Province of Alberta The 27th Legislature Second Session Alberta Hansard Wednesday, March 18, 2009 Issue 17 The Honourable Kenneth R. Kowalski, Speaker

Legislative Assembly of Alberta The 27th Legislature Second 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), Minister of Tourism, Parks and Recreation Allred, Ken, St.

Albert (PC) Amery, Moe, Calgary-East (PC) Anderson, Rob, Airdrie-Chestermere (PC), Parliamentary Assistant, Solicitor General and Public Security Benito, Carl, Edmonton-Mill Woods (PC) Berger, Evan, Livingstone-Macleod (PC), Parliamentary Assistant, Sustainable Resource Development Bhardwaj, Naresh, Edmonton-Ellerslie (PC) Bhullar, Manmeet Singh, Calgary-Montrose (PC), Parliamentary Assistant, Advanced Education and Technology Blackett, Hon.

Lindsay, Calgary-North West (PC), Minister of Culture and Community Spirit Blakeman, Laurie, Edmonton-Centre (L), Deputy Leader of the Official Opposition Official Opposition House Leader Boutilier, Guy C., Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo (PC) Brown, Dr. Neil, QC, Calgary-Nose Hill (PC) Calahasen, Pearl, Lesser Slave Lake (PC) Campbell, Robin, West Yellowhead (PC), Deputy Government Whip Chase, Harry B., Calgary-Varsity (L), Official Opposition Whip Dallas, Cal, Red Deer-South (PC) Danyluk, Hon. Ray, Lac La Biche-St.

Paul (PC), Minister of Municipal Affairs DeLong, Alana, Calgary-Bow (PC) Denis, Jonathan, Calgary-Egmont (PC) Doerksen, Arno, Strathmore-Brooks (PC) Drysdale, Wayne, Grande Prairie-Wapiti (PC) Elniski, Doug, Edmonton-Calder (PC) Evans, Hon. Iris, Sherwood Park (PC), Minister of Finance and Enterprise Fawcett, Kyle, Calgary-North Hill (PC) Forsyth, Heather, Calgary-Fish Creek (PC) Fritz, Hon. Yvonne, Calgary-Cross (PC), Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Goudreau, Hon.

Hector G., Dunvegan-Central Peace (PC), Minister of Employment and Immigration Griffiths, Doug, Battle River-Wainwright (PC), Parliamentary Assistant, Agriculture and Rural Development Groeneveld, Hon. George, Highwood (PC), Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Hancock, Hon. Dave, QC, Edmonton-Whitemud (PC), Minister of Education, Government House Leader Hayden, Hon. Jack, Drumheller-Stettler (PC), Minister of Infrastructure Hehr, Kent, Calgary-Buffalo (

L) Horne, Fred, Edmonton-Rutherford (PC) Horner, Hon. Doug, Spruce Grove-Sturgeon-St. Albert (PC), Minister of Advanced Education and Technology Jablonski, Hon. Mary Anne, Red Deer-North (PC), Minister of Seniors and Community Supports Jacobs, Broyce, Cardston-Taber-Warner (PC) Johnson, Jeff, Athabasca-Redwater (PC) Johnston, Art, Calgary-Hays (PC) Kang, Darshan S., Calgary-McCall (

L) Klimchuk, Hon. Heather, Edmonton-Glenora (PC), Minister of Service Alberta Knight, Hon. Mel, Grande Prairie-Smoky (PC), Minister of Energy Leskiw, Genia, Bonnyville-Cold Lake (PC) Liepert, Hon. Ron, Calgary-West (PC), Minister of Health and Wellness Lindsay, Hon. Fred, Stony Plain (PC), Solicitor General and Minister of Public Security Lukaszuk, Thomas A., Edmonton-Castle Downs (PC), Parliamentary Assistant, Municipal Affairs Lund, Ty, Rocky Mountain House (PC) MacDonald, Hugh, Edmonton-Gold Bar (

L) Marz, Richard, Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills (PC) Mason, Brian, Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood (NDP), Leader of the NDP Opposition McFarland, Barry, Little Bow (PC) McQueen, Diana, Drayton Valley-Calmar (PC), Parliamentary Assistant, Environment Morton, Hon. F.L., Foothills-Rocky View (PC), Minister of Sustainable Resource Development Notley, Rachel, Edmonton-Strathcona (NDP), Deputy Leader of the NDP Opposition, NDP Opposition House Leader Oberle, Frank, Peace River (PC), Government Whip Olson, Verlyn, QC, Wetaskiwin-Camrose (PC) Ouellette, Hon.

Luke, Innisfail-Sylvan Lake (PC), Minister of Transportation Pastoor, Bridget Brennan, Lethbridge-East (L), Deputy Official Opposition Whip Prins, Ray, Lacombe-Ponoka (PC) Quest, Dave, Strathcona (PC) Redford, Hon. Alison M., QC, Calgary-Elbow (PC), Minister of Justice and Attorney General Renner, Hon. Rob, Medicine Hat (PC), Minister of Environment, 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), Parliamentary Assistant, Education Sherman, Dr.

Raj, Edmonton-Meadowlark (PC), Parliamentary Assistant, Health and Wellness Snelgrove, Hon. Lloyd, Vermilion-Lloydminster (PC), President of the Treasury Board Stelmach, Hon. Ed, Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville (PC), Premier, President of Executive Council Stevens, Hon. Ron, QC, Calgary-Glenmore (PC), Deputy Premier, Minister of International and Intergovernmental Relations Swann, Dr. David, Calgary-Mountain View (L), Leader of the Official Opposition Taft, Dr. Kevin, Edmonton-Riverview (

L) Tarchuk, Hon. Janis, Banff-Cochrane (PC), Minister of Children and Youth Services Taylor, Dave, Calgary-Currie (

L) VanderBurg, George, Whitecourt-Ste. Anne (PC) Vandermeer, Tony, Edmonton-Beverly-Clareview (PC) Weadick, Greg, Lethbridge-West (PC) Webber, Len, Calgary-Foothills (PC), Parliamentary Assistant, Energy Woo-Paw, Teresa, Calgary-Mackay (PC) Xiao, David H., Edmonton-McClung (PC), Parliamentary Assistant, Employment and Immigration Zwozdesky, Hon. Gene, Edmonton-Mill Creek (PC), Minister of Aboriginal Relations, 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 Clerk of Journals/Table Research Micheline S. Gravel Senior Parliamentary Counsel Robert H. Reynolds, QC Senior Parliamentary Counsel Shannon Dean Serg eant-at-Arms Brian G. Hodgson Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms J. Ed Richard Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms William C. Semple Managing Editor of Alberta Hansard Liz Sim

March 18, 2009 Alberta Hansard 455 Legislative Assembly of Alberta Title: Wednesday, March 18, 2009 1:30 p.m. 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 18, 2009 [The Speaker in the chair] head: Prayers The Speaker: Good afternoon. Welcome back. Let us pray. Grant that we the members of our province’s Legislature fulfill our office with honesty and integrity. May our first concern be for the good of all of our citizens. Let us be guided by these principles in our deliberations this day. Amen. Please be seated. head: Introduction of Visitors The Speaker: The hon. Minister of Advanced Education and Technology. Mr.

Horner: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise to introduce to you and through you to all Members of the Legislative Assembly today a great diplomat and a friend, Mr. Tom Huffaker, consul general of the United States of America in Calgary. I was honoured to host a farewell lunch and pay tribute to Mr. Huffaker today. We’ve been very, very fortunate to have the consul general at his post strengthen- ing Alberta-U.S. relations since the summer of 2006.

We’re grateful to him for helping to build knowledge and understanding of Alberta as a secure, reliable, environmentally responsible, and growing energy supplier to the United States. He has also helped improve border efficiency through the introduction of the NEXUS program at both the Edmonton and the Calgary airports. I can tell you that Mr. Huffaker’s hard work and dedication have been appreciated and have gone a long way to illustrating that Alberta and the United States are more than just neighbours; we’re business partners, and we’re friends. It was a pleasure to host Mr. Huffaker and his wife, Claire.

They are seated in your gallery, Mr. Speaker, accompanied by Tim Marriott from protocol. I would ask that they rise and receive the very friendly and traditional warm welcome of this Legislative Assembly. head: Introduction of Guests The Speaker: We’ll proceed with school groups. The hon. Member for Edmonton-Ellerslie. Mr. Bhardwaj: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I have two introductions. It is my honour to introduce to you and through you a very proud Albertan who lives in my constituency, Pastor Dan Dressler. Pastor Dressler moved to Alberta in the 1940s. He was married in 1947 right here in Edmonton.

He spent the better part of the next 50-plus years in various communities in Alberta as a pastor and now resides comfortably in Edmonton-Ellerslie. As you know, Mr. Speaker, nine of those years were spent serving the community of Barrhead. Although he is officially retired, he remains spiritually active in the community. At this time I would like to thank Pastor Dressler for his service to this province and ask him to please rise and receive the traditional warm welcome of the Assembly.

For my second introduction it is my pleasure to introduce to you and through you a school group from my constituency of Edmonton- Ellerslie. They are joining us today from Meadows Baptist Acad- emy, which I had the privilege of visiting a couple of times to educate about the Legislature and to present scrolls for various academic and fine arts achievements. I want to thank the parents, teachers, and pastors who came down with the students today: Pastor Kevin Williams, Pastor Aaron Pollock, Kristi Taylor, Darren Esayenko, Deisy Campos, and principal Alex Antoniak.

I would like them all to please rise and receive the traditional warm welcome of the Assembly. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Highlands- Norwood. Mr. Mason: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I have two introductions today. First, I’d like to introduce to you and through you to the rest of the Assembly my guests Madeline Rainey and her 16-year-old son, Connor, who are seated in the public gallery. Madeline and Connor presented a petition to the Edmonton public school board on January 13, 2009, seeking more immediate benefits for the district’s special-needs students.

Madeline is pleased to participate in the board’s Setting the Direction for Special Education in Alberta consultations. I would now ask both Madeline and Connor to rise and r eceive the warm traditional welcome of this Assembly. Secondly, I have a group of wonderful, bright students from St. Nicholas Catholic junior high school. There are 50 grade 9 students, Mr. Speaker, as well as their teacher and assistant principal, Norma Jani, teacher Severina Rossi, student teacher Kristen Mackie, and teachers assistants Lois Witteveen and Fresia Pilquil.

I would ask that they please rise and receive the traditional warm welcome of this Assembly. The Speaker: The hon. the Premier. Mr. Stelmach: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I’m pleased to introduce to you and through you to all members of the Assembly 18 visitors from the Public Affairs Bureau. They are seated in both galleries, and I’m very proud of the work that they’re doing for the government of Alberta and all Albertans. They are Miss Chelsea Gowing, Ms Stephanie Brown, Mr. Jac MacDonald, Ms Dawn Astbury, Ms Ellen Rowsell, Ms Jacqueline Gibson, Mrs. Tawnya Crerar, Mr. Steven Hodges, Ms Nikki Booth, Mr.

Derek Cummings, Ms Meagan Badger, Mrs. Pam Sharpe, Mrs. Josephine Lamy, Mr. Clayton Filkohazy, Ms Julia Smail, Ms Amanda Costanza, Ms Carolyn Gregson, Mr. Paul Marck, and Ms Brenda Fiske. Sorry if I didn’t pronounce all of the names properly, but I do want this Assembly to welcome our guests. The Speaker: The hon. Minister of Advanced Education and Technology. Mr. Horner: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have two introductions. First, it’s an honour to introduce to you and through you to the members of the Assembly members of the Alberta College and Technical Institute Student Executive Council, or ACTISEC.

