Province of Alberta The 27th Legislature Third Session Alberta Hansard Monday, October 25, 2010 Issue 32 The Honourable Kenneth R. Kowalski, Speaker

Legislative Assembly of Alberta The 27th Legislature Third Session Kowalski, Hon. Ken, Barrhead-Morinville-Westlock, Speaker Cao, Wayne C.N., Calgary-Fort, Deputy Speaker and Chair of Committees Mitzel, Len, Cypress-Medicine Hat, Deputy Chair of Committees Ady, Hon. Cindy, Calgary-Shaw (PC) Allred, Ken, St. Albert (PC) Amery, Moe, Calgary-East (PC) Anderson, Rob, Airdrie-Chestermere (WA), WA Opposition House Leader Benito, Carl, Edmonton-Mill Woods (PC) Berger, Evan, Livingstone-Macleod (PC) Bhardwaj, Naresh, Edmonton-Ellerslie (PC) Bhullar, Manmeet Singh, Calgary-Montrose (PC) Blackett, Hon.

Lindsay, Calgary-North West (PC) Blakeman, Laurie, Edmonton-Centre (AL), Official Opposition Deputy Leader, Official Opposition House Leader Boutilier, Guy C., Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo (WA) Brown, Dr. Neil, QC, Calgary-Nose Hill (PC) Calahasen, Pearl, Lesser Slave Lake (PC) Campbell, Robin, West Yellowhead (PC), Government Whip Chase, Harry B., Calgary-Varsity (AL), Official Opposition Whip Dallas, Cal, Red Deer-South (PC) Danyluk, Hon. Ray, Lac La Biche-St. Paul (PC) DeLong, Alana, Calgary-Bow (PC) Denis, Hon.

Jonathan, QC, Calgary-Egmont (PC), Deputy Government House Leader Doerksen, Arno, Strathmore-Brooks (PC), Deputy Government Whip Drysdale, Wayne, Grande Prairie-Wapiti (PC) Elniski, Doug, Edmonton-Calder (PC) Evans, Hon. Iris, Sherwood Park (PC) Fawcett, Kyle, Calgary-North Hill (PC) Forsyth, Heather, Calgary-Fish Creek (WA), WA Opposition Whip Fritz, Hon. Yvonne, Calgary-Cross (PC) Goudreau, Hon. Hector G., Dunvegan-Central Peace (PC) Griffiths, Doug, Battle River-Wainwright (PC) Groeneveld, George, Highwood (PC) Hancock, Hon. Dave, QC, Edmonton-Whitemud (PC), Government House Leader Hayden, Hon.

Jack, Drumheller-Stettler (PC) Hehr, Kent, Calgary-Buffalo (AL) Hinman, Paul, Calgary-Glenmore (WA), WA Opposition Deputy Leader Horne, Fred, Edmonton-Rutherford (PC) Horner, Hon. Doug, Spruce Grove-Sturgeon-St. Albert (PC) Jablonski, Hon. Mary Anne, Red Deer-North (PC) Jacobs, Broyce, Cardston-Taber-Warner (PC) Johnson, Jeff, Athabasca-Redwater (PC) Johnston, Art, Calgary-Hays (PC) Kang, Darshan S., Calgary-McCall (AL) Klimchuk, Hon. Heather, Edmonton-Glenora (PC) Knight, Hon. Mel, Grande Prairie-Smoky (PC) Leskiw, Genia, Bonnyville-Cold Lake (PC) Liepert, Hon.

Ron, Calgary-West (PC) Lindsay, Fred, Stony Plain (PC) Lukaszuk, Hon. Thomas A., Edmonton-Castle Downs (PC), Deputy Government House Leader Lund, Ty, Rocky Mountain House (PC) MacDonald, Hugh, Edmonton-Gold Bar (AL) Marz, Richard, Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills (PC) Mason, Brian, Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood (ND), Leader of the ND Opposition McFarland, Barry, Little Bow (PC) McQueen, Diana, Drayton Valley-Calmar (PC) Morton, Hon. F.L., Foothills-Rocky View (PC) Notley, Rachel, Edmonton-Strathcona (ND), ND Opposition House Leader Oberle, Hon.

Frank, Peace River (PC) Olson, Verlyn, QC, Wetaskiwin-Camrose (PC) Ouellette, Hon. Luke, Innisfail-Sylvan Lake (PC) Pastoor, Bridget Brennan, Lethbridge-East (AL), Official Opposition Deputy Whip Prins, Ray, Lacombe-Ponoka (PC) Quest, Dave, Strathcona (PC) Redford, Hon. Alison M., QC, Calgary-Elbow (PC), Deputy Government House Leader Renner, Hon. Rob, Medicine Hat (PC), Deputy Government House Leader Rodney, Dave, Calgary-Lougheed (PC) Rogers, George, Leduc-Beaumont-Devon (PC) Sandhu, Peter, Edmonton-Manning (PC) Sarich, Janice, Edmonton-Decore (PC) Sherman, Dr. Raj, Edmonton-Meadowlark (PC) Snelgrove, Hon.

Lloyd, Vermilion-Lloydminster (PC) Stelmach, Hon. Ed, Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville (PC) Swann, Dr. David, Calgary-Mountain View (AL), Leader of the Official Opposition Taft, Dr. Kevin, Edmonton-Riverview (AL) Tarchuk, Janis, Banff-Cochrane (PC) Taylor, Dave, Calgary-Currie (Ind) VanderBurg, George, Whitecourt-Ste. Anne (PC) Vandermeer, Tony, Edmonton-Beverly-Clareview (PC) Weadick, Greg, Lethbridge-West (PC) Webber, Hon. Len, Calgary-Foothills (PC) Woo-Paw, Teresa, Calgary-Mackay (PC) Xiao, David H., Edmonton-McClung (PC) Zwozdesky, Hon.

Gene, Edmonton-Mill Creek (PC), Deputy Government House Leader Officers and Officials of the Legislative Assembly Clerk W.J. David McNeil Clerk Assistant/Director of House Services Louise J. Kamuchik Law Clerk/Director of Interparliamentary Relations Robert H. Reynolds, QC Senior Parliamentary Counsel/ Clerk of Committees Shannon Dean Clerk of Journals/Table Research Micheline S. Gravel Parliamentary Counsel Stephanie LeBlanc Sergeant-at-Arms Brian G. Hodgson Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms Chris Caughell Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms Gordon H.

Munk Managing Editor of Alberta Hansard Liz Sim Party standings: Progressive Conservative: 68 Alberta Liberal: 8 Wildrose Alliance: 4 New Democrat: 2 Independent: 1

Executive Council Ed Stelmach Premier, President of Executive Council, Chair of Agenda and Priorities Committee, Vice-chair of Treasury Board Doug Horner Deputy Premier, Minister of Advanced Education and Technology, Minister Liaison to the Canadian Armed Forces Ted Morton Minister of Finance and Enterprise David Hancock Minister of Education, Political Minister for Edmonton Lloyd Snelgrove President of the Treasury Board Iris Evans Minister of International and Intergovernmental Relations Ron Liepert Minister of Energy Luke Ouellette Minister of Transportation Mel Knight Minister of Sustainable Resource Development Alison Redford Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Political Minister for Calgary Rob Renner Minister of Environment Gene Zwozdesky Minister of Health and Wellness Yvonne Fritz Minister of Children and Youth Services Jack Hayden Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Ray Danyluk Minister of Infrastructure Mary Anne Jablonski Minister of Seniors and Community Supports Lindsay Blackett Minister of Culture and Community Spirit Heather Klimchuk Minister of Service Alberta Cindy Ady Minister of Tourism, Parks and Recreation Hector Goudreau Minister of Municipal Affairs Frank Oberle Solicitor General and Minister of Public Security Len Webber Minister of Aboriginal Relations Jonathan Denis Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Thomas Lukaszuk Minister of Employment and Immigration Parliamentary Assistants Evan Berger Sustainable Resource Development Manmeet Singh Bhullar Municipal Affairs Cal Dallas Environment Doug Griffiths Finance and Enterprise Fred Horne Seniors and Community Supports Broyce Jacobs Agriculture and Rural Development Jeff Johnson Treasury Board Diana McQueen Energy Janice Sarich Education Dr.

Raj Sherman Health and Wellness Greg Weadick Advanced Education and Technology Teresa Woo-Paw Employment and Immigration

STANDING AND SPECIAL COMMITTEES OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ALBERTA Standing Committee on the Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund Chair: Ms Tarchuk Deputy Chair: Mr. Elniski Blakeman DeLong Forsyth Groeneveld Johnston MacDonald Quest Standing Committee on Community Services Chair: Mr. Doerksen Deputy Chair: Mr. Hehr Allred Anderson Benito Bhullar Chase Johnston Notley Rodney Sarich Taylor Standing Committee on the Economy Chair: Mr. Bhardwaj Deputy Chair: Mr. Chase Amery Fawcett Griffiths Hinman Lund Marz Taft Taylor Weadick Woo-Paw Standing Committee on Health Chair: Mr.

McFarland Deputy Chair: Ms Pastoor Forsyth Groeneveld Horne Lindsay Notley Olson Quest Sherman Taft Vandermeer Standing Committee on Legislative Offices Chair: Mr. Mitzel Deputy Chair: Mr. Lund Bhullar Blakeman Campbell Hinman Lindsay MacDonald Marz Notley Quest Rogers Special Standing Committee on Members’ Services Chair: Mr. Kowalski Deputy Chair: Mr. Campbell Anderson Elniski Hehr Leskiw Mason Oberle Pastoor Rogers VanderBurg Weadick Standing Committee on Private Bills Chair: Dr.

Brown Deputy Chair: Ms Woo-Paw Allred Jacobs Amery Kang Benito Lindsay Bhardwaj McQueen Boutilier Olson Calahasen Sandhu Dallas Sarich Doerksen Taft Drysdale Xiao Hinman Standing Committee on Privileges and Elections, Standing Orders and Printing Chair: Mr. Prins Deputy Chair: Mr. Hancock Amery Lindsay Berger McFarland Calahasen Mitzel DeLong Notley Doerksen Pastoor Forsyth Quest Groeneveld Sherman Hinman Tarchuk Jacobs Taylor Leskiw Standing Committee on Public Accounts Chair: Mr. MacDonald Deputy Chair: Mr.

Rodney Anderson Groeneveld Benito Kang Calahasen Mason Chase Olson Dallas Sandhu Elniski Vandermeer Fawcett Xiao Griffiths Standing Committee on Public Safety and Services Chair: Mr. Drysdale Deputy Chair: Mr. Kang Boutilier Brown Calahasen Cao Forsyth Johnson MacDonald Rogers Sandhu Xiao Standing Committee on Resources and Environment Chair: Mr. Prins Deputy Chair: Ms Blakeman Anderson Berger Boutilier Dallas Hehr Jacobs Mason McQueen Mitzel VanderBurg

October 25, 2010 Alberta Hansard 901 Legislative Assembly of Alberta Title: Monday, October 25, 2010 1:30 p.m. 1:30 p.m. Monday, October 25, 2010 [The Speaker in the chair] head: Prayers The Speaker: Good afternoon. Welcome back. I would ask members to remain standing after prayers and the national anthem so that we may pay tribute to former colleagues who have passed away. Let us pray. Renew us with Your strength. Focus us in our deliberations. Challenge us in our service to the people of this great province. Amen. I would now ask Mr.

Paul Lorieau, who is in the Speaker’s gallery, to lead us in the singing of our national anthem. Hon. Members: 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. Mr. Dave Broda September 17, 1944, to June 13, 2010 The Speaker: Hon. members, Mr.

Dave Broda, former Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, the 682nd MLA sworn in, passed away on Sunday, June 13, 2010, at the age of 65 years. Mr. Broda was first elected in the election held March 11, 1997, and served two terms until November 21, 2004. During his years of service he represented the constituency of Redwater for the Progres- sive Conservative Party.

