are an additional 89 units within the Cape Breton Housing Authority for which there are no applications on file.
My question to the minister is, Mr. Speaker, why are so many housing units vacant and what are you doing to fill them?
HON. JUDY STREATCH: Mr. Speaker, to my honourable colleague across the way, I thank him for the opportunity to rise to discuss this issue. I know my honourable colleague speaks of an issue that is of great concern to this member and indeed to all of the members from Cape Breton as it has been raised by the other Party and, as well, as to all members of the government and indeed the department.
Mr. Speaker, there are challenges all across this province when it comes to our public housing. We've invested millions of dollars in refurbishing. We've invested countless hours and commitment. We do our very best to ensure that we have safe, healthy public housing available for our tenants across the province. Indeed, just this winter we invested in a winter works program specifically in the Cape Breton region to ensure that families and low-income individuals would have adequate housing.
MR. MANNING MACDONALD: Mr. Speaker, I'll present some more disturbing facts to the House and to the minister here today. As of February 28th of this year, there were 382 eligible seniors and 279 eligible families waiting for public housing - some for many months. In addition, there are 145 individuals under the age of 58 who filed applications for seniors' housing. While these people are not usually eligible for public housing, they will be approved if there are vacancies not filled by seniors. New public housing projects have been approved for Cape Breton but not one unit was actually built in the last fiscal year. New construction is not keeping up with the demand and for some reason existing units remain vacant.
My question to the minister, Mr. Speaker, if so many units are vacant, why is the wait list so long?
MS. STREATCH: Mr. Speaker, again to my honourable colleague, I know that he speaks of an issue that he has a vast understanding of and, indeed, his numbers are correct. We do have some challenges when it comes to some of our public housing. In some instances the applicants simply do not qualify for the public housing. In some instances, the housing units themselves are not where the applicants want to be and, of course, if we do have applicants who don't qualify, certainly they can be considered for housing when there are vacancies that cannot be filled with age-restricted clients, as the individual mentioned earlier.
MR. MANNING MACDONALD: Mr. Speaker, one of the problems that we face in the Cape Breton Regional Housing Authority, and I'm sure in other housing authorities, is that now the criterion is "first in, first looked at" instead of the needs assessment being put in place to help people who are desperately in need of housing.
It seems to me that the needs of low-income Cape Bretoners are not being met. There is no reason why the housing authority should have so many vacancies - almost 200 - when there are almost 800 applications for public housing. The department has to look very hard
at its current practices of new construction and refurbishing of public housing units to ensure that those people who need the homes actually receive them.
My final question to the minister is, are needs assessments done before housing units are approved for construction?
MS. STREATCH: Mr. Speaker, to my honourable colleague, it is balancing those needs that indeed is very important. It is the needs of the clientele, the needs of the community and the region, along with the fiscal availability. In this fiscal we face some challenges with our new housing developments. We had the dollars there, we committed the dollars, this government is fully committed to those housing units.
Mr. Speaker, unfortunately the construction industry and the developers could not fulfil a lot of those commitments on time, so the dollars are there, the projects are committed and I look forward to the second round, to ensure that we have even more housing options available for all Nova Scotians.
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Halifax Citadel.
COM. SERV. - CHILD CARE: PROVISION - TIME FRAME
MR. LEONARD PREYRA: Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Community Services. Your department recently unveiled its 10-year plan for child care in Nova Scotia. Part of this plan is to introduce 1,000 new spaces over a 10-year period; 1,000 spaces created over a 10-year period are not enough, considering that the average wait list at child care centres in the Halifax Regional Municipality alone is 109 families long. These families need spaces now, not at some point over the next 10 years. My question is, what is your department going to do to help the families who need child care right now?
HON. JUDY STREATCH: Mr. Speaker, you know the child care plan that this government has prepared, that this government has rolled out for Nova Scotians is one that is sustainable, it is a healthy plan, it will ensure that the future of tomorrow, the youth of today, the children of today, are well cared for in those very early years.
Our plan, $138 million that was reaffirmed through the federal government's commitment in the recently passed federal budget, is one that will go on for many years to come. We're very proud of it as we roll out individual components of the plan. It will include over 1,000 spaces, 550 portable spaces. Recently we just announced over $600,000 in repair and renovation funding and the list goes on.
MR. PREYRA: Mr. Speaker, the child care strategy is one page long and some of these children will be teenagers by the time this policy rolls out. Today some centres, like the University Children's Centre in my constituency, have as many as 150 children waiting for a space. According to the Action Coalition on Early Childhood Education, the average
wait list is 100 children. There is clearly a need for more spaces right now. Many parents have to delay returning to work or school because they cannot find child care. My question is, what do you say to the parents who cannot earn a livelihood because they cannot find a licensed space for their children?
MS. STREATCH: Mr. Speaker, indeed to my honourable colleague across the way, the child care plan is an entire Web site and I tabled in this House a full document that I provided to my honourable colleague across the way. It is on the record and I encourage my honourable colleague to investigate that as he will find many components to this $138 million plan that include, just to mention a couple, $54 million committed by this government for operational funding, for commercial centres, for non-profit centres, to ensure benefits and salary for the hard-working child care providers of this province. (Applause)
MR. PREYRA: Well, evidently there might not have been enough adequate child care when some members on the other side were being raised, Mr. Speaker. Parents in my constituency and parents in Nova Scotia need more than the minister to act as Web nanny. I receive numerous phone calls from parents who cannot access spaces for their children, parents who are forced to extend their leave from work past 12 months, however, they risk losing their jobs. My question is, what are parents supposed to do when they cannot find a space, but have used up all of their parental leave?
MS. STREATCH: Mr. Speaker, the $138 million 10-year plan by this government is a sustainable plan. It has been applauded across the country. Our commitment to the future of tomorrow will pay off in droves. As a parent, as an educator, I believe firmly in educating and beginning with the young. The new component, the family-home child care, will be rolled out in any day. That will ensure that we have even more choice in child care across this province. In early May, I've instructed staff to expedite the process to ensure that we have more spaces available on the ground, as soon as possible, for all families across this province.
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Pictou West.
ECON. DEV.: CAP PROG. - FUNDING
MR. CHARLES PARKER: Mr. Speaker, my question through you is to the Minister of Economic Development. Earlier in this session when we asked the minister about the status of the CAP program, this is what he said, "I take the federal minister's word, the same as I would anybody's word on the floor of this House. He made a commitment to me and this government. This government is committed to the CAP sites in this province and I can assure members in this House that the CAP sites on Sunday, April 1st, will be operating the same as they are on March 31st."
Well, March 31st has come and gone, which is the deadline for continuing the CAP program and Nova Scotians deserve to know the status of CAP. So I want to ask the
minister, is this government still supporting CAP, and if so, what level of funding will it receive in 2007-08?
HON. RICHARD HURLBURT: Mr. Speaker, as I said earlier in the session, this government supports the CAP program in this province. I took the federal minister by his word, and the minister's lived to his word. It was in the federal budget that was tabled by the federal government.
MR. PARKER: Mr. Speaker, well, volunteers have been lobbying for months, as we know, to continue this program. It is certainly invaluable for tourists, seniors, small businesses and for community organizations. A 2004 evaluation of the CAP program undertaken by ICO Research states that CAP sites serve a vital public good by providing Internet access and IT training to thousands of Canadians. Yet the study points out that barely 25 per cent of low-income households have Internet access at home. So if we have no assurance of funding here for CAP in this province, how are Nova Scotians ever going to bridge the digital divide?
MR. HURLBURT: Mr. Speaker, I can assure the member and all Nova Scotians that this government supports the CAP program in this province and the CAP programs will maintain for their current year. We have now a commitment from the federal government and we have that. We have proof from the Deputy Minister of Industry that the funding is in their budget for this upcoming year.
MR. PARKER: Mr. Speaker, well, I asked in my first question, what level of funding we're going to get from this department and so far I haven't heard an answer. Only 62 per cent of Nova Scotians outside of metro have access to the Internet. This government has promised high-speed Internet to all areas of this province, but not for another two and a half years. So far all I've seen is pilot projects. So my final question to the minister is, when is this government going to get serious about providing high-speed Internet access to every Nova Scotian?
MR. HURLBURT: Mr. Speaker, a good indication of how serious this government is and it would be a good indication from that Party, to support our budget for this $10 million in that budget for broadband in this province. (Interruptions)
Mr. Speaker, our Premier made a commitment to Nova Scotians that we would have broadband across this province, 100 per cent, by the end of 2009. I don't know where those people were when we were discussing that, but now they want us to really rush it. Well, we are rushing it and we need support from that Party for our budget to make sure that we live up to our commitment to secure broadband for all Nova Scotians.
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Kings West.
NAT. RES.: LONG-TERM FOREST STRATEGY - VOL. TASK FORCE
MR. LEO GLAVINE: Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Natural Resources. Forests in Nova Scotia are habitats for thousands of species of plants and animals. By continuing to manage our forests without proper consultation and a long-term plan, we will disrupt nature, forest plants and animals into reduced numbers and further contribute to the destruction of our environment. We need a forest strategy plan and we need it now. What future condition will we leave our province in for our children and children's children? Other Atlantic Provinces, such as Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island, have taken the initiative and are implementing a long-term forest management plan. My question to the minister is, will your government commission a voluntary task force to develop a long-term forest strategy?
HON. DAVID MORSE: Mr. Speaker, the member opposite brings up a very important matter for not only this government but indeed for the future of all Nova Scotians. Our forests are a huge employer, a giant economic generator in the province, but also provide many other attributes to Nova Scotians, such as recreational use. There are a lot of reasons why we want to make sure there is a balance with our forestry strategy and we are looking forward to very shortly announcing the process by which we are going to conduct this review but I can assure the member opposite that there will be lots of public consultation and we will get it right.
MR. GLAVINE: Mr. Speaker, I thank the minister for that level of commitment so far. My office has received a high amount of e-mails, phone calls, letters, calling for government to take action on this matter. We are waiting. It is beyond me how the government continues to push this issue to the side. In a presentation from a senior member of the minister's department, consultations were to be made with stakeholders and a broad public outreach. My question to the minister is, what stakeholders and members of the public did you consult on this issue to date?
MR. MORSE: Mr. Speaker, I think that we should be clear that what we are talking about is trying to get a process for consultation in place. There has been a lot of consultation, in fact not only within Nova Scotia but across the country and internationally as to best practices as to how to get this done in a way that it gets the right information, encourages the correct public consultation and that ultimately the results will be accepted by all Nova Scotians as being appropriate and the best for the future of Nova Scotia's forests.
MR. GLAVINE: Mr. Speaker, we can't afford to waste any more time on this matter. We have relied on the sustainability of our forests for generations, for houses, to keep us warm, to employ our citizens and even to build our ships. Now the table has turned and it's our forests that need our help. My question to the minister is, when can we expect your government to finally take action and create a voluntary task force designed to plan a strategy on forest sustainability in Nova Scotia?
MR. MORSE: Mr. Speaker, in answer to the member's question, again the first step is to establish the process. That is in the works. I would anticipate that within the next number of weeks there should be a public announcement. There has been a lot of consultation with both stakeholder groups and I want to make sure that it is done right. I believe that it has been done right but ultimately Cabinet will make that decision and at the time that we are ready to make the announcement, we will certainly get back to them and we look forward to their support for the strategy.
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Halifax Chebucto.
ECON. DEV. : SWEATSHOP PROCUREMENT - POLICY
MR. HOWARD EPSTEIN: Mr. Speaker, this will be for the Minister of Economic Development. In November, I asked the minister why the government has not yet introduced procurement policies that ban the purchase, by the government, of sweatshop-produced goods. The minister responded by saying that his government understands the importance of the issue, that staff had been assigned to the file and that the government would be coming forward with a policy. Right now, the Government of Manitoba has gone beyond a pre-existing policy that they adopted and they are actually enacting legislation about no sweatshop procurement. So can I ask the minister when is Nova Scotia, not going to bring in legislation but when at least will there be a policy on banning sweatshop- produced purchases by the provincial government? When can we see that?
MR. HURLBURT: Mr. Speaker, I relayed this to procurement, and I've asked them to come back to me with a policy on the issue and I'm waiting for that policy.
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please. The time allotted for the Oral Question Period has expired.
The honourable Minister of Economic Development.
HON. RICHARD HURLBURT: Mr. Speaker, I would like to rise on either a point of order or personal privilege - I guess you can rule on that. Sometimes in Question Period we get embroiled in the barbs going back and forth and I believe that maybe my tone to the Leader of the Liberal Party was out of order. I would like to retract the statement I made and I apologize if I embarrassed any member of the Legislature.
MR. SPEAKER: The record shall reflect the same.
The honourable Leader of the Liberal Party.
MR. MICHEL SAMSON: Mr. Speaker, obviously I believe the minister's comments certainly are appreciated in light of Question Period, and I hope he'll accept as well my tongue-in-cheek comment - being our last Question Period - it wasn't meant to be too much
of a slight, it was more meant tongue-in-cheek than anything else, but if it was offensive to any of the members on the government side, certainly I would retract my comments as well. So with that, I certainly appreciate the minister's comments.
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Minister of Community Services.
HON. JUDY STREATCH: Mr. Speaker, I rise today on a point of order. During this session of the House of Assembly, members of the Opposition have repeatedly brought forward personal cases to the floor of this Legislature, naming individuals in the process - cases that contain inaccurate information. These statements were made knowing full and well that I and my Cabinet colleagues cannot respond due to being ethically bound - and rightfully so - by confidentiality. The impression this leaves to members and to all Nova Scotians, due to the broadcast of Legislative Television and the availability of Hansard on the Internet, is that I and other ministers are withholding information.
As members of the Executive Council, we are bound by confidentiality, so I question how ethical this practice truly is. To make very serious accusations about the professional standards and competence of departmental staff as well as a minister's ability to lead within the department, without being provided the ability to defend decisions or correct inaccurate information, does not seem to be in the historic tenor of the House.
Bringing into the Legislature the personal reputations and lives of Nova Scotians who occasionally need to seek the assistance of their government does not fit, in my mind, with the legacy of this historic Nova Scotia Legislature. Nova Scotians have an absolute right to contact their government representatives when they have questions or concerns about a process, policy, or indeed individual case handling within a government department, and I encourage all to do so in an appropriate manner and setting.
The protocol for these concerns is in place, Mr. Speaker, respecting the privacy and reputation of these Nova Scotians while dealing with the inquiries in a personal, confidential and respectful manner. This is not about not being accountable, transparent, or addressing issues that need to be addressed - it is just the opposite. I believe that if you asked members of this Legislature, they would tell you my staff and the employees at Community Services are concerned, just, passionate and responsive.
[12:00 p.m.]
