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HALIFAX, MONDAY, APRIL 8, 2013

Sixty-first General Assembly

Fifth Session

4:00 P.M.

SPEAKER

Hon. Gordie Gosse

DEPUTY SPEAKERS

Ms. Becky Kent, Mr. Leo Glavine, Mr. Alfie MacLeod

MR. SPEAKER » : Order, please. We'll begin the daily routine.

PRESENTING AND READING PETITIONS

PRESENTING REPORTS OF COMMITTEES

TABLING REPORTS, REGULATIONS AND OTHER PAPERS

STATEMENTS BY MINISTERS

GOVERNMENT NOTICES OF MOTION

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable Minister of Health and Wellness.

RESOLUTION NO. 159

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HON. DAVID WILSON « » : Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas April 7^th marks World Health Day 2013, and this year's campaign focuses on high blood pressure; and

Whereas we know that high blood pressure, or hypertension, can increase the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and other illnesses, and there are steps that we all can take to reduce and prevent high blood pressure such as reducing salt intake, eating a balanced diet, and regular physical activity; and

Whereas this day is a reminder that we should all begin the conversation about how to better protect our health and well-being;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House recognize April 7^th as World Health Day, and encourage friends, families, and others in our community to lead healthier, active lives.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice and passage without debate.

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 and Early Childhood Development.

RESOLUTION NO. 160

HON. RAMONA JENNEX « » : Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas we recognize the inherent and inalienable rights of all individuals to dignity, respect, security, and worth; and

Whereas the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development is committed to providing education in schools that promotes anti-racism and race relations, cross-cultural understanding, and human rights; and

Whereas students, as they progress through school, explore and discuss topics that underline the perils and horrible consequences of prejudice, discrimination, sexism, racism, and anti-Semitism, such as the Holocaust;

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Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly acknowledge today, April 8^th, as Holocaust Remembrance Day, which provides an opportunity for all Nova Scotians to learn from the enduring lessons of the Holocaust.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice and passage without debate.

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 Communities, Culture and Heritage.

RESOLUTION NO. 161

HON. LEONARD PREYRA « » : Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the Atlantic Jewish Council is committed to nurturing the quality of Jewish life in Atlantic Canada through community service, advocacy, and the promotion of interfaith dialogue and multiculturalism; and

Whereas Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, commemorates the lives and heroism of those who perished amid the horrors of the Holocaust, and is solemnly marked each year by the Atlantic Jewish Council and caring communities around the world; and

Whereas tonight, April 8, 2013, the Atlantic Jewish Council will mark this year's Yom HaShoah with a public talk by Holocaust survivor Dr. Israel Unger, performances by students of the Asper Foundation Human Rights and Holocaust Studies program, and a memorial candle-lighting at Saint Mary's University;

Therefore be it resolved that this House of Assembly recognize the Atlantic Jewish Council for reminding us that, by remembering the horrors of the Holocaust, we can all help foster a more peaceful and just society.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice and passage without debate.

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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.

RESOLUTION NO. 162

HON. CHARLIE PARKER « » : Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the Hinterland Who's Who program is celebrating its 50^th Anniversary promoting the importance of wildlife conservation to the Canadian public; and

Whereas 2011 to 2020 was declared the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity by the United Nations General Assembly; and

Whereas National Wildlife Week, celebrated this year from April 7^th to April 13^th, provides Nova Scotians with the opportunity to explore their connection to wildlife and biodiversity in all its forms;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House of Assembly and all Nova Scotians join the Department of Natural Resources in congratulating the Hinterland Who's Who program on its 50^th Anniversary, and recognize the importance of their role in the conservation and sustainable use of wildlife and biodiversity in all its forms through the shared stewardship of our natural resources.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice and passage without debate.

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.

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The honourable Premier.

RESOLUTION NO. 163

HON. DARRELL DEXTER « » : I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas, like many Nova Scotians, I remember listening to the band Oakley and their legendary guitar-playing front man Ritchie Oakley; and

Whereas Ritchie Oakley and his song-writing talents were a mainstay of the East Coast music scene in the 1970s and 1980s, and in 2008, Oakley was presented with the Stompin' Tom Award, recognizing Oakley as an unsung hero in Atlantic Canada; and

Whereas Ritchie Oakley died on Saturday at the age of 68, leaving behind his wife Debbie, three children, two stepchildren, and two grandchildren;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of the Legislature remember Ritchie Oakley for his love of music, passion for life, and dedication to his family.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice and passage without debate.

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 Communities, Culture and Heritage.

RESOLUTION NO. 164

HON. LEONARD PREYRA « » : Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the celebration recognizes the vibrant learning community that exists in the province, with a goal to raise awareness, inspire more learning, and bring people together; and

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Whereas many provincial libraries will host interactive workshops, panel discussions, displays, and more, to celebrate all aspects of formal and informal learning;

Therefore be it resolved that this House of Assembly join me in recognizing Nova Scotia Adult Learners' Week and encouraging all Nova Scotians to seek out opportunities to continue their journey of lifelong learning.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice and passage without debate.

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.

INTRODUCTION OF BILLS

Bill No. 35 - Entitled an Act to Protect Patients and Provide for the Fair Resolution of Contract Negotiations in Health Care and Community Services. (Hon. Jamie Baillie)

Bill No. 36 - Entitled an Act to Amend Chapter 238 of the Revised Statutes of 1989. The Provincial Court Act. (Hon. Ross Landry)

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. 165

HON. STEPHEN MCNEIL « » : Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas today, April 8^th is Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day; and

Whereas today we remember the countless innocent people, including six million men, women, and children who suffered and died at the hands of the Nazis during the Holocaust; and

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Whereas the Atlantic Jewish Council has organized Remembrance Day ceremonies throughout the day, including the reading of the names on the lawn at the Public Library on Spring Garden Road and an evening lecture at Saint Mary's University;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this Legislature acknowledge April 8^th as Holocaust Remembrance Day and be ever mindful of the atrocities that exceeded all bounds of human dignity, and ensure these events are neither forgotten nor repeated.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice and passage without debate.

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 Victoria-The Lakes.

RESOLUTION NO. 166

MR. KEITH BAIN « » : Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas today is Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day; and

Whereas Yom HaShoah is marked as a day to remember the lives and heroism of the more than six million Jewish people who died at the hands of the Nazis during the Holocaust; and

Whereas Jewish communities across the province will hold commemorative ceremonies to pay tribute to the innocent lives lost and to raise awareness of the atrocities that occurred;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly recognize today as Yom HaShoah and let today serve as a reminder of the horrors that intolerance and hatred can produce, and to never let these crimes be forgotten or repeated.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice and passage without debate.

