Alberta Hansard — 28 April 2005, Afternoon sitting (13:30) (Legislature 26, Session 1)

20050428

Alberta — Debates (Hansard)

April 28, 2005 Alberta Hansard 1117 Legislative Assembly of Alberta Title: Thursday, April 28, 2005 1:30 p.m. Date: 05/04/28 [The Speaker in the chair] head: Prayers The Speaker: Good afternoon. Let us pray. On this day let each of us pray in our own way for all who have been killed or injured in the workplace. Life is precious. When it is lost, all of us are impacted. In a moment of silent contemplation may we now allow our thoughts to remember those taken before their time, those who have suffered through tragedies and reach out to the families, friends, neighbours, and communities most immediately impacted.

May God provide them eternal peace. Amen. Please be seated. head: Introduction of Guests The Speaker: The hon. Minister of Innovation and Science. Mr. Doerksen: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am proud today to introduce to you students from the St. Francis of Assisi school, which is located in Red Deer. There are four classes of grade 6 students. This school has the privilege of using Alberta technology, Smart board technology, in all of their classrooms. I’d like to introduce to you the students as well as their teachers, Miss O’Brien, Mrs. Kelly, Mr. Munro, Mr. Diduch, Mrs.

Snow, Miss Musgrove, and teacher assistants Mrs. Johnson and Mrs. McEachern along with the parents. I would ask them all to rise and receive the traditional warm welcome of the Assembly. The Speaker: The hon. Minister of Infrastructure and Transporta- tion. Dr. Oberg: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. It’s an honour to be able to introduce to you and through you to the Legislative Assembly two people today. The first is Garnett Genuis, who is an 18-year-old student at Old Scona academic sc hool in Edmonton, where he is the president of the debating society.

He’s graduating this year and is off to Ottawa, where he just received a scholarship to study public policy at Carleton. He’s received numerous awards, including top youth parliamentarian in Alberta, where he has played the role of Premier in the model Legislature. He has represented Canada for the last two years in the international speech and debate competitions, and I believe the last one was in Cyprus. He hopes to study law and to serve the Canadian public in some capacity in the future. His favourite activity is to engage in question period. The second introduction is actually that of his father, Dr.

Stephen Genuis, who is an obstetrician/gynecologist in the city. I’ve had the privilege of knowing Stephen on two occasions, first of all as a resident, when he was a resident and I was a medical student during medical school, and secondly, as a member of the Premier’s council on the family. I would ask both of them to rise and receive the very warm welcome of the Legislative Assembly. The Speaker: The hon. Minister of Education. Mr. Zwozdesky: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s indeed a great pleasure to rise today and introduce some very special guests who are here.

I’d like to introduce them to you and through you to all members in fact. First of all, a very, very dear friend of mine, Shahnawaz Ahmad, and his lovely wife, Hildegard. Today they are accompanied by two special guests from Austria, Mrs. Leopoldine Stefan and her son Michael. We had a wonderful tour of the Legislature earlier. I think they’re seated behind me, and I would ask all four of them to please rise and receive the thunderous applause of the Assembly. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Calder. Mr. Eggen: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I would like to introduce to you and through you to members of the Assembly Innisfail artist Andy Davies. This time last year Andy was pushing an oil drum from Red Deer to the steps of the Legislature to draw attention to Alberta’s low oil and gas royalty regime. I would ask that Andy now rise and receive the traditional warm welcome of this Assem- bly. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Rutherford. Mr. R. Miller: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I’m so pleased to have the opportunity this afternoon to introduce to you and through you to all members of this Legislature a young man from my constituency of Edmonton-Rutherford. His name is David Taylor. David is a grade 12 student at J.H. Picard high school. He is currently the president of the students’ union there and recently won the best delegate award at the University of Alberta’s high school model United Nations. He has most recently been selected as a page for the Senate and will be going off to Ottawa this August and also plans on studying ethics at the University of Ottawa.

I would ask David to please rise and receive the very warmest welcome. Mr. Speaker, if I could just say, I did have the honour as well of presenting David with one of the silver centennial medals this afternoon in my office, and I was very pleased to be able to do so. Thank you. The Speaker: The hon. Deputy Premier. Mrs. McClellan: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s my pleasure to introduce to you and through you to members of the Assembly two executives from TD Meloche Monnex, the third largest provider of automobile insurance in Alberta, employing over 500 Albertans. I’ll ask our guests to stand as I introduce them.

We have Mr. Chris Daniel, who is the Alberta chairman of the affinity market group, and Mr. Richard Evans, senior vice-president of claims. I would ask our hon. members to give these gentlemen a warm welcome. The Speaker: Are there others? The hon. Member for Battle River- Wainwright. Mr. Griffiths: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s a pleasure today to rise to introduce to you and through you to members of this Assembly Maria José da Silva, who is a founder of the formation of rural women workers’ program in the state of Alagoas, Brazil.

She’s leading the struggle of rural women in Brazil’s northeast for dignity, human rights, gender equity, and sustainable family income and is in Canada as a special guest of the 30th anniversary celebration of the Rainbow of Hope for Children Society. Her presence here is to thank the Alberta government for helping to achieve what women in Canada struggled for and achieved only a few generations ago: gender equity. She’s accompanied by Sister Claire Novecosky, a Canadian who has worked in Brazil for over 30 years, and Dr. George Bunz, president of the Rainbow of Hope for Children

Alberta Hansard April 28, 20051118 Society and a member of the beautiful constituency of Battle River- Wainwright. I’d ask the three people to rise and receive the warm welcome of this Assembly. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Castle Downs. Mr. Lukaszuk: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s my pleasure today to introduce Ms Vicki Lindsay, a tireless volunteer in the constituency of Edmonton-Castle Downs, who is a retired nurse and also shares her talents with the Victory Church and their hot soup kitchen, helping out the less fortunate in Edmonton.

I would ask her to rise – she is in the public gallery – and accept the traditional welcome of this Assembly. head: Ministerial Statements The Speaker: The hon. Minister of Human Resources and Employ- ment. 1:40 National Day of Mourning Mr. Cardinal: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. April 28 is the National Day of Mourning for workers who have been killed on the job. Last year in Alberta 124 people died from job-related injuries or illness, and 124 families, of course, and countless friends were left devastated.

We must do more to ensure that all Alberta workers return to their families safe and healthy at the end of each workday. Occupational health and safety is a social responsibility. The government remains committed, with our partners in industry and labour, to reducing workplace fatalities and injuries throughout the Work Safe Alberta initiative. We will continue to assist employers and workers to make safety part of everything they do at work. As an employer the government of Alberta strives to provide a safe place for the employees.

The public service recently developed a workplace health framework that includes an occupational health and safety component. Workplace safety is an important issue. A death in the workplace touches all of us. We honour our fallen workers by remembering them at ceremonies being held in communities across the province and by renewing our commitment to safer workplaces. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Manning. Mr. Backs: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the minister for his thoughtful statement, and I thank you, Mr.

Speaker, for the very appropriate moment of silence to commemorate our workers who died in 2004. These men and women were co-workers, they were friends, and they were family. They were somehow working to build their lives to help their families and ultimately to build Alberta and make it work. A death in the workplace is sudden and often shocking. When it happens on a large construction site, for example, the news, the feelings, the hurt spread like electricity. Most often that job site is shut down for the rest of the day.

This shutdown is always in honour of the fallen but also reflects the altered state of mind that happens to everyone close by. It simply is not safe to work. People must reflect and mourn. Days like this help as well. I have seen the aftermath of job site death. It is often not very pretty. Most times it seems senseless. Sometimes it is shameful. A little bit of hurry up or a little bit of oversight or even cutting corners leads to tragedy. We must be ever vigilant to ensure that job site safety is of the highest standard and has full acceptance from all levels of the workplace.

Often when a worker dies in the workplace, a collection of donations for the family takes place. These donations give some solace, some closing for those that give, as they hope to help sustain those that are left behind. I have delivered donation cheques to widows, and it is a very difficult thing to do. The future ended yesterday for them. Life as they knew it ends abruptly. The shock, the hurt, the sheer tragedy is hard for them to overcome. I’ve had a widow break down, sob and cry for 10 minutes as I held her. I said nothing. Then she said that the thought and the money helped, but the hurt would not stop.

Everyone must try to end workplace deaths so that we can stem those tears so that they will never flow again. A hundred and twenty-four deaths of Alberta workers in 2004 was 124 deaths too many. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Speaker: The hon. leader of the third party to request unani- mous consent to participate? Mr. Mason: Yes, for my colleague the hon. Member for Edmonton- Beverly-Clareview. [Unanimous consent granted] The Speaker: Hon. member, please proceed. Mr. Martin: Thank you to the Assembly, and thank you, Mr. Speaker.

This year’s Day of Mourning reminds us of the stories that will go untold in our centennial celebrations. The Alberta Federa- tion of Labour added up Alberta’s workpl ace fatalities and found that 9,219 people have been killed in the workplace over the past 100 years. For much of our history the workpl ace fatality rate slowly dropped, but during the last 15 years further progress has eluded us. Today’s National Day of Mourning comes on the heels of another report released yesterday by the Institutes of Health Research that shows that Alberta has the highest number of work- place injuries in Canada.

Workplace deaths and injuries, attacks on collective bargaining, the weakest labour legislation in Canada: the list of wrongs that must be righted is long. However, today we remember all those people who have been killed on the job, and we’re proud of all the women and men of the labour movement who have fought for an end to workplace deaths. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. head: Oral Question Period The Speaker: First Official Opposition main question. The hon. Leader of the Official Opposition. Securities Commission Dr. Taft: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Last night at about 10 o’clock the Alberta Securities Commission issued a news release placing severe restrictions on the Auditor General’s investigation into the commission. For example, the Auditor General will not be allowed to look into enforcement concerns, complainants must provide sworn testimony and submit to being cross-examined, and the ASC will have a representative working w ith the Auditor General in all dealings with the ASC staff. This pretty much guarantees that the Auditor General’s investigation will have little credibility with investors or the public. My question is to the Minister of Finance.

Has the minister received any concerns from business, from investors, or from others about the impact of this controversy on confidence in the ASC?

April 28, 2005 Alberta Hansard 1119 Mrs. McClellan: Mr. Speaker, I have received limited correspon- dence on this from business and a small amount from the public. Most of the concern that’s raised is raised over the controversy, not the actions of the commission. The hon. Leader of the Opposition referred to the news release from the Alberta Securities Commission, and I would be pleased to provide that to the Assembly at the appropriate time. I think he was very selective in his use of that news release. It does state that the Alberta Securities Commission is required by

section 45 of the Securities Act to hold confidential all information involving enforcement matters. I have every confidence that the Auditor General and the Securi- ties Commission and their legal people will interpret the appropriate sections and ensure that within the bounds of the legislation the Auditor General will receive all the information that’s pertinent to his investigations. The Speaker: The hon. leader. Dr. Taft: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Alberta Securities Commission or perhaps the Auditor General provide legal counsel to employees being cross-examined? Mrs. McClellan: Mr.

