Alberta Hansard — 8 March 2007, Afternoon sitting (13:30) (Legislature 26, Session 3)

20070308

Alberta — Debates (Hansard)

March 8, 2007 Alberta Hansard 7 Legislative Assembly of Alberta Title: Thursday, March 8, 2007 1:30 p.m. Date: 07/03/08 [The Speaker in the chair] head: Prayers The Speaker: Good afternoon and welcome. I would ask that all hon. members remain standing after the prayer so that we may pay tribute to our former colleagues who have passed away since we were last in the House. Please join me in prayer. As we commence proceedings today in this Assembly, we ask for divine guidance so that our words and deeds may bring to all people of this great province hope, prosperity, and a vision for the future. Amen. Mr.

Arthur Soetaert April 14, 1913, to September 14, 2006 The Speaker: Hon. members, on Thursday, September 14, 2006, Arthur Joseph Soetaert passed away. Mr. Soetaert was elected in the 13th Legislature, June 29, 1955, representing the St. Albert constitu- ency for the Liberal Party. Mr. Soetaert served until June 18, 1959. During his term of office Mr. Soetaert served on the select standing committees on Agriculture, Colonization, Immigration and Educa- tion; Municipal Law; Privileges and Elections; Public Accounts; and Railways, Telephones and Irrigation. Mr.

Bryan Strong December 24, 1946, to December 25, 2006 The Speaker: On Monday, D ecember 25, 2006, Bryan Melvin Strong passed away. Mr. Strong was first elected on May 8, 1986, and served until March 20, 1989, representing the constituency of St. Albert for the New Democratic Party. During his term of office Mr. Strong served on the select standing committees on Public Accounts and Public Affairs. Dr. Kenneth Paproski January 17, 1931, to January 25, 2007 The Speaker: On Thursday, January 25, 2007, Dr. Kenneth Robert Howard Paproski passed away. Dr. Paproski was first elected in 1971 and served until l982.

During his years of service he repre- sented the constituency of Edmonton-Kingsway for the Progressive Conservative Party. During his term of office Dr. Paproski served on several committees: Public Accounts; Law, Law Amendments and Regulations; Public Affairs, Agriculture and Education; Private Bills; Law and Regulations; Public Affairs; Privileges and Elections, Standing Orders and Printing. In addition, Dr. Paproski served on two legislative committees, one dealing with the Workers’ Compen- sation Act and Professions and Occupations. Mr. Arthur Dixon December 1, 1919, to February 5, 2007 The Speaker: Mr.

Arthur Johnson Dixon passed away on Monday, February 5, 2007. Mr. Dixon was first elected in 1952 and served until 1975. During his years of service he represented the constitu- encies of Calgary, Calgary South-East, Calgary-South, and Calgary- Millican for the Social Credit Party. During his term of office Mr. Dixon served on several committees: Agriculture, Colonization, Immigration and Education; Law Amendments; Municipal Law; Public Accounts; and Railways, Telephones and Irrigation. Mr. Dixon served as Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly from 1955 to 1963 and as Speaker from 1963 to 1972. During Mr.

Dixon’s tenure as Speaker he served on the Standing Committee on Public Affairs, Agriculture and Education; Special Committee to Arrange the Area Conference of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association; Special Committee to Revise Rules 74 to 104 of the Rules, Orders and Forms of Proceedings of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta; and the Special Committee to Select an Ombudsman. With our admiration and respect there is gratitude to members of the families who shared the burden of public office. Family members of Mr. Soetaert, Dr. Paproski, and Mr. Dixon are with us today in the Speaker’s gallery.

Our prayers are with them. In a moment of silent prayer I ask you to remember hon. member Art Soetaert, hon. member Bryan Strong, hon. member Ken Paproski, and hon. member Arthur Dixon as you may have known them. Rest eternal grant unto them, O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon them. Amen. Please be seated. head: Introduction of Visitors The Speaker: The hon. the Premier. Mr. Stelmach: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is my great pleasure to rise and introduce to you and through you to all Members of this Legislative Assembly an individual that is seated in your gallery, Mr. Rick Hansen.

Rick is a great Canadian whose efforts have brought not only international recognition and accolades but also meaningful improvements to the quality of life of persons with spinal cord injuries and other disabilities. Given the number of his achievements, I will highlight only a few here today.

He has wheeled around the globe, developed a founda- tion to assist those with spinal co rd injuries, and this evening Rick will be honoured by the CPA with the Christopher Reeve award to recognize his outstanding leader ship and contribution to the community of persons with spinal cord injury and other physical disabilities. My wife, Marie, will be presenting him with the award this evening. Later this year he will be inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame. He is accompanied by a number of guests: Kent Hehr, Marlin Styner, Gary McPherson and his wife, Val, and Dr. Karim Fouad.

They’re seated in the members’ gallery, and I would ask that they all receive the traditional warm welcome of this Assembly. The Speaker: Hon. members, it’s an honour for me today to introduce to you guests who are seated in the Speaker’s gallery as well. These guests are family members of our former colleagues who have passed away since we last sat. Former MLA Arthur Soetaert is represented by his son Art Soetaert and two daughters, Lorraine St. Laurent and Claudette Meunier. If they would rise, please. Mrs. Louise Paproski, widow of Dr.

Kenneth Paproski, former MLA, is here with her daughter Marion Johnson, son-in-law Rod Johnson, and grandchildren Shea, Owen, Genevieve, and Roarke Johnson. If they would rise, please. Mrs. Marguerite Dixon, widow of Mr. Art Dixon, former MLA and Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, is here with several family members: son Donald and Janet Dixon and their daughter Emily, daughter-in-law Mrs. Susie Dixon, granddaughter Melanie Dixon, brother-in-law Burnell and Leona Perrault, nephew Steven and Crystal Perrault, and nephew Dan Galbraith.

With the family is former Member of the Legislative Assembly Dennis Anderson, who represented Calgary-Currie, a long-time family friend. As I ask

Alberta Hansard March 8, 20078 them to rise, I would like to point out to all members that when Mr. Dixon was the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, his family would come from Calgary to live in the Speaker’s suite. His son Donald, who is here today, must have been just a little gaffer at that time, so he must have pitter-pattered through the Speaker’s suite in times gone by. If the Dixon family would rise now. 1:40 The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Centre. Ms Blakeman: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

I am very pleased today to introduce to you and through you to all members of the Assembly a fellow Official Opposition House Leader. Seated in your gallery is Gary McRobb, who is the MLA for Kluane in Yukon. He was first elected to the Yukon Legislative Assembly in 1996 and re-elected in 2000, 2002, and 2006. He is the Liberal caucus critic for the Department of Energy, Mines and Resources, the Department of Highways and Public Works, the Yukon Development Corpora- tion, and the Yukon Energy Corporation. As I said, he is the Official Opposition House Leader. I would ask Mr.