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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 Opposition.

RESOLUTION NO. 167

HON. STEPHEN MCNEIL « » : Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas approximately eight years ago leaders in our communities established the Emily Fund, a fund to ensure as many children with type 1 diabetes as possible had access to an insulin pump; and

Whereas over the years the organization supplied no less than 42 pumps and raised in excess of $300,000, thanks to the generosity of Nova Scotians willing to help children who, through no fault of their own, would not have been able to benefit from an insulin pump; and

Whereas the generosity of volunteer hours put forward by the Maritime organization of the Lions Clubs and the original founding organization of the Emily Fund, the Knights of Columbus, in their support of the Emily Fund was invaluable;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this Legislature acknowledge the dedication of Rick Karst, James Barrett, Donald Feeney, Emily Clarke, and Ron Magahay, and all officers of years gone by, for their dedication and support of the many children with type 1 diabetes who all benefited from these volunteers' time and generosity.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice and passage without debate.

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.

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The motion is carried.

The honourable member for Argyle.

RESOLUTION NO. 168

HON. CHRISTOPHER D'ENTREMONT « » : Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Cresco Developments co-principal Taleb Abidali recently received the Distinguished Citizen Award from the Bedford Business Association in recognition of his many years of community service and generosity to many causes; and

Whereas Mr. Abidali recently said, "When you're in a position to help . . . offering happiness is the best thing a human can do."; and

Whereas Mr. Abidali spends much of his spare time promoting Halifax abroad and educating newcomers about the Canadian way of life and, under his guidance, Cresco outfits young newcomers with sporting equipment;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Taleb Abidali on receiving the Bedford Business Association's Distinguished Citizen Award, and thank him for the many important contributions he has made to his community and to the province.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice and passage without debate.

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 Bedford-Birch Cove.

MS. KELLY REGAN « » : Mr. Speaker, I beg leave to make an introduction.

MR. SPEAKER « » : Most certainly.

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MS. REGAN « » : I would like to draw the members' attention to the gallery opposite where Mr. Taleb Abidali is here joining us today. As we're about to hear, he's a much-honoured person in the Bedford community. Thank you for coming. (Applause)

MR. SPEAKER « » : We welcome all our guests to the gallery and hope they enjoy this evening's proceedings.

The honourable member for Bedford-Birch Cove.

RESOLUTION NO. 169

MS. KELLY REGAN « » : Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Bedford resident Taleb Abidali joined Cresco Construction Limited as a co-principal in 1994; and

Whereas Taleb Abidali was previously a physical education teacher and has continued to be deeply involved in education in the Bedford community, he also helped to develop the Nova Scotia Immigration Strategy in 2004, and is currently a member of the planning committee of the Spiritual Diversity Conference and Fair, chairman of the Halifax Islamic Society, and board member of the Cobequid Community Health Centre Foundation; and

Whereas Taleb won the gold award in the category of Business Person of the Year at the Halifax Chamber of Commerce 2013 Business Awards;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House of Assembly congratulate Taleb Abidali on his award and thank him for remaining a strong advocate of education, health, and cultural diversity.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice and passage without debate.

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.

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RESOLUTION NO. 170

MR. CHUCK PORTER « » : Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the Nova Scotia International Student Program offers high school education to students around the world and is available in over 90 junior and senior high schools, including Hants West Middle School and Avon View High; and

Whereas Vanessa Stevens, a resident of the MacKay Road in Newport was the only Hants County student between March 3^rd and March 17^th to recently spend time in Campeche, Mexico on an international student exchange with 20 other Nova Scotia students; and

Whereas Vanessa worked with her fellow students to raise $16,000 in Canadian funds, which when exchanged is worth $194,000 in pesos, with the funding used to renovate an orphanage in Campeche and to assist in buying a wheelchair for one of the children in the orphanage, while also saving $1,600 in Canadian funds to go towards a scholarship fund that is set up for a student to be able to come to Nova Scotia on an exchange trip;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly recognize the valued work put forth by Vanessa Stevens on her international student exchange trip and wish her continued success.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice and passage without debate.

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 Colchester North.

RESOLUTION NO. 171

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HON. KAREN CASEY « » : Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Masstown, Colchester North is the site of one of the most popular shopping spots in Atlantic Canada, with over one million customers per year; and

Whereas Eric Jennings started his business in 1969 as the Masstown Market from a single small building which has expanded to produce fresh produce, fish, meats, cheeses, ice cream, groceries, Nova Scotia wines, specialty coffees, and includes an award-winning gift shop, a garden centre, a lighthouse style restaurant, a corn maze, and zip line attractions; and

Whereas Jennings is not only known for his business finesse but also for his volunteer work with numerous community groups, for assisting countless sports teams, charity events and community causes, and for helping other entrepreneurs and neighbouring business owners;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of the House of Assembly congratulate Eric Jennings, whom the Truro and Colchester Chamber of Commerce and the Business Development Bank of Canada have named as a recipient of the BDC Lifetime Achievement Award for his entrepreneurial vision and for his many years of dedication to Truro and Colchester County.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice and passage without debate.

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 North.

RESOLUTION NO. 172

MR. EDDIE ORRELL « » : Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas after years of trying to re-establish boxing on the Northside, Mike Gerrow and Stephen MacDonald have just opened the Tri-Town Boxing Club in the main building at the exhibition grounds in North Sydney; and

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Whereas Mike and Stephen bring a host of experience in the ring to the club that will greatly influence the development of the 40-plus members; and

Whereas with the help of a dedicated staff, and the support from SportChek, Enterprise Cape Breton, Sport Nova Scotia, Health Promotion and Protection, and the Cape Breton Federation of Agriculture, this dream became a reality;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Mike Gerrow and Stephen MacDonald on their new enterprise, and wish Tri-Town Boxing a great future with many champions.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice and passage without debate.

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. 173

MR. ANDREW YOUNGER « » : Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the Halifax Field Naturalists society was started in 1975 to educate the public about Nova Scotia's rich natural history; and

Whereas Hope for Wildlife is an animal rescue centre that returns to the wild about 1,500 animals a year, started by Ms. Hope Swinimer; and

Whereas the Colin Stewart Conservation Award is presented by the Halifax Field Naturalists society to those who are leaders in conservation work;

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly congratulate Ms. Hope Swinimer on receiving the 2013 Colin Stewart Award and on her commitment to protecting and caring for Nova Scotia's wildlife.

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Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice and passage without debate.

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 West.

