Alberta Hansard — 3 March 2014, Afternoon sitting (15:00) (Legislature 28, Session 2)

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Alberta — Debates (Hansard)

Province of Alberta The 28th Legislature Second Session Alberta Hansard Monday, March 3, 2014 Issue 1 The Honourable Gene Zwozdesky, Speaker

Legislative Assembly of Alberta The 28th Legislature Second Session Zwozdesky, Hon. Gene, Edmonton-Mill Creek (PC), Speaker Rogers, George, Leduc-Beaumont (PC), Deputy Speaker and Chair of Committees Jablonski, Mary Anne, Red Deer-North (PC), Deputy Chair of Committees Allen, Mike, Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo (Ind) Amery, Moe, Calgary-East (PC) Anderson, Rob, Airdrie (W), Official Opposition House Leader Anglin, Joe, Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre (

W) Barnes, Drew, Cypress-Medicine Hat (

W) Bhardwaj, Hon. Naresh, Edmonton-Ellerslie (PC) Bhullar, Hon. Manmeet Singh, Calgary-Greenway (PC) Bikman, Gary, Cardston-Taber-Warner (

W) Bilous, Deron, Edmonton-Beverly-Clareview (ND) Blakeman, Laurie, Edmonton-Centre (AL), Liberal Opposition House Leader Brown, Dr. Neil, QC, Calgary-Mackay-Nose Hill (PC) Calahasen, Pearl, Lesser Slave Lake (PC) Campbell, Hon. Robin, West Yellowhead (PC), Government House Leader Cao, Wayne C.N., Calgary-Fort (PC) Casey, Ron, Banff-Cochrane (PC) Cusanelli, Christine, Calgary-Currie (PC) Dallas, Hon. Cal, Red Deer-South (PC) DeLong, Alana, Calgary-Bow (PC) Denis, Hon. Jonathan, QC, Calgary-Acadia (PC), Deputy Government House Leader Donovan, Ian, Little Bow (

W) Dorward, David C., Edmonton-Gold Bar (PC), Deputy Government Whip Drysdale, Hon. Wayne, Grande Prairie-Wapiti (PC) Eggen, David, Edmonton-Calder (ND), New Democrat Opposition Whip Fawcett, Hon. Kyle, Calgary-Klein (PC) Fenske, Jacquie, Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville (PC) Forsyth, Heather, Calgary-Fish Creek (

W) Fox, Rodney M., Lacombe-Ponoka (

W) Fraser, Hon. Rick, Calgary-South East (PC) Fritz, Yvonne, Calgary-Cross (PC) Goudreau, Hector G., Dunvegan-Central Peace-Notley (PC) Griffiths, Hon. Doug, Battle River-Wainwright (PC) Hale, Jason W., Strathmore-Brooks (

W) Hancock, Hon. Dave, QC, Edmonton-Whitemud (PC) Hehr, Kent, Calgary-Buffalo (AL) Horne, Hon. Fred, Edmonton-Rutherford (PC) Horner, Hon. Doug, Spruce Grove-St. Albert (PC) Hughes, Hon. Ken, Calgary-West (PC) Jansen, Hon. Sandra, Calgary-North West (PC) Jeneroux, Matt, Edmonton-South West (PC) Johnson, Hon. Jeff, Athabasca-Sturgeon-Redwater (PC) Johnson, Linda, Calgary-Glenmore (PC) Kang, Darshan S., Calgary-McCall (AL), Liberal Opposition Whip Kennedy-Glans, Hon. Donna, QC, Calgary-Varsity (PC) K han, Stephen, St. Albert (PC) Klimchuk, Hon.

Heather, Edmonton-Glenora (PC) Kubinec, Maureen, Barrhead-Morinville-Westlock (PC) Lemke, Ken, Stony Plain (PC) Leskiw, Genia, Bonnyville-Cold Lake (PC) Luan, Jason, Calgary-Hawkwood (PC) Lukaszuk, Hon. Thomas A., Edmonton-Castle Downs (PC) Mason, Brian, Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood (ND), Leader of the New Democrat Opposition McAllister, Bruce, Chestermere-Rocky View (