This organization represents 120,000 postsecondary education students in our province. They’re an excellent partner and stakeholder of the Ministry of Advanced Education and Technology. This week eight students from across the province have been meeting fellow MLAs and department officials. They’re seated in the members’ gallery. I want to commend them for the good work they do. I would like to ask each to stand as I call their name and receive the warm welcome.

First, Matt Koczkur, the chair of ACTISEC; Maigan van der Giessen, president of the Students’ Association of MacEwan; Heather MacBeath, vice-president academics of SAIT; Rory Tarant, president of the Grande Prairie

Alberta Hansard March 18, 2009456 Regional College Students’ Association; Geoff Tate, vice-president external and apprenticeship, Northern Alberta Institute of Technol- ogy; Stephen Griffith, director of policy of ACTISEC; Lisi Monro, vice-chair of ACTISEC; and Adam Boechler, executive director of ACTISEC. Mr. Speaker, these students do a yeoman’s work for the students across our province. I would ask that the Assembly give them a warm welcome in our traditional way. Mr. Speaker, I do have another introduction.

I don’t believe my guests are in the House just yet, but I would like to read their names into the Hansard and also have members give them a warm welcome. They are eight members from our postsecondary excel- lence division from the Ministry of Advanced Education and Technology. They’re currently on tour of the building to get a better feel for what happens here. They’ll be seated in the gallery shortly. They are Anne Ryton, Kevin Shufflebotham, Bradley Burroughs, Kelly O’Donnell, Meghann Eagle, Roya Damabi, Janet Tully, and Lisa Fox.

They will be accompanying us shortly, and I would ask that members recognize their attendance here. The Speaker: The hon. Minister of Municipal Affairs. Mr. Danyluk: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Today is part of Les Rendez-vous de la Francophonie. I have the privilege of introducing to you and through you to Members of the Legislative Assembly representatives from Alberta’s three officially bilingual communities. Francophones have deep roots in Alberta’s history, and the francophone community is a vibrant part of the economic, social, and cultural life of Albertans.

Francophones have established schools, communities, and cultural centres and other services in more than 35 communities. Of these, three municipalities are officially bilingual: Beaumont, southeast of Edmonton; Legal, north of Edmonton; and Falher, in the Peace Country. 1:40 Mr. Speaker, I would ask our guests to stand as I introduce them: the mayors of these municipalities, His Worship Camille Bérubé, the mayor of Beaumont, accompanied by Mr. Marc Landry, the town administrator; His Worship Albert St. Jean, mayor of Legal, accompanied by Mr. Ken Baril, deputy mayor; Mrs.

Donna Buchin- ski, deputy mayor of Falher, accompanied by Mr. Gerard Nicolet, the town administrator. The town of Falher has provided a pin for each of the members, representing Falher as the honey capital of Canada. The town houses the world’s largest honeybee, Mr. Speaker. I would like to ask the members of this Assembly to give our guests a very warm welcome to our Legislature. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Meadowlark. Dr. Sherman: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I’m pleased to introduce to you and through you to all members of the Assembly a few young friends of mine from Edmonton-Meadowlark.

Their names are Ms Agnes Primrose, Mrs. Marjory Young, Mrs. Alice Fraser, Mrs. Bertha Goldberg, Ms Phyllis Johnson, and Ms Ethel Ward. They’re accompanied by their gr oup leaders, Ms Christine Okrusko, Miss Kristen Fulton, and Mr. Ted Mortimer. The Water- ford of Summerlea retirement home specializes in excellent independent and assisted living services while providing an active and healthy environment. Andrew Carnegie said: “As I grow older, I pay less attention to what [people] say. I just watch what they do.” That’s why my guests are here today to view our House proceedings before touring the beautiful Leg.

Building. I hope they’re pleased with what they see. I look forward to joining them at 2 o’clock for a picture. They are seated in the members’ gallery above, and I would ask them to rise and receive the traditional warm welcome of the Assembly. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Calder. Mr. Elniski: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s my pleasure to rise today to introduce to you and through you to the members of this Assem- bly five veterans of the 418 City of Edmonton Squadron.

Estab- lished in 1942 as an Intruder squadron, 418 b ecame the highest scoring Mosquito squadron by the end of the Second World War, scoring being a polite way to say that they shot down more enemy fighters than any other RCAF squadron. Today, March 18, is the 65th anniversary of the squadron. I would like to recognize the veterans here today seated in the public gallery: Mr. Jim Gillespie, Mr. Art Maskell, Mr. Terry Champion, Mr. Bernie Sheppard, and Mr. Monte Stout. I will be discussing the 418 Squadron more in depth later this afternoon in a member’s statement.

I would ask all five men to rise and receive the traditional warm greeting of this Assembly. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Lacombe-Ponoka. Mr. Prins: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m not sure if my guests are here now or not, but I’d like to introduce them to you and through you to this Assembly. It’s a very bright group of political science students from The King’s University College who are visiting the Legislature today. They are learning about political systems and are eager to observe government in action.

Later this afternoon I will have the honour of meeting with them and sharing with them my experience as an MLA. They are accompanied by their professor, Dr. John Hiemstra. They would be seated in both galleries, and I would like that they would rise if they’re here and get the traditional warm reception of this Legislature. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Strathmore-Brooks. Mr. Doerksen: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m pleased to introduce to you and through you to all members of the Assembly a friend and constituent of mine, Billy Franklin.

Billy lives in Brooks and among other business interests runs a very successful outfitting business called Silver Sage Outfitters. He’s accompanied today by a fellow outfitter, Gord Burton. They’re in Edmonton, drove up today to attend a meeting in the building later this afternoon. They’re seated up in the public gallery, and I’d as k them to rise and receive the traditional warm welcome of the Assembly. head: Members’ Statements The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-Montrose. Calgary-Montrose Scholarship Recipients Mr. Bhullar: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Fostering a culture of innovation in our province requires us to support our young people so that they are the brightest, most innovative y oung minds in the world. I am proud to say that many young minds reside in my wonderful constituency. I am proud that 197 of my constituents have received the Alexander Rutherford scholarship for high school achievement, the Louise McKinney postsecondary scholarship, or the Jason Lang scholarship. That is a remarkable $286,000 in scholarship dollars distributed in Calgary-Montrose alone.

They are some of the 41,000 students in the province that will receive $77 million in government scholarships this year. These are investments in the future of students that have worked hard to succeed.

March 18, 2009 Alberta Hansard 457 I continually advocate the importance of education, and I’m pleased to see my constituents recognized for their academic achievements. My constituents never fail to fill me with pride, and these students are certainly an example of this. I hope I am able to encourage more young students to pursue postsecondary education, and I wish the recipients and all other students in my constituency success in their postsecondary studies. Thank you. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-North Hill. Crossroads Business Association Mr. Fawcett: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Today I rise to recognize and support some innovative work being done by the Crossroads Community Association. The Crossroads Community Association is situated just east of the Deerfoot in northeast Calgary and is at the very eastern part of my constituency. It is comprised of the communities of Vista Heights, Mayland Heights, and Belfast. I share this community with my hon. colleague from Calgary-East, who represents the Mayland Heights portion. Mr. Speaker, this is a relatively small community, but what most people don’t realize is that this community encompasses a large number of local businesses.

As a result the Crossroads Community Association has endeavoured to form a business association for its community. On February 25 I attended the inaugural meeting of the Crossroads Business Association, and I was very impressed with the turnout for the first meeting. The community association leaders who are organizing this endeavour – president Tony Wooster, membership director Jamie Johnson, and Larry Leach – need to be commended for recognizing the important link business and entrepreneurship have to the health and vibrancy of communities.

At a time when businesses are facing extraordinary challenges, becoming an active and involved partner in the community will enhance productivity and competitiveness. Additionally, the Crossroads Business Association will be able to be used as a vehicle to identify important issues in the community that impact business operations and competitiveness as well as to develop collaborative strategies to address these issues. Mr. Speaker, quite often, even in this House, businesses are criticized and maligned for being profit driven above all else.

If there is one thing that most business owners and operators know, it is that a successful business has close ties to its local community and vice versa. I see business and industry as an agent of change with strong community values, and I’m glad that the Crossroads Commu- nity Association does as well. I am looking forward to seeing how this association grows over the years as it has the potential to develop and cultivate innovative and collaborative solutions in the Crossroads community.

Thank you. head: Statement by the Speaker Tabling Documents The Speaker: Hon. members, on several occasions the chair has risen in this House to discuss the issue of tablings. On Thursday, March 12, 2009, an hon. member tabled a document on behalf of one of his hon. colleagues, and this document has been brought to the chair’s attention for several reasons. The issues are as follows. It is not clear what the document is about. There’s no cover page, no title, and no heading. The document is not dated nor signed, nor is there an author identified.

While the document appears to be an excerpt from a document that is part of legal proceedings, there is no indication of what the document is an excerpt from. Hon. members, it is important to note that all documents tabled in the House become official records of the Assembly. They are available to the public through the Legislature Library. The description of sessional papers in the Votes and Proceedings is an actual description of the document and is not based on the comments of the member tabling the document.

If there is no way of identify- ing the document, it is difficult for those producing the official records of the Assembly to be accurate in their description of the document. Staff should not be expected to waste time trying to decipher these documents. 1:50 There is a need to set additional guidelines, and the chair would ask all hon. members to follow them. One, copies should be of good quality and legible: five copies collated, stapled, or clipped together. Two, letters should be signed, and the name of the sender should be legible.

Three, website articles should clearly indicate the name of the website so that we can properly quote from that website. Four, responses to written questions and motions for returns must indicate that they are such. Please do not table only a set of documents. It should be clear to all of us that the documents are provided as responses. Five, reports, charts, and similar items must have a title or heading on the document. Six, the general rule is that members should table documents under Tabling Returns and Reports.

The chair will be advised when tablings do not meet these guidelines, and those purported tablings will be returned to members and forever be forgotten by this Assembly. head: Oral Question Period The Speaker: First Official Opposition main question. The hon. Leader of the Official Opposition. Achievement Bonuses Dr. Swann: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This government has in the past three years given out over $110 million in achievement bonuses to selected senior officials. The vast majority of civil servants don’t even qualify for this pool of money.

To the Premier: why is a select group of senior staff getting tens of millions of dollars of bonuses from this government? Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, the achievement bonus system is put in place to reward achievement. That means bringing budgets into line and helping government deliver the programs that it wants to be delivered. The number of people that participate in the bonus are those that we would call out of scope. These would be people working for the public sector who are no longer a member of a union. The number of people eligible for achievement bonuses is 6,100.

The average bonus for the year prior was about $5,300 each. The Speaker: The hon. leader. Dr. Swann: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. While this government hands out these millions to very generously paid government officials, Alberta’s seniors are told by the same government to pay for basic drug costs. Why is the Premier asking seniors to sacrifice when he’s not asking the same of richly paid senior government officials? Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, I believe that the hon. leader is referring to this fiscal year that’s ending here in a couple of weeks.

We made a commitment as a government that we will honour the remuneration obligations that this government has made to this fiscal year-end, which is March 31. Starting April 1, there is a new

Alberta Hansard March 18, 2009458 budget. There will be changes. As I said earlier, we’ll monitor the revenue stream very carefully, but we may be coming and asking both out of scope and in scope and even members here at the Legislative Assembly to contribute equally to balancing the budget. Dr. Swann: Again to the Premier: will the Premier today commit to suspending this bonus pool? Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, for next year the bonus pool is suspended.