RESOLUTION NO. 174

MR. ALFIE MACLEOD « » : Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas David Pink of Albert Bridge was recently awarded the Medal of Bravery at Rideau Hall by Governor General David Johnston in Ottawa; and

Whereas David Pink was awarded the Medal of Bravery for his December 2009 rescue of three men whose fishing boat sunk during a storm in the Bay of Fundy; and

Whereas David, along with other members of the Coast Guard, received this award recognizing his acts of courage in a very hazardous circumstance;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly thank David Pink for his courageous actions and wish him the very best in his career at the Canadian Coast Guard.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice and passage without debate.

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.

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The honourable member for Kings West.

RESOLUTION NO. 175

MR. LEO GLAVINE « » : Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the Summit Hyundai Valley Wildcats made Valley major hockey history when they captured their first Nova Scotia league title with an outstanding season; and

Whereas the Valley Wildcats had their best and exceptional playoff run, with four straight wins over South Shore, a classic seven-game series win against Cape Breton West, and knocked off Dartmouth four games to one in five very close contests; and

Whereas the Wildcats wrote team history when they won the Atlantic championship yesterday, April 7^th, with a thrilling 4-3 victory over Cornwall, P.E.I. Thunder;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of the Nova Scotia Legislature congratulate the Valley Wildcats, Coach Nick Greenough, and staff on being triple champions, and wish them every success in their first trip to the national tournament in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice and passage without debate.

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 Inverness.

RESOLUTION NO. 176

MR. ALLAN MACMASTER « » : Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Lady Margaret Thatcher, one of the most important politicians of the 20^th Century, died this morning at the age of 87; and

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Whereas in her three consecutive terms as Prime Minister, Lady Thatcher rebuilt and modernized the economy of the United Kingdom, bravely stood up to communism, and steadfastly advanced the cause of freedom around the world; and

Whereas politicians everywhere should live by the hope Lady Thatcher set out for her own government in 1979 when she said, "Where there is discord, may we bring harmony. Where there is error, may we bring truth. Where there is doubt, may we bring faith. And where there is despair, may we bring hope.";

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly reflect on the many accomplishments of Lady Margaret Thatcher and observe a moment of silence for Britain's Iron Lady.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice and passage without debate.

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.

[A moment of silence was observed.]

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Colchester North.

RESOLUTION NO. 177

HON. KAREN CASEY « » : Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the United Baptist Church in Bass River, Colchester North, recently celebrated its 170^th Anniversary; and

Whereas Pastor Larry Tirrell was joined by guest speaker Corey Somers, Pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church in Truro; and

Whereas special music was provided by the Truro Heights United Baptist choir accompanied by organist Roberta Stewart;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate the members of the Bass River United Baptist Church on their 170^th Anniversary, and wish them growth and prosperity for the entire church family.

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Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice and passage without debate.

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 Argyle.

RESOLUTION NO. 178

HON. CHRISTOPHER D'ENTREMONT « » : Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas on Wednesday, February 6, 2013, retired fisherman Garry Adams, of Middle East Pubnico, was out riding his all-terrain vehicle when he came across the scene of an accident; and

Whereas Candace Malone of Charlesville and her two sons were returning from a shopping trip when she hit a patch of ice causing her to slide into a brook, landing on its roof and trapping them inside; and

Whereas Garry Adams waded into the freezing water to free Candace Malone and went on to free the 4-year-old, while Candace freed her 2-year-old son, and brought them safely to his home to call 911;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Garry Adams for his unselfish act of heroism, thank him for his quick thinking, and wish him a happy retirement.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice and passage without debate.

MR. SPEAKER « » : There has been a request for waiver.

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

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

The motion is carried.

The honourable member for Bedford-Birch Cove.

RESOLUTION NO. 179

MS. KELLY REGAN « » : Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Colette Robichaud and Jennifer Salib-Huber co-founded the Halifax chapter of 100 Women Who Care, a network that started in 2006 in the United States, which offers members a way to contribute to their community; and

Whereas 100 Women Who Care asks each member to donate $100 four times a year and to then vote for a registered Canadian charity of choice, located in the Halifax Regional Municipality, to receive at least $10,000; and

Whereas the women who join 100 Women Who Care are participating in a new way to uplift their neighbourhoods and communities;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Jennifer Salib-Huber and Colette Robichaud for establishing the Halifax chapter of 100 Women Who Care, the fourth chapter in Canada.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice and passage without debate.

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 Inverness.

RESOLUTION NO. 180

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MR. ALLAN MACMASTER « » : Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Daniel Boudreau has served for 28 years as a municipal councillor for the County of Inverness; and

Whereas Daniel has helped and supported the people of Cheticamp, Pleasant Bay, and Meat Cove with compassion and dedication; and

Whereas Daniel's effective representation is confirmed by the success of electoral victories he has earned;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly recognize Daniel Boudreau for his service as a councillor and as a friend to everyone.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice and passage without debate.

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. 181

MR. ANDREW YOUNGER « » : Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the Duke of Edinburgh Award was founded in 1956 and came to Canada in 1963 and is now present in 126 countries; and

Whereas the award encourages young people to become active and engaged citizens in the area of community service, and challenges them to develop personal skills and physical activity and learn what it means to exemplify leadership; and

Whereas Mary Myketyn Driscoll, a resident of Dartmouth, has been awarded a gold Duke of Edinburgh Award for the quarter July to December 2012;

[Page 508]

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Mary on receiving this prestigious award and offer her best wishes for continued success as a leader in our community.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice and passage without debate.

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 Victoria-The Lakes.

RESOLUTION NO. 182

MR. KEITH BAIN « » : Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the Grades 7 to 10 classes of Rankin School of the Narrows, Iona, raised $2,000 to help the fight against poverty world-wide and in their own community; and

Whereas Grade 10 student Ian Farrell initiated the fundraising by bringing a World Vision catalogue to his Healthy Living class after a discussion took place on children's rights and poverty; and

Whereas students donated $1,200 to purchase a stable of animals to help a village through World Vision, and the remaining $800 went to local charities like the Iona Food Bank and Loaves and Fishes;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate the students and staff of Rankin School of the Narrows for their heartfelt efforts to fight poverty, and say a special thank you to Ian Farrell for initiating and taking the lead in the fight.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice and passage without debate.

MR. SPEAKER « » : There has been a request for waiver.

Is it agreed?

[Page 509]

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 North.

RESOLUTION NO. 183

MR. EDDIE ORRELL « » : Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas memories of one of the community's most active and giving citizens were shared during a rededication ceremony at the new Wilfred Oram Centennial Library; and

Whereas the original library was named after North Sydney citizen Wilfred Oram, a machine shop foreman, a town councillor, and a member of Branch 19 Royal Canadian Legion, in recognition of his years of service to the town; and

Whereas Wilfred's wife, Primrose, was on hand to see the plaque honouring her husband unveiled after its trip from the old library site to the new library;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly recognize community leaders such as Wilfred Oram, who make our communities much better places to live.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice and passage without debate.