Speaker, I think that question could well be put to the Auditor General and certainly to the Alberta Securities Commission. I have not had a request from anybody involved to provide them with legal assistance, but if that does arise, it will be responded to appropriately. The Speaker: The hon. leader. Dr. Taft: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

To the same minister again: if the Auditor General cannot examine any enforcement matters, cannot review information subject to client/solicitor privilege, and can only accept sworn testimony from employees prepared to be identified and cross-examined, what exactly is left for the Auditor General to investigate? Mrs. McClellan: Well, Mr. Speaker, obviously the Auditor General has fairly broad powers to do audits. The Auditor General had proposed an audit of the processes and systems of the Alberta Securities Commission. He’s proceeding with that audit. Again, the Auditor General is bound by

an act of this Legislature. The Securities Commission is bound by

an act that was passed in this Legislature. I have every confidence in the people that will work with them to do a legal

interpretation of what authorities are accorded to either party under that act. I would not expect the Alberta Securities Commission to breach their legislation. The Speaker: Second Official Opposition main question. The hon. Leader of the Official Opposition. 1:50 Dr. Taft: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Concerns with enforcement issues have been raised by a substantial number of the Alberta Securities Commission staff, by former staff of the commission, by national investor advocates, in court, and who knows where else.

Not surprisingly, the Alberta securities commissioners themselves, whose job it is to oversee enforcement cases, dismiss any claims of enforcement irregularities. Again to the Minister of Finance: why is this minister wholeheartedly accepting the commissioners’ claims that there are no enforcement issues at the ASC, when this group would be essentially turning itself in? Mrs. McClellan: Mr. Speaker, we plow this ground day after day, week after week. The Alberta Securities Commission did engage an external person, a Mr. Perry Mack, I understand a very highly regarded lawyer from the city of Calgary. Mr.

Mack prepared two reports. He provided those to the part-time commissioners, and they provided me with their assurance that from those reports the issues around enforcement and regulatory matters were being handled consistently and even-handedly and fairly. Mr. Speaker, I don’t know what w ill satisfy this hon. member because I receive far more i nnuendo or s upposition. I have asked repeatedly, if he has anything that can be substantiated, that has any fact behind it, to please give it to me, and I will respond to it. To this date I have had none of the above. Dr. Taft: Again to the same minister, Mr.

Speaker: given that Mr. Mack’s first report did convey concerns about irregularities in investigations, isn’t the very reason for investigating allegations to see whether or not they are true? Mrs. McClellan: Mr. Speaker, again, that was the second part of the report by Mr. Mack. Mr. Speaker, I live in a province where I believe that if persons have concerns, they have the ability to raise them, but I also believe that the persons who they may be raised against have the ability to be heard. That is what I consider fairness in a democratic society, and that’s what I expect to happen in this case. Dr. Taft: Mr.

Speaker, to the same minister: when so many people – staff, national investor advocates, courts, and so on – are witness- ing these allegations, how will investors ever know if they are true or not unless they are investigated? Mrs. McClellan: Allegations. Allegations . You investigate the allegations to see if there is any substance or fact or basis to them.

Frankly, the investors are not calling me saying, “We have a great deal of concern with the credibility of the Alberta Securities Commis- sion.” The person who is most obsessed with this is the Leader of the Official Opposition, and he’s doing the least to move this along. The Speaker: Third Official Opposition main question. The hon. Member for Edmonton-Gold Bar. Electricity Marketing Mr. MacDonald: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Premier’s advice to electricity consumers to hang on if they’re on the regulated rate option didn’t sit well with Mr.

Robert Hemstock, Direct Energy Marketing Limited vice-president of government and regulatory affairs, who suggested that the Premier was out of line to provide sweeping advice to Albertans. He stated, quote, it does have important implications to our business. End of quote. My first question is to the Minister of Energy. Given this government was so desperate to get some retail competition in Alberta’s electricity market, did this government guarantee Direct Energy that the regulated rate option would end in 2006? Mr. Melchin: Mr. Speaker, I don’t know of any promises in the past.

There was a policy that was put in place that the regulated rate option would be put in place till July of 2006. I don’t know that there were promises that it would continue or not continue. That’s part of why we’re actually even doing a review at this stage. Mr. MacDonald: Again to the same minister: why is this govern-

Alberta Hansard April 28, 20051120 ment allowing electricity retailers 45 per cent markups from wholesale power prices, which add an additional $200 million to as high as $300 million extra on already skyrocketing power bills? Mr. Melchin: Mr. Speaker, those assumptions as to the rates that people are paying are entirely false. We have the lowest nonhydro electricity prices in this country. The wholesale market has benefited the residential consumer substantially. They are paying and getting tremendous benefits, tremendous savings today. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. MacDonald: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Again to the same minister: why did this government deliberately create an electricity market that uses a fear factor to drive small electricity consumers into the hands of the greedy retailers of electricity? Mr. Melchin: Mr. Speaker, it’s easy to throw out lots of innuendo and slander. Let me continue to emphasize the many benefits that have happened from this. We have the most supply that’s come on in a growing economy; over 3, 000 megawatts have come on. We have the lowest consumer prices of nonhydro.

We don’t have the capacity of the hydro, but we have the innovation of wind, of biomass, of green alternatives, quite an inventiveness that’s come across from this electricity deregulation, plus residential consumers are benefiting and are being protected very well. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Highlands- Norwood, followed by the hon. Member for Airdrie-Chestermere. Mr. Mason: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I do have a question today.

Yesterday the government tried to pass off an April 14, 2005, report by the Utilities Consumer Advocate Advisory Council as some sort of vindication of retail electricity deregulation. Nonsense. In fact, the report concludes that residential farm and small business customers will face electricity rates 40 to 45 per cent higher than they are now under the Tory deregulation scheme than they would under the model proposed by the advisory council. My question is to the Minister of Energy. [interjection] It’s your council.

Given that next year’s deadline forcing utilities consumers onto these high-priced contracts is coming up fast, will the minister stand up and commit to reversing this high-cost, anticonsumer policy? Mr. Melchin: Mr. Speaker, it’s convenient to select a few para- graphs. Let me start with the executive

summary in that same report that was tabled. “We believe that the deregulation of the Alberta electricity market has been successful in many ways . . . We characterize the success as the ‘New Alberta Advantage’.” Mr. Mason: Will the minister commit to not forcing small electric- ity consumers onto a long-term contract? Yes or no? Mr. Melchin: Mr. Speaker, this has all been about consumers having choice, that they are not being compelled to do anything. There are many great products that are being offered to fit the individual needs of those customers. Mr. Mason: Mr.

Speaker, the choice the minister talks about is either 40 per cent more or 45 per cent more. Will he cancel this policy? Mr. Melchin: Mr. Speaker, I don’t know how anybody foresees the crystal ball of the future as to predicting those prices. Today consumers, as a result of tremendous su ccess in deregulation, are seeing the best prices in this country. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Airdrie-Chestermere, followed by the hon. Member for Edmonton-Centre. West Nile Virus Ms Haley: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Despite the cold wind blowing today, I am confident that spring and summer are coming.

Last summer the province introduced a mosquito control program to help Alberta communities reduce the risk of infection from the West Nile virus. My first question is to the Minister of Health and Wellness. Do Albertans have reason to be concerned this year about the West Nile virus, and will the larviciding program continue? Ms Evans: Mr. Speaker, the program will continue. Too little is known about the prevalence and the patterns of West Nile.

We had last year, for example, only one case of the West Nile virus, and it, purportedly, was a case where the person was infected in Arizona, but the year before we had 275 cases. With the Minister of Munici- pal Affairs we have sent letters to municipalities. This year 104 municipalities will be funded.

We’re spending about $1.25 million, and we are providing this funding for those municipalities selected based on what we perceive to be, with the best advice from Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development, the best places in the southeast portion of the province predominantly. 2:00 Ms Haley: Well, my second supplementary to the same minister, Mr. Speaker: could the minister elaborate on her explanation about giving assistance on the larviciding program to some municipalities versus others such as the MD of Rocky View, where right beside it the municipalities are being funded for this program?

Ms Evans: Mr. Speaker, that’s a very good question from the hon. member. In the consultation we did about monitoring and seeing where the most appropriate course of action was to fight this potential situation, we consulted with Environment; Agriculture, Food and Rural Development; Municipal Affairs; and Sustainable Resource Development. We noted that there’s no direct scientific evidence to be conclusive that the larviciding program actually works, but I think we feel a greater degree of confidence that when we use it, we will prevent it.

It was deemed that the MD of Rocky View is in a lower risk area albeit, as the member has noted, adjacent to that area. If municipalities choose to fund larviciding and if there can be some indication that we should consider that at some future point, we certainly will. But, Mr. Speaker, presently this is the decision that we have made with the resources we have available. That’s not to say that that MD could not consider doing it on their own. Ms Haley: My last supplemental is to the Minister of Environment.

Could the minister please indicate what his department is doing to ensure that mosquito control is effective and safe for all Albertans, not just those areas where there’s a larviciding program? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Boutilier: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First of all, I want to say that within the Ministry of Environment we have insect experts, and we’ve been able in the four quadrants across our province to

April 28, 2005 Alberta Hansard 1121 determine the high, medium, and low risk areas. To the hon. member in the Airdrie-Chestermere area it certainly must be welcome news to realize that it’s been determined that this is in the lowest risk area. We continue to work with our municipal partners, and, as the hon. minister of health indicated, certainly it’s still an option for the municipality to consider. We continue to work with and train our municipal partners in terms of dealing with this important issue. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Centre, followed by the hon. Member for Cypress-Medicine Hat.

Long-term Care Standards Ms Blakeman: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In Camrose on Monday an 86-year-old diabetic woman goes on a hunger strike to bring the government’s attention to underfunding and staff shortages in long- term care. In Edmonton on Wednesday a glistening stretch limo glides Tory caucus members to steak and lobster dinners sponsored by an unnamed lobby group looking to bring the attention of government to their interests. Who gets the Alberta advantage? My questions today are to the minister of health.

Given that the long- term care sector has asked for $86 million for long-term care facilities, why did the government fund only $10 million, a mere 11 per cent of what was asked? Ms Evans: Well, Mr. Speaker, first of all, I want to clarify that I’ve been in no stretch limos lately. It’s been years and years since anybody asked me on a date. Mr. Speaker, I would clarify that we gave a 10.3 per cent increase to the regional health authorities.

We gave $522 million to the regional health authorities, and we added $15 million over and above that – not $10 million but $15 million: $5 million at the conclusion of the 2004-05 budget and $10 million in this new budget – to make sure that we work towards quality of care and continue to accelerate the work we’re doing on standards for long-term care. We moved, also, from a staffing ratio of 3 to 3.4 this year. Our expectation is that regional health authorities will continue to work to improve care wherever that is needed. The Speaker: The hon. member. Ms Blakeman: Thank you.

To the same minister: why were four brand new living units constructed for 56 seniors in Camrose, but staffing levels were not changed to cope with the heavier demands? Ms Evans: Well, Mr. Speaker, always surprises, and now an offer for a date. Mr. Speaker, I can’t tell you exactly why that proportion of residents was put into that particular facility. Regional health authorities have the responsibility of setting priorities, establishing standards, and providing the opportunity for care where care is needed. We also have partners in the private sector, not-for-profit societies that get involved.

So that’s a question that I can gladly take from the hon. member and direct to the regional health authority. The Speaker: The hon. member. Ms Blakeman: Thank you. Again to the same minister: why has the minister allowed LPNs to be delegated medication duties, effectively adding to their workload and making it difficult to get all of their assigned work done? Ms Evans: Mr.

