Alberta Hansard — 12 March 2015, Afternoon sitting (13:30) (Legislature 28, Session 3)

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Alberta — Debates (Hansard)

Province of Alberta The 28th Legislature Third Session Alberta Hansard Thursday, March 12, 2015 Issue 19a The Honourable Gene Zwozdesky, Speaker

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

W) Bhardwaj, Hon. Naresh, Edmonton-Ellerslie (PC) Bhullar, Hon. Manmeet Singh, Calgary-Greenway (PC) Bikman, Gary, Cardston-Taber-Warner (PC) Bilous, Deron, Edmonton-Beverly-Clareview (ND), New Democrat Opposition Whip Blakeman, Laurie, Edmonton-Centre (AL), Liberal Opposition House Leader Brown, Dr. Neil, QC, Calgary-Mackay-Nose Hill (PC) Calahasen, Pearl, Lesser Slave Lake (PC) Campbell, Hon. Robin, West Yellowhead (PC) Cao, Wayne C.N., Calgary-Fort (PC) Casey, Ron, Banff-Cochrane (PC) Cusanelli, Christine, Calgary-Currie (PC) Dallas, Cal, Red Deer-South (PC) DeLong, Alana, Calgary-Bow (PC) Denis, Hon.

Jonathan, QC, Calgary-Acadia (PC), Government House Leader Dirks, Hon. Gordon, Calgary-Elbow (PC) Donovan, Ian, Little Bow (PC) Dorward, Hon. David C., Edmonton-Gold Bar (PC) Drysdale, Hon. Wayne, Grande Prairie-Wapiti (PC) Eggen, David, Edmonton-Calder (ND), New Democrat Opposition House Leader Ellis, Mike, Calgary-West (PC) Fawcett, Hon.

Kyle, Calgary-Klein (PC) Fenske, Jacquie, Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville (PC) Forsyth, Heather, Calgary-Fish Creek (W), Leader of the Official Opposition Fox, Rodney M., Lacombe-Ponoka (PC) Fraser, Rick, Calgary-South East (PC) Fritz, Yvonne, Calgary-Cross (PC) Goudreau, Hector G., Dunvegan-Central Peace-Notley (PC) Hale, Jason W., Strathmore-Brooks (PC) Hehr, Kent, Calgary-Buffalo (AL) Horne, Fred, Edmonton-Rutherford (PC) Jansen, Sandra, Calgary-North West (PC) Jeneroux, Matt, Edmonton-South West (PC) Johnson, Hon.

Jeff, Athabasca-Sturgeon-Redwater (PC) Johnson, Linda, Calgary-Glenmore (PC) Kang, Darshan S., Calgary-McCall (AL), Liberal Opposition Whip Kennedy-Glans, Donna, QC, Calgary-Varsity (PC) Khan, Hon. Stephen, St. Albert (PC) Klimchuk, Hon. Heather, Edmonton-Glenora (PC), Deputy Government House Leader Kubinec, Hon. Maureen, Barrhead-Morinville-Westlock (PC) Lemke, Ken, Stony Plain (PC), Deputy Government Whip Leskiw, Genia, Bonnyville-Cold Lake (PC) Luan, Jason, Calgary-Hawkwood (PC) Lukaszuk, Thomas A., Edmonton-Castle Downs (PC) Mandel, Hon.

Stephen, Edmonton-Whitemud (PC) Mason, Brian, Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood (ND) McAllister, Bruce, Chestermere-Rocky View (PC) McDonald, Everett, Grande Prairie-Smoky (PC) McIver, Hon. Ric, Calgary-Hays (PC) McQueen, Hon. Diana, Drayton Valley-Devon (PC) Notley, Rachel, Edmonton-Strathcona (ND), Leader of the New Democrat Opposition Oberle, Hon. Frank, Peace River (PC), Deputy Government House Leader Olesen, Cathy, Sherwood Park (PC) Olson, Hon. Verlyn, QC, Wetaskiwin-Camrose (PC) Pastoor, Bridget Brennan, Lethbridge-East (PC) Pedersen, Blake, Medicine Hat (PC) Prentice, Hon.

Jim, PC, QC, Calgary-Foothills (PC), Premier Quadri, Sohail, Edmonton-Mill Woods (PC) Quest, Dave, Strathcona-Sherwood Park (PC) Rodney, Dave, Calgary-Lougheed (PC) Rowe, Bruce, Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills (PC) Sandhu, Peter, Edmonton-Manning (PC) Sarich, Janice, Edmonton-Decore (PC) Saskiw, Shayne, Lac La Biche-St. Paul-Two Hills (W), Official Opposition House Leader Scott, Hon. Donald, QC, Fort McMurray-Conklin (PC), Deputy Government House Leader Sherman, Dr. Raj, Edmonton-Meadowlark (AL), Liberal Opposition Whip Smith, Danielle, Highwood (PC) Starke, Dr.

Richard, Vermilion-Lloydminster (PC) Stier, Pat, Livingstone-Macleod (W), Official Opposition Whip Strankman, Rick, Drumheller-Stettler (

W) Swann, Dr. David, Calgary-Mountain View (AL), Leader of the Liberal Opposition Towle, Kerry, Innisfail-Sylvan Lake (PC) VanderBurg, George, Whitecourt-Ste. Anne (PC), Government Whip Weadick, Greg, Lethbridge-West (PC) Wilson, Jeff, Calgary-Shaw (PC) Woo-Paw, Hon. Teresa, Calgary-Northern Hills (PC) Xiao, David H., Edmonton-McClung (PC) Young, Steve, Edmonton-Riverview (PC) Vacant, Battle River-Wainwright Vacant, Spruce Grove-St. Albert Party standings: Progressive Conservative: 70 Wildrose: 5 Alberta Liberal: 5 New Democrat: 4 Independent: 1 Vacant: 2 Officers and Officials of the Legislative Assembly W.J.

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

Executive Council Jim Prentice Premier, President of Executive Council, Minister of International and Intergovernmental Relations, Minister of Aboriginal Relations Naresh Bhardwaj Associate Minister of Persons with Disabilities Manmeet Singh Bhullar Minister of Infrastructure Robin Campbell President of Treasury Board and Minister of Finance Jonathan Denis Minister of Justice and Solicitor General Gordon Dirks Minister of Education David Dorward Associate Minist er of Aboriginal Relations Wayne Drysdale Minister of Transportation Kyle Fawcett Minister of Environment and Sustainable Resource Development Jeff Johnson Minister of Seniors Stephen Khan Minister of Service Alberta Heather Klimchuk Minister of Human Services Maureen Kubinec Minister of Culture and Tourism Stephen Mandel Minister of Health Ric McIver Minister of Jobs, Skills, Training and Labour Diana McQueen Minister of Municipal Affairs Frank Oberle Minister of Energy Verlyn Olson Minister of Agri culture and Rural Development Donald Scott Minister of Innovation and Advanced Education Teresa Woo-Paw Associate Minister of Asia Pacific Relations

STANDING AND SPECIAL COMMITTEES OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ALBERTA Standing Committee on Alberta’s Economic Future Chair: Mr. Amery Deputy Chair: Mr. Stier Barnes Dallas Eggen Fox Hehr Kennedy-Glans Luan McDonald Quadri Rogers Rowe Sarich Towle Standing Committee on the Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund Chair: Mr. Casey Deputy Chair: Mrs. Jablonski Amery Barnes Ellis Lukaszuk Mason Sherman Smith Standing Committee on Families and Communities Chair: Ms Olesen Deputy Chair: Mr.

Barnes Cusanelli Eggen Fenske Fox Fritz Leskiw Pedersen Quest Rodney Sandhu Strankman Swann Weadick Standing Committee on Legislative Offices Chair: Mr. Jeneroux Deputy Chair: Dr. Brown Blakeman DeLong Eggen Leskiw Quadri Saskiw Strankman Wilson Young Special Standing Committee on Members’ Services Chair: Mr. Zwozdesky Deputy Chair: Mr. VanderBurg Forsyth Fritz Hale Johnson, L. Lukaszuk Mason McDonald Sherman Strankman Standing Committee on Private Bills Chair: Mrs.

Leskiw Deputy Chair: Ms Cusanelli Allen Barnes Bilous Brown DeLong Fenske Fritz Jablonski Olesen Rowe Stier Swann Xiao Standing Committee on Privileges and Elections, Standing Orders and Printing Chair: Mr. Luan Deputy Chair: Mr. Rogers Bilous Calahasen Casey Ellis Kang Olesen Pastoor Pedersen Rodney Saskiw Starke Stier Wilson Standing Committee on Public Accounts Chair: Mr. Saskiw Deputy Chair: Mr. Young Allen Anderson Anglin Barnes Bilous Donovan Hehr Horne Jansen Jeneroux Luan Pastoor Sarich Standing Committee on Resource Stewardship Chair: Mr. Goudreau Deputy Chair: Mr.

Strankman Allen Bikman Blakeman Brown Calahasen Cao Fraser Hale Johnson, L. Mason Stier Xiao Young

March 12, 2015 Alberta Hansard 599 Legislative Assembly of Alberta Title: Thursday, March 12, 2015 1:30 p.m. 1:30 p.m. Thursday, March 12, 2015 [The Speaker in the chair] head: Prayers The Speaker: Good afternoon, everyone. Let us pray. Dear Lord, help us to be mindful shepherds of this great province in a manner that protects and preserves it for generations ahead of us, as was done by those generations who preceded us. Amen.

Please be seated. head: Statement by the Speaker 14th Anniversary of Elected Members The Speaker: Hon. members, just before we go t o Introduction of Visitors, may I take a moment to bring to your attention that we are celebrating a special 14 -year anniversary of members who were elected 14 years ago to this Assembly. After I’ve read all four names, could we join in a thunderous round of accolade to each and every one of them: the hon. Member for Calgary -Bow, the hon. Member for Dunvegan-Central Peace-Notley, the hon. Member for Edmonton-Castle Downs, and the hon. Member for Whitecourt-Ste. Anne.

Would you, all four, please rise so we can thank you for your service. head: Introduction of Visitors Ms Woo-Paw: Mr. Speaker, I rise to introduce to you and through you to the members of this Assembly the delegation from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations: His Excellency To Anh Dung, ambassador from Vietnam; Her Excellency Petronila Garcia, ambassador from the Philippines; His Excellency Dr. Teuku Faizasyah, ambassador from Indonesia, and his spouse, Mrs. Faizasyah; His Excellency Vijavat Isarabhakdi, ambassador from Thailand to Canada; and Mr.

Sukri Sharbini, Acting High Commissioner of Brunei Darussalam. The ambassadors and members of the delegation here today are committed to strengthening the ties between Alberta and Southeast Asia. They are here to meet with various ministers and in stitutions as well as to have a tour of the Industrial Heartland tomorrow. Mr. Speaker, the 10 countries that make up ASEAN represent one of the most dynamic and fast growing areas of the world, with a combined GDP of $2.5 trillion and a population of 600 million, with a rich culture and tremendous economic potential.

This is a relationship that Albertans value, and the ambassadors’ visit is a great opportunity to strengthen our existing ties while exploring new opportunities together. Our esteemed guests are in your gallery, and I now ask all of my colleagues in the Assembly to give them the warm welcome of the House. The Speaker: Welcome to all of you. Thank you. head: Introduction of Guests The Speaker: Hon. Minister of Culture and Tourism, you have some special guests here in the gallery as well. Please proceed. Ms Kubinec: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is my great pleasure to rise today and introduce to you and through you to the members of this Assembly representatives from Alberta’s francophone community who are here today in celebration of the 17th annual Les Rendez-vous de la Francophonie. Events like today are supported by members of Alberta’s French -speaking community, which includes l’Association ca nadienne-française de l’Alberta and la Fédération des parents francophones de l’Alberta. In the Speaker’s gallery today are representatives from those organizations: representing the French Canadian Association of Alberta, Mr.