Mr. Speaker, I respectfully request that you take this matter under advisement and rule on the admissibility of bringing individual names and personal cases onto the floor of the Legislature for political gain.
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please. The rights and privileges of members of this House are to be brought forward if there is a concern about those rights and privileges before this House. I indicated at the beginning of the session that all members, regardless of what their
concerns may be, in order to have them properly addressed, must address those matters within this Chamber.
If members have a concern to bring forward, they can bring that concern before this House and if they have to take time to explain or articulate themselves then we, as members, shall listen to them just as I will sit here and listen to any member who responds to the point of order that has been raised and I will take it under the appropriate advisement and ruling.
The honourable member for Cape Breton Centre.
MR. FRANK CORBETT: Mr. Speaker, in response, I leave it up to your judgment, obviously, but as far as I understand it nobody in this House brought forward questions about the professionalism of any of the staff of the minister who spoke. Indeed, it is not uncommon to bring personal cases forward in this House. It was a very wide ranging swath that the member brought forward with many accusations, but very little basis, so I would hope you would judge accordingly. Thank you.
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Leader of the Liberal Party.
MR. MICHEL SAMSON: Mr. Speaker, it is a valid point that the minister does raise in regard to privacy concerns. Yet at the same time, I don't think any member of this House would raise the name of a constituent without having consent before that. (Interruptions) If that is the case, I have yet in my nine years to have any Nova Scotian come forward and say that their name has been used without their authority in the House of Assembly - I have yet to see it. In that regard, through our constituency offices dealing with the federal and provincial governments, we are often required to have a consent form signed by our constituents to obtain information on their behalf, as we see quite often when it comes to dealings with the federal government. It may be something for us to look at here in the House of Assembly that we, as legislators, when we are bringing forward the name of individuals that we would have a similar type consent form as well, simply to establish to you, as Speaker, the knowledge that the individual whose name is being raised has consented to their case being brought forward.
At the end of the day, we have to realize that our jobs as legislators often is to make the government aware that there is a human face to the issues being brought up. That there are real people, real families, real children, real situations and that it is real people we are talking about. It is important sometimes that government needs to realize that and too often, we get locked down in bureaucratic decisions that fail to look at the real face and real impact. To say that we should never be allowed to do that again in the future as legislators, I believe that would be a disservice to our duties to represent our constituents to the best of our abilities. I would hope that the Speaker will keep that in mind.
I appreciate the privacy concerns the minister is raising. I think there is a way to be able to address that, but at the end of the day, the day that we, as legislators in this House,
cannot put a real face to the issues facing Nova Scotians is the day that this House is no longer serving the people of this province the way it should be. (Applause)
MR. SPEAKER: I will note, before taking this under advisement, that it is a serious matter that we have to deal with. One of the things that is foremost is that all members are honourable members before this House when they rise and speak, and any statement that is made is made with the assumption that Hansard records it and reflects it as a true statement with the knowledge of that member when they make that statement. That is something that this House provides as well as the immunity that this Chamber also provides members.
However, as we've indicated at the close of Question Period, there are issues of Parliamentary practice and form and whether it is unparliamentary or not is a challenge in this day and age where we have instantaneous broadcasting of the House procedures. Where in years gone by there would be an opportunity, for instance, to reflect any changes in Hansard before they would be made public, now it is more of an instantaneous process, so therefore if there is information that may be supplied to a member, regardless of who that member is, that takes it on its face value as being true and correct, that that indeed would be something they may respond to.
The negative side of that, of course, is if it is reflected in a manner that is not truly correct and it impacts, more importantly, someone in the public that you may be trying to represent and at the same time be reflected on them in a negative way by other public impressions of the matter.
I do want to thank all those who have spoken on this matter. I will indicate, as I say, the honourable Leader of the Liberal Party has provided what he thinks is a suggestion and yes, indeed, constituency offices for disclosure purposes need to know that you're fully authorized to do that, and then there's ownership on behalf of the person requesting your intervention on their behalf.
I think we have a duty, as members of this Assembly, to Nova Scotians, and more importantly to protect the members of this Chamber that, indeed, your parliamentary privileges are being upheld in that the statements you make are being made with the authority of others and the information that you then are provided is on the responsibility of others and not negatively reflected on members. So I shall take it under advisement and report back at my earliest opportunity to this House.
The honourable member for Dartmouth North on an introduction.
MR. TREVOR ZINCK: Mr. Speaker, I want to bring to the attention of the House a visitor in the west gallery. Mr. Joe Gibson has been the Executive Director of the Freedom Foundation men's homes for addictions in Dartmouth North for some 18 years, and I'd like the House to give Mr. Gibson a warm welcome.(Applause)
MR. SPEAKER: Indeed welcome to our guests and to all visitors to Province House today.
GOVERNMENT BUSINESS
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Government House Leader.
HON. MICHAEL BAKER: Mr. Speaker, would you please call the order of business,
Government Motions.
GOVERNMENT MOTIONS
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Government House Leader.
HON. MICHAEL BAKER: Mr. Speaker, I would move that you do now leave the Chair and that the House resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole House on Supply unto Her Majesty.
MR. SPEAKER: The motion is carried.
[12:07 p.m. The House resolved itself into CWH on Supply with Acting Deputy Speaker Chuck Porter in the Chair.]
[1:47 p.m. CWH on Supply rose and the House reconvened. Mr. Speaker, Hon. Cecil Clarke, resumed the Chair.]
MR. SPEAKER: The Chairman of the Committee of the Whole House on Supply reports:
THE CLERK: That the committee has met and made progress and begs leave to sit again.
MR. SPEAKER: Is it agreed?
It is agreed.
The honourable Government House Leader.
HON. MICHAEL BAKER: Mr. Speaker, would you please call the order of business, Public Bills for Second Reading.
PUBLIC BILLS FOR SECOND READING
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Government House Leader.
HON. MICHAEL BAKER: Mr. Speaker, would you please Bill No. 189.
Bill No. 189 - Utility and Review Board Act.
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Minister of Finance.
HON. MICHAEL BAKER: Mr. Speaker, that being my bill, I move second reading of the bill.
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Halifax Needham.
MS. MAUREEN MACDONALD: Mr. Speaker, I just briefly want to speak to this particular bill. I understand that what this bill does is it extends the age of retirement to 70 for members of the UARB. Although we have no difficulty with this, we do find it puzzling, given that the government has in front of us a Mandatory Retirement Elimination Bill, changing the features of mandatory retirement in the province, why exactly this inconsistency in this particular piece of legislation? That is merely all I wanted to remark on this particular bill.
MR. SPEAKER: If I recognize the honourable minister it will be to close the debate.
The honourable Minister of Finance.
HON. MICHAEL BAKER: Mr. Speaker, I move the close of debate and ask for second reading.
MR. SPEAKER: The motion is for second reading of Bill No. 189. Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.
The motion is carried.
Ordered that this bill be referred to the Committee on Law Amendments.
The honourable Government House Leader.
HON. MICHAEL BAKER: Mr. Speaker, I would like to move that Bill No. 195, which is an Act to Amend Chapter 218 of the Revised Statutes of 1987, the Incompetent Persons Act, and Certain Other Statutes. I would like to ask for the unanimous consent of the House to deem this House to be on the Order Paper and to also deem it to be printed for the purpose of allowing second reading today.
MR. SPEAKER: Is it agreed?
It is agreed.
The honourable Government House Leader.
HON. MICHAEL BAKER: Mr. Speaker, would you please call Bill No. 195.
Bill No. 195 - Incompetent Persons Act.
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Government House Leader.
HON. MICHAEL BAKER: Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Minister of Justice, I move second reading of Bill No. 195.
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Leader of the Liberal Party.
MR. MICHEL SAMSON: Mr. Speaker, I simply rise for a moment on second reading of Bill No. 195. I wrote to the minister on this issue. In fact, this is an issue that was raised by the Catholic Women's League of Nova Scotia who, through their annual conventions and through the hard work that they do not only in our communities, but they are certainly very active, as well, on the policy front. I want to take this opportunity to commend the Catholic Women's League. I am fortunate, in my riding, to have a number of divisions in the different parishes of the CWL. They are very active in the community and they are very active at the provincial level and national level as well in the work that they do.
I am pleased that they have taken the time to read through some of this legislation and certainly to point out that a number of the terms that we have in our Acts are clearly outdated. They are language that clearly would not be acceptable in this day and age. They probably wouldn't even be deemed parliamentary. If some of the words in the Acts that we still have on our books would actually be used in this House, Mr. Speaker, I think you would deem them unparliamentary and, as such, I don't think that it makes any sense for us to continue having that type of language exist in the laws of this province, to refer to Nova Scotians who may suffer from various types of illnesses. I want to commend the Minister of Justice, I believe, in my discussions with him, he did recognize the efforts by the Catholic Women's League in raising this issue. I think it is an important role that they play, similar to the Law Reform Commission, which often does bring back changes here to the House of some of our existing legislation. This is an important update for us to do and make sure that our legislation clearly reflects language that is more appropriate in 2007 and what may have been deemed appropriate many years ago when these Acts were first brought to the floor.
With that, Mr. Speaker, I do look forward to this moving on to the Law Amendments Committee and if there are any concerns or any additional amendments required, we can certainly look at them at that point.
MR. SPEAKER: If I recognize the honourable minister it will be to close the debate.
The honourable Minister of Finance.
HON. MICHAEL BAKER: Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Minister of Justice I would close debate on the bill and move second reading.
MR. SPEAKER: The motion is for second reading of Bill No. 195. Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.
The motion is carried.
Ordered that this bill be referred to the Committee of Law Amendments.
The honourable Government House Leader.
HON. MICHAEL BAKER: Mr. Speaker, with respect to Bill No. 197, an Act to amend Chapter 244 of the Revised Statutes, 1989. The Justices of the Peace Act, I would ask the unanimous consent of the House to deem this bill on the Order Paper and to deem that the bill has been printed, so that we can deal with this bill for second reading.
MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for unanimous consent.
Is it agreed?
It is agreed.
The motion is carried.
The honourable Government House Leader.
HON. MICHAEL BAKER: Mr. Speaker, would you please call Bill No. 197.
Bill No. 197 - Justices of the Peace Act.
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Government House Leader.
HON. MICHAEL BAKER: Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Minister of Justice I would move second reading of Bill No. 197.
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Halifax Fairview.
MR. GRAHAM STEELE: Mr. Speaker, very briefly I would just like to echo the comments of the member for Halifax Needham when she was speaking a few minutes ago on second reading of Bill No. 197.
The affect of this bill is to change, essentially, the retirement age of Justices of Peace from 65 to 70. It is difficult to understand the government's thinking on retirement ages. They have a bill before the House that they say is going to eliminate mandatory retirement and yet on these two items that are within their control, they're not eliminating retirement, they're simply changing the number at which people are forced to retire.
If the government were truly serious about eliminating the retirement age, there would be a different way of doing this. I simply believe that that needs to be pointed out that the government is sending very confusing signals on how it feels about retirement. Thank you.
MR. SPEAKER: If I recognize the minister it will be to close the debate.
The honourable Government House Leader.
HON. MICHAEL BAKER: Mr. Speaker, I move that the debate now be closed and I move second reading of Bill No. 197.
MR. SPEAKER: The motion is for second reading of Bill No. 197. Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.
The motion is carried.
Ordered that this bill be referred to the Committee of Law Amendments.
The honourable Government House Leader.
HON. MICHAEL BAKER: Mr. Speaker, would you please call the order of business, Public Bills for Third Reading.
PUBLIC BILLS FOR THIRD READING
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Government House Leader.
HON. MICHAEL BAKER: Mr. Speaker, would you please call Bill No. 136, the Justice Administration Amendment Act 2007.
Bill No. 136 - Justice Administration Amendment (2007) Act.
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Minister of Finance.
HON. MICHAEL BAKER: Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Minister of Justice, I move third reading of Bill No. 136.
MR. SPEAKER: The motion is for third reading of Bill No. 136. Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.
The motion is carried.
Ordered that this bill do pass. Ordered that the title be as read by the Clerk. Ordered that the bill be engrossed.
The honourable Government House Leader.
HON. MICHAEL BAKER: Mr. Speaker, would you please call Bill No. 137.
Bill No. 137 - Livestock Health Services Act.
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Hants East.
MR. JOHN MACDONELL: Mr. Speaker, thank you to my colleagues. Mr. Speaker, I will be brief, I hope. We have no problem with this piece of legislation, I want to say. It probably would be a smart thing, I think, for the government to do, to pass this power or authority from the Governor in Council to the minister when it comes to addressing the issue of payment, actually, for veterinary services to large animal veterinarians in the province.
I'm not sure that the - actually it wasn't the minister, I think, who spoke to this at second reading but a former minister. What the subsidy or payment to veterinarians across the province for large animal practices - what this does is, it kind of levels the playing field in terms of distance, covering the costs for veterinarian calls. So in my area, for example, Fundy Veterinarians which is in Shubenacadie - which is actually in the constituency of the Honourable Minister of Agriculture, just across the river from my constituency - what this does is it kind of levels the costs for farmers who would call a large animal veterinarian in Shubenacadie, compared to those, say, in my area in Noel Shore, which would maybe be 50 kilometres or so away, and that cost to the farmer is the same regardless of the distance.
This allows the minister to make decisions without going to the Governor in Council on payment of those subsidies. So making a long story long, Mr. Speaker, the point that I really want to get to in this address is the notion or the fact that back, I believe, in 2000 when the government made the cuts to the Department of Agriculture, one of the things it did was cut those fees to large animal veterinarian practices, that helped cover those costs for traveling those distances. As yet, and even though just recently the government increased those fees just in the last weeks - that was a two-year process, actually, that from the time the increase was recommended to the time that the veterinarians were able to be able to collect that.
More importantly, Mr. Speaker, is the cuts that this government made to those fees back seven years ago, we have not increased the fees back to that level yet. In other words,
they're over seven years behind, and this recent increase, I think have roughly been about 3 per cent a year or some such thing, but the fees were cut by over 30 per cent at that time and they haven't come back up by 30 per cent, so veterinarians are still basically subsidizing those costs - or I should say I guess farmers to a point - although this bill doesn't directly relate to the cost, but it relates to the minister's ability to make those decisions regarding costs, and that would be the point to which I encourage the minister, that now that he has this power, that he actually uses it to speed up the process so that these large animal veterinarians, who are very important to the agricultural sector, that they are compensated in a way that more closely relates to their costs. As any minister or any member of the House would recognize, just the change in gasoline prices over that period of time would indicate just how significantly they must have fallen behind by now, even if they hadn't been cut back some years ago, Mr. Speaker.
So with those few comments, I look forward to seeing this bill get through the House. It does have our support.