During his term of office Dave Broda served in the following committees: Standing Committee on Law and Regulations, Standing Committee on Public Accounts, Standing Committee on Public Affairs, Standing Committee on the Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund, Special Standing Committee on Members’ Services, and the Select Special Health Information Act Review Committee. Mr. Broda served as chair of the Long Term Care Policy Advisory Committee, which authored Healthy Aging: New Directions for Care, commonly known as the Broda report, in 1999. Mr. Nigel Ian Pengelly May 29, 1925, to July 3, 2010 The Speaker: Mr.

Nigel Ian Pengelly, former Member of the Legislative Assembly, sw orn in as member 536, passed away on Saturday, July 3, 2010, at the age of 85 years. Mr. Pengelly was first elected in the election held March 14, 1979, and served three terms until March 19, 1989. During his years of service he represented the constituency of Innisfail for the Progres- sive Conservative Party. Mr.

Pengelly served on the following committees: Select Committee on Recreational and Commercial Fishing Industries in Alberta, Select Special Committee to Examine the Role of the Upper House in the Canadian Federal System, Standing Committee on Law and Regulations, Standing Committee on Private Bills, Standing Committee on Public Accounts, Standing Committee on Public Affairs, Standing Committee on the Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund Act, Special Committee to Prepare and Report Lists of Members to Compose the Select Standing Commit- tees, and the Special Select Standing Committee on Members’ Services.

Miss Wilma Helen Hunley September 6, 1920, to October 22, 2010 The Speaker: Miss Wilma Helen Hunley, former Member of the Legislative Assembly, sworn in as member 475, and a former Lieutenant Governor, passed away on Friday, October 22, 2010. I will provide more words on Miss Hunley tomorrow, on Tuesday, October 26, 2010. The Speaker: Family members of Mr. Broda are here with us today in the Speaker’s gallery. Our prayers are with them. In a moment of silent prayer I would ask you all to remember former hon. member Dave Broda and former hon. member Nigel Pengelly as you may have known them.

Rest eternal grant unto them, O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon them. Amen. Please be seated. head: Introduction of Visitors The Speaker: Hon. members, I’m honoured today to introduce to you all family members of our former colleague Dave Broda, who passed away since we last sat here in the Legislature. The family members are seated in the Speaker’s gallery. I would ask, as I introduce each family member, that they stand and at the end receive the warm welcome of the House, please. The family of the hon. Dave Broda: Mrs.

Eileen Broda, spouse; Cindy Broda, daughter; Trina Broda, daughter; Susan Broda Olesko, daughter; Taylor Olesko, granddaughter; Mary Tachynski, sister; Kathy Tachynski, niece; Danny Tachynski, nephew; Patty Tachynski, niece. I would now ask all members to join with me in welcoming the family members of the hon. Dave Broda. head: Introduction of Guests The Speaker: The hon. Minister of Education. Mr. Hancock: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have three introductions today.

First, it’s a pleasure for me to introduce to you and through you to members of the Assembly 60 enthusiastic and inquisitive grade 6 students from George P. Nicholson elementary school in the constituency of Edmonton-Whitemud, in fact from my neighbour- hood of Twin Brooks. The group of students is participating in the School at the Legislature, at least half of them are this week and half of them will be later on. Accompanying the students is their teacher, Maxine Sprague, along with parent helpers Mrs. Karen Brese, Mrs. Yuning Cui, and Mrs. Woytkiw.

They’re seated in the members’ gallery, and I would ask them to please rise and receive the tradi- tional warm welcome of the Assembly. Mr. Speaker, it’s also my pleasure to rise today to introduce to you and through you to members of the Assembly a constituent from Edmonton-Whitemud, Lori Simon. Lori is interested in the processes and proceedings of the House, and as her MLA I’m pleased to have her attend today. She is seated in the public gallery, and I’d like her to rise and receive the traditional warm welcome of the Assembly. Thirdly, Mr. Speaker, it’s a pleasure to introduce Mr.

Kevin Pizzey, a grade 5 teacher at C.P. Blakely elementary school in Sylvan Lake. Kevin is a resident of the Red Deer-South constitu-

Alberta Hansard October 25, 2010902 ency, he’s an active volunteer in the constituency in Red Deer- North, but he’s here today as president of the ATA local in Chi- nook’s Edge school division. I can always count on Kevin to keep me apprised of what’s going on in the schools in Red Deer and its surrounding areas on issues relative to the profession and to education. Mr. Pizzey is in the members’ gallery. I’d ask him to rise and receive the traditional warm welcome of the Assembly. The Speaker: The hon. Minister of Transportation. Mr. Ouellette: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It gives me great pleasure to rise today and to introduce to you and t hrough you a very large group from Innisfail middle school. We have with us today 80 grade 6 students from Innisfail middle school, who are seated in the members’ gallery. They’re accompanied by their teachers and helpers. I think it’s so important that Alberta children visit our Legislature. As you know, they will be our leaders of tomorrow. I would like to introduce the teachers and the parent helpers. We have teachers Mrs. Dale Jensen, Mrs. Tanis Klymyk, Mr. Tom Stones, Mrs. Dawn Peters. We have Mrs. Denise Lester, Mrs. Leona Marshall, Mr.

Tim Donald, Mr. Len McCook, Ms Gail Vander Vliet, Mrs. Jenna Grant, Mrs. Liana Jackson, Mrs. Ronda Leonard, and Mrs. Lisa Allan. I would like them all to rise and receive the warm welcome of the Assembly. 1:40 The Speaker: The hon. Leader of the Official Opposition. Dr. Swann: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to defer it until after question period if I may. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Cypress-Medicine Hat. Mr. Mitzel: Thank you. It’s a pleasure to rise today and introduce to you and through you to all members of the Assembly a group of individuals from the office of the Ombudsman.

These individuals are seated in your gallery, Mr. Speaker, and I’d like to ask them to rise and remain standing: Gordon Button, the Alberta Ombudsman; Jolene Morin, executive assistant to the Ombudsman; Suzanne Richford, director of corporate services; Diane Smith, assistant to the director of corporate services. I’d like to ask the Assembly to greet them with the traditional warm welcome of this Assembly. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Athabasca-Redwater. Mr. Johnson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It’s a pleasure to rise and introduce to you and through you to members of this Assembly some of Canada’s finest: staff and students of the Edmonton Garrison official languages centre. The Edmonton Garrison Language School and Official Languages Centre provides second-language training in English and French to the military community.

We have with us here today Corporal Yan Landry, Private Eric Barbeau, Private Sebastien Toussaint, Private Dave Levesque, Private Nadia Lamoureux, Private Maude Loiselle, Private Michael Owen, Private Jean-Sebastien Roy, Private Jeremie Tremblay, Private Mathieu Paré, and our teachers Deborah Stasiuk and Crystal Fraser. I welcome them, and I’d ask them to rise and receive the traditional warm welcome of this Assembly. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Ellerslie. Mr. Bhardwaj: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. It’s an honour to rise today and introduce to you and through you Mr. Richard Andersen.

On August 3, 2010, Mr. Andersen began his tenure as the president and CEO of Northlands. As a former general manager of Petco Park in San Diego and the executive vice-president of the San Diego Padres Mr. Andersen brings a wealth of experience to Northlands and to the city of Edmonton. Mr. Andersen is joined here today by his daughter Kathleen Andersen. Kathy is director of government and public relations at Northlands. At this time I’d ask my guests to please rise, and I’d ask my colleagues to give them the traditional warm welcome. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo. Mr.

Boutilier: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. It’s indeed a pleasure for me today to introduce an Albertan who has demon- strated the forward thinking and intelligence of our former Premier Peter Lougheed, has demonstrated the charm and the Alberta advantage of former Premier Ralph Klein, and also the grassroot democracy and the principles associated with Preston Manning. Please join me in welcoming the leader of Alberta’s newest official party, Danielle Smith. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Highlands- Norwood. Mr. Mason: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

I’m pleased to rise today to introduce to you and through you to all members of the Legislative Assembly two guests from the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees. The first one is Guy Smith, the president of AUPE, representing staff at Valley Park Manor and Red Deer nursing home, and also Philipia Bates Renouf, vice-president of AUPE assigned to central Alberta. They’ve both come to the Legislature to see the tabling of the AUPE petition to save the Red Deer nursing home and Valley Park Manor from being closed this fall by Alberta Health Services.

I’d ask my guests to now rise and receive the warm traditional welcome of this Assembly. The Speaker: The hon. Member for St. Albert. Mr. Allred: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s my pleasure to rise today and introduce to you and through you to the members of this Assembly 19 students from the Concordia College business and government class. These students are accompanied by their teacher, a constituent of mine, Liam Connelly. I would ask them all to rise and receive the traditional warm welcome of the Assembly. They may still be on tour. I’m not sure. They were doing a tour of the Leg.

If they’re in the audience, please rise. The Speaker: Hon. Member for Edmonton-Strathcona, did you want to introduce your guests now or at the conclusion of the Routine? Ms Notley: I’ll defer until after question period. The Speaker: Are there others? The hon. Member for Edmonton- Mill Woods. Mr. Benito: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. It is my honour to introduce to you and through you to all members of this Assembly Brendan Fitzgerald and his mother, Anne Fitzgerald. Brendan and Anne are here today from CCSVI, a s hort term used to describe compromised flow of blood in veins.

They are seated in the public gallery. I would ask them to rise and receive the traditional warm welcome of this Assembly. Thank you.

October 25, 2010 Alberta Hansard 903 head: Statement by the Speaker Ministerial Statements The Speaker: Hon. members, our Standing Order 7(1.1) indicates that exactly at 1:50 we shall interrupt and proceed to Oral Question Period. If I recognize the hon. minister now who wants to move with a ministerial statement, there is also recognition then afforded to a member from the Official Opposition to participate, and I suspect the Assembly will have a request from the Wildrose Alliance caucus and the ND caucus as well to participate in this ministerial statement. I’m going to put forward a request to you.

We’re going to require unanimous consent, and the unani mous consent will include two things; first of all, that we proceed with Ministerial Statements time now, which means that the opening of question period will be deferred, and that at the same time approval will be provided to a spokesperson for the Wildrose Alliance Party and the ND Party and also to the Member for Calgary-Currie. Is anyone opposed? [Unanimous consent granted] head: Ministerial Statements The Speaker: The hon. Minister of Justice and Attorney General. Tobacco Reduction Strategy Ms Redford: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise today to address a serious health issue for Albertans. Tobacco consumption is the leading avoidable cause of premature death in Alberta. It is responsible for approximately 3,000 deaths each year in Alberta, ranging from cardiovascular disease to cancer to lung disease. Tobacco use has a significant impact on our quality of life and places a substantial burden on our health care system. For these reasons in 2002 our government set out a comprehensive strategy to reduce tobacco use by Albertans.

This strategy included two tobacco tax increases, a province-wide smoking ban, and restrictions on tobacco displays and places where cigarettes can be sold. It also includes a provincial tobacco reduction strategy, in which we have invested $9 million. These efforts have had success, and I am pleased to report that tobacco use is now at an all-time low in Alberta. The decline in tobacco use points to a strong cause-and- effect relationship between effective tobacco control policies and reduced consumption. While we are heading in the right direction, Mr.

Speaker, we know that we are far away from being able to declare any sort of victory. Tobacco use continues to impact Albertans. Our memories of Barb Tarbox continue to remind us of this impact. Her courage and the journey with cancer that she shared with all of us remind us that we need to persevere and that we need to do more, more to reduce the harmful effects of tobacco use on our society and more to lessen the burden that tobacco use places on our health care system.

That is why I am pleased to announce today that we will take another step to move our tobacco reduction strategy forward by initiating legal action to recover health care costs from the tobacco industry. Last year this Legislature passed a bill to facilitate litigation against tobacco manufacturers. We will now move to join British Columbia, New Brunswick, and Ontario and commence litigation. We are confident that this action is the right thing to do. Some of the most costly illnesses to treat, such as cancer and heart disease, are caused by smoking.