Jean Johnson, president of l ’ACFA, and Ms Isabelle Laurin, executive director; representing the Federation of Francophone Parents, Ms Claudine Lajoie, president. With them are some of the staff members from my ministry, the Francophone Secretariat, which continues to support Alberta’ s French-speaking community: Mrs. Denise Lavallée and Mrs. Julie Lussier, community liaison officers. Best wishes for a wonderful celebration. I ask all of them to please rise and receive the traditional warm welcome. The Speaker: Merci beaucoup, et bienvenue à tous.

Let us move on to other important groups, starting with school groups, Calgary-Glenmore, followed by Strathcona Sherwood Park. Ms L. Johnson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is with great delight that I introduce to you and through you to all members of the Assembly the students from Nellie McClung school. This vibrant community school in Calgary-Glenmore has students who, besides doing their classroom work, write their own plays, and some of them have even interviewed me about the Calgary sou thwest ring road.

They are joined today by their helpers and teachers: Ms Carla Samuelson, Jaclyn Schmitz, Joanna Yu, Gord Hamby, and Rich Baverstock. I ask the students to rise and receive the traditional warm welcome of the Assembly. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Strathcona-Sherwood Park , followed by Red Deer-South. Mr. Quest: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. It gives me great pleasure to introduce to you and through you to all the members of this Assembly 61 of Strathcona county’s brightest and best grade 6 students from the Fultonvale school. They’re accompanied today by their teachers Ms Cindy Jackson and Mr.

Jason Jefferies and a number of parent helpers: Mrs. Bonnie Stiegelman, Mrs. Twyla LaLonde, Mrs. Rachelle McElheran, Mrs. Laura Mihailides, Ms Tianna Mapstone, and Mrs. Marnie Veltri. If I could get you all to rise, please – they’re seated in the public gallery – and receive the traditional warm welcome of this Assembly. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Red Deer-South. Mr. Dallas: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am pleased to introduce to you and through you to the members of the Assembly a group of students, parents, and teachers from Westpark middle school in Red Deer.

Unfortunately, they’re not in the gallery right at this moment. They’re participating in a guided tour of the Legislature, and they’ll have an opportunity to observe the members of this House at 2 p.m. today. I really hope that these students are enjoying their Legislature experience. I’d like to thank the teachers and parent helpers here today and would like to acknowledge them: Mr. Norm Howes, Mrs. Laurie Shapka Thiel, Mrs. Kimberly Streit, Mr. Corey Hunter, and Barb Wooff. If you’d please join me in welcoming them here to the Legislature. The Speaker: Are there other school groups?

Seeing no one indicating that there are, let us proceed with other important guests, starting with the Minister of Environment and

600 Alberta Hansard March 12, 2015 Sustainable Resource Development, followed by Fort Saskatchewan- Vegreville. Your guests are not here yet? Let us move on, then, to Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville, followed by Calgary-Lougheed. Ms Fenske: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is my pleasure to introduce to you and through you to all members of the Assembly Mr. Nick Chrapko, Mrs. Ruby Kassian, and Li Giebelhaus. These individuals are from Vegreville, right in the heart of my constituency.

They are here today to advocate for a petition to end daylight saving time that I will be tabling later in this House, and it’s the most appropriate week, of course, to put this petition forward. This group is led and inspired by Ruby and was developed because of concerns about the detriment that it can have on people. I would ask that they all rise and that they would be greeted with the traditional warm greeting of this Assembly. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary -Lougheed, followed by Calgary-Mountain View. Mr. Rodney: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is indeed a pleasure to introduce three inspirational Albertans representing 1835 House, Recovery Acres Society, in Calgary. I first visited 1835 H ouse a decade ago as chair of AADAC and last year as Associate Minister of Wellness, so I’ve seen first -hand the miracles that these fine people work every day. Gerry Melsted became the executive director of 1835 House last October, after serving for well over a decade on the society’s board. Rob Laird is the director of fund development, a former RCMP officer, a champion of those struggling with addiction and homelessness and other social issues.

Rob was instrumental in the start-up of the Calgary Dream Centre and the Calgary drug treatment court and has travelled inter - nationally to speak to youth about the perils of addiction. 1:40 And, finally, everyone will recognize Jamie Salé, 2001 world champion, 2002 Olympic gold medalist, and inductee into the Skate Canada and the Canadian Olympic halls of fame. Jamie and her husband, Craig Simpson, enjoy supporting the work of many Alberta charities, lending their star power, including to 1835 House. Mr.

Speaker, our guests are indeed in the members’ gallery, and I ask them now to stand to receive the traditional thunderous ovation of this Assembly. The Speaker: Thank you. Let us move on to the hon. Member for Calgary-Mountain View, leader of the Liberal opposition, followed by Bonnyville-Cold Lake. Dr. Swann: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. It gives me great pleasure today to introduce to you and all the Legislative Assembly a very extraordinary Edmontonian, Mr. Harpreet Gill.

Harpreet is a 28-year-old professional, a graduate in business administration, an advocate for his community, cofounder of a community magazine. He is an active volunteer on social, humanitarian, and political issues. He has organized fundraisers for humanitarian causes and supports progressive public representatives. He is fluent in fiv e languages and is a committed Liberal. He has served as Edmonton regional chair for the Alberta Liberal Party and is still serving as Edmonton regional chair for the Liberal Party of Canada. Now he is the Alberta Liberal Party candidate for your seat, Mr.

Speaker, Edmonton-Mill Creek. Please give him a warm welcome. The Speaker: Thank you. The hon. Member for Bonnyville -Cold Lake , followed by the Minister of Jobs, Skills, Training and Labour. Mrs. Leskiw: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I rise to introduce to you and through you to all members of this Assembly two gentlemen with the Alberta Irrigation Projects Association who are here today to show the support of the irrigation community for Bill 13, an amendment to the Fisheries (Alberta) Act.

Invasive aquatic species, if they were to get into our irrigation system, would cause untold damage to both the infrastructure and the well -being of Albertans, to agriculture, and to our quality of life. Mr. Ronald McMullin from Lethbridge is the executive director of the Alberta Irrigation Projects Association and has served agriculture for more than 20 years, working to strengthen Alberta’s irrigation community and ensure that Alberta water sources are used wisely. W ith him today is no stranger to many of you long - serving members, Mr.

Jim Dau, who, among the many hats he wears, is the project manager of AIPA’s thanks -to-irrigation program. Jim worked here in the Legislature for many years as a communications director for the late Premier Ralph Klein. Ron and Jim are seated in the members’ gallery, and I would ask them now to stand and receive the traditional warm welcome of the House. The Speaker: The hon. Minister of Jobs, Skills, Training and Labour, followed by Edmonton-Mill Woods. Mr. McIver: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is my pleasure to introduce to you and through you to all members of the Assembly Ms Tammy Burke, councillor for the town of Rocky Mountain House. I’ve had the pleasure to know Ms Burke for some time, and we caught up again this morning at the AUMA’s MLA breakfast. Rocky Mountain House is fortunate to have such a hard -working and passionate representative. I ask the members of the Assembly today to give the traditional warm welcome to Ms Burke. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Mill Woods. Mr. Quadri: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is my pleasure to rise today and introduce to you and through you to all members of this Assembly two exceptional members of the community, very accomplished gentlemen, and this is their first time watching the QP. I will introduce to you Mr. Mansoor Hussain, who is a petroleum engineer and working in Dubai, accompanied by his father and my dear friend, Dr. Naqvi. I would ask you to please rise and receive the warm traditional welcome of this Assembly. The Speaker: Thank you. head: Members’ Statements The Speaker: The hon.

Member for Dunvegan -Central Peace- Notley, as with everyone else, will be given two minutes for his statement, and I believe there is a translation on your desks. Please proceed. Les Rendez-vous de la Francophonie Mr. Goudreau: Merci, M. le Président. Chaque année, au mois de mars, nous en profitons pour mettre en évidence l’un des peuples fondateurs et l’un des groupes linguistiques les plus importants de notre province, la communauté francophone. Les Rendez-vous de la Francophonie est une célébration de deux semaines qui reconnait et célèbre notre patrimoine francophone, qui fait

partie de notre province depuis les premiers jours de la colonisation jus qu’à aujourd’hui, où la population de la langue française est l’un des groupes les plus dynamiques en Alberta. Cette célébration a débuté le 6 mars avec des cérémonies du lever du drapeau dans toute la province et culminera le 20 mars lors de la

March 12, 2015 Alberta Hansard 601 Journée internationale de la Francophonie, célébrée dans plus de 70 pays à travers le monde. M. le Président, les Rendez-vous de la Francophonie est une occasion de rassembler les gens pour célébrer la francophonie albertaine par la musique, les festivals et d’autr es événements culturels. Les francophones et nonfrancophones albertains peuvent participer à un grand nombre d’événements à travers la province. De Bonnyville à Grande Prairie, de Lac La Biche à Lethbridge, et partout ailleurs dans la province il y a une communauté francophone fière qui célébrera la joie de vivre.

Compte tenu les plus de 238,000 Albertains qui parlent le français et les plus de 390,000 Albertains d’origine française, il ne fait aucun doute que la culture francophone est une

partie vivante et intégrale de notre province. Au fur et à mesure que l’Alberta continue de croître, il est important de se rappeler que notre province est un merveilleux endroit pour vivre, travailler et élever une famille. C’est un endroit qui accueille et célèbre la d iversité culturelle et linguistique qui enrichit notre qualité de vie et contribue à développer des collectivités dynamiques et inclusives. M. le Président, mes remerciements à vous et aux membres de cette Assemblée pour leur soutien continu de cette célébration annuelle de nos communautés francophones. Merci. [Translation] Mr.

Speaker, every year in March we take the opportunity to highlight one of the founding peoples and one of the important linguistic groups in our province, the francophone community. The Rendez-vous de la Francophonie is a two-week long celebration that honours our francophone heritage, which has been a part of our province since the earliest days of settlement to today, where the French -speaking population is one of the fastest growing groups in Alberta.

This celebration kicked off on March 6 with flag -raising ceremonies taking place throughout the province and will culminate on March 20, which is la Journée internationale de la Francophonie, International Francophonie Day, celebrat ed in more than 70 countries around the world. The Rendez -vous is an opportunity to bring people together to celebrate Alberta’s Francophonie through music, festivals, and other cultural events. Francophone and non- Francophone Albertans can participate in a number of events across the province.

From Bonnyville to Grande Prairie, Lac La Biche to Lethbridge, and every town and city in between there is a proud francophone community that will be celebrating the joie de vivre, the act of joyful living that enhances our lives. With more than 238,000 Albertans who speak French and over 390,000 Albertans of French descent, there is no doubt that francophone culture is a vibrant and integral part of our province. As Alberta continues to grow, it is important for us to remember that our province is a wonderful place to work, live, and to raise a family.

It is a place that embraces and celebrates the cultural and linguistic diversity that enriches our quality of life and contributes to vibrant and inclusive communities. Mr. Speaker, my thanks to you and all the members of this Assembly for their continued support for this annual celebration of our francophone communities. [As submitted] The Speaker: Thank you. The hon. leader of the Liberal Party. Martha and Henry’s Children and Grandchildren Dr. Swann: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Decades ago Premier Ralph Klein introduced us to Martha and Henry.

This session the Alberta Liberals will focus on Martha and Henry’s kids and grandkids. Their priorities are our prior ities. As we enter into what will be one of the most important legislative sessions in decades, Alberta Liberals will be talking about Martha and Henry’s kids and their grandkids, the generation that has grown up since. They are the people who are now suff ering due to the recurring financial crisis in Alberta. This, of course, has been brought on by a failed financial policy that has spent all of Alberta’s wealth in one generation. These are my kids and yours.

They are parents working hard to look after the ir families. In this legislative session Alberta Liberals will still provide trusted leadership, standing up for these families. As I go out and around the province, this generation, Martha and Henry’s kids and their grandkids, are struggling, and they’re worried. They’ve worked hard in good times and bad and in some cases have succeeded despite the PCs’ poor policies. But many others are suffering, with limited resources and deficient social supports.

They’re disappointed with a government that does not reflect their progressive values, that ignores the communities by not building the schools and repairing the hospitals, that is failing them, their parents, and their children. Alberta Liberals will stand up for progressive values of equality and human rights, that have defined this generation. Women should not be paid only 63 per cent of what men make for work of the same value. Young parents and mothers, in particular, deserve choice and access to child care and early childhood development opportunities.