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 Inverness.

RESOLUTION NO. 184

[Page 510]

MR. ALLAN MACMASTER « » : Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the 2013 NDP budget will take an extra $300 from each taxpayer and borrow more than $100 in each taxpayer's name; and

Whereas counting on an aggressive increase in personal income tax revenue, despite thousands of job losses and stagnant wages, means the so-called NDP surplus will soon disappear; and

Whereas the NDP over-budgeted expenses in the past to make provincial finances look worse than they were, in order to justify tax increases and add $1.67 billion to the debt by the end of this budget year;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly vote against the 2013 budget, because it means high taxes and more debt and is likely to slide into deficit by the end of the year.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice and passage without debate.

MR. SPEAKER « » : There has been a request for waiver.

Is it agreed?

I hear several Noes.

The notice is tabled.

The honourable member for Cape Breton West.

RESOLUTION NO. 185

MR. ALFIE MACLEOD « » : Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Jillian MacLaughlin of New Glasgow, Emmett Blois of Gore, and Andrew Monaghan of Halifax were the only Nova Scotians selected to compete on the first season of Big Brother Canada; and

Whereas all three have made Nova Scotia proud, as they have had great success in winning competitions; and

Whereas with only a few weeks left, all three Nova Scotians are now among the remaining seven houseguests;

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Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Jillian, Emmett, and Andrew for being selected for the first Canadian season of Big Brother and wish them all the best for the remainder of the competition.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice and passage without debate.

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 Argyle.

RESOLUTION NO. 186

HON. CHRISTOPHER D'ENTREMONT « » : Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the Liberals have been given many chances to do the right thing with respect to their trust funds, invoking a telling silence from the honourable member for Clayton Park when she was called upon to offer a defence of her Leader; and

Whereas the Liberals, under their current Leader, made a decision not to do the right thing and clung to their trust funds until they were about to be pried from their hands; and

Whereas serious questions remain about what happened to the funds and about how the Liberals continued to enjoy financial advantage from the legacy of the funds;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of the House of Assembly demand that the Liberal Leader disclose the identity of all officers, directors, and/or trustees of whatever entity the funds were given to, and the nature of all past and present relationships between those people and the Liberal Party of Nova Scotia.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice and passage without debate.

MR. SPEAKER « » : There has been a request for waiver.

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Is it agreed?

I hear several Noes.

The notice is tabled.

ORDERS OF THE DAY

GOVERNMENT BUSINESS

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable Government House Leader.

HON. FRANK CORBETT » : Mr. Speaker, would you please call the order of business, Government Motions.

GOVERNMENT MOTIONS

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable Government House Leader.

HON. FRANK CORBETT « » : Mr. Speaker, I move that you do now leave the Chair and the House resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole House on Supply unto Her Majesty.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Bedford-Birch Cove.

MS. KELLY REGAN « » : Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm very pleased today to have the opportunity to talk about my riding a little bit as we go into Supply. As many of the members of this House may know, the Bedford area, the Birch Cove area, they were actually settled quite early - long before European settlers arrived, in fact - by the Mi'kmaq, and these were fishing areas, summer encampments for the Mi'kmaq. Once European settlers arrived, we saw a variety of summer homes built along that way, and of course, what is now in my riding, and will soon be part of the riding of Clayton Park West, for example, would be the home of Julie de St. Laurent, who was the paramour of the future father of Queen Victoria, and she lived out there, it was a lovely home, sort of away from the hustle and bustle of Halifax. So, over time, these communities became what we call bedroom communities, and eventually, Bedford, in fact, became a town of its own.

One of the things, though, that was sort of a hallmark, unfortunately of Bedford and of Birch Cove for a long time was a lack of facilities. There was a lack of investment in facilities from various levels of government, and I must say that there has been almost nothing in the way of new investment under the federal Tories in my riding over the last number of years. There are a number of private facilities. We now just recently have the Daniel Nestor tennis facility that opened up in the Rocky Lake area. We have Maskwa, which is a lovely facility on Kearney Lake, and many of you may be familiar with Maskwa because it's the home facility of Mark de Jonge, who is Canada's bronze medal-winning Olympian. And we have - we call it The Bubble; it's a rink surface, it was named after a former councillor - and somehow it got $1 million dollars from the federal government, but our four-pad, that serves all of metro, which is now called the BMO Centre, that BMO Centre got nothing from the federal government. It was quite shameful. It didn't get a dime.

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Somehow, the federal government thought they should invest a million dollars in a private rink, and we're happy to have that rink, and we're pleased it's here, we're happy they invested a million dollars. But somehow, they didn't think it worthy to invest anything in a four-pad that was being built for all of HRM. It was funny, because the rest of Canada, at the time, was awash in cash for recreation projects. For every community centre, fake lake, gazebo, there was money but somehow, for the BMO Centre, there was nothing.

That decision let this NDP government off the hook and they only put in $2 million when they should have probably put in $10 million or $11 million. But we are thankful that they did put in $2 million, because that way, HRM taxpayers did not bear the total cost of the rink, which is what it would have been. There was no federal contribution, and a small provincial contribution.

So our community is made up of people from many different countries. Some were born here, others were not. Some of us may speak many different languages, we may eat different foods and have different customs, but we all share a desire to work hard, to see our children grow, succeed, and prosper.

Earlier today we had a prominent member of the Bedford community in here with us, Taleb Abidali, and together with his partner, Hossein Mousavi, they have turned Cresco into a going concern. It's a really neat story because you have these two men, one comes from Iran the other comes from Iraq, and they have joined together to create a highly successful company - in fact now they're related because Hossein's nephew married Taleb's daughter. So it's a lovely story.

One of the things I'm hearing a lot lately is how the federal Conservatives are cutting back money, cutting back money, cutting back money. The latest thing I heard this past week, I had a woman in my office who teaches English as a Second Language and she told me that they are in fact cutting back on the hours of language training for immigrants. To me that doesn't make any sense, it certainly doesn't coming from a riding like Bedford which, like Halifax Clayton Park, has a lot of immigrants and a lot of immigrants who want to work, who are here to work and to suddenly find out that they are being hampered because a lack of federal investment is quite disappointing - but I'll have more to say on that later.

One of the new facilities that we are getting now, which I must give credit to the former Progressive Conservative Government here, provincial government, they did announce in 2009 that they were going to build a new high school. I did note that that was, I believe, in the Speech from the Throne - at least it did say there was a new school coming for Bedford and I'm assuming it's the same school and not another new one. But if I'm wrong I'd be happy to be wrong; if the Education Minister wants to correct me on that I'd be happy with that.