McRobb to please rise and accept the warm welcome of the Alberta Assembly. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Castle Downs. Mr. Lukaszuk: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to introduce to you and through you Mr. Brent Rathgeber, also seated in your gallery. Mr. Rathgeber is well known to all members of this fine Assembly as he served in this Legislature as the Member for Edmonton-Calder from 2001-2004. But that is not the reason he is here today. Mr. Rathgeber has recently been nominated as the candidate for the Edmonton-St.

Albert Conservative association, and he will be running in the upcoming federal election and, I imagine, equally competently representing his constituents there. I would like to ask Mr. Rathgeber to rise and accept the traditional warm welcome of our Assembly. head: Introduction of Guests The Speaker: The hon. Deputy Speaker. Mr. Marz: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s a pleasure for me today to introduce to you and through you to all members of the Assembly Mr. Adam Kozakiewicz, who has served the members of this Assembly for the past seven years as a systems analyst.

For those of us that find the world of computers and BlackBerries and blueberries and Palms and Bluetooth gadgets a little bit challenging, as I do, Adam was always there for all of us to make sure that these machines worked well for us and in many cases in spite of us. We will certainly miss his talents and good humour as he is moving on to a new position with the Bank of Montreal in Vegreville as a financial planner. I would like to ask Adam to rise in the members’ gallery to receive the traditional warm welcome of the Assembly. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Airdrie-Chestermere.

Ms Haley: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I am very pleased to introduce to you and through you to the Assembly on behalf of my colleague from Athabasca-Redwater a group from the Thorhild school. There are about 15 students, I believe, and they’re accompa- nied by their teacher, Mr. Mike Popowicz. I would ask them to rise and receive the warm welcome of our Assembly. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-Shaw. Mrs. Ady: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It’s also my privilege to introduce to you and through you to the Assembly the Trinity Christian school group, who is the only group of school kids that has been able to come to the Legislature from my constituency year after year, so I’d like to thank them and their teacher, Cheryl Barnard, for that. As well, they informed me that they are staying overnight, so they have many parent helpers to help them with that: Dan Dooley, Cori Janz, Sheila Muirhead, Wendy Clay, Kent Blanton, Sheryl Anderton, Steve Miller, Joanne Smart, and Paul Wilson. I’d like to have them rise and receive the warm welcome of the Assembly.

The Speaker: The hon. Member for Strathcona. Mr. Lougheed: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m pleased to introduce to you and through you to the members of the Assembly a grade 10 class from Strathcona Christian Academy. They’re accompanied by their teacher, Mr. Doug Zook. I’d ask them to please rise and receive the traditional warm welcome of the Assembly. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Lacombe-Ponoka. Mr. Prins: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s my honour also to introduce to you and through you to all members of the Assembly a group of students from the Rimbey elementary school.

They’re accompanied by their teacher and five parent helpers. The parent helpers are Ms Bridget Wright, Ms Suzanne Hanley, Ms Janet Burghardt, Ms Starla Boehnert, and Mr. Brent Stutheit. Their teacher is Ms Cathy Coers. This class has been here all week participating in the School at the Legislature, and they’ve enjoyed themselves immensely. They’re seated in one of the galleries, and I’d ask them to rise and receive the warm welcome of this Assembly. Thank you. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Cypress-Medicine Hat. Mr. Mitzel: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It gives me great pleasure to introduce to you and through you to the members of this Assembly the gentleman who maintains my constituency office. Jordan takes all of my constituency calls, and he’s my right hand and my left hand, particularly when I’m here in Edmonton. I’d like to ask my constituency manager, Jordan Lien, who is seated in the members’ gallery, to rise and receive the traditional warm welcome of this Assembly. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Red Deer-South. Mr. Doerksen: Mr. Speaker, the Premier already introduced Marlin Styner to us, but he neglected to introduce his spouse.

As he well knows, we don’t do these jobs without the support of significant others and spouses. I’m very pleased to introduce Diane Gramlich to the Assembly, who travelled w ith Marlin to all the leadership candidates, raising the issues of the 332,000 Disability Coalition so effectively. I am proud that both of them reside in the Red Deer- South constituency and attend fa ithfully Red Deer-South constitu- ency board meetings for the PC Association. So welcome. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Drayton Valley-Calmar. Rev. Abbott: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It gives me great pleasure to introduce to you and through you to all members of the Assembly a constituent of Drayton Valley-Calmar, His Worship Darren Aldous. Darren is the mayor of Breton. He’s also a VP of the AUMA, chair of the environment and sustainability committee, and

March 8, 2007 Alberta Hansard 9 chair of the upcoming AUMA energy efficiency conference, which is on April 19 and 20 at the River Cree Marriott. I would ask Mayor Aldous to please rise – he’s seated behind me, in the members’ gallery – and I’d ask all members to welcome him. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Lethbridge-East. Ms Pastoor: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is my pleasure to introduce to you and through you to this Assembly a first-year law student at the University of Alberta. She is shadowing me today.

She is part of the Women’s Law Forum, who is interested in increasing the leadership of women in public life. She is also the mother of three children, ages one, two, and three. I would ask Sheryl Savard to rise and receive the warm welcome of this House. 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 the members of the Assembly the 28 members of the Yellowhead Tribal College seated in the public gallery. Under the wise tutelage of Mrs. Linda Anderson they’re here to watch the proceedings today along with question period.

I would ask them to please rise and receive the warm welcome of the Assembly. The Speaker: The hon. Minister of Finance. Dr. Oberg: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. It’s an honour and a privilege to introduce to you and through you three guests that I have in the members’ gallery today. The first is Mr. David Keto, who is leading the support secretariat for the Royalty Review Panel. The second is Mr. Gary Horan, who is a former president of the Alberta Alliance Party and a close friend of mine. The third is Mr.

Jordan Cleland, who is the government relations person for the Workers’ Compensation Board and a former executive assistant of mine. I would ask all three to please rise and receive the warm welcome of the Legislative Assembly. The Speaker: As a footnote to the Premier’s introduction of Mr. Rick Hansen today, it was 10 years ago, in 1997, that Mr. Hansen was invited to speak to the hon. Members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. At that time he came to Alberta to give thanks to the people of Alberta on the 10th anniversary of his Man in Motion World Tour.

By being given permission from the members to participate on the floor, he became only the third person in the history of Alberta to address the Members of the Legislative Assembly. So now, 10 years later, he returns.

Welcome to Premier Stelmach The Speaker: Hon. members, I sent a note in the last number of days advising the Leader of the Official Opposition and the leader of the third party and other members that at this point in time, because of the unique situation that occurred December 14, 2006, with the swearing-in of a new Premier in the province of Alberta, probably this would be an opportune day for hon. members, if they wished to convey greetings, congratulations, and best wishes, those thoughts, to the new Premier, this would be a grand opportunity.