I will say that the reason that we had the achievement bonus in place is that I believe it dates back to 1999, when our public sector, especially the management ranks, were much lower paid than other equal positions in other provinces. So we asked a private- sector committee to review how we could look at a bonus system and narrow the margin. We did incorporate many years ago the suggestions and, actually, recommendations of the committee. The Speaker: Second Official Opposition main question. The hon. Leader of the Official Opposition. Dr. Swann: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Deputy ministers, the most senior government officials, have particularly high pay levels. Cabinet, a political body, signs off on the bonuses of this group. Again to the Premier: does the Premier not see that a political body signing off on the bonuses of senior staff jeopardizes the independ- ence of the civil service? Mr. Stelmach: I’m not quite sure where the member is coming from, but it doesn’t really matter if the recommendations come from a private-sector committee or from negotiations. At the end of the day cabinet signs off on all salary-negotiated supplements. It is the responsibility of government.

Dr. Swann: Well, Mr. Speaker, the bonuses themselves are more than the average Albertan makes in a year. To the Premier: how are these bonuses determined? Mr. Stelmach: They’re determined on achievement. To give an example, this year, as our revenue was dropping dramatically towards the latter part of the year, I instructed my deputy to meet with the deputies and other management to ensure that we do balance the budget this year, and the budget will be balanced. For next year we will be, as I said before, suspending, and we will be looking at other public-sector salaries.

But, like I said, we’re going to do it very fairly. We’re going to meet with them. We’re going to gauge our revenue stream and our expenses, and we may have to approach everyone to contribute to balancing the budget. The Speaker: The hon. leader. Dr. Swann: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last July cabinet approved significant pay increases for this April to deputy ministers to a basic rate of $265,000 per year. That’s before bonuses. This salary was set in the midst of a boom, when the government was expecting huge surpluses. Now we’re facing a defi cit. Again to the Premier: will these pay hikes be continuing? Mr.

Stelmach: Well, I can tell you that for the next year there won’t be any pay hikes, not for elected officials and not for any of the senior officials. But, again, there’s the discussion: then what do we do with other public-sector people? I’ve said that we want to keep our nurses, doctors, teachers working. We do have an agreement with teachers, and we’re going to live up to that agreement. It’s based on average weekly earnings. We just signed it last year, so we’re committed to that. We’ll hold discussions with union leaders, if necessary, to see how we can bring our budget into line.

Can we balance the budget based on the backs of the public sector for next year? No, we can’t. It’s impossible because the revenue drop is substantial. But we’ll look over the next couple of years. If the economy does recover, then we won’t have to go through the pain, but if it doesn’t, we will have to sit down and have discussions with our public sector. The Speaker: Third Official Opposition main question. The hon. Member for Edmonton-Gold Bar. Mr. MacDonald: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Transparency was one of the Premier’s priorities when he signed off on the 2007-08 annual report of Executive Council.

My first question is for the Premier. Why in this report did the Premier fail to disclose the bonuses paid to senior officials within the Ministry of Executive Council? Mr. Stelmach: Well, I would ask the chair of the Public Accounts Committee as to how that was missed. You know, it’s obvious that today he recognized it, but when it did occur, he didn’t notice it. But we did immediately post on the website a little, tiny omission. It’s a little line in terms of the accumulated bonuses for the year. But the bonuses are not something that just came up this past fiscal year.

The bonuses have been in place since I believe 1999, when, again, the private-sector committee came forward and gave recommenda- tions to government to close the gap. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. MacDonald: Thank you. Given that the former Premier, Mr. Klein, as President of Executive Council always made sure that there was full disclosure of the bonuses, I expect better from the Premier next year.

Now, again, given that the Deputy Minister of Executive Council calls the shots on the annual achievement bonus fund allotment, what is set aside now for the fiscal year that’s going to end March 31 for achievement bonuses? Is it $40 million? Is it $45 million? What is the amount? Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, there is a pool set aside for achieve- ment bonuses. One incorrect statement. What happens is the Deputy Minister of Executive Council does meet with the deputies. There is a pool for deputies, and then there is a separate pool for other management staff. He also meets with ministers.

But we also consult with the committee to ensure that the bonus that we have, the pool that we have set aside, is consistent with their recommenda- tions. The deputy minister will decide in consultation with ministers to see if the objectives of the business plan were met. 2:00 The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. MacDonald: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Taxpayers of this province have the right to know. Again to the Premier: what amount has been set aside by cabinet for achievement bonuses for the fiscal year that’s going to end on March 31? Is it $40 million? Is it $45 million? Why won’t you tell us? Mr.

Stelmach: The problem in informing the House – he’s part of the Public Accounts Committee; he should know that. The pool for this year, for ’08-09 . . . [interjection] I’m sorry. He asked the question, and I guess he doesn’t want to hear the answer.

March 18, 2009 Alberta Hansard 459 The pool for this year, for ’08-09 – the budget year ’08-09 is ending on March 31, which is in a couple of weeks – is $40 million and, again, shared by 6,100 people. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Highlands- Norwood. Mr. Mason: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Well, this government tells hardworking Albertans to tighten their belts, but it’s handing out $40 million in bonuses to bureaucrats this year. [interjection] It deserves more than one question. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood does have the floor. Mr. Mason: Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker. Maybe I’ll get an answer. Witness the outrage of U.S. politicians about unjustified bonuses paid to AIG executives and contrast it with this govern- ment’s justification of handouts to their top bureaucrats. When will the government show some respect to hard-pressed taxpayers and cancel these extravagant bonuses? Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, it looks like the leader of the opposi- tion knew of the pool, and the chair of Public Accounts didn’t, but that wasn’t part of this question. As I said before, for next year, in keeping with the belt-tightening, the bonuses will be suspended, number one.

Number two, we will look at other settlements. We want to be fair. We don’t want to do something overnight, and that’s why we’re committed for all public- sector staff to keep our commitments to March 31 of ’09. As we proceed, it may be a different story. I don’t know what that’ll be as we’ll have to watch the revenue and expenditure sides very care- fully. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Mason: Thanks, Mr. Speaker. Most provincial employees don’t get big fat bonuses. More than 300 lumber workers were fired last month at the Tolko, Millar Western, and Weyerhaeuser plants.

Meanwhile, Sustainable Resource bureaucrats made $2 million in bonuses. To the Premier: how can you look in the eyes of Albertans who’ve just lost their jobs when you’re handing over these extravagant bonuses to top bureau- crats? Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, there is one omission on behalf of the member. Most public-sector employees are covered by union agreements, and we’re not breaking them. This is another commit- ment we made, not a union agreement but a commitment we made to Albertans. They work for the public sector. They’re not in a union; they’re out of unions.

There are approximately, as I said, 6,100 people that share in the bonus package. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Mason: Thanks very much, Mr. Speaker. Well, ConocoPhillips and other oil and gas companies let 200 people go just last month. In the meantime, Energy bureaucrats are making $1.5 million in bonuses. Again to the Premier: how can you look in the eyes of these Albertans who have just lost their jobs and tell them that you’ve forked over 1 and a half million dollars in bonuses to Energy bureaucrats? Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, as I said before, we’re suspending the bonuses for next year.

You know, looking in the eyes? Have that member look in the eyes of all the people that lost their job and still stand in this House and tell me why he wants $330,000 more for office expenditures for two members – $330,000 more. We treated that party very fairly because this Assembly – this Assembly – the committee, gave him expenditures for four members, not to reflect the two members he has now but for four members, plus he wants even more money. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Strathcona, followed by the hon. Member for Edmonton-Centre. Provincial Economic Strategy Mr. Quest: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Alberta’s economic situation has been significantly affected by the current downturn, particularly as it relates to low energy prices. As a result, we know that govern- ment revenues this year will be significantly lower than they were last year. Can the Minister of Finance and Enterprise assure Albertans that the government will do all it can to keep Albertans working? Ms Evans : Mr. Speaker, we’re aware that our infrastructure expenditure in Alberta is two to three times what it is anywhere else. For every billion dollars that we spend in infrastructure, it supports 11,600 jobs.

We have identified that the infrastructure spending is part of our four-point platform this year that will help us retain jobs and keep Albertans working. Mr. Quest: Mr. Speaker, my first supplementary to the same minister. That’s well and good, but we see other governments raising taxes to pay for new infrastructure. Can the minister assure Albertans that they won’t lose their tax advantage as a result of this massive investment in public infrastructure? Ms Evans: Well, Mr. Speaker, we intend to keep the lowest public taxes of any regime in Canada.

Just today New Brunswick, for example, announced that they were going to make moves on taxation, still with their intent to 2012. It is not as much advantage as Albertans have. Albertans pay between $3,000 and $5,000 less than any other Canadian in taxes, and this year they got the added advantage of $1 billion returned to their pockets from the health premiums. Mr. Quest: Mr. Speaker, if we’re in such a good position, why would we consider borrowing to pa y for this infrastructure if we have the money available? Ms Evans: Mr.

Speaker, we’re looking at borrowing as another way to lever from our triple-A credit rating to look at smart expenditures for capital, to look at ways of investing in Albertans. Today the Young Presidents’ Organization talked about this being an ideal time to use our leverage as a triple-A credit rating to find projects that would be worthy of borrowing, with payback not only to Albertans in infrastructure but, particularly on the short-term borrowing that we have been looking at, to take advantage of opportunities to build Alberta. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Centre, followed by the hon.

Member for Bonnyville-Cold Lake.

Alberta Hansard March 18, 2009460 Water Management Ms Blakeman: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The public needs to trust the government to protect our most precious natural resource, water. However, the Balzac fiasco has brought one thing into the light: that trust was violated. My questions are to the Minister of Environment. The 2006-07 supplementary estimates allocated $8.3 million to support waste-water elements for the entire Bal zac project. They specifically mentioned the horse-racing track and the equine centre. Now that only the mall is being built, where is the money? Mr. Renner: Well, Mr.

Speaker, the allocation of funding to various water and waste-water projects throughout this province is not dependent upon what develops in the area but, rather, on the participation of the municipality. So the project is facilitated through a cost-sharing agreement with the municipality, and the development that comes forward is at various paces. I’m sure that this particular development will be fully built over a reasonable period of time. The Speaker: The hon. member. Ms Blakeman: Thank you. My next question is to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Given that this money for a horse track and an equine centre came from a program restricted to a confirmed agricultural processing investment, meaning food and beverage processing, and there is no longer any connection to this at all – there’s only a mall left – why have Albertans paid for water treatment for a privately owned mall? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Groeneveld: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Certainly, the agriculture component of this doesn’t relate at all to what the hon. member is talking about.

It was the transfer of water to Bal zac, which met the criteria at that particular time from the municipality. The Speaker: The hon. member. Ms Blakeman: Thank you. Again to the Minister of Environment. Giving a water allocation to a horse-racing track and a megamall through a completely unrelated agricultural food processing program is subverting sound water management principles and betraying the public trust. To the minister: how can Albertans trust that you will make proper decisions about our water, based on this past history? Mr. Renner: Mr.

Speaker, I made a commitment at the beginning of this session that I would not allow myself to be baited by inflammatory

preambles, and I hold firm to that, but this member is coming very, very close. The fact of the matter is that the water allocation is to the municipality. The municipality of Rocky View is the one that holds the licence. It has nothing whatsoever to do with racetracks or malls. She should ask the municipality of Rocky View what they intend to do with the water that they have on their licence. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Bonnyville-Cold Lake, followed by the hon. Member for Calgary-Buffalo. 2:10 Farm Equipment Hauling Mrs. Leskiw: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I received numerous calls and complaints from some of the farmers in my constituency regarding a new farm equipment policy. In fact, in today’s local paper there was an editorial that it must be pick on farmer week. My question is to the Minister of Transportation. Is the minister seriously considering bringing in regulations that will increase the cost farmers have to pay to operate their own equipment? Mr. Ouellette: Absolutely not, Mr. Speaker. Our government knows how important farmers are to this province and how challeng- ing it is for them to operate today.