The litigation that we plan to commence will seek to share this burden with the manufacturers of this product. This move is a necessary and important part of our tobacco reduction strategy, a comprehensive strategy with a clear focus to lessen the impact that tobacco has on the quality of life of Albertans and the burden it places on our health care system and also with the clear goal of reducing smoking in the future, especially amongst our youth. This government is committed to continued action on the tobacco reduction strategy, and I am pleased that my ministry is able to play a

part in that. Thank you. 1:50 The Speaker: On behalf of the Official Opposition, the hon. Member for Calgary-Buffalo. Mr. Hehr: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to thank the hon. Justice minister for rising today to inform us about what this government has done and continues to do in order to reduce tobacco consumption in Alberta.

The Jus tice minister indicated that since 2002 this government has set out a comprehensive strategy to reduce tobacco use by Albertans that included two tax increases, a province- wide smoking ban, restrictions on tobacco displays, and restrictions on places where cigarettes can be sold. Further, the hon. minister will begin initiating legal action to recover health care costs from the tobacco industry. I applaud this government for these actions. The question remains, then: are we as an hon. House doing everything possible to reduce people’s consumption of cigarettes? Sadly, I believe the answer is no.

This government could do much more to lead by example and continue the battle against the use and abuse of cigarettes. There is a better way. Here are a couple of examples of how we could do more. First, it is my understanding that this government continues to invest approximately $60 million in tobacco-related companies. In all seriousness, how can this government claim to lead by example against the insidious nature of the tobacco industry when it is, in fact, a stockholder? If you truly wanted to lead by example, you would immediately divest this gov ernment of its shares in these companies.

It’s simply the right thing to do. Secondly, I believe this govern ment should look at banning the use of cigarettes in vehicles where children are present. We all know that second-hand smoke is deadly, and it’s the government’s first responsibility to protect Alberta’s children. I don’t know how many times I’ve seen individuals smoking with young children in the car. Governments should look at protecting these individuals and bring in legislation to stop people from smoking when travelling with kids. In conclusion, Mr.

Speaker, I would like to applaud the govern- ment on today’s announcement, but I implore them to do much more in the continued fight against the insidious nature of cigarettes and the tobacco industry. Thank you very much. The Speaker: Hon. members, as at 1:30 this afternoon the Wildrose Alliance receives official party status in the Assembly of Alberta. I now will call on the hon. Member for Airdrie-Chestermere. Mr. Anderson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We echo the sentiments of the Justice minister.

The government needs to play an active and ongoing role in reducing tobacco consumption, and we do support the action being taken. All Albertans remember very vividly the important advocacy work that Barb Tarbox did to speak out against tobacco use. I don’t think anyone could forget the dramatic images of Barb’s battle with cancer and the tremendous courage she displayed in travelling the country and putting herself front and centre as an example of the toll that tobacco can take.

Alberta Hansard October 25, 2010904 Fortunately, thanks to the work of people like Barb and other advocacy groups, smoking in Alberta is on the decline. The smoking rate among Alberta youth aged 15 to 19 dropped from 24 per cent in 2001 to 15 per cent in 2006. The proportion of Alberta youth under 18 exposed to second-hand smoke in their homes is also down, dropping from 22 per cent in 2001 to just 10 per cent in 2006. But as the minister said, more can be done.

Far too many Albertans are still suffering from cancer, cardiovascular disease, lung disease, and other tobacco-related illnesses, adding even more of a burden to our already malfunctioning health care system. That is why it is critical that we continue to drive home the message of preventative health care not only to improve lives for Albertans but also to alleviate the mounting pressure on our hospitals and emer- gency rooms. As we will discuss later today, emergency rooms across the province are jammed and backed up to a breaking point.

Every single day critically injured and ill patients are being denied the care they need partly because the message of basic preventative health care just isn’t getting across. The reduction we’ve seen in tobacco use is a positive example of what can be achieved with good advocacy, and the Wildrose caucus supports any action that shifts focus from treatment to prevention. Thank you. The Speaker: On behalf of the New Democratic caucus, the hon. Member for Edmonton-Strathcona. Ms Notley: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

This government deserves the sort of commendation that typically comes when you say, “Well, at last you’ve done the right thing” for this announcement that they will pursue litigation against the tobacco industry to recover health care costs. Thousands of Albertans have died and tens of thousands more have begun to smoke during the years that the government has procrastinated. With this issue as with so many others they have delayed action until the merits of the action were almost beyond obvious.

Today, desperate to find anything to show that they are doing something positive in relation to the health of Albertans as their ineffective behaviour in relation to emergency department problems is exposed, they announce that this legal action is getting under way. Alberta should not be straggling in after other provinces on these matters. We should be setting the agenda in smart ways to ensure good health for Albertans.

Yes, it is appropriate to go after big tobacco for the costs resulting from their product sales; meanwhile, the need to adequately fund good health care, including a commitment to address the social determinants of health, is something that remains the responsibility of this government. As part of that, a good government would increase the investment in tobacco reduction actions from what is currently a million dollars per year so that the rates of use in the province would drop far more and the health care costs that this action today is designed to recoup would never be incurred in the first place.

The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-Currie. Mr. Taylor: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and through you to all hon. members for granting me the opportunity to respond. A little over three years ago I lost my mother to cancer seven weeks after she was diagnosed with three inoperable brain tumours.

She was 82, and while nobody can say for sure, given that her sister is hale and hearty today at 84, her mother lived to the age of 99, her mother’s sister is still alive at the age of 93, my mother’s grandfather lived to the age of 98, and my mother’s great-grandfather did as well, I can’t help but wonder if mom would still be alive today if she hadn’t been a smoker. While the brain tumours killed her, the doctor said that her primary cancer was the lung cancer that they thought they’d caught early a year and a half before, the lung cancer that showed up several years after she quit smoking.

Mom was never a heavy smoker. She only smoked about six or seven cigarettes a day, and this was back in the day when people smoked anywhere, any time. When she did quit, she was able to give it up without much in the way of withdrawal symptoms. Probably she could have quit at any time, but she went on smoking six or seven cigarettes a day for 50-plus years, and she never exhibited any of the health problems normally linked with smoking until they found that tumour on her lung. Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate the hon. minister for doing the right thing today.

Predictably, the argument will be made that tobacco manufacturers are engaged in a legal business, making a product that is legal to manufacture and sell to consenting adults. The tobacco industry and their spin doctors have hidden behind that claim of legal status for far too long, using it as, if you will, a smokescreen to manufacture and sell a highly addictive product that, if used as directed, will kill you. Every time that it costs a smoker’s life, in the lead-up to that it burdens our health care system. The minister is right.

It’s time that burden was shared with the industry that’s responsible for causing it. Thank you. head: Statement by the Speaker Legislative Assembly Proceedings Broadcast The Speaker: Hon. members, last week I provided to hon. members a sheet identifying the rotation for question period today. I won’t go through that now, but later during the Routine I will table those documents once again and make a comment at the conclusion of the Routine for the records of our Assembly. Two other items as well.

Over the summer and the spring the Legislative Assembly Office has been involved in a major project here in this Assembly to update our broadcast equipment, including robotic cameras, recordings, graphics control systems. We now have five cameras instead of two cameras, which will provide us with an improved final product, including more options for shots and camera angles with improved picture quality and, hopefully, sound quality as well.

I would like to advise all that live coverage of the question period will be broadcast daily on Access TV and rebroadcast on Shaw TV at 5 every afternoon with a repeat broadcast to major centres at 10:30 p.m. Your ratings have actually been quite good to attain three broadcasts a day. In addition to that, we’ll continue to provide live gavel-to-gavel broadcast coverage of all House proceedings through our website through a new program called Assembly Online.

I’d like to advise members that we now have also arrived at the continuation of an agreement between the Legislative Assembly of Alberta and Television Montana, TVMT, to broadcast and rebroad- cast proceedings of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta in Montana. This agreement started today at 1:30 on Television Montana cable television channels. It was, as I said, 1:30 today and will broadcast Monday through Thursday to the end of the daily Routine when the Assembly is in session. 2:00head: Oral Question Period The Speaker: We will now commence for today. The hon. Leader of the Official Opposition.

October 25, 2010 Alberta Hansard 905 Emergency Medical Services Dr. Swann: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. For years now this government has promised Albertans they would fix health care. They’ve done report after report, shelving them one after the other. They’ve ripped money from the system and then thrown money at the problems they’d created. Now new reports say that we don’t have enough beds. Once again we’re putting lives at risk, and the emergency departments and doctors and nurses are at the end of their ropes. Mr. Premier, for years you have promised the best health care system to Albertans.

We don’t have the best health care system. When is it going to be delivered? Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, the key priority of our government is to have the best performing publicly funded health care system in Canada. We know that there are emergency room pressures. Patients don’t want to see that, doctors don’t want to see that, health care professionals don’t want to see that, and neither do we. The minister has a plan in place that will alleviate some of the pressure, and he’ll be able to answer the rest of the questions with respect to his plan. Dr. Swann: Well, Mr.

Speaker, with all due respect, it’s unclear to every Albertan, including us, what that plan might be. I expected excuses, but please give us the respect due to Albertans in this most vital service. Emergency rooms around the province are crowded, crowded to the hilt. Mr. Premier, why doesn’t every Albertan have a family doctor? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Zwozdesky: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Premier has indicated that I will take these questions that deal with details and specifics.

What I would like to do is start by directing the hon. member, who himself, of course, is an acknowledged and respected doctor, to the press release that was put out on October 20 wherein a four-point plan for addressing these pressures was clearly outlined. That is part of the larger plan, the five-year funding commitment, that will surely help address and reduce some of those pressures in emergency departments. Dr. Swann: Well, Mr. Speaker, the minister seems to be unwilling to answer the question. Why doesn’t every family have a family doctor? Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr.

Speaker, there are a number of ways to answer that question. Some people that I’ve met with may not want a family doctor or feel they don’t need one, but that’s not the main thing. We do have a shortage of doctors in some areas of the province. This is true. Some people have indicated that there are doctor shortages in some areas of the province, and that’s why we have a very active physician recruitment plan, probably the most active plan on a per capita basis in Canada. We are recruiting some of the youngest people into the system. We pay them to settle in some of the remote areas.

We have an active rural physician action plan, and that is starting to yield some results. It’s very difficult to recruit to some areas for the numbers we’d like, but we are getting there. The Speaker: Second Official Opposition main question. The hon. Leader of the Official Opposition. Additional Beds To Relieve Emergency Wait Times Dr. Swann: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The plan to add 250 beds to Calgary and Edmonton hospitals was rushed and provides no details. No specifics were given for the number or type of beds or what the total cost would be. If there are no specifics, then there is no real plan. Mr.

Speaker, we have a plan. Again to the Premier: was this announcement of new beds simply to deflect attention away from the fact that the proposed Alberta Health Act won’t actually fix any of the problems Albertans care about? Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, we are the only jurisdiction, the government of Alberta, that has provided predictable, five-year funding to the Alberta Health Services Board. That means that the board can plan over the next five years: the first three years a 6 per cent increase, and the other two will be a 4 and a half per cent increase to an ever-increasing budget.

We also eliminated their deficit, and we topped up the operating funds for Alberta Health Services to meet what they said at that time were the pressures that they were experiencing. The minister and the board are working out a plan. They have announced part of that plan. There’s more to come to alleviate the pressure. Dr. Swann: Please, Mr. Premier, you talk about predictable funding. There is no new funding under Alberta Health Services to go along with the 250 beds. Please, what areas are going to be cut in order for these beds to be open, or was Alberta Health Services sitting on cash that they haven’t spent?

Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, why is it that any time we want to improve performance, the opposition always calls for more money? Can we not improve performance within the envelope that’s provided, not only paying off the deficit but also topping up their budget and then adding 6 per cent onto the top of it? That’s a substantial increase. I’ve asked them just to deliver the plan. First thing they go is: how much more money? You look for better performance by Alberta Health Services given the dollars allocated. Dr. Swann: Mr.