MR. SPEAKER: If I recognize the minister it will be to close debate.
The honourable Government House Leader.
HON. MICHAEL BAKER: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to move to close debate on the bill and ask for third reading.
MR. SPEAKER: The motion is for third reading of Bill No. 137, Livestock Health Services Act. Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.
The motion is carried.
Ordered that the bill due pass. Ordered that the title be as read by the Clerk. Ordered that the bill be engrossed.
The honourable Government House Leader.
HON. MICHAEL BAKER: Mr. Speaker, would you please call Bill No. 138.
Bill No. 138 - Medal of Bravery Act.
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Premier.
THE PREMIER: Mr. Speaker, it's my pleasure to move third reading of the Medal of Bravery Act, Bill No. 138.
MR. SPEAKER: If recognize the honourable Premier it would be to close debate on Bill No. 138. Oops, sorry, my apologies.
The honourable member for Timberlea-Prospect.
MR. WILLIAM ESTABROOKS: Mr. Speaker, again as I said the other evening on an introduction of another bill, for various health reasons, I'll have some short comments tonight - hold the applause. And, he did, for a change.
I want to take this opportunity to congratulate the government for listening to, I think, a rather sensible amendment, particularly when it came to the choice of the committee. The committee structure will be similar to the federal system, making sure there are various allocated members on the selection committee and still allowing the Premier to make sure that the government of the day has a committee that will allow a selection process that's open and is aware of all the people who will be names brought forward.
With those few comments, it's a good moment to say that we will now have, in future years, MV(N.S.) behind various peoples' names in this province as we recognize their accomplishments across this province. Thank you.
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Leader of the Liberal Party.
MR. MICHEL SAMSON: Mr. Speaker, I too rise on third reading to extend our full support for the bill brought forward by the Premier. Certainly, anything that we can do as a province - just this week we had the annual Provincial Volunteer Banquet which is an important event to mark the efforts of volunteers throughout this province, and rewarding Nova Scotians and recognizing them for acts of bravery is certainly something we can all be proud of and all support.
[2:00 p.m.]
I'm sure Nova Scotians will be surprised when they see exactly some of the acts that have been undertaken by Nova Scotians over the years where they put their lives at risk and have done brave acts. I'm sure it's something that we will all be proud of as a province to recognize the men and women and children who make up this great province of ours.
We're pleased with this going through and we look forward to its proclamation at a very early date following passage here in this House. Thank you.
MR. SPEAKER: If I recognize the honourable Premier it will be to close the debate.
THE PREMIER: I would like to thank our honourable colleagues from both Parties for their comments and for their support on this bill. Also, to acknowledge the bill is better
than when it was introduced, by the changes that were made, and I thank the members for doing so and bringing this forward.
It is very important, I believe, that we recognize the bravery and the sacrifice that people are willing to make here in our province. That goes from everything from our military to the average Nova Scotian. It's my pleasure to move third reading.
MR. SPEAKER: The motion is for third reading of Bill No. 138. Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.
The motion is carried.
Ordered that this bill do pass. Ordered that the title be as read by the Clerk. Ordered that the bill be engrossed.
The honourable Government House Leader.
HON. MICHAEL BAKER: Mr. Speaker, would you please call Bill No. 141 and on behalf of the Minister of Health, I would like to move third reading.
Bill No. 141 - Respiratory Therapists Act.
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Sackville-Cobequid.
MR. DAVID WILSON (Sackville-Cobequid): Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to stand for a moment to put on the record a few comments on this bill. I hope that all members recognize the importance for this piece of legislation, not only to recognize the profession of respiratory technologists in this province, but to ensure the continuity of care is continued here in our province.
I want to make sure the government knows the importance of this piece of legislation and ensuring it proceeds through the process in a timely manner. Far too often, pieces of legislation come through this process, go through this House, but end up on the shelf. With this piece of legislation, it's so important because of the timeline. You know, the respiratory technologists of this province have been asking government to bring forward this legislation for years now. We only have until the end of December of this year to ensure that this legislation goes through and that the needed regulations are created and in place by December 31st of this year.
Mr. Speaker, I want to make sure that the government recognizes that this needs to happen and that they're done quickly, but efficiently, and ensure that the respiratory technologists in this province maintain their level of registration and the protection to the residents of this province who are served by the respiratory technologists. So I'm glad to see this finally coming through the process for third reading, but I do warn government that they
need to make sure that regulations are in place by the end of this year. With that, I thank you for this opportunity.
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Leader of the Liberal Party.
MR. MICHEL SAMSON: Mr. Speaker, on behalf of our Health Critic - the member for Glace Bay - we, too, are certainly supportive of Bill No. 141, the Respiratory Therapists Act.
Mr. Speaker, in the last number of years we've brought forward and passed a number of pieces of legislation dealing with different professions here in this province that have been wanting to update their legislation and many of them have their own stand-alone legislation. We're certainly pleased to see that this has been achieved with the Respiratory Therapists Act. I would remind the government, as well, that there are still a number of other professions which have been for some time lobbying government for legislation for self-governance here in this province. I think of the dental hygienists as one right off the bat that, unfortunately, still hasn't been brought before this House. It's something that I do hope that the government is continuing to pursue in order to allow that profession to have their own self-governing legislation as well.
With that, Mr. Speaker, we're pleased to see that this bill is moving forward, but clearly there is some other legislation that the government still has not brought forward. We hope to see that possibly during the Fall sitting of the House so that those professions can have their profession legislated here in the House as well. So with that, we certainly will be supporting third reading of Bill No. 141.
MR. SPEAKER: If I recognize the minister it will be to close debate.
The honourable Government House Leader.
HON. MICHAEL BAKER: Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the honourable members for their interventions with respect to the bill and on behalf of the Minister of Health, I would like to move third reading of Bill No. 141.
MR. SPEAKER: The motion is for third reading of Bill No. 141. Is the House ready for the question? Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.
The motion is carried.
Ordered that the bill do pass. Ordered that the title be as read by the Clerk. Ordered that the bill be engrossed.
The honourable Government House Leader.
HON. MICHAEL BAKER: Mr. Speaker, would you please call Bill No. 144.
Bill No. 144 - Municipal Grants Act.
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Minister of Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations.
HON. JAMES MUIR: Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to rise to move third reading of Bill No. 144.
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Waverley-Fall River-Beaver Bank.
MR. PERCY PARIS: Mr. Speaker, I, too, will be brief and, again, since I've already spoken on this bill previously, I just want to reiterate how pleased we are to see this bill move forward and thank the government for the consultation process it followed with the Union of Nova Scotia Municipalities.
MR. SPEAKER: If I recognize the minister it will be to close the debate.
The honourable Minister of Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations.
HON. JAMES MUIR: I am pleased, Mr. Speaker, to close debate on Bill No. 144 and call for the vote.
MR. SPEAKER: The motion is for third reading of Bill No. 144. Is the House ready for the question? Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.
The motion is carried.
Ordered that this bill do pass. Ordered that the title be as read by the Clerk. Ordered that the bill be engrossed.
The honourable Government House Leader.
HON. MICHAEL BAKER: Mr. Speaker, would you please call the order of business, Private and Local Bills for Third Reading.
PRIVATE AND LOCAL BILLS FOR THIRD READING
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Government House Leader.
HON. MICHAEL BAKER: Mr. Speaker, would you please call Bill No. 102.
Bill No. 102 - Pugwash Village Grants Act.
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Government House Leader.
HON. MICHAEL BAKER: Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the honourable member for Cumberland North, I would like to move third reading of Bill No. 102.
MR. SPEAKER: The motion is for third reading of Bill No. 102, the Pugwash Village Grants Act. Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.
The motion is carried.
Ordered that this bill do pass. Ordered that the title be as read by the Clerk. Ordered that the bill be engrossed.
The honourable Government House Leader.
HON. MICHAEL BAKER: Mr. Speaker, would you please call Bill No. 105.
Bill No. 105 - Pugwash Village Capital Grant Act.
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Government House Leader.
HON. MICHAEL BAKER: Mr. Speaker, I move third reading on behalf of the member for Cumberland North.
MR. SPEAKER: The motion is for third reading of Bill No. 105, the Pugwash Village Capital Grant Act. Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.
The motion is carried.
Ordered that this bill do pass. Ordered that the title be as read by the Clerk. Ordered that the bill be engrossed.
The honourable Government House Leader.
HON. MICHAEL BAKER: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would now move that you do leave the Chair and that the House resolve itself into the Committee of the Whole House on Bills.
[2:08 p.m. the House resolved itself into a CWH on Bills with Deputy Speaker Wayne Gaudet in the Chair.]
[2:17 p.m. CWH on Bills rose and the House reconvened. Mr. Speaker, Hon. Cecil Clarke, resumed the Chair.]
MR. SPEAKER: The Chairman of the Committee of the Whole House on Bills reports:
THE CLERK: That the committee has met and considered the following bills:
Bill No. 106 - Fairness In Fees Act.
Bill No. 145 - Education Act.
Bill No. 146 - Environmental Goals and Sustainable Prosperity Act.
Bill No. 158 - Financial Measures (2007) Act.
Bill No. 163 - Human Rights Act.
Bill No. 166 - Undersea Coal Mines Regulation Act.
Bill No. 168 - Motor Vehicle Act.
and the chairman has been instructed to recommend these bills to the favourable consideration of the House, each without amendment.
MR. SPEAKER: Ordered that these bills be read for a third time on a future day.
The honourable Government House Leader.
HON. MICHAEL BAKER: Mr. Speaker, I move that the bills that have just been reported back from the Committee of the Whole House on Bills be deemed to be on the Order Paper for third reading, so they can be considered by the House today.
MR. SPEAKER: Is it agreed?
It is agreed.
The motion is carried.
The honourable Government House Leader.
[GOVERNMENT BUSINESS]
HON. MICHAEL BAKER: Mr. Speaker, would you please call the order of business, Private Members' Public Bills for Third Reading.
PRIVATE MEMBERS' PUBLIC BILLS FOR THIRD READING
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Government House Leader.
HON. MICHAEL BAKER: Mr. Speaker, would you please call Bill No. 106.
Bill No. 106 - Fairness in Fees Act.
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Leader of the Liberal Party.
MR. MICHEL SAMSON: Mr. Speaker, on behalf of my colleague, the honourable member for Halifax Clayton Park, it is my pleasure to move third reading of Bill No. 106. As I mentioned before, this bill is meant to protect the Parliamentary integrity of the House of Assembly in that any increases that government proposes for existing fees during the fiscal year, now those increases would have to come before the House of Assembly in order to be debated by members of the House prior to being implemented.
I believe this is something that strengthens our democratic process here in our province and something that I'm sure government will be more cognizant of in the future for any of those proposed increases. Nova Scotians do not mind paying a fee for services they receive from the government, but as part of our legislative process it is important that any of those increases be debated by the elected members of the House before being implemented, not simply by order of regulation made through the Cabinet process.
I do want to thank the Government House Leader and the Premier for having called this bill and the changes that have been made to it, I believe, strengthen the bill. This is something that I believe will strengthen the legislative process here in our province.
Mr. Speaker, in closing, I know you heard the remarks that I made in the Committee of the Whole House on Bills. I'm just curious if we could get an indication from the Speaker as to whether you would be able to review the matter that was raised during the committee process. With that I would move third reading of Bill No. 106
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Halifax Fairview.
MR. GRAHAM STEELE: Mr. Speaker, very briefly on third reading, there is something that I wanted to comment about on this bill. It wasn't the fact that it is a good bill because, of course, it is and something we fully support. This government in particular has made a practice of claiming to be keeping taxes down while raising every fee available to them. Over the seven-plus years this government has been in place they have done it on two across- the- board increases and a number of ad hoc increases and so it is a very good thing
that this House will at least get some notice of these user fee increases, even if by their nature they are not the sort of thing the House can generally change or defeat because most of them are done by regulation or by Executive Order. The matter on which I wanted to comment was this issue of the proclamation date.
At the beginning of the sitting, the Liberal Party raised through their House Leader, the member for Cape Breton South, the very serious issue of the number of bills that pass through this House that never get proclaimed. The majority of members of this House say they want something to become law but the government, on its own, decides that it will not become law.
We have a serious problem in this province and when I first became aware of this issue nearly 20 years ago, I was told by somebody who actually studied the matter that Nova Scotia had more unproclaimed laws on the books than any other province in Canada. That has continued since that time and this government continues the Nova Scotia tradition of passing laws through the House and not proclaiming them. What it shows is one of two things, either the government hasn't thought through its legislation and discovered once the bills have passed that they're not workable for some reason - which shows that what the government needs to do is do more work before these bills are introduced to the House or passed through the House, to make sure that when they are passed that they are ready to be put into law.
The other possibility, Mr. Speaker, is that the government introduces bills in order to get - no, I shouldn't put it that way, that would be impugning motive - but it has the effect of garnering positive publicity for the government but they don't actually then implement the bills on which they have garnered the positive publicity. We want to support, we have wanted to support the Liberal Party on this. The point made by the Liberal House Leader is a good idea but the cure for it is for this House to say to the government, we are no longer going to give you the discretion to decide whether or not this law comes into force.
On this bill, which is a Liberal bill, we gave the Liberal Party the opportunity to write in a specific effective date to take out of the government's hands the decision about whether this law should come into force or not. The Liberal Party turned down that opportunity. It's hard to understand sometimes, Mr. Speaker, where the Liberal Party is coming from because they raised an issue at the beginning of the House, they know what it's going to take to solve the problem and then we give them, on a silver platter, the opportunity to deal with the problem, and they decline it.
This is a good bill. It's a good initiative. It's a positive step forward but we don't know whether it will ever come into force, Mr. Speaker. If it never does, then the sponsors of the bill have nobody to blame but themselves.
MR. SPEAKER: If I recognize the member it will be close the debate.
The honourable Leader of the Liberal Party.
MR. MICHEL SAMSON: Mr. Speaker, let me respond to the comments from the member for Halifax Fairview in saying this. After the last election, our caucus certainly realized that Nova Scotians had sent us a strong message and that we had a great deal of work to do in making minority government work and being an effective Opposition. We believe that we have been critical where we had to be critical but we have offered solutions as well during that period of time.
Mr. Speaker, the member is correct, the House Leader of the Liberal Party did raise the issue of bills that had been passed by the House which had not yet been proclaimed by the government, which was a cause for concern to us in the past and which remained a cause for concern to us at the start of this session. I believe if one looks at the budget brought forward by the government and the number of initiatives that it adopted, it makes clear that our caucus has been very effective in being able to move forward some of the priorities that we have raised on behalf of Nova Scotians.