W) McDonald, Everett, Grande Prairie-Smoky (PC) McIver, Hon. Ric, Calgary- Hays (PC) McQueen, Hon. Diana, Drayton Valley-Devon (PC) Notley, Rachel, Edmonton-Strathcona (ND), New Democrat Opposition House Leader Oberle, Hon. Frank, Peace River (PC), Deputy Government House Leader Olesen, Cathy, Sherwood Park (PC) Olson, Hon. Verlyn, QC, Wetaskiwin-Camrose (PC), Deputy Government House Leader Pastoor, Bridget Brennan, Lethbridge-East (PC) Pedersen, Blake, Medicine Hat (

W) Quadri, Sohail, Edmonton-Mill Woods (PC) Quest, Hon. Dave, Strathcona-Sherwood Park (PC) Redford, Hon. Alison M., QC, Calgary-Elbow (PC), Premier Rodney, Hon. Dave, Calgary-Lougheed (PC) Rowe, Bruce, Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills (

W) Sandhu, Peter, Edmonton-Manning (PC) Sarich, Janice, Edmonton-Decore (PC) Saskiw, Shayne, Lac La Biche-St. Paul-Two Hills (W), Official Opposition Whip Scott, Hon. Donald, QC, Fort McMurray-Conklin (PC) Sherman, Dr. Raj, Edmonton-Meadowlark (AL), Leader of the Liberal Opposition Smith, Danielle, Highwood (W), Leader of the Official Opposition Starke, Hon. Dr. Richard, Vermilion-Lloydminster (PC) Stier, Pat, Livingstone-Macleod (

W) Strankman, Rick, Drumheller-Stettler (

W) Swann, Dr. David, Calgary-Mountain View (AL) Towle, Kerry, Innisfail-Sylvan Lake (W), Official Opposition Deputy Whip VanderBurg, George, Whitecourt-Ste. Anne (PC), Government Whip Weadick, Hon. Greg, Lethbridge-West (PC) Webber, Len, Calgary-Foothills (PC) Wilson, Jeff, Calgary-Shaw (W), Official Opposition Deputy House Leader Woo-Paw, Hon.

Teresa, Calgary-Northern Hills (PC) Xiao, David H., Edmonton-McClung (PC) Young, Steve, Edmonton-Riverview (PC) Party standings: Progressive Conservative: 60 Wildros e: 17 Alberta Liberal: 5 New Democrat: 4 Independent: 1 Officers and Officials of the Legislative Assembly W.J. David McNeil, Clerk Robert H.

Reynolds, QC, Law Clerk/ Director of Interparliamentary Relations Shannon Dean, Senior Parliamentary Counsel/Director of House Services Stephanie LeBlanc, Parliamentary Counsel and Legal Research Officer Fiona Vance, Sessional Parliamentary Counsel Nancy Robert, Research Officer Philip Massolin, Manager of Research Services Brian G. Hodgson, Sergeant-at-Arms Chris Caughell, Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms Gordon H. Munk, Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms Janet Schwegel, Managing Editor of Alberta Hansard

Executive Council Alison Redford Premier, President of Executive Council Dave Hancock Deputy Premier, Minister of Innovation and Advanced Education Naresh Bhardwaj Associate Minister – Services for Persons with Disabilities Manmeet Singh Bhullar Minister of Human Services Robin Campbell Minister of Environment and Sustainable Resource Development Cal Dallas Minister of International and Intergovernmental Relations Jonathan Denis Minister of Justice and Solicitor General Wayne Drysdale Minister of Transportation Kyle Fawcett Associate Minister – Recovery and Reconstruction for Southwest Alberta Rick Fraser Associate Minister – Public Safety Associate Minister – Recovery and Reconstruction for High River Doug Griffiths Minister of Service Alberta Fred Horne Minister of Health Doug Horner President of Treasury Board and Minister of Finance Ken Hughes Minister of Municipal Affairs Sandra Jansen Associate Minister – Family and Community Safety Jeff Johnson Minister of Education, Ministerial Liaison to the Canadian Forces Donna Kennedy-Glans Associate Minister – Electricity and Renewable Energy Heather Klimchuk Minister of Culture Thomas Lukaszuk Minister of Jobs, Skills, Training and Labour Ric McIver Minister of Infrastructure Diana McQueen Minister of Energy Frank Oberle Minister of Aboriginal Relations Verlyn Olson Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Dave Quest Associate Minister – Seniors Dave Rodney Associate Minister – Wellness Donald Scott Associate Minister – Accountability, Transparency and Transformation Richard Starke Minister of Tourism, Parks and Recreation Greg Weadick Associate Minister – Recovery and Reconstruction for Southeast Alberta Teresa Woo-Paw Associate Minister – International and Intergovernmental Relations

STANDING AND SPECIAL COMMITTEES OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ALBERTA Standing Committee on Alberta’s Economic Future Chair: Mr. Amery Deputy Chair: Mr. Fox Bhardwaj Cao Donovan Dorward Eggen Hehr Luan McDonald Olesen Pastoor Quadri Rogers Rowe Sarich Strankman Xiao Standing Committee on the Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund Chair: Mr. Khan Deputy Chair: Mrs. Jablonski Amery Anderson Casey Dorward Eggen Kubinec Sherman Select Special Ethics Commissioner Search Committee Chair: Mr. Rogers Deputy Chair: Mr.