Speaker, with all due respect, it’s one thing to announce new beds, but it’s another to tell us where the money is coming from. What is the plan, Mr. Premier? Where is the money coming from for these beds? Why was that not made clear at the time of the announcement? Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, once again, a 6 per cent increase over a budget that was increased to meet the demands that Alberta Health Services brought forward to the table when we entered into a five- year funding agreement. The money is there, 6 per cent funding today. They can move money around.

I know – I have trust in the board – that they will deliver on not only opening more beds immediately but looking after some of the other pressures that we have coming forward. The Speaker: Third Official Opposition main question. The hon. Leader of the Official Opposition. Sale of Public Land for Commercial Use Dr. Swann: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Albertans support the Liberal policy for a moratorium on the sale of Crown-owned land. Unfortu- nately though, we have a government hiding behind a loophole in legislation and selling our land to a private owner, a friend of the government, behind closed doors.

While this has become common practice with this administration, there is a better way. To the Premier: has cabinet approved this sale?

Alberta Hansard October 25, 2010906 Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, our government’s policy has always been, whether it’s in the oil sands or whether it’s in agriculture or any other industry, to balance the needs of economic growth, of increasing jobs in the province, balancing those needs in terms of landowner rights and also the environment. There’s an application before the Minister of SRD. He is reviewing the application, and he will be able to provide the details in terms of the process of any sale of Crown lands. The Speaker: The hon. leader. Dr. Swann: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Even if there isn’t a legal obligation to consult with Albertans on the sale of their land, isn’t there a moral obligation? Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, there is a process that is followed in terms of accepting any application from any landowner in terms of the disposal of any Crown property, and that’s land that’s owned by the people of Alberta. As I said, there is a process, and we’re following that process. The minister may have other details. Dr. Swann: Well, can the Premier confirm that this land is being sold for pennies on the dollar? Mr. Knight: Mr.

Speaker, the situation as it stands today is that we have a proposal – a proposal – from a group of individuals that want to take a look at an agricultural prospect in southern Alberta. The idea that we are selling, have sold, or are going to sell: pure speculation. What’s happening here is that there are members opposite who are watching TV ads and reading newspapers and deciding that that’s government action based on what they read. There is a proposal that we’re dealing with. We’re assessing it and will continue to do so. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-Fish Creek.

Emergency Medical Services (continued) Mrs. Forsyth: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I will table a letter from February of 2008 in which the Premier acknowledged that the province’s emergency rooms were overcrowded. In it he promised to direct the then minister of health to establish an expert panel of emergency physicians to develop a plan to address this situation. To the Premier: why didn’t you live up to your commitment in forming an expert panel? Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, I’m sure I know which letter the member is referring to because she was on the other side when she received the letter.

The letter stipulates in terms of what government is committed to do; that is, to increase the number of spaces for training physicians, increase the number of spaces for training nurses in the province, increase the number of spaces for other health care professionals, and work with all in the system, including doctors and nurses, to ensure that we improve the performance, that we reduce waiting times, and improve access to health care in this province. Mrs. Forsyth: Well, Mr. Speaker, that’s why I’m on this side and not on that side.

Given that the Premier and the minister of health spent a lot of time talking about putting patients first, why has it taken so long for the Premier to keep his two-and-a-half-year-old promise to create this critically needed expert panel and, for that matter, plan? 2:10 Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, the minister has consulted with physicians. He has consulted with physicians not only in terms of bone and joint surgery but also eye surgery and has consulted with emergency room physicians as well. They are part of putting a plan forward in terms of reducing the access time.

At the end of the day we do have to train more physicians in Alberta, train more doctors, and we are well under way on that plan. Mrs. Forsyth: Well, Mr. Speaker, we’ve seen what’s happened with the bone and joint, and we’ve also seen what’s happened with the eye care. My final question is to the Premier. Given that emergency room overcrowding has now reached a critical breaking point – and I’m not asking for more money, Mr.

Premier – will the Premier redirect funding from what should be lower priority initiatives such as your provincial branding, which no one can remember, in order to address this situation immediately? Mr. Stelmach: In fact, we already have. We never spent all the money that was put into the branding initiative. We never did spend that money. That money will always move to the highest priority within the operation of government. I believe that there’s about $10 million or $12 million that was not spent on the branding initiative. On the other hand, it’s bigger than just trying to find some quick, easy solution.

Some of it is long term in terms of more doctors and more beds. The other is in training. It’s constantly looking to other ways of providing that care. I’m proud to say that the physicians in this province have got together with other allied health care provid- ers, and we’re up to now 32 primary care networks. That’s a step in the right direction. The Speaker: The hon. leader of the ND opposition. Mr. Mason: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. For two and a half years this government has known that there is a dangerous crisis in health care, and it has been hiding this from Albertans.

In February 2008 the Premier promised emergency department doctors that his government would take action to end the crisis in emergency rooms. Two and a half years have passed, and people have continued to suffer and even die in emergency rooms, yet this Premier has done nothing. Will the Premier admit the obvious, that he has failed utterly to protect Albertans when they need help the most? Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, we’ve seen improvements in many areas of the system: 3,000 additional surgeries just done here recently. We are moving positively, progressively on the emergency room access.

Part of the difficulty there, of course, is to find spaces for the seniors who require continuing care. We’ve added consider- ably more beds there, but we have to do more, and we’re continuing to do more. That’s why I thank all of the groups like Bethany and Good Sam that have come together, Covenant Health, partnering with government to provide more spaces in Alberta. The Speaker: The hon. leader. Mr. Mason: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

Given that the shortage of long-term care beds is a major reason for backed-up emergency rooms and given that the Premier promised 600 more long-term care beds in the last election and given that the govern- ment has since been steadily reducing them instead, will the Premier admit to misleading voters in the last election about his govern- ment’s intention for long-term care?

October 25, 2010 Alberta Hansard 907 Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, actually, according to Alberta Health Services we will meet a target of something like 1,333 additional beds for seniors, so we’re going to go far beyond what we thought we would be able to put in place in a short period of time. The other thing. Rather than focusing on what the opposition wants to do – that is, traditional long-term care beds where we would split married couples after 50, 60 years because the system dictates it – Mr. Speaker, we’re putting the senior first. We’re putting the patient first, not what the opposition wants. Mr.

Mason: Mr. Speaker, given that the Premier continues to throw sand in the faces of Albertans about his real plans for long-term care beds, which are medical beds and which are necessary in order to clear up the backlog in emergency rooms, will he come clean with the Assembly, come clean with Albertans, and admit that he’s reducing long-term care beds and he’s part of the problem as far as increasing the waiting times in our emergency rooms? You’re the problem. Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, I think that most Albertans disagree with what the opposition member has said. Our plan here is to build continuing care beds.

As the need of the senior increases – meaning that maybe they lose more mobility, maybe a bit more dementia, or maybe that more health care is required for that particular senior – we can add the additional services to the room. Why keep moving the senior from a traditional lodge setting to an auxiliary hospital or a nursing home, keep moving them around, when you could add the services to the very same space that they have? To me that makes very good common sense. The Speaker: The hon. Leader of the Official Opposition. Long-term Care Facility Closures Dr. Swann: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

There are several guests from the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees in the gallery extremely alarmed at what’s happening to long-term care in Red Deer, as many of us are. Alberta Health Services’ annual report shows that there are 252 people waiting for both acute care in the community and continuing care in the region, yet this government is closing 200 public long-term care beds in the Red Deer area. There’s a better way. To the minister of health: is it not a mistake to be closing 200 public long-term care beds when there are 252 people waiting for them? Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr.

Speaker, I recall being in Red Deer for that opening with the minister of seniors. There’s a brand new, state-of- the-art facility there. The people who are already in it say that it is just incredible. That’s Extendicare Michener Hill. It’s 280 brand new beds, and the hon. Leader of the Opposition should know that 220 of those are, in fact, long-term care beds. Dr. Swann: Mr. Speaker, will the minister admit that the whole plan is a mistake? It’s clear that only 60 per cent of the staffing needed for that long-term care setting is in place. What does he say about that? Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr.

Speaker, the recruitment process is very thorough. It requires people to apply. It requires them to be interviewed. In a few cases it may even require them to be trained or upgraded in their training. It will vary. What I would like the hon. member and all Albertans to know, especially members in this House, is that in that brand new Extendicare facility 65 add itional net new added capacity beds were also put in. Dr. Swann: Well, again, Mr.

Speaker, he is defusing the problem and avoiding the question, which is really, fundamentally: will the minister immediately order that the Red Deer nursing home and Valley Park Manor remain open and provide the necessary beds there? Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr. Speaker, the Red Deer nursing home is one of our service facilities that has served Albertans extremely well, but it is aged. When the decision was made, it was looked at from the standpoint of whether or not it was more economical and better for Albertans to put money toward upgrading or to building new.

The decision was made, clearly, to build new and to expand capacity at the same time. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Ellerslie, followed by the hon. Member for Lethbridge-East. Relief for Emergency Wait Times Mr. Bhardwaj: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. There have been dire concerns about emergency room wait times in Alberta’s hospitals for some time. Reports say that patients are waiting up to 5, 10, 12 hours in ERs. My questions are to the Minister of Health and Wellness. What is being done to address this problem? Mr. Zwozdesky: Well, Mr. Speaker, a number of things are being done.

I think the first and most important thing is actioning the five- year funding commitment, the first of its kind, which this govern- ment brought in a few months ago. Secondly, we do have a four- point plan, that I alluded to earlier, which includes looking at a new discharge protocol. It looks at more beds, obviously. It looks at increasing and expanding services for Health Link and also address- ing additional monies that are needed for home-care services. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Bhardwaj: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

My first supplement to the same minister: can the minister be specific about what is being done in Edmonton? Mr. Zwozdesky: Well, in my meeting at 8 o’clock this morning at the University of Alberta hospital, where I dropped in unannounced to see how things were going in emergency, I can tell you that they told me that there are 18 more transition beds, which are part of the emergency bed and acute-care bed protocol, that are being opened up as we speak. In fact, four of them are operational, fully function- ing, today. Another nine will open on Monday, Mr.

Speaker, and the remaining few will be open by mid-November. And that’s just one example. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Bhardwaj: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My final question to the same minister. Health needs can be very unpredict- able. How can a discharge date be set for a patient upon their admittance to an ER? Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr. Speaker, one of the things that is part of Alberta Health Services’ multipronged approach to addressing ER pressures is not only to take a serious look at how patients are admitted but also to provide them with a plan on when they can go home.

That’s welcome news for everybody. What they’ve said is: let’s take a look at this and talk with the family, talk with the patient

Alberta Hansard October 25, 2010908 and say that on this-and-this date you can expect to be discharged, assuming your condition warrants it. What they’ve added to that is to say: let’s try to get it done by 11 a.m. to free up that space for others who might need it. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Lethbridge-East, followed by the hon. Member for Calgary-Montrose. 2:20 Sale of Public Land for Commercial Use (continued) Ms Pastoor: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In recent weeks we have heard outrage from across Alberta regarding the sale of Crown lands for a potato farm.

Instead of protecting Albertans’ land, this government is selling it without public consultation. A moratorium on the sale of public lands would be a better way until debate can take place. To the minister of agriculture: is it true that Alberta Agriculture has concerns about this sale and that assessment for irrigation suitability has not been completed? The Speaker: The hon. Minister of Agriculture and Rural Develop- ment. Mr. Hayden: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My department has stayed in close contact with sustainable resources.

This is a proposal that’s being looked at by that ministry, and they can comment on that. We want agricultural land to be used for its best and highest use to the benefit of all Albertans, and I’m sure that will be the guiding principles that that department uses. The Speaker: The hon. member. Ms Pastoor: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In that case, to the Minister of Sustainable Resource Development: what is the minister’s response to Albertans who have referred to this deal as a breach of public trust? Mr. Knight: Well, Mr.

Speaker, firstly, let’s be clear that what we have in front of us is a proposal, as I had indicated earlier. This is a proposal. We have not sold anything. There is no sale agreement, no documents that would indicate that, and the idea that somehow or another there’s been no consultation, no discussion ongoing with respect to this issue is false. I have met with county councillors, county reeves, the representatives from the grazing association that’s involved in this thing over the last six months. There’s nothing secret about this.