I am pleased, as well, Mr. Speaker, to report that the Liberal pieces of legislation that had been passed by this House and were awaiting proclamation, have now been dealt with. Therefore, I believe that is, again, an example of how one can be effective in this House and therefore I think it important that the member for Halifax Fairview realize that we raise the issue not just to raise it, we raise it to get solutions and in this case we did get solutions and we will continue to do so not only on this issue but on many other issues. So with that, I am pleased to close debate and move third reading on Bill No. 106, the Fairness in Fees Act.
MR. SPEAKER: The motion is for third reading of Bill No. 106. Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.
The motion is carried.
Ordered that this bill do pass. Ordered that the title be as read by the Clerk. Ordered that the bill be engrossed.
The honourable Government House Leader.
HON. MICHAEL BAKER: Mr. Speaker, would you please call the order of business, Public Bills for Third Reading.
PUBLIC BILLS FOR THIRD READING
MR. SPEAKER: Before the Government House Leader moves on, there was a request made in the Committee of the Whole House on Bills with regard to documentation by the Leader of the Liberal Party. I would just note that there have been several bills that have had substantive, or a good deal, of changes made to those. For practicality purposes,
when you do not bring those things forward, or if there are changes that member takes exception to, then you are going to deal with the time required to copy those and get them back to the Chamber.
I would say this. It is probably most appropriate if all House Leaders agree that the bills are in appropriate form and there is consensus, that that be identified in advance and save that time and disclose that to House staff and to Legislative Counsel. That would be an efficiency where bills may have some contentious issues or further debate, I would ask then they be presented in their fullness with the changes to the Clerks as they come to the Committee of the Whole House on Bills.
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Government House Leader.
HON. MICHAEL BAKER: Mr. Speaker, would you please call Bill No. 145.
Bill No. 145 - Education Act.
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Minister of Education.
HON. KAREN CASEY: Mr. Speaker, I would like to move third reading of Bill No. 145, the Education Act. This bill speaks to the process for school closure, school review. It is a good bill. It's the result of a lot of public consultation. A report and recommendation supported by all Parties. It does contain an amendment which I believe strengthens it and provides clarification. I would move third reading of Bill No. 145.
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Halifax Needham.
MS. MAUREEN MACDONALD: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I'm pleased to rise to speak briefly on this particular bill. Members of this Chamber will be aware that our Party was the first Party to call on the government to impose a moratorium on school closures, roughly a year ago. We had serious concerns over the school closing process in the various boards around the province which were looking into this, and we were very pleased when the government, in fact, did follow through on this by announcing first a moratorium, and then the new minister appointing a committee to do public consultations around the province.
The two individuals who were appointed to do that consultation - I and my colleagues have stated - act with a great deal of professionalism in that process, and brought forward a report with some sound recommendations which are incorporated in this bill. We will now have a uniform process for school reviews across the province with some set criteria, uniform criteria, which seem to make more sense than the kinds of arbitrary criteria that were used in the past. I think the longer consultation process that will be built into a review for school reviews, and not school closings, is also very useful.
[2:30 p.m.]
Mr. Speaker, I'm particularly pleased to see that a feature of this bill is that the same process to review schools for closure will be used to review schools around consolidation. This is an issue that certainly here in the central region of the province, in the Halifax central region, has been of great concern. My colleague, the member for Halifax Citadel, has had to essentially do a school consultation process of his own in his community because the board had failed to consult with families and communities that would be impacted by decisions that they had arrived at and which, in fact, had been endorsed by the Department of Education that would have seen schools close in that community; small schools but schools of much importance and great educational excellence.
Mr. Speaker, this isn't the approach that we felt was the best for our children and for our communities. So I'm very pleased that the same process for consolidation will be adopted. This will have an impact in the constituency that I represent, Halifax Needham, where we also had schools that the board was looking at consolidating and now, thankfully, if they continue to move in this direction, at least the public, the community, the parents, the families, will be able to engage in a dialogue with the board around the future of education in the north end of Halifax.
So, Mr. Speaker, we're pleased to see these features of the bill. I'm particularly happy with those features of the bill, and our caucus will be supporting these changes. Thank you.
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please. The honourable member for Halifax Citadel.
MR. LEONARD PREYRA: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, I will be brief. I just want to echo the comments of my colleague from Halifax Needham and commend the minister for her careful review of this closure policy and, in particular, the two-person committee that established the process and the criteria.
I believe that the longer time allowed for review is a big step in the right direction. The broader criteria represents an improvement and I particularly want to thank the committee for amending the bill for the better by including consolidation in the process as well.
In the second reading I asked the minister for clarification as it applied to the three
schools in my constituency, and she reassured me at the time that those three schools in my constituency would be - the process now being outlined would apply to those schools and they would start at the very beginning. Since then she has clarified that and I very much appreciate her confirmation of that decision. So with that, I'd like to say that I'm happy to support this bill and I thank her for bringing it forward.
MR. SPEAKER: If I recognize the minister it will be to close the debate.
The honourable Minister of Education.
HON. KAREN CASEY: Yes, Mr. Speaker, I would like to close debate on Bill No. 145 and move it for third reading.
MR. SPEAKER: The motion is for third reading of Bill No. 145. Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.
The motion is carried.
Ordered that this bill do pass. Ordered that the title be as read by the Clerk. Ordered that the bill be engrossed.
The honourable Deputy Government House Leader.
MR. PATRICK DUNN: Mr. Speaker, would you please call Bill No. 146, Environmental Goals and Sustainable Prosperity Act.
Bill No. 146 - Environmental Goals and Sustainable Prosperity Act.
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Minister of Environment and Labour.
HON. MARK PARENT: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the members opposite for their co-operation with this bill. It took an awful lot of work, an awful lot of co-operation and I think it is an important bill and I'd like to move third reading.
MR. SPEAKER; The honourable member for Halifax Atlantic.
MS. MICHELE RAYMOND: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I welcome the opportunity to speak to third reading of this bill because the introduction and discussion of it have been a very interesting exercise and, I hope, constructive. This is a bill that has been the subject of lively discussion from all sides, which I think speaks to the importance of it to all Nova Scotians.
I think the one thing, though, to note is that there were many, many comments. Almost uniformly the comments that came forward from the members of the public who chose to present at Law Amendments Committee, almost everybody spoke on the sudden arrival of the bill and the fact that there hadn't been a great deal of previous consultation. In the ongoing vein of the discussion of democratic process here, I think it is worth noting that although the goals of the bill are laudable, there are many people who would have appreciated the opportunity to consult more widely with it.
Having said that, of course, the topic of the environment is one which always invites long, wide-ranging discussion and we certainly began to see some of that throughout the process of Law Amendments Committee and beyond.
This is a good bill in the sense that it restates, and hopefully reinforces, a number of existing commitments which the government has made externally and internally and, as such, it merits congratulations and we are all very happy to be seeing this come forward and to see a clear statement that these are goals which will not, in fact, be defaulted on. As a signal of the intent to move forward on the environmental health of this province and a commitment to the belief that prosperity can, in fact, be an environmentally sustainable one, all of us universally welcome it, and I think that members of the environmental community, the public, and all Parties are glad to see this reiteration of a commitment on the part of this province to ensure that it does work towards a sustainable future.
The Law Amendments Committee process was well- attended and again I think that's a testament to the value that Nova Scotians place on this unique process in Canada. We had all kinds of presenters - perhaps we wouldn't have had so many if there had been more extensive consultation, but nevertheless it does speak to the importance that Nova Scotians place on the environment and the importance that Nova Scotians place on their opportunity to discuss their view of the environment.
My only regret, however, would be that throughout all this, the one amendment - there were numerous amendments brought forward and they have all worked to clarify the statements that are made in the bill - but my only regret is that the amendment we did bring forward was defeated by both of the other Parties - the Liberal and Progressive Conservative Parties - and that was an amendment which would have attached an actual proclamation date to this bill.
So, as a statement of aims, it's laudable and we hope that a commitment will follow it in the form of a date on which those aims will be sealed as a part of government policy. Thank you very much.
MR. SPEAKER: If I recognize the minister it will be to close the debate.
The honourable Minister of Environment and Labour.
HON. MARK PARENT: Mr. Speaker, it's with great pleasure that I close debate on Bill No. 146.
MR. SPEAKER: The motion is for third reading of Bill No. 146. Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.
The motion is carried.
Ordered that this bill do pass. Ordered that the title be as read by the Clerk. Ordered that the bill be engrossed.
The honourable Deputy Government House Leader.
MR. PATRICK DUNN: Mr. Speaker, would you please call Bill No. 163.
Bill No. 163 - Human Rights Act.
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Minister of Environment and Labour.
HON. MARK PARENT: Mr. Speaker, it's with pleasure I rise to move third reading of Bill No. 163.
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Halifax Needham.
MS. MAUREEN MACDONALD: Mr. Speaker, the minister certainly was much briefer in moving third reading of this particular piece of legislation than the great fanfare he made when he introduced the bill in the press conference he held to herald the choice this government said they were giving workers in the Province of Nova Scotia. They were about to embark on the elimination of mandatory retirement. We now know that there were some flaws in the government's process and we don't know for sure if this law will ever see the light of day.
I, unfortunately, wasn't well enough to be at the Law Amendments Committee but I understand there were three presentations in front of the Law Amendments Committee. One presentation from the Council of Nova Scotia University Presidents and the Canadian Manufacturers'Association and the Construction Management Bureau. All of these presenters indicated that they had not been consulted around this piece of legislation, which in some cases, probably most cases, will have a significant impact on these employers and on their ability to conduct business.
All of the presenters said, in fact, they were scrambling to even pull together their appearance at the Law Amendments Committee, this bill was being moved forward so quickly without any public discussion. On an issue as important as mandatory retirement, and the elimination of mandatory retirement, I think that's really disappointing. After all, this is a government that has set up a consultation process on whether or not to have a legislated lunch break in the Province of Nova Scotia. That's not something they felt they could do without some consultation with employers.
Yet, at the point of a ballpoint pen they are prepared to eliminate mandatory retirement - no consultation. It's really curious, I would say, what to make of this particular situation. As a result of the presentations at the Law Amendments Committee from these various groups, the Minister of Education certainly understood the importance of
consultation. I heard her interviewed after the presentations by the university presidents and she indicated that, in fact, she thought more consultation - she said "more consultation," she probably should have said "some consultation" - would be useful.
Mr. Speaker, the bill has been amended from its original form in which it was introduced. The amendment, in fact, is as follows: "Subject to Subsection 2 of this Act comes into force on such day as the Governor in Council orders and declares by proclamation, this Act shall not come into force before July 1, 2009." This change essentially says that if we proclaim this bill, if the bill is proclaimed, then it will come into force at some later time and you don't have to worry. In any event, it won't be before July 1, 2009, two years from now. So this will allow for that consultation, I guess, that the Minister of Education feels is necessary, so I would say chalk one up for the Minister of Education and give the Minister of Environment and Labour a nought.
We will be very much looking for the consultation process because it is certainly the view of the NDP caucus that important public policy changes that will have such a significant impact on employers around our province, and particularly large employers like universities, like the manufacturing sector, like the construction industry, that if you can't figure out that you have to consult with these groups, then who will you consult with, Mr. Speaker, really? It's really curious that this hadn't occurred. So we will be looking forward to that.
Having said that, the idea of giving employees choice around retirement is something that certainly this caucus is behind. We will be supporting this bill but we will be looking for that process of consultation and we will be back here, I think, having the discussion about not only the consultation process but also around the implementation of the choice that the government has held out to workers in the Province of Nova Scotia.
[2:45 p.m.]
MR. SPEAKER: If recognize the minister it will be to close the debate.
The honourable Minister of Environment and Labour.
HON. MARK PARENT: Mr. Speaker, I just want to mention that there will be no further consultation. What has been changed is the date of implementation. There are two years for collective agreements. This bill will go forward as is. I want to thank the members for supporting it.
MR. SPEAKER: The motion is for third reading of Bill No. 163, the Human Rights Act. Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.
The motion is carried.
Ordered that this bill do pass. Ordered that the title be as read by the Clerk. Ordered that the bill be engrossed.
The honourable Deputy Government House Leader.
MR. PATRICK DUNN: Mr. Speaker, would you please call Bill No. 166, Undersea Coal Mines Regulation Act.
Bill No. 166 - Undersea Coal Mines Regulation Act.
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Minister of Environment and Labour.
HON. MARK PARENT: Mr. Speaker, again, I want to thank the members opposite for their co-operation on this and I move third reading of Bill No. 166, the Undersea Coal Mines Regulation Act.
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Cape Breton Centre.
MR. FRANK CORBETT: Mr. Speaker, just a few words on this. As I said in second reading, it is a bill that we, in essence, agree with and will be supporting in third reading, but it's another bill, as my colleague, the member for Halifax Needham, said, there was some lack of consultation because later this month there will be more consultation after this bill is passed, with the stakeholders in Glace Bay.
So it seems to be kind of backwards here, Mr. Speaker. While we are in support of the bill, we had wished that the government had done their consultation on the front end instead of the back end. I realize that this is a bill that would help move stuff forward in the federal House - that we would have clearly have liked to have this consultation done on the front end.
With that said, I will take my place, Mr. Speaker. We will be supporting this bill in third reading.
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Leader of the Liberal Party.
MR. MICHEL SAMSON: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I know that my colleague, the member for Glace Bay, has spoken on this legislation in the past. We're certainly pleased to see that there is legislation that's going to be passed not only in our Legislature but also in the Parliament of Canada dealing with this, and hopefully reducing some of the red tape involved with this particular project, so there's a clear understanding amongst not only the proponents but the employees and the community at large as to what the rules of operation are going to be with this project.
So, with that, Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to see that this bill is moving forward and it certainly will have the support of our caucus. Thank you.
MR. SPEAKER: If I recognize the minister it will be to close the debate.
The honourable Minister of Environment and Labour.
HON. MARK PARENT: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. It's with pleasure I rise to close debate on Bill No. 166.
MR. SPEAKER: The motion is for third reading of Bill No. 166. Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.
The motion is carried.
Ordered that this bill do pass. Ordered that the title be as read by the Clerk. Ordered that the bill be engrossed.
The honourable Deputy Government House Leader.
MR. PATRICK DUNN: Mr. Speaker, would you please call Bill No. 168.
Bill No. 168 - Motor Vehicle Act.
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Minister of Transportation and Public Works.
HON. ANGUS MACISAAC: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I move that this bill be now read for the third time.
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Pictou West.
MR. CHARLES PARKER: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm pleased to have a couple of minutes here just to speak on Bill No. 168, about the graduated licensing proposals. Basically, we're pleased to see those come forward and glad that we're making some progress in that area. However, I'm disappointed, as is my caucus, that the amendments that were proposed at the Law Amendments Committee did not see the light of day, or did not see the support from either the Government Party or the Third Party. These were common-sense amendments that MADD Canada had been putting forward. They've done a lot of good work in this country, and they certainly agree that these would be of benefit to Nova Scotians.