Speaker, in the early ’60s I went into the honourable profession of nursing at the Holy Cross hospital, and at that time as a student nurse I learned that there are many hands that are involved in the care of and the proper professional attention to the patient. Mr. Speaker, I have noted the concern of the hon. member opposite, but I’ve noted something else. The most important thing to do for a patient is to treat th e patient holistically with caring, professional, supportive staff in whatever kind of discipline most clearly affects the work that’s required to make them as healthy as possible.

Sometimes an occupational health and safety worker is the person who can break the barrier; for example, for people who have dementia or Alzheimer’s. So you can’t simply define a program for a facility without looking at the patient themselves, considering their needs, the capacity of the family, or the adjacent caregiver. Mr. Speaker, if people would only listen to my response, perhaps it would be clear what I’m trying to say. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Cypress-Medicine Hat, followed by the hon. Member for Edmonton-Manning. Cattle Rustling Mr. Mitzel: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I’ve been hearing concerns from my constituents in Cypress-Medicine Hat about cattle going missing under suspicious circumstances. Farmers and ranchers depend on their livestock, and some of their herd being stolen or disappearing mysteriously seriously and needlessly affects their income and livelihood. For example, for one rancher 35 calves and seven heifers over a one-year period is indeed serious. Calls to the RCMP have not resulted in anything achieved substantially at this time. My first question is to th e Solicitor General. What’s the RCMP doing to deal with the cases of cattle rustling?

The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Cenaiko: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Indeed, cattle rustling is something that may sound from the days of the Old West, but it is, exactly as the hon. member mentioned, a very serious issue in Alberta when you look at the geographics of the size of this province. Cattle rustling is pure theft, and the RCMP are combatting this issue by having two experts that are learned in the area of the livestock industry. They have one officer that works in northern Alberta and one officer that works in southern Alberta.

They provide the training and the expertise to other RCMP officers and municipal services that have any issues with regard to this type of theft in their communities. They’re there to assist, provide support to those RCMP officers as well as doing enforcement on the highways, livestock inspections, and being members of the livestock association and the rural crime watch association. So they have the skilled-expertise officers providing this service throughout the province. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Mitzel: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

My only supplemental, then, is to the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development. What role does brand inspection play in cattle rustling cases? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Horner: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Brand inspection plays a very important

part in the recovery of stolen cattle. When the cattle are stolen and the RCMP report is made, it is sent to our

Alberta Hansard April 28, 20051122 Livestock Identification Services unit. LIS is the brief for that. It provides brand inspection services to the livestock producers in all of Alberta. They work with the RCMP to ensure that the investiga- tor that is in charge of the case has all of the information they need, including the brand records. If the missing cattle were branded, all brand inspectors at slaughterhouses, at the stockyards, at sales rings would also be put on the alert to look for those brands, so it is quite an important part of the investigation. The Speaker: The hon.

Member for Edmonton-Manning, followed by the hon. Member for Calgary-Montrose. 2:10 Workplace Safety Mr. Backs: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As we commemorate today those 124 Alberta workers who died last year, it is absolutely imperative that job site safety see renewed emphasis. Syncrude and other oil sands plants have created remarkable records of safety in difficult work environments and should be congratulated and copied, but a just-released study places Alberta, with 10 per cent of its trauma cases a result of workplace injury, the worst and highest level in the nation.

My question is to the Minister of Human Resources and Employment. Will the minister push for and hire new occupa- tional health and safety inspectors to stem this shocking statistic? Speaker’s Ruling Anticipation The Speaker: Hon. member, the question is fine. It’s just that this afternoon the estimates we’re dealing with are exactly that of the Minister of Human Resources and Employment. If the question has to deal with his budget, then I’m afraid we’re going to have to move on to another one. If it’s policy, that would be accepted. The hon. minister? Okay. Please proceed with your second one.

Workplace Safety (continued) Mr. Backs: Mr. Speaker, I’ll just do a supplemental. Has your ministry investigated if hurry to get the resources out of the ground and too much overtime is putting Albertans at risk and, in the end, creating greater costs for the Alberta economy? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Cardinal: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Of course, you know, we do have a very diversified, strong economy here in Alberta. We have over 1.8 million people working. Alberta also has the highest workforce participation rate in Canada, at 73 per cent.

So we have more people working and more activity going on, which creates more challenges. Of course, you know, the report the member is referring to I haven’t seen yet. I will as soon as I can get hold of it. We’ll continue working – we do have over 80 officers already working, and you know they do a good job. The Work Safe Alberta initiative, which was implemented just a few years ago, resulted in just over 10,000 fewer lost-time claim injuries each year in this province, saving the employers over $150 million. So we will continue doing our best to ensure that there is a reduction.

One of the things that’s very, very important and that the Assem- bly should hear, Mr. Speaker, is that a lot of the accidents that happen do not happen on the work site but happen on the way to work and on the way home. No one has really identified that yet, and we’re working on that. Mr. Backs: Mr. Speaker, a supplemental to the same minister. Will the minister undertake an immediate investigation into why Al- berta’s trauma statistic for workplace injuries is twice the level of industrialized Ontario? Mr. Cardinal: Mr. Speaker, I believe, you know, again, a lot of this is based on the economic activity.

And, again, I want to make sure that when we’re talking about work site injuries, et cetera, we haven’t – I don’t know if there’s any jurisdiction in Canada that has identified and provided a breakdown of where the accidents are happening. I think that in order to deal with this effectively, we have to define exactly where the accidents are happening. Are they happening on the project sites, or are they happening on the way to work and back home? I tend to think a lot more accidents happen on the highways that are work related, but they do happen. The Speaker: The hon.

Member for Calgary-Montrose, followed by the hon. Member for Lethbridge-East. Foreign-trained Physicians Mr. Pham: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There is a shortage of family physicians in Alberta, which has resulted in many general practitio- ners now interviewing prospective patients before agreeing to accept them. Concurrently, in Alberta we have many skilled immigrant doctors who are not able to practise their chosen profession and are underemployed in our society. My first question today is to the Minister of Health and Wellness.

Does the ministry know how many immigrant doctors are in Alberta who are currently unable to practise? Ms Evans: Mr. Speaker, we recognize the need for more physicians. We have acknowledged that there is a shortage. In terms of foreign- trained physicians who are in the province that are presently unable to practise, the number that I have just received is 224. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Pham: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My second question is also to the same minister. Why cannot we utilize these foreign-trained doctors to address the needs of Albertans? Ms Evans: Well, Mr.

Speaker, we are taking action to harness the capacity of these foreign-trained physicians. We have discussed this issue with the college, and we are working to try and resolve some of the issues surrounding it albeit there have been federal issues relative to immigration. The issues in Alberta that we’re working on and following up on are these. First of all, they have to have met the training standards in Canada. Doctors who are working in nonmedical fields are usually doing so because they are not meeting our licensing standards, and that’s a fact.

That’s a licensing standard that they must meet before they are able to practise. We are, however, considering some of the opportunities we have to suggest to the college that they could work as attendants or residents in hospital settings in order to gain some prac tical experience if that’s what’s wanting. They can apply to be licensed by the college under its special register. Finally, Mr. Speaker, it allows the physician to practise on a basis for a 30-month maximum, usually only in communities that have an emergency medical need. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Pham: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Given that it is not a new

April 28, 2005 Alberta Hansard 1123 issue and we have heard these ideas before, does the minister have any plans to improve the process so that these foreign-trained doctors either receive accreditation or are retrained in order that we can utilize them ASAP? Ms Evans: Mr. Speaker, I think that th is is a work in progress. There are certainly partnerships that are involved here with the colleges I’ve noted. Since 2001 the Alberta international medical graduate program has worked to place foreign-trained physicians living in Alberta, and they continue to do so.

When they get their residency and complete their residency, they are fully licensed. The program has established 43 two-year family residency and 24 specialty residency positions. Nineteen physicians have completed their residencies. I think the challenge is now identifying sufficient sponsoring physicians so that they can gain that work experience. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Lethbridge-East, followed by the hon. Member for Edmonton-Strathcona. Police Recruitment and Training Centre Ms Pastoor: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In 2002 the MLA Policing Review Committee report was issued.

In the 2004 response to that review recommendation 11 was accepted, and it called for the creation of a centre of policing excellence which would deliver standard, high-quality recruiting and ongoing training. Rather than being shelved, I would prefer to think that this response is on the to- do list on the member’s desk. My first question is to the Solicitor General. Given the importance of establishing standardized training, why has this government not acted sooner to begin this process? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Cenaiko: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. It’s a good question.

In fact, this ministry is working on that very project at this time. We are developing the proposal. The review of the special constable’s role is actually in the works right now, which will provide us with the level of education and training that those officers are going to require and may be legislated in the future to have. For the training college itself, Mr.

Speaker, we’ll be working with the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Advanced Education regarding the curriculum that’s going to be determined, that will be required, that the Alberta chiefs of police are going to want their officers and/or peace officers to have in the future. So we are working on that, Mr. Speaker. The location has not been announced. The RFP has not been announced, but we’ll be working towards that goal in the next month or so. The Speaker: The hon. member. Ms Pastoor: Thank you.

To the same minister: given that Lethbridge Community College has all the tools needed to establish a provincial centre of police excellence, will the minister commit to meeting with officials to discuss the possibility of establishing such a centre in southern Alberta? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Cenaiko: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. In fact, I have already met with officials from the college and with the police chiefs from southern Alberta as well with regard to that training college.

Their college is one of a number of colleges that we have, including the Calgary Police Service’s Chief Crowfoot Learning Centre as well as the Edmonton Police Service’s training centre. So, yes, there are three police colleges in the province. We’re looking at one college to provide training to all police officers as well as the 3,000 peace officers that we have in this province. 2:20 The Speaker: The hon. member. Ms Pastoor: Thank you.

To the Minister of Advanced Education: given that there’s an increasing demand for police officers in Alberta, will the minister honour the commitments made in the throne speech and provide some of the 15, 000 promised seats to Lethbridge Community College? Mr. Hancock: Well, Mr. Speaker, I can’t specifically indicate that additional seats will be promised to Lethbridge Community College. I can specifically indicate that the promise in the throne speech to expand our postsecondary system by 15,000 pl aces for Alberta students will be kept. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Strathcona, followed by the hon.

Member for Red Deer-North. Health Symposium Dr. Pannu: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday the Minister of Health and Wellness announced taking the government’s third-way three-ring circus on the road in June, no doubt causing their Conservative cousins in Ottawa to wet their pants. In January the Premier went on his own speaking tour of his business-friendly audiences at the Canadian Club, the Empire Club, and the Montreal board of trade. In those speeches the Premier vowed that this time there’s no turning back on finding a mythical third way.

To the Minister of Health and Wellness: in the June consultations will the government be preaching its third-way message to the converted in front of Tory-friendly audiences, or are there plans to actually rub shoulders with average Albertans, who can’t afford the two-tiered system the Premier’s corporate buddies are pushing for? Ms Evans: Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his question. It’s an excellent question indeed. What we have been attempting to do, without pre-empting the international symposium, is to have conversation about how we will proceed to use the information.