A number of members have advised me, and I will recognize whatever member wants to participate today – time management, of course, is word management – recognizing that I will give greater leverage to the leaders of the two parties than I will other members. I’m not suggesting that other members aren’t as important; it’s just that this is one of those unique occasions. I’ll recognize first the hon. Leader of the Official Opposition and then the leader of the third party. Then other members who wish to notify me, just send me a little note or catch my eye. 1:50 Dr. Taft: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I do appreciate this opportunity. Welcoming a new Premier to this House is a rare privilege – I might argue too rare – but I will say that I am absolutely delighted to offer the distinguished individual now in that chair the warm greetings of the entire Alberta Liberal caucus. Mr. Speaker, if someone had told me a year ago that the hon. Member for Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville would one day serve as the Premier of this province, I wouldn’t have believed it, to be honest. But then it wasn’t long before the rumours started to circulate: watch out for Ed. Those rumours have proven to be very true.

Sure enough, when the ballots of the PC Party leadership race were counted, a soft-spoken farmer from Lamont was chosen as Alberta’s 13th Premier. My congratulations. For his tenacity, his hard work, and his obvious efforts to reach out to t housands of Albertans we commend the new Premier. It was an incredible race, and he certainly earned the victory. The new Premier inherits a challenging job, and we commend him for taking on such an immense responsibility.

As Leader of the Official Opposition and the Alberta Liberal caucus one of my duties is to help the Premier serve the people of this province to the best of his ability. Sometimes, of course, that will mean asking some pretty tough questions because, after all, the people of Alberta have tough questions to ask. For example, Mr. Speaker, when I recently stopped at the Donut Mill in Red Deer’s Gasoline Alley – probably every- body knows it – I had lunch and, of course, a donut.

A man who was also there – and he was from Wainwright – walked up to me, and he asked some pretty pointed questions about what he perceived as the uncontrolled growth in this province. Just a few days ago at a town hall meeting in Grande Prairie people were almost in tears because of their concerns with finding affordable housing and proper health care. Folks in Drumheller, we know, are genuinely worried about southern Alberta’s water supply, and they’re concerned that it may not be there in the future. The people of this province are demanding more from their leaders, Mr.

Speaker, and so honesty demands that we let the new Premier know that the Alberta Liberal caucus will be speaking out for disenfranchised and disappointed Albertans with all the strength that we can muster. Albertans are expecting a lot from their elected representatives, most of all from their Premier. They want us to protect the environment. They want us to come up with a plan for long-term fiscal sustainability. They want democratic renewal. The people of Alberta want a more open, accountable, and transparent government, and they want to move Alberta forward to a sustainable future.

The Alberta Liberal caucus has solid plans to achieve these goals, and we hope the Premier will work with us to those ends. So to the Premier: congratulations, good luck, and may you enjoy a productive and rewarding time in this House. We are all of us here for Albertans. Let’s make sure that they have a government that they can be proud of. Thank you. The Speaker: The hon. leader of the third party. Mr. Mason: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I really appreciate the opportunity that you’ve given to us to provide greetings and congratulations to the new Premier.

I will save some of my political comments for question period and debate.

Alberta Hansard March 8, 200710 The Premier is a man for whom I have a great deal of respect. I believe he has acquitted himself with integrity and honour in this House. He is a friendly person, not a person who places partisanship above the normal human relations that we all enjoy. He is the first Premier of Ukrainian heritage in the province of Alberta.

I have many people of Ukrainian heritage in my constitu- ency of Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood, and I can tell you that they are very proud of the Premier, but I remind them that he represents the constituency of Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville and not Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood. Well, they’re all pretty good New Democrats, I think. I think it’s also important at this time to have someone who comes from a farming background, someone who understands the difficul- ties and the struggles that farmers have gone through in the last number of years in this province.

As the Premier undertakes this tremendous responsibility, I wish him well. As the last Premier once said to me, I wish you good luck but not too much. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Cardston-Taber-Warner. Mr. Hinman: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is indeed a pleasure to rise to congratulate the Premier on winning his party’s leadership to become the leader and the Premier of our province. Albertans are renewed with hope as they move forward with the desire to be governed with integrity and transparency.

May you be blessed with the wisdom and the courage to pass legislation and regulations that ensure equality and equal opportunity for all Albertans, resulting in an improvement in their quality of life. As you have stated, Albertans work hard and deserve to enjoy the fruits of their labour. They are generous and give back to their communities. We commend you for your recognition of this and your statement yesterday in the media room that charitable organiza- tions know the needs of their communities better than government, and they spend and stretch the dollars better than government.

Albertans also know that they serve the people better than political parties. I ask the Premier to ensure that his new tax credit for donating to Alberta charities is better than the current credit for donating to political parties. Albertans do not wish to be dependent on and grateful for government programs and handouts. They desire to be governed by laws and regulations that protect, not limit, their freedoms and independence. I know that the Premier understands that and has spoken a great deal about the strength and the integrity of Albertans as a whole. Mr.

Premier, you can count on the Alliance for help and support to make Alberta better, to help our families help themselves to be strong and free, Fortis et Liber. The Speaker: The hon. Minister of Employment, Immigration and Industry. Ms Evans: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I rise, proud to raise the issues as we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the status of women . . . The Speaker: We’re in greetings to the Premier section. Okay? We’ll come to you later. Ms Evans: Well, Mr. Speaker, I can hardly resist just thanking and congratulating our Premier. The Speaker: The hon. Deputy Speaker. Mr. Marz: Thank you, Mr.

Speaker. It’s a privilege for me to rise and wish our new Premier all the very best. On behalf of the constituency of Olds-D idsbury-Three Hills I, too, would like to welcome our new Premier into the House as Premier. In my case it’s also a case of welcoming an old friend and colleague of a time that goes back to municipal days, when we were both councillors. I can truly say that the calls I get from my constituency office reflect that Albertans from my part of the province are truly and solidly behind our new Premier and wish you all the best as the 13th Premier of our wonderful province.

Together, with your leadership I’m confident that we’ll even build a better province and future for our children. I wish you many successful years as Premier and winner of many elections to come. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-McCall. Mr. Shariff: Mr. Speaker, as Deputy Chair of Committees and the MLA for Calgary-McCall I extend my sincere congratulations to the Premier for his successful leadership campaign, his victory, and for being sworn in as Alberta’s 13th Premier. I wish him the very best in his term as our Premier and the leader of the Progressive Conser- vative Party of Alberta.

People who have known our new Premier have bestowed on him numerous titles, such as Steady Eddie, Honest Ed, a man of integrity, a sincere person, et cetera. He is indeed worthy of all of these honours, and I’m convinced that he will serve Albertans well as their Premier for many decades to come. Mr. Premier, congratulations. 2:00 The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Manning. Mr. Backs: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is with great pride that I stand here today to welcome our new Alberta Premier. Welcome, Mr. Premier. In the words of Chelsea Stanley from my constituency: What d’ya at?

Now, that is Newfoundlander: hi, how are you, and welcome. In my constituency of Edmonton-Manning there are many Newfoundlanders who have become Albertans. There are, indeed, many new Albertans from all parts of Canada and from other lands the world over. On behalf of all of them, sir, I wish you welcome. They all wish you well, and I know that you have their best interests in mind. There are also many long-term Albertans in Edmonton-Manning. Many have moved over the years from Two Hills, from Mundare, from Vilna, and from all over northern Alberta.