The first one, of course, was around supervising drivers, that they would have a zero per cent blood alcohol content. To me, it makes sense that somebody who's supervising a new driver should be fully cognizant and aware of what they're doing and certainly should
not be allowed to be under the influence up to 0.5 per cent. So, again, I'm disappointed that's not going to be in the legislation at this time.
The second amendment we had was around the seven-day suspension for blood alcohol content of greater than 0.5 per cent, that it would be seven days rather than the present 24-hour period. But perhaps in the fullness of time government will, in its wisdom, add those to the legislation. I'm disappointed those aren't there, but overall we certainly support the bill. It's a good bill that really, though, could be better. So with those few remarks, I look forward to other comments.
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Leader of the Liberal Party.
MR. MICHEL SAMSON: Mr. Speaker, just briefly, we're pleased to see that once again Bill No. 168 is strengthening the graduated licensing system which was brought in by the previous governments in the 1990s, and it was certainly timely to be updating that program to better reflect the goals meant to be achieved and certainly what was being done in other jurisdictions.
Mr. Speaker, I would be remiss if I didn't address the comments made by the member for Pictou West. I've mentioned this before and, when it comes to the Law Amendments Committee, oftentimes caucuses that are proposing amendments usually share those amendments with the other caucuses so there can be some discussion beforehand in order to see if there can be support for those changes. This is not the first time I raised this, and I would once again remind the member for Pictou West and the members of his caucus that if they are going to be proposing amendments at the Law Amendments Committee without providing them to anyone first, it certainly does not give an opportunity for any discussion or consultation on those amendments.
Once again, that's what was done this time - there was absolutely no notice given to our caucus that they would be proposing this or that they would be seeking our support in doing so, therefore I believe that in the future, if they will be seeking those kinds of changes, they should be providing better consultation and better notice of those intentions.
So, with that, we're certainly pleased to support the third reading of Bill No. 168.
MR. SPEAKER: If I recognize the minister it will be to close the debate.
HON. ANGUS MACISAAC: Mr. Speaker, I thank honourable members for their indication of support for the bill. The government is not prepared to entertain the amendments that were proposed because the bill is in keeping with existing legislation, it is in keeping with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms that applies in Canada. To do otherwise might provoke a challenge under the Charter. The people of the Province of Nova Scotia would be left having to pay the legal bills to fight such a fight in the courts, and we don't
believe it's appropriate for the province to have to do that. The legislation is consistent with laws that are in place across the country.
Again, I want to thank members for their support for the legislation.
MR. SPEAKER: The motion is for third reading of Bill No. 168. Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.
The motion is carried.
Ordered that this bill do pass. Ordered that the title be as read by the Clerk. Ordered that the bill be engrossed.
The honourable Deputy Government House Leader.
MR. PATRICK DUNN: Mr. Speaker, I move that you now leave the Chair and the House resolve itself into the Committee of the Whole House on Supply unto Her Majesty.
MR. SPEAKER: The motion is carried.
[2:55 p.m. The House resolved itself into CWH on Supply with Deputy Speaker Mr. Wayne Gaudet in the Chair.]
[5:25 p.m. CWH on Supply rose and the House reconvened. Mr. Speaker, Hon. Cecil Clarke, resumed the Chair.]
MR. SPEAKER: The Chairman of the Committee of the Whole House on Supply reports:
THE CLERK: That the committee has met and made some progress and begs leave to sit again.
MR. SPEAKER: Is it agreed?
It is agreed.
Order, please.
SPEAKER'S RULING: Admissability of bringing individual names and personal cases to the floor of the Legislature (Pt. of order by Hon. J. StreatcH[Hansard p. 4738 - 04/12/07])
MR. SPEAKER: I have come back with a Speaker's Ruling to a point of order that was raised earlier this afternoon by the honourable Minister of Community Services. I
indicated at that time that I would take it under advisement and review that matter. I have done that and, as I indicated, in reviewing the transcripts provided to me by Hansard this afternoon, would also reiterate that we do take all members in this Chamber at their word. That is a hallowed tradition in this House, one that is upheld. In fact, it is incumbent upon the Speaker to ensure that right and privilege is upheld.
There was a circumstance, however, that was raised and the difficulty, as Speaker, that I encountered is, in bringing up a broader range of concern with regard to a point of order, it doesn't get into the specifics of a matter and, quite frankly, to get into those specifics would, in fact, cause a breach of the very same concern that was raised by the minister. I would say that at that point one has to look at where is the best venue to have that concern raised.
Quite frankly, it came up further by the Leader of the Liberal Party with a recommendation about trying to ensure that members are being provided with authorization to speak on behalf of themselves or someone else that they represent, i.e., a minor or someone who may be under their power of attorney or the like. It is not to try to restrict members from representing constituent concerns on the floor of this Legislature because, quite frankly, that is not my responsibility or duty to impugn that.
However, for that reason, and for the recommendations that were brought forward, I have decided that we should refer the matter, because there is a need for further dialogue about procedures within the House and reflects directly, so I am referring it to the Special Committee on Assembly Matters that can deal with the Rules and Forms of Procedures of the House of Assembly so that there can be a fulsome debate, in confidence, amongst those members where it can be appropriately discussed and debated and a decision come forward with regard to the best response to that to maintain the integrity of the House.
I would have to note, as well, with this, there was a statement in closing by the minister with regard to the statement that basically said that the personal cases on the floor were for the issue of political gain. Of course, I would just note that that would also impugn the motive of members and would be unparliamentary. So I think we have determined, in some forms, that it is, I think, incumbent upon the Special Committee on Assembly Matters to deal with a broad range of issues that have come up as concerns of late with regard to decorum and the forms of practice within the House. So it will be referred to that committee that can meet and then report back at a future date to the House.
The honourable Deputy Government House Leader.
MR. PATRICK DUNN: Mr. Speaker, at this time, I would ask for unanimous consent of the House to revert to the order of business, Presenting Reports of Committees.
MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request to revert to the order of business, Presenting Reports of Committees.
Is it agreed?
It is agreed.
PRESENTING REPORTS OF COMMITTEES
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Minister of Justice.
HON. MURRAY SCOTT: Mr. Speaker, as Chairman of the Committee on Law Amendments, I am directed to report that the committee has met and considered the following bills:
Bill No. 170 - Provincial Parks Act.
Bill No. 189 - Utility and Review Board Act.
Bill No. 195 - Incompetent Persons Act.
Bill No. 197 - Justices of the Peace Act.
and the committee recommends these bills to the favourable consideration of the House, each without amendment.
MR. SPEAKER: Ordered that these bills be referred to the Committee of the Whole House on Bills.
The honourable Deputy Government House Leader.
MR. PATRICK DUNN: Mr. Speaker, I move that you do now leave the Chair and the House resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole House on Bills.
MR. SPEAKER: Is it agreed?
It is agreed.
The motion is carried.
[5:30 p.m. The House resolved itself into a CWH on Bills with Deputy Speaker Mr. Wayne Gaudet in the Chair.]
[5:33 p.m. CWH on Bills rose and the House reconvened. Mr. Speaker, Hon. Cecil Clarke resumed the Chair.]
MR. SPEAKER: The Chairman of the Committee of the Whole House on Bills reports:
THE CLERK: That the committee has met and considered the following bills:
Bill No. 170 - Provincial Parks Act.
Bill No. 189 - Utility and Review Board Act.
Bill No. 195 - Incompetent Persons Act.
Bill No. 197 - Justices of the Peace Act.
and the chairman has been instructed to recommend these bills to the favourable consideration of the House, each without amendment.
MR. SPEAKER: Ordered that these bills be read a third time on a future day.
The honourable Deputy Government House Leader.
MR. PATRICK DUNN: Mr. Speaker, I ask you to please call the order of business, Private Members' Public Bills for Third Reading.
PRIVATE MEMBERS' PUBLIC BILLS FOR THIRD READING
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Deputy Government House Leader.
MR. PATRICK DUNN: Mr. Speaker, would you please call Bill No. 170.
Bill No. 170 - Provincial Parks Act.
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Timberlea-Prospect.
MR. WILLIAM ESTABROOKS: Thank you. I'll make a few comments in support of this bill. It's a bill that has been well received in the community that I represent. I was at an annual general meeting of the trails association last night. People must be paying attention to this Legislature because they are aware of the fact that the Lewis Lake Provincial Park is going to bring recognition to a previous MLA, Jerry Lawrence.
I want to note that Jerry Lawrence was a Buchanan Cabinet Minister who always got back to his constituents, in spite of his politics. He was a radio broadcaster, and we all know how successful radio broadcasters become as MLAs. I think our friend, the member for Glace Bay, of course, aspires to things well beyond his reach at this stage, but some day
perhaps. I'm not saying he is going to have a park named after him, maybe a junior high someday.
Finally, Mr. Speaker, Jerry Lawrence was the MLA for Halifax-St. Margaret's for a number of years. Jerry Lawrence was a gentleman who put great effort into Lewis Lake Provincial Park, making it accessible to all Nova Scotians. It is a wonderful place to come and visit. When the opportunity is that you are in our community and you would like to go to Lewis Lake Provincial Park, or as we are hopefully going to have it here in a few minutes, Jerry Lawrence Park, I welcome you to our community. Thank you for your time. I move third reading. (Applause)
MR. SPEAKER: The motion is for third reading of Bill No. 170. Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.
The motion is carried.
Ordered that this bill do pass. Ordered that the title be as read by the Clerk. Ordered that the bill be engrossed. (Applause)
The honourable Deputy Government House Leader.
MR. PATRICK DUNN: Mr. Speaker, would you please call Public Bills for Third Reading.
PUBLIC BILLS FOR THIRD READING
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Deputy Government House Leader.
MR. PATRICK DUNN: Mr. Speaker, would you please call Bill No. 189.
Bill No. 189 - Utility and Review Board Act.
Bill No. 195 - Incompetent Persons Act
Bill No. 197 - Justices of the Peace Act.
MR. SPEAKER: The motions are carried.
Ordered that these bills do pass. Ordered that the titles be as read by the Clerk. Ordered that the bills be engrossed.
The honourable Deputy Government House Leader.
MR. PATRICK DUNN: Mr. Speaker, that concludes the government's business for today. I move that the House be adjourned to sit again tomorrow from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
The daily routine, Public Bills for Third Reading, Committee of the Whole House on Supply. Mr. Speaker, there will be a recess following the daily routine and Supply and so on, for the Lieutenant Governor to visit these historic Chambers.
MR. SPEAKER: Thank you. The motion is that the House to rise to meet again tomorrow at the hour of 9:00 a.m. The House will sit tomorrow between 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.
The motion is carried.
The House stands adjourned until 9:00 a.m. tomorrow.
[The House rose at 5:40 p.m.]
NOTICES OF MOTION UNDER RULE 32(3)
RESOLUTION NO. 2956
By: Mr. David Wilson (Glace Bay)
I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas Ms. Sarah MacDonald of Glace Bay is a middle blocker with the Mount Allison Mounties Women's Volleyball Team; and
Whereas Ms. MacDonald was instrumental with her team, the Mount Allison Mounties, in capturing the Atlantic Colleges Athletic Association's championship banner, February 25, 2007, with a 3-1 win over the six time champions, St. Thomas Tommies; and
Whereas Ms. MacDonald, a former volleyball MVP at Glace Bay Senior High School, is in her second year in the music program at Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick and was named the University and the ACAA Athlete of the Week for the period of February 5-12;
Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly congratulate Sarah MacDonald and wish her every success in her future endeavours.
RESOLUTION NO. 2957
By: Mr. David Wilson (Sackville-Cobequid)
I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas Team Nova Scotia athletes made our province proud in their tremendous showing in the 2007 Canada Winter Games in the Yukon; and
Whereas Patti Healey, Artistic Gymnastics Manager, has worked hard to train the athletes to represent Nova Scotia at the 2007 Canada Games in Artistic Gymnastics; and
Whereas Patti Healey reminds us of the tremendous talent we have in Nova Scotia and gives us great hope for the future;
Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House congratulate Patti Healey for preparing athletes of Team Nova Scotia for the 2007 Canada Winter Games in the Yukon and wish her continued success in the future.
RESOLUTION NO. 2958
By: Mr. David Wilson (Sackville-Cobequid)
I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas Team Nova Scotia athletes made our province proud in their tremendous showing in the 2007 Canada Winter Games in the Yukon; and
Whereas Michael MacDonald, Hockey Manager, has worked hard to train the athletes to represent Nova Scotia at the 2007 Canada Games in Hockey; and
Whereas Michael MacDonald reminds us of the tremendous talent we have in Nova Scotia and gives us great hope for the future;
Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House congratulate Michael MacDonald for preparing athletes of Team Nova Scotia for the 2007 Canada Winter Games in the Yukon and wish him continued success in the future.
RESOLUTION NO. 2959
By: Mr. David Wilson (Sackville-Cobequid)
I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas Team Nova Scotia athletes made our province proud in their tremendous showing in the 2007 Canada Winter Games in the Yukon; and
Whereas Christopher Clarke, Ringette Coach, has worked hard to train the athletes to represent Nova Scotia at the 2007 Canada Games in Ringette; and
Whereas Christopher Clarke reminds us of the tremendous talent we have in Nova Scotia and gives us great hope for the future;
Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House congratulate Christopher Clarke for preparing athletes of Team Nova Scotia for the 2007 Canada Winter Games in the Yukon and wish him continued success in the future.
RESOLUTION NO. 2960
By: Mr. David Wilson (Sackville-Cobequid)
I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas Team Nova Scotia athletes made our province proud in their tremendous showing in the 2007 Canada Winter Games in the Yukon; and
Whereas Ashley Boutilier has trained hard and was chosen to represent Nova Scotia at the 2007 Canada Games in Hockey; and
Whereas Ashley Boutilier reminds us of the tremendous talent we have in Nova Scotia and gives us great hope for the future;
Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House congratulate Ashley Boutilier for making Team Nova Scotia for the 2007 Canada Winter Games in the Yukon and wish her continued success in the future.
RESOLUTION NO. 2961
By: Mr. David Wilson (Sackville-Cobequid)
I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas Team Nova Scotia athletes made our province proud in their tremendous showing in the 2007 Canada Winter Games in the Yukon; and
Whereas Alex Beaton has trained hard and was chosen to represent Nova Scotia at the 2007 Canada Games in Hockey; and
Whereas Alex Beaton reminds us of the tremendous talent we have in Nova Scotia and gives us great hope for the future;
Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House congratulate Alex Beaton for making Team Nova Scotia for the 2007 Canada Winter Games in the Yukon and wish him continued success in the future.