We do not hold public consultation currently in the province of Alberta to sell land for agricultural purposes. It’s served us well for a hundred years. A third and more of this province has been put into agricultural service. The Speaker: The hon. member. Ms Pastoor: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. However, this is the 21st century, not a hundred years ago. Again to the minister of sustainable resources: given that other established ag operations in the region have been denied access to increased water allocation, where will this potato farmer get his water and at what cost? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr.

Knight: Well, thank you very much. Mr. Speaker, I couldn’t give those details because I’m not privy to the information or the contracts that he may or may not have made. However, part of the proposal that’s come forward is to develop about an 800-acre lake and wetland on this real estate. God Himself may provide the water. I don’t know. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-Montrose, followed by the hon. Member for Calgary-McCall. Relief for Emergency Wait Times (continued) Mr. Bhullar: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

Many, including emergency room doctors, have told us that wait times in Alberta hospitals are reaching potentially crisis levels. They say that the main cause of this is a severe shortage of continuing care beds. To the Minister of Health and Wellness: what are you doing to tackle this very important issue? Mr. Zwozdesky: Well, Mr. Speaker, among the strategies are things like opening more continuing care beds and also opening a lot more acute-care beds. Now, we’ve got approximately 800 new beds that have been opened for continuing care purposes since April of this year.

That’s a tremendous number of new beds, and that’s welcome news to all Albertans. We do have the other protocols that I mentioned earlier with respect to discharge, with respect to home care, and with respect to the expansion of Alberta Health Link. There are a number of things happening like that, and tomorrow night when I meet with the head of emergency services, I expect I’ll hear a few more ideas from him. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Bhullar: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As a proud Calgary MLA may I ask the minister what he’s doing to deal with this situation specifically in Calgary? Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr.

Speaker, specific to Calgary there’s a combination of things happening to help deliver over 100 additional beds there. This is a combination of different types of beds – let’s be clear – some of which have been alluded to or referred to in previous announcements and a lot of which are brand new added capacity. That includes more hospice beds, more acute-care beds, more subacute beds, more transition beds, and more continuing care beds. There’s a lot that’s going on right in Calgary as we speak, and there’s more coming. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Bhullar: Thank you again, Mr. Speaker.

Again, specific to Calgary, Minister, what are you doing to relieve pressure on the continuing care system around Calgary? Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr. Speaker, one of the big pressures being faced in emergency, as we know, is acute-care beds that are occupied by people who ought to be, should be, or could be in a continuing care setting. So in addition to building more continuing care beds, we’re also looking at other overcrowding protocols.

Some of that would require people to be moved from the emergency area up to an acute- care level, taking a look at which ones are in more serious condition, which ones can stay on stretchers, which ones need the beds. That particular protocol is very active here in Edmonton as well as in Calgary. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-McCall, followed by the hon. Member for Edmonton-Calder.

October 25, 2010 Alberta Hansard 909 Calgary International Airport Development Mr. Kang: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The airport tunnel continues to be an important issue for Calgary. The Alberta government’s failure to assist with the tunnel will strand commuters in Calgary, increase congestion on Deerfoot Trail, and harm the businesses in the area. With the current administration refusing to seriously consider supporting the Calgary airport tunnel, the city faces a difficult choice of forgoing other infrastructure projects or going without the tunnel. There must be a better way.

To the Minister of Transportation: Calgarians strongly support this project, so why has the minister not supported the airport tunnel? Mr. Ouellette: Mr. Speaker, this government supports all municipal infrastructure to the best we possibly can. In fact, Calgary alone this year will get around a half a billion dollars in grants to be able to work on their priority infrastructure projects. I’m sure that we are all here to help support them with that, but we have to follow our processes. We have to do what we’re responsible for, and we have to let the municipalities do what they’re responsible for.

The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Kang: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If the minister had the will, the airport tunnel could get off the ground. Given that Deerfoot Trail is already over capacity, will the minister finally acknowledge the importance of this project and support the city of Calgary in getting the airport tunnel? Mr. Ouellette: Mr. Speaker, I just have to keep repeating myself to this hon. member and keep telling him that we’re here supporting things. Deerfoot Trail doesn’t go on to the tunnel. The tunnel comes from the other side of the airport.

I’m sure that this hon. member wants to get it done, and so do we, but he has to deal with his municipality. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Kang: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Why is the minister unable to effectively lobby the federal government to support the need for the Calgary airport tunnel? Mr. Ouellette: Mr. Speaker, I lobby the federal government all the time trying to get support for all of our big projects in Alberta. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Calder, followed by the hon. Member for Edmonton-Strathcona. ID Cards for Homeless People Mr. Elniski: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The government recently announced a program to help homeless Albertans obtain government-issued identification. While this is, no doubt, a great photo op for the government, some question the logic behind the program. My first question is to the Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs. Even though we’re in an era of fiscal restraint, how can this minister rationalize making homeless people, those who are most in need, pay for the ID card? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Denis: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I’m pleased to respond to this question.

This member had asked, realistically, about why we are charging this $12. Well, first off, assistance is available on an individual basis from Alberta Works for individuals who cannot afford the $12 fee. There are two reasons, though, that we went with the $12 fee, one being that there is an intrinsic value to identification, and secondly, for those who are able to afford it, that’s roughly the break-even cost to the taxpayer. We wanted to be compassionate both to the homeless individual but also to the taxpayer. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Elniski: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

My first supplemental is to the Minister of Service Alberta. Many homeless Albertans are living high-risk lifestyles and cannot properly maintain their own inde- pendence. How can this minister reasonably assure Albertans that this program will not create more identification fraud and violate the personal security of these already vulnerable Albertans? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mrs. Klimchuk: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Service Alberta ID cards are among the most secure documents of their type in North America. This program will not change that.

These ID cards are the same ID cards that all Albertans can apply for as well. It’s about enabling these individuals to have access to ID and to make sure that if they want to store it, they can store it. It will not jeopardize the information and security of the current ID card that we have. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Elniski: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My last question is to the Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs. Using identification cards to track the homeless seems a bit Orwellian to me, but it just seems to be fine to this particular minister.

How can the minister assure this House that tracking the homeless is in line with the privacy laws of Alberta, particularly if the card identifies the person as homeless? 2:30 The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Denis: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. That is a good question, but I can tell you that there is no intention to follow or track homeless people through this identification card program. It does provide Alberta identification cards to individuals, the same as individuals would get if they did not have drivers’ licences. On top of that, this is strictly a voluntary program.

It’s designed to recog- nize that it can be difficult to get on your feet without identification. Over the next few months I’m really looking forward to stories from the hundreds of Albertans who I anticipate are going to sign up for this program and will be able to go to banks, sign up, and get bank accounts. And when they’re working, they can cash their cheques there as opposed to going through a cheque-cashing place and paying fees through the system. I’m very proud of this program, Mr. Speaker, and I think every member of this Assembly should be. The Speaker: The hon.

Member for Edmonton-Strathcona, followed by the hon. Member for Calgary-Varsity. Standards for Addiction Treatment Centres Ms Notley: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. At least a hundred and twenty thousand Albertans suffer from addictions, but we have treatment beds for less than 1 per cent of those Albertans, and the ones we do have are unregulated, unmonitored, and not even accredited. Given that a public inquiry concluded last week that 17-year-old Taylor

Alberta Hansard October 25, 2010910 Argent’s death at a treatment centre was associated with a profound absence of professional standards, will the minister today issue an apology to the Argent family and commit to implementing minimum standards in these addiction treatment centres across the province immediately? Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr. Speaker, I assume she’s referring to a private facility just outside of Red Deer or Lacombe, in which case that is not under my direct sphere of responsib ility, but I am concerned about all Albertans, and I am deeply saddened by the tragic death of this person referred to.

However, accreditations and standards and so on are being reviewed right now for public facilities, and perhaps as part of that we can also look at how we can work more closely with the private facilities, who probably have accreditation or licensing or some sort of an agreement, perhaps through United States standards. Ms Notley: Well, Mr. Speaker, Taylor Argent was referred to the CARC by staff at Alberta Health Services, and as of last week this centre was still advertised on the Alberta Health Services website, as were many other unaccredited centres, both private and public.

Why won’t the minister take responsibility for his government’s role in this tragic incident and demand some transparent accountability before the safety of even more Alberta teens and adults suffers or they are put at risk? Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr. Speaker, when you go to a doctor, it’s my understanding from having spoken with literally hundreds of them, most of them one on one, that the doctor’s obligation is to make you aware of every possible treatment, whether it’s covered and funded publicly or not. That is what they must do. That was the circum- stance that we had with Avastin, for example.

Now, in this case I’m sure Alberta Health Services folks, whoever they are, were acting in the best interests of the people who were asking the questions: “Where can we get some treatment? Where can we get in the quickest? What kind of services are available?” I’m sure they acted in the best faith to help that family at a time of great need. Ms Notley: Indeed, they probably acted assuming, like most Albertans do, that the government actually monitors people who provide health services.

Since we have treatment beds for less that 1 per cent of those who are addicted in Alberta and since ER doctors have told this govern- ment that there’s a serious crisis in ER caused in part by people with addictions and mental health issues, why won’t the health minister fund an adequate number of regulated addictions beds so these Albertans can stay out of the ER and get the help that they need? Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr. Speaker, this government spends $600 million, approximately, every year helping people with mental health circumstances, a lot of them due to addictions.

We are also responding with a mental health strategy, a province-wide strategy. As part of that, the accreditation protocols, the licensing protocols will be reviewed starting with the public facilities that are under our purview, and we’ll look at other possibilities as well. By the end of spring we’ll have it all sorted out, with a new strategy that people will surely embrace. First Point of Contact for Special-needs Children Mr. Chase: Mr. Speaker, the system for recognizing and supporting special-needs children in this province is not working.

There is, however, a better way through stronger ministerial co-operation, which would involve the first ministry contacted overseeing the provision of services to ensure that the needs of children and their families are met. To the Minister of Education: with coding on the way out how will the minister guarantee that special-needs children are identified and provided with the supports they need? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Hancock: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It would be my hope that we consider each and every one of our children and youth in this province special and that we would understand, when they come to school, that all of them have learning needs and that many of them have barriers to success that need to be overcome. When we talk about getting rid of coding as a funding mechanism, it doesn’t mean we would get rid of assessment of those needs and the ability to provide educational and other support programs for students as they need them to improve and help them with their learning process.

It’s not about coding a child to pigeonhole them and to provide funding; it’s about understanding the learning needs of the child and providing the resources needed to achieve that. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Chase: Thank you. To the Minister of Children and Youth Services: for vulnerable special-needs children in the province’s care will the minister accept full responsibility for every child whose first point of contact is her department? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mrs. Fritz: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I a ppreciate that question because I know this member cares very much about this area of special-needs children in schools. This member was at that news conference. I can tell you that I am working closely with the Minister of Education and the minister of health along with Justice as well regarding it, just across ministries that relate to special-needs children and first point of entry. There’s not a definitive answer to give you today, but it’s very much in the works. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Chase: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Now to the minister of health: given that special-needs children are often first diagnosed by a physician or a psychologist, will the minister accept full responsibil- ity for every child whose first point of contact is his department? Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr. Speaker, I’m concerned about all Albertans regardless of their age, regardless of any other circumstances. If the member has a particular case that he feels hasn’t been attended to, I would ask him to bring it to our attention.

Otherwise, I was just talking about mental health needs, for example, and I can tell you that out of that $600 million we provide an additional $50 million just to help young people with mental health situations. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Athabasca-Redwater, followed by the hon. Member for Calgary-Glenmore. Water Quality of Athabasca River Mr. Johnson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the last few months concern has been raised over Alberta’s monitoring of the water in the Athabasca River. Albertans deserve to have a clear understand- ing of oil sands development. My question is to the Minister of

October 25, 2010 Alberta Hansard 911 Environment. My constituents understood that there had been a very thorough water monitoring of the river for decades. Can the minister tell us what kind of monitoring has been done and by whom? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Renner: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The member is absolutely right. We have in fact been monitoring this river since the 1970s, we being government and our partners in monitoring.