We will talk about the need for an aggressive urban agenda. A big-city charter is needed now. Martha and Henry’s kids have watched their children’s class sizes grow larger, school fees skyrocket, access to postsecondary education go down, and hospitals in our communities crumble. Alberta Liberals . . . The Speaker: Thank you, hon. member. Let us move on to Lesser Slave Lake. I think we can squeeze in one more before the time. Adolph and Mary Huculak 65th Anniversary Ms Calahasen: Thank you. How many of us in this House can say that we’ve seen 65 years of age? Maybe a few.

But to be married 65 years is a long time, in my view, but truly inspiring. I’m so lucky to have the pleasure of knowing two wonderful people who have been marri ed that long and are still together, Adolph and Mary Huculak. Their exciting story goes back to February 11, 1950, when they got married and professed their undying love for one another at St. Alphonsus church here in Edmonton. By June 5, 1951, they had moved to Kinuso, where Mary, a registered nurse, dedicated her life to working with First Nations peoples and to the children of the Joussard mission.

Adolph spent many years working for the Chapel of Memories funeral home in High Prairie. They had seven children. On top of this immense shared labour of love, they managed to thrive as a farming family, in fact cultivating land up to 2013, when they moved to High Prairie. 1:50 They have shared plenty of exciting moments together, a few they wanted me to shar e with Albertans, like in 1984, when Mary received the Serving Sisters of St. John award from the Governor General, Mme Jeanne Sauvé. That same year Adolph shook hands with Pope John Paul II in Fort Simpson in the Northwest Territories.

These once-in-a-lifetime experiences and accomplishments are just indicative of the remarkable life Mary and Adolph are continuing to share together. They’re a unit that Albertans everywhere can take inspiration from because Alberta’s strength

602 Alberta Hansard March 12, 2015 grows out of the fortitude of the families that call this province home. The Huculaks enshrine this perfectly as it is encapsulated in their 65 years together. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I extend my most heartfelt congratulations to Mary and Adolph Huculak, and I would encourage all hon. members to do the same. Thank you. head: Statement by the Speaker Timers in Question Period The Speaker: Hon. members, we’ll start the question period in 30 seconds.

However, I want to just tell you that the clock and the computer at the Clerk’s table were malfunctioning on Tuesday and partly on Wednesday, and that led to some serious time violations of our 35-second rule. It also prevented us from getting the Blues when we wanted them, just so you’re aware. Yesterday we did much better. There were just about 10 or so that went a couple of seconds over, but on Tuesday some had gone 10, 15 seconds longer. So we all bear some responsibility for the clock and the computer.

However, they have been fixed, so let’s see if we can do better today. head: Oral Question Period The Speaker: Let us start, then, with the recognition of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition leader. First main set of questions. Mrs. Forsyth: I’ll try, Mr. Speaker. Health Facility Infrastructure Mrs. Forsyth: Every year Alberta Health Services puts together an objective list of infrastructure priorities that it submits to the government, and every year ministers of Health have ignored most of these high-priority requests.

Now, it seems that this Minister of Health, under a Premier who promised to do things differently, is making health care decisions in the exact same way. Cardston, Strathmore, Wainwright, Red Deer, Fort McMurray: those are all the places that AHS says are a priority. Minister, why are they being ignored by your government if not for purely political reasons? Mr. Mandel: Mr. Speaker, this government is investing throughout the province. We’re investing money in the South Health Campus, in the Kaye Edmonton clinic, in Fort McMurray, in Lethbridge, in Medicine Hat , everywhere.

We’re investing money to improve health care for our residents throughout Alberta. That’s a passion for this Premier and for this minister. Mrs. Forsyth: Now, Mr. Speaker, we’re obviously getting close to campaign time, and I say this because a sure sign of an election is the precampaign promises to the people of Whitecourt again for a new hospital. It happens every four years, going back as far as 1993. That promise was repeated again by the Minister of Health just a few weeks ago. Now, what I find curious, Minister, is why you would make that commitment when, according to AHS, Whitecourt is not a priority.

Can you please explain to me the disconnect? Mr. Mandel: Mr. Speaker, priorities are set by Alberta Health Services, by Alberta Health, bu t also by the residents of this province and the needs that they have. Whitecourt has been in need of a hospital for a long time, and we’ll work with that community to build one. Thank you. Mrs. Forsyth: No, Minister. No, Minister, and I’ll share the FOIP with you that clearly lists the priorities. Yesterday the Minister of Education claimed that he never played politics with schools, and today the Minister of Health says that he’s never played politics with health.

The Ethics Commissioner says that the Education minister did play politics with schools. Now we see the government making health care promises to areas where it needs to curry favours. Meanwhile mould at the Foothills is ignored, the Misericordia is falling apart, and sewage issues in Wainwright threaten the entire facility. Minister, are you really going to stand here and tell . . . The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Mandel: Mr. Speaker, this government is investing about $200 million over a three -year period to invest in the rehabilitation of hospitals.

Yes, I say that there are issues we need to fix, but we are fixing them. We’re working hard across the province to invest i n the future of Albertans and our health care system. The Speaker: Second main set of questions. The hon. opposition leader. School Construction Mrs. Forsyth: The Education minister said in an interview yesterday that construction is a big word. You see, construction, to the minister, can include just about anything outside of actually putting shovels in the ground, having concrete poured, or walls being framed.

You have to excuse Albertans for not connecting empty fields and $10,000 signs with construction. Minister, you’ve seen the photos of the 38 schools you said are being built. The vast majority are empty fields. Can the minister explain to Albertans how you define construction? The Speaker: The hon. Minister of Infrastructure. Mr. Bhullar: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. We have chosen to use a very transparent process to allow the public to see where our various school projects are at. Once a contract is awarded, for the purposes of our recordkeeping that is in construction phase.

I can assure the member opposite and all Albertans that once a contract is signed, it’s the responsibility of the construction companies to move forward and to start digging in a very short period of time. The vast majority of these schools will be worked on . . . The Speaker: Thank you. Let’s move on to the supplemental. Mrs. Forsyth: Minister, Albertans know what construction is. It’s not planning studies, it’s not engineering reports, and it’s not asking for permits. That’s the planning and tendering phase.

When the minister was asked if the schools will be ready in 2016, he said that he’s committed to timelines while school boards are saying: we’ll be lucky to have students move in by 2017. Minister, will you be honest with Albertans and tell them that you will not be a ble to make those timelines? Mr. Bhullar: Mr. Speaker, the fact remains that the phase 1 school projects were announced in 2011, and they opened in 2014, when they were supposed to. The phase 2 projects were announced in 2013, and they will open, the vast majority of them, as described from day one, in 2016 as planned. It’s that simple.

The members opposite can go and ensure that these projects are moving. I have construction start dates. For example, Archbishop O’Leary school . . .

March 12, 2015 Alberta Hansard 603 The Speaker: We’ll hear more examples later if you like. Meanwhile I have to recognize the hon. member for her second supplemental. Mrs. Forsyth: Thank you. This minister has been at the centre of playing politics with our schools since he got the job. He’s the man who was scolde d by the Ethics Commissioner for his blatant political opportunism, buying a seat before putting the needs of families first. I’ve been around a long time, and I’ve seen this play before: promise everything to everyone before an election, only to not keep your promises. There is no doubt you’re behind

schedule on almost all of these schools. Why won’t you do the honest thing, come out and admit it? Mr. Bhullar: Mr. Speaker, I really don’t know where the member opposite gets those facts from. I just am glad that they don’t have the ability to construct a budget because with those types of loose figures, I don’t think they would really serve the people of Alberta very well. The fact remains that 108 schools will be open in 2016 as committed to. The members opposite can see the progress.

We have had an unprecedented level of transparency in allowing the public to see when something is contracted and moving forward. The Speaker: Thank you. Let’s move on to the third main set of questions. Livingstone - Macleod. Flood Mitigation Mr. Stier: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Like many others, I was shocked to read the Auditor General’s report yesterday. More than two years after the floods of 2013 this report says that this tired PC government has no real plan in place for effective flood mitigation.

Among other things, the AG chastised this government for not having up-to-date flood maps, not having adequate risk assessment processes, and not having systems to assess the cumulative effects of mitigation projects. In short, an overall lack of due diligence is taking place. To the minister: why aren’t you taking the proper steps . . . The Speaker: Thank you. Let’s hear from the minister. Mr. Fawcett: Mr. Speaker, this government has acted quite swiftly in the aftermath of the floods to undertake important risk-mitigation strategies such as building flood mitigation.

This government has invested well over a hundred million dollars in the flood erosion control program. We’ve announced a program, and you will see money in the budget for the Alberta community resiliency program, and we’ve continued to work with affected stakeholders along the Elbow rivershed and the Highwood rivers hed on large flood mitigation projects. The Speaker: Thank you. First supplemental. 2:00 Mr. Stier: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well, last year in High River this government paid for two costly engineering reports on diversion plans, spent $30 million on flood mitigation projects, and now realizes that these original reports are in fact not acceptable. This stems, actually, from a third report from a company called Deltares, which has now been accepted as a preferred solution. Now, we all know we need to get to the right result here, but thorough, proven planning is part of that process.

To the minister: has all this wasted time and money in High River due to apparent poor planning put this community at any added risk for this upcoming flood season? Mr. Fawcett: Mr. Speaker, there have been hundreds of millions of dollars invested by this government working with the town of High River on the berms and dikes in High River to protect that community. That is action. The majority of that money was in place for last year’s flood season, and we are continuing to enhance this.

These are very complex issues that inclu de impacts on upstream and downstream landowners and communities, of which there are also serious environmental impacts. We need to make sure we get this right. But we have moved, and we have seen action on this item. The Speaker: Thank you. Mr. Stier: Yeah, well, the same government recently proposed another theoretical diversion project in Springbank. When this plan goes forward, it will render acres and acres of rich farmland, prime development property, to a point of sterilization and leave Bragg Creek actually unprotected.

We all want to protect our communities, but the Auditor General’s report is clear. Not only does this government not have a plan; it doesn’t even have the tools and capacity to make a plan. To the minister: what different steps are you taking to ensure that this Springbank project won’t end up like the costly projects in High River that are now being replaced? Mr. Fawcett: Mr.

Speaker, first this member is arguing that we aren’t taking action, and then he’s arguing that we shouldn’t be taking on action for a project that makes the most sense based on all the studies and materials that we’ve been able to gather up to this point. This Premier has been very clear. It’s time for action. All of the studies and feasibility studies and environmental assessments that have been done suggest the best plan to protect the communities in Calgary from flooding is the development of the Springbank reservoir, and we’re moving forward with that project. The Speaker: Thank you. The hon.

Member for Edmonton-Centre, followed by Edmonton- Strathcona. Gay-straight Alliances in Schools Ms Blakeman: Thanks very much, Mr. Speaker. The Council of Catholic School Superintendents of Alberta’s new LIFE Framework document references

section 11.1 of the Alberta Human Rights Act. Now, this

section was repealed by Bill 10, but the same wording is essentially found and repeated in both the School Act and the Education Act. Can the Minister of Education confirm that the notice and opt -out only apply to instructional materials, programs, and courses of study, not to student groups, including GSAs, held outside of class? Mr. Dirks: The member opposite is correct. Ms Blakeman: You know how much I love that. All right. Back to the same minister.

The concern is that the parental opt-out clause is written into this LIFE Framework, so if a GSA student group was requested or a student wanted to join, the parent would be notified. For some kids home is not a safe place, and now they would have been outed by the school to their parents. What is the Minister of Education’s strategy to make sure that we don’t end up with more homeless LGBT kids that have been kicked out or left their homes? The Speaker: The hon. Minister of Education.

604 Alberta Hansard March 12, 2015 Mr. Dirks: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the member opposite for the question. Bill 10 is a bill that we all supported because we very much want to see children provided with a safe, caring, respectful, inclusive environment. Under Bill 10 there is no requirement for parental notification or consent for a student to participate in a GSA. These are voluntary student organizations. Ms Blakeman: Good. You know, Mr. Speaker, I believe that most people will obey the new law, but a few will try to get around it.