First of all, the symposium itself will give a number of good ideas, best practices world-wide. The attendees at this particular sympo- sium are principally physicians, members of regional health authorities, and people that represent the health care disciplines. We will be most anxious, Mr. Speaker, to listen to their thoughts after, and when the Premier spoke in Calgary at the Canadian Club luncheon, he invited regional health authorities to be innovative and to look to their resources to create new opportunities. I will be listening to what they have to say after that symposium. The Speaker: The hon. member.

Dr. Pannu: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the same minister: why won’t the minister admit that next week’s health symposium is a pretext for softening up Albertans to accept the government’s third- way blueprint of user fees and further privatization? Ms Evans: Well, Mr. Speaker, I won’t admit it because I speak the truth, and that’s not the truth. Dr. Pannu: To the same minister, Mr. Speaker: if the minister is

Alberta Hansard April 28, 20051124 sincere in saying that there’s no agenda for user-pay health care, why is the Graydon report, which is a recipe book for new user fees, including health care deductibles, still an option being promoted by the minister in the June consultations? Ms Evans: Mr. Speaker, if the hon. member is referencing an oblique reference to the Graydon report as reported in an

article today, that is not the source of conversation relative to how we are going to follow up. Our Premie r distinctly said that the Mazankowski report gave us an excellent framework for reform and for looking to the third way for the thousand good ideas that would improve the health system. What I hope for at the international symposium is that ideas and the best practices elsewhere are explored, that we have a full and open discussion.

We have no preconceived notions about what will come forward, but we should be looking at the fact that in terms of the money we spend, Canada is in the top three OECD countries, yet we’re very much in the middle of the pack for performance. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Red Deer-North, followed by the hon. Member for Edmonton-Meadowlark. Long-term Care Standards (continued) Mrs. Jablonski: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Red Deer has a number of very good long-term care facilities, many of which I have visited.

Some are public, some are private, for-profit, some are private, not- for-profit, and one is a P3 partnership between the David Thompson health region, Red Deer College, and Bethany Care. In every one of these facilities I have been told two things. The staff who provide care are excellent. They are caring, compassionate, and gentle, but they would like more staff. Two, the food could taste a little better. My questions are to the Minister of Health and Wellness. What are the current staffing requirements in Alberta’s long-term care facilities? Ms Evans: Mr.

Speaker, I’m pleased to answer the hon. member’s question and clarify the situation on a number of points. We recognize that we’re an aging population, that there are increasing demands, and that we have to have a plan to deal with the fragile elderly. Appropriate staffing to meet the needs is important, so last year we requested that the regional health authorities move from 3.0 hours of direct care per day to 3.4. I think that the hours per day is part of the confusion. What you find when people go into these facilities is a care plan developed on their own particular needs.

Some people need less, and some people clearly need more and more support. So it’s important to note that these are average hours of care. The actual hours of individual care are set based on a person’s needs. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mrs. Jablonski: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Could the minister explain, then, why the staffing requirements are measured in hours of care rather than a set number of residents per worker? Ms Evans: Mr. Speaker, I think the hon. member poses an excellent question.

This is, in fact, a formula that has been used because it creates a standard and it gives some known quantities for people to examine, but over this period of time and since I have assumed responsibility for this ministry, I have asked that we review and prepare new standards of care and examine these formulas. That work will be discussed with regional health authorities, with members of the Long Term Care Association, with patients them- selves, and with care providers in all sectors: public, private, and not-for-profit. Mrs.

Jablonski: My last question to the same minister: is there, then, an intent to change the basic care standards for all long-term care facilities in Alberta? Ms Evans: Well, Mr. Speaker, I think it’s clear that we need some improvements on the basic care standards if only to address the needs of an increasing population, if only to address the fact that many people are bringing their extended families here as they move to Alberta and gain jobs. We have noted, for example, announce- ments made last year in Calgary for a need for 600 more beds.

We have to find ways, when families don’t support their family mem- bers, the elderly at home, to look after these people in a better fashion. So I think we have to get creative and innovative. Yes, these new standards, I think, will reflect many of the good things that are going on, as the hon. member has noted, but, in fact, create improvements as well. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Meadowlark, followed by the hon. Member for Lac La Biche-St. Paul. Métis Hunting Rights Mr. Tougas: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The interim now more than seven months old, and the provincial government has done little to explain this agreement. This, in turn, has created an uproar among the fish and game groups across the province because of the lack of communication they received before this agreement was signed. To the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development: given that the Métis nation is performing public consultation that will shape the new Métis harvesting agreement, can you explain the ministry’s role in this consultation? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Ms Calahasen: Well, yes, Mr. Speaker.

First of all, there are a number of other ministries that are involved with us. Number one, Alberta Justice will make sure that we deal with the issue from a context of what the Supreme Court of Canada has decided. Sec- ondly, we have the Ministry of Sustainable Resource Development, and Sustainable Resource Development will provide the information on what potential impacts could result as a result of the interim agreements.

Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development’s job is to make sure that we continue to bring all the information together so that all three ministries can work together to see how we can address the concerns that have been brought forward not only by all Albertans but also by the Métis. 2:30 Mr. Tougas: To the same minister: will the minister commit to presenting the final Métis harvesting agreement to the government caucus for their input before it is signed? Ms Calahasen: Well, Mr. Speaker, I thin k that something that, certainly, our government intends to do is to be able to work with our caucus.

As a matter of fact, we’ve had a few meetings that we’ll be able to address the various concerns that their constituents have brought to our attention. We will certainly address those concerns as we move forward and will continue to work with our caucus. It

April 28, 2005 Alberta Hansard 1125 is, after all, this government’s position that we work with our caucus and make sure that they know what issues are out there, and then that way, we can ensure that we bring that to the table as we move forward. Whether it is a final agreement or a series of agreements we don’t know yet at this stage. Mr. Tougas: Well, I didn’t hear an answer to my question, Mr. Speaker, so I’ll ask it again. Will the minister commit to presenting the final Métis harvesting agreement to the government caucus for their input before it is signed? Yes or no? Ms Calahasen: Well, Mr.

Speaker, as I indicated earlier, it is our rule to be able to ensure that our caucus is going to be involved in whatever decisions we come up with. Basically, once that informa- tion is presented, our caucus will have input. That input will then go to the regular process that we utilize within government, and we’ll ensure that our caucus has input in terms of what is going to be, if there is going to be, a final agreement or a series of agreements. So we will make sure that our caucus will have that input. Definitely. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Lac La Biche-St. Paul, followed by the hon.

Member for Edmonton-Mill Woods. Affordable Housing in the North Mr. Danyluk: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Northern Alberta is experiencing increased pressure on social housing and assisted living facilities in both the numbers and expectations. As a result, seniors in northern communities are leaving the places where they have lived and worked their entire lives due to the lack of adequate and affordable housing and support services. My question is to the Minister of Seniors and Community Supports.

Can you advise what steps are being taken to support seniors in having the choice to remain in their northern and rural communities? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mrs. Fritz: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There are two programs that come to mind for me in addressing the hon. member’s question. The first, of course, is the lodge assistance program, and the second is the rural affordable supportive living program. The lodge assistance program, Mr. Speaker, is for independent seniors who may require some assistance from the community through meal preparation or housekeeping or laundry.

Over the past four months we have increased the lodge assistance grant itself by 40 per cent, and that’s through a $22 million budget. That program is ongoing, of course. The rural affordable supportive living program is new. It’s a $50 million budget over two years, and that’s to assist seniors with higher health care and personal care needs than in the lodges and to assist them to remain in their rural remote communities that the hon. member has asked about. Mr. Danyluk: Mr. Speaker, my first supplemental question is again to the Minister of Seniors and Community Supports.

The lack of affordable and adequate housing is also hurting recruitment and retention of labour n ecessary to maintain the northern industries. What steps are being taken to support northern remote and rural communities to address the affordable housing issue? Mrs. Fritz: Mr. Speaker, we assist the northern remote communities through the Canada/Alberta affordable housing program and, as well, through the sustainable remote housing initiative program.

The Canada affordable housing program has provided 2,400 homes to low-income people, hon. member, over the past three years, and that program is ongoing through a $25 million allocation into the budget this year, which will assist the community. Also, the sustainable remote housing program: we have approved 50 housing units, and we are currently working with the community to assist with providing more housing units. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Danyluk: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My final supplemental is to the same minister.

Could the Minister of Seniors and Community Supports tell us whether she sees any merit in striking a committee to look at the housing challenges specifically related to the economic growth given the importance of housing to Alberta’s social and economic well-being? Mrs. Fritz: Well, Mr. Speaker, as I indicated to the hon. member, I do share his concerns regarding housing in the northern remote areas of the province, you know, in the rural areas, for our seniors, for low-income individuals, for people with special needs. Having said that, Mr.

Speaker, I’m not prepared to establish a committee at this time although I know the hon. member wishes that to happen. That’s because I believe that our department is addressing the needs in the best way possible. Having said that, I would offer to the hon. member that we have staff who are very knowledgeable in this area, and they would assist the member as chair of the Northern Alberta Development Council. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Mill Woods. Education Funding Mrs. Mather: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Education Week is an important time to take stock of our public education system to celebrate the successes as well as to take a hard look at where we can do better. This Conservative government, sitting with record resource revenues and bending to public and opposition pressure, has finally decided to reinvest in our kids. My question is to the Minister of Education. Can the minister assure this Assembly and Alberta’s educational community that all school boards will in fact get the 5.4 per cent increase in base operating funding he has promised? Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr.

Speaker, I don’t have the exact percentage in my head, but I can tell you that overall the education budget has been increased by about 7 per cent. Within that 7 per cent there are $287 million of new wealth, and those monies arise out of needs that they’ve identified in meetings that I had with them in January and February and in needs that have been presented to me by members of our caucus. I should point out to the hon. member, who I know is new, that education spending has gone up consistently in this province since 1995, not just this year. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mrs. Mather: Thank you.

To the same minister: can you explain why some school boards might be anticipating that the financial impact of the budget will actually be less than 3 per cent, clearly not enough to keep pace with increased operating costs? Mr. Zwozdesky: Well, I would invite school boards who feel that

Alberta Hansard April 28, 20051126 they might not be receiving adequate f unding under the renewed funding framework or through other increases such as the 30 per cent increase in ESL, such as the 11 per cent increase for special needs, particularly severe special needs, such as the increase we’re giving for francization, such as the increase that we’re giving for a number of areas: First Nations, Métis, Inuit initiatives. If they are having a problem there, they can certainly contact me or one of my officials. Mr.

Speaker, I’d be more than happy to take a look at their extenuating circumstances if, in fact, there are some. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mrs. Mather: Thank you. To the same minister: will you immedi- ately release the projected impact of the new budget for all school boards, including charter schools, so they can plan effectively? Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr. Speaker, the process works like this. A school board submits its best available information on projections and statistics for the year coming up. Our officials work with them to renew that.

We do sort of a quasi-soft audit, if you will, to make sure that the figures and projections are more or less in line with where they were projecting those from the year previous, and we work with them on what’s called a jurisdiction profile. The member asking the question has some familiarity as a former teacher, in fact an administrator within the system, and if she’d like to request that information from the school board she taught with, for example, I’m sure they’d be willing to speak with her. Thank you.