We’re actually doing everything we can to help farmers to make su re that they’re able to transport their equipment safely and efficiently on our highways, but at the same time we have to make sure that all Albertans and the travelling public are safe. That’s why we have always had safety standards on hauling farm equipment from one piece of property to another. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mrs. Leskiw: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again to the same minister. I’m being told that the farmers are now being required to have a permit to operate their equipment. Some farmers have a dozen pieces of equipment on their land.

Do you honestly expect them to get a permit for each piece of equipment? Mr. Ouellette: No, Mr. Speaker, we certainly do not expect them to have to do that. We have made it very easy for farmers. They’re only ever going to have to go out and get one permit. They’re just going to have to have a permit that shows that they’re a farmer, and they’re not going to have to list all that equipment. We just want to make sure that they do it safely. All they’re going to have to do is make one phone call.

There’s no charge for the permit, but we do require that large equipment is properly marked and that other drivers use the road safely. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mrs. Leskiw: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My last question is to the same minister. Is it true that as we speak, your law enforcement officers are out ticketing farmers who don’t obey these new rules? Mr. Ouellette: Mr. Speaker, one thing is for sure: my department is not trying to make life difficult for farmers. In fact, I haven’t heard of one ticket being handed out to a farmer for moving farm equip- ment. But I’ve got tell you something.

There are people out there trying to masquerade as farmers, and they’re doing commercial operations. We can’t have that. [interjections] It is not fair to other commercial operators. We can’t have commercial equipment running with purple fuel and on farm plates. Commercial operators will be ticketed. [interjections] The Speaker: And we have passed the full-moon phase. Achievement Bonuses (continued) Mr. Hehr: Mr. Speaker, I’m not the only witness to the daylight robbery being perpetrated by Alberta Justice on Alberta taxpayers. This government claims to represent all our interests.

Obviously, you need a reminder that Robin Hood gave the loot to the poor, not to appointed senior civil servants. Those same people who decided that it wasn’t in the public interest to prosecute 19 electoral viola- tions are likely getting a $5.8 million windfall. My question is for the Minister of Justice. Can she explain exactly what types of department savings merited such largesse in bonus payouts?

March 18, 2009 Alberta Hansard 461 Ms Redford: I’d like the hon. member to repeat the last part of his question. I want to make sure I understood exactly what he said, please, Mr. Speaker. The Speaker: That counts as a question and an answer. We’ll go on to the second question. Mr. Hehr: Okay. Mr. Speaker, Biggie Smalls would rap about this heist if he were still with us. To the Minister of Justice again: what input do you have around the cabinet table into how this $5.8 million is disbursed and to whom these bonuses are paid? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Ms Redford: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I didn’t get all of the first question, but I got enough of it to know that the hon. member is treating something which I take very seriously in a humorous way. I have said in this House over and over again that the prosecutors in the Department of Justice prosecute in the public interest. I believe that, this government believes that, I believe that the people of Alberta believe that, and I do not believe that it is appropriate to make political hay with something that is so serious. Mr. Hehr: Well, thank you very much for that response, but I’d still like an answer to my second question.

As the Minister of Justice how do you decide who gets the bonus payments, and on what is this based? Ms Redford: Mr. Speaker, I have answered this question. Our prosecutors have integrity. Our prosecutors, as far as I understand my job, are compensated according to an agreement that allows them to be compensated sufficiently for the important and independent work that they do. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Lacombe-Ponoka, followed by the hon. Member for Lethbridge-East. Provincial Economic Strategy (continued) Mr. Prins: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We are in the midst of a global economic recession, and Alberta is being affected along with most other jurisdictions around the world. My question to the Minister of Finance and Enterprise: during these difficult times what is the government’s plan for preserving prosperity and quality of life for Albertans? Ms Evans: Mr. Speaker, again I reference our four-point plan. The first part of the plan is to reduce our spending. I think you’ve heard our Premier relate to that, that we’re going to tighten our belts.

We’re going to make sure that infrastructure, health care, education are priorities for Albertans, that we provide those services as much as possible. That emphasis will be reflected in this budget. Again, with the comments that I made previously about infrastructure, keeping Alberta moving, keeping Alberta’s goods going to market will be a good part of our expenditure targets this year. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Prins: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the same minister: that takes care of the present, but what about the future? Ms Evans: Mr.

Speaker, it’s been very interesting today to hear somebody talk to us about the alphabet to determine whether Alberta is going to go into a deep V and come right back up or whether we’re going to go down and spend a little while in the bottom of the trough. I believe Alberta’s record is that when we hit a recession period, as we have, we look very carefully at what pays our way, and that’s the commodity prices, essentially oil and gas. Regardless of what industry you are in, oil and gas is what has distinguished Alberta and given us a superior track record on revenues.

It’s not affordable to imagine that people are going to get away with paying less for those commodities in the future. Fossil fuels are here to stay. I expect our deep V will change very soon, and as we come out of this recession, Albertans will see once again a very buoyant economy. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Prins: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again to the same minister, my last question: is there any indication how long this downturn or this recession might last? Ms Evans: Frankly, no, Mr. Speaker. We’d all like to think that it would be a shorter period.

Many of the financial agencies predict that Alberta will be better off. The International Monetary Fund predicts that it’ll be a recovery period through 2010 for Alberta. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Lethbridge-East, followed by the hon. Member for Edmonton-Strathcona. Seniors’ Pharmaceutical Plan Ms Pastoor: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday there was a meeting of seniors who are members of CARP, the Canadian Association of Retired Persons, and they expressed their outrage that the minister of health is proposing changes to their pharmaceutical coverage.

Today they’ll be even more outraged to learn that Health and Wellness is paying their senior management $1.8 million in bonuses. To the Minister of Health and Wellness. This plan creates have and have-not seniors. Canada’s health care is based on the principle of universality. Can th e minister explain how this plan upholds that very cherished and envied principle? Mr. Liepert: Well, Mr. Speaker, that kind of question just exactly shows you how uninformed that particular group is. They know full well that drug prescriptions have nothing to do with the Canada Health Act, have nothing to do with universality.

It just absolutely amazes me here in this House that we have this group over here: one day they’re attacking paramedics and their ability to perform their role, the next day they’re attacking our civil servants, the next day they’re attacking our prosecutors, and then they wonder why nobody elects them in four years when they’ve attacked every group in the pr ovince. Ms Pastoor: The theatrics are getting better.

Will the minister admit that any change to seniors’ pharmaceutical costs that creates a deductible based on income is just another form of taxation on the people that have the greatest need for those medications? 2:20 Mr. Liepert: Mr. Speaker, I’ve said on many occasions that what we are attempting to do in health care is to make this system sustainable into the future so that when all of us are in the age category where we have to rely on a government benefit supplemen- tal program, it’s going to be there for us. We have introduced a new

Alberta Hansard March 18, 2009462 model that we propose to move forward with in 2010. Now, I have said that the world has changed since we brought that forward, and we are taking a second look at whether all of the numbers in the model are still correct. We’ve heard seniors. When we finish that assessment, we will bring back to this Assembly what we believe is the appropriate program in this environment. Ms Pastoor: Thank you for that. I do realize you have said that you would look at it, which is sort of going into my third question.

If you would commit to a full review of the whole program, when could we expect a timeline where this would be reported back to the House? Mr. Liepert: Well, Mr. Speaker, unlike members of the opposition, who just sort of fly off and say things and do things and don’t seem to have a co-ordinated effort, when the Member for Edmonton-Gold Bar, who chairs Public Accounts, doesn’t inform his leader as to what he knows and what he doesn’t know and back and forth, we do things in a way that we work it through the process.

That’s exactly what we’re doing, and we will have something for this particular House to consider this year. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Strathcona, followed by the hon. Member for Drayton Valley-Calmar. Nuclear Power Ms Notley: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Bruce Power has launched an advertising campaign in support of their bid to bring nuclear reactors and radioactive waste with a shelf life of thousands of years to Alberta. The Minister of Energy commissioned a report from a nuclear panel almost a year ago, and our documents show that that panel was dissolved in December.

To the minister: why are you sitting on the public release of this report if not b ecause nuclear power in Alberta is a ridiculous waste of taxpayers’ dollars? Mr. Knight: Well, Mr. Speaker, of course, all Albertans are entitled to their opinion. However, relative to the report I think that it’s an extremely valuable document for Albertans. We are going through it and assessing the information therein, and in due course we will deal with it publicly. The Speaker: The hon. member. Ms Notley: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, it’s a year late at this point.

A nuclear plant creates 2,000 tonnes of radioactive waste per year that nobody can clean up. We’ve already got an environmental disaster on our hands in the form of tailings ponds that nobody can clean up. Now this government wants to repeat that mistake, this time with an undisposable pool of radioactive waste that nobody can clean up. To the minister: why are you sitting on your panel’s report if not because you know it’s a recipe for yet another environmental disaster? Mr. Knight: Mr. Speaker, you know, it really is unfortunate that individuals cannot get beyond 1950s and ’40s and ’30s technology.

The nuclear industry that works globally today, as a matter of fact one of the sources of electrical energy that is the most benign relative to greenhouse gas emissions, is a much, much different group of fac ilities than were in place at the times when we’ve had rather major accidents, nothing similar to what’s happening. Ms Notley: Well, Mr. Speaker, 1950, 2050, there is no answer for disposing of nuclear waste. Hate to break it to you, but there’s nothing. Now, the experts also agree on one other thing, that nuclear power leaves taxpayers on the hook for billions and billions of dollars.

Meanwhile the 30,000 Albertans losing their jobs so far this year believe that that money can be spent on sustainable job creation, not a boondoggle. When will you stop hiding your nuclear report and acknowledge the truth, that nuclear power is expensive, too danger- ous, and too short sighted to play a role in our economic future? Mr. Knight: Mr. Speaker, the truth of the matter is that in the province of Alberta now – and in the province of Alberta as we see it going forward – the taxpayers of Alberta are not on the hook for any of the generation that we consume in the province now.

We don’t see that the taxpayers of Alberta will be in any different position whatever type of alternate and new energy sources are brought to play in the province of Alberta. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Drayton Valley-Calmar, followed by the hon. Member for Calgary-McCall. Country of Origin Labelling Mrs. McQueen: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. For some time our agricultural industry has been concerned about the potential impact of mandatory country of origin labelling being introduced in the United States.

Monday, March 16, was the day that COOL, as it is called, came into effect, and as I understand it, we have yet to resolve this important trade issue. To the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development: could the minister provide some detail on the status of this regulation, which essentially segregates Canadian product and imposes extra costs? Mr. Groeneveld: Yes, I can, Mr. Speaker.

In January the USDA introduced some flexibility into COOL, addressing some of our concerns on the labelling requirements for Canadian beef products, but the USDA is now requesting that the industry voluntarily implement stricter labelling, effectively reducing flexibility. The Canadian industry will be faced with extra costs in order to adhere to these labelling requirements. In addition, as the U.S. looks to buy more domestic products, COOL certainly has the ability to push our products out of their market. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mrs. McQueen: Thank you. To the same minister.

My ag constituents meet with me often, and they want to know what action is being taken to address this ongoing issue because, in their words, they don’t think it’s cool. Mr. Groeneveld: Although the Canadian government has jurisdic- tion, Mr. Speaker, over these trading matters, Alberta continues to raise the issue with our U.S. trade partners and our federal counter- parts in Ottawa. ALMA, or the Livestock and Meat Agency, is also addressing the issue through incremental market access.

ALMA played a key role in bringing many organizations who had similar concerns and views to the table to ensure a single industry voice on the issue. This resulted in a unified position within Alberta and Canada on incremental market access and stronger advocating on the national level. We’ve already seen the results of some of that with the incremental market access into Hong Kong.