What strategy does the Minister of Education have in place if school administrations lean on or, let’s say, use very strong persuasion to students so that they won’t start a GSA or call it a GSA? What’s in place? Mr. Dirks: Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for the question. Of course, we expect that our professional staff in schools will act professionally, in the best interest of children. They have the duty of care for those children, and I would anticipate that they would follow that duty-of-care expectation. The Speaker: Thank you. The hon. leader of the ND opposition.

Member for Edmonton-Ellerslie Ms Notley: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today it has been reported that in two separate statutory declarations allegations have been made about the Member for Edmonton-Ellerslie , which include involvement in a $10,000 bribe. Now, while none of these allegations have been proven, this behavior could amount to a breach of the Criminal Code. My question is to the Premier. Given the serious nature of these allegations, will he ask the associate minister of his cabinet to step aside until . . .

The Speaker: Hon. member, I don’t know where you’re going with this, but if this is something to do with internal party matters, then it ought not be raised here. I don’t know what it is. Is there anyone on the front bench that wishes to comment? The hon. Minister of Justice. Mr. Denis: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. The leader of the fourth party has talked about some very serious allegations, but they are just that, allegations that have not been proven. It’s not appropriate to be commenting based on speculation. The Speaker: First supplemental, I guess. Ms Notley: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Indeed, as the Solicitor General rightly notes, these allegations have not been proven, but they are very serious, and they’re not at all dissimilar from allegations which are under investigat ion by the police in Ontario. As a result, good leadership would suggest that one not duck and dodge but, rather, that one take a cautious, judicious approach which recognizes the potential conflict of interest between a member of the cabinet and the best interests of the Alberta public. As such, will the Premier ask that member to step aside from cabinet?

The Speaker: I’m not sure where you’re going with this, hon. member, but if it turns out that this is an internal party matter, then we’ll have to have a discussion. In the meantime is there someone who wishes to try and answer to whatever this allegation is? Try and connect it to government policy or government programs or government services if you would. Mr. Denis: Mr. Speaker, there is no connection apparent here, and I would say the same answer from the first exchange. Ms Notley: Well, Mr. Speaker, again I ask. Statutory declarations have been made that allege criminal behavior.

Will the Solicitor General appoint a special prosecutor to be seized of this matter as it progresses and as resolution of these allegations progress? Mr. Denis: Mr. Speaker, once again, I’m not aware of any investigation by any law enforcement agency, but even if there was, it would be improper for me to comment on a live investigation. The Speaker: Neither am I. Let us move on. The hon. Member for Calgary -Mountain View, followed by Sherwood Park. Childhood Immunization Dr. Swann: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday both the Education and He alth ministers agreed that vaccines save lives.

They’re in good company because the World Health Organization, the Public Health Agency of Canada, and the chief medical officer of Alberta all agree. Clearly, there’s no problem with the science, but when pressed to show real, progressive leadership, all this government said was that more consultation is needed. If the science is so clear, who exactly does the Minister of Education need to consult? Mr. Dirks: Mr. Speaker, I would simply say that there are no regulations or other requirements that Education imposes on school boards relating to compulsory vaccinations.

The administration of vaccinations in schools is between Alberta Health in co -ordination with school boards. The Speaker: Thank you. First supplemental. Dr. Swann: Well, thanks, Mr. Speaker. My next question is to the Health minister. It sounds to me like the PCs just want to kick the can down the road, perhaps until after an election, but we have an opportunity to require this now. The only thing lacking is real, progressive leadership for Martha and Henry’s grandchildren.

Will the minister assure us that our kids and grandkids will be protected by implementing a mandatory vaccination before school resumes in the fall? Mr. Mandel: Mr. Speaker, I t hank the hon. member for the question. We urge parents to immunize their children. We think it’s very important. Immunizations save lives. Again, it’s very important. It protects our children, our communities, reduces the burden on our health system. But, again, we’re not going to mandate it. Dr. Swann: Well, Mr.

Speaker, given that children with compromised immune systems and others may be risking their lives by attending school, by visiting the park, or going elsewhere because the cadre of children is not vaccinated, how long will you allow unimmunized children to attend school before there’s a public health crisis? Mr. Mandel: Mr. Speaker, I just recently said how important we believe vaccinations are, how we encourage parents to do it, how the school board encourages parents to do it, but again it is a parental decision. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Sherwood Park, followed by Edmonton-Beverly-Clareview.

March 12, 2015 Alberta Hansard 605 2:10 Education Funding Ms Olesen: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Many of my constituents in Sherwood Park, especially parents with school -aged children, are concerned about the impact of the current fiscal situation on students. Af ter all, despite the current fiscal challenge, a well - funded K to 12 education system is vital to ensuring the long -term success of our province and young Albertans.

To the Minister of Education: what assurances can this government give to my constituents to show the commitment to ensuring our education system remains well funded in light of the current fiscal situation? The Speaker: The hon. Minister of Education. Mr. Dirks: I thank the member for the question and thank you, Mr. Speaker. We take our respon sibility for supporting our students very seriously, and we’re committed to funding education services in a fiscally prudent manner. In the 2014- 15 school year we have invested nearly $38 million every day for students who are in our schools.

In light of t he current economic situation, obviously, difficult choices will have to be made by school boards and by government. The Speaker: The hon. member. Ms Olesen: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the same minister: how will this government address the need for our sc hool boards to receive stable and predictable funding? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Dirks: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. One of this government’s top priorities is education, of course, and preparing our children for the future. We will continue to invest in schools and in school facilities in a fiscally prudent manner.

I have been tasked with implementing a plan for long-term, stable, predictable funding. School authorities have asked for stable funding, and we will do our best to deliver, of course, within available resources. The Speaker: The hon. member. Ms Olesen: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the same minister: what steps is government taking to ensure that funding for education reaches those that matter the most, our students? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Dirks: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We believe that school authorities, our school boards, are in the best position to allocate resources based on the student needs and local priorities. In fact, I don’t know if members are aware of this, but almost 98 per cent of the current Education budget goes directly to school authorities, to school boards, to ensure that local priorities and student needs are being met. The Speaker: Thank you. Hon. Member for Edmonton-Highlands -Norwood, I understand you are going next in place of Edmonton-Beverly -Clareview, followed by Lethbridge-East. Tailings Pond Dam Safety Mr. Mason: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

Yesterday the Auditor General issued a scathing report on dam safety in our province, telling us that the majority of coal mine tailings ponds have not been inspected by ESRD since the ’90s and others not since the ’80s. We also found out recently that the Obed mine dam that failed, spilling billions of litres of coal slurry from a pond of toxic sludge containing arsenic, mercury, and lead into the Athabasca River, wasn’t even monitored or included on the registry of dams. If it looks like a dam, holds water like a dam, and has the risks of a dam . . . The Speaker: Thank you.

Now let’s hear the answer from the Minister of Environment and Sustainable Resource Development. Mr. Fawcett: Mr. Speaker, Albertans can be confident that their dams in this province are built, maintained, and operated in a safe manner that is aligned with internati onal and national standards. I can tell you that Albertans can have confidence in the public safety of Alberta’s dams; however, we know, in accordance with the Auditor General’s report, that we must improve the transparency through more effective record keeping and reporting. The Speaker: First supplemental. Mr. Mason: Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker. Well, thank heavens for the Auditor General. That’s all I can say. When we raised this matter in the House at the time to the minister, now the Minister of Municipal Affairs, she failed to disclose that this tailings pond’s dam was not even on the department’s registry and that there is no evidence of an inspection whatsoever. Given that this is either deception by omission or gross incompetence, will the minister tell us which it is? Mr. Fawcett: Mr.

Speaker, if the hon. member doesn’t want to take my word for just how safe our dams are, I’d like to read a quote from an internationally recognized professor at the University of Alberta, Norbert Morgenstern, who is a geotechnical engineer. He has said in documents that he’s produced that it’s the view of the writer that “dam safety systems applied to the Alberta oil sands industry are the best in the world.” And I’ll table . . . The Speaker: Final supplemental. Mr. Mason: Thanks very much, Mr. Speaker.

Well, if the dams in Alberta are as safe as the minister is claiming, why did the Obed mine break, spilling billions of tonnes of toxic sludge into the Athabasca River and killing millions of fish? If they’re so sa fe, Minister, why did that disaster occur? Mr. Fawcett: Mr. Speaker, again, I will say that all of the dams in our province are kept to the highest national and international standards. The Auditor General certainly identified some areas where we can improve in reporting and monitoring these dams.

But what I want to say with respect to this particular incident is that this is still under investigation by the Alberta Energy Regulator, and when the Alberta Energy Regulator is ready to put out the findings from its investigation, that will be made public. The Speaker: Thank you. AltaLink Transmission Line Consultation Ms Pastoor: Mr. Speaker, Albertans live in or visit our pristine landscapes, some of the finest on this planet. These landscapes are invaluable for tourism dollars, particularly the eastern Livingstone Range, which is actually featured in Alberta’s Remember to Breathe ads.

The people at AltaLink, owned by Warren Buffett, have proposed 500 kV power lines from Pincher Creek to Crowsnest Pass. AltaLi nk has conducted consultations with some

606 Alberta Hansard March 12, 2015 residents. Citizens north and south of highway 3 in that area are very upset . . . The Speaker: Thank you. We’ll have to hear from the appropriate minister to conclude this. I don’t know whom that might be. Is it the Minister of Environment and Sustainable Resource Development? Mr. Fawcett: Yes. You know, certainly, Mr. Speaker, AltaLink has requested information regarding the importance of our natural landscapes in this area, and we expect them to use this information in consideration of their selection.

I want to remind all members of this Assembly that the actual siting of this facility is done by the Alberta Utilities Commission, and they will be the one that finalizes this decision. The Speaker: The hon. member. First supplemental. Ms Pastoor: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There might be something wrong with your thing again. I timed myself. Anyway, to the Minister of ESRD: is your ministry aware of these consultations and the resulting issues? Mr. Fawcett: Mr.

Speaker, we’re certainly aware of it, and all of the advice that our department has provided AltaLink is to make sure that what they’re doing is consistent with the south Saskatchewan regional plan. This is why we have this plan in place. We’ve informed them of all of the key environmental goals such as protecting wildlife corridors and conservation areas such as the Livingstone Range wildland provincial park and maintaining extensive native grasslands and habitats. Again, Mr. Speaker, the AUC has jurisdiction, and they will be the ones that will make the final decision with AltaLink.

The Speaker: Final supplemental. Ms Pastoor: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Minister of Culture and Tourism: if this abomination goes through, how will this development impact our ability to market our province’s natural, untouched beauty as an attraction for millions of visitors? The Speaker: The hon. Minister of Culture and Tourism. Ms Kubinec: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Southwestern Alberta’s breathtaking landscape draws many visitors, and it’s important not only for our visitors but for our tourism industry and culture as well, as there’s much filming going on there.

AltaLink has contacted my ministry as a part of their consultation activities, and we will be providing feedback on this project. Stakeholders, including commercial trail rides and horse outfitting operations, are important to tourism. I n this area we’re encouraging them to work with AltaLink with regard to this project. The uncluttered . . . The Speaker: Thank you, hon. member. We will check the clock and make sure it’s working. Let’s move on to Calgary -Mountain View , followed by Olds- Didsbury-Three Hills. Full-day Kindergarten Dr. Swann: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The final report of the early childhood mapping project concluded that more than half of Martha and Henry’s grandchildren are lagging behind on at least one developmental milestone. There have been six recommendations, and this PC government has committed to following none of them. As I educated the minister on Tuesday, full -day kindergarten is a proven way to spur development. To the Minister of Education: why are you passing t he buck on to school boards for the lack of full-day kindergarten when you know it was your government that promised the funding and has never delivered? Mr. Dirks: Mr.

Speaker, we take very seriously this matter of early childhood developmental needs. Tha t’s why the early childhood mapping program is something that we supported, and I’m working with my minister colleague directly beside me on this particular matter to ensure that we’re going to be able to continue that important early childhood mapping program. It provides us with a very important wealth of detail that helps us understand what the developmental needs of children in Alberta are. 2:20 Dr. Swann: Well, of course. We’re understanding the developmental needs. We’re just not acting on them, Mr. Minister.