Quadri Blakeman Eggen Goudreau Lemke Leskiw McDonald Saskiw Standing Committee on Families and Communities Chair: Mr. Quest Deputy Chair: Mrs. Forsyth Brown Cusanelli DeLong Fritz Goudreau Jablonski Jeneroux Khan Leskiw Notley Pedersen Swann Towle Wilson Xiao Young Standing Committee on Legislative Offices Chair: Mr. Cao Deputy Chair: Mr. McDonald Bikman Blakeman Brown DeLong Eggen Leskiw Quadri Rogers Wilson Special Standing Committee on Members’ Services Chair: Mr. Zwozdesky Deputy Chair: Mr.

Young Casey Forsyth Fritz Kennedy-Glans Mason McDonald Quest Sherman Smith Standing Committee on Private Bills Chair: Mr. Xiao Deputy Chair: Ms L. Johnson Allen Barnes Bhardwaj Brown Cusanelli DeLong Fox Fritz Goudreau Jablonski Leskiw Notley Olesen Rowe Strankman Swann Standing Committee on Privileges and Elections, Standing Orders and Printing Chair: Ms Olesen Deputy Chair: Mr. Lemke Calahasen Cao Casey Goudreau Hehr Kennedy-Glans Kubinec Luan McAllister Notley Pedersen Quadri Rogers Saskiw Towle Young Standing Committee on Public Accounts Chair: Mr. Anderson Deputy Chair: Mr.

Dorward Amery Anglin Bilous Donovan Fenske Hale Hehr Jeneroux Khan Luan Pastoor Quadri Quest Sarich Stier Webber Standing Committee on Resource Stewardship Chair: Ms Kennedy-Glans Deputy Chair: Mr. Anglin Allen Barnes Bikman Bilous Blakeman Calahasen Casey Fenske Hale Johnson, L. Khan Kubinec Lemke Sandhu Stier Webber

March 3, 2014 Alberta Hansard 1 Legislative Assembly of Alberta Title: Monday, March 3, 2014 3 p.m. 3 p.m. Monday, March 3, 2014 The Sergeant-at-Arms: Order! All rise, please. [The Clerk read the Royal Proclamation dated February 26, 2014, summoning the Members of the Legi slative Assembly of Alberta to convene on this date] The Clerk: Please be seated. [The Sergeant-at-Arms left the Chamber] The Sergeant-at-Arms: Order! Order! Mr.

Speaker. [Preceded by the Sergeant-at-Arms, the Speaker, accompanied by the officers of the Assembly, entered the Chamber and took the chair] head: Prayers The Speaker: Hon. members and assemb led guests, let us pray. Almighty God, author of all wisdom, knowledge, and under- standing, we ask for Your blessi ngs on those present here today. We ask for Your guidance in order that truth and justice may prevail in all of our judgments, our thoughts, and our actions for the true benefit of all Albertans. Amen.

Ladies and gentlemen, may we please remain standing for the rendering of our national anthem, which will be sung today by Mr. Robert Clark. Please join in in the language of your choice. Hon. Members and Guests: O Canada, our home and native land! True patriot love in all thy sons command. With glowing hearts we see thee rise, The True North strong and free! From far and wide, O Canada, We stand on guard for thee. God keep our land glorious and free! O Canada, we stand on guard for thee. O Canada, we stand on guard for thee. The Speaker: Thank you, Mr. Clark and all.

A very lively and welcoming rendition of O Canada. Please be seated. head: Entrance of the Lieutenant Governor [The Premier, the Clerk, and the Sergeant-at-Arms left the Chamber to attend the Lieutenant Governor] [The Mace was draped] The Speaker: Hon. members, I’m honoured to inform you that the Royal Canadian Artillery Band – and I’m sure you’re familiar with them, having just heard them in the rotunda – are going to play now a brief musical interlude, and the details of that interlude are spelled out in your program. The RCA Band is Canada’s oldest regular army band, having been formed in Quebec City in 1879.