RESOLUTION NO. 2962
By: Mr. David Wilson (Sackville-Cobequid)
I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas Team Nova Scotia athletes made our province proud in their tremendous showing in the 2007 Canada Winter Games in the Yukon; and
Whereas Kathleen McDade has trained hard and was chosen to represent Nova Scotia at the 2007 Canada Games in Fencing; and
Whereas Kathleen McDade reminds us of the tremendous talent we have in Nova Scotia and gives us great hope for the future;
Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House congratulate Kathleen McDade for making Team Nova Scotia for the 2007 Canada Winter Games in the Yukon and wish her continued success in the future.
RESOLUTION NO. 2963
By: Mr. David Wilson (Sackville-Cobequid)
I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas Team Nova Scotia athletes made our province proud in their tremendous showing in the 2007 Canada Winter Games in the Yukon; and
Whereas Shawn Mury has trained hard and was chosen to represent Nova Scotia at the 2007 Canada Games in Figure Skating; and
Whereas Shawn Mury reminds us of the tremendous talent we have in Nova Scotia and gives us great hope for the future;
Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House congratulate Shawn Mury for making Team Nova Scotia for the 2007 Canada Winter Games in the Yukon and wish him continued success in the future.
RESOLUTION NO. 2964
By: Mr. David Wilson (Sackville-Cobequid)
I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas Team Nova Scotia athletes made our province proud in their tremendous showing in the 2007 Canada Winter Games in the Yukon; and
Whereas Alison Sanford has trained hard and was chosen to represent Nova Scotia at the 2007 Canada Games in Artistic Gymnastics; and
Whereas Alison Sanford reminds us of the tremendous talent we have in Nova Scotia and gives us great hope for the future;
Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House congratulate Alison Sanford for making Team Nova Scotia for the 2007 Canada Winter Games in the Yukon and wish her continued success in the future.
RESOLUTION NO. 2965
By: Mr. David Wilson (Sackville-Cobequid)
I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas Team Nova Scotia athletes made our province proud in their tremendous showing in the 2007 Canada Winter Games in the Yukon; and
Whereas Ajit Sidhu has trained hard and was chosen to represent Nova Scotia at the 2007 Canada Games in Badminton; and
Whereas Ajit Sidhu reminds us of the tremendous talent we have in Nova Scotia and gives us great hope for the future;
Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House congratulate Ajit Sidhu for making Team Nova Scotia for the 2007 Canada Winter Games in the Yukon and wish him continued success in the future.
RESOLUTION NO. 2966
By: Mr. David Wilson (Sackville-Cobequid)
I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas Team Nova Scotia athletes made our province proud in their tremendous showing in the 2007 Canada Winter Games in the Yukon; and
Whereas Emily Ernst has trained hard and was chosen to represent Nova Scotia at the 2007 Canada Games in Snowboarding; and
Whereas Emily Ernst reminds us of the tremendous talent we have in Nova Scotia and gives us great hope for the future;
Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House congratulate Emily Ernst for making Team Nova Scotia for the 2007 Canada Winter Games in the Yukon and wish her continued success in the future.
RESOLUTION NO. 2967
By: Mr. David Wilson (Sackville-Cobequid)
I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas Team Nova Scotia athletes made our province proud in their tremendous showing in the 2007 Canada Winter Games in the Yukon; and
Whereas Vanessa Wallace has trained hard and was chosen to represent Nova Scotia at the 2007 Canada Games in Ringette; and
Whereas Vanessa Wallace reminds us of the tremendous talent we have in Nova Scotia and gives us great hope for the future;
Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House congratulate Vanessa Wallace for making Team Nova Scotia for the 2007 Canada Winter Games in the Yukon and wish her continued success in the future.
By: Mr. William Estabrooks (Timberlea-Prospect)
I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas more than 300 local girls and boys, aged five and six, attended the T-Time Jamboree at the St. Margarets Centre from March 12 to March 14, 2007; and
Whereas during the three-day event, games were attended by former NHL star Mike MacPhee who took the time to sign autographs along with donating an authentic Montreal Canadiens jersey; and
Whereas jamboree organizer Bill Laurette co-ordinated with tremendous efforts by parent volunteers;
Therefore be it resolved that this House of Assembly thank Mike MacPhee and Bill Laurette along with all those involved in the T-Time Jamboree 2007.
By: Mr. Leo Glavine (Kings West)
I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas the Nova Scotia Raiders Female Pee Wee Elite Hockey Club's tryouts for the 2007 season were very competitive, with 30 players vying for 15 spots; and
Whereas Jillian MacDonald of Greenwood and Jillian Burton of Kingston were both successful in their efforts to join the 2007 Nova Scotia Raiders Female Pee Wee Elite Hockey Club; and
Whereas both Jillians play for the Greenwood Pee Wee "A" Bombers Hockey Club and have made their families, family and community very proud;
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House congratulate Jillian MacDonald and Jillian Burton for the accomplishment and wish them continued success in the future.
By: Mr. David Wilson (Sackville-Cobequid)
I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas Team Nova Scotia athletes made our province proud in their tremendous showing in the 2007 Canada Winter Games in the Yukon; and
Whereas H. William Fletcher, curling coach, has worked hard training athletes chosen to represent Nova Scotia at the 2007 Canada Games in curling; and
Whereas H. William Fletcher reminds us of the tremendous talent we have in Nova Scotia and gives us great hope for the future;
Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House congratulate H. William Fletcher for preparing athletes of Team Nova Scotia for the 2007 Canada Winter Games in the Yukon and wish him continued success in the future.
By: Hon. David Morse (Natural Resources)
I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas Amos "Bud" Ewing of Waterville, Nova Scotia, has served on the Waterville and District Fire Department for 59 years; and
Whereas Amos "Bud" Ewing was a lieutenant for three years and captain for 45 years serving the Waterville and District Volunteer Fire Department; and
Whereas this outstanding community volunteer has had an average attendance over 75 per cent consecutively for 59 years;
Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House recognize and commend Amos "Bud" Ewing for his long-standing dedication to his community and fellow firefighters.
By: The Premier
I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas teachers Thelma Gregan and Sherri Duggan of the Berwick and District School have developed an adventurous and educational addition to the school's curriculum for Primary to Grade 6 students; and
Whereas the Journey Through Time project is cross-curriculum in nature to help children more easily absorb the very rich lessons in geography, history and culture their province has to offer; and
Whereas part of the program involves classes running the equivalent of the distance of a trip around Nova Scotia (1,800 kilometres) and includes 14 educational "stops" or studies of key sites such as Louisbourg, Kejimkujic, Grand Pré, the Bell Museum and the Black Cultural Centre;
Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House applaud the ingenuity of these two educators who have found a unique way to highlight to students the importance of both physical activity and awareness of the rich cultural heritage of our province at the same time.
By: Ms. Vicki Conrad (Queens)
I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas plenty of music and a bit of comedy filled the Astor Theatre in October 2006 during a benefit concert for the North Queens Elementary School; and
Whereas the organizers pulled everything together in about two week's time after a former pastor, Carol Smith, of the United Church in Caledonia, came up with the idea; and
Whereas the concert raised over $800, which was presented to Allison Williams, music teacher at North Queens Elementary School;
Therefore be it resolved that this House of Assembly recognize the event organizers Gary Dunn and Mary MacRae; the performers South Wind, David Burbine and the Traditional Country, Dale Verge Doin' Country, and Carol Smith on their fundraising efforts on behalf of the North Queens Elementary School.
By: Hon. Murray Scott (Justice)
I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas Alice Brine, a member of the Springhill, Oxford & Area Chapter of the Kidney Foundation of Canada, was honoured for her many dedicated years of service to the foundation; and
Whereas Alice Brine has given many years of service to the Kidney Foundation as a canvasser, and has been a dedicated supporter of the Springhill, Oxford & Area Chapter; and
Whereas Alice was given an award by the Kidney Foundation that states "in recognition of their generous support in improving the lives of those living with kidney disease";
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House congratulate Alice Brine on being recognized for her service to the Kidney Foundation and wish her many years of health and success in all future endeavours.
By: Hon. Murray Scott (Justice)
I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas Marie Blue, a member of the Springhill, Oxford & Area Chapter of the Kidney Foundation of Canada, was honoured for her many dedicated years of service to the foundation; and
Whereas Marie has given many years of service to the Kidney Foundation as a canvasser, and has been a dedicated supporter of the Springhill, Oxford & Area Chapter; and
Whereas Mary was given an award by the Kidney Foundation that states "in recognition of their generous support in improving the lives of those living with kidney disease";
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House congratulate Marie Blue on being recognized for her service to the Kidney Foundation and wish her many years of health and success in all future endeavours.
By: Hon. Murray Scott (Justice)
I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas Donna and Frank Gogan, members of the Springhill, Oxford & Area Chapter of the Kidney Foundation of Canada, were honoured for their many dedicated years of service to the foundation; and
Whereas Donna is the treasurer of the Chapter and plays an important role in fundraising events, organizing workers, and much more; with Frank preferring to work behind the scenes during fundraisers; and
Whereas Donna and Frank were given an award by the Kidney Foundation that states "in recognition of their generous support in improving the lives of those living with kidney disease";
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House congratulate Donna and Frank Gogan on being recognized for their service to the Kidney Foundation and wish them many years of health and success in all future endeavours.
By: Hon. Murray Scott (Justice)
I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas Arlene Brown, a member of the Springhill, Oxford & Area Chapter of the Kidney Foundation of Canada, was honoured for her many dedicated years of service to the foundation; and
Whereas Arlene Brown is the memorial secretary, which is a huge task, and also participates in fundraisers for the foundation;
Whereas Arlene Brown was given an award by the Kidney Foundation that states "in recognition of their generous support in improving the lives of those living with kidney disease";
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House congratulate Arlene Brown on being recognized for her service to the Kidney Foundation and wish her many years of health and success in all future endeavours.
By: Hon. Murray Scott (Justice)
I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas Marilyn Maddison, a member of the Springhill, Oxford & Area Chapter of the Kidney Foundation of Canada, was honoured for her many dedicated years of service to the foundation; and
Whereas Marilyn has given many years of tireless service and several terms as president to the Chapter; and
Whereas Marilyn Maddison was given an award by the Kidney Foundation that states "in recognition of their generous support in improving the lives of those living with kidney disease";
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House congratulate Marilyn Maddison on being recognized for her service to the Kidney Foundation and wish her many years of health and success in all future endeavours.
RESOLUTION NO. 2979
By: Hon. Murray Scott (Justice)
I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas Ian Taylor, a member of the Springhill, Oxford and Area Chapter of the Kidney Foundation of Canada, was honoured for his many dedicated years of service to the Foundation; and
Whereas each year Ian has made the tickets which are sold for the Boxing Day Breakfast and gives his support during all fundraisers; and
Whereas Ian Taylor was given an award by the Kidney Foundation that states "in recognition of their generous support in improving the lives of those living with kidney disease";
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House congratulate Ian Taylor on being recognized for his service to the Kidney Foundation and we wish him many years of health and success in all future endeavours.
RESOLUTION NO. 2980
By: Hon. Murray Scott (Justice)
I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas volunteer firefighters play an integral role in the safety of the residents of our communities by putting their lives on the line to fight fires in our homes, businesses and communities and to risk their own lives to save others; and
Whereas the River Hebert Fire Department and their friends and families will come together to show their appreciation for their members who give unselfishly of their time and to celebrate the years of service that these volunteer firefighters have given to their community; and
Whereas George Rector was honoured for giving 35 years of service to the River Hebert Fire Department;
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House congratulate George on his 35 years of dedicated service to the River Hebert Fire Department and we wish him all the best in the future.
RESOLUTION NO. 2981
By: Mr. Michel Samson (Richmond)
I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas "A Celebration of Commitment" was the theme for the event held on Saturday, March 31, 2007, at the St. Louis Parish Hall in Louisdale; and
Whereas the event was an opportunity for the residents of Richmond County to express their gratitude for the professionalism and compassion of the Richmond County Home Support Services Society; and
Whereas the celebration was sponsored by the Richmond County Early Childhood Education Association and included a meal, presentations and local entertainment;
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House thank Alex Mombourquette, board member, for his dedicated service to the residents of Richmond County and wish him well in the future.
RESOLUTION NO. 2982
By: Mr. Michel Samson (Richmond)
I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas "A Celebration of Commitment" was the theme for the event held on Saturday, March 31, 2007, at the St. Louis Parish Hall in Louisdale; and
Whereas the event was an opportunity for the residents of Richmond County to express their gratitude for the professionalism and compassion of the Richmond County Home Support Services Society; and
Whereas the celebration was sponsored by the Richmond County Early Childhood Education Association and included a meal, presentations and local entertainment;
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House thank George Digout, board member, for his dedicated service to the residents of Richmond County and wish him well in the future.
RESOLUTION NO. 2983
By: Mr. Michel Samson (Richmond)
I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas "A Celebration of Commitment" was the theme for the event held on Saturday, March 31, 2007, at the St. Louis Parish Hall in Louisdale; and
Whereas the event was an opportunity for the residents of Richmond County to express their gratitude for the professionalism and compassion of the Richmond County Home Support Services Society; and
Whereas the celebration was sponsored by the Richmond County Early Childhood Education Association and included a meal, presentations and local entertainment;
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House thank Eric Bourque, board member, for his dedicated service to the residents of Richmond County and wish him well in the future.
RESOLUTION NO. 2984
By: Mr. Michel Samson (Richmond)
I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas "A Celebration of Commitment" was the theme for the event held on Saturday, March 31, 2007, at the St. Louis Parish Hall in Louisdale; and
Whereas the event was an opportunity for the residents of Richmond County to express their gratitude for the professionalism and compassion of the Richmond County Home Support Services Society; and
Whereas the celebration was sponsored by the Richmond County Early Childhood Education Association and included a meal, presentations and local entertainment;
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House thank Berni Thorneycroft, board member, for her dedicated service to the residents of Richmond County and wish her well in the future.
RESOLUTION NO. 2985
By: Mr. Michael Samson (Richmond)
I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas "A Celebration of Commitment" was the theme for the event held on Saturday, March 31, 2007, at the St. Louis Parish Hall in Louisdale; and
Whereas the event was an opportunity for the residents of Richmond County to express their gratitude for the professionalism and compassion of the Richmond County Home Support Services Society; and
Whereas the celebration was sponsored by the Richmond County Early Childhood Education Association and included a meal, presentations and local entertainment;
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House thank Pauline Boudreau, board member, for her dedicated service to the residents of Richmond County and wish her well in the future.