March 18, 2009 Alberta Hansard 463 The Speaker: The hon. member. Mrs. McQueen: Thank you. Finally, to the same minister: what else can this government or Alberta’s beef industry do to remain competitive when faced with such a trade barrier as COOL? Mr. Groeneveld: Well, Mr. Speaker, we have two options, as I see it, for addressing this issue. We can hope that COOL does not proceed in its current form, and then we return to the status quo, and any cattleman will tell you that the status quo has not been very profitable.

Or we can take charge of our own future and focus on accessing markets that will be profitable for our pr oducers. The Alberta livestock and meat strategy does just this. It is positioning our industry as a desirable trade partner in Canadian international markets such as Korea, China, and Japan as well. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-McCall, followed by the hon. Member for Edmonton-Ellerslie. Achievement Bonuses (continued) Mr. Kang: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last year Service Alberta handed out $3.9 million in achievement bonuses to its senior staff.

That is the second-highest amount paid out by all ministries, beaten only by the Department of Justice. To the Minister of Service Alberta: how does the minister justify $3.9 million in bonuses? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mrs. Klimchuk: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s really important to bring some clarity to this issue. Just to make it very clear, Service Alberta’s bonuses were $2.7 million. The other portions were when Service Alberta was with the former ministry, under the ministry of the Treasury Board, where air transportation, regulatory review, and corporate human resources were.

The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Kang: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. What are the criteria used to give out these bonuses? Mrs. Klimchuk: Mr. Speaker, with respect to these bonuses this policy is handled through corporate human resources and is based on achievement, as was mentioned previously, and based on the hard work of the civil service. I think it’s really important to validate the hard work that these civil servants do to support all of us in the work that we’re doing for Albertans. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Kang: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Who gives the final sign-off on these achievement bonuses for senior staff members? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mrs. Klimchuk: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe the Premier answered that question very well. I will add that with respect to this whole area, again, it’s validating the hard work that civil servants do for Albertans and making sure that their interests are protected and that they are accountable as well. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Ellerslie, followed by the hon. Member for Calgary-Varsity. 2:30 Gang-related Crime Mr. Bhardwaj: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

Gangs and gang violence seem to be taking root in communities right across Alberta. My questions are to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General. How is the minister addressing these very serious concerns about crime and safety? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Ms Redford: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Through the work that we’ve done through crime and safe communities, the Solicitor General and I have worked in partnership with police commissions across this province to talk about the issues that they are facing.

Apart from the work that we’ve already done in introducing Bill 50, which has gone a long way to help police officers do their job better and to disrupt crime, I had the opportunity to speak last night to the Calgary Police Commission, where it was very clear that there is a very strong synergy between the work that the provincial govern- ment is doing around education, prevention, awareness as well as enforcement and prosecution and the work that police services across this province are doing. Mr.

Speaker, we will also be hosting in June a summit on gang activity, that the Premier will be chairing, and at that summit we are going to be able to look at what we have all been doing up until now with respect to gangs and what the long-term strategy should be. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Bhardwaj: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The next question to the same minister. The lure of the gang lifestyle can be very attractive for some young people. What is being done to reduce recruitment into gangs? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Ms Redford: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

This is a very important part of what we have to talk about for safe communities. It’s very clear that all of the work that is done through Health and Wellness, Children and Youth Services, Education, Culture and Community Spirit, and the work that policin g agencies are doing across this province has to speak to young people about the risks of criminal activity and a gang lifestyle. It’s very clear, Mr.

Speaker, that we also have to make sure that we’re addressing the root causes of crime, that we’re dealing with vulnerable people who may very well end up in situations where they develop addictions that could lead to lives of crime. We’re going to stop that. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Bhardwaj: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My final question to the same minister: what is being done long term to curb the rise of organized crime in this province? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Ms Redford: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

As I have said in this House before and as we as a government have said in the past year, we believe that the entire long-term gang prevention strategy and crime prevention strategy in this province must deal with a number of pillars. We have to deal with awareness, education. We have to help vulnerable people, and we have to effectively enforce the laws

Alberta Hansard March 18, 2009464 and prosecute people that are committing crimes. This summit will allow us to develop that full long-term strategy in partnership with people in this province. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-Varsity, followed by the hon. Member for Cardston-Taber-Warner. Rural School Bus Travel Time Mr. Chase: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Rural schools close because school boards f ace the impossible job of f unding schools with insufficient resources.

Increased busing costs coupled with de- creased funding, a backlog of aging infrastructure, and a loss of teachers have made many schools unsustainable. Rural schools need better funding to sustainably meet these challenges. To the Minister of Education: does the minister acknowledge that requiring some children to spend upwards of three to four hours a day on school buses is unacceptable? Mr. Hancock: Well, Mr. Speaker, I know that it was a difficult thing to do when I did it, and it’s not the most attractive way to ensure that our children get a good education.

In fact, I think most school boards try to keep bus rides to less than an hour one way. But we do have challenges with respect to the provision of education services in rural areas where people choose to live. The wonders of technology, however, and the SuperNet, that the province of Alberta has put in place, are making it a lot easier to make sure that children in all parts of this province have access to a very high-quality public education. That’s why people come from all around the world to look at what we’re doing. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Chase: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Will the minister commit to setting limits to the amount of time a child can spend on a school bus each day and work with school boards to help solve their transporta- tion issues, actions that could help stave off the epidemic of rural school closures? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Hancock: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This hon. member would be one of the first to yell and scream if we dissolved all the school boards in the province and made one superboard so that we could run it from here. That’s not what we’re doing. We have elected school boards across the province.

They determine what their local issues are and how best to provide the services in their areas, and I would not substitute my judgment for their judgment of their local communities. Mr. Chase: They say that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. The only way school boards can collect the money is through what the province provides. Considering that the closure of the Manyberries school as well as numerous grades within the Golden Hills school division will result in students spending an additional hour on the bus each day, will the minister review the rules surrounding rural school closures? Mr.

Hancock: Mr. Speaker, I’ll have to take his word for the issue about the road to hell because I’ve never been on it. I would have to say, again, that issues of schools in local commu- nities is a very, very important one, a very close issue for people. I grew up in a rural area. I know how important a school is to the community as a centre of the community. Those aren’t decisions that anybody takes lightly when you close schools. Obviously, transportation of children is a very, very important aspect.

It requires someone in the local area who has knowledge of the local circumstances to be able to sit down with parents in their communi- ties and make those very tough decisions, and that’s what school boards do. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Cardston-Taber-Warner, followed by the hon. Member for Calgary-Currie. TILMA Effects on Municipalities Mr. Jacobs: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In July 2008 officials from Alberta and British Columbia reached an agreement that outlines the municipal obligations under the trade, investment, and labour mobility agreement, the acronym TILMA.

My question is for the Minister of Municipal Affairs. How will Alberta’s municipalities benefit from the amendments once they come into place on April 1? Speaker’s Ruling Anticipation The Speaker: You know, I’m concerned about this question because my understanding is that this bill is in committee and up for review this afternoon. In committee we deal with amendments, so the time to really debate this is at that time, not in the question period. Does the hon. member have a policy question? Mr. Jacobs: The question also relates to TILMA, Mr. Speaker, so I would withdraw the question. The Speaker: The hon.

Member for Calgary-Currie, followed by the hon. Member for Calgary-Nose Hill. Homelessness Initiatives Mr. Taylor: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are to the Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs, and they are about the province’s 10-year plan to end homelessness, which, the minister well knows, I am delighted to finally see. It’s been a long time in development. It’s been a long time in negotiation. It’s been a long time coming. I think it is a good plan. Of course, as I have said, the devil is in the details and the funding, and we don’t know if any funding is there for it yet.

So although I’m happy to see that the plan is finally released, I’m wondering why the minister released the plan three weeks before the budget, three weeks before any funding could be committed. The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mrs. Fritz: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I did make a commit- ment to release the plan when the processes had been completed. The plan, hon. member, had gone through the process of cabinet policy committees, of caucus, various processes: meetings with municipalities, you know, discussions with the local agencies and community boards.

I did make that commitment, and that’s why it was released at this time. That process was completed. I am pleased, hon. member, that you support the plan. Thank you for that. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Taylor: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the same minister: given that 40 per cent of homeless people suffer from mental illness, what supports have been committed to by the minister of health that

March 18, 2009 Alberta Hansard 465 you’re aware of that will specifically address this root cause of homelessness? Mrs. Fritz: Mr. Speaker, those supports for people that do have issues that relate to mental health are through good programs like Pathways to Housing, which, as you know, is a program for people that have gone from emergency shelters to emergency for assistance. A very special mental health support team meets them at emergency and places them into Housing First. We’ve found that that is working. That’s just one of the many good programs offered by the communities as a whole.

The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Taylor: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the same minister: considering that the plan doesn’t mention First Nations people even though they comprise something in excess of 30 per cent of the homeless population in this province, how much of the funding – and it seems certainly limited until April 7 and maybe after that; we’ll find out on April 7 – will go to programs geared to the aboriginal community? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mrs. Fritz: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That’s a very important question.

I can tell you that we did not take any group of people based on their culture and identify that particular group in the plan. That does relate to the aboriginal people. That’s because every program in this plan is going to assist all Albertans that are home- less, and that does include our aboriginal peoples. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-Nose Hill. 2:40 Cataract Surgery Wait Times Dr. Brown: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Contracting out medical services such as cataract surgery to private clinics has been a very efficient and successful innovation of our health system.

However, since December my constituency office has been contacted on six separate occasions by constituents expressing frustration with long wait times for cataract surgery. Some of my constituents fear that they will lose their independence as a result of these extended wait times of in some cases up to 18 months. I’ve been informed that much of the delay is a result of a lack of funding. All of my questions are for the hon. Minister of Health and Wellness. What is the government doing to ensure that the wait times for cataract surgery are reduced? Mr. Liepert: Well, Mr.

Speaker, we have to be clear what the terminology is for lack of funding. What does take pl ace is that, previously through the regions and now through Alberta Health Services Board, there is an allocation of funding for procedures, whether it’s cataracts, whether it’s hips and knees. What has occurred in this particular budget year is that the allocation of funding has been exhausted. In the past several health regions have actually gone beyond the level of funding, and that won’t be happening this year. Dr.

Brown: Can the minister advise how the new Alberta Health Services Board is going to help to resolve this waiting-list problem? Mr. Liepert: Well, I guess one way is that they will stick to budget, and that is exactly what they have done. But I think it’s important to point out, Mr. Speaker, that in 2004 some 15,000 cataract surgeries were performed in Alberta. Only 1,500 or so of those were through private facilities. In 2007 that number increased to 21,000 cataract surgeries, with only just under 3,000 in private facilities.

We have been attempting to keep up the funding with the increase in demand, but again, like many things in health care, demand is exceeding what we’re able to fund. Dr. Brown: Will the minister ensure that cataract surgeries are adequately funded and priorized for those people who are in danger of losing their independence such as their driver’s licence because of the fact that they have cataracts? Mr. Liepert: Well, Mr. Speaker, a couple of things. First of all, it is not the minister who determines whether a patient requires cataract surgery. It’s the ophthalmologist.

If an ophthalmologist determines that it’s an emergency or urgent, that goes beyond that envelope of funding, and they will be treated on an emergent or urgent basis. Unfortunately, there are others that will be looked after as the funding becomes available in the new budget. The Speaker: Hon. members, that was 104 questions and responses. In 30 seconds from now we’ll continue the Routine. head: Members’ Statements (continued) The Speaker: The hon. Member for Bonnyville-Cold Lake. 2009 Bantam B Female Hockey Provincials Mrs. Leskiw: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Last Friday, March 13, I attended the opening ceremony of the 2009 bantam B female hockey provincials at the Bonnyville Centennial Centre. This weekend marked the end of a 17-year wait to host the provincial hockey tournament in my hometown of B onnyville. Hosting this tourna- ment was such a great opportunity to bring together and to cheer on the 150 girls who participated. Female hockey has been developing in Bonnyville for the past three years and is still very new.