There is a strong Ukrainian-Canadian and Polish-Canadian heritage in the multicul- tural milieu of northeast Edmonton neighbourhoods. Folks are proud of that. Part of the area is sometimes called Little Kiev. Many are proud of you, sir, being the first Ukrainian-Canadian Premier of our great province of Alberta. I wrote you a letter when you were elected that my dear mother would be making a pot of her best borscht in heaven to celebrate your election. I’m sure that she is happy today. I wish you well. Congratulations and God bless. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Wetaskiwin-Camrose. Mr.

Johnson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to add congratulations here today from the Wetaskiwin-Camrose constitu- ency. It’s clear from the throne speech of yesterday that we are taking a new and fresh direction in this province, and this is all under your direction and leadership. As the Member for Wetaskiwin-

March 8, 2007 Alberta Hansard 11 Camrose I look forward to working with you to realize your agenda and dreams for our province. Thank you. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Mill Creek. Mr. Zwozdesky: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise today to briefly congratulate and warmly welcome our new Premier, and I rise in two capacities: first of all, as a person of Ukrainian ancestry myself to convey how deeply proud and honoured our constituency of Canadians of Ukrainian heritage is on this occasion to welcome and salute the first-ever person of Ukrainian ancestry to occupy the chair of premiership in Alberta, and secondly, on behalf of the Advisory Council on Alberta-Ukraine Relations I just know that this is a very positive move that will help solidify those relationships as well.

So congratulations. [Remarks in Ukrainian] May God bless you, guide you, and keep you in good health. [As submitted] The Speaker: Hon. Premier, would you like to respond? Mr. Stelmach: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I first do want to say how much I appreciate your recognizing me yesterday and, of course, the kind words expressed by yourself. Also my thanks to the Leader of the Official Opposition and to the third party for their welcoming remarks and to all other members in the Assembly. To the Leader of the Opposition, certainly we’ll take your offer to help. I always have had respect for the opposition.

There is a role to play, of course, in democracy in terms of the debate in this House. As family members observe the proceedings here today, those family members of those elected members of this Assembly that have departed us, my goal – and I’m sure you share the same goal – is that we win back the respect for elected people in this province that our predecessors had. I am honoured to serve Albertans, Mr. Speaker, as their Premier.

I really still struggle for those words to express how humbling it is that the people of this great province gave me this tremendous opportunity, their confidence, their trust, and most importantly their vote to lead this government and really represent the interests of all Albertans. I’m honoured to lead such a tremendously talented caucus, behind me and across the way, into the Third Session of the 26th Legisla- ture. I’m well served front and back.

We do have a large agenda in front of us, and I look forward to working with Albertans both inside and outside this Chamber to achieve the goals that I have given this government. Just a comment to the leader of the third party, who mentioned my Ukrainian heritage. I just heard the other day that now on a regular basis we’ll have perogies and kubasa on the Legislature cafeteria menu. Mr. Mason: Hold the sour cream. Mr. Stelmach: Yeah. We’ll try and reduce the calories.

I have a tremendous respect for this office and, of course, for the role of elected officials, and I’m just looking forward to the next number of years. I know that the Leader of the Official Opposition may want to have an introduction much earlier than I would like in this House in terms of a new Premier, but really this is what it’s all about: working together to serve Albertans. So with that, Mr. Speaker, I would close my brief comments and await my first question as the Premier of the province of Alberta. head: Ministerial Statements The Speaker: The hon. Minister of Employment, Immigration and Industry.

International Women’s Day Ms Evans: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. What a privilege to rise today to honour women everywhere as the member who is responsible on the government side for the status of women and to recognize that in this the 30th international anniversary year the theme of the year is Ending Violence against Women. Since Adam and Eve women in society have been equal partners in life, fostering families and sharing responsibility for improving this planet.

Our ancestors, aboriginal women, First Nations and Métis women among the settlers who migrated from other developed countries have built an Alberta with their passion, their hope, and their experience and built on our capacity to become a province rich in heritage and culture and made us an amazing place in a leading nation. Women have broken land, have farmed, have fed their families, have welded, have counselled, have taught, have supported medical circumstances, and have earned their place: active in their careers, in their vocations, missions, as parents, and as community leaders.

Today nearly half of the self-employed in Alberta are women. They are entrepreneurs with wisdom, commitment, ingenuity, and energy. In this Legislature on all sides of the House we are sadly reminded that while so much is right with the women of our province, some things are still terribly wrong. Seven per cent of Canadian women still suffer violence; 24 per cent of aboriginal women have suffered violence by their spousal partner at least once, and 10 per cent of Alberta women throughout the province have suffered as a result of the experience of living with an abusive partner.

Our Premier and other champions in this House continue to advocate and place resources to eradicate bullying and violence, but it is up to all of us to do more. As a mother I taught my sons that the greatest gift they could give to their children was to love and cherish their wives. We must cherish and love all others and continue to uphold the culture of respect for one another.

Today as we celebrate all women – our pioneers that have gone before, those present among us today, and all in our society – we resolve to build and nurture all men, all women, and all Albertans in a manner which assures eradication of violence and a stronger, safer place for our children and the children of future generations. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Centre. 2:10 Ms Blakeman: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, Madam Minister. Those were kind words and heartfelt. Mr.

Speaker, I’d like to celebrate International Women’s Day, but it’s tough to be properly jubilant when women face so many challenges. There are certainly many women to celebrate in Alberta: breast cancer survivors, the volunteers who serve as the hidden backbone of our economy, the barely acknowledged people all around us who teach and sling hash and weld and clean and crunch numbers and drive trucks and take care of our kids. These women show leadership and courage every day. They deserve to be celebrated, perhaps especially so in Alberta, where women have to be so self-reliant.

From 1986 to its premature closure we had an arm’s-length Advisory Council on Women’s Issues in Alberta, charged to help get women fully involved in the life of the province. We had a Women’s Secretariat, a branch full of people working on women’s

Alberta Hansard March 8, 200712 policy issues. Now we have one valiant woman working away in the corner of a different department. From a council and a secretariat to a desk. Our health workforce, overwhelmingly female, is struggling with recruitment and retention issues, and a significant portion of this workforce is looking at getting out. This possib ility has massive consequences for policymakers and citizens alike. Our precious, not-for-profit charitable and volunteer sector, also overwhelmingly staffed by women, has been eroded, downsized, and downloaded upon for years, leaving it in a very fragile state.

Child care: another issue which disproportionately affects women. We need spaces created. According to one source we have 80,000 women who have to or want to work and cannot find child care spaces for their children. As for the child care workers themselves, again overwhelmingly women, they perform a vital job for pitiful wages. Finally, violence against women. If there’s a jurisdiction anywhere in the world with the ability to tackle this issue once and for all, it’s Alberta. But we still seem to be stuck in the Dark Ages on this front.