That monitoring includes the Alberta Environment long-term river networking program, the regional aquatics monitoring program, or RAMP, and recently we’ve initiated a containment load study to address any impact of emissions from land and water as well as the ecosystem on human health development. The bottom line is that we are con- stantly seeking the best information possible so that we can make appropriate decisions to protect this river and others in Alberta. Mr. Johnson: Mr. Speaker, we’ve been criticized for the discrepan- cies between our water monitoring data and those of other scientists.

Can the minister tell us why there are discrepancies and what governments are doing to address these discrepancies? Mr. Renner: Well, Mr. Speaker, the member is referring to an incident, a report this summer that indicated that there were conflicting opinions with respect to

interpretation of data. The Premier indicated at that time that he was confused. Frankly, I’m confused, and I expect Albertans are confused. The Premier instructed me, and I have since formed a third-party comm ittee of scientists, some of whom were recommended by Dr. Schindler and others by Alberta Environment, just to answer that very question. Mr. Johnson: Mr. Speaker, we know that the federal government has also created its own review panel to look at water monitoring in the oil sands.

Can the minister tell us if the government is actually being redundant in the panel that we’ve got here and if we’re wasting resources by forming a provincial review committee that’s doing the same thing as the federal government? Mr. Renner: Mr. Speaker, as I indicated earlier, we are committed to using the best information possible. My understanding is that the federal panel will be looking spec ifically at RAMP and at the monitoring system. The panel that I asked be put in place is to have a look at the 30 to 40 years of data and help us to understand why there’s a difference in interpreting that data.

At the end of the day both of those groups w ill come together and, I’m sure, be making some strong recommendations on how we can improve not only our data gathering but our

interpretation of that data. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-Glenmore, followed by the hon. Member for Livingstone-Macleod. 2:40 Emergency Medical Services (continued) Mr. Hinman: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last week on The Rutherford Show the minister of health said that he had visited 23 emergency rooms across Alberta since becoming the minister of health, in order to talk with doctors, nurses, front-line staff to understand the needs of the province’s emergency facilities. The next day he responded to a letter from Dr.

Parks on the emergency room crisis, saying that the dire situation was a new revelation to him. To the minister of health: did you really visit 23 emergency rooms and see no evidence of the escalating crisis? Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr. Speaker, I think the hon. member is taking a little licence with what I said back to Dr. Parks, but I’ll let that one go.

The fact is that I have visited these emergency departments – I visited another four or five on the weekend – and I’ll continue doing that because I’m of the opinion that the way an emergency depart- ment ticks or doesn’t tick gives you a snapshot of how the whole hospital works, and that’s a fact. I’ve gone out and met with these folks – I’m meeting with some more tomorrow – and we’re making improvements as we go. It doesn’t fix itself overnight, as we all know, but fixes are in the works. A lot of it has already occurred, and more of it is coming. Mr. Hinman: No. It’s been two and a half years, Mr.

Speaker, that they’ve been aware it, but they’ve done very little. Given that it is now painfully clear that the Alberta Health superboard experiment has been a complete failure, will the minister agree to disband the superboard and decentralize the administration of our hospitals and return it to the local communities? Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr.

Speaker, there are many advantages to having one centralized board, not the least of which, of course, is a more efficient system of delivery that is saving hundreds of millions of dollars, which we can put right back into health services on the front lines, which is where it is needed. There are no plans to disband this board. They’ve worked hard under very difficult circumstances. They now have a golden opportunity, with a five-year funding plan to work with, which is infinitely different than the $1.3 billion deficit they were looking at last year. Mr. Hinman: Well, Mr. Speaker, that’s certainly questionable.

Given that Dr. Grant Innes, the superboard’s own head of emergency medicine for Calgary hospitals, said last week that it’s the worst that it’s ever been, how can this minister defend and keep the superboard in place? It’s compounding the problem. It’s a bout procurement and letting people out early. We don’t need a superboard that says one size fits all. They need to address it at the local level. Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr.

Speaker, that’s one reason we brought in a five-year funding plan with a 6 per cent assurance in the first year and in each of the next years, unlike what the Wildrose put out the day after our budget, saying that they would only offer 3.5 per cent. You show me where you’re going to cut 2.5 per cent out, as your press release said, and then, hon. member, we’ll talk. Okay? The Speaker: The hon. Member for Livingstone-Macleod, followed by the hon. Member for Calgary-Buffalo. Trade Dispute on Vegetable Oil Products Mr. Berger: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Our province recently won a long-standing trade dispute with Ontario over policies that have restricted Alberta’s vegetable oil producers and refiners from selling in Ontario. My first question is to the Minister of International and Intergovernmental Relations. Could you provide details about why Alberta filed a trade dispute over this matter? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Ms Evans: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s been very frustrating to have these interprovincial trade disputes that have mitigated against producers in Alberta marketing their product.

Canola, for example, could not be shipped to Ontario and then put in through any other

Alberta Hansard October 25, 2010912 dairy-blend processing in Ontario. Ontario put up a barrier. In March of this year we took another stab at getting the government of Ontario to see whether or not they’d change their minds. They didn’t, so we presented to the agreement on internal trade panel. They ruled in Alberta’s favour, and as of February 1, 2011, it will be imperative that Ontario follow through. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Berger: Thank you. My first supplemental is: being that we had already filed this same dispute and we hadn’t won it, why did we have to file it again?

The Speaker: The hon. minister. Ms Evans: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The reason was, according to the panel process, that without an enforceable regulation attached to their strategies and their outcome deliverables, we weren’t able to actually enforce any of their decisions. Now an enforcement provision has been added, similar to the TILMA provision for dispute reconciliation, and because it is part of this agreement – it’s integral with the agreement – Ontario must comply. If they don’t, they will be subject to fines of up to $5 million to actually address the matter.

We are very hopeful this time that with all of the i’s dotted and t’s crossed and with the agreement of other provincial Premiers, we will get support from Ontario. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Berger: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My second supplemental question is to the minister of agriculture. How does this announce- ment benefit Alberta agricultural companies as well as producers? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Hayden: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Canola represents about 17 per cent of our ag exports out of Alberta. It’s a hugely important part of our agriculture industry.

It totalled about $1.3 billion last year, and it’s hugely important that we’re in the domestic markets, too. This will be of great advantage to our producers, to have access again to the Ontario market. Legal Aid Mr. Hehr: Mr. Speaker, every time the Minister of Justice tries to justify her changes to legal aid, the answer seems increasingly confused. Members of the Law Society of Alberta have mobilized against the draconian cuts in provincial funding to Legal Aid Alberta. What was the point of this pilot project? To restrict access to justice for Alberta’s most vulnerable people? The Speaker: The hon. minister.

Ms Redford: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Two and a half years ago we as the Department of Justice, one of three parties to a legal aid agreement with the Law Society and the Legal Aid board, decided that we needed to provide Albertans with more than one model for legal aid. Therefore, we launched a principle-based approach to change delivery of legal aid in this province so that there were a diverse number of services available to people, including advice through law information centres, community law clinics, family law clinics, and in some cases certificates. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Hehr: Thank you, Mr.

Speaker. On October 12 the media reported that you stated, “I want to make it very clear that if there is a person who is in criminal court, who is charged and needs representation, legal aid funds that.” Do you stand by that state- ment? Ms Redford: Mr. Speaker, in that interview there were a number of points made by the reporter. One of those points was that people were being wrongfully convicted in this province. The first thing I said to that reporter was that I challenge him to provide me informa- tion because that would certainly be something that I was concerned about.

We know that we have a constitutional obligation to provide legal defence to people who appear in criminal court in this prov- ince, and we’ll continue to do so. Mr. Hehr: Well, Mr. Speaker, I’m glad to hear that we understand our constitutional duties because the Provincial Court recently stated that changes to legal aid are forcing defendants to “look elsewhere for assistance.” Wouldn’t that mean that we’re falling down on our constitutional obligations? Ms Redford: Mr.

Speaker, it appears to me that before we start attributing quotes to people, we might want to make sure we know exactly where they’re coming from. I will tell you that in conversa- tions we’ve had with the Provincial Court and the Court of Queen’s Bench, the position of the government of Alberta has been very clear. The courts understand fully that we are meeting our obliga- tions. The courts understand that it is important to provide legal services to people who are charged with criminal offences in a number of forums.

For many years we have had youth criminal defence offices and duty counsel in this province, that provide people with legal advice when they are charged to appear in criminal court, and we’ll continue to do so. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Leduc-Beaumont-Devon, followed by the hon. Member for Edmonton-Centre. Funding for Training Mr. Rogers: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Employment and Immigration. There are thousands of students in Alberta who are still waiting to find out if they are approved for funding for training even though these classes started some two months ago.

My question to the minister: why are these students still waiting for their money? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Lukaszuk: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Indeed, a very unfortu- nate situation, a situation that in part resulted as the computer system simply failed, a new computer system put in place to process these applications. Ironically, it was designed to serve these clients better, and as technology does from time to time, it has failed.

However, this department has responded immediately by hiring additional staff, by appropriating staff from other departments, and they have been literally manually processing applications seven days a week. Mr. Speaker, any application . . . The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Rogers: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Minister, I really appreciate these technical challenges, but my question again is: what

October 25, 2010 Alberta Hansard 913 do you say to the single mother who needs to feed her children but has yet to receive the funding and your ministry says that the funding is coming? What is she supposed to do? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Lukaszuk: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just to finish my initial answer, every application filed before September 27 now has been processed, and overall we have received over 7,600 applications.

That mother who is in dire straits simply has to come to one of our 59 offices throughout the province, and if indeed in financial crisis, we will be issuing emergency benefits forthwith. We have issued over 500 emergency benefits to date, and we will continue to issue them as situations demand. 2:50 The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Rogers: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, Mr. Minister, I certainly appreciate these measures that you’re taking, but how can you assure Albertans that this situation will not happen again? Mr. Lukaszuk: Well, Mr. Speaker, let’s put it this way.

This particular department issues somewhere between 50,000 to 60,000 cheques every month – every month – and you never hear about any problems arising. From time to time technology will fail, and if it does, we do have emergency procedures in place to supplement technological failure. I cannot give such an assurance because no one can give you an assurance that technology will not fail in the future. But I can assure you of one thing. There are processes in place that if technology were to fail in the future, we will be able to respond to it adequately and make sure that no one is in financial dire straits.

The Speaker: Hon. members, that concludes the question period for today. Eighteen members were recognized. There were 108 questions and responses. Before the Clerk calls Members’ Statements, might we revert briefly to Introduction of Guests? [Unanimous consent granted] head: Introduction of Guests (continued) The Speaker: The hon. Leader of the Official Opposition. Dr. Swann: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I’m honoured to introduce to you and through you a group of individuals from the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees and the Alberta Council on Aging.

They’ve come here today to witness the tabling of petitions concerning the closing of Red Deer nursing home and Valley Park Manor, two publicly funded and delivered seniors’ care facilities in Red Deer, plus staff shortages at Extendicare Michener Hill.

I will ask them to rise as I mention their names: Tammy Graham, AUPE chair; Angela MacArthur, AUPE chair; Wendy Kicia, AUPE chair; Ray Tweedle, AUPE chair; Sam Denhaan, president of Central Alberta Council on Aging; Margie Lunt, board member, Alberta Council on Aging; Doug Janssen, director of the Alberta Council on Aging; and Jules Noel, AUPE provincial executive. Let’s give them all a round of applause for 3,575 signatures on the petition. Ms Notley: Mr.

Speaker, I’m also pleased to rise today to introduce to you and through you to all Members of the Legislative Assembly my guests who are here today as well because they are concerned about the closure of seniors’ fac ilities in Red Deer. I ask them to rise as I say their names.