The tournament was able to give exposure to this growing sport and also to the local team from my constituency, the Lakeland Jaguars, girls from both Bonnyville and Cold Lake. It is my hope that this exposure w ill encourage more girls to get involved in hockey at a competitive level. Hon. members, girls from many of your constituencies competed in this tournament. The 10 teams who participated came from High Prairie, Lloydminster, Spruce Grove, Innisfail, Lethbridge, Cochrane, Viking, Edmonton, Calgary, and, of course, the Lakeland.

I would like to congratulate all of the teams, coaches, volunteers, and parents who made this tournament a complete success, espe- cially the Innisfail Flyers, who beat Lethbridge 6 to 4 in the final to take first place in the tournament. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-Varsity. Protection of Children in Care Mr. Chase: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Most foster parents do an admirable job of raising the children they selflessly bring into their homes.

With the noblest intentions they make sure that some of our most troubled and vulnerable children enjoy a loving, nourishing environment in which to learn and grow. Unfortunately, as hard as it is to come to grips with this reality,

Alberta Hansard March 18, 2009466 there are some foster homes in which children have suffered neglect and abuse. Mr. Speaker, consider the case of a disabled child placed in foster care because the natural parents could not afford to meet its needs. The medical care the child needed would have had to be paid out of pocket because at that time the level of care wasn’t provided by the government. Foster care seemed the only solution, which raises an important set of questions. Is this government doing enough to keep families together?

Are children put into foster care too soon without giving due respect to the needs of the biological family? What efforts are made to support birth parents within their home prior to making the drastic decision to apprehend their children? Furthermore, the case in question turned into a horror story for this family. How do parents forced to give up their children know with any certainty that the special needs of their child will be met? Mr. Speaker, when the children are given up or removed from the care of their natural parents, it happens because people are con- cerned about the welfare and safety of the child.

Yet it seems as though once custody changes, the government’s duty of supervisory care of the child’s safety and welfare is diminished or taken for granted. The tragic facts reveal that we should not, must not take the child’s safety in foster care for granted. As much as we may admire foster parents, some do a better job than others. The government cannot simply hand off children in need to foster parents and consider its job done. These children in care deserve and demand more than that.

Regular monitoring of foster care and enforcement of standards is needed to ensure that the safety and well-being of Alberta’s most vulnerable children is protected. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Calder. 65th Anniversary of 418 City of Edmonton Squadron Mr. Elniski: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Once again it is my privilege to rise and highlight another group of people from Edmonton- Calder. Under the command of Edmontonian Russ Bannock 418 Squadron aircraft and crews flew their Mosquito aircraft over the heart of occupied Europe in order to achieve their mission of damaging the Nazi war machine.

To give you some background, the Mosquito was a light bomber, twin-engine 4,000 horsepower wooden airplane. It was equipped with eight 30-calibre machine guns. It was fast and deadly. The 418 was responsible for the interception of the Nazi V-1 flying bombers that rained down over Europe. The V-1 was the first cruise missile, and its job was to kill and terrify civilians. The 418 was key in the defence against this weapon, and the tactic was search and destroy in flight. The squadron was extremely successful in this defence.

After World War II 418 became a resident in the hangar of what is now the Alberta Aviation Museum, and it has continued its service to the country as a reserve squadron, defending both Edmonton and the north during the Cold War. The 418 defended the Arctic Circle north in search and rescue liaison roles, and in 1992 it officially stood down. The squadron will remain in the Aviation Museum until such time as the country needs the services of this group once more.

The 418 City of Edmonton Squadron is truly a proud part of Edmonton’s history and future, and I would like to congratulate this historic group and the veterans celebrating here today on their 65th anniver- sary. Thank you. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-Mackay. Eco Village of Hope Ms Woo-Paw: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to speak about a unique Alberta-initiated international development project, the Eco Village of Hope. The Eco Village of Hope is one of the very few international development initiatives between Alberta and China.

The project founder, Renay Eng-Fisher, a second-generation born- and-raised Albertan, inherited a house in her father’s ancestral village when he passed away a few years ago.

During her very first trip to China she connected the idea of making constructive use of her ancestral house with the need of the local orphaned children like her father was. 2:50 In the process a group of Albertans of diverse ethnic and profes- sional backgrounds created a comprehensive humanitarian initiative that includes caring for the abandoned children and children with disabilities and building the capacity of their caregivers by providing them with training and sharing ecological development expertise with those who live and work in those communities. Hence, the Eco Village of Hope was born. Mr.

Speaker, in the two years since the formation of the Eco Village of Hope Society over 30 Albertan volunteers have travelled to this region to provide training and support to the project. The society has received requests from officials from a nearby region to assist them with training local volunteers and staff associated with their 600-children orphanage as well as setting up programs for those children, and the Eco Village of Hope Society is in the process of establishing their third orphanage. Mr.

Speaker, the Eco Village of H ope project is a wonderful example of that famous belief in the power of a small group of determined, dedicated people to make transformative changes to people’s lives. It’s also a great example of the power of human connections, connection between generations, the bond between parent and child, the drive derived from an emotional connection to a totally strange land, and the subsequent treasured connections and goodwill created between those who are so willing to give and those who benefit from their generosity. Thank you, Mr.

Speaker. head: Introduction of Bills The Speaker: The hon. Minister of Advanced Education and Technology. Bill 27 Alberta Research and Innovation Act Mr. Horner: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to request leave to introduce Bill 27, the Alberta Research and Innovation Act, 2009. This being a money bill, Her Honour the Administrator, having been informed of the contents of this bill, recommends the same to the Assembly. The intent of this bill is to enable a more integrated and aligned approach to research and innovation to support continued economic prosperity and a high quality of life in Alberta.

Through the development of a new roles and mandates framework for Alberta’s provincially funded research and innovation systems it will further strengthen and align the research and innovation system to help researchers and entrepreneurs in realizing their potential as creators of world-class discoveries and products. It will also enhance the focus on the government of Alberta’s strategic research and innovation priorities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. [Motion carried; Bill 27 read a first time]

March 18, 2009 Alberta Hansard 467 The Speaker: The hon. Member for Little Bow. Bill 28 Energy Statutes Amendment Act, 2009 Mr. McFarland: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I request leave to introduce Bill 28, the Energy Statutes Amendment Act, 2009. This is an omnibus bill that will provide tools to help the province achieve goals set out in the provincial energy strategy while eliminating inefficiencies found in the current energy legislation. In all, the Energy Statutes Amendment Act will amend 10 and repeal two acts previously passed by the Alberta Legislature.

The passage of this act will promote sustainable energy development and increase regulatory efficiencies, including amendments to existing legislation that will facilitate taking bitume n as royalty in kind to optimize benefits of oil sands production for Albertans and expanding the industry-funded orphan well fund, Mr. Speaker, to include large facilities, including large in situ oil sands processing facilities, sulphur recovery gas plants, and stand-alone straddle plants. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. [Motion carried; Bill 28 read a first time] The Speaker: The hon. Government House Leader. Mr.

Hancock: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d move that Bill 28 be moved onto the Order Paper under Government Bills and Orders. [Motion carried] The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Rutherford. Bill 32 Alberta Public Agencies Governance Act Mr. Horne: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I respectfully request leave to move first reading of Bill 32, the Alberta Public Agencies Governance Act. This bill provides the legislative framework that will help improve transparency and accountability and promote excellence in gover- nance of the province’s agencies, boards, and commissions.

About 50 per cent of the government’s annual operating expenditures are administered by these provincial agencies, of which there are almost 250. Mr. Speaker, this bill builds upon the work done by a provincial task force struck by our Premier in 2007. In all, the task force made 15 recommendations to ensure that the right policies and best practices are in place for our agencies, boards, and commissions to deliver on their mandates. The task force’s first recommendation was the introduction of legislation to provide to agency governance frameworks and standards reflecting the importance of Alberta’s agencies.

In February 2008 this government released its public agencies governance framework, elaborating on the recommendations of the task force. Mr. Speaker, I’m pleased to say that implementation of the public agencies governance framework is under way in all government departments. With that, I would ask that all members join me in support of this important bill. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. [Motion carried; Bill 32 read a first time] The Speaker: The hon. Government House Leader. Mr. Hancock: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I move that Bill 32 be moved onto the Order Paper under Government Bills and Orders. [Motion carried] head: Tabling Returns and Reports The Speaker: The hon. Minister of Children and Youth Services. Ms Tarchuk: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday during question period the Member for Calgary-Varsity asked questions regarding the UN convention on the rights of the child. The member suggested that our province did not sign or support the convention. In fact, our province formally supported the convention in a letter from former Premier Ralph Klein to former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien dated January 13, 1999.

Neither our province nor any other province signed the convention since signing international agreements is the constitutional responsibility of the federal government. I’m pleased to table the appropriate number of copies of the letter of support as well as the convention itself. Thank you. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Centre. Ms Blakeman: Thanks very much, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to table a document from two constituents, Claude and Eugenie Dube. These are constituents that are very upset over the government’s plan to triple the Blue Cross nongroup premiums.

They’re very frustrated that the government is increasing the money it gives to the oil and gas sector but increasing the burden on Albertans, and they note especially older Albertans. They feel the government had no mandate to make these changes and should not make changes without extensive public consultation. I have the required five copies. Thank you. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-Varsity. Mr. Chase: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I’m tabling the five copies of a Ducks Unlimited brochure: A Single Purpose; A Profound Effect.

Ducks Unlimited works in consultation and collaboration with a number of Alberta fish and game associations for protecting and restoring habitat. It may seem paradoxical to the uninformed, but hunters and fishermen are among Alberta’s most dedicated conservationists. Thank you. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-Buffalo. Mr. Hehr: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have two sets of tablings with the appropriate number of copies of each. The first is a document from the Manitoba Department of Justice, and it’s regarding the appointment of independent counsel. It’s a policy document.

Secondly, there’s a document from the B.C. government, the Crown counsel policy manual. It, again, outlines the appointment a special prosecutor in cases where there is significant potential for real or perceived improper influence in prosecutorial decision- making. Thank you. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Highlands- Norwood.

Alberta Hansard March 18, 2009468 Mr. Mason: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to table the appropriate number of copies of a petition “to establish a Special Needs taskforce to address the failure of current policies, procedures and practices to adequately serve the exceptional and individual educational needs of all students in the District.” This petition was originally presented to the Edmonton public school board. The Speaker: Hon. members, according to Standing Order 7(7) I must now notify you that it’s 3 o’clock. The Routine terminates.

We’re into Orders of the Day. 3:00head: Orders of the Day The Speaker: Before I recognize the hon. member, might we revert briefly to Introduction of Guests? [Unanimous consent granted] head: Introduction of Guests (reversion) The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Highlands- Norwood. Mr. Mason: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I was remiss earlier in introducing my guests earlier than they should have been, and they weren’t there.

Now they’re here, and I’d like to introduce to you and through you to the rest of the House my guests, Madeline Rainey and her 16-year-old son, Connor, who are seated in the public gallery. Madeline and Connor presented a petition to the Edmonton public school board on January 13 seeking more immedi- ate benefits for the district’s special-needs students. Madeline participates in the board’s consultation, Setting the Direction for Special Education.