Given that the mapping spent five years and $16 million gathering and analyzing data from 87,000 kindergarten-aged children, why is the minister shutting down the program at the end of the year and not acting on these issues? These are our grandkids. Mr. Dirks: Well, Mr. Speaker, I’m not shutting down anything. In fact, as I indicated earlier, almost 98 per cent of our around $7 billion budget goes out directly to local school authorities. Those are school boards. They make t he determinations about what the priority needs are in their particular areas.

That amount of money I believe amounts to something like $38 million each day for local school boards to allocate in the way that is going to be in the best interests of those children. Dr. Swann: Let me put it another way, Mr. Speaker. Given that the Education minister isn’t funding full-day kindergarten or implementing the report’s recommendation, why is this government giving back $11.6 billion more in tax breaks than any other province in the country instead of helping Martha and Henry’s grandkids? What’s the answer? Mr. Campbell: Well, Mr.

Speaker, one of the greatest advantages of Alberta is our low tax regime. Albertans are hard -working individuals, and we don’t think we should tax them to death like other provinces do. We are very proud of the tax system we have. We’re about investment. We’re about keeping Albertans working. In today’s economic times the last thing we want to do is raise taxes on hard-working Albertans. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Olds-Didsbury -Three Hills , followed by Lac La Biche-St. Paul-Two Hills. Landowner Property Rights Mr. Rowe: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

As we are all aware, property rights are a very important issue to rural Albertans. It is one of the most important issues in my own constituency. This government has made progress with the Respecting Property Rights Act. However, many Albertans are still troubled by the Land Stewardship Act. This question is to the Minister of ESRD. Will this bill be repealed? Mr. Fawcett: Mr. Speaker, property rights is an important issue to all Albertans, and Albertans also understand that our population is on the rise and our land is not getting any bigger to accommodate this.

The Alberta Land Stewardship Act i s an important piece of legislation that allows us to manage our precious resources to the benefit of all users, so we do not have any plans to repeal this legislation, but I’m always happy to hear from any of the colleagues

March 12, 2015 Alberta Hansard 607 in this Legislature or all Albe rtans or landowners on ways that we can improve our legislation. The Speaker: First supplemental. Mr. Rowe: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Does the government plan to amend the act to address the concerns that landowners have raised over various parts of it? Mr. Fawcett: Mr. Speaker, the Alberta Land Stewardship Act allows for the government to plan wisely for the future needs of Albertans to help manage growth while balancing the rights of property owners. My ministry has no immediate plans to amend this legislation.

I’d be happy to hear any concerns from Albertans regarding this legislation with respect to balancing these issues. The Speaker: Final supplemental. Mr. Rowe: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the same minister: is the government planning on having additional legislation to follow up on the Respecting Property Rights Act? Mr. Fawcett: Mr. Speaker, this government does respect private property rights, and our Premier has been one of the strongest advocates in this area over his career.

The all-party committee, the Standing Committee on Resource Stewardship, has made recent recommendations on property rights, and I’ve asked my ministry to review these recommendations as they relate to my department. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Lac La Biche-St. Paul -Two Hills, followed by Edmonton-South West. Mr. Saskiw: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Along the same vein – the minister is warmed up – when the Premier was running for leadership of his party, he said that property rights would be at the top of his priority list. Since then all landowners have seen is a trumped-up Bill 1 and not a whole lot else.

Bill 36 continues to be a gross infringement on property rights, giving the government the hammer over lease agreements and landowner rights. The Premier personally signed a promise to review Bill 36 months ago, but there’s still no progress. When can we expect this review to be completed? Mr. Fawcett: Mr.

Speaker, again, the Alberta Land Stewardship Act is an important tool as part of our integrated resource management system, in which we need to make sure that we’re utilizing the landscapes, the airsheds, the watersheds and maintaining the biodiversity in this province so that we can get the social licence to develop our natural resources. This is an important tool that we continue to implement through the regional planning process, and this government is committed to that. The Speaker: Supplemental, please. Mr. Saskiw: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Centralized planning hasn’t worked in eastern Europe, and it won’t work here. If the Premier doesn’t fulfill his promise to review Bill 36, which concentrates power in the hands of the PC cabinet, limits rights to compensation for landowners, and blocks access to the courts for citizens, does he expect landowners to be okay with no review, no action, and no repeal of Bill 36? Mr. Fawcett: Mr. Speaker, again, I need to reiterate the message, I guess. The hon. member isn’t quite understanding this.

The Alberta Land Stewardship Act is an incredibly important piece of legis - lation for developing the province’s resources. It’s the foundation on which our integrated resource management system is based, with which we can go out confidently to the world and say that we’re responsible developers of our resources. That’s vitally important to the economy, it’s vitally important to our communities, a nd it’s vitally important to Albertans, who care about protecting and enhancing our environment. The Speaker: Thank you. Final supplemental, hon. member. Mr. Saskiw: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

With draconian legislation like Bill 2 and Bill 24 still taking a way the rights of landowners, can anyone expect this government to actually do meaningful work to protect property rights like repealing these bills, or will they just give more lip service and broken promises on the eve of an election? Mr. Fawcett: Mr. Speaker, as I’ve said before, there is no one that has a better track record on protecting private property rights than our Premier.

He has a track record and a reputation in this particular area, and there’s no one that has a better record of understanding how to balance the development of our natural resources with the environmental consequences of that. This is what this piece of legislation tries to balance in the Alberta Land Stewardship Act, and it’s a very important piece to be able to get access to markets for our resources. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton- South West , followed by Drumheller-Stettler. School Construction in Edmonton-South West Mr. Jeneroux: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I ran in the 2012 election to bring forward an agenda as a dad of two young daughters to get our area of Edmonton- South West caught up and proactive in building the schools we need today, not 10 years from now. I’m getting a bit ne rvous, though, as I see the oil prices dropping and the budget ahead, and I’m hoping that there’s still money for our schools that we need. Even though we’ve accomplished securing a commitment for eight new schools in our area, we need to keep building more schools to continue to rapidly expand.

My question to the Minister of Infrastructure: given where our province is headed financially, are we still expecting these new schools in Edmonton-South West to be finished on time? The Speaker: The hon. Minister of Infrastructure. Mr. Bhullar: Yes, Mr. Speaker, we are. The member has three schools in phase 2: Southbrook, Windermere Catholic, and Ambleside. All three of these are schools that have contracts awarded, and the contractors are mobilizing by March 30 of this month. In addition, this member has five schools in phase 3.

Four of these were starter schools that are now going to be fully built schools by the end of 2016. Mr. Jeneroux: I like that answer, Mr. Speaker. Given that we’re planning to open these schools on time, can the Minister of Education tell me if we’re going to be able to afford to staff these schools with the resources we need to continue to offer the high quality of education our teachers in Alberta provide? Mr. Dirks: Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the Infrastructure minister for the confirmation that these schools are going ahead. That’s very good news.

Our government is committed to investing in education so our children have every opportunity to reach their potential. That means investing in schools, providing the teachers that are needed, ensuring we have an outstanding curriculum and that we can do the

608 Alberta Hansard March 12, 2015 very best for our students all while we are living within our means. We take very seriously our responsibility for students to provide the teachers that are necessary. The Speaker: Final supplemental. Mr. Jeneroux: All right. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, given that we’re seeing an average of 28 to 31 babies born a day – a day – at one of the nearest hospitals, which is a kindergarten class, can the Minister of Infrastructure continue to keep up with the rapid rate of growth happening in Edmonton-South West, particularly in our young kids? The Speaker: The hon.

Minister of Infrastructure. Mr. Bhullar: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. We have one of the largest school-build projects in Canadian history ongoing right now in Alberta. I think I previously said 108. It’s actually 102 schools that will be opening in 2016; 102 schools will be opening in 2016. Those are schools that were announced in 2013. They’ll be ready for 2016. The schools that were announced in 2011 were ready in 2014. We’re going to keep pressing ahead to make sure that we have the infrastructure and the schools for our children. The Speaker: Thank you. The hon.

Member for Drumheller -Stettler, followed by Lethbridge-West. 2:30 Rural Health Review Mr. Strankman: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On September 23 of last year the Premier called for a rural health review to be done in 90 days. Back then the Premier said that we need practical solutions that can be implemented without delay. Well, it’s been 170 days. Still no report and no solutions to the problems of longer wait times, doctor shortages, and a crumbling infrastructure. It’s just another example of PC electioneering: promising big and underdelivering once the votes are counted. To the Health minister.

It’s been 170 days. Where’s the report? Mr. Mandel: Mr. Speaker, what we indicated was that the report would be done in three phases of 90 days each. The first phase was done about December 15. The second and third phases are now complete. The report is just being finalized. It will be released early next week by statements, we think, by the Premier. Mr. Strankman: Mr. Speaker, the Premier promised this report, and, as the member opposite says, it’s in 90-day increments. This government has not delivered on its word. Folks in my riding are calling this a broken trust.

In a recent interview the chair of the health review said that he expected the full report to be released now. Minister, why? Mr. Mandel: To the hon. member: I think I’ve answered that question. I think that the hon. Member for Vermilion-Lloydminster did an incredible job of putting this report together, and I think that it’s a remarkable discussion with Albertans, information, heart -to- heart talks with people about what we need in rural Alberta. I think the results of the report and the information are quite fantastic. We look forward to implementing many of those decisions, and we’re quite excited about it.

Mr. Strankman: Mr. Speaker, this is absolutely frustrating. The priorities are simple. This does not require splitting the atom here. Maintaining and adding rural health physicians, sustaining and improving primary care, ending divorce by nursing home, fixing ambulance service, improving wait times. Why are you going to continue to delay this report? Mr. Mandel: Mr. Speaker, we haven’t delayed this report. It’s going to be ready before we had estimated due to the great work of the committee, who worked tirelessly for the first 90 days and the next 60 days in order to get this done.

They should be really recognized for the tremendous work that they’ve done to support Albertans. The Speaker: Lethbridge-West, followed by Edmonton-Calder. Postsecondary Tuition Fees Mr. Weadick: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last December the provincial government approved tuition increases for 25 programs at postsecondary institutions in Alberta. Student groups say that these increases broke a promise to students. My questions are all to the Minister of Innovation and Advanced Education.

Given that Alberta already has the lo west participation rate in postsecondary education, doesn’t the minister think that this is going to hurt accessibility in our province? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Scott: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Our goal is not to have the cheapest education system in Alberta; our goal is to have the best education system in Alberta. Our aim is excellence. I approved 25 market modifiers in 2014. This decision allows the affected programs to deliver vital, competitive, and responsive programs that meet the needs of students.

The market modifier program is going to generate approximately $21 million in additional revenue for the institutions. I am committed to working with all Campus Alberta partners to build a strong system. The Speaker: First supplemental. Mr. Weadick: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The 25 programs which were approved for hikes include engineering, commerce, economics, pharmacy, and many nursing programs, some seeing increases of 71 per cent. How are students supposed to afford an education and gain the skills they need to have a successful career when they face overnight hikes like these? Mr. Scott: Mr.

Speaker, graduates from Campus Alberta have just made the best investment of their lives. Recent market modifiers do not apply to students who are already enrolled in those programs. I’m happy to tell the hon. members that our graduates are extremely successful at paying back any loans and finding jobs. Aside from the $408 million available for student loans, we invest $234 million in student aid suppor ts. These supports include scholarships, bursaries, grants, and debt management programs. The Speaker: Final supplemental. Mr. Weadick: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Finally, to the same minister.