It was subsequently statione d in Montreal and Halifax, and it has seen service in both world wars as well as the Korean War, and it has travelled across Canada and elsewhere, throughout our Canadian and national borders. The band was reconstituted in Edmonton in 1997, and today is under the very capable direction of Captain Patrice Arsenault, CD, who is in the Speaker’s gallery. Mr. Maestro, if you wish, please. Very tempting to join in there, wasn’t it? We shall await the next step in our procedures. [The Sergeant-at-Arms knocked on the main doors of the Chamber three times.

The Assist ant Sergeant-at-Arms opened the doors, and the Sergeant-at-Arms entered] The Sergeant-at-Arms: Ladies and gentlemen, all rise, please. Mr. Speaker, His Honour the Honourable the Lieutenant Governor awaits. The Speaker: Mr. Sergeant-at-Arms, admit His Honour the Honourable the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta. [A fanfare of trumpets sounded] [Preceded by the Sergeant-at-Arms, His Honour the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, Colonel (Retired) Donald S. Ethell, OC, OMM, AOE, MSC, CD, LLD, and Mrs. Ethell, their party, the Premier, and the Clerk entered the Chamber.

His Honour took his place upon the throne] head: Speech from the Throne His Honour: Pray be seated. To the people of Alberta, hon. Premier and hon. Members of the Legislative Assembly, distinguished visitors and guests, it is my privilege to deliver the Speech from the Throne as we celebrate the opening of the Second Session of the 28th Alberta Legislature. Today we live in the most open, unabashedly confident, and forward-looking province in Canada , an Alberta asserting itself proudly on the world stage.

You told your government to work with determination to build an even stronger, safer, healthier, more innovative and prosperous Alberta.

You chose a clear path forward, grounded in our proud western values, that have built the Alberta we know today, where hard work and bold, innovative ideas are rewarded, where we enjoy well-paying jobs and continue to have the lowest taxes in Canada while at the same tim e supporting our most vulnerable citizens, a place where being a good neighbour still matters, where we work together to build caring communities that are as tolerant and welcoming as our people, a nd a place where families have confidence that their government will stay true to its word and be there with the education, health care, and infrastructure they need.

Your government has an unwavering belief that while our quality of life is great, it can be even better, and that core principle is the very foundation of the building Alberta plan. The Building Alberta Plan Almost two years ago I delivered this government’s first Speech from the Throne. It contained the following passage. Over the next four years this government will . . . deliver and fulfill a clear, focused, target -driven mandate. Albertans will know where the province is headed and how progress is being made because this is a government that will stay true to its promises.

The building Alberta plan is your government’s answer to that commitment, the blueprint for action focused clearly on the three priorities you told your government are most important: investing in families and communities, ope ning new markets for Alberta’s resources, and ensuring government lives within its means. Since 2012 your government ha s made tremendous progress on all three fronts despite the challenges our province faced from the worst flood in Canadian history and the deep discount Alberta receives for its oil and gas. But neither nature’s wrath nor

2 Alberta Hansard March 3, 2014 economic fury stood in the way of your government’s plan to build an even better quality of life for Albertans. Investing in families means your government is making good on its key promise to build 50 new schools and modernize 70 more over the next three years, keeping class sizes low with over 86,000 new spaces for our children. Your government is already working with communities across Alberta to develop the first wave of family care clinics that are open later and provide health care closer to home. More FCCs will follow.

Just last month new neonatal intensive care beds at the Alberta Children’s hospital were opened to help give parents peace of mind and more newborns a healthy start in life.

From the Calgary film studio, the new seniors’ care home in Strathmore, and the new training labs in Lethbridge to the new nurse training program in Grande Prairie, the final mile initiative to connect our rural and remote regions, and our partnership on affordable housing with Habitat for Humanity in Edson, the largest rural build in Canada, under the building Alberta plan your government is making the invest ments today that matter to Albertans. Last fall your government signed an agreement 50 years in the making to complete Calgary’s ring road. This government is three years ahead of

schedule in finishing Edmonton’s ring road and will twin highway 63 from Grassland to Fort McMurray in full and on time by 2016. To support these initiatives and investment in the quality services Albertans expect, yo ur government is opening new markets. Key to the building Alberta plan, new markets mean higher royalties, better jobs, and fairer prices for our products. In November the governments of Alberta and British Columbia signed a landmark agreement to move Alberta’s oil and gas to the B.C. coast while protecting Alberta’s royalties.