The Speaker: Hon. members, very shortly I’ll call upon the first of a number of members to participate, but I have a question, and I know it’s one on everybody’s mind. The hon. Minister of Health and Wellness announced that she had a date proposal. Our question is: are you going to accept it? Ms Evans: Mr. Speaker, I’m accepting every one. Ms Pastoor: Mr. Speaker, I might ask my hon. colleague across the table: if it’s any good, might he have a brother? [laughter] Rev. Abbott: It’s springtime. The Speaker: Yup. Thursday. Full moon. head: 2:40 Members’ Statements The Speaker: The hon.

Member for Battle River-Wainwright. Rural Development Mr. Griffiths: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Three years ago I was elected, and three years ago the government of Alberta committed to extending the Alberta advantage to all Albertans through a rural development strategy. I was fortunate enough to begin this work on that rural development strategy with my hon. colleague from Innisfail-Sylvan Lake only days after I was elected, and I continue to do that today.

Meetings in fully 25 per cent of the communities of this province with hundreds of organizations and thousands of individuals from all walks of life gave us a vision and a plan. That strategy recognizes the critical nature of thriving rural communities and makes recom- mendations around ensuring that the four pillars of a community are strong, those pillars being health care, learning and sk ill develop- ment, economic growth, and community infrastructure. It also makes recommendations around components of a community such as youth, seniors, arts and culture, and environment.

Most importantly, it recognizes two critical elements, Mr. Speaker: first, that rural development is not a one-year fix or a two- year initiative but must be a 20-year plan for the future, not just for the benefit of rural Albertans but for the benefit of all Albertans. Secondly, it recognizes that rural development is not the sole responsibility of the provincial government, the federal government, or any local, municipal government. It’s everyone’s responsibility including the communities themselves.

If a community is to survive, grow, and prosper, they must start the initiative, and then the governments must work with them if at all possible to make that vision happen. The tip of the iceberg came with Budget ’05, with over 30 initiatives, Mr. Speaker, that just begin the process of rural develop- ment. This is not the end of rural development; this is not even the beginning of the end of rural development, to quote an ancient colleague. It is only the end of the beginning. We know the road. We know our task. Now we undertake the long journey of success for rural Alberta and for all Albertans.

To quote a gentleman named William Jennings Bryan: tear down your c ities and watch them spring up again as if by magic; tear down your farms in our rural communities and watch the grass grow in every city street in this country. Thank you. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Lac La Biche-St. Paul. Forum for Young Albertans Mr. Danyluk: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. It is my pleasure to be able to rise and recognize a group of involved and engaged youth who are participating in the Forum for Young Albertans.

The Forum for Young Albertans is a program allowing students the opportunity to gain insight into the parliamentary process and legislative system. Through speaker presentations and forums, which I also participated in, group discussions, tours, and formal activities students are able to listen, learn, and question various legislative staff, media, university professors, and MLAs on how government works. It is important that we engage our youth more in government and politics in general.

I’m not one to use clichés, but this one rings very true: Alberta’s future is dependent on our youth, and we are in great hands. I would like to thank the Forum for Young Albertans for helping to get more young Albertans educated and interested and involved in the parliamentary and the legislative process. Thank you to all of those involved, and thank you to the students who participated. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-Hays. Glendale Elementary School Mr. Johnston: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

This week schools and communities throughout our province are celebrating Education Week, and today the Minister of Education and I have an incredible success story to share. Students in grades 4, 5, and 6 at Glendale elementary school in Calgary recently produced a film called Frankenstein, which has gained international attention. Franken- stein is being screened at the prestigious New York International Independent Film and Video Festival on May 2, 2005.

This film explores Mary Shelley’s popular story and its themes of love, acceptance, and belonging, with a particular focus on the consequences of separating spirit, intellect, and heart.

April 28, 2005 Alberta Hansard 1127 The students at Glendale school were responsible for every part of this film including editing the sc ript, filming, acting, and set development. Judges were very impressed with the quality of their work. In fact, Frankenstein is the only Canadian film produced by children that is being screened at the festival. This project is just one example of the great work being done in Alberta’s classrooms.

I would like to congratulate the students and staff at Glendale school in Calgary, who are listening to this special recognition in their classroom, on their extraordinary achievement. Well done, Glendale. We are all very proud of you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Lethbridge-East. Police Recruitment and Training Centre Ms Pastoor: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Five years ago this govern- ment commissioned the MLA policing review to examine policing in Alberta.

Recommendation 11 of the 2004 accepted response to that review stated that a centre of policing excellence should be established that would deliver standardized, high-quality recruiting and ongoing training. A consortium of police services – Taber, Blood Tribe police, Medicine Hat, CP Rail, and the Lethbridge regional service. To be noted: it is the first regional police service in this province and an accredited member of CALEA.

This service has worked with the Lethbridge Community College, already a nationally recognized centre of excellence for their criminal justice program, and has created an approved curriculum as well as a memo of understanding and a business plan projecting the viability of this police centre of excellence. In addition, the community college has the infrastructure for gun training and other specific training techniques; for example, diving and taser training. This program will provide 30 cred its and would allow a seamless transfer for further academic education at the university level.

The police chiefs of the future will require a masters level education. We have a very sophisticated criminal element in our society. Our police forces that protect our lives every day with their lives deserve no less. There have been inquiries from other provinces and northern Alberta expressing support and wanting to send their members to Lethbridge for training. Southern Alberta is ready to go and serve. This provincial government’s political will is now up to the plate.

This initiative is the perfect fit for this government’s own rural development strategy, and I paraphrase from that document: it looks to a future where rural Alberta is a place to grow new opportunities, new ideas, and new potential for the future. I urge this government to look south of the 50th parallel to establish a true centre for policing excellence. The city of Lethbridge stands ready to deliver. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Meadowlark. Electricity Deregulation Mr. Tougas: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise today to try and clear the smokescreen this government repeatedly deploys over electricity deregulation. The government likes to say that electricity deregula- tion created 3,000 megawatts of new generation in Alberta, but what they fail to mention is that most of this new generation is fuelled by expensive natural gas. Thirty-eight per cent of Alberta’s power generation is gas fired, and gas almost always sets the price paid to all generators at the Power Pool.

The electricity market is now so dependent on natural gas that a run-up in the price of natural gas directly translates to a run-up in the price of electricity in Alberta. This leads to huge volatility in electricity prices. This volatility will continue to grow in the future as new genera- tion coming on stream is all gas fired and older, coal-fired power plants are decommissioned. This is yet another example of poor long-term planning from this government. The government has also failed to properly plan for the long-term electricity needs of Alberta.

Information from the Department of Energy shows that electricity supply and demand may come into critical balance in 2008. The Alberta Electric System Operator is less optimistic, stating that electricity demand in this province will outstrip supply by 2006. A shortage of electricity supply will cause prices to skyrocket just as they did in 2000 and 2001, when power prices tripled. This government needs to realize that electricity is not a commod- ity: it’s an essential service. It’s something we use every day. It’s something we can’t live without.

We need to return to low-cost power in Alberta, and the Alberta Liberals have a plan to do it. Our plan will save electricity consum- ers money without being forced to shop around for the best deal. Consumers will get one low, stable rate without having to sign an expensive, long-term electricity contract. We would make power bills easier to understand, and our plan w ill be able to count on a steady supply of low-cost electricity power for years to come. Thank you. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Strathcona. Public Health Care Dr. Pannu: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Next week the Alberta government will stage another expensive health care three-ring circus, this time to try to sell Albertans on a scheme to privatize their health care system by stealth with the so-called third way. The third way is a label stolen from the United Kingdom in order to import a health system from the United States. It’s a cynical public relations ploy aimed at selling Albertans on an idea they totally reject: privatization.

Albertans want the Canadian way, the best way, which is public health care. 2:50 The basis for the upcoming symposium and the consultations are the Mazankowski and Graydon reports, which recommend more user fees, delisting more services, and more private delivery. These proposals mean Albertans will pay more and get less from their health care system. No wonder Albertans have said to this govern- ment time and again that they don’t want private health care. Albertans’ fears about privatization are well founded in all available research. Private health care in the United States costs taxpayers more.

The U.S. spends more on health care while much of that money goes to bloated and bureaucratic health care corpora- tions. Furthermore, Alberta’s own misadventures with privately delivered health care show that wait times are longer and procedures are more expensive when done by for-profit providers. The people of Alberta want their government to defend public health care, not find elaborate public relations strategies to undermine it. The NDP opposition, Mr.

Speaker, is calling on this government to abandon its commitment to its friends in the for-profit health care industry and renew its commitment to universal public health care once and for all. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Vignettes from Alberta’s History The Speaker: Hon. members, by way of a historical vignette for

Alberta Hansard April 28, 20051128 today: at 4:10 a.m., April 29, 1903, a huge 74-million-ton slab of limestone slid off the east slope of Turtle Mountain and swept 1.6 kilometres through the Crowsnest Pass Valley and the coal-mining village of Frank, burying the mine entrance and killing at least 70 people in 100 sec onds. Only 23 people survived, and 17 trapped miners dug themselves to safety 13 hours later. The slab was 400 metres high, 1,200 metres wide, and 150 metres thick. head: Presenting Petitions The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Beverly-Clareview. Mr. Martin: Yes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I’d like to table a petition signed by Albertans who are very concerned about the dangerous driving conditions faced by people in northern Alberta who use highway 63 on a regular basis. Yesterday the minister committed to investing in improvements to highway 63, and I know that the 651 people who signed this petition will be watching to ensure that that promise is kept . With today’s tabling the total signatures on this petition so far is 2,797. Thank you. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Manning. Mr. Backs: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I’m pleased to rise today to present a petition from a number of good Albertans in the communi- ties of Calmar, Red Deer, Carvel, Edmonton, Fort McMurray, and other fine other Alberta communities.

It reads: We the undersigned residents of Alberta, petition the Legislative Assembly to urge the Government of Alberta to prohibit the importation of temporary foreign workers to work on the construc- tion and/or maintenance of oil sands facilities and/or pipelines until the following groups have been accessed and/or trained: Unem- ployed Albertans and Canadians; Aboriginals; unemployed youth under 25; under-employed landed immigrants; and displaced farmers. There are 102 good Albertans signing this petition. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Ellerslie. Mr. Agnihotri: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I have a petition from 101 residents of Alberta asking the government of Alberta to prohibit the importation of temporary foreign workers to work on the construction and/or maintenance of oil sands facilities and/or pipelines until the following groups have been accessed and/or trained: Unemployed Albertans and Canadians; Aboriginals; unemployed youth under 25; under-employed landed immigrants; and displaced farmers. Thank you. head: Notices of Motions The Speaker: The hon. Deputy Government House Leader. Mr. Stevens: Thanks, Mr. Speaker. I rise pursuant to Standing Order 34(2)(

a) to give notice that on Monday I will move that written questions appearing on the Order Paper do stand and retain their places with the exception of written questions 24 to 31. I’m also giving notice that on Monday I will move that motions for returns 27 to 43 be dealt with on that day. There being no further motions for returns at this time, there are none to stand and retain their places. head: Tabling Returns and Reports The Speaker: The hon. Minister of Seniors and Community Services. Mrs. Fritz: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

On behalf of the Persons with Developmental Disabilities Provincial Board I am pleased to table five copies of the 2003-2004 annual report. Thank you. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-Currie. Mr. Taylor: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to rise and table five copies of a response to the Premier’s request last night during Committee of Supply debate for a home page address of the secret website available only to Tory MLAs developed by the publicly funded Public Affairs Bureau. The Premier asked us to send the web page over if we had it, and so we will. The Speaker: Are there others? The hon.