We know that student aid is usually student loans, and therefore students will be paying back this money that they have to borrow in order to attend these programs. How long will Alberta students be paying for these hikes? The Speaker: Mr. Minister. Mr. Scott: Thank you again, Mr. Speaker. Our system has served Alberta learners extremely well, and 90 per cent of Albertans with government student loans pay them back on schedule. Our most

March 12, 2015 Alberta Hansard 609 recent graduate survey data shows a 94 per cent employment rate for graduates, and those grads who received government student loans had an average of $20,000 owed. Graduates in the survey reported a mean annual income of $60,300. We still have work to do, but we are well on our way. I invite the hon. member to help us build a Campus Alberta that is sustainable, accessible, and achieves excellence. The Speaker: Thank you. Edmonton-Beverly-Clareview in place of Edmonton-Calder , followed by Calgary-Glenmore. School Construction Reporting Mr. Bilous: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Since the Infrastructure minister presented an update on schoo l construction around the province, school boards have come forward claiming the information on nearly a dozen schools is inaccurate. After defending this report for three days, the government is now saying that this misinformation is the fault of a couple of typos. To the Minister of Infrastructure: how can you claim that almost a dozen inaccurate dates are simply misprints? Mr. Bhullar: Mr.

Speaker, I know of one specific case in Red Deer where in one instance a school board has asked that a school project be delayed so that they can have consultation with local communities to make sure that the school is a facility that the entire community can use. We’ll listen to the local authority, and instead of that school being ready by 2016, it will be ready in 2017. In another case, Mr. Speaker, we made a mistake and said that construction would start in December 2015 when, in fact, construction has actually already started. The Speaker: Thank you. Mr. Bilous: Empty fields.

Given that based on what school boards are reporting, there are at least 11 mistakes that this PC government is attributing to typos and given that these 11 delayed schools mean families once again have to bear the burden of your incompetence, will the government admit that it has failed Alber ta families, students, and teachers by once again overpromising and underdelivering? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Bhullar: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

The member just went from 12 to 11, and if he has 11 examples, I would be more than happy to look into every single one of them because the fact remains that we want to be very open and transparent about this process. So if there’s a mistake, we will look at it. We’ll update it so that every single Alberta parent out there can take a look at their project, know when it’s going to be ready so that they can plan their lives accordingly. This is critically important for us. We take it very seriously. And 102 schools will be opening in 2016, as committed to. The Speaker: Thank you. Final supplemental. Mr.

Bilous: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ll hold you to that, Minister. Given that yesterday the Education minister said that construction is a big word by implying a lot of different things are part of construction, what else do you mean by construction: stapling news releases together, constructing sentences inflating your own record on school construction, constructing a narra tive to get yourself re - elected, or is it anything besides building a school? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Bhullar: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

What construc- tion does mean is that when you award a contract, the specific general contractor has to do a few things, first of which is to make sure that their subcontractors are all lined up. That’s a very important piece. The second thing, which is critically important, is to make sure the ground is actually thawed so they can start construction, a pretty important point. That’s something that is critical so that there are not additional costs to make sure that you have heating and so on when you’re pouring a foundation. These are all very important parts, very important pieces . . . The Speaker: Thank you.

I must recognize the next member, and it will be Calgary - Glenmore. PDD Safety Standards Ms L. Johnson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The PDD safety standards have been designed to ensure safe -living homes for community members. Unfortunately, with the enforcement of standard 8, inspectors from fire, safety, and health are creating distress. To the Minister of Human Services: how will the government ensure that service providers and their clients are not unfairly suffering because of this standard? The Speaker: The hon. Minister of Human Services. Mrs. Klimchuk: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Our government has a responsibility for the safety of our most vulnerable, and we will not compromise on that. These laws apply universally to all landlord and tenant settings, and these standards are not new. We’ve been working with the service providers for the past two years, so now they are aware that standard 8 will require inspections. 2:40 The Speaker: The hon. member. Ms L. Johnson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again to the minister. I appreciate the process you’re going through.

At the same time I’m hearing reports that inspectors are telling family members they have to move where the cat dish is placed in the home. Again to the minister: why is the implementation of this policy forcing people to live in homes that look and feel like institutional settings? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mrs. Klimchuk: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, we cannot compromise on the safety of our most vulnerable. We know that these compliances must take place. Often some of the required changes are as simple as putting in a fire extinguisher. Again, we want to work with the agencies to resolve issues.

If agencies are not able to meet the deadline, we’re happy to talk with them, and they can apply for an extension. Ms L. Johnson: I appreciate that information, Madam Minister. Again, with respect, the standard is causing some landlords to consider evicting these vulnerable individuals and forcing them out of their homes. To the hon. minister: will your department put an end to this standard before more damage is done? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mrs. Klimchuk: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, we do not take chances with the safety of our vulnerable.

As a matter of fact, at this point today 82 per cent of the homes have already been

610 Alberta Hansard March 12, 2015 inspected at the various levels across Alberta. Again, we want to work with the agencies. If they need an extension, need to speak with us, we’re happy to work with them. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Stony Plain. Disaster Recovery Program Claims Mr. Lemke: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s been more than 18 months since flood waters devastated communities across southern regions of our province. Many Albertans faced the wors t as they lost everything and struggled for months as they tried to rebuild their lives.

To the Minister of Municipal Affairs: can you tell me why nearly two years since this disaster 2,000 Albertans are still waiting for financial assessment from the DRP program and why they are still out of their homes? The Speaker: The hon. Minister of Municipal Affairs. Mrs. McQueen: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank this member for his excellent question. I want to say how committed we are as a government to help these people get back into their homes. The largest natural disaster that we’ve had in Canadian history, and we’re working hard to complete these files.

We have completed more than 80 per cent of the files. There were 10,500 files that were there. We’ve completed more than 80 per cent of them. Our goal will be that until we’re completely finished, we will be there to help all of those files be completed. We’ve provided over $100 million to Albertans to help rebuild and remediate their homes. The Speaker: Thank you. The hon. member. First supplemental. Mr. Lemke: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Given that the process for applying for financial assistance to the DRP is wrought with confusing paperwork, why are you making it so difficult on those Albertans who have already been through so much? Mrs. McQueen: Well, Mr. Speaker, again a great question by the hon. member. Since our Premier has come here and I’ve come to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs, we’ve done a couple of things. One, with the open files we completed all of the outstanding appeals by December 2014, as we said we would, by tripling the staff. Since then, with the Premier and the hon.

Member for Highwood, we also added 15 more caseworkers to close the files that are open. We’ve committed to closing those by June of this year. The Speaker: Thank you. Final supplemental. Mr. Lemke: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the same minister: what are you doing to ensure those Albertans with open files are given the funding they are eligible for so that they can rebuild and move on once and for all? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mrs. McQueen: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, when we announced in High River, with the Premier and the hon.

Member for Highwood, the addition of 15 more caseworkers, we also announced that we are advancing 90 per cent of the eligible expenses to help fast-track payments for the complex cases. This is making sure that we clear up these cases and we help these poor people that were devastated by this flood. The Speaker: Thank you, hon. members. That concludes Oral Question Period. Just in response to the question posed by the hon. Member for Lethbridge-East, your microphone was cut off when I stood up at the 35-second mark. The clock is working just fine.

We know that you continued to speak, and I don’t know if Hansard picked that up or not. But just to answer that. Number two, as a result of the reasonably short questions and answers from some of you, we were able to get 108 questions and answers on the record today. So well done to all of you. Now, in 30 seconds we will proceed with the continuation of Members’ Statements, and we’ll hear from Calgary-Fort, Banff- Cochrane, and Lac La Biche-St. Paul-Two Hills. head: Members’ Statements (continued) The Speaker: I show the hon. Member for Calgary-Fort going next and then Banff-Cochrane.

Retrospective by the Member for Calgary-Fort Mr. Cao: Merci, M. le Président. It’s known that I will not be returning to the Legislature following the next election. It has been an exciting 18 years. I feel honoured to have had the opportunity to serve the people across Alberta and the wonderful people of the Calgary-Fort constituency and to have been at many places in our great province. I’m grateful to have met and worked with many community organizations and the great people in my political association.

The work of 18 years cannot be said in a few sentences – it’s in volumes of the Hansard report – but I can briefly say that I have worked with five Premiers. Memorable moments are many. Just to name a few: celebrating Alberta’s centennial with Alberta’s official song, cutting Alberta’s credit card to symbolize Alberta being debt free, initiating the naming of Alberta’s veterans highway, parental maternity leave increase, employment standards applied for domestic workers, removing the wage differential of youth, and, particularly, medic al benefits for severely handicapped people.

Another memorable time was being elected by my peers, by you, to serve you as Deputy Speaker in 2008 to 2012. My thanks go to all my office assistants, all LAO staff. I would like to thank my family for motiva tion: my wife, Kim; sons William, Winston, Ulysses; daughters -in-law Sarah, Mimi; and grandchildren Dylan, Maxwell, and one on the way. I thank all members of this Assembly, past and present, for sharing time and space with me. To the media: thank you for leaving me alone, with a low profile, to serve constituents for 18 years. This Cao-boy will be riding to a new horizon.

I wish everyone all the best in yours. From the bottom of my improved heart, thank you. [Standing ovation] The Speaker: Thank you, hon. member. Well said. Let us move on to the hon. Member for Banff-Cochrane. Action for Agriculture Mr. Casey: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Action for Agriculture was established in 1990 by concerned ranchers and farmers in southern Alberta. At the time they felt there was a need for a voice for agricultural working landscapes as urban demands for land use and

March 12, 2015 Alberta Hansard 611 recreation expanded. As it turns out, 25 years later the need for that voice to be heard is greater than ever. Over the years Action for Agriculture has educated and lobbied for the responsible management of our watersheds, and they have promoted the understanding that land is a resource and not a commodity to be simply bargained away.

The continued loss of productive agricultural land to other uses is a threat to all Albertans as the ecological goods and services of which we are all the benefactors are at risk of being se verely impacted by current land- use decisions and practices.

Currently Action for Agriculture is focusing its efforts on methods to allow landowners to preserve their lands as agricultural in perpetuity and, in doing so, to slow down the fragmentation and conversion of agricultural lands so that future generations can benefit from these working landscapes. 2:50 One tool available to landowners to achieve this is conservation easements. Conservation easements are voluntary restrictions placed on land that allow for the protection, conservation, and enhancement of agricultural land.

However, current legislation in Alberta, specifically the land trust grant program, does not recognize cultivated lands appropriately, and the use of easements as a preservation tool is very limited because of this. Mr. Harvey Buckley, who is the current chair of Action for Agriculture, and myself recently met with the Minister of ESRD and in July with representatives from Alberta Agriculture to outline the issues surrounding the use of easements on cultivated lands, Mr. Speaker, and we’d like to thank them very much for their consideration.

The Speaker: Thank you. head: Statement by the Speaker Rotation of Members’ Statements The Speaker: Before I recognize the next speaker, hon. members, let me say this. With respect to today’s rotation regarding members’ statements, today is day 18, I believe, but the sixth spot, which we’re about to have filled, was ce ded by one member to another. The Speaker has no objection to that happening, provided that there is that kind of reciprocity of mutual understanding. So that is why you will now hear from the hon. Member for Lac La Biche-St.

Paul- Two Hills instead of someone else. head: Members’ Statements (continued) The Speaker: Hon. member, the floor is yours. Retrospective by the Member for Lac La Biche-St. Paul-Two Hills Mr. Saskiw: I’d like to thank the Member for Medicine Hat for that. For the last three years I’ve had the great privilege of representing the constituents of Lac La Biche-St. Paul-Two Hills. They entrusted me to work hard on their behalf, and I’ve tried every day to live up to their expectations and to advo cate for their priorities.

I hope I served them with the tenacity, integrity, and respect for my constituents that all Albertans rightfully demand from their MLAs. I defended the values of my constituents even when it wasn’t the popular thing to do, when it wasn’t the easy thing to do. I did it because it was the right thing to do. That’s why our constituents send us here: to make the right decisions, not to take the easy way out. I know you all came here for the right reasons. I hope you stay focused on why you are here and that you aren’t afraid to make the tough decisions that need to be made.

It has become clear that this Premier is going to call an election a year early. For the sake of futu re generations I hope this Premier and those who follow will keep taxes low and will keep the flat-tax rate, Alberta’s primary competitive advantage, and will streamline government to get spending under control, now and always. I hope you will let yourselves be guide d by the common sense of the common people and that the Premier will lead a renewal of faith in everyday Albertans in their abilities to make the best decisions for themselves, their families, and communities.