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Much of what happens in Bedford happens because residents pay up. As I indicated earlier a lot of the facilities we have there are private; they are not public facilities. When that new school was announced one of the things we wanted to do was to create a performing arts centre and we came together with people from Sackville and they indicated that they wanted a performance centre because there was nothing there, but what we were told was that there would be no performing arts centre built, or theatres built, in conjunction with schools unless we had buy-in from the local municipality - so that sort of killed that dream.

Now we are going to have a cafetorium and we will be able to have some performances there. I would like to thank the school advisory council from Charles P. Allen High School, Elaine Looney and her team, they worked really, really, really hard to get some changes made to that design, to make it more what the community was looking for, but I have to tell you we had to fight every step of the way to get our concerns heard. We had to fight to get the design team just to talk to the band teacher - you would think that when you're going to put in an audio system in a facility where there are going to be performances by a band, you would think that maybe somebody would think it was a good idea to talk to the band teacher because he has done hundreds, and hundreds, and hundreds of performances with many different organizations, various bands, et cetera. But nobody wanted to talk to him.

In the end we did get what we needed, but it took a lot - and at the same time we were treated to this other, it was actually the most bizarre thing I have ever seen, which was I went for a tour of the facility, and I had been warned this was going on and I had written a letter, et cetera, but we have this beautiful AstroTurf field, fence around it, lights, it's gorgeous, and at the end of that field sits half a shed - and I went for the tour and I said I can't believe this is happening. So HRM built their half of the shed, and HRSB, or the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, was supposed to build the other half of the shed - only they decided they weren't going to build that. So there was a concrete slab put in, and when I went to visit the site there was half a shed - so I took some pictures.

The irony of all of this is that we were told we could not fundraise to build a theatre in the school. We were not allowed to fundraise to build capital projects, unless the municipality was involved. But then the school community started getting phone calls to fundraise to build half a shed.

Now as you can imagine, they were a little perturbed because they didn't really want to fundraise to build half a shed, they wanted to fundraise for a theatre. So eventually, after letters and photos, et cetera, the Department of Education and/or HRSB decided to build the other half of the shed and they agreed to do it. I would like to thank the Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development, if it was her influence, after I alerted her to this particular instance, if that's what made that half a shed happen, I did appreciate it. I want to thank the minister for the common sense. Of course, it would have been cheaper to just build the whole thing at once, the first time it went up, instead of having to build the other half later.

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The result is we're going to have a terrific facility that opens this Fall but I do want to point out that once again it is Bedford residents and Kingswood residents, in this case, who have paid an area rate to upgrade the facilities in that area. We've got extra stuff going into that school, not quite what we wanted, but extra stuff going in, because they're paying an area rate.

There's a lot more to do in Bedford. One of the things that I've noticed, when I was nominated in 2009, we were very concerned that we were not going to have a place to have a campaign headquarters on the Bedford Highway because business was booming, you could not find space on the Bedford Highway. We managed to get some but it was a close thing. I will tell you that right now there are all kinds of empty spaces along the Bedford Highway. That's what the business climate is like. Every time I see another sign go up saying, closing out, moving out, I stop in and talk to the owners.

It's not a good business environment right now and it hasn't been for some time. That's the difference between 2009 and 2013. It is four years and it has not been four years of steady improvement. In fact, what we've seen is a business climate where I go into store after store and they are shutting down. The business just simply isn't there anymore. We have to ask, where has it gone and why has it gone?

I expect that on other days I will get to speak a little more. I know I am down to only about two minutes now. I do want to talk about the Bedford waterfront. That project got underway in 1985 when the Bedford Waterfront Development Corporation put together a plan and it would infill parts of the harbour in Bedford and it got underway.

Initially silt was used from the Sackville River and the park that we have today, DeWolf Park, came out of that. There are some lovely houses along there, a variety of town homes, apartment buildings, some low rises, some high rises. Also we have our fire station, police station on that, as well as a very nice seniors' residence.

Now Bedford is faced with - where do we go from here? We have a distinct lack of public buildings in Bedford. I hope that in the coming days and weeks I will have the opportunity to speak further about what is ahead for Bedford. Thank you.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Argyle.

HON. CHRISTOPHER D'ENTREMONT « » : Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to stand and speak for a few moments, as we go into Supply, on this budget that we all learned about, of course, on Thursday and have had the opportunity, over the weekend, to have a quick look at it and I am looking forward to the estimates process. I say, looking forward to, a bit tongue-in-cheek because it is a long, drawn-out process but we do have the opportunity to look at the budget line by line and to ask questions of the respective ministers on their budgets.

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I can say I've had the opportunity to sit on both sides of the House when it comes to budget estimates, and I can tell you it is much more relaxing being in Opposition when it comes to this. I know on many occasions many of the ministers have to sit for hours on end and I look forward to them answering those questions as concisely as they possibly can. I thank them for their answers in the last couple of years, some of them are quite good, some of them are a little vague, but I guess that's exactly how government is.

I do want to talk about a couple of things that I found that weren't addressed in the budget, and some of them are very specific to the beautiful constituency of Argyle, its neighbour Yarmouth, its other neighbour of Barrington and the things that are happening in that part of the world.

First of all is the talk about support for the lobster fishery - didn't see too much in there. Hopefully, with our discussions with the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture we might be able to learn of some of the programs or processes that are in place. But as you know we've been experiencing record low prices when it comes to lobsters in Nova Scotia. We started off the season, back in December, somewhere near $3.50 a pound, which those of us who like to pop down to the wharf and buy a few lobsters that's not too bad, but if you're trying to run a business or an industry, $3.50 is far from the optimal amount - as a matter of fact, I did hear it was down past that, somewhere near $3 - and I've heard some cases of $2.75.

Definitely not something we should be looking forward to as an economy which is based principally in our neck of the woods on the lobster fishery. To explain the added problem that we had with it is that today lobsters are probably selling somewhere near $10 a pound because there are no landings at this point, so lobsters are a bit scarce. The old supply and demand rolls in and the prices go up and it creates a little bit of discussion amongst everybody in the community - it's why can't we get a better price at the start like we're getting today? Getting the $10 has been very difficult.

I've spoken to a number of fishermen over the last couple of days and they're lucky if they can get two, three crates out of a haul, going out all day. That's like 300 pounds at $10 - it'll pay the wages of the guys on the boat, it might pay your fuel, but it might not pay many of the other expenses on the boat. Hopefully we'll be able to hear a little more about the budget, the department, and maybe what this government's thought is around the lobster fishery.