The first-ever provincial energy agreement with China was signed last year. To increase agriculture exports, already Alberta’s second-largest industry, we signed trade agreements with the states of Meghalaya and Punjab in India this January. Over the last year alone this government’s focus on building new markets in Asia resulted in at least $460 million in new investment and trade for Alberta in addition to major new investments in our province by companies like CNOOC and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China.

Your government will continue to fight for Alberta’s producers and against unfair country of origin labelling rules in the United States while leading the charge for better rail service so our rural farm families can get their grain to international markets. This includes pushing the federal govern ment to impose real penalties for those shippers who fail to meet their grain delivery obligations to our producers.

To meet the commitment under the building Alberta plan to live within its means, your governme nt made difficult decisions in Budget 2013, decisions that helped Alberta turn the corner, putting our province on the path to a balanced budget. Some 375 pro- grams have already been review ed under results-based budgeting, with the third phase set to begin and be fully completed this year. Last year MLAs froze their pay for four years, following an 8 per cent MLA pay cut in 2012.

Your government negotiated long- term wage agreements with Alberta’s hard-working teachers and doctors to ensure stability in learning and care. Through a new single energy regulator, a new environmental monitoring agency, and a refocuse d Alberta Petroleum Marketing Commission your government has acted on many years of consultation and hard work to make Alberta more competitive.

With the commitment to keep royalties steady and partner with our oil and gas industry on innovative solutions to enhance Alberta’s position as a responsible energy producer, your govern- ment continues to build our competitive advantage. And, clearly, the building Alberta plan is working. The Building Alberta Plan Is Working Alberta is Canada’s economic engine. We led the country in economic growth for the last two years.

TD Bank says that we will do so again this year, Statistics Canada shows that we have the highest rate of job creation and the highest family incomes in Canada with the lowest taxes, and the Canadian Federation of Independent Business says that we have the friendliest small- business climate in Canada. It’s no secret why Alberta sa w our highest rate of population growth since 1981 last year, when we proudly welcomed over 100,000 new Albertans to our provi nce. Our population will grow from 4 million people today to 5 million in the next decade.

That’s equivalent to adding a new city the size of Red Deer to our province every year for the next 10 years. While new Albertans bring skills and innovative new ideas, pressures will continue to mount on our schools, health facilities, roads, and transit systems. The actions we take today under the building Alberta plan will have a direct bearing on life in Alberta 20 years from now. Building nothing would sacrifice Alberta’s future. That’s clearly not an opt ion.

Today marks the beginning of the next phase of the building Alberta plan, focused on meeting Alberta’s enormous growth head-on while having the courage to invest in innovation and in future generations to set our province up for long-term success. The Next Phase: Investing in Families and Communities Our cities and towns are at the forefront of dealing with Alberta’s explosive growth, and we know that Alberta’s success depends on all regions of the province, no matter how small, being able to meet that growth head-on.

To keep building communities, your government will complete the review of the Municipal G overnment Act, working with municipal leaders and partners lik e Bob Barss, president of the Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties, and Helen Rice from the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association, who have joined us today. Your government recognizes the unique challenges faced by our two largest cities and will finalize the Calgary and Edmonton city charters with Mayor Nenshi and Mayor Iveson, who is also here today.

To help our rural towns and urban communities keep up with growth, your government will renew the long-term funding commitment to the municipal sustainability initiative and GreenTRIP funding in Budget 2014. Standing with those communities hard hit by last June’s floods, this government will make firm the commitment to build commu- nity mitigation projects and to undertake new flood hazard mapping throughout the province, st arting with southern Alberta watersheds. The next phase of the building Alberta plan will continue to invest in families.

This government will invest in better seniors’ care, focusing funding on aging in place and on innovative new technology that allows patients to recover in their own homes. Your government will consider options, including using provincial land, to meet the commitment to build new continuing care beds. For a healthier and more prosperous Alberta your government will implement Alberta’s wellness strategy to lower acute health costs and improve quality of life, working closely with champions

March 3, 2014 Alberta Hansard 3 like Jim Gray who have done much to promote the importance of wellness in our province. To give Alberta’s kids the best start in life, your government will invest in additional newborn screening, support for parents, and child mental health, worki ng across government departments to ensure our families receive the help they need. To ensure Alberta’s kids are able to compete in a dynamic, highly competitive world, your government is developing a new, student-centred curriculum that will ensure a strong understanding of basic literacy and numeracy.