They are Jerine Johnson, Alberta Union of Provincial Employees local 44 council representative and Valley Park Manor employee for 37 years; Jaime Urbina, AUPE local 44 council rep, former Red Deer nursing home staff, and now employed at Valley Park Manor; David Eggen, executive director of Friends of Medicare; Brenda Corney, chair of the Red Deer

chapter of Friends of Medicare; Ken Collier, chair of the Red Deer

chapter of the Council of Canadians; Bev Hanes, treasurer and board member of the Central Alberta Council on Aging; David Climenhaga, communications director of AUPE; and Tyler Bedford, communica- tions officer with the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees. They’ve come to the Legislature to see the tabling of the AUPE petition to save the Red Deer nursing home and Valley Park Manor. My guests are seated in both the public and members’ galleries. I’d now ask the Assembly to provide them the traditional warm welcome.

The Speaker: Hon. members, there really is no need to introduce the same party twice or three times in the one question period. We have standing orders, and at 3 o’clock Standing Order 7(7) is due to kick in. It says, “At 3 p.m. the items in the ordinary daily routine will be deemed to be concluded and the Speaker shall notify the Assembly.” There is no way that this Routine will be concluded in less than perhaps 30 minutes from now, so I prefer to speed the process up.

Rather than asking a member to move unanimous consent to go beyond 3 o’clock to conclude the Routine, I will just ask the question: is any member opposed to us not seeing 3 o’clock when we arrive at 3 o’clock and that we continue to the conclusion of the Routine? If you are opposed, say something. head: Members’ Statements The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-Mackay. First Nations Economic Partnerships Initiative Ms Woo-Paw: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Alberta is privileged to be home to one of the largest and fastest growing aboriginal populations in the country.

This government is committed to increasing the participation of First Nations people in the diverse economic opportunities our province offers. On August 24 this year our efforts were nationally recognized by the Institute of Public Administration of Canada. The First Nations economic partnerships initiative, or FNEPI, received a national bronze award for innovative program management and generating positive outcomes in aboriginal economic development. FNEPI is the first program of its kind in Canada.

It is delivered by the Ministry of Aboriginal Relations in partnership with Alberta Employment and Immigration to develop sustainable partnerships among First Nations, industry, and government. Mr. Speaker, we have seen some really great successes.

This initiative helped produce 100 partnership projects, and some of the successes include the Paul First Nation securing a $1.5 million electrical utilities contract; a trucking company in Hobbema with lucrative contracts thanks to strong ties between industry and First Nations; school camps where aboriginal children learn about careers in science and technology; and a partnership that will help First Nations in central Alberta tap into contracting opportunities in oil and gas.

Many of these success stories share some of the following commonalities: building long-term, mutually beneficial partnerships; leveraging existing networks; creating new business opportunities; and creating jobs and developing entrepreneurs. These are crucial elements in growing our province’s competitiveness, and we know

Alberta Hansard October 25, 2010914 that a quarter of a million aboriginal people living in this province play an important role in this growth. Recognition by IPAC is an honour and allows us to further share this successful partnership model with our public administration peers across the country. I congratulate the two ministries. The Speaker: The hon. Leader of the Official Opposition. Sale of Public Land for Commercial Use Dr. Swann: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

As if we needed more evidence that the Tories are no longer fit to govern, along comes Potatogate, the backroom deal to sell pristine, irreplaceable Crown land near Medicine Hat for a mere $75 per acre to friends, the kind of practice that has sadly become commonplace in this administra- tion. For a song this Premier is going to allow the destruction of 16,000 acres of irreplaceable wildlife habitat, home to 70 per cent of Alberta’s at-risk species.

In return Alberta will see a privately owned commercial potato patch, a water-intensive crop where water is already fully allocated, in one of the most drought-prone regions of the province. Once this sale goes through, the people of Alberta won’t be able to control how the land is used even though the government has not yet completed its regional land-use plan for the area. It’s mind boggling, but this short-sighted administration is eager to sell off public lands even before they’ve figured out the most effective use for these lands or the critical water issues that are already limiting other developments.

Why are they even bothering to develop a land- use strategy if they’re determined to pull stunts like this? There’s a better way. For years Alberta Liberals have demanded an immediate halt to the sale of public lands. Since this government won’t do that, they should at least establish a transparent and honest process to determine how public lands should be sold. Only after the people of the region ratify a land-use plan would an Alberta Liberal government even consider allowing new commercial or industrial developments in the area. Mr.

Speaker, we demand that the Premier halt the sale of this grassland, establish a public consultation process for disposition of any such public land, strengthen provisions in the Public Lands Act to conserve prairie land, and enact legislation to protect environmen- tally significant native grasslands on public lands. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Red Deer-South. Waste Reduction Week Mr. Dallas: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last week marked the 10th year Albertans have celebrated Waste Reduction Week. Canadians from across the country took

part in activities to help reduce waste and keep it out of landfills. Fortunately, many Albertans took up the challenge, including a large number of grade 4 students. Participat- ing classes registered and conducted a five-day waste audit in the classroom and pledged to reduce waste in their classes for the rest of the year. During the week I had the privilege of visiting classrooms across Alberta, and I found the students’ knowledge and enthusiasm for reducing waste truly refreshing. I came away from the visits confident that the next generation is ready and willing to do its part to reduce waste.

Of course, just because the week is over doesn’t mean we should stop thinking about waste reduction in our homes and workplaces. There are many easy and practical things we can all do. Albertans should choose products with little or no packaging, buy in bulk, consider items that are durable, and practise the three Rs of reduce, reuse, and recycle to help to lessen waste in our province. Instead of throwing unwanted household items and used clothing in the garbage, donate the goods to community organizations. I encourage everyone to take a close look at how they can reduce waste throughout the year.

The choices you make, big or small, really do make an impact. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-Montrose. 3:00 National Child Abuse Awareness Month Mr. Bhullar: Thank you very much. Mr. Speaker, it’s often important to reflect on that which causes so much pain in our society. Unfortunately, I would ask us all to reflect on the fact that much of the pain in our world is caused by one human being hurting another, one human being purposely performing acts of either abuse or neglect that hurt another human being. October is National Child Abuse Awareness Month.

Nothing is more frightening than knowing that some children are at risk of abuse by those in positions of authority, those meant to protect them, those that we’ve entrusted with our most precious. Therefore, Mr. Speaker, we all have a role to play. Everyone involved in a child’s life shares in the responsibility to report any suspicions they have about potential abuse or neglect. Every day concerned Albertans do this; they act on this responsi- bility and call the confidential child abuse hotline. Mr.

Speaker, each of these calls represents a child or youth who may have been harmed, or his family may need help in dealing with or coping with some of the challenges they may be facing. Each of these calls has been critical in ensuring that children and youth are protected and kept safe. I would say that some of these calls could potentially have saved someone’s life. Mr. Speaker, I encourage all Albertans to continue to be vigilant, report abuse or neglect, and help support families to create positive, nurturing environments for youth and children. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Wetaskiwin-Camrose. Dr.

Gary McPherson Mr. Olson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As deputy chair of the Premier’s Council on the Status of Persons with Disabilities I rise today to pay tribute to a great Albertan, Dr. Gary McPherson, who passed away earlier this year. If you knew Dr. McPherson, you are well aware of the influence this man had on the disab ility commu- nity in Alberta. Although Dr. McPherson had a permanent disabil- ity, and some might say it was because of that disability, he was a tireless advocate on behalf of people with disabilities. Dr.

McPherson’s efforts on behalf of Albertans with disabilities began over two decades ago. In 1988 he was instrumental in the creation of the Premier’s council, and he served as chair of that council for 10 years. His ideals of equality and citizenship for all people still influence council activities. Dr. McPherson was so influential that following his retirement as chair, they named the council’s first citizen recognition award after him. This award is presented annually to an Albertan who demonstrates outstanding leadership in enhancing the lives of persons with disabilities. Dr.

McPherson was also a writer, a public speaker, a professor and an adviser at the University of Alberta, and president and chairman of the Steadward Centre, a health, fitness, lifestyle, and research facility serving people with disabilities. His achievements didn’t stop there, however. For example, he was also inducted into both the Edmonton and the Alberta sports halls of fame. It’s fitting that we continue to honour him even after his passing. At a memorial for Dr. McPherson last June our Premier announced

October 25, 2010 Alberta Hansard 915 a scholarship in his name as a way to commemorate his lifelong dedication as a leader, advocate, and role model. I hope that as a province we will carry on honouring Dr. McPherson and his legacy by continuing the work he began. Thank you. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-North Hill. National School Library Day Mr. Fawcett: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, October 25, marks the eighth annual National School Library Day.

Across the province school library staff will be celebrating excellence in school library programs, hosting guest speakers, and linking up with community organizations to highlight the vital role of school libraries in the lives of our students. I think everybody in this House has a fond memory of visiting their school library to choose their favourite book and that special pride that we took in being able to take that book home and share it with our family and friends. Mr. Speaker, October is also Canadian Library Month.

I’m very pleased to rise today in honour of National School Library Day and Canadian Library Month and the many people who work tirelessly to support our libraries, including teachers, parents, principals, and community members. Alberta has benefited from the deep dedica- tion of these people. Their dedication is matched by this govern- ment, which is committed to a strong, province-wide public library system. Mr. Speaker, today’s recognition also gives me the opportunity to talk about two important considerations when thinking about the future of our school and public libraries.

First, in these times of fiscal restraint it is imperative that we make the most of our financial resources. We need to continue to look for ways in which our public libraries can partner with our school libraries. By doing so, we can make more efficient use of our resources and provide better access to both students and the public. Secondly, Mr. Speaker, libraries of today and the future should look much different than libraries of the past. Technology has significantly changed our society and our way of life, and libraries are no exception.

Our libraries must recognize and adapt to these changes in order to sustain their importance and relevance in today’s and tomorrow’s world. Finally, I’d like to recognize the Canadian Association for School Libraries and the Alberta School Library Council for their hard work in promoting awareness of the importance of libraries in our schools and communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Battle River-Wainwright. Small Business Week Mr. Griffiths: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Last week, October 17 to 23, was Small Business Week, which, as we all know, means celebrating the successes and contributions of small and medium- sized businesses all across Canada. Here in Alberta Business Link and the Chambers of Commerce held events across the province that saw businesspeople come together to learn, to network, and to socialize in the company of their peers.

In pursuing their dreams, entrepreneurs and small-business owners show a great deal of courage and resilience, and their success benefits us all through jobs, economic activity, and, yes, tax revenues so that we can provide services to Albertans. I’m pleased to be able to say that this innovative entrepreneurial spirit that characterizes small business is alive and well here in Alberta. With just over 10 per cent of Canada’s population, Mr. Speaker, Alberta is home to about 14 per cent of all of the small businesses in Canada.

Small businesses, those employing fewer than 50 people, account for 95.7 per cent of all businesses with employ- ees in Alberta. That’s over 150,000 businesses. The small-business sector is also a vital contributor to our provincial economy. Al- berta’s small-business sector was responsible for 31 per cent, almost a full third, of Alberta’s gross domestic product in 2008. Finally, while a vibrant small-business sector is important to the economic health of every single community in this province, it is much more than that.

Small business and small-business owners help build their communities right at the grassroots level, Mr. Speaker. They are very much a part of the communities where they operate, and they make themselves known beyond the bottom line and beyond the balance sheet. They sponsor kids’ hockey teams. They donate to local charities and community drives and serve on school boards as well as many other community groups. Our communities are more vibrant and inviting thanks to their contribu- tions.

On behalf of my colleagues, this Assembly, and Albertans in general thank you to small business for all that you do for Alberta. head: Calendar of Special Events The Speaker: Hon. members, before we move on – and it’s been a few months since we’ve been here – three members in their mem- bers’ statements today highlighted a week or a day. I’d like to now bring you up to date about October so that all members will be able to say that we have recognized these events in our Assembly, and nobody will come under criticism for failing to recognize one or the other.