Member for Edmonton- Strathcona. Dr. Pannu: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to table five copies of the second part of a series of op-eds done by respected health policy analyst Paul Krugman, the op-ed piece in which Dr. Krugman, a professor of economics at Princeton University, flags private health care insurance for being far more expensive and concludes by asking: when will decision-makers understand that relative to health care, market competition is the problem, not the solution? Thank you, Mr.

Speaker. head: Projected Government Business The Speaker: Official Opposition House Leader, do you have a question? You’re to ask a question of the government to see if they’re going to release their agenda for next week. Mr. R. Miller: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do not know the standing order number, and I’m not sure if I have to quote it, but I would like to ask the Deputy Government House Leader if he could share with us the projected government business for next week. The Speaker: The Deputy Government House Leader. Mr. Stevens: I think that was all clear enough. I’ve got a script.

I know what I’m supposed to do. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The projected government business for the week of May 2, 2005, begins on the evening of Monday, May 2, at about 9 p.m. with Committee of Supply on International and Intergovernmental Relations, followed by Committee of the Whole on bills 31 and 34, third reading on Bill 16 and second reading on Bill 35, and as per the Order Paper.

Moving to Tuesday, May 3, in the afternoon there’s Committee of Supply for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, followed that evening, commencing at 8 p.m., with Committee of Supply for Justice and Attorney General, and then at or about 10 p.m. third reading on Bill 1, second reading on Bill 36, Committee of the Whole on Bill 29, and as per the Order Paper. On Wednesday, May 4, in the afternoon Committee of Supply will proceed for the Department of Economic Development, and then that evening at 8 p.m.

Committee of Supply for Gaming, and at or about 10 p.m. third reading on bills 31 and 12, Committee of the Whole and third reading with respect to bills 36, 29, and 22, second readings on bills 40 and 39, and as per the Order Paper. On the afternoon of Thursday, May 5, there will be the 60th anniversary Victory in Europe Day ceremony as per Government Motion 20, which passed on April 27, and then Committee of Supply for Municipal Affairs and as per the Order Paper.

April 28, 2005 Alberta Hansard 1129 The Speaker: Hon. members, today is a commemoration day for the hon. Member for Calgary-Nose H ill. A number of years ago he arrived in this world. head: Orders of the Day head: Committee of Supply [Mr. Marz in the chair] The Chair: I’d like to call the Committee of Supply to order. head: Main Estimates 2005-06 Human Resources and Employment The Chair: The hon. Minister of Human Resources and Employ- ment. 3:00 Mr. Cardinal: Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I’m here today, of course, to present the 2005-2006 estimates for Alberta Human Resources and Employment.

In the gallery today I would like to recognize and thank some of the staff that have been involved in preparing these estimates: Ulysses Currie is our deputy minister; Alex Stewart, assistant deputy minister of corporate services; Duncan Campbell, senior financial officer; and there are also, I believe, some other staff that are here to lend their support. I’d like to thank them for all the good work they’ve done.

Human Resources and Employment is looking to build a better future for Albertans, a future in which Albertans are even less dependent on government support, where employers can find the skilled labour they need, and where the risk of workplace injury or death is minimal. To build that better future for Albertans, Mr. Chairman, I’m asking for $778,691,000 to support the work of the ministry. The ministry includes the Department of Human Re- sources and Employment, the personnel administration office, the Alberta Labour Relations Board, the Appeals Commission for workers’ compensation.

Of course, the Workers’ Compensation Board itself, which is an independent employer, a funded organiza- tion, is not included in the ministry’s business plan. We all know that Alberta is a great place to live and work. Our economy is booming, and continued growth is for ecast for the coming year. We help ensure that everyone can benefit from our economy by helping people get and keep jobs while meeting the basic needs of those who cannot work. The ministry works with employers, training providers, and the people of Alberta to address labour shortages and skills deficits.

For example, we encourage participation in the apprenticeship program by helping apprentices with their tuition and living expenses. We work to increase the participation of aboriginal people, people with disabilities, immi- grants, youth, and older workers in the labour force. We match people with jobs. Human Resources and Employment delivers Alberta Works services, including income support, health benefits, training, and help to find and keep jobs. In addition, we reduce workplace injuries and disease through Work Safe Alberta.

The ministry strives to create a positive labour relations environ- ment in the public and private sectors. We make sure that the workplace is fair, enforcing employment standards. HR and E makes it possible for Albertans to appeal decisions that impact them in certain areas such as workers’ compensation, employment standards, and income support. As well, the ministry supports the ongoing development of Alberta’s public service. By any measure our ministry is a significant contributor to the government’s success and has been for many years.

In 1992 under this government the ministry implemented some major welfare reforms to help train and get Albertans to work. At that time, Mr. Chairman, 80 per cent of the welfare caseload was considered employable; in fact, couples without children and single people. If the welfare caseloads had remained at the same level as they were before the reforms in 1992, the government would have spent an additional average of $600 million per year, or a total of $8 billion. That is a lot of money saved as a result of the ministry’s efforts.

We have 59 service centres located across the province, where we provide a wide range of services to give Albertans a hand up to become productive. Mr. Chairman, we don’t have welfare offices anymore in Alberta. We have employment and training centres, and employers turn to us to help fill job vacancies. Eighty-five per cent of the over 1 million visitors to our offices are looking for employ- ment and training assistance and not income support or welfare. Our services include resumé writing, career and education planning, job placement and maintenance services, and referrals to training.

We have also developed innovative ways to work in partnership with business. Income supports is a statutory program. Our budget requirement is lower in 2005-06 due to the success we’ve had with those clients who are able to work. Our focus is on getting these Albertans the skills they need to find work and keep the jobs. Alberta’s approach to providing a hand up is working. Even with an increase in population the number of employable people receiving support has dropped drastically. Alberta’s unemployment rate remains the lowest in Canada at about 3.5 per cent in March, the lowest since October 1981.

Last year we reduced our caseload of people who were able to work by almost 2,200 cases to less than 18,000. This su ccess has been partially offset by an increase of about 1,900 cases of people who cannot work. The Alberta government is committed to helping people in need, and the income supports program is targeted to help those who need it most. On August 1 more than 18,000 families r eceiving income support will also see their monthly income increase by $17 per child. The province will flow the increase through the national child benefit supplement.

For a family with three children this means an additional $51 per month, or $612 per year. People also receive health benefits and more money for needs such as daycare, work clothes, children’s school expenses, and utility hookups. The number of people receiving benefits through the Alberta child benefit and Alberta adult benefit programs has increased to almost 72,000. The increased number of Albertans receiving health benefits shows our success at moving people off income support and into employment.

We want to continue to support and encourage people’s desire to work by ensuring that funding is available for health care benefits. Now, skills programs are not statutory; however, the skills programs are key to helping people get into the workforce and take away the pressure on the income supports program. We know that job skills training leads directly to employment for learners. In 2005-2006 HR and E expects to spend $288 million to help people get the training and information they need so they can get meaning- ful employment.

We will be able to help over 2,000 more learners than in 2004, bringing this year’s total of learners helped to over 25,000. Eleven hundred more people will also have access to academic upgrading and English as a Second Language, for a total of 15,300. There will be 630 more opportunities in job skills training, immi- grant bridging, and integrated training programs, for a total of 5,400. Three hundred more apprenticeship opportunities will be available, for a total of 4,300.

Alberta Hansard April 28, 20051130 Investing in the next Albe rta means working with the underrepresented in our workforce by allocating $6 million for First Nations training and employment programs for such things as skills to get a job, paid work experience, placement, and follow-up support services, spending $1 million for enhanced language training for immigrants, and increasing spending by $2.8 million to provide access to training and employment support for people with disabili- ties. We’ve also increased the maximum tuition we will pay for a learner in year one from $10,000 to $15,000.

This is to broaden the occupational training opportunities for individuals. Finally, we have set aside $2.2 million to cover tuition fee increases for upgrading, English as a Second Language, and integrated training. 3:10 Phase 2 of the Work Safe Alberta strategy is under development and will identify new opportunities to reduce injuries on Alberta work sites in the next five years. The focus of this very successful program will be on youth and i ndustry sectors with poor safety records. A stakeholder consultation is planned for the fall of 2005.

Since we have implemented the Work Safe Alberta initiative, the lost-time claim rate has been reduced from 3.4 in 2000 to an estimated 2.6 for 2004. A lost-time claim is the claim for an occupational injury or disease that disables the worker beyond the day of the injury. The lost-time claim rate represents the risk of disabling injury or disease to a worker during a period of one year of work and is calculated by dividing the number of lost-time claims by person-year estimates and multiplying the results by 100.

Over the past few years in partnership with industry and labour we have planned and implemented our Work Safe Alberta initiative. This is a 24 per cent drop, a record low, and it means that there were 10,000 fewer workers injured last year compared to where we would have been if we didn’t have this program in place. It also means an estimated injury claim cost savings of over $151 million in workers’ compensation payments in 2004. The number of workers being injured is decreasing in spite of yearly increases in our workforce, which is over 40,000 jobs.

The Workers’ Compensation Board funds the workplace health and safety program by contributing in excess of $12 million to support Work Safe Alberta. Now I’d like to take a few moments to explain the personnel administration office. It is important to continue having a strong public service, one able to help develop strong public policy and deliver the kinds of high-quality programs and services that Albertans expect and deserve. The Alberta government will face the same kind of demographic challenges as other employers in the next five to 10 years.

Today 30 per cent of the public service executive managers are over the age of 55; 45 per cent of all public service managers will be eligible for retirement in 2008. We need to invest now in developing our future public service leaders if we want to minimize the impact of these changes that are coming. The personnel administration office’s 2005-06 budget has increased by over $4 million to almost $13 million, the first budget increase for the PAO since the mid-1990s. The initiatives that the PAO will be undertaking with this increase will benefit all minis- tries.

They include the creation of a program where executive managers can enhance their skills by moving between ministries through development assignments and investment in other leadership development initiatives also, su ccess in management strategies to make sure that there are public service employees ready to step into leadership positions when leaders are ready to retire.

Workplace strategies to improve overall health will begin for the public service, including the new workplace health framework for the public service, human resource information technology systems so that public service managers have access to accurate and timely information when making human resource decisions, and other initiatives such as attracting and retaining talent in the public service, continuous learning, service excellence, and employee performance and recognition. The other important area we have, Mr. Chairman, is the Appeals Commission for the Workers’ Compensation Board.

It is a separate government entity, independent from the Workers’ Compensation Board. The commission hears appeals from workers or employers to a decision of the review bodies of the Workers’ Compensation Board. The operating costs of the Appeals Commission are paid from the general revenue, which is reimbursed from the workers’ compensation accident fund. The budget for the Appeals Commis- sion has increased by $1.5 million. In the past two years the Appeals Commission has received 250 more appeals than in the past 5 years, which is a pretty good average.