So, yes, I’d like to celebrate International Women’s Day in Alberta, but I think that, instead, I’ll just celebrate Alberta’s women and their determination to valiantly struggle forward in the face of overwhelming obstacles. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Speaker: Might we have the consent of the Assembly to recognize the hon. Member for Edmonton-Strathcona to participate on behalf of the third party in the House? [Unanimous consent granted] The Speaker: The hon. member. Dr. Pannu: Mr.

Speaker, I thank you and the House for this opportunity to join with my other colleagues to say a few words on this very important day, International Women’s Day. This is a day on which we should celebrate the accomplishments of women while recognizing that our society is still rife with inequalities. Last year I spoke about the persistent wage gap between men and women as well as the unacceptably high number of women who were turned away from women’s shelters because they were full. These concerns persist today in Alberta and around the world.

The United Nations Development Fund for Women cautions in its message commemorating International Women’s Day that all of the progress we have made can be destroyed through continuing violence against women. Violence against women is deeply rooted in structures of gender inequality. Ending violence against women requires changing our individual attitudes and breaking through barriers of culture and tradition to find nonviolent ways to resolve conflicts in personal and public life. Violence against women is made more insidious because it so often goes unpunished.

Global figures from the United Nations show us that women are disproportionately targeted. One out of every three women has been beaten or otherwise abused in her lifetime. Domestic violence is the largest form of abuse of women world-wide, irrespective of religion, culture, ethnicity, education, and class. Mr. Speaker, this House must commit to taking action to end impunity to violence against women and girls. Alberta and Canada like to take pride in the progress we have made towards eliminating inequality from our society, but I fear that some of us have become too complacent.

Last year in one of the first acts in government the federal Conservatives cut the budget of the office of the Status of Women by 40 per cent and closed 12 of the 16 regional offices. These offices helped women’s groups work their way through government funding processes and helped fund research and resource development related to women’s issues. So, Mr. Speaker, I invite all Albe rtans to join us in celebrating International Women’s Day, celebrating past advances, and committing to fighting for justice and equality for all women. Thank you very much.

The Speaker: Are the members prepared to provide an opportunity to the hon. Member for Cardston-Taber-Warner to participate? Any opposed? The hon. member. Mr. Hinman: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is a privilege to stand and to celebrate the 30th anniversary of International Women’s Day. Each of us owes our life to the women of our community for our birth and for their nurturing and loving care in our early years. We are truly indebted to the women of our society. They exemplify the best of human traits, those of kindness, generosity, caring, and loving, many of those whom only a mother could love.

Albertans have truly been blessed with stalwart women who have fought the good fight for all Albertans and Canadians as a whole, such special women as the Famous Five and groups such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving and REAL Women, just to mention a few. We are truly blessed with the women of our families, our communi- ties, our province, and our country. We could not go on without them. They are truly capable of doing it all, and we are indebted to them.

We must ensure equality for all of our citizens, male and female, and continue to try and improve their quality of life here in the province of Alberta. head: Oral Question Period The Speaker: The hon. Leader of Her Majesty’s Loyal and Official Opposition. Royalty Review Panel Dr. Taft: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The review of the province’s royalty rates may be the single most important issue this government confronts under this Premier. The makeup of the review panel is just as interesting for who is not on it as for who is.

It is reasonable for industry to have a voice on the panel, but Albertans are asking me why other groups do not. To the Premier: can the Premier explain to the farmers of Alberta, whose land and livelihoods are so often affected by the activities of the petroleum industry, why they do not deserve a representative on the panel when industry does? Mr. Stelmach: Mr.

Speaker, the issue of a royalty review came forward during the leadership campaign in the province of Alberta, and I made a commitment to ensure that all royalties – starting with oil sands, conventional oil and gas, and coal-bed methane – be reviewed in a very open and transparent manner and that information to be then put on the table for all Albertans to see. If our royalty regime is fair, there will be comparisons made to other jurisdictions. We need that information to communicate that to Albertans, and they will have the information to make their own decision. Dr. Taft: Well, I was hoping for more, Mr.

Speaker: an answer. So I will repeat the question to the Premier. Can the Premier explain to the farmers of Alberta, whose land and livelihoods are so often affected by the activities of the petroleum industry, why they do not

March 8, 2007 Alberta Hansard 13 deserve a representative on the review panel when industry does? Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, I believe the leader maybe doesn’t have all the information here. I was going to say confused but not from the point of view of saying that he doesn’t understand. There is legislation in place that protects the la ndowner in terms of the Surface Rights Act and land compensation for the entry of the oil companies onto a farmer’s land or, quite frankly, onto any private land. This is a review of the royalty regime.

This is a review of what we receive as Albertans, all equal shareholders in the resource that we own, and how that is calculated in terms of the resource royalty. So those are two separate issues. The Speaker: The hon. leader. Dr. Taft: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again to the Premier: given that environmental issues concerning the activity of the petroleum industry are of such high concern and that royalties could be for example structured to encourage better environmental activities, can the Premier explain to the people of Alberta why no one with environmental expertise deserves to be on the panel? 2:20 Mr.

Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, once again, this is a review of the royalty regime. All of the other issues, especially with respect to environment, are a separate discussion. In fact, our ministers of Environment and Sustainable Resource Development are mandated to bring forward plans to ensure a very clean environment for the next generation. Quite frankly, it’s not only the oil and gas industry that we have to pay attention to but all other industry, including agriculture, to make sure that we do protect the environment for the future generation. The Speaker: Second main question. The hon.

Leader of the Official Opposition. Dr. Taft: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Leadership in trying times requires good judgment, yet several times the Premier’s judgment seems to be lacking. When it comes to the royalty review, the Premier failed to take steps to ensure that the panelists were free from conflicts of interest. Within hours of the panel members being made public, it came to light that one of them owns millions of dollars of stock options in an oil sands company: clearly a blatant conflict of interest. My question is to the Premier.

What has the Premier done to address the conflict of interest of the member of the panel who has a multimillion dollar stake in a major oil company? Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, all members on the royalty review committee have extensive experience in a number of areas. I can’t list to you the names of all the individuals or their backgrounds, but I can certainly allow the Minister of Finance to give the background on the review panel. The Speaker: The hon. minister. Dr. Oberg: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. On the review panel are six individuals that are very classy, intelligent individuals.

We have three economists. We have a former president of Alberta- Pacific who has worked with environmental groups and has worked in the lumber industry for the last 30 years. We have a gentleman who was in the information technology business and, unbeknownst to me at the time, has actually done a considerable amount of work on finances with regard to oil companies. Lastly, we’re very privileged to have a gentleman by the name of Sam Spanglet, who is the former vice-president of Shell and two years ago was the executive of the year worldwide for Shell International. Mr.

Speaker, that kind of expertise is what we’re looking for, but on top of that we have asked each and every one of the members of the committee to swear an official oath that they will not do anything that will benefit them, that they will not talk about what is occurring, that they will not speak about what is occurring in this particular review, which is an incredibly important element of this deliberation. Dr. Taft: Business as usual, Mr. Speaker.