I would now ask both Madeline and Connor to rise in their places and receive the warm, traditional welcome of this Assembly. head: Government Bills and Orders Third Reading Bill 21 Appropriation (Supplementary Supply) Act, 2009 The Speaker: The hon. President of the Treasury Board. Mr. Snelgrove: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s my privilege to introduce third reading of Bill 21, the Appropriation (Supplementary Supply) Act, 2009. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-Currie. Mr. Taylor: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

It is my privilege to rise and enter into third reading debate on Bill 21, the Appropria- tion (Supplementary Supply) Act, 2009. This is a supplementary supply act that seeks to get $127 million and change in extra spending primarily for the ministries of Agriculture and Rural Development, Employment and Immigration, and Transportation as well as some $750,000 for the office of the Auditor General. This is extra money – we’ve made the point before – in and of itself not a dramatic amount of money above and beyond the budget.

But this is the second time that this government has been before the House in this fiscal year seeking supplementary funds. We think the government should do a better job of budgeting. We have made this point on a number of occasions before this, and we suspect that we will be continuing to make that point on into the next fiscal year. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Speaker: Others? The hon. Member for Edmonton-Riverview. Dr. Taft: Yes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This issue has been bandied about a lot. It’s a similar discussion that’s been raised over a number of years.

I think, however, we need to also raise a different concern in light of news over the last day or two. This is supplementary supply; in other words, this is money that in many cases is there to look after budget overruns. One of my concerns is that we have a government that overruns its budget year after year after year. We also have a budget that pays multi multimillion-dollar bonuses to its senior management, apparently for achievement. I suppose that if the achievement is to blow your budget, then the bonuses may be in order.

I think it’s important for this government to establish an achievement factor for its senior management to stay on budget. I can’t imagine – and I’m saying this very genuinely – except in the most extraordinary circumstances why a senior official who allows a budget to go past its mark, allows a government department to spend more than is budgeted by this Assembly would then be justified in getting a bonus. The two just don’t add up. Mr.

Speaker, you know, with this fine history in this Assembly we’ll remember the days 20 years ago or more, when budgets were taken extremely seriously and it was, as I’ve said before, a career move for a public servant to blow through a budget. Now it seems that we’re in a situation where senior public servants get a bonus even if the budget is blown. I think we are entering an era of a new attitude towards public responsibility for sticking to budgets, and I hope this is the beginning of that.

I would hope that to help create an atmosphere where we don’t need to come back for repeated supplementary supply bills every year, this government establishes as an achievement criteria for senior managers staying on budget. Frankly, they should be well aware that if they go through the budget, unless there are extraordi- nary circumstances, there is no bonus. It should be pretty much as simple as that. Those are the constraints that many, many people in Alberta have to live by in their own domestic households. Those are the con- straints that many, many businesses in Alberta have to live by.

Frankly, those are the constraints that the caucus has to live by. We have a budget, and we have absolutely no opportunity nor any desire to go through the budget. We have the budget, and we live within that budget. I think it’s very important to get the message through to the members of this Assembly that paying bonuses to senior managers who allow their budgets to be broken should be unacceptable. There should be no bonuses in those circumstances.

I think, maybe, the fact that this government has been paying bonuses regardless of whether budgets were met or not has contributed to this kind of bill that we have right now coming forward, which is at least a second supplementary supply bill. I want to get that on the record, Mr. Speaker. I’m not particularly pleased that we have this bill here. I wasn’t very pleased that we had a supplementary supply bill just a few months ago.

I think that now we are beginning to uncover some of the organizational dynamics that lead to this occurring rep eatedly, which is that, apparently, senior management bonuses are not tied to living within budgets. My view, my message today is that from here on in they should be. Thanks, Mr. Speaker. The Speaker: Standing Order 29(2)(

a) is available for the question- and-response portion. The hon. Government House Leader on this point.

March 18, 2009 Alberta Hansard 469 Mr. Hancock: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m wondering if the hon. member had an opportunity to look at the third-quarter results and, if he did so, whether he is aware of or whether he just wilfully ignored the fact that the operating budget of the government is pretty much on track for what it was budgeted at.

The difference that might be anticipated in terms of if there was a deficit at the end of this year was clearly generated by a loss of revenue in the invest- ment portfolio of the heritage trust fund and not a problem created by any of our dedicated civil service, who work long hours on behalf of the people of Alberta, going into deficit. Now, he may be referring as well, and I think he did refer as well, to the fact that, of course, coming back for supplementary supply means that you’re asking for more revenue.

He indicated that businesses and households set budgets and then live within them and that government should be expected to. I’m not sure where he’s been living, but in the world that I live in, people take a look at their resources on an ongoing basis and determine whether or not, given the nature of the resources that they have on an ongoing basis, those resources can be applied to the needs that arise on an ongoing basis or not. I know of no business nor of any household which sets a rigid parameter once a year and then tries to live in it. Is he living in the same world that I’m in? Dr.

Taft: Well, that’s a unique sort of question. I’m not sure what planet the minister is living on. I know I live right here in Edmon- ton, and I live right here in Alberta, and I don’t have the benefits of the tremendous resources that this minister has. I also know that people like the large number of seniors in my constituency who are on fixed incomes are stuck. They can’t vote themselves a higher income in December and then vote themselves another higher income in February or March.

There’s no question that the great majority of Alberta’s public servants are dedicated and they’re hard working, but there’s also no question that this government has consistently, year after year for any number of years now, turned out to have spent considerably more at the end of the year than it said it was going to at the beginning of the year. That’s a problem, and it’s a problem that we need to address. I look to the President of the Treasury Board from here on in to help address it. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood first, then the hon. President of the Treasury Board. Mr.

Mason: Yes. Thank you very much. I wanted to ask the hon. Member for Edmonton-Riverview whether or not he thinks bonuses, in fact, make any sense at all even in, perhaps, better times and what uses they might accomplish. 3:10 The Speaker: The hon. member. Dr. Taft: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think that’s a great question and probably an issue that needs a lot more debate here. I think we need to question the whole issue of bonuses for performance. Public officials are paid to do a job, and they’re expected to do that job well.

If they do the job well, then maybe there’s an incremental raise or something, but to import the whole notion of bonuses into the public service needs some very serious thinking. I think it opens up all kinds of questions about what motivations are and what bonuses are given for. If one particular assistant deputy minister gets a bonus, do they all get the bonus? How is that managed? This was an innovation, if you want to call it that, that was brought in, you know, several years ago.

I think it’s time that we as an Assembly and, I hope, the government caucus as a caucus asked itself the whole question: do we want a bonus system within the public service? Is it a g ood idea even in principle? Frankly, Mr. Speaker, I was not terribly pleased when I saw this brought forward for the public service. I think – and I say this in part as a former public servant – public servants are paid to be professionals, to do a good job. If they do that job, they get paid. They don’t need a bonus, in my view.

This was, I think, a dubious policy to begin with, and I think that it’s one that should be debated fully in this Assembly. Thank you. Mr. Snelgrove: I’m wondering if the hon. member is going to remain firm and rigid in his stance on overruns with the office of the Auditor General. Dr. Taft: Well, I don’t have the figures in front of me. There is – what? – something like $700,000 in the budget overrun. The Speaker: Hon. Member for Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood, we’re dealing with Bill 21. Mr. Mason: Yes. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

I also would like to deal with the question of the supplementary estimates and, in particular, some of the revelations that we’ve seen when it comes to bonuses. You know, we addressed this question in our caucus. The Premier has been talking about the great financial resources that our caucus receives, encouraging us to give some of our money to the Auditor General to help him out and so on. I think, frankly, it’s just a little bit silly. One of the things that we did was to really ask ourselves hard questions about: what are you actually trying to accomplish with the use of bonuses?

We have a very hard-working, dedicated, and capable staff, and they are very committed to the goals of our caucus. We want to make sure to the extent of our capacity that they’re compensated for that. If you take it in the question of the government, if you want to look at the government, you need to ask what it is you’re going to get from a bonus. If you want the public employees, the senior management in given departments to save money, I think that’s the kind of instruction you want to give them, but if you give them financial incentives to do that, I think that you run a risk.

If, in fact, saving money is the objective that’s set for the deputy minister or the ADMs, then what kind of behaviour are they going to enter into when their job is to deliver the services in the best possible way, make sure the public gets value for money, and make sure that their programs are run as efficiently and as effectively as possible. You distort that when you try to incent a particular behaviour in the government service.

You might find, for example, that programs were cut or spending was cut when it wasn’t what was intended, when the service that the public might receive might be impacted, or people weren’t hired and, as a result, there were longer waiting lists. I can see all kinds of reasons why bonuses based on savings in the department could create distortions in the carrying out of the government’s policy and the programs that people depend on, but more to the point is that I don’t think the people of this province get it. When the government is starting to talk to them about tightening their belts, and the hon.

President of the Treasury Board, you know, who has made a number of comments off message, from what I can tell, with what the Premier and the Provincial Treasurer have been saying, about how we’re going to be into cutting as we go forward into this period, my fear is that his faction in the Tory caucus is

Alberta Hansard March 18, 2009470 going to find a way to force the government to return to the bad old days of Premier Ralph Klein, when these enormous cuts took place from which we still haven’t recovered. And this is an inappropriate response to the current situation. If we’re in fact going to be cutting, then I presume that some people might actually lose their jobs.

I don’t know if that’s the government’s intent or if the provincial finance minister’s budget will call for that, but clearly the government is sending among its various mixed messages a message that we all have to tighten our belts and that there’ll be reductions in spending and, presumably, reductions in programs.

It’s too early to tell whether there are going to be actual layoffs in the public service, but I think those employees who are just next to the door as we enter into this recession are going to be looking at their bosses and wondering why in Justice, for example, there are bonuses worth $5.8 million being paid; in Service Alberta $3.9 million; in Finance $3.6 million. It goes on and on, millions and millions of dollars, $40 million in bonuses for which the government has given no clear objectives on which they expect to be paid.

I think that when you look at what’s going on in the United States, you see a real difference. You see a difference between how the politicians of both the Republican and Democratic parties respond to the public outrage there about bonuses and how this government deals with it. You know, in the United States there’s genuine anger, and the politicians are holding people accountable for taking money and spending it on bonuses. Here it’s business as usual. This government doesn’t seem to get that the rules have changed and public expectations have changed. The economy has changed.

There has been a real change in almost everything to do with business, jobs, government, public programs. It has all been affected, and there’s a profoundly different way of looking at things and doing things. This government is living in the past and has not adjusted. Mr. Speaker, I just want to indicate that I think that other employ- ees, the unions, and ordinary Albertans are looking at what this government is doing. By insisting on going ahead with these bonuses, in fact, I think the government is sending a different message.

It’s trying to reduce expectations, but it is in fact raising expectations, and I think that there are going to be political conse- quences from that. 3:20 Mr. Speaker, I want to indicate that I think we should change the way we look at things. I want to, you know, just indicate that there were some relevant comments that were made just today in the Globe and Mail. Mr. David Dodge, a former governor of the Bank of Canada, said that those that expect that we’re going to have a recovery in this year are dreaming in technicolour.

So I hope that the members opposite are enjoying their dream, but I think that it’s pretty clear to me that they are off base on where they see this economy going. I think that the supplementary estimates, I think the upcoming budget are all going to send us off the track unless the government gets a little bit more realistic about where the economy is and what public expectations are today.

I think the public exp ects that there will be a stimulus approach but that governments have a responsibility to make sure that public money is spent where it can help the ordinary folks of this province or wherever the jurisdiction is and not spent on people who are already very well off. Again, I think the government is out of touch with the public on this and, frankly, I think that there is going to be some public anger about the government’s failure to listen. Mr. Speaker, I think that with that, I will take my seat. Another person might want to contribute. The Speaker: The hon.

President of the Treasury Board under Standing Order 29(2)(a). Mr. Snelgrove: Mr.