RESOLUTION NO. 2986
By: Mr. Michel Samson (Richmond)
I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas "A Celebration of Commitment" was the theme for the event held on Saturday, March 31, 2007, at the St. Louis Parish Hall in Louisdale; and
Whereas the event was an opportunity for the residents of Richmond County to express their gratitude for the professionalism and compassion of the Richmond County Home Support Services Society; and
Whereas the celebration was sponsored by the Richmond County Early Childhood Education Association and included a meal, presentations and local entertainment;
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House thank Annette Martell, board member, for her dedicated service to the residents of Richmond County and wish her well in the future.
RESOLUTION NO. 2987
By: Mr. Michel Samson (Richmond)
Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas "A Celebration of Commitment" was the theme for the event held on Saturday, March 31, 2007, at the St. Louis Parish Hall in Louisdale; and
Whereas the event was an opportunity for the residents of Richmond County to express their gratitude for the professionalism and compassion of the Richmond County Home Support Services Society; and
Whereas the celebration was sponsored by the Richmond County Early Childhood Education Association and included a meal, presentations and local entertainment;
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House thank Romana Budden, board member, for her dedicated service to the residents of Richmond County and wish her well in the future.
By: Mr. Michel Samson (Richmond)
Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas "A Celebration of Commitment" was the theme for the event held on Saturday, March 31, 2007, at the St. Louis Parish Hall in Louisdale; and
Whereas the event was an opportunity for the residents of Richmond County to express their gratitude for the professionalism and compassion of the Richmond County Home Support Services Society; and
Whereas the celebration was sponsored by the Richmond County Early Childhood Education Association and included a meal, presentations and local entertainment;
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House thank Jeanette Arsenault, board member, for her dedicated service to the residents of Richmond County and wish her well in the future.
By: Mr. Michel Samson (Richmond)
Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas "A Celebration of Commitment" was the theme for the event held on Saturday, March 31, 2007, at the St. Louis Parish Hall in Louisdale; and
Whereas the event was an opportunity for the residents of Richmond County to express their gratitude for the professionalism and compassion of the Richmond County Home Support Services Society; and
Whereas the celebration was sponsored by the Richmond County Early Childhood Education Association and included a meal, presentations and local entertainment;
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House thank Lorraine Mombourquette, board member, for her dedicated service to the residents of Richmond County and wish her well in the future.
By: Mr. Michel Samson (Richmond)
Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas "A Celebration of Commitment" was the theme for the event held on Saturday, March 31, 2007, at the St. Louis Parish Hall in Louisdale; and
Whereas the event was an opportunity for the residents of Richmond County to express their gratitude for the professionalism and compassion of the Richmond County Home Support Services Society; and
Whereas the celebration was sponsored by the Richmond County Early Childhood Education Association and included a meal, presentations and local entertainment;
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House thank Lisa Babin, home support worker, for her dedicated service to the residents of Richmond County and wish her well in the future.
RESOLUTION NO. 2991
By: Mr. Michel Samson (Richmond)
Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas "A Celebration of Commitment" was the theme for the event held on Saturday, March 31, 2007, at the St. Louis Parish Hall in Louisdale; and
Whereas the event was an opportunity for the residents of Richmond County to express their gratitude for the professionalism and compassion of the Richmond County Home Support Services Society; and
Whereas the celebration was sponsored by the Richmond County Early Childhood Education Association and included a meal, presentations and local entertainment;
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House thank Chastity Boudreau, home support worker, for her dedicated service to the residents of Richmond County and wish her well in the future.
By: Mr. Michel Samson (Richmond)
Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas "A Celebration of Commitment" was the theme for the event held on Saturday, March 31, 2007, at the St. Louis Parish Hall in Louisdale; and
Whereas the event was an opportunity for the residents of Richmond County to express their gratitude for the professionalism and compassion of the Richmond County Home Support Services Society; and
Whereas the celebration was sponsored by the Richmond County Early Childhood Education Association and included a meal, presentations and local entertainment;
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House thank Kathleen Boudreau, home support worker, for her dedicated service to the residents of Richmond County and wish her well in the future.
By: Mr. Michel Samson (Richmond)
Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas "A Celebration of Commitment" was the theme for the event held on Saturday, March 31, 2007, at the St. Louis Parish Hall in Louisdale; and
Whereas the event was an opportunity for the residents of Richmond County to express their gratitude for the professionalism and compassion of the Richmond County Home Support Services Society; and
Whereas the celebration was sponsored by the Richmond County Early Childhood Education Association and included a meal, presentations and local entertainment;
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House thank Lana Boudreau, home support worker, for her dedicated service to the residents of Richmond County and wish her well in the future.
By: Mr. Michel Samson (Richmond)
Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas "A Celebration of Commitment" was the theme for the event held on Saturday, March 31, 2007, at the St. Louis Parish Hall in Louisdale; and
Whereas the event was an opportunity for the residents of Richmond County to express their gratitude for the professionalism and compassion of the Richmond County Home Support Services Society; and
Whereas the celebration was sponsored by the Richmond County Early Childhood Education Association and included a meal, presentations and local entertainment;
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House thank Ann Briand, home support worker, for her dedicated service to the residents of Richmond County and wish her well in the future.
By: Mr. Michel Samson (Richmond)
Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas "A Celebration of Commitment" was the theme for the event held on Saturday, March 31, 2007, at the St. Louis Parish Hall in Louisdale; and
Whereas the event was an opportunity for the residents of Richmond County to express their gratitude for the professionalism and compassion of the Richmond County Home Support Services Society; and
Whereas the celebration was sponsored by the Richmond County Early Childhood Education Association and included a meal, presentations and local entertainment;
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House thank Emma Burke, home support worker, for her dedicated service to the residents of Richmond County and wish her well in the future.
RESOLUTION NO. 2996
By: Mr. Michel Samson (Richmond)
Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas "A Celebration of Commitment" was the theme for the event held on Saturday, March 31, 2007, at the St. Louis Parish Hall in Louisdale; and
Whereas the event was an opportunity for the residents of Richmond County to express their gratitude for the professionalism and compassion of the Richmond County Home Support Services Society; and
Whereas the celebration was sponsored by the Richmond County Early Childhood Education Association and included a meal, presentations and local entertainment;
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House thank Evelyn Burke, home support worker, for her dedicated service to the residents of Richmond County and wish her well in the future.
By: Mr. Michel Samson (Richmond)
I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas "A Celebration of Commitment" was the theme for the event held on Saturday, March 31, 2007, at the St. Louis Parish Hall in Louisdale; and
Whereas the event was an opportunity for the residents of Richmond County to express their gratitude for the professionalism and compassion of the Richmond County Home Support Services Society; and
Whereas the celebration was sponsored by the Richmond County Early Childhood Education Association and included a meal, presentations and local entertainment.
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House thank Darlene Campbell, home support worker, for her dedicated service to the residents of Richmond County and wish her well in the future.
By: Mr. Michel Samson (Richmond)
I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas "A Celebration of Commitment" was the theme for the event held on Saturday, March 31, 2007, at the St. Louis Parish Hall in Louisdale; and
Whereas the event was an opportunity for the residents of Richmond County to express their gratitude for the professionalism and compassion of the Richmond County Home Support Services Society; and
Whereas the celebration was sponsored by the Richmond County Early Childhood Education Association and included a meal, presentations and local entertainment.
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House thank Tania Collier, home support worker, for her dedicated service to the residents of Richmond County and wish her well in the future.
By: Mr. Michel Samson (Richmond)
I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas "A Celebration of Commitment" was the theme for the event held on Saturday, March 31, 2007, at the St. Louis Parish Hall in Louisdale; and
Whereas the event was an opportunity for the residents of Richmond County to express their gratitude for the professionalism and compassion of the Richmond County Home Support Services Society; and
Whereas the celebration was sponsored by the Richmond County Early Childhood Education Association and included a meal, presentations and local entertainment.
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House thank Anne Davenport, home support worker, for her dedicated service to the residents of Richmond County and wish her well in the future.
By: Mr. Michel Samson (Richmond)
I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas "A Celebration of Commitment" was the theme for the event held on Saturday, March 31, 2007, at the St. Louis Parish Hall in Louisdale; and
Whereas the event was an opportunity for the residents of Richmond County to express their gratitude for the professionalism and compassion of the Richmond County Home Support Services Society; and
Whereas the celebration was sponsored by the Richmond County Early Childhood Education Association and included a meal, presentations and local entertainment.
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House thank Marilyn Davison, home support worker, for her dedicated service to the residents of Richmond County and wish her well in the future.
By: Mr. Michel Samson (Richmond)
I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas "A Celebration of Commitment" was the theme for the event held on Saturday, March 31, 2007, at the St. Louis Parish Hall in Louisdale; and
Whereas the event was an opportunity for the residents of Richmond County to express their gratitude for the professionalism and compassion of the Richmond County Home Support Services Society; and
Whereas the celebration was sponsored by the Richmond County Early Childhood Education Association and included a meal, presentations and local entertainment.
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House thank Henrietta Doary, home support worker, for her dedicated service to the residents of Richmond County and wish her well in the future.
By: Mr. Michel Samson (Richmond)
I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas "A Celebration of Commitment" was the theme for the event held on Saturday, March 31, 2007, at the St. Louis Parish Hall in Louisdale; and
Whereas the event was an opportunity for the residents of Richmond County to express their gratitude for the professionalism and compassion of the Richmond County Home Support Services Society; and
Whereas the celebration was sponsored by the Richmond County Early Childhood Education Association and included a meal, presentations and local entertainment.
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House thank Doreen Drake, home support worker, for her dedicated service to the residents of Richmond County and wish her well in the future.
By: Mr. Michel Samson (Richmond)
I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas "A Celebration of Commitment" was the theme for the event held on Saturday, March 31, 2007, at the St. Louis Parish Hall in Louisdale; and
Whereas the event was an opportunity for the residents of Richmond County to express their gratitude for the professionalism and compassion of the Richmond County Home Support Services Society; and
Whereas the celebration was sponsored by the Richmond County Early Childhood Education Association and included a meal, presentations and local entertainment.
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House thank Rose Marie Farrell, home support worker, for her dedicated service to the residents of Richmond County and wish her well in the future.
By: Mr. Michel Samson (Richmond)
I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas "A Celebration of Commitment" was the theme for the event held on Saturday, March 31, 2007, at the St. Louis Parish Hall in Louisdale; and
Whereas the event was an opportunity for the residents of Richmond County to express their gratitude for the professionalism and compassion of the Richmond County Home Support Services Society; and
Whereas the celebration was sponsored by the Richmond County Early Childhood Education Association and included a meal, presentations and local entertainment.
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House thank Karen Fortune, home support worker, for her dedicated service to the residents of Richmond County and wish her well in the future.
By: Mr. Michel Samson (Richmond)
I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas "A Celebration of Commitment" was the theme for the event held on Saturday, March 31, 2007, at the St. Louis Parish Hall in Louisdale; and
Whereas the event was an opportunity for the residents of Richmond County to express their gratitude for the professionalism and compassion of the Richmond County Home Support Services Society; and
Whereas the celebration was sponsored by the Richmond County Early Childhood Education Association and included a meal, presentations and local entertainment.
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House thank Ruth Fougere, home support worker, for her dedicated service to the residents of Richmond County and wish her well in the future.
By: Mr. Michel Samson (Richmond)
I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas "A Celebration of Commitment" was the theme for the event held on Saturday, March 31, 2007, at the St. Louis Parish Hall in Louisdale; and
Whereas the event was an opportunity for the residents of Richmond County to express their gratitude for the professionalism and compassion of the Richmond County Home Support Services Society; and
Whereas the celebration was sponsored by the Richmond County Early Childhood Education Association and included a meal, presentations and local entertainment.
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House thank Joan Fox, home support worker, for her dedicated service to the residents of Richmond County and wish her well in the future.
RESOLUTION NO. 3007
By: Mr. Michel Samson (Richmond)
I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas "A Celebration of Commitment" was the theme for the event held on Saturday, March 31, 2007, at the St. Louis Parish Hall in Louisdale; and
Whereas the event was an opportunity for the residents of Richmond County to express their gratitude for the professionalism and compassion of the Richmond County Home Support Services Society; and
Whereas the celebration was sponsored by the Richmond County Early Childhood Education Association and included a meal, presentations and local entertainment;
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House thank Sarah Mauger, home support worker, for her dedicated service to the residents of Richmond County and wish her well in the future.
RESOLUTION NO. 3008
By: Mr. Michel Samson (Richmond)
I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas "A Celebration of Commitment" was the theme for the event held on Saturday, March 31, 2007, at the St. Louis Parish Hall in Louisdale; and
Whereas the event was an opportunity for the residents of Richmond County to express their gratitude for the professionalism and compassion of the Richmond County Home Support Services Society; and
Whereas the celebration was sponsored by the Richmond County Early Childhood Education Association and included a meal, presentations and local entertainment;
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House thank Jackie Jollymore, home support worker, for her dedicated service to the residents of Richmond County and wish her well in the future.
RESOLUTION NO. 3009
By: Mr. Michel Samson (Richmond)
I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas "A Celebration of Commitment" was the theme for the event held on Saturday, March 31, 2007, at the St. Louis Parish Hall in Louisdale; and
Whereas the event was an opportunity for the residents of Richmond County to express their gratitude for the professionalism and compassion of the Richmond County Home Support Services Society; and
Whereas the celebration was sponsored by the Richmond County Early Childhood Education Association and included a meal, presentations and local entertainment;
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House thank Mary George, home support worker, for her dedicated service to the residents of Richmond County and wish her well in the future.
RESOLUTION NO. 3010
By: Mr. Michel Samson (Richmond)
I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas "A Celebration of Commitment" was the theme for the event held on Saturday, March 31, 2007, at the St. Louis Parish Hall in Louisdale; and
Whereas the event was an opportunity for the residents of Richmond County to express their gratitude for the professionalism and compassion of the Richmond County Home Support Services Society; and
Whereas the celebration was sponsored by the Richmond County Early Childhood Education Association and included a meal, presentations and local entertainment;
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House thank Ann Hearn, home support worker, for her dedicated service to the residents of Richmond County and wish her well in the future.
RESOLUTION NO. 3011
By: Mr. Michel Samson (Richmond)
I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas "A Celebration of Commitment" was the theme for the event held on Saturday, March 31, 2007, at the St. Louis Parish Hall in Louisdale; and
Whereas the event was an opportunity for the residents of Richmond County to express their gratitude for the professionalism and compassion of the Richmond County Home Support Services Society; and
Whereas the celebration was sponsored by the Richmond County Early Childhood Education Association and included a meal, presentations and local entertainment;
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House thank Gladys Lahey, home support worker, for her dedicated service to the residents of Richmond County and wish her well in the future.