To the Premier: given that last week, well after they were appointed, all the panelists were asked to disclose their conflicts of interest to the government on the panel, will the Premier do the open and accountable thing and tell the people of Alberta what those conflicts of interest were? Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, we wouldn’t even be debating this issue of the composition of the panel if it wasn’t for my insistence to ensure that we have a very thorough public review of the royalty regime in this province, and that’s what we’re going to get at the end of this. The Speaker: The hon. leader. Dr.

Taft: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Premier again: can the Premier assure Albertans that none of the royalty review panelists have business interests that will be affected by the decisions of the panel that they’re serving on? Mr. Stelmach: I can assure this House that the review will be done in a very open, transparent manner to ensure that there are no self- interests in terms of the results that end up on the table for all Albertans to observe in terms of whether the royalty regime is fair to all Albertans. Remember, we are all equal shareholders in that resource.

The Speaker: Third Official Opposition question. The hon. Leader of the Official Opposition. Dr. Taft: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Premier’s first few months as leader have been tainted by questions about his commitment to openness and transparency. They’re not going to diminish after today. Though he talks the talk, his decision to hold a fundraiser where individuals could purchase time with the Premier and his refusal to disclose a list of donors to his leadership campaign are clear indications that he doesn’t necessarily walk the walk.

With the announcement of the Royalty Review Panel questions have arisen regarding the relationship between panel members and the govern- ment. To the Premier: given that the Premier only released a partial list of his leadership campaign donors, will the Premier tell this Assembly and all Albertans whether or not any of the review panelists provided cash in kind or other contributions to his leader- ship campaign? Mr. Stelmach: In fact, in terms of the leadership campaign I don’t know what the Liberals have in mind in terms of what kind of disclosure or how much involvement a candidate has in raising funds.

There was a committee structured that r eceives campaign funds. It’s actually a company that was enacted to receive campaign funds. It’s their responsibility. In absence of any rules by the party in terms of the campaign, we had to make rules ourselves in terms

Alberta Hansard March 8, 200714 of how funds were accepted. The committee then accepted whatever donations were made. I just want to say this, Mr. Speaker. There’s such a concern about the disclosure. Well, a lot of t hose that didn’t disclose were like $25, $50, you know, donations to the campaign. But here’s the thing. We will have a lobbyist registry in place that will identify any person in this province that wants to lobby the government. Also, as soon as we get the information technology in place, we’ll be able to track what money goes to any person in this province of Alberta through the blue book.

So we’ve got it now, Mr. Speaker, on both sides of the spectrum. We’ll make sure that is very open and transparent, and Albertans will see not only who’s lobbying government but who is getting money from the other end. The Speaker: The hon. Leader of the Official Opposition. Dr. Taft: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again to the Premier: will the Premier tell this Assembly and all Albertans whether or not any of the companies the panelists are connected to contributed to his leadership campaign? Mr. Stelmach: You know, Mr. Speaker, I don’t know because I didn’t follow who gave money to the campaign.

It’s a committee structure. It was a company name, and that’s their role. I’m not involved in collecting funds in terms of the campaign nor any other leadership candidates here. The Speaker: The hon. leader. Dr. Taft: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again to the Premier: given that the minister responsible for the Royalty Review Panel hasn’t released a list of his leadership donors, will the Premier direct the minister to disclose whether or not any of the review panelists or the companies they work with contributed to this minister’s leadership campaign? Mr. Stelmach: As I said before . . . Dr.

Taft: Open and accountable. Mr. Stelmach: Yeah, and we’ve moved more in the last 60 days than you ever will in this Assembly. I can tell you that. We’re going to have the lobbyist registry. Every person that receives any kind of money from this government will be in the blue book. That will be on the Internet. Any Albertan can pull it up. This is more transparency and openness than has been seen in this province for years, well ahead of where the opposition is today.

Speaker’s Ruling Matters Referred to Ethics Commissioner The Speaker: Hon. members, the chair allowed that last series of questions because the final aspect of the question had to do with a specific contribution from a specific company to somebody’s campaign, but I want to draw to the attention of all hon. members the Conflicts of Interest Act

section 24(1).

It says, “Any person may request, in writing, that the Ethics Commissioner investigate any matter respecting an alleged breach of this Act by a Member.” Then 24(3) says, “A Member may request, in writing, that the Ethics Commissioner investigate any matter respecting an alleged breach of this Act by the Member.” Then 24(6) says, “Where a matter has been referred to the Ethics Commissioner under subsection (1), (3) . . . neither the Legislative Assembly nor a committee of the Assembly shall inquire into the matter.” Now, one of the due diligence things a Speaker does prior to opening of a session is to contact the Ethics Commissioner and ask the question: does the Ethics Commissioner have a file on any member with respect to anything?

The Ethics Commissioner advised me that the Ethics Commissioner had received a letter from the leader of the third party asking the Ethics Commissioner to undertake an investigation into campaign contributions. Following that, the Ethics Commissioner had received a letter from the Leader of the Official Opposition, asking the Ethics Commissioner to do one and the same thing. So I’ve been advised by an officer of the Legislative Assembly, in this case the Ethics Commissioner, that two members have asked for a review. The Ethics Commissioner is taking a review, and if I read

section 24(6), it says: “Where a matter has been referred to the Ethics Commissioner under subsection (1).”

Section 24(3) says, “A Member may request, in writing, that the Ethics Commissioner investigate any matter respecting an alleged breach of this Act by the Member.” Then it says in 24(6), “Neither the Legislative Assembly nor a committee of the Assembly shall inquire into the matter.” So we’re on the edge with some of these questions, but I think I’ve clarified the whole thing. We’ll wait, perhaps, for the Ethics Commissioner to get back to us all. The leader of the third party, please. 2:30 Employment Standards Mr. Mason: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

Last week we learned that employers in the tar sands are refusing to hire skilled Albertan and Canadian building trades workers because they belong to a union. In fact, the IBEW, a legitimate union, has over 1,000 skilled tradesmen waiting for jobs because this government and the federal government allow employers to bring in cheap foreign labour. This government’s labour policies ensure that unionized workers are not only passed over but can be fired because their first language is French, in order to make room for temporary foreign workers, many of whom are supplied by the companies with translators.

This question is to the Premier. Will the Premier explain to the thousands of qualified, out-of-work Albertan and Canadian workers why they are being overlooked for jobs in favour of temporary foreign workers? Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, our policy is Albertans first; secondly, other Canadians that can fill these vacant positions in all i ndustry; and thirdly, if we can’t find enough people to fill all the positions, then we’ll look to other parts of the world.

Of course, part of our commitment, when we say Albertans first, is to put more resources so that we can attract and encourage more participation from our Métis and First Nations in many job opportunities in the province of Alberta. Really, that is government policy, and that’s what we’re working on. The Speaker: The hon. leader. Mr. Mason: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Thousands of Albertans waiting for work.

Will the Premier commit to reopen negotiations with the federal government to amend the agreement governing temporary foreign workers in order to require employers to clearly demonstrate that no qualified Albertan or Canadian worker, unionized or not, is available for work before any application for temporary foreign workers is approved? Mr. Stelmach: All that I know in terms of the negotiations, Mr.