Speaker, I would like the hon. member to maybe clarify for me and for the 6,100 civil servants eligible for some type of bonuses in what way he’s able to equate a civil service that by any stretch of the imagination has achieved virtually all the goals they’ve set out to do in difficult times, working under existing contract conditions that they were hired under for the year that they’ve just completed, how the hon. member is able to make the leap that somehow this equates to bonuses some corporate executive from a financial-sector company in the States that has mismanaged hundreds and hundreds of billions of dollars, truly a part of a global meltdown that was perpetrated on grounds that have nothing to do with the civil servants that perform every day for the people of Alberta on our behalf.

How could he possibly in the same statement put these Albertans, these people that live here and work for the people of Alberta, in the same category as executives of a private company going to the taxpayers of the United States for compensa- tion and a bailout? I mean, Mr. Speaker, in your opening words this morning, in your prayer, you asked for integrity and honesty. I guess some of us missed that part of your opening prayer. I would sure like the hon. member to make it perfectly clear to these people how he made that connection. Mr. Mason: Mr. Speaker, it’s this government that entered into those agreements.

It’s this government that decided that well-paid civil servants, highly paid at a high senior level, deserved very, very wealthy bonuses. It’s this government that is continuing to go in that direction. Now, I want to say that this government has a responsibil- ity to adjust itself to the changing times, and paying out bonuses when there also are people losing their jobs just doesn’t fit with what ordinary Albertans think. That’s what I think. I don’t know what he’s holding up there, Mr.

Speaker, but I do want to say that ordinary Albertans in this day who are losing their jobs are looking at this government paying $40 million in bonuses, and they’re wondering why the government is so out of touch with their lives, with their priorities. Those are the kinds of things that I think this government needs to take into account. I believe that the people who are losing their jobs – and there are thousands of them; there are 30,000 in just two months – are wanting to know what the government is doing, whether the government gets it. I don’t think the government does get it, Mr. Speaker.

I think the government is out of touch with those people. Their agreement to enter into these agreements for these bonuses at the same time as they’re not bringing forward long-term care beds, for example, which is causing backups in our health care system, their failure to deal with the whole question of overcrowding in foster homes and the very poor compensation that foster parents get in this province, their failure to deal with environmental questions – the terrible conditions that continue to exist in our long- term care facilities are really a tragedy.

People like that, people like senior citizens who are being asked to pay more for their drugs, are looking at the money that is being spent on these bonuses because the government entered into what I consider to be an ill-advised agreement. If we take a look at the question of the Auditor General and his budget, there are some very important audits that the Auditor General is going to have to defer or cancel, things like water safety, things like food safety, things like children in care. He needs a couple of million dollars to do that.

March 18, 2009 Alberta Hansard 471 The Speaker: Alas, hon. member, the time has expired. The hon. Government House Leader. Mr. Hancock: Yes. Mr. Speaker, I’d move that we adjourn debate. [Motion to adjourn debate carried] Bill 22 Appropriation (Interim Supply) Act, 2009 Mr. Snelgrove: Mr. Speaker, it is indeed my pleasure to rise and introduce third reading of Bill 22, the Appropriation (Interim Supply) Act, 2009, so that we can probably spend, oh, I’d guess another hour on subjects completely unrelated to the content and intent of the bill.

However, if that’s the wish of the opposition, we’re more than happy to oblige. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-Currie. Mr. Taylor: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is my pleasure to rise and join debate at third read ing on Bill 22, the Appropriation (Interim Supply) Act, 2009. I think I would be remiss if I didn’t start out by saying that, of course, if the government wishes to shorten the time involved in debate on this bill or the previous bill or any other, all they have to do is not avail themselves of 29(2)(a). You don’t have to ask the question.

You won’t stretch it out by another five minutes per speech per speaker. Mr. Snelgrove: It just gets better. Mr. Taylor: It does, doesn’t it? The Minister of Transportation is having a whale of a time. Mr. Ouellette: That’s because I like asking you questions. Mr. Taylor: But on to the matter at hand, which is worth consider- ably more money than the last bill that we debated. This one’s worth about $10 b illion, and as the Premier himself pointed out in question period a few times I think this afternoon, Mr. Speaker, we’re just a couple of weeks away from the end of the 2008-2009 fiscal year.

The government clearly needs the money, or at least some of the money, a good chunk of the money, that it is asking for in Bill 22 to keep the lights on, the furnace humming until such time as it’s time to turn on the air conditioning, and the bonuses rolling while we debate the budget and pass it so that it can come into effect. 3:30 I will point out once again, Mr. Speaker – and I’ve mentioned this a couple of times – that there really is no excuse for the fact that we have not yet even heard the budget, begun debate on the budget, that we won’t hear the budget until April 7.

We came back into this House on Tuesday, February 10. If I’m wrong about this, I’d be interested to hear the minister of finance’s defence about this. We could have and should have had that budget in front of us by Tuesday, February 24, two weeks later. There was a time when we had a set of temporary standing orders – of course, they have, as you know, since lapsed – that actually specified the start date for the spring session and the fact that a budget would be brought in by the government a set period of time after that. I believe the period of time was 10 days or two weeks.

Had we followed those rules, which are not the rules currently, I’ll grant you that, we would have had the budget in front of us on February 24. Here it is March 18, and we would be well into, in fact we would be very, very nearly finished Committee of Supply debate of the budget. We’d be ready to move the budget through its final stages. We’d be ready to pass and proclaim the budget, all of that in time for the beginning of the new fiscal year. We wouldn’t need to be doing Bill 22.

But they chose to operate a different way, an inefficient way, a sort of: “Oh, you know, let’s just go along here, see how things go. We’ll get around to this eventually. We don’t really know what the price of oil is going to be. We don’t really know what the price of natural gas is going to be, don’t really have a g ood handle on the exchange rate for the fiscal year going forward.” I don’t know why we think we’ll have a better handle on all that on April 7 than we would’ve on February 24. Nevertheless, it gives us an excuse not to get down to business quite so quickly. Mr.

Speaker, I believe that later on this afternoon – and I believe that if the government had its way, it would be earlier on this afternoon – we will resume Committee of the Whole debate of Bill 18, which they are in an all-fired rush to get through this House in time for April 1, when TILMA comes into effect, so that they don’t caught with their knickers down, if that’s not unparliamentary. I didn’t intend it in that way. The Speaker: Carry on. It’s not unparliamentary. Mr. Taylor: Thank you. I’m reminded again that, you know, they’ve had plenty of time to get to work on this thing.

I don’t know what they do in the off- season. Maybe they work on their golf game down in Arizona. I don’t know what it is because they sure as heck don’t get any more efficient. Mr. Hancock: Who’s living in the past now? Mr. Taylor: I hear the Minister of Education over there chirping away like a songbird, but I’m not in the mood for birdwatching this afternoon, so I’ll just ignore him. That brings us back to Bill 22. Bill 22 asks for $10 billion in approved spending to get us through the next few weeks. Yes, I understand, Mr.

Speaker, that some of that has to be front-loaded because it’s more expensive to run a government at the beginning of the fiscal year than it is towards the end of the fiscal year. At least, that’s what they tell us at the beginning of the fiscal year. Then they come back once or twice partway through the fiscal year and ask for more money in sup supply because I guess they underestimated their ability to spend. But I digress. This is $10 billion that we’re being asked to approve, $10 billion with no explanation other than: “Well, you know what? This is the way we always do it.

We can’t explain it to you now because you’re going to have to wait for the budget.” It gives me the willies. Mr. Hehr: The willies? Mr. Taylor: Yes, the willies. The willies. It gives me the willies to consider approving this request when I look at the history of inefficiency and dawdling and goofing around involved with this government. They can’t seem to bring anything to the table in a timely fashion. It’s always at the last minute, and, gosh, we’ve got to ram this through. They either can’t organize a two-car funeral, or they’re perfectly capable of organizing a two-car funeral.

They just want to make sure that that two-car funeral is able to run a bunch of red lights without anybody having the authority or the time to work out a way to stop them. So $10 billion up for grabs, ladies and gentlemen. Have at ’er. I’m done for now. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Alberta Hansard March 18, 2009472 The Speaker: Additional participants? Actually, we have 29(2)(

a) first. Anybody want to participate? Oh, no. That’s right. We just started this one. Sorry about that. I was so befuddled there by his expressive language: knickers, willies, dawdling, and two-car funerals. There was a speech around all of that, too. The hon. Member for Calgary-Buffalo, please. Mr. Hehr: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s a pleasure to rise and enter debate on interim supply briefing.

As my colleague from Calgary- Currie surmised, this is coming at a time when we should already have a full budget prepared and have things going along in some fashion, where we’d have, then, school boards, cities, all of us here on the oppos ition benches, and everyone on the government side aware of what our plans are in this province. Then everyone could go forward and build their year accordingly and go off and do the best they can in what are, no doubt, some harder economic times.

We’ve seen many governments around Canada, including the federal government, seemingly be able to get there a little bit quicker than we have here in Alberta. You know, it even begs the question. Not really to get to whether this is going to be a stimulus budget or whether it’s going to be a status quo budget or whether it’s going to be a cutting budget: regardless of that, you know, you seem to be limiting the effect of whatever your budget is going to be, bringing it in so late. For instance, if you were going to stimulate, well, the longer you waited, the worse off it apparently is going to get.

If you were going to cut, well, I guess that time is still available, so I guess you won’t be in as much of a quandary. Nevertheless, all I’m saying is that it does limit the effectiveness of what, in fact, it’s going to be doing and what, in fact, our many boards, organizations, charities, cities are going to do that depends on budgets being brought in in a reasonable amount of time to be able to develop their plans accordingly.

In this province it’s generally the provincial government that has the gold, and a lot of times our other people are reliant on at least getting some informa- tion to them on what they can anticipate to run services to help support Albertans. I guess another point of it is the fact that this is a rather large number, $10 billion. Again, if we look at the spending that this government has done – I don’t think I’m speaking out of turn; the numbers could be higher, could be a little lower – it spends approxi- mately 24 or 23 per cent more than Ontario, some 30 points higher than British Columbia and others.

There’s no doubt there is a lot of spending going on here in Alberta. There are arguments for that. I concede some of that. Yet there seems to be a lot of stuff that when you look around and compare Alberta’s situation, the state of some of our infrastructure, the state of some of our schools, the state of our hospital wait times, for instance – you know, given the fact that we’ve had more money, spent more money, and all of this stuff, the results on what comes back should be better. In fact, I think there’s an argument to say that it’s not better.

Any of the results we get back on national standards on wait times, for instance, say that we’re in the middle of the pack. You see that whether we’re getting the value for dollar out of our spending. That is, I guess, an argument to be made. I thank you, Mr. Speaker, for allowing me to put my oar in the water, at least give some tentative comments on Bill 22, and I thank you for allowing me that time. 3:40 The Speaker: Hon. members, 29(2)(

a) is available should there be questions. There being none – two members have risen at the same time. The hon. Government House Leader. Mr. Hancock: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move that we adjourn debate. [Motion to adjourn debate carried] head: Government Bills and Orders Committee of the Whole [Mr. Cao in the chair] The Chair: The chair will now call the Committee of the Whole to order. Bill 18 Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement Implementation Statutes Amendment Act, 2009 The Chair: We will continue on amendment A2. The hon. Member for Lethbridge-East. Ms Pastoor: Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

I do want to get a few more remarks on the record from my conversation of yesterday. My amendment, I believe, is very important. I think it is an amendment that will protect demo cracy and the way this House operates. I’m asking that the entire

section 5 be amended by striking out that whole

section in Bill 18. My reasons for that are that I think that in the end this bill is ripe for a constitutional challenge. We need to withdraw the whole

section 5. It’s on page 6 of the hard copy of