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HALIFAX, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2021

Sixty-fourth General Assembly

First Session

10:00 A.M.

SPEAKER

Hon. Keith Bain

DEPUTY SPEAKERS

Angela Simmonds, Lisa Lachance

[The First Session of the 64^th General Assembly was opened with a hybrid ceremony on a foggy day.]

SERGEANT-AT-ARMS: Honourable members, please take your places. Please rise.

HON. TIM HOUSTON (The Premier) » : Members of the House of Assembly, a Commission has been issued by His Honour, the Honourable Arthur J. LeBlanc, Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia, which I shall read as follows:

"To the Honourable Tim Houston, Premier of Nova Scotia

Greetings:

Whereas the present General Assembly of the Province of Nova Scotia was summoned to meet on Friday, the 24^th day of September next, then to be begun and held at Halifax, from which date the said General Assembly will meet for the dispatch of business;

And inasmuch as I cannot conveniently be present in the said Legislature until the Members who have been elected to serve in the House of Assembly have elected their Speaker;

Now therefore I have thought fit to require and command you, and do hereby require and command you, to convey and declare to the Members of the House of Assembly that I will defer declaring the causes for which I have summoned them to assemble until the House of Assembly has elected a Speaker who shall be presented in the said House for my approbation.

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Given under my Hand and Seal at Arms on this 9^th day of September, in the year of Our Lord two thousand and twenty-one and in the 70^th year of Her Majesty's Reign.

(Signed) Hon. Arthur J. LeBlanc

Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia."

THE CLERK « » : I have the honour to table the returns of the most recent general election and to report that the members present in the House have taken the Oath and signed the Roll and they therefore claim the right to take their seats in this place.

At present, as this is the beginning of a new Assembly, we do not have a Speaker, so it falls upon me, the Chief Clerk, to conduct the election of the Speaker, therefore I open it to nominations.

The honourable Premier.

THE PREMIER « » : I nominate the member for Victoria-The Lakes.

THE CLERK « » : Does the honourable member for Victoria-The Lakes accept the nomination?

KEITH BAIN » : I do.

THE CLERK « » : Are there any further nominations?

The honourable Leader of the New Democratic Party.

GARY BURRILL » : I nominate the member for Halifax Citadel-Sable Island.

THE CLERK « » : Does the honourable member for Halifax Citadel-Sable Island accept the nomination?

LISA LACHANCE » : I do.

THE CLERK « » : Are there any further nominations beyond that? We have a contested nomination. We will now conduct the vote for the Speaker.

I ask all members who are appearing via Zoom in these hybrid proceedings to please assemble at the foyer of Province House to conduct the in-person voting. When you assemble in the foyer, you will be queued up for the vote. We will now recess for a few moments so that the members can assemble. Please remain logged into Zoom, but turn your cameras off and mute the microphones. Please do not log out from Zoom. We will now recess for a few moments.

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[10:06 a.m. The House recessed.]

[10:13 a.m. The House reconvened.]

THE CLERK « » : Order. The caucuses have now assembled, and we will proceed with the election of the Speaker. I will ask the MLAs to come forward one at a time. They will be handed their ballots by the Assistant Clerks. I will stand there with the traditional receptacle in my hand to receive the ballot. The MLAs will come forward, mark their ballot behind this privacy screen, and then put the ballot in the receptacle and exit to my right.

Without any further ado, let us commence.

[The MLAs marked and provided their ballots to the Chief Clerk.]

THE CLERK « » : Everyone is now accounted for. The members have all voted. I will now retire to the anteroom with the House Leaders to count the ballots. The House Leaders will act as scrutineers. We will recess for a moment while we do the count and while the members appearing virtually return to their computers.

[10:39 a.m. The House recessed.]

[10:50 a.m. The House reconvened.]

THE CLERK « » : Order. I have concluded the counting of the ballots in the election of the Speaker and I declare the honourable member for Victoria-The Lakes elected as Speaker of the House of Assembly. (Applause)

[The Premier, the Honourable Tim Houston; the Leader of the Official Opposition, the Honourable Iain Rankin; and the Leader of the New Democratic Party, Gary Burrill, escorted the Speaker to the Chair.]

THE SPEAKER » : Honourable members of the House of Assembly, I thank you for the great honour bestowed upon me. I will do my best to uphold the prestige and high tradition of the Speaker's Office. I respectfully ask the assistance and co-operation of all honourable members.

The honourable Government House Leader.