RESOLUTION NO. 3012
By: Mr. Michel Samson (Richmond)
I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas "A Celebration of Commitment" was the theme for the event held on Saturday, March 31, 2007, at the St. Louis Parish Hall in Louisdale; and
Whereas the event was an opportunity for the residents of Richmond County to express their gratitude for the professionalism and compassion of the Richmond County Home Support Services Society; and
Whereas the celebration was sponsored by the Richmond County Early Childhood Education Association and included a meal, presentations and local entertainment;
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House thank Lorena Landry, home support worker, for her dedicated service to the residents of Richmond County and wish her well in the future.
RESOLUTION NO. 3013
By: Mr. Michel Samson (Richmond)
I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas "A Celebration of Commitment" was the theme for the event held on Saturday, March 31, 2007, at the St. Louis Parish Hall in Louisdale; and
Whereas the event was an opportunity for the residents of Richmond County to express their gratitude for the professionalism and compassion of the Richmond County Home Support Services Society; and
Whereas the celebration was sponsored by the Richmond County Early Childhood Education Association and included a meal, presentations and local entertainment;
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House thank Lucy Landry, home support worker, for her dedicated service to the residents of Richmond County and wish her well in the future.
RESOLUTION NO. 3014
By: Mr. Michel Samson (Richmond)
I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas "A Celebration of Commitment" was the theme for the event held on Saturday, March 31, 2007, at the St. Louis Parish Hall in Louisdale; and
Whereas the event was an opportunity for the residents of Richmond County to express their gratitude for the professionalism and compassion of the Richmond County Home Support Services Society; and
Whereas the celebration was sponsored by the Richmond County Early Childhood Education Association and included a meal, presentations and local entertainment;
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House thank Yvette Landry, home support worker, for her dedicated service to the residents of Richmond County and wish her well in the future.
RESOLUTION NO. 3015
By: Mr. Michel Samson (Richmond)
I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas "A Celebration of Commitment" was the theme for the event held on Saturday, March 31, 2007, at the St. Louis Parish Hall in Louisdale; and
Whereas the event was an opportunity for the residents of Richmond County to express their gratitude for the professionalism and compassion of the Richmond County Home Support Services Society; and
Whereas the celebration was sponsored by the Richmond County Early Childhood Education Association and included a meal, presentations and local entertainment;
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House thank Connie LeBlanc, home support worker, for her dedicated service to the residents of Richmond County and wish her well in the future.
RESOLUTION NO. 3016
By: Mr. Michel Samson (Richmond)
I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas "A Celebration of Commitment" was the theme for the event held on Saturday, March 31, 2007, at the St. Louis Parish Hall in Louisdale; and
Whereas the event was an opportunity for the residents of Richmond County to express their gratitude for the professionalism and compassion of the Richmond County Home Support Services Society; and
Whereas the celebration was sponsored by the Richmond County Early Childhood Education Association and included a meal, presentations and local entertainment;
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House thank Tanya Marchand, home support worker, for her dedicated service to the residents of Richmond County and wish her well in the future.
RESOLUTION NO. 3017
By: Mr. Michel Samson (Richmond)
I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas "A Celebration of Commitment" was the theme for the event held on Saturday, March 31, 2007, at the St. Louis Parish Hall in Louisdale; and
Whereas the event was an opportunity for the residents of Richmond County to express their gratitude for the professionalism and compassion of the Richmond County Home Support Services Society; and
Whereas the celebration was sponsored by the Richmond County Early Childhood Education Association and included a meal, presentations and local entertainment;
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House thank Lorrie Matthews, home support worker, for her dedicated service to the residents of Richmond County and wish her well in the future.
RESOLUTION NO. 3018
By: Mr. Michel Samson (Richmond)
I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas "A Celebration of Commitment" was the theme for the event held on Saturday, March 31, 2007, at the St. Louis Parish Hall in Louisdale; and
Whereas the event was an opportunity for the residents of Richmond County to express their gratitude for the professionalism and compassion of the Richmond County Home Support Services Society; and
Whereas the celebration was sponsored by the Richmond County Early Childhood Education Association and included a meal, presentations and local entertainment;
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House thank Anne Mauger, home support worker, home support worker, for her dedicated service to the residents of Richmond County and wish her well in the future.
By: Mr. Michel Samson (Richmond)
I hereby give notice that on a future date I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas "A Celebration of Commitment" was the theme for the event held on Saturday, March 31, 2007, at the St. Louis Parish Hall in Louisdale; and
Whereas the event was an opportunity for the residents of Richmond County to express their gratitude for the professionalism and compassion of the Richmond County Home Support Services Society; and
Whereas the celebration was sponsored by the Richmond County Early Childhood Education Association and included a meal, presentations and local entertainment;
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House thank Susan McGrath, home support worker, for her dedicated service to the residents of Richmond County and wish her well in the future.
By: Mr. Michel Samson (Richmond)
I hereby give notice that on a future date I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas "A Celebration of Commitment" was the theme for the event held on Saturday, March 31, 2007, at the St. Louis Parish Hall in Louisdale; and
Whereas the event was an opportunity for the residents of Richmond County to express their gratitude for the professionalism and compassion of the Richmond County Home Support Services Society; and
Whereas the celebration was sponsored by the Richmond County Early Childhood Education Association and included a meal, presentations and local entertainment;
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House thank Lola Pettipas, home support worker, for her dedicated service to the residents of Richmond County and wish her well in the future.
By: Mr. Michel Samson (Richmond)
I hereby give notice that on a future date I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas "A Celebration of Commitment" was the theme for the event held on Saturday, March 31, 2007, at the St. Louis Parish Hall in Louisdale; and
Whereas the event was an opportunity for the residents of Richmond County to express their gratitude for the professionalism and compassion of the Richmond County Home Support Services Society; and
Whereas the celebration was sponsored by the Richmond County Early Childhood Education Association and included a meal, presentations and local entertainment;
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House thank Gerarda Pettipas, home support worker, for her dedicated service to the residents of Richmond County and wish her well in the future.
By: Mr. Michel Samson (Richmond)
I hereby give notice that on a future date I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas "A Celebration of Commitment" was the theme for the event held on Saturday, March 31, 2007, at the St. Louis Parish Hall in Louisdale; and
Whereas the event was an opportunity for the residents of Richmond County to express their gratitude for the professionalism and compassion of the Richmond County Home Support Services Society; and
Whereas the celebration was sponsored by the Richmond County Early Childhood Education Association and included a meal, presentations and local entertainment;
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House thank Cindy Pottie, home support worker, for her dedicated service to the residents of Richmond County and wish her well in the future.
By: Mr. Michel Samson (Richmond)
I hereby give notice that on a future date I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas "A Celebration of Commitment" was the theme for the event held on Saturday, March 31, 2007, at the St. Louis Parish Hall in Louisdale; and
Whereas the event was an opportunity for the residents of Richmond County to express their gratitude for the professionalism and compassion of the Richmond County Home Support Services Society; and
Whereas the celebration was sponsored by the Richmond County Early Childhood Education Association and included a meal, presentations and local entertainment;
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House thank Marilyn Proctor, home support worker, for her dedicated service to the residents of Richmond County and wish her well in the future.
By: Mr. Michel Samson (Richmond)
I hereby give notice that on a future date I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas "A Celebration of Commitment" was the theme for the event held on Saturday, March 31, 2007, at the St. Louis Parish Hall in Louisdale; and
Whereas the event was an opportunity for the residents of Richmond County to express their gratitude for the professionalism and compassion of the Richmond County Home Support Services Society; and
Whereas the celebration was sponsored by the Richmond County Early Childhood Education Association and included a meal, presentations and local entertainment;
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House thank Hattie Samson, home support worker, for her dedicated service to the residents of Richmond County and wish her well in the future.
By: Mr. Michel Samson (Richmond)
I hereby give notice that on a future date I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas "A Celebration of Commitment" was the theme for the event held on Saturday, March 31, 2007, at the St. Louis Parish Hall in Louisdale; and
Whereas the event was an opportunity for the residents of Richmond County to express their gratitude for the professionalism and compassion of the Richmond County Home Support Services Society; and
Whereas the celebration was sponsored by the Richmond County Early Childhood Education Association and included a meal, presentations and local entertainment;
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House thank Anne Marie Thibeau, home support worker, for her dedicated service to the residents of Richmond County and wish her well in the future.
By: Mr. Michel Samson (Richmond)
I hereby give notice that on a future date I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas "A Celebration of Commitment" was the theme for the event held on Saturday, March 31, 2007, at the St. Louis Parish Hall in Louisdale; and
Whereas the event was an opportunity for the residents of Richmond County to express their gratitude for the professionalism and compassion of the Richmond County Home Support Services Society; and
Whereas the celebration was sponsored by the Richmond County Early Childhood Education Association and included a meal, presentations and local entertainment;
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House thank Betty Anne Woodlock, home support worker, for her dedicated service to the residents of Richmond County and wish her well in the future.
By: Mr. Michel Samson (Richmond)
I hereby give notice that on a future date I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas "A Celebration of Commitment" was the theme for the event held on Saturday, March 31, 2007, at the St. Louis Parish Hall in Louisdale; and
Whereas the event was an opportunity for the residents of Richmond County to express their gratitude for the professionalism and compassion of the Richmond County Home Support Services Society; and
Whereas the celebration was sponsored by the Richmond County Early Childhood Education Association and included a meal, presentations and local entertainment;
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House thank Pauline Boudreau, office staff, for her dedicated service to the residents of Richmond County and wish her well in the future.
By: Mr. Michel Samson (Richmond)
I hereby give notice that on a future date I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas "A Celebration of Commitment" was the theme for the event held on Saturday, March 31, 2007, at the St. Louis Parish Hall in Louisdale; and
Whereas the event was an opportunity for the residents of Richmond County to express their gratitude for the professionalism and compassion of the Richmond County Home Support Services Society; and
Whereas the celebration was sponsored by the Richmond County Early Childhood Education Association and included a meal, presentations and local entertainment;
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House thank Rita Fougere, office staff, for her dedicated service to the residents of Richmond County and wish her well in the future.
By: Mr. Michel Samson (Richmond)
I hereby give notice that on a future date I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas "A Celebration of Commitment" was the theme for the event held on Saturday, March 31, 2007, at the St. Louis Parish Hall in Louisdale; and
Whereas the event was an opportunity for the residents of Richmond County to express their gratitude for the professionalism and compassion of the Richmond County Home Support Services Society; and
Whereas the celebration was sponsored by the Richmond County Early Childhood Education Association and included a meal, presentations and local entertainment;
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House thank Annette Kehoe, office staff, for her dedicated service to the residents of Richmond County and wish her well in the future.
By: Mr. Michel Samson (Richmond)
I hereby give notice that on a future date I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas "A Celebration of Commitment" was the theme for the event held on Saturday, March 31, 2007, at the St. Louis Parish Hall in Louisdale; and
Whereas the event was an opportunity for the residents of Richmond County to express their gratitude for the professionalism and compassion of the Richmond County Home Support Services Society; and
Whereas the celebration was sponsored by the Richmond County Early Childhood Education Association and included a meal, presentations and local entertainment;
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House thank Tina Kinslow, office staff, for her dedicated service to the residents of Richmond County and wish her well in the future.
By: Mr. Michel Samson (Richmond)
I hereby give notice that on a future date I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas "A Celebration of Commitment" was the theme for the event held on Saturday, March 31, 2007, at the St. Louis Parish Hall in Louisdale; and
Whereas the event was an opportunity for the residents of Richmond County to express their gratitude for the professionalism and compassion of the Richmond County Home Support Services Society; and
Whereas the celebration was sponsored by the Richmond County Early Childhood Education Association and included a meal, presentations and local entertainment;
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House thank Joyce MacLeod, office staff, for her dedicated service to the residents of Richmond County and wish her well in the future.
RESOLUTION NO. 3032
By: Mr. Michel Samson (Richmond)
I hereby give notice that on a future date I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas "A Celebration of Commitment" was the theme for the event held on Saturday, March 31, 2007, at the St. Louis Parish Hall in Louisdale; and
Whereas the event was an opportunity for the residents of Richmond County to express their gratitude for the professionalism and compassion of the Richmond County Home Support Services Society; and
Whereas the celebration was sponsored by the Richmond County Early Childhood Education Association and included a meal, presentations and local entertainment;
Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House thank Wendy Venedam, office staff, for her dedicated service to the residents of Richmond County and wish her well in the future.
By: Mr. Keith Colwell (Preston)
I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas the Nova Scotia Environmental Network has honoured Allister Marshall, one of three proactive citizens honoured on January 23, 2007; and
Whereas Allister Marshall began speaking out for water quality on the Chapel Island First Nation in 1985; and
Whereas Allister Marshall has taken it upon himself to be an advocate in his community and tirelessly work so that everyone can drink clean water, breathe clean air and eat non-contaminated food;
Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly recognize and congratulate Allister Marshall for his hard work and commitment towards a cleaner environment for the future.
By: Mr. Keith Colwell (Preston)
I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas the Nova Scotia Environmental Network has honoured Mil Nickerson, one of three proactive citizens honoured on January 23, 2007; and
Whereas Mil Nickerson became an activist in 1986 when a tin mine began dumping effluent in the Tusket River; and
Whereas Mil Nickerson has taken it upon himself to be an advocate in his community and tirelessly work so that everyone can drink clean water, breathe clean air and eat non-contaminated food;
Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly recognize and congratulate Mil Nickerson for his hard work and commitment towards a cleaner environment for the future.
By: Mr. Keith Colwell (Preston)
I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas the Nova Scotia Environmental Network has honoured Sheila Cole, one of three proactive citizens honoured on January 23, 2007; and
Whereas Sheila Cole became interested in how chemicals affect our health in 1986 when she couldn't find anyone who could tell her what had caused an environmental illness; and
Whereas Sheila Cole has taken it upon herself to be an advocate in his community and tirelessly work so that everyone can drink clean water, breathe clean air and eat non-contaminated food;
Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly recognize and congratulate Sheila Cole for her hard work and commitment towards a cleaner environment for the future.
By: Mr. Keith Colwell (Preston)
I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas Friday, April 13, 2007, the Royal Canadian Legion Eastern Marine Branch #161, located in Gaetz Brook, will celebrate its 31st Anniversary; and
Whereas the Legion's members are to be commended for the leadership and commitment they have shown in the expansion of their facility and maintaining it for the past 31 years; and
Whereas the Legion is also hosting an honours and awards ceremony on this evening to honour members of the Legion for their outstanding work and commitment;
Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly recognize and congratulate the Royal Canadian Legion Eastern Marine Branch #161 on achieving its 31st Anniversary and also the members that will be honoured there on this evening.