I only have so much time, so I will move along. I have a long list of things I want to talk about. One issue that is a little related is because of the low prices there is an effort in some cases of looking for other species, in particular halibut.

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My condolences go out to the families and friends in the community of Woods Harbour for those folks related to the boys who were on the Miss Ally. It was definitely a tremendous tragedy that happened to everyone in southwestern Nova Scotia who has that connection to the sea. Many times we talk about it, we see it, but it really hits home and every community can feel themselves in that kind of loss - whether you are in Wedgeport, Port Maitland, Liverpool, or the fishing ports near there - Port Mouton and those areas. You truly feel that as a community - to feel that loss, it is so tragic.

I'm hoping that over the next bit there will be some efforts to make sure this doesn't happen again. Southwestern Nova Scotia has lost six fishermen, six young fishermen, which is the tragic point - earlier in the season they had lost Michael Doucette in the Wedgeport area, so six young fishermen, some were friends and some of them had fished together many times. I hope that is not forgotten, but at the same time does have some benefit to the area by trying to stop deaths at sea.

Other things in the area that are continuing to be concerning, I had a good conversation the other day with Ian McNicol of Garian Construction, still looking for payment for the construction of the Centre Communitaire, or School Community Centre, in Tusket. Due to some issues with the South West Shore Development Authority, that organization, the Garian Construction, was shorted about $400,000 on that construction and still to this day is not getting a whole lot of information on how this can be rectified or whether or not the government is interested in participating in some kind of payment plan to try to get not only Garian Construction paid up but some of the subcontractors that were involved in it, during that process.

Southwest Nova Scotia is still impacted quite a bit by the loss of the ferry, the tourism traffic in the southwest is far from what it used to be and small organizations, small businesses, tourist shops, those things are still having trouble trying to find a raison d'étre, trying to find opportunities for the upcoming tourism season. As a matter of fact I was having the opportunity to chat with the owners of Privateers Sou'West, which is one of the only Harley-Davidson dealerships southwest of Halifax, and was really trying to make the decision whether to close it or not.

Knowing Gary Dixon and Ian McNicol, again, in this particular case, they are going to have to make a decision and put a number of people out of work because of that loss of revenue for the people who would pop in and pick up a T-shirt or pick up a piece of chrome. I don't know if you know a lot of the Harley-Davidson owners but it's all about the ride. It's all about the trip and when you have an opportunity like a Harley shop to stop in on, that meant $2,500 to $3,000 a day that ended up being lost. I wish them very well, I hope the decision is to keep it open, but I can totally understand why they would be making a decision to close.

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Other things that are concerning southwest Nova Scotia - Nakile Home for Special Care is in its, I think, third tender process. I think everybody's fingers and toes are crossed that when the tenders do come in that it will be a tender that is affordable to the Department of Health and Wellness. Originally, when our government announced the reconstruction or the expansion of Nakile Home for Special Care, there was a 22-bed expansion. That got knocked down by this government to a 12-bed expansion and continues to be a struggle as the tendering process follows along. So of course, fingers crossed, I plead to the Minister of Health and Wellness that when those tenders do come available that he looks at them closely in making sure those 12 beds are built in Argyle, for all residents in southwest Nova Scotia.

An issue that the Minister of Health and Wellness should also be looking at in southwest Nova Scotia is the issue of Bayside Home. There is an issue there, and I think maybe along with the minister, the Minister of Labour and Advanced Education could look at an issue that has been going on there. I don't know whether it has been solved. My last discussion, last week, around it has to do with a labour order that they have. Apparently Bayside Home, when it was built, did not have an air conditioning unit put in. Of course staff have put a number of complaints in that it's too hot to do the work. Labour has come in and said it's too hot to do the work, that of course Bayside has to go and install an air conditioning unit. Unfortunately what's happening is the Department of Health and Wellness is saying no, you can't have the air conditioning unit. I'm just wondering if there is a resolve there between the two departments, Department of Labour and the Department of Health and Wellness, on finding the extra funding to provide some kind of air handling, air conditioning, so that not only the residents have a temperature but hopefully that the workers, the care workers, at Bayside Homes will have the right environment to work in.

Of course, the issue that continues to be chatted about in southwestern Nova Scotia is the issue of boundaries for the next election and how that had been totally mishandled by the government of the time. Maybe, had there been a little more focus on it, the outcome might have been different. Of course, that is the splitting of Shelburne County and the issue of not having designated Acadian representation in the House after the next election. So that continues to be a concern in southwest Nova Scotia, and one that I think will turn into a bit of a discussion during the next election, whenever that may be called.

I think the biggest issue that we have with the budget as it was presented revolved around the revenue projections of the Province of Nova Scotia - the $300 million that they'll be taking from taxpayers this year, borrowing more than $113 dollars in their name once again. So it's a very expensive time for Nova Scotians, as the Government of Nova Scotia goes out and tries to take just a little bit more in order to balance its budget. Again, those revenue projections - as we're talking to Nova Scotians, they're saying, well, I want a little more proof that this is a balanced budget. Nobody believes it at this point, and I'm hoping that through the next discussion we'll be able to find it.

One concerning thing was on my way out on Friday, as I headed home. We've said a lot of times that this government doesn't necessarily govern, but it likes to market things, whether it's talking about the issues of Better Care Sooner or talking about jobsHere.

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On my way home on Friday, listening to Q104, I hear a radio ad from the Province of Nova Scotia - I'll table a copy, but I will read it - and again, I'm wondering how much this cost. Here we go, we're barely balancing the budget, and the minister stood up and basically said it's going to be tough over the next bit in order to maintain that balance, yet here they are, spending money on advertising once again.

AN HON. MEMBER: All weekend.

MR. D'ENTREMONT « » : All weekend, thank you. Of course I went home and I didn't hear it on my radio station, but I'm going to bet that it was on a number of outlets here in the city.

It reads, "This year's provincial budget has benefits for families, seniors, and students that help make life and school a little more affordable. There are also benefits for small business owners that will help grow our economy and create jobs for Nova Scotians. From tax breaks to continued and expanded programs, find out what's in the budget for you at NovaScotia.ca. A message from the Province of Nova Scotia."

I don't know why they don't say "a message from the New Democratic Party of Nova Scotia," because that's exactly what that is. That is a big piece of political advertising that they should be ashamed of putting on the radio. That is something that, of course, neither of the Opposition Parties are able to do at this point. Why don't they just go into their own coffers and try to sell stuff like that? Mr. Speaker, I'm going to table that.

They should be ashamed of having to try to sell their own budget. If it can't stand on its own, there must be a problem with it. Why do they have to advertise it? Maybe they don't believe it's balanced either. That's what I'm hearing across the province - it doesn't matter where I go.