RESOLUTION NO. 1

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

Therefore be it resolved that:

(a) the honourable member for Preston and the honourable member for Halifax Citadel-Sable Island be the Chairs of Committees and Deputy Speakers of the House of Assembly;

(b) the honourable member for Preston be the Deputy Speaker within the meaning of Subsection 14(3) of the House of Assembly Act and within the meaning of the House of Assembly Management Commission Act; and

(c) the annual salary of the Deputy Speaker, established pursuant to the House of Assembly Act, be divided equally between the two Chairs of Committees and Deputy Speakers.

I request waiver of notice and passage without debate.

THE SPEAKER « » : There has been a request for waiver of notice.

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

All those in favour? Contrary minded? Thank you.

The motion is carried. (Applause)

I declare the members for Preston and Halifax Citadel-Sable Island elected as Deputy Speakers.

The honourable Government House Leader.

RESOLUTION NO. 2

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

Be it resolved that:

(a) pursuant to Rule 60 of the Rules and Forms of Procedure, a Special Committee be appointed whose duty it shall be to prepare and report, with all convenient speed, lists of members to compose the Standing Committees of the House and that:

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(i) the Standing Committees be constituted for the life of this Assembly and, for the purpose of Subsection 36(1) of the House of Assembly Act, that they be declared to be not dissolved by prorogation and empowered to continue their inquiries after the House is prorogued;

(ii) the list be deposited in the Office of the Chief Clerk and that the Standing Committees be established with full authority from the date the lists are deposited in the Office of the Chief Clerk;

(iii) the Chair and Vice-Chair of each Standing Committee be the members named as Chair and Vice-Chair of that committee;

(iv) the Standing Committees be severally empowered to examine and inquire into all matters and things as may be referred to them by this House;

(v) the Standing Committees be severally empowered to, from time to time, report to this House their observations and opinions; and

(vi) for greater certainty, the Standing Committees be severally empowered to sit at all times during the life of this Assembly, whether the House be sitting, adjourned, or prorogued; and

(b) that the Special Committee be composed of the following five members: the honourable member for Queens-Shelburne as Chair of that Special Committee, the honourable member for Sydney-Membertou, the honourable member for Dartmouth South, the honourable member for Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley, and the honourable member for Kings West.

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

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

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

All those in favour? Contrary minded? Thank you.

The motion is carried. (Applause)

SERGEANT-AT-ARMS: His Honour the Lieutenant Governor is without.

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THE SPEAKER « » : Let His Honour be admitted.

[11:00 a.m.]

SERGEANT-AT-ARMS: His Honour the Lieutenant Governor. Please rise.

[The Lieutenant Governor, the Honourable Arthur J. LeBlanc, preceded by his escorts and the Sergeant-at-Arms, bearing the Mace, entered the House of Assembly Chamber. The Lieutenant Governor then took his seat on the Throne.

The Sergeant-at-Arms then departed and re-entered the Chamber, followed by the Speaker, the Honourable Keith Bain; the Chief Clerk of the House, James Charlton; and the Assistant Clerks.

The Speaker, with the Sergeant-at-Arms on his right and the Clerks on either side, took up his position at the foot of the Speaker's Table.]

SERGEANT-AT-ARMS: It is the wish of His Honour the Lieutenant Governor that everyone present be seated.

THE PREMIER « » : May it please Your Honour that the House of Assembly, agreeable to Your Honour's command, has proceeded to the choice of a Speaker and has elected Keith Bain, member for Victoria-The Lakes, to that Office and by its direction, I present him for the approbation of Your Honour.

THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR: I approve this Speaker whom the House of Assembly has chosen.

THE SPEAKER « » : Your Honour's ready approval of the choice with which I have been honoured by the House, having constituted me in due form Speaker of the House of Assembly, it has now become my duty in the name of the representatives of Her Majesty's loyal subjects, the people of this Province, respectfully to demand all their accustomed rights and privileges, and that they shall have freedom of speech in their debates, that they may be free from arrest during their attendance in Parliament, and that I, as their Speaker, may have free access to Your Honour's person.

THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR: I most cheerfully grant your request and I declare that this House is now in session.

SERGEANT-AT-ARMS: Please rise.

[The Speaker and the Clerks left the Chamber.

The Lieutenant Governor and his escorts left the Chamber preceded by the Sergeant-at-Arms.]

SERGEANT-AT-ARMS: His Honour the Speaker.

[The Speaker took the Chair.]

THE SPEAKER « » : The honourable Government House Leader.

HON. KIM MASLAND « » : I move that the House do now rise to meet again on October 12, 2021, at the hour of 1:00 p.m. The order of business will be the Speech from the Throne.

THE SPEAKER « » : The motion is to adjourn.

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

All those in favour? Contrary minded? Thank you.

The motion is carried.

The House now stands adjourned until 1:00 p.m. on October 12, 2021.

[The House rose at 11:05 a.m.]