March 8, 2007 Alberta Hansard 15 Speaker, is what our minister of employment is doing now in terms of negotiating with the federal government in a number of programs. I had a difficult time hearing your question because there was more chatter from the bench here. You know, I don’t make any comments when other members are asking a question. I just ask for the same respect. That’s all I ask. Mr. Mason: M. Speaker, pourquoi est-ce que le gouvernement permet à Suncor de virer un travailleur canadien syndiqué avec 25 années d’expérience dans l’industrie simplement parce que sa langue maternelle est le français?

I will provide a translation. Why has the government allowed Suncor to fire a unionized Canadian worker with 25 years’ experience because his first language is French? Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, our minister will respond to the very specific issue raised by the member. Ms Evans: Mr. Speaker, an issue like this would be dealt with by the Human Rights Commission. My colleague the Minister of Tourism, Parks, Recreation and Culture has that portfolio, but I will say this.

A situation between a private company and their employee, the particular details of which I am not aware, is not something which I am prepared to address in this House. It is not part of the legislation, but the Employment Standards Code. . . Mr. Mason: Oh, so discrimination is allowed by your government. Ms Evans: Mr. Speaker, we are neither allowing nor disallowing anything the member opposite is alleging. We’re saying simply that the Employment Standards Code covers termination in specific circumstances such as maternity or paternal leave.

We also talk about termination pay provisions in our legislation, but the circum- stance that the employee has challenged and that has been referenced in the media today is something that I’m sure that my colleague the minister who is in charge of human rights may wish to further comment on. Mr. Goudreau: Well, Mr. Speaker, certainly it’s my pleasure to provide some comments as minister responsible for the Human Rights Commission. This morning we were made aware of the situation with Suncor and the employee, and we are in the process of trying to find out both sides of the story.

We’re only hearing the one side of the story. Certainly, we will encourage the individual, if he felt totally discriminated against because of a particular language issue, to deal specifically with the Human Rights Commis- sion. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Cardston-Taber-Warner, followed by the hon. Member for St. Albert. Caucus Funding Mr. Hinman: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, congratulations to the Premier. He is listening to and has shown a desire to govern the people of Alberta with fairness, integrity, and transparency. He has promised to be open, accountable, fiscally responsible, and inclu- sive.

We commend him and his minister of restructuring and government efficiency on reducing cabinet to 18 ministers. This is a great start. In the throne speech he assured the people of Alberta that he would honour and respect the trust that people have in the MLA they have elected to represent their best interests. [interjec- tions] Maybe you could ask your own people to be quiet. A little respect. Does the Premier believe that every voter in Alberta is of equal value and weight? Mr. Stelmach: Did he say “every voter”? The Speaker: Hon. Premier, I recognize that there was a bit of chitter-chatter going on.

I think the question essentially was: does the Premier recognize every voter in Alberta to be of equal value and weight? Mr. Stelmach: Every Albertan. A voter is 18 plus, but there are many Albertans that are younger than 18 years, the age of majority. So they’re all important. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Hinman: Thank you. Mr. Speaker, would the Premier please explain to Albertans how he justifies rewarding some caucuses with funding of over $5.50 per vote while another caucus is funded only 80 cents per vote received?

Speaker’s Ruling Decisions of Members’ Services Committee The Speaker: The hon. member knows that that has absolutely nothing to do with a decision of the government or the leader of the government. That is purely a matter of the Members’ Services Committee, which is constituted by this Assembly, elected by this Assembly. That is a question that’s out of order. Hon. member, proceed to your third one. Mr. Hinman: Well, I would respectfully disagree with that. The Speaker: Sorry. Sit down. Sit down. You can’t disagree with the law you passed. Look in the mirror. You made the law. Yeah, you made the law.

Now proceed with your third question, on a subject that deserves the merit and attention of this Assembly. Caucus Funding (continued) Mr. Hinman: Will the Premier treat every Alberta voter equally and reduce government spending and improve democratic representation by funding every party recognized by Elections Alberta with an elected MLA with a caucus funding of $1 per vote received? The Speaker: Well, once again that question is out of order. The hon. Member for St. Albert, followed by the hon. Member for West Yellowhead. Teachers’ Labour Dispute Mr. Flaherty: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

This is about the quality of education. Nine thousand four hundred students are currently out of school in the Parkland school district as a result of a teachers’ strike, and no end is in sight. Parents and students want to know where the government is on this issue. To the Minister of Education: what steps has the minister taken to ensure a fair and swift resolution to this dispute in Parkland? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Liepert: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As the hon. member knows, the parents were here at the Legislature yesterday expressing their concern about the Parkland strike.

My colleague and I met with the parents outside and then a couple of hours later met with parents inside, joined by the Member for Spruce Grove-Sturgeon-St. Albert

Alberta Hansard March 8, 200716 and the Member for Stony Plain. Our commitment to the parents was twofold: number one, that we would do whatever we could to get the two sides back to the table, and this morning I have written both the school board and the ATA local, encouraging them to get back to the bargaining table immediately and put the interests of students’ education as the highest priority. Secondly, we did make sure that the parents knew that Alberta Education was providing online services for students, and to that end we are funding a session on Sunday night for any parents.

We w ill have officials of our department in Spruce Grove to ensure that students know how to access online learning. 2:40 The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Flaherty: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Given that a trustee, Mr. Minister, of the Parkland school board has recently resigned due to a lack of faith in the board’s position, does the minister have confidence that the board is capable of objectively resolving this strike in the situation that’s there presently? Mr. Liepert: Mr.

Speaker, the school board, like all school boards in Alberta, is duly elected by the citizens of that county, and until I have evidence of any wrongdoing, I would expect that both the school board and the Teachers’ Association would jointly approach these negotiations in the best interest of the students. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Flaherty: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. What planning has the minister done to ensure that students, especially those with upcom- ing diploma exams, will be able to make up for lost class time once school resumes?

In other words, what’s happening with those students that are missing out on their education, Mr. Minister? Mr. Liepert: Well, as I say, we are making options available online for students and have the session planned for Sunday evening. We will continue to monitor. Hopefully both sides, as I say, will put students’ education first and foremost and will come to a resolution of this matter. The Speaker: The hon. Member for West Yellowhead, followed by the hon. Member for Edmonton-Mill Woods. Mountain Pine Beetle Mr. Strang: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

There has been a lot of recent media attention on Alberta’s m ountain pine beetle infestation. My question is to the Minister of Sustainable Resource Development. How serious is the threat facing Alberta? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Dr. Morton: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. How serious? Very, very serious. It’s the most serious threat our forestry industry has ever faced. It’s no exaggeration to say that, basically, we’re at war with the pine beetle, and unfortunately the front line of this war has moved from British Columbia to Alberta. The B.C. pine forests are a disaster.