Your government is replacing provincial achievement tests with new student learner assessments to better identify areas of strength and areas where children may require additional supports throughout the school year. Your government is committed to building a culture of trans- parency, quality care, and conti nuous improvement in Alberta’s child intervention system on the foundation of changes made to date and the recent child care r ound-table. These changes will include extending support for young adults in care by two years, to age 24, to help youth transition more successfully to adulthood.

And your government will challenge Albertans, including businesses, nonprofit organizations, and employers, to provide mentorship opportunities for young people and connect those who are already driving these initiatives to ensure our kids have positive influences to help shape their future. To better protect families, this govern ment reaffirms its commitment to projects like I-TRAC to bring together police, specialized court officers, and counselling for Albertans facing domestic violence, including immediate protection for victims and punishment for offenders.

Your government will take the long view when it comes to investments in higher education, working on innovative new ways to ensure Albertans have the opportunity to acquire the skills and knowledge they need to become the entrepreneurs, skilled workers, and researchers we need to thrive. To ensure rural residents have quality educatio n opportunities without having to leave home, your government will work to ensure that distance education is an important part of Campus Alberta.

With the support of industry partners your government will build Canada’s first and only dedicated pipeline training facility to train more heavy equipment operators and those who work in pipeline construction and land recl amation. Your government will also work to diversify Alberta’s own domestic energy mix and will introduce an alternative and renewable energy framework that empowers consumers to exercise choice within the market-based electricity system.

The Next Phase: Living within Our Means And while this government will continue to invest in programs, services, and infrastructure to build a better quality of life for Albertans, it reaffirms the comm itment under this next phase of the building Alberta plan to live within its means and balance the budget. By expanding the results-based budgeting process and holding spending below populati on and inflation growth until 2016, your government is keeping its commitment.

The first bill of this session will create new supports, funded from Alberta’s growing savings, for research and world-leading innovation to drive growth and economic diversification for decades to come. The agriculture and food innovation endowment will fund re- search in rural Alberta and help new made-in-Alberta agricultural solutions get to market. The social innovation endowment will invest in new research and co-ordinate action between sm all businesses, cultural organ- izations, and nonprofits to address social issues, including poverty and family violence.

The Alberta heritage scholarship fund will be expanded to support excellence in the apprentic eship, trade, and technology systems and encourage training to build the skilled workforce Alberta needs. To further set our future leaders up for success, your govern- ment will fund the creation of the Lougheed leadership institute, working with the University of Alberta and the Banff Centre. And your government will create the Alberta institute for research and commercialization as a clearing house to help solve challenges and turn Alberta’s best ideas into tomorrow’s solutions.

The Next Phase: Opening New Markets What makes all of this possibl e, indeed what your government has deemed job one, is an unrelenting focus on selling Alberta to the world. The next phase of the building Alberta plan continues to build new markets for our products and welcomes the world’s investment in Alberta so your government can keep investing in what matters most.

Building on the success of the Premier’s Canadian energy strat- egy, your government will advocate for a Canada free trade zone, seizing the opportunity to have provinces reduce internal trade barriers that often make it more difficult to trade within our own borders than outside. To increase trade, business, an d tourism, this government will support open skies, building on the work being done by both the Calgary and Edmonton airports. This week marks the inaugural Icelandair flight out of Edmonton International, an initiative led by the airport’s past president Reg Milley.

Alberta’s doors are open, and we are ready to welcome the world and tell our story. To support rural families in communities like Peace River, Slave Lake, and Whitecourt, your government will continue to support innovation in the forestry sector, Alberta’s fifth-largest industry, that today employs 13,000 people. By opening new markets for our forestry products, even more jobs will be created.

The government of Alberta will continue to work with the federal govern ment on areas of shared interest, making sure Alberta has the skilled workers it needs while standing up for our province by seeking clarity on fore ign direct investment rules and improvements in aboriginal consultation and care. And no matter where or when it arises, your government will continue to advocate for important projects like Keystone XL, which are so vital to our long-term prosperity, while meeting misunderstanding with fact in promoting our record as a responsible energy producer.