This has a significant impact on the timelines for process- ing appeals. The increase in funding w ill provide for add itional hearing resources so the Appeals Commission can hear more appeals and, of course, gradually reduce the timeline for processing appeals to an acceptable level. This year Alberta Human Resources and Employment will invest over $770 million in Alberta’s people skills and workpl ace invest- ments. These dollars make a difference to people every day in communities across the province. I look forward to hearing comments and questions from the hon. members about these estimates.

Any questions, of course, I can’t answer today, I’ll get my staff to review Hansard and provide the answers in writing. Thank you very much. The Chair: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Manning. Mr. Backs: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I’m pleased to rise and reply to the hon. minister today. I do have a number of questions and a number of comments, and I’ll go through them in sequence here.

First off, you know, many people have told me that they’re quite pleased to see the minimum wage rise to $7 in one move in 2005, but many students have in fact called me and said that they’re not going to be able to have that increase to help them with saving for their tuition and learning expenses in the coming year because it will be after the summer. One question in looking at some of these things. We’ve seen in some of the government statistics that there actually are presently in the public sector a certain percentage on the minimum wage.

I wondered if there were any actually working in the public sector for the provincial government on the minimum wage, and will this $7 dollar increase affect them, and how much will that, in fact, cost? The low-income individuals in our society and poverty will certainly be helped by the working poor having a higher minimum wage. Certainly, 60 per cent of the people who are presently earning minimum wage are older than 20, I believe.

The incidence of people on the minimum wage that are in the older age groups is increasing, and it shows an increasing tendency for our elderly who don’t have pensions, who have not had the ability to save over the years, to have to augment their income. The minimum wage in places like fast- food outlets and in other types of employment are increasingly becoming important as an income augmenter to people with low pensions or no pensions. Certainly, the Canada pension and other supports for most individuals are not enough. Some other questions.

Why has the government reduced its commitment to youth seeking employment? There’s been a reduction of $1,113,000 for the Youth Connections career info

April 28, 2005 Alberta Hansard 1131 program. Why does this budget seem to abandon people who are in need of assistance but remain capable and willing to work? There are $2,261,000 less in health benefits for people expected to work. What is the reasoning behind the significant reduction in living allowances for learners, which again affects youth and students more than any group? That’s $1,815,000. We’ve seen quite a hold-the-line approach on STEP funding, and that program does provide a great deal of help for a lot of students in summer employment.

Many members, in fact, employ STEP students in their constituency offices in the summer, and the numbers in the budget for that are not increased, yet we have still, even with the freeze on tuitions, a huge need for students to have at least some summer jobs to increase their ability to have a higher education. 3:20 The skills investments area is quite crucial, and in the supplemen- tary estimates some time ago in th is Legislature we were told that $13 million at the end of the last budget year was transferred out of skills investments into other areas in human resources and not used to develop the skills of Albertans.

Will the government ensure that skills investments does take a priority? The development of our workforce is important to ensure that we have the important skills to develop our economy and to ensure that we have the proper resources for our own people to learn and get the necessary skills for employment. Some of the areas stayed the same. Youth Connections: $4,767,000. Training for work, job sk ills training from the gross comparable ’04-05 budget actually went down from $63 million to $62.7 million.

The self-employment training, you know, is a very important area in our economy to encourage people to self employ. Many people are getting home offices, doing all of these things, and we’ve seen no increase in that area. As I mentioned, the STEP student allocation stayed the same at $8.195 million to $8.195 million again. The actual lottery expenditure for immigrant supports went down even though there are a million dollars in there as a special expense, and I heard the minister speak about that shortly in his sp eech. I wonder if he could be more specific about what that million dollars is for.

Is that for temporary fo reign workers, to help in their transition back and forth? Or what, in fact, is that? As well, there’s a huge increase in R and D. Well, $2,200,000 is pretty major for an HR department. I just wonder what that research and development is all about. The WCB. You know, you mentioned that the Appeals Commis- sion is reimbursed from the WCB accident fund, but in effect being reimbursed from the accident fund ensures that it’s still charged to employers, and there is a connection.

I’ve heard often enough of a lot of connections between case managers who are calling appeals case managers if they are in fact going to let their decision go, and I think that that’s far too close a relationship. That sort of contact should be ended, and certainly the funding through the WCB accident fund should end so that it is not a cost to employers or to workers.

There’s a great importance, I think, in ensuring that we have a productive workforce, and I think part of a productive workforce – it’s certainly in the area of other ministries somewhat, but there are so many cross-ministry functions in government that I think HR and E should look very seriously at it. It does deal with ensuring of jobs for aboriginals, and I think that something like the roads from La Loche in Saskatchewan, where there’s a strong and well-trained workforce of tradesmen, would be a very, very productive invest- ment for Albertans and Alberta and our oil sands and our economy.

As well, there’s a strong potential in transportation and upgrading some of the winter roads we have in other areas, certainly from Wabasca-Desmarais on the west side of the Athabasca River, without a bridge, wit hout the huge cost of a bridge on that large river. Wabasca-Desmarais is a large population area in northern Alberta and quite often has continually high unemployment levels and good potential for work in the tar sands. You know, often construction and mining can be seasonal or cyclical.

For those who’d like from time to time to get back to their homes in Wabasca- Desmarais or Red Earth or Sucker Creek or Driftpile or all those other areas, such a winter road would really I think provide a great deal of ease of access to the workplace and better employment levels and less cost in other areas. I think that we must ensure that the aboriginal training programs – I was looking at the April 7 document – are fully implemented and that all efforts are made to ensure that our First Nations have a very strong ability, from all aspects, to enter the workforce and to be part of the prosperity of Alberta.

Of course, much of that is under federal jurisdiction, but I think that increasingly, you know, we’re seeing a burgeoning urban population that can be used to work in the huge economic area of the oil sands. We must help that in every way possible. I think there is a responsibility for the provincial govern- ment to do whatever they can. In terms of the PAO I think there are some concerns that we have to look at in terms of the retention level. There are certainly demographic concerns.

There are some internal reports, I think, that are saying that the demographics of the public sector and the public service here in Alberta are a time bomb. It is one of those areas where we will see some huge retirements in the near future. The necessity to train leadership: I was very pleased to hear that. I’m sure that there’s a strong public service leadership that is multi- sectoral, multidepartmental. I was very pleased to hear that. I think that’s a good innovation. I’m not too pleased to hear the continued high percentage of dissatisfaction with employment in the public service: 1 out of 5.

I think that’s still far too high, and something must be done to somehow address that. You know, the target is only to move to an 83 per cent satisfaction level, which is still pretty close to 1 in 5 dissatisfied. When you have a dissatisfied workforce or at least a large percentage of it, it starts to affect the productivity and the ability of that workforce to function in a way that benefits in the best possible way the interests of all Albertans. I think that there’s a huge and crying need for proper information on labour s upply.

It’s something that is, I think, of crucial impor- tance as we enter the end of the baby boom. 3:30 I’ll just make a note on the baby boom though. Some people try to put it forward as being something a little bit more immediate than it is. We were just talking about VE Day and having the people from the armed forces, the three branches, all here, and it’s a wonderful thing, but if you look at VE Day, 1945, it is now 2005, 60 years later. The servicemen that came back in 1946, 1947 and got married – and it takes usually nine months to start a baby boom.

Realistically, that baby boom started in about 1947 and continued to the mid-60s. So what that puts us at is an actual retirement date for those very first baby boomers seven years from now if we look at it as 65. You know, my colleague from St. Albert would probably argue with me that 65 might be a little young for retirement. The importance of using older workers I think will increase as we see a healthier older workforce, and these are issues that we must look at. When we look farther down the road, realistically the middle area of the baby boom does not come into place for their retirement at an

Alberta Hansard April 28, 20051132 age 65 level for another 17 years, and some of the baby boomers at the end of the baby boomers are still having children. So there are some aspects to that baby boom that I think are a little bit over- blown, and it will be with us in the working sector of the population for quite some time. As I said, the supply and demand area of what constitutes skills in our workforce is often thrown at us in many different ways. People will give us statistics if they have a particular axe to bear.

We’ve seen a lot of demand studies that look to the interests of certain employer organizations, and certainly many of them have been well done and are comprehensive on the demand side. But if you look at the demand side, it is like looking at the interests of grade 2 students, for example, who are surveyed on their demand for candy three months down the road. Well, there will never be enough.

Certainly, when you survey employers about their needs for employees six months or two years down the road, there will never be enough because that is an i nput that is absolutely crucial to them and they want to ensure that there is enough there. It’s important to the economy that we ensure that there’s enough there and that people are well trained and that we keep the supply going, but often there is a danger to oversupply, and this is a concern for many Albertans.

There have been a few petitions presented in this session that have spoken to that and the concern that many Albertans have to having temporary foreign workers brought in when they consider that it is not necessary to come into their certain occupational and skill areas. Even the December study by the Alberta Economic Development Authority and the action plan on megaproject excellence did not forecast a huge need, and in fact many of the trades look at a lower level of demand in four years than we’re actually seeing today. Actually, this year is a high-demand year for many trades. It fluctuates.

It’s the nature of the industry. It’s the nature of the oil sands that we’ve been building for many years. I first worked at Syncrude in the 1970s, and there was a huge blip and a huge necessity for people to come in and work. There were many people that came in from other provinces: from Quebec, from Ontario, from Newfoundland, and many from the Maritime prov- inces. These people helped build Alberta, became Albertans. Many of them went back, though, because that is the nature of our flow of labour in this country. It’s actually the history and the interprovin- cial history of how it works.

To utilize temporary foreign workers to provide employees for companies just because many of the existing Albertans and Canadi- ans do not want to work under the particular work regime creates huge problems and the potential for labour strife. The situation and the statistics that we look at from the labour board and all the other areas show that we have not seen very much labour strife. In fact, I don’t think there’s been a true strike in the oil sands from the unionized sector for quite some time. We’re beginning to see the phenomena of the non-union strike, which is odd. We saw that last November.

The Fort McMurray Today reported that when a whole parade of tradesmen decided to leave a job site at Suncor . . . The Chair: I hate to interrupt, hon. member, but your time is elapsed. The hon. minister. Mr. Cardinal: Thank you very much. Those are very, very good comments, very good suggestions, and very good questions. I’ll try and answer starting off with your first question, which was on the minimum wage and possible, you know, support for youth in a special way. As I mentioned in my opening statement, the minimum wage increases to $7 an hour starting September 1, 2005.

All minimum wage earners, including students, youth, and hospitality workers, are equally deserving of the increase, of course, and the minimum wage will be equal for everybody at this time. I know that there was some talk, but there are no plans at this time to subsidize employers for the wages they provide to students. There are some jurisdictions that have that now, and I’m looking at it closely. We’ll monitor the first part of the changes in the minimum wage and closely look at other programs that are available.

In the future if a process changes, then of course it will have to go through the normal approval process. The Employment Standards Code sets the minimum wage that employers must pay workers within the province of Alberta. Higher minimum wages are negotiated between employers and employees or their unions. The minimum wage is intended to be an entry-level rate of pay. By increasing Alberta’s minimum wage, the govern- ment of Alberta is ensuring that the workers have a better start in the workforce. Of course, due to Alberta’s vibrant and booming economy, there are not too many people working for minimum wage.

The second area that was mentioned was Youth Connections, the cutback in the budget. Youth Connections has been reduced by a million dollars. Well, we can do it within the existing organization and the existing funding, and we’ll monitor it closely. If in the future there is the need to increase the funding for Youth Connec- tions, then of course we’ll restore their dollars, but in the meantime we can do it within the existing organization.