When the Legislature resumes later this year, my constituents will have elected a new MLA. I will not seek re-election. This has been the honour of a lifetime. I’ve enjoyed the experience immensely, and I will forever value new, forged friendships. I have not made this decision lightly, and it is with mixed emotions that I stand here today. I look forward to returning to the private sector, to spending time with my family, and to the opportunities that lie ahead.

Thank you to my constituents for their trust and confidence, thank you to my colleagues for their passionate and sometimes even entertaining debate in the House, and thank you, most of all, to my family and friends for your dedi cation, love, and support. Thank you, all. God bless, and good luck. [Standing ovation] The Speaker: Thank you, hon. member. Good words. head: Presenting Petitions The Speaker: I think we have one petition I may have overlooked here. Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville, were you trying to catch my eye with a petition? Ms Fenske: Yes. The Speaker: Let us go to that quickly, then. Ms Fenske: Mr.

Speaker, I would like to present a petition that was put together by Ruby Kassian. It asks that the government repeal the Daylight Saving Time Act. These signatures were collected throughout the region of northeast Alberta. head: Tabling Returns and Reports The Speaker: The hon. Minister of Environment and Sustainable Resource Development. Mr. Fawcett: Yeah. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to table the requisite number of copies of a dam integrity briefing note prepared by the Alberta Chamber of Resources. In this document there is a quotation from Dr.

Norbert Morgenstern, whom I referred to in a question from the Member for Edmonton-Highlands- Norwood. He is an internationally recognized authority in the field of geotechnical engineering and a professor at the University of Alberta and a member of the Alberta Order of Excellence. Dr. Morgenstern states that it is his view that dam safety applied in the Alberta oil sands industry is the best in the world. The Speaker: Thank you. The hon. Member for Calgary-Mountain View, or someone, Edmonton-Centre perhaps, on behalf of? Ms Blakeman: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

I have tablings on behalf of the leader of the Li beral opposition. Th e first one is from the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Law on developments in Alberta law on farmworkers. They make the claims of farmworkers

612 Alberta Hansard March 12, 2015 for legislative protections even stronger, refuting the argument of the Premier that we need more research and debate before taking action on unconstitutional exclusi ons. This is specific to constitutional decisions and rights of farmworkers. The next are all on vaccines. Comparison of Effects of Diseases and Vaccines, prepared by and available online from the Public Health Agency of Canada. An opinion from the Calgary Herald titled Vaccine Opponents Risk Return to a Dark Age, published February 12, 2015, encourages parents to protect their kids with vaccinations. An

article from the Globe and Mail published November 5, 2013, titled Officials Urge Immunization After Measles Outbreak in Alberta. The second last, Mr. Speaker, an

article from the Metro news published February 16, 2015, titled Alberta’s Unlikely to Hit Long- term Targets for Child Vaccination Rates. So the status quo is clearly not working. Finally – and a little bit of a surprise – from the C.D. Howe Institute, commentary 421, A Shot in the Arm: How to Improve Vaccination Policy in Canada. It calls on Alberta to mandate vaccinations for school entry. Thank you very much. The Speaker: Thank you. The hon. Member for Edmonton-Calder. Mr. Eggen: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I’d like to table the appropriate number of copies of a budget backgrounder produced by the Alberta Federation of Labour that shows government provided, in their view, inflated figures of Alberta’s per capita spending. The report finds that the figures are inflated as a result of the government including flood repair money in its calculations in addition to comparing Alberta’s spending to the Canadian average rather than specific provincial averages. Thank you. The Speaker: Thank you. Are there any other tablings? Edmonton-Centre, you have one more tabling? Ms Blakeman: I’m sorry. I have my own tablings.

It looks like I’ve got three. The first is a tabling from Judy Semeniuk, living in Alberta, directed towards the Premier. She is a regular voter and concerned taxpayer and is expressing her concerns with the cuts in the Klein era, which were never reinstated, and how the government is proceeding without consulting taxpayers. Secondly, from Niko Palmer an e-mail – he also lives in Edmonton – writing about the current crisis in maternity care. I believe he’s talking about pregnant women finding it very difficult to find primary caregivers, particularly if they’re in remote or rural areas.

Finally, Elena Renderos, also from Edmonton, is writing also on maternity care in Edmonton with concerns about difficulties having consistency in finding care for pregnant women and a critical shortage of obstetricians, fewer family doctors providing maternity care, and the demand on midwives far exceeding the number of registered midwives. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker: Hon. members, there were no points of order today and no points of privilege, so I believe that right at the stroke of nearly 3 o’clock we can move on to Orders of the Day. 3:00 head: Orders of the Day head: Government Bills and Orders Second Reading Bill 17 Appropriation (Supplementary Supply) Act, 2015 The Speaker: The hon. President of Treasury Board and Minister of Finance. Mr. Campbell: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s my pleasure to move second reading of Bill 17, th e Appropriation (Supplementary Supply) Act, 2015.

The supplementary amount s provided by this bill reflect the fiscal picture outlined in the third-quarter fiscal update released on February 24. These amounts are necessary for the government to conduct business and fulfill its comm itments for the current fiscal year.

The additional amounts mainly relate to support for the municipal sustainability initia tive and the Alberta community partnership; support for drugs a nd supplementary he alth benefits, collective bargaining costs in Alberta Health Services, and payment to physicians; support for capital maintenance and renewal to accelerate school construction and modernization projects; provide emergency funding for firefighting in forest protection areas, mountain pine beetle mitigation; support for municipal disaster and flood controls, mitigation, and ongoing recovery efforts.

I respectfully urge my colleagues in this House to support the bill. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Speaker: Thank you. Do I see the hon. Member for Edmonton-Centre going next? Okay. Thank you. Followed by, I think, Edmonton-Calder, and then we’ll proceed after that. Thank you. Ms Blakeman: Looks like a plan, Mr. Speaker. Thank you very much for allowing me to stand and speak in second reading on Bill 17, the Appropriation (Supplemen tary Supply) Act, 2015. Of course, this is the bill stage of the estimates that we debated yesterday afternoon and yesterday evening.

Unfortunately, I was not able to return in the evening, so there are a few comments that I would like to offer. It’s my fault that I wasn’t able to come back, and therefore I can’t question and receive answers for the questions that I have. One of the concerns is around the funding for legal aid, which did appear in the supplementary supply and appears here on page 3 of Bill 17 in the amount of $16 ,739,000. Now, I believe there is almost $11.36 million for the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees and management compensation agreements.

I’m going to assume that that is staff in the department that was entitled, and I think that also included the one-time lump sum that was paid out to employees as part of the agreement but kind of in lieu of an actual percentage raise.

I mean, clearly, that shows up in a number of the departments that had applied for supplementary supply estimates, and that’s – I was going to say “as it should be.” Ideally, we would know that in advance and it would already be part of the budget, but when those settlements come a little after the fact, indeed, I’m glad the government found the money because otherwise our people would not be paid. Sorry; just while I’m at that, Mr. Speaker. I can’t remember who said it over there, but the government has slipped into a habit of giving one side only of the story.

And, tsk tsk, I’m going to give you the example so you don’t need to crinkle your eyebrows at me. For example, there was much ballyhoo about how our public-sector employees are paid the most or the highest amount in Canada. Oh,

March 12, 2015 Alberta Hansard 613 my goodness. Huff puff. Well, that only makes sense, and the information that wasn’t given was that our private sector also is up in that league. They are on the same level, as a matter of fact, and that tells us that the issue is not an overpayment to public -sector employees. What it is is a roaring, great ec onomy for Alberta, in that everybody is doing really well. So to just give half of that and to make it sound like the public - sector people were being grossly overpaid is a little sneaky. No; it’s really sneaky.

And that has become more regular than I would like to see it coming out of Public Affairs around government. So stop doing that because I’m on to you. Now, I know that will change your behaviour. Oh, for sure. But I just thought I’d tell you that I noticed. Okay. Under supplementary supply is the $5.5 million for Legal Aid Alberta, which was a bit of an arm wrestle, as I saw it, with the Minister of Justice, who was trying to cut costs, but in doing so – the minister has a contract with Legal Aid Alberta, and they have to perform certain tasks, cert ain duties as a result of that contract.

The minister puts in money toward Legal Aid Alberta as does the federal government. But we have an increasing number of people who are in conflict with the law and are also fairly low income, so they’re looking for assistance from Legal Aid. I just want to underline how important that is for women. You know, I talk a lot about equality and seeking and achieving legal equality, social justice equality, and economic equality, and legal aid is very important for women. I wish it had a larger family law

section because that’s usually where women are most in need of their services, but I won’t belabour that at this time. Now, what was happening was that there’s such a thing as a Rowbotham application – I hope I said that properly, Mr. Speaker; I think I did – in which an application can be made to the courts using that argument that says, in essence, that this person really needs to have legal representation and shouldn’t be here self - represented. And the judge can say: “Righty -ho. I agree.

Go get them a lawyer.” In this case the money for the lawyer that’s been ordered by the judge is then paid by the Minister of Justice out of his department’s budget. There was such limitation upon the money that was being granted from both the provincial and federal governments to Legal Aid Alberta that they’d had to revise their application criteria downward.

They’d actually reached the point, much to their distress, where an individual who was getting AISH, assured income for the severely handicapped, was considered too high income to be eligible for legal aid, which is pretty bizarre and looked terrible when it hit the news. In fact, 5 and a half million dollars was granted to Legal Aid. The minister did come up with the money within about a month, I think, which I’m sure they would have liked sooner, but I was glad to see that it happened in a month. But what we don’t know is where we are going forward.

We continue to have I think I was told the other day five to six more of these Rowbotham applications every week, which is a much more expensive way to fund lawyers than the reduced rate that they are eligible to receive under legal aid. So you have an arrangement under legal aid where all lawyers are expected to spend a certain amount of time performing legal aid cases. They get paid at a much lower rate – if you want to look at it, a deal for Alberta taxpayers – but are being paid at the higher rate that is resulting from a judge’s order in council, much more expensive.

I don’t want to see this again in supplementary supply, so I’m hoping that there is adequate funding and that the minister is quick like a bunny to let Legal Aid know and to sign their operating budget. Last year I think there was a delay where that wasn’t signed until June, which is, you know, kind of unfair, Mr. Speaker. They’re trying to run a budget, and they haven’t managed to get the minister to actually sign off on it, so that places them in a very difficult situation.

I hope that the minister is able this year to both supply adequate funding so that we’re not getting all of these challenges and to approve their budget in enough time that they can make good use of it throughout the entire year. Those are my comments on the Justice section. The other area that generated a lot of discussion – I was trying to zoom through the Blues from last night so that I didn’t ask questions again, and I do apologize if I didn’t read this properly and I repeat a question. I apologize for that.

But one of the areas that was generating a lot of discussion was under Environment and around, if I’m remembering correctly, buying out the land leases. The situation there is that when the – I’m not going to remember the full name of it: something, something Athabasca, lower Athabasca . . . 3:10 An Hon. Member: Regional plan. Ms Blakeman: Thank you. . . . regional plan was finalized, there was certain land that was expected to be brought back into the fold, so to speak, into public land, so there was a certain amount of that that was spent – oh, no. Sorry. I might totally be in the wrong place here. Yeah.

Wrong place. This was the one that had the Kananaskis golf course. Oh, yes. I mean, that looks bad, and it’s also kind of curious as to why money would be spent to restore the Kananaskis golf course, which has always had a bit of – what’s the word? – scandal attached to it. At one point they imported special silica sand from somewhere – I don’t know where – exotic in the world in order to use that sand in their sand traps, and it garnered the then government a good deal of unwanted attention for spending this extra money on this super sand to put in a golf course.

Yet here we are: $8 million to maintain the operational in frastructure and grounds at the Kananaskis golf course during the rehab – in other words, they’re paying everybody to keep going even though they don’t have a golf course to keep going on – plus $1,170,000 for capital for the Kananaskis golf course. That’s a lot of money. I read in one part that it was because it was flood recovery, and that’s why they were doing it now.