Conclusion Under the next phase of the bui lding Alberta plan our province will continue to stand as a beacon of opportunity, where we work every day to build a stronger, modern, better province together. Your government will rise above the daily fray and remain squarely focused on what truly matters to Albertans. Thank you, ladies and gentle men. May God bless you all. God bless Alberta. God bless Canada. God save the Queen. The Sergeant-at-Arms: Order! All rise, please.

4 Alberta Hansard March 3, 2014 The Speaker: Thank you, Your Honour. Ladies and gentlemen, I would now invite Mr. Robert Clark to lead us in the singing of God Save The Queen . Please remain standing at the conclusion of the singing. Hon. Members and Guests: God save our gracious Queen, long live our noble Queen, God save The Queen! Send her victorious, happy and glorious, long to reign over us; God save The Queen! The Sergeant-at-Arms: Order! [Preceded by the Sergeant-at-Arms, Their Honours, their party, and the Premier left the Chamber as a fanfare of trumpets sounded] The Speaker: Thank you very much.

Please be seated. [The Mace was uncovered] The Speaker: Hon. members and esteemed guests, I beg your indulgence in allowing me to impart some very important information about this wonderful, this beautiful building that we call the Alberta Legislature and you, of course, who are seated here in the Legislative Assembly Chamber.

It is with great pleasure that I am able to announ ce that the restorations of both the minor dome, which sits right above us, and the cupola, that sits above the rotunda outside, have now been completed, and the Legislature Building will be celebrating this fact throughout the month of March. We’ve been waiting a long time for that to happen. I want to thank and congratulate the Minister of Infrastructure for doing such a great job within two months, a project that took nearly two years, by the way.

The objective of the project, which commenced back in 2012, was to restore both domes so that they were replicas of the original structures, which were completed more than 100 years ago. The project, of course, involved the demolition of the existing terracotta cladding of the cupola and the upgrading of the structure with the installation of a new c oncrete shell and a waterproof membrane. How do I know this? I know this because the Minister of Infrastructure invited me to cl imb right to the top of the cupola a few days ago. We made it all the way up and down safely and soundly.

Thank you to the wonde rful workers who made that possible. The successful completion of this project is a very fitting tribute to this most resplendent of all Alberta landmarks, which just enjoyed its centennial last year. Allow me also to fill you in briefly with some historical vignettes in this regard. I want to point out that 2014 marks the 75th anniversary of the royal visit to Canada and to Alberta of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.

This was the very first visit of a reigning monarch to Alberta and to Canada, for that matter, and as Their Majesties were ma king their way across Canada by train in May of 1939, preparations were already under way for the royal visit being finalized here, in our own Alberta Legislature. In preparation further for that visit life-sized portraits of King George and Queen Elizabeth were placed in the Chamber, a new green carpet was installed, the Chamber was repainted, and a temporary fountain containing live fish was situated in the rotunda.

The permanent fountain was installed in 1959, actually, to commemorate the visit of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, whose portraits adorn our walls today. [The Premier returned to the Chamber] On June 2, 1939, the king and queen arrived, and Edmonton played host to Their Majestie s. Addresses were made by representatives of the province and of the city of Edmonton at the Legislature Building on the front stairs. Seven Albertans who had been awarded the Victoria Cross for outstanding service during the First World War were presented to the king.

The royal couple then entered the Legislature Building, arriving in the Chamber, where two Speaker’s chairs to be used as thrones had been placed on the dais right here for Their Majesties. One of the thrones used was that of the Speaker of the day, Mr. Peter Dawson. The other was the chair of former Speaker George N. Johnston, which had been presente d to him in appreciation of his services.

In the Chamber itself, where you now sit, Members of the Legislative Assembly and city councillors, amongst other dignitaries, were presented to the king and queen, and Their Majesties then signed a register of their royal visit, which has since been stored and preserved in our own Alberta archives. Commemorating the 1939 royal vis it were name changes enacted by a city of Edmonton bylaw, ch anging Riverside park to Queen Elizabeth park and Portage Avenue to Kingsway Avenue.

Now, with respect to a couple of other brief historical notes March, of course, is the month during which the opening of the first Legislature of the new province of Alberta took place. In fact, the first Legislature opened on March 15, 1906, at the well-known Thistle rink, the curling club, which was the only facility in Edmonton, by the way, large e nough to host such a prestigious opening. The rink, located in our own downtown area, had a capacity of 3,000 seats, and every single seat was filled for that occasion.