In relation to the student temporary employment program, which is a very important program, the budget this year is projected to be $8.2 million, which is the same as ’04 and ’05. Approximately 3,600 students will gain valuable work experience through the STEP program this summer, just about the same as last year. Eligible employers include registered nonprofit community organizations, First Nations, Métis settlements, municipalities, regional health authorities, regional school divisions, and postsecondary institutions.

So, again, we will review the budget each year as we move forward to see what, if any, changes are required in that very valuable program. 3:40 The other area that I was mentioning was in relation to the enhanced immigration services that we provide. My department will spend about a million dollars in ’05-06 on enhanced language training, and of course we’ll continue providing that valuable service to the people that are coming here and require support. The other

part is that the immigration support services are not dollars for temporary foreign workers. That’s a different program completely. We share responsibility for immigration with the federal government and other provinces under the Constitution and work collaboratively with Citizenship and Immigration Canada to support settlement programs through integrated services programs. Federal funding for settlement services in Alberta is mainly targeted at the government-assisted refugees in their first year of arrival.

Alberta’s funding, $1.9 million in 2005-06, is for all newcomers who have been in Canada less than three years. So that is a very valuable program. The other area that was mentioned was a productive workforce, which is very important. With a strong economy like we have in Alberta, we do need a strong, productive, local workforce of Albertans, Canadians, First Nations, and persons that require additional help. The issue of jobs for aboriginal people was mentioned, and that is a must because definitely there’s still high unemployment and

April 28, 2005 Alberta Hansard 1133 underemployment of our aboriginal people. A lot of people still live in poverty while the economy is booming out there, and we need to do a lot of work in that area to improve that. On the provincial side the people that live off the reserve and the Métis people and, of course, the people that needed the support, through the welfare reforms that were done by this government – I mentioned earlier that 80 per cent of the cases were single people and couples without children using up most of the dollars that were needed for the high-needs area.

Those people, through the reforms, are now gone. They’re back into the workforce and have become independent and self-sufficient. One of the things that we need to work with – and I hope you will support me on this and support our government at different levels – is to push for some changes at the federal level, to get the feds to try and change some of their socioeconomic policies on the reserves. The way they’re structured right now the First Nations people are not happy. The chiefs are not happy. I don’t think the taxpayer out there is happy to see people still caught living in poverty while they want to work.

The feds I think should be encouraged to change their policies, to start using those same dollars they provide free for social supports to encourage people to train and get back into the work- force. So I could sure use your support there. The other area, of course, is the integrated road network. It is necessary. The way our economy is growing, in order to continue the movement of the commerce that’s required out there, we need to make sure that the roads are built. The member mentioned, you know, specifically 63, 813, La Loche road. All those roads need to be fixed up, in fact built and paved and fixed up.

When you look at a road network from La Loche to Fort McMurray, Fort McMurray to Fort Chip and on to Fort Smith and then another road from Fort McMurray to Wabasca and on to Peace River and then another one from Rainbow Lake to Fort Nelson – that type of road network needs to be put in place. I know that it’ll cost millions of dollars, but we’re spending that now on social support programs. These people can commute to these job sites. Wabasca, for example, which the hon. member mentioned, has a population of 5, 000 yet has 80 per cent unemployment and underemployment with our First Nations people.

So we definitely need to improve the infrastructure to ensure that people not only are provided with training but also have access to jobs and training that are out there. The PAO, of course, was mentioned. Yes, definitely, we need to get more managers within our system to apply for jobs within a department or other departments that become available. I under- stand right now, in fact, that it’s fairly difficult for a young person that just graduates, say, from a university or a technical school or that just wants to apply for jobs to access our government depart- m e n t .

S o w e n e e d t o m a k e s u r e t h a t w e l o o k a t h o w w e m a y encourage a lot more young people also, not only the managers that are in our existing system, to better access government jobs. There used to be wage position money available to hire people if there was work to be done, jobs to be done, and what happened was that a lot of those people then applied for regular jobs in the department, and it worked quite well. It brought a lot of people into the government system. I think we need to definitely look at that.

The other one that was mentioned, of course, is proper informa- tion as far as labour supply. I think that, you know, generally the governments at different levels – federal, provincial, municipal – and private industry and the unions, no doubt, are doing a fairly good job, but one of the things that’s lacking is the ability for anyone to identify – for example, at Al-Pac, which is in my constituency, a thousand jobs, we really don’t know what Al-Pac’s needs are for the next 10 years. There’s a postsecondary institution down the road that really doesn’t know what the needs are for that specific project.

We need to make sure that we do an inventory of what’s needed for 10 years and then design our programs to match that, not only in forestry but also in the oil and gas industry and agriculture and tourism. So definitely that’s a very good point you brought up. It is a key to ensuring that we do provide the opportunities for people to be able to plan better than what we are right now. The issue of temporary foreign workers. Again, I’ve mentioned here, you know, that the last resort for any company is to bring in foreign workers.

Our policy, of course, as a government is to make sure that Albertans get hired first, Canadians, local people, First Nations people, persons with developmental disabilities, and persons that are caught in our social support system with very high needs, that need a lot of support to move off the Alberta Works program to become independent and self-sufficient. You know, to bring in temporary foreign workers – like I’ve mentioned before, that it is a federal program. The federal govern- ment does the approval.

We have a memorandum of understanding between the feds and the province to make sure that they follow a rigid criteria before they can bring in temporary foreign workers. They are more expensive to bring in, and it’s definitely not cheap labour. We will continue to monitor that area very closely to ensure that Albertans are looked after first. That will be our top priority. I believe those were some of the questions. I want to commend the member for being so thorough and for asking questions directly. Like I said earlier, you know, some things I might have missed.

If I do, the staff will pick it up in Hansard, and we’ll answer it in writing. 3:50 Again, there are areas where we will also need your support. A very important one is in relation to the First Nations and the federal policies. You know, all of us need to work together, I think, to see that change. I’d like to see that change in my lifetime because one of the reasons I got into politics was to work towards reforming the social support system in rural Alberta, diversifying the economy, and ensuring that people that wanted to be off welfare and working had that opportunity.

At the provincial level I think we’ve been reasonably successful. We need to do a lot of work yet, but at the federal level changes need to happen, and it’s not going to be easy. One government, one ministry cannot do it. We’ll need your support to achieve that. The other, of course, that continues to be challenging and quite complicated is the issue of bringing in foreign workers. You know, as a government we’d like to see Albertans work first, of course.

Canadians, aboriginal people, personal development – that’s another area where I think we need to c ontinue working together as a government and this Legislature, to make sure that our people here are looked after first. If that can’t be accommodated, then maybe there are times where, for a short period of time, people have to be brought in, but hopefully not at the cost of local jobs. People that have trades that want to work definitely should be given the first opportunity.

I think that in this day and age we’re advanced and sophisticated enough and have enough knowledge and expertise out there amongst us that we should be able to sit down and resolve these issues. Thank you. The Chair: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Decore. Mr. Bonko: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate the opportunity to speak with regard to this ministry. I’ve got some specifics with individual criteria. The one that’s on page 240, your internal government transfers. It says, “Contribution from Lottery Fund.”

Alberta Hansard April 28, 20051134 I’m not sure what that specifically would be used for. Some of these first questions, again, would be line-by-line items, and after that I’ll go into some more general concerns with regard to that. Also, the salary contingency that was listed under the Workers’ Compensation appeals. It was just a one-time line item, but it no longer is there, so I’m just wondering why that particular piece disappeared.

If I look at Workers’ Compensation appeals there was, I believe, a $200,000 increase for the appeals and $1.3 million for the Appeals Commission as well, so I’m not sure why the increase there. Although I have an idea, I’d certainly like the minister to be able to comment specifically on that. If I go to page 231 – and that is program 3, sk ills investments, Youth Connections – and if you look over the previous couple of notes in there, it went from $4,767,000 to $5,880,000, and then it’s back down again. So it was up, and it was down. The question would be: why is there not a consistency with its increase?

We are talking about youth. We are talking about connecting with youth with regard to employment. The other one would have been – well, I’ll just go on to another one here. This was raised in question period. We thought it might have been a little more relevant if we’d have raised it here. Will the minister hire new occupational safety inspectors, OHS, to ensure that the statistics of injured workers and those that are in fact killed on the job site don’t increase? As we realize, we are trying to extract those resources at a very alarming rate.

In fact, we have the industries continuing to do expansion pieces, so that just tells us that we are creating jobs. We’re doing it very quickly, but we also have to do it at a rate that isn’t going to jeopardize anybody. The question came out: are we in fact risking people’s lives for the sake of extracting this stuff? Again, that’s where the question on that particular piece comes from. The money for – and you did answer this – new immigrants coming in. There was a million dollars to be going into training to deal with language barriers.

I’m not sure if that was specifically intended for immigrants that are currently here, residing now, or if that would be to aid the temporary foreign workers with regard to language barriers. I find that a little disturbing. In fact, if we’re bringing in people that are going to be expected to be able to work and take the jobs of Albertans and Canadians, why would we have to train them to deal with the language barrier? I thought there would certainly be something, a little bit more of a transition, so that we wouldn’t have to worry about that.

I would like to see increased rates of apprenticeships with regard to the overall amount that we are in fact training. Right now I don’t think we have a good way to monitor the group that is graduating. What I would like to see is it reported on a year-by-year basis until they reach journeyman status. Ideally, with your first year, for example, you’ve got maybe a thousand people that are applying for pipefitting and/or welding. After the second year what have you got there? The same with the third year and right up to the fourth year.

If you have a difference in that, can you explain why they’re not in fact seeking and continuing to retain these people, which has got great opportunities for employment, as we always say? The other one is that I was just out front last night with a number of other MLAs, and there were at least a thousand people, and this is in direct response to the temporary foreign workers. There were about a thousand people who were coming out on a cold day. They’ve probably got better things to do, but they’re very concerned – and again you did mention that – with the temporary foreign workers being brought in.

This is a little off topic, but it is relevant to this one. We’ve got an interim Métis harvesting agreement that, in fact, is ensuring that the Métis have hunting rights guaranteed. These people are only asking the same thing that the Métis have been just granted. They’re wanting to ensure that the jobs are going to be there not only today but tomorrow for them, their children, and their grandchildren. They want to ensure that that is going to be a consistent line and a commitment from this government. When I hear about the people being brought in as temporary foreign workers, I get quite concerned as well.

Like I said, we talk about the Alberta advantage, but when you’re w illing to bring in people, that in fact is very concerning. We talk about the amount of aboriginals that are unemployed. Certainly, we can add more to that stock and train them as well. I’ll let you go on about that one. I’ll talk a little bit about the WCB. I was on WCB once myself, and I didn’t have terrible treatment. In fact, I was quite pleased. [interjection] I can see that you did, then, as well. My concern is the push to get the people out of the system. I don’t think that the WCB people that are dealing with the clients

Document details

Collection	Alberta — Debates (Hansard)
Citation	20050428
Type	hansard
Volume / chapter	L26 S1 20050428 1330 01 han.pdf
Language	en
Format	json
Source	PROVINCIAL
Identifier	72631a57de786836dd2795ff14055b7686668483

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