The forestry, the industry, and the revenues of that government are in shambles. They’ve lost 9 million hectares of wood in British Columbia. That’s the equiva- lent of 82 million cubic metres of wood, which would build 11 million new homes in this province. One year ago we estimated only 20,000 to 30,000 pine beetles in Alberta. Six months ago that was estimated up to 200,000 to 300,000. Today it’s estimated at 2 million to 3 million. There was an infestation that came over last fall in a wind. The situation is very serious. Mr.

Speaker, doing nothing is not an option, and I can assure you that this government will take strong and decisive action to stop the spread of the pine beetle. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Strang: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My first supplementary question is to the Minister of Sustainable Resource Development. What action is Alberta taking to combat the mountain pine beetle? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Dr. Morton: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This past fall and winter we’ve been doing extensive surveys to monitor where the pine beetles are and in what numbers. We basically have a two-level approach.

Level 1 is that we identify single trees. We identify them and remove them, and we’ve had over 500 people in the field this winter doing that type of level 1 approach. We have a level 2 approach. When we discover stands of trees that are either infested or threatened by pine beetle, we remove those as well. In these areas we’ve asked industry to revise their forestry management plans to resequence their cutting sequence to take these susceptible pine stands. We’ve also provided grants to various municipalities to deal with the removal of pine beetle infested trees on private lands in these communities. Thank you.

The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Strang: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My second supplementary question is to the Minister of Sustainable Resource Development. Given the seriousness of this threat, who is the minister using as an expert to determine the appropriate response to the mountain pine beetle? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Dr. Morton: Thank you again, Mr. Speaker. We’re receiving ongoing advice from the leading pine beetle experts across the country and also our counterparts in British Columbia.

Last spring we had a summit on the pine beetle issue convened in Calgary with experts from around the country. We continue to work with the Canadian Forest Service, Parks Canada, and with Alberta parks and recreation. We also have a pine beetle committee made up of reeves and councillors from across the province. I repeat, Mr. Speaker, that doing nothing is not an option for this government, and we’ll take all steps that are necessary and appropri- ate to win this war. Thank you. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Mill Woods, followed by the hon. Member for Calgary-Shaw. Women’s Issues Mrs.

Mather: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today is International Women’s Day, a day to celebrate the achievements and potential of women around the world. However, here in Alberta the representa-

March 8, 2007 Alberta Hansard 17 tion of women in cabinet does not inspire confidence that women are truly at the table in this govern ment. My questions are to the Premier. Can the Premier tell us why he has chosen to disregard gender balance in establishing his new cabinet? Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, selecting a cabinet, of course, probably is the most difficult responsibility of any Premier or, quite frankly, a Prime Minister. But I just want to make one thing very clear to those that raise this issue in the House in terms of this Premier not having respect for the women of the province of Alberta.

I know very well the contribution of the pioneers of this province, the pioneering women that are really the true heroes of the province of Alberta, with about four or five children in tow when their husband is working hundreds of miles away, whether on the railway or building a road someplace under very difficult conditions, not knowing if their husband is going to be back at the end of that work term, at the conclusion, given the unsafe conditions. There was not any kind of phone that you could pick up or fax or e-mail, certainly.

Working in isolation, trying to make ends meet in the pioneering spirit: I know what the value of women is to this province. I don’t have to be told in this particular House. Mrs. Mather: I appreciate the recognition of the value of women in our society, but given that there are only two female voices in cabinet, what plan of action has the Premier developed to ensure that the interests, issues, and concerns of women will be addressed by this government? Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, I am proud of all of the women in our caucus.

In fact, we do have many women in our caucus, but one of my personal goals – and I mentioned this very publicly a number of times – is to recruit new candidates to the Progressive Conservative caucus so that they can run for office and encourage them. We’ve taken a bold step here in this Legislature – and, again, co-operation on both sides of the House – to change the sitting

schedule so that life here as an elected member gives some form of family life as well. That’s going to bring a number of people interested in running for not only our party but also across the way. That’s one of my personal goals, and I’ll continue to work in that area. Mrs. Mather: Given that in the past there was an entire secretariat and advisory council devoted to women, can the Premier explain why the government now has only one staff member working directly on women’s issues? Mr. Stelmach: Quite frankly, Mr. Speaker, mention was made earlier in the response to the ministerial statement.

I don’t know where this one staff member is. I’m sorry. I’m being very honest. We’ll find out where. This is more than just having staff in the government. It’s working here with all Albertans to try to improve the desire of people of both genders and from all ethnic backgrounds to run for public office. I’m actually quite honoured and I’m humbled by the fact that some pay particular attention to the fact that I’m of Ukrainian ancestry, but, you know, people have to work hard at getting here. We’re going to work with every Albertan to give them an equal opportunity. We have a lot of road to gain, obviously.

I made that commitment, and I’m going to stick to my word. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-Shaw, followed by the hon. Member for Edmonton-Centre. 2:50 Hospital Construction in South Calgary Mrs. Ady: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In recent weeks there have been many questions regarding hospital beds in Calgary, in particu- lar regarding the construction of the south Calgary hospital. This has been very unsettling to my constituents as well as to many of the people that live in Calgary. My questions are to the Minister of Health and Wellness.

Can the mini ster tell us if this much-needed hospital in the south of Calgary is going to be built? Mr. Hancock: Well, yes, Mr. Speaker, this government made a commitment to the south Calgary hospital a number of years ago. A significant amount of money has been set aside in the budget and pledged for that hospital, and we expect that that hospital will be built. The plans are under way. The discussions with the Calgary health authority, in whose jurisdiction it falls, are under way. I understand that we will be getting into some discussions very quickly about the scope and the nature of the project.

Yes, it’s an important project, and I expect that it will proceed. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mrs. Ady: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the same minister. As you indicated, the Calgary health region is in plans, and they’ve indi- cated that they hope to begin that this year, to complete in the year 2010-2011. Does this minister have any reason to believe that they’ll not be able to proceed as planned? Mr. Hancock: Well, Mr. Speaker, these projects are large projects, and they have stages that they go through.

I understand that the intention by the Calgary health authority is to break ground this year to service the property. In the meantime we’re looking at the scope of the project and the needs of the project all in the normal course of building a large project of this nature. So far as I understand, the project is on track in terms of where it is and what we need to know about it. The reason why it’s hit the table now as a concern, I believe, in Calgary is the speculation and the suggestion of cost increases with respect to that project. Well, in a project of this size, Mr.

Speaker, when you first conceptualize the project, there’s an estimate of costs. There’s an estimate of costs at the start. Construction costs, as is well known in this province, have gone up over time, but also as you . . . Mr. Chase: That’s because you’ve delayed construction. Mr. Hancock: Nobody has delayed construction on the project. Projects of this nature and size have to be planned carefully and implemented carefully. Mrs. Ady: This is good news. Thank you. My final supplemental actually goes to the Minister of Employ- ment, Immigration and Industry.

Although I’m aware that the Minister of Health and Wellness is doing a lot of work about health care workforce, does this minister have any assistance to ensure that when this hospital opens, we’ll have doctors, nurses, and technicians to staff it? Ms Evans: Mr. Speaker, we have a 10-year strategy, along with the