Subsequent sittings of the Assembly took place in the McKay Avenue school, at the top of the 105th Street hill, just a few blocks from here. This partic ular building, the Legislature, where you sit, was then opened in the fall of 1912. My final note is just to inform you that March 3 is the sixth anniversary of the provincial gene ral election of March 3, 2008. I want to congratulate all the me mbers who were elected for the first time or who were re-elect ed on March 3, 2008, and I would like all of them to please rise now and receive our thanks, everyone who was elected or re -elected.

Thank you, all, and congratulations once again. head: Tablings The Speaker: I have the honour now to table a copy of the speech that was graciously given by His Honour the Honourable the Lieutenant Governor. head: Introduction of Bills The Speaker: The hon. Premier. Bill 1 Savings Management Act Ms Redford: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I request leave to introduce Bill 1, the Savings Management Act. This being a money bill, His Honour the Honour able the Lieutenant Governor, having been informed of the conten ts of this bill, recommends the same to the Assembly. Mr.

Speaker, the proposed act puts into action a new vision for Alberta’s savings as we launch the next phase of the building Alberta plan. It strikes a balance between saving for the future and putting our growing heritage fund savings to work for that future by funding innovation and diversifying our economy for the

March 3, 2014 Alberta Hansard 5 benefit of generations to come. Bill 1 creates new innovation endowments, it enhances the Albe rta heritage scholarship fund, and it establishes the Alberta future fund. The endowments will help to provide ongoing funding for social, cultural, and agricultural innovation as well as trade scholarships. It will foster research. It will strengthen our economy, help solve complex social problems, and position Alberta to take full advantage of our incredible know-how and research brilliance.

The agriculture and food innovation endowment will fund research in rural Alberta to build ongoing diversification and competitiveness and position Alberta’s agriculture and food processing sectors for sustained growth in new and expanded markets. The social innovation endowment will increase the capacity of the social service and cultural sector to innovate and to find solutions by supporting new ideas and encouraging creative collaboration.

The Alberta heritage scholarship fund will be expanded to support excellence in the apprenticeship, trades, and technology sectors and will help us build the skilled workforce that Alberta needs. Finally, the Alberta future fund will provide government with a source of funding so that we can take full advantage of future opportunities . Together thes e commitments will help to encourage innovation, grow our economy, and solve complex social problems while still allowing for our savings to grow by approximately $2.8 billion over the next three years.

This bill complements the grea t work that is currently under way and better prepares all Albertans to thrive and to build Alberta’s communities, our economy, and our quality of life. This bill will help our entrepreneurs, tradespeople, small-business owners, innovators, social worker s, and community organizations to turn today’s ideas into tomorrow’s solutions.

In the same way that Progressive Conservative g overnments have taken the long view and built Alberta into the economic powerhouse that we are today, Bill 1 will put in place today concrete measures to ensure that we have the skills and the leading-edge ideas that we need to secure a better tomorrow. Mr. Speaker, this bill keeps the commitment that we made to the people of Alberta to build a stronger, more innovative and prosperous Alberta, and I’m pr oud to have the opportunity to introduce it today. Thank you. [Motion carried; Bill 1 read a first time] head: Motions The Speaker: The hon. Premier.

Ms Redford: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move that the speech of His Honour the Honourable the Lieutenant Governor to this Assembly be taken into consideration on Tuesday, March 4, 2014. [Motion carried] The Speaker: The hon. Government House Leader. Mr. Campbell: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move that we adjourn the Assembly until 1:30 tomorrow afternoon. [Motion carried; the Assembly adj ourned at 3:52 p.m. to Tuesday at 1:30 p.m.]

6 Alberta Hansard March 3, 2014

Table of Contents Prayers ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 1 Entrance of the Lieutenant Governor .............................................................................................................................................................. 1 Speech from the Throne The Building Alberta Plan ......................................................................................................................................................................... 1 The Building Alberta Plan Is Working ...................................................................................................................................................... 2 The Next Phase: Investing in Families and Communities ......................................................................................................................... 2 The Next Phase: Living within Our Means ............................................................................................................................................... 3 The Next Phase: Opening New Markets .................................................................................................................................................... 3 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 3 Tablings .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4 Introduction of Bills ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 4 Bill 1 Savings Management Act .......................................................................................................................................................... 4 Motions........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 5

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Document details

Collection	Alberta — Debates (Hansard)
Citation	20140303
Type	hansard
Volume / chapter	L28 S2 20140303 1500 01 han.pdf
Language	en
Format	json
Source	PROVINCIAL
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