A quick thing that I read on the weekend - which I thought was quite interesting, and I'll close with that one - was an article in the Amherst Daily News, put forward by the member for Timberlea-Prospect, and it had to do with the trust funds of the Liberal Party. I thought I would quote one piece out of it and table it, and anybody who wants a copy, I'm sure you can just ask for a copy of it as well.

I'm just going to read this part here: "Party records released in subsequent annual reports showed a different story. Just before voting for the NDP legislation" - I'm going to have to substitute - the Leader of the Liberals "and the Liberals transferred $365,000 out of the tainted funds and into their Party's unrestricted account, making the Leader another in a long line of Liberal Leaders who could not say no to money gained through tainted means."

So this is an interesting article that I'm quoting from, and - no, it's actually written by the member for Timberlea-Prospect, and I think he did a marvellous job of explaining it. I think that it does put a whole bunch of people on here. Of course, Parker wrote a little bit in this - Parker Barss Donham, columnist Stephen Kimber. It was a pretty darn good article.

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I'm going to table that for everyone to have a quick look at, as we move into budgets. (Interruptions) I'm hearing from the Liberals that they don't like that either.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable Minister of Health and Wellness.

HON. DAVID WILSON « » : Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's an honour for me to stand and address the House prior to going into the estimates, estimates that I think not only will Nova Scotians be proud of, but our Party is extremely proud of the budget that we just tabled.

It's quite interesting to stand and listen to the Opposition Party, especially the member for Argyle, who had his turn of governing in this province, Mr. Speaker. It's interesting to hear some of the comments. When we came into power in 2009, we were left a financial mess. That has burdened a lot of the things that we could not do or achieve, but Nova Scotians recognize that. I've spent a lot of time in my community talking with individuals from organizations, people who recognized the financial situation of the province in 2009 and they voted for change, even though in my community I've had the fortunate opportunity to be re-elected three times in three general elections. I have an opportunity to represent part of the province that has seen the light for many, many years and has returned an NDP MLA in this House of Assembly for over 25 years.

They understand the hard work that our Party has put in over the last decades and decades of trying to ensure that government acts responsibly. As an Opposition member, when I was first elected in 2003, but more importantly, as a government, I know through the conversations I've had over the last almost four years as government that the people in my area respect the job that we had to do over the last four years; they recognize that we had to make some difficult choices as we entered into office.

I know the Premier has said this on a number of occasions and I'll say it again - for a first-time government, 2009 was probably not the best time to come in and try to govern any province, Mr. Speaker. We know that across Canada, across North America, for that matter across the world, the financial situation that we've seen for a number of years has really impaired the actions of government across Canada and across the world.

The recession we were in really took a toll not only on governments, but on businesses and on individual citizens, especially in our province. When I talk to Nova Scotians who live in my community, they recognize the hard work that we had to put in over the last three years to try to get to the point where we were proud to table a budget, a balanced budget, no matter what the Liberals and Tories say - a balanced budget, Mr. Speaker, something we haven't seen in a few years. It has been after hard, hard work, work from each and every minister, hard work from every member of our caucus to bring forward solutions, bring forward ideas to try to turn the ship around. We've done that and I'm very proud of the work that our Party has done over the last four years.

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Mr. Speaker, I represent a great community, not too far from the city but a community made up of great individuals and a number of great organizations that really contribute a lot to the community and to our province. So I'll take this time for a few minutes just to talk about some of the impact that I think the work that we have done over the last three or four years will have on those individuals in my community. First of all, we have a number of organizations that work extremely hard to provide services for local residents, when an individual might fall through the cracks or might not be able to gain access to a service, for example.

One thing I realized really early after becoming elected in 2003 is that the programs that are available to Nova Scotians through government programs don't always meet the needs of those individuals. So we have organizations across the province, I'm sure in everybody's community, that kind of pick up and fill those gaps, organizations like the Kinsmen Centre in my community, an amazing group of men and women. The Kinsmen Centre and the Kinettes work extremely hard to raise money to provide services for individuals, to provide wheelchairs, and really try to make a difference in the lives of the people in our community, not only in Lower Sackville but in the surrounding areas. I'm very proud to know many of them and I'm very proud of the work that they've done over the last number of years to support residents in my community.

We also have the Lions Club that also works extremely hard. I think we have one member in our caucus, the member for Timberlea-Prospect, who is a proud Lions member himself; I know he has worked extremely hard, in his area of the province, to support fellow Nova Scotians.

We also have Acadia Hall, which has been a staple of our community for over 100 years. It was the first community centre in our community and today their members work extremely hard to continue on with the legacy of those, who for over 100 years, have contributed greatly to our community. They do amazing work so I want to thank them also.

We also have an organization that really tries to promote our history and that is the Fultz House Museum. They work extremely hard to ensure that people who come or who are new to our community know our history, know that Sackville was once a thriving - still thriving - but once a thriving agricultural area with livestock and many farms. Now you drive through it, it's very much subdivisions and houses and it's a suburb of Halifax. They work really hard at Fultz House Museum to ensure we continue to know our history, appreciate our history, and really promote the history of our community.

We also have organizations that try to improve the environment. We have the Friends of First Lake who work hard on some trail development around First Lake. They've worked hard over the years to ensure that the community is a good steward of the environment, when it comes to the cleanliness and healthiness of First Lake. Far too often, back in the 1970s, when development really took off in our area, a lot of the runoff and pollution went into First Lake and for many years it was quite polluted. Friends of First Lake work extremely hard, with local residents and other organizations, to improve the quality of the water itself in First Lake and improve the surrounding areas with trail development.

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Another organization that has worked hard over the last number of years is the Second Lake Park Association. These men and women have worked hard to protect the lake and the land around Second Lake and they've worked really hard over the last number of years. I was introduced to the organization, just before my first election in 2003, by our former MLA, John Holm, who really ensured that I recognized the importance of moving that file forward. It was the file of trying to protect the area around First Lake. There are well over 700 acres there now that have been moved under the park reserve designation, under the Department of Natural Resources.

I want to commend the Department of Natural Resources and the minister for the work that they've done over the last four years, but even before that, on working with the association to improve the protection of that area that I think is so important to do. They've also contributed to some trail development and it's amazing to be not too far out of downtown Halifax and realize there are 700 acres of treed land there, around a lake that has less than 10 homes on it. It's amazing to see that is possible today because of the sheer amount of development that we've seen in and around HRM.