October is Autism Awareness Month, Brain Tumour Awareness Month, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Canadian Library Month, Car Safety Month, Child Abuse Awareness Month, Community Living Awareness Month, Denturist Awareness Month, Eye Health Canada Month, Healthy Workplace Month, Influenza Immunization Awareness Month, International School Library Month, International Walk to School Month, Islamic History Month, Learning Disabilities Awareness Month, Lupus Awareness Month, National Occupational Therapy Month, Psoriasis Awareness Month, Renovation Month, Stamp Collecting Month, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Awareness Month, Women’s History Month.

Now, October 1 was International Day of Older Persons, as it was International Music Day, as it was World Smile Day, as it was World Vegetarian Day. October 2 was International Day of Non- Violence. October 3 to 9 was Animal Health Week, as it was Fire Prevention Week, as it was Mental Illness Awareness Week. October 4 was World Animal Day, as it was World Architecture Day, as it was World Habitat Day. October 4 to 8 was International Walk to School Week. October 4 to 10 was National Family Week, World Animal Week, World Space Week. October 5 was World Teachers’ Day.

October 6 was International Walk to School Day. October 8 to December 31 is the Christmas Seal Campaign launch. October 9 was the World Hospice and Palliative Care Day, as it was World Post Day. October 10 was World Day against the Death Penalty, as it was World Mental Health Day. 3:10 October 10 to 15 was YMCA Week without Violence. October 11 was National Coming Out Day, as it was Thanksgiving Day. October 12 was World Arthritis Day. October 13 was International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction. October 14 was World Sight Day, as it was World Standards Day.

October 15 was Global Handwashing Day, as it was International Day of Rural Women, as it was International White Cane Day. October 15 to 24 was National

Alberta Hansard October 25, 2010916 Science and Technology Week. October 16 was World Food Day. October 16 to 22 was Protect the Human Week. October 17 was International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. October 17 to 23 was National Foster Family Week, as it was Co- op Week, as it was National School Safety Week, as it was Small Business Week. October 18 was Persons Day. October 18 was also World Menopause Day. October 18 to 22 was National Infection Control Week, as it was School Bus Safety Week, as it was Citizen- ship Week, as it was Waste Reduction Week.

October 20 was National Microfinance Day, as it was World Osteoporosis Day, as it was World Statistics Day. October 22 was International Stuttering Awareness Day. October 24 was National Psoriasis Walk, as it was United Nations Day, as it was World Development Information Day. October 24 to 30 is Cervical Cancer Awareness Week, as it is Disarmament Week, as it is National Block Parent Week. October 27 will be World Day for Audiovisual Heritage. October 29 will be World Psoriasis Day. October 31 will be Halloween, as it will be National UNICEF Day, as it will be World Thrift Day.

Next week we will move into November. head: Presenting Petitions The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Centre. Ms Blakeman: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I can’t tell you how impressed and thrilled I am to present a petition signed by 3,575 people from Red Deer and the surrounding area which is urging the government to “direct Alberta Health Services to immediately stop the closure of Valley Park Manor and the Red Deer Nursing Home.” This is a lot of signatures. It’s not easy to do that kind of work, and I really, really respect the people that did it. Thank you so much. The Speaker: The hon.

Member for Edmonton-Highlands- Norwood. Mr. Mason: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also have copies of the same petition, and it reads: We, the undersigned residents of Alberta petition the Legislative Assembly . . . to direct Alberta Health Services to immediately stop the closure of Valley Park Manor and the Red Deer Nursing Home. This petition has 3,315 signatures. Thank you very much. head: Notices of Motions The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood on a Standing Order 30 application. Mr. Mason: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

Pursuant to Standing Order 30 I wish to inform the House that on completion of the daily Routine I will move to adjourn the ordinary business of the Assembly to hold an emergency debate on a matter of urgent public importance, namely the immi- nent risk to the health and safety of Albertans due to the state of emergency medical services in the province. The Speaker: Hon. Member for Edmonton-Centre, you also have a Standing Order 30 application? Ms Blakeman: I do, sir. Thank you for recognizing me.

According to Standing Order 30 I’d like to give oral notice that at the appropri- ate time, that is the conclusion of the Routine today, I would be raising the following issue under the Standing Order 30 provision:

Be it resolved that we adjourn the ordinary business of the Assembly to discuss the urgent matter of the sale of approximately 16,000 acres of environmentally significant Crown-owned land near Bow Island for commercial agricultural use in a region with no open water allocation, without public consultation or adequate valuation, which will adversely affect protected and endangered species and habitat. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. head: Introduction of Bills The Speaker: The hon. Deputy Government House Leader. Bill 18 Government Organization Amendment Act, 2010 Mr. Renner: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

On behalf of the Minister of International and Intergovernmental Relations I’m pleased to introduce Bill 18 for first reading, the Government Organization Amendment Act, 2010. Mr. Speaker, this bill will bring monetary enforcement provisions to the agreement on internal trade and extend the existing provisions of TILMA to the New West Partnership trade agreement, that includes the province of Saskatchewan. [Motion carried; Bill 18 read a first time] The Speaker: The hon. Member for Battle River-Wainwright. Bill 19 Fuel Tax Amendment Act, 2010 Mr. Griffiths: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I request leave to introduce Bill 19, the Fuel Tax Amendment Act, 2010. Mr. Speaker, the purpose of this bill is to support implementation of the province’s renewable fuels standard in 2011. Amendments will help ensure Alberta’s renewable fuel producers are at a level playing field, for fuel tax purposes, with those outside the province of Alberta. Amendments will also allow information sharing between Alberta Finance and Enterprise and Alberta Energy to support efficient administration of both fuel tax and renewable fuel programs and allow for the reduction of re porting burden for the industry.

Other minor technical changes are made to support the renewable fuel standard. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. [Motion carried; Bill 19 read a first time] The Speaker: The hon. Deputy Government House Leader. Mr. Renner: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move that Bill 19 be moved onto the Order Paper under Government Bills and Orders. [Motion carried] The Speaker: The hon. Member for Wetaskiwin-Camrose on behalf of the hon. Member for Strathcona. Bill 205 Scrap Metal Dealers and Recyclers Act Mr. Olson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I request leave to introduce Bill 205, the Scrap Metal Dealers and Recyclers Act.

The objective of this bill is to curb the theft of metal in Alberta by providing additional tools for law enforcement. [Motion carried; Bill 205 read a first time]

October 25, 2010 Alberta Hansard 917 head: Tabling Returns and Reports The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-Fish Creek. Mrs. Forsyth: Oh, yes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to table five copies of a letter written to Dr. Peter Kwan, president of emergency medicine with the Alberta Medical Association, from the Premier of Alberta regarding emergency service standards and access to health care. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Highlands- Norwood. Mr. Mason: Yes. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

I have a number of tablings here, and I have the appropriate number of copies of the following documents: a letter dated February 22, 2008, from Dr. Paul Parks on behalf of the emergency medicine physicians at the University of Alberta hospital to the minister of health, describ- ing significant overcrowding in emergency departments; a letter to the Premier from Peter Kwan, that was just tabled by the previous member, so I won’t table that; a letter dated July 3, 2008, from Dr.

Paul Parks to the minister of health, warning of systemic overcrowd- ing in emergency departments; and a letter dated September 30, 2010, from Dr. Paul Parks to the minister of health, describing severe systemic overcrowding in emergency departments. Attached to this letter are documents from 2010 and 2008 listing cases of suboptimal health outcomes compiled by triage physicians at the University of Alberta emergency department. Thank you. 3:20 The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-Glenmore. Mr. Hinman: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The hon.

Member for Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood tabled the same thing, so we won’t table it twice. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Gold Bar. Mr. MacDonald: Yes. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I have two tablings this afternoon, and both of them are with permission. The first is a tabling from a constituent, Rick McEwen. Mr. McEwen is expressing his concern about the government’s plan to close acute-care psychiatric beds at Alberta Hospital Edmonton. The second tabling I have is an open letter to the president of the University of Alberta.

It’s from the Justice for Janitors campaign, which is in full swing over at the university. Hopefully, this letter will encourage the university to meet with the janitors directly. Thank you. The Speaker: Hon. members, I have several tablings as well. Pursuant to

section 28(1) of the Ombudsman Act the chair is pleased to table with the Assembly the 43rd annual report of the office of the Ombudsman for the period of April 1, 2009, to March 31, 2010. As well, hon. members, I am tabling with the House today a copy of the projected sitting days calendar and members’ statements routines for the months of October, November, December 2010.

As well, I’m tabling with the House today a copy of the Oral Question Period rotation routine, effective October 25, 2010. head: Tablings to the Clerk The Clerk: I wish to advise the House that the following documents were deposited with the o ffice of the Clerk. On behalf of the hon. Mrs. Ady, Minister of Tourism, Parks and Recreation, pursuant to the Alberta Sport, Recreation, Parks and Wildlife Foundation Act the Alberta Sport, Recreation, Parks and Wildlife Foundation 2009-2010 annual report and the Travel Alberta annual report 2009-2010. On behalf of the hon. Dr.

Morton, Minister of Finance and Enterprise, pursuant to the Securities Act the Alberta Securities Commission 2010 a nnual report, Credit Union Deposit Guarantee Corporation 2009 annual report, ATB Financial 2010 annual report, and Alberta Investment Management Corporation annual report 2009-2010. head: Statement by the Speaker Rotation of Questions and Members’ Statements The Speaker: Hon. members, before we get to the Standing Order 30 application, I indicated earlier I’d be making a brief comment with respect to question period and members’ statements.

This need be part of the record, and Hansard is the only record that we have, so this will be there for future reference. Hon. members, the chair would like to advise members of some changes to the rotation of questions during Oral Question Period and the rotation of members’ statements. These changes were agreed to by House leaders and the independent member after a consultation process that we undertook mid-summer. The chair provided the information concerning these changes in a memo to all members dated October 19, 2010.

The changes were necessitated primarily by the move of the Member for Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo to a new caucus association. The hon. Member for Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo advised of this change in a letter dated generically August 2010 and received in the Speaker’s office on September 7, 2010. The member’s letter indicated that this change would be effective, and I quote, at the commencement of the fall sitting of the fall Legislature 2010, which is today, October 25, 2010, so as at 1:30 p.m. today that change came into effect.

The rotation of questions remains the same for what are days 1 and 3 in the four-day rotation as announced earlier in the year 2010. On day 2, which is what today is designated as, question 15 is no longer a position held by the Official Opposition but moves to the Wildrose Alliance. The 19th question will belong to the Official Opposition and not the members of the government caucus for today. On day 4, which will be Wednesday, October 27, this week, the Member for Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo is no longer entitled to the sixth question as an independent member; he’s now part of the Wildrose Alliance caucus.

Accordingly, the designations for questions 7 through 14 advance one place. The 15th question on day 4 belongs to the Wildrose Alliance, the 16th question belongs to members of the government caucus, the 17th question belongs to the Official Opposition, and the 18th question and after belong to members of the government caucus.

For today, day 2 in the rotation, the Official Opposition was entitled to ask the first three questions; the Wildrose Alliance the fourth and 15th questions; the New Democrats the fifth and 12th questions; the Official Opposition the sixth, eighth, 10th, 13th, 17th, and 19th questions; the government members’ caucus the seventh, ninth, 11th, 14th, 16th, 18th questions and after 19 questions. For Members’ Statements the position held by the Member for Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo as an independent member, every second Tuesday, will go to the Wildrose Alliance.

Today saw government members entitled to six members’ statements and the Official Opposition to one. The House leaders have also requested that a member from the opposition be recognized each day for the second member’s

Alberta Hansard October 25, 2010918 statements. I would ask the three House leaders of the three opposition parties, who are in the House today, to try and determine who that person will be on a daily basis because the paper just provided to me says: you choose. Well, I would like to be more definitive than that, so you choose and advise my office by 12:30 p.m. each day who that person is, please. The chair would like to emphasize that this order in questions and members’ statements gives effect to the agreement reached by House leaders and the sole remaining independent member, and the chair provided the information concerning these changes in a memo to all members dated Octob