But I do question that allocation of resources when we don’t have enough money to do some of the things we’d like to do with children or in Education or in Municipal Affairs, yet we’re laying out some serious cash here on a golf course. I hope that doesn’t happen again. I am very curious about the government’s defence that they did it because the golf course was included under flood infrast ructure because it’s not here.

The line above it actually is talking about implementation of flood infrastructure recovery measures, so I’m kind of curious about the government using that as their reason that the golf course got that amount of money. There is quite a bit of money in Environment and Sustainable Resource Development around the flood hazard identification program, flood infrastructure recovery measures, and then the usual wildfires.

Then there’s mitigation programs to build berms, recovery erosion controls, the Springbank off-stream reservoir, and watershed resiliency and restoration, which is around drought and water and the province’s watersheds. My concern around this is that you can’t fool with Mother Nature, and I think that the choice has been made to protect some peopled land, particularly in the Okotoks and High River area, by diverting rivers and trying to build reservoirs to divert water into. Boy, you’ve got to be careful with that. This just happened in a tremendous hurry.

So I’m l ooking for some reassurance from the government that there were, you know, appropriate consultations with some pretty slam -dunk, impressive scientists because I am

614 Alberta Hansard March 12, 2015 quite concerned that we will end up implementing a number of things here that will cost us very dearly in the future in that we have tried to fool Mother Nature and she will get us for it, as often happens. We need to be doing this right the first time rather than scrambling after the fact. So I’m looking for a bit of reassurance around that, please. I think it was fairly clear what the money in Health was being spent for. Human Services was clear enough for me. Thank you.

Transportation was fine, but I did wonder in Transportation why there are 119 vacancies, which was part of the money that was talked about by the Minister of Transportation. Oh, my goodness, it’s a bit thin over there. He said that some of the money that was saved was saved from not filling 119 vacancies. Some Hon. Members: Look behind you, Laurie. Mr. Campbell: It’s pretty thin over there, too. Ms Blakeman: Fair enough. All right, th en. Yeah. Everybody is out in the fabulous constituency. I’m wondering why you would not be filling those vacancies.

I know it’s one way of saving money, but, you know, we are supposed to be budgeting to provide the programs and services, and we need people to do those. If we don’t fill the vacancies, that work is not being done, and eventually that costs us quite a lot, as we learned from the deferred maintenance during the Klein years. Those were some of the issues th at I wanted to raise in second reading of Bill 17, which is the supplementary supply act, that the government is looking to pass through over the next couple of days.

Hopefully, I can get some answers once we get into Committee of Supply, but I appreciate the opportunity to put my comments on the record. Thank you. The Speaker: Thank you. The hon. Member for Edmonton-Calder, after whom 29(2)(

a) will be available. Mr. Eggen: On 29(2)(a)? The Speaker: After you, 29(2)(a). Mr. Eggen: Right. Okay. Thank you very much for the opportunity to speak on second reading of Bill 17. I’m just reminded that this is the extension of the estimates from yesterday, so I just had a number of significant and some smalle r issues to highlight around the supplementary supply. Now, it’s not unfair to say th at sometimes supplementary supply can be quite a significant amount of money, involving many different ministries, depending upon when it occurs.

Because we are moving into an electoral period, I think that perhaps the requirement of supplementary suppl y is somehow made larger. It can be unfortunate in some circumstances because, of course, we’re talking about ongoing funding and c hoices that we make for each ministry. If somehow things do get cut short, I just want to make sure that they stay on the table after the election period does see itself through.

Regardless of who forms the next government in regard to the postelection period, I think it’s ve ry important for us to remind ourselves that we need to pr ovide ongoing, stable, long-term funding for essential core services such as health care, education, and infrastructure and that the fu nding can be counted on, not just over a period of weeks or months but over a period of years, so that we can make the necessary decisions to not just deliver health care and education, for example, but to actually build capacity in both of those areas as well.

Now, what we’ve seen sort of thematically are some problems in regard to the Health budget specifically and then some problems that we’ve identified in regard to the infrastructure spending for both health care and for education as well. First, health care. Although it seems as though – I mean, everything in health care globally is quite large numbers because, of course, it is a very important part of our overall budget. But what we are identifying here is that we didn’t spend some of the money that we did budget for last year.

You know, in some ways you end up seeing a cut by omission somehow when we actually did provide for budget allocations around phar macy and for other collective agreements around Alberta Health Services. So there’s no service being provided necessarily, but then the money is not being spent as well.

It’s important for us to identify that there are effective cuts taking place in health care already, even before this budget that we are anticipating here on the 26th of March, and they’re having real effects on the capacity for health care professionals and staff, and so on, to deliver the health care that we require. 3:20 Also, you know, it can’t be understated, the irony that does exist in decisions that the govern ment has made around this supplementary supply in light of cuts and delays that we’ve already seen for projects that were very essential and important for all Albertans.

One that comes to mind straightaway for me is the Tom Baker cancer centre. It’s a facility that is not in keeping with the population of not just Calgary but the whole surrounding hinterland that the Tom Baker supplies a nd services. We know that the expansion and the modernization of that facility has been anticipated for many years. I just find it ironic that we would still have that on the table when we are making other supplementary supply decisions here in this bill that direct money to what I would suggest is maybe not quite as esse ntial and pressing as, let’s say, developing the Tom Baker cancer centre.

Usually I don’t look at some specif ic things, but, I mean, it just can’t be avoided, seeing how certain infrastructure choices are being made here in this supplem entary supply. Maybe, you know, it’s symbolic, but at the same time I really question the choice to put supplementary supply money into the Kananaskis golf course, in fact, not just for flood mitigation or for flood reconstruction, but I see – maybe I’m not reading it right – money for operation of the Kananaskis resort as well.

I m ean, maybe one does not equal the other, but choices do reflect on the intention and the priorities of individuals sometimes. When I look at the Tom Baker cancer centre and the absolute necessity of moving forward on that, I just am feeling a bit conflicted on that particular issue. Back to health care. There are a number of spending areas within the existing budget that I think we could have sharpened up considerably. You know, the whole emergency wait time initiative issue, I think, is something that is lingering and not being addressed in the most direct way possible.

We haven’t seen the numbers actually being reduced in a significant way for emergency wait times around the province. I ge t updates very regularly from different emergencies around the province saying just how overcapacity they are at any given time. For us to look at supplementary supply and not perhaps target funding more specifically, that could help to mitigate the overuse of emergency rooms across the province, from the Misericordia to the Foothills, I think, is something that we could have done better on as well. The whole issue around, of course, the Child and Youth Advocate.

Certainly, it’s important to have that extra funding, but we were just, I think, all very conflicted in the Legislative Offices

March 12, 2015 Alberta Hansard 615 Committee meeting in regard to the cuts that seemed to be imposed by this government on the Child and Youth Advocate. We knew that the relatively modest funding increases that the Child and Youth Advocate required were a reflection of legislation that was directing that office to expand its services.

Especially, you know, considered in light of more disclosures of child deaths in care, that we saw here in these last couple of days, it certainly underscores the importance of investing in the Child and Youth Advocate to have the independent investigative capacity of that office expanded, not for the sake of just building a bigger bureaucracy but for trying to solve a systemic problem we have with children in care and the level of protection that we can afford children in care.

Again, you can see in supplementary supply the reflective lower number that the advocate was asking for during their budget considerations in Legislative Offices. Again, it just reminds me of a real sore spot that will continue to linger until we start to make more reasonable, logical decisions around funding independent offices of the Legislature.

Again by omission, the choice of cutting the Auditor General’s funding: we should remind ourselves of that during the supplementary supply discussion because again we see, clear as day, with the Auditor General’s report that we saw yesterday, that a dollar invested in the Auditor General is an incredible investment for saving money and resources down the road each and every time they do their job. Certainly, I know just how modest and careful they are with their budgets.

Certainly, we should have s upplem- ented their capacity to what they had required in their budget discussions because, of course, we know that money is tight, and when money is tight, it redoubles the responsibility we have to audit and account for those monies in an independent sort of way. Finally, Mr. Speaker, in regard to the supplementary supply the other issue I wanted to just bring up is around legal aid. I think the hon. Member for Edmonton-Centre did a good job of reviewing the problem that we have in legal aid.

Again, I wou ld suggest that it’s an investment for saving money in the legal system down the road. We know the backlogs that we experience in our justice system, and I know that the minister responsible has been looking for ways to expedite some cases and has legislat ion before the House in that regard. But I would venture to say that a prudent investment in legal aid is the best bang for your buck to streamline the legal process and to help expedite the dispensation of justice in this province.

For us to somehow compromise that, I think, is us as a legislative body compounding a problem that we should be in fact trying to solve. Those are my comments, Mr. Speaker, in regard to supplementary supply, and I thank you for the opportunity to speak. Thanks. The Speaker: Thank you, hon. member. Standing Order 29(2)(

a) is available. I don’t see anyone rising, so we’ll move on to Lac La Biche-St. Paul-Two Hills , followed by Rimbey -Rocky Mountain House - Sundre. Mr. Saskiw: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for the opportunity to speak to Bill 17, the Appropriation (Supplementary Supply) Act. I guess, just generally speaking, some of the main points are that when you look at these documents, it appears that overall the government just doesn’t have a handle on its spending. I don’t think that should come as a surprise to any members of this Assembly.

In fact, when the current Premier was travelling across the province, I think he was pretty shocked and astonished at how spending had escalated without any fiscal constraints. You know, it appe ars as well that they always do, throughout the years, underestimate certain costs such as the cost for wildfires and other types of emergencies.

You’d think at this point in time that you’d have a more accurate number, that it wouldn’t be out by such a la rge percentage year after year after year. 3:30 A couple of main points to consider when you look at these numbers: the fact that there has been no attempt to cut what most Albertans, I think, would understand as wasteful spending. One of these is, of cou rse, the carbon capture and storage.

Two billion dollars has been wasted since this program was announced by the then Premier Stelmach, and, of course, we thought this was going to be changed, but now that program has been extended by five years, to the year 2020. [some applause] Which ones clapped on that one? You know, this has been experimental technology that hasn’t proven that it would actually reduce any emissions. It’s corporate subsidies. We feel that industry with the proper incentives could go ahe ad and make sure that their practices are the best practices throughout Canada and North America.

But this carbon capture has been a complete, dismal failure. We’re going to see more of this in the years to come because some of the financial statements and the contracts that went into this are going to be uncovered. It takes time to do FOIPs, but some of the companies that were awarded these contracts had deep connections and tentacles throughout the whole current government, or PC Party, apparatus. I look forward to seeing what those documents reveal.

But on the surface of it, it just appears that, you know, when a private entity like Shell states that this technology is simply not feasible economically, you would have thought the government would have got the hint and cancelled it. In fact, this was a complete flip-flop. I know that during the leadership race the current Premier indicated that this technology was, to my understanding, a waste, but instead they decided to extend the program by five years, to 2020. I would be remiss if I didn’t say that this was a dismal waste of money.

The second key component that you can find throughout the sup supply estimates is the federal building, and this, of course, is the extravagant building for MLAs and bureauc rats. The price tag is roughly $400 million, and I don’t think that includes the cost of, or the value, I guess, of the transferred land that went into this deal. It includes things like a million dollar sky palace. It includes a garden rooftop – it must be just beautiful – an 80-person movie theatre, I think eight shades or five shades of marble. An Hon. Member: Fifty shades. Mr. Saskiw: There could be more. There could be more.

That will make for some interesting times in that building with that happening. You know, this is one of these extravagant things. When you’re looking at schools or other dilapidating infrastructure, you’d think that a brand new MLA office building would be the last thing on a priority list. Of course, it went over budget, I think by about $100 million, give or take a few million. This is one of the things that we in the Wildrose suggested could be one of the first assets that the government divests itself of to help balance the budget.

Assuming they put 400 million bucks into this building, they got the land for free, you would assume that you could get that same price or roughly the same price on that building. Why not sell that building and put those funds towards the impending fiscal mess and perhaps get closer to balancing the books? I don’t think anyone in their right mind could think that at a time where oil prices are where they’re at there is a need for a brand new, fancy federal building. I know the minister at the time called it the crown jewel of the government. I think those words have come back

616 Alberta Hansard March

Document details

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Citation	20150312
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Language	en
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