We know in Fall River and Beaver Bank, Upper Sackville, and throughout the old county, development was very much go-forward at an accelerated rate. Second Lake Park - the lands that are in the reserve - that was actually under the former Department of Housing and slated to be developed. I'm glad to be able to work, over the last 10 years in my capacity as the MLA, to ensure that we have continued protection to that and I look forward to working with the Minister of Natural Resources, as we move forward, to ensuring that we protect that land for our kids and our grandkids.

Another organization in my community that works extremely hard is the Legion. We have, I think, one of the fastest growing Legions, Calais Branch 162, in Nova Scotia. They work extremely hard to provide services for our veterans, and it is an organization that is close to my heart. I applaud the work that they do on a regular basis.

In this budget, as I said - if I needed to say it again to make sure the members opposite are listening - this balanced budget we introduced last week was extremely important. In that, and in our achievements, we've been able to look at finally trying to improve services, or expand services, within the budget. I'm very proud to say - especially being Minister of Health and Wellness - that in the budget we have some initiatives that will be very important to Nova Scotians, and especially our young Nova Scotians. (Applause)

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I know how important diabetes care is for many, many Nova Scotians. I think everybody in this Legislature knows somebody who has diabetes. We recognize that, and we've worked extremely hard - and I've worked extremely hard as a member, and as the Minister of Health and Wellness - to ensure that we are in a position to look at the opportunity to provide additional support for those individuals with diabetes in our province. So I'm glad to see that there is a provision in our budget that will see the province's first insulin pump program for children. I'm very proud of that.

Not only that, this insulin pump program will reach those children 18 and under, and we recognize that many of those children who get to the ages of 19 to 25 fall off their parents' third-party insurance program that might cover insulin pumps, or at least the supplies. That's why we made a provision in the program that we'll be introducing to allow 19- to 25-year-olds to claim and support them with their supply, something that is extremely important.

We're very proud of the work we've done, not only to achieve a balanced budget, but to move forward in an appropriate way, really transforming health care and health care delivery in the province. We've seen in the past attempts to do this which have failed, Mr. Speaker; they've failed miserably. We've seen - and I said this before, and I know they do not like me bringing this up - a Liberal Government try to reform health care, but they did it in the wrong way. I was a health care provider in the 1990s, and the approach that they took was just simply wrong.

Then we turn to 10 years of Progressive Conservative Government, who really didn't do anything. They put out fires once in a while, but they didn't bring any new initiatives forward.

I'm very proud to be part of a government - and I thank the former Minister of Health and Wellness for bringing forward and introducing Nova Scotians to a new model of care for emergency rooms, for example. Collaborative Emergency Centres have been well received in our province, and well received across the country. I've had the honour and privilege to attend meetings with federal, provincial, and territorial Health Ministers who are all looking at our model of care here in Nova Scotia, and I'm very proud that we were able to do that.

Mr. Speaker, I know I only have a couple of minutes. I'd like to finish off with the comments from the member for Argyle who just mentioned our opportunity to tell Nova Scotians about these changes. As I said in Question Period, if Nova Scotians don't know about the changes, then they are not going to access the service. It's interesting that the member for Argyle - as recently as February 3, 2009, under the former government when he was in government - stated, "I don't think government as a whole does a good job of (promotion). Not enough Nova Scotians know what kind of programs are out there . . . I don't think we spend enough time explaining or advertising or getting those programs out there."

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Unbelievable. Unbelievable, and I'll table that. One of the things in the Ross report, which was produced by Dr. John Ross, was the fact that we needed to tell Nova Scotians about these changes so they can gain access to these programs. That's exactly what we did.

MR. SPEAKER « » : Order, please.

The motion is carried.

[5:25 p.m. The House resolved itself into CWH on Supply with Deputy Speaker Ms. Becky Kent in the Chair.]

[9:36 p.m. CWH on Supply rose and the House reconvened with Deputy Speaker Ms. Becky Kent in the Chair.]

MADAM 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.

MADAM SPEAKER « » : Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

The honourable Government House Leader.

HON. FRANK CORBETT « » : Madam Speaker, that concludes the government's business for the day. Tomorrow, the order of business will be, after the daily routine we will continue Committee of the Whole House on Supply and time permitting Public Bills for Second Reading, Bill No. 36.

I move that the House do now rise to meet again tomorrow at the hour of 12:00 noon. The House will sit until 8:00 p.m.

MADAM SPEAKER « » : The motion is that the House now rise to meet again tomorrow at the hour of 12:00 noon.

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

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

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The motion is carried.

We stand adjourned.

[The House rose at 9:37 p.m.]

NOTICES OF MOTION UNDER RULE 32(3)

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RESOLUTION NO. 187

By: Mr. Mat Whynott « » (Hammonds Plains-Upper Sackville)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Breanna Lanceleve of Middle Sackville, captain of the Metro Boston Pizza female midget AAA hockey team, made headlines in the 2012-13 hockey season for her dedication and talent in her budding women's hockey career, leading her team to the provincial champions title; and

Whereas she finished the season as the second-best goal scorer and top assist in the AAA Nova Scotia Midget Female Hockey League, and earlier this year was invited to Hockey Canada's national women's under-18 development team for the second year in a row; and

Whereas Breanna Lanceleve is a perfect example of a young woman who dedicates her time, her energy, and her social life to be the best at her sport, showing girls across the province that they too can be hockey champs with hard work;

Therefore be it resolved that this House of Assembly congratulate Middle Sackville's Breanna Lanceleve, captain of the Metro Boston Pizza female midget AAA hockey team, on her success in the 2012-13 season and thank her for being a positive role model for female athletes across Nova Scotia.

RESOLUTION NO. 188

By: Hon. Christopher d'Entremont « » (Argyle)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas power rates in Nova Scotia are the highest in the country and are putting families, small businesses, and large industrials in serious economic distress; and

Whereas the Liberals have chosen to base their energy policy on a failed experiment that was abandoned in other provinces for driving up energy costs and being impractical; and

Whereas Nova Scotians deserve affordable energy that will not bankrupt future generations or put additional undue strain on our fragile economy;

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Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly condemn the Liberal Party for not having the experience necessary to know that their expensive electricity policy will drive up energy costs and endanger Nova Scotia's economy.

RESOLUTION NO. 189

By: Hon. Christopher d'Entremont « » (Argyle)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the so-called NDP surplus will soon evaporate and create a provincial deficit, despite measures that will take an extra $300 from each taxpayer and borrow more than $100 in each taxpayer's name; and

Whereas counting on an aggressive increase in personal income taxes despite thousands of job losses and stagnant wages means that the so-called NDP surplus will soon disappear; and

Whereas prepaying $50 million in government transfers and $35 million in university grants means the so-called surplus never really existed;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly condemn the NDP for telling Nova Scotians the budget was balanced despite extensive evidence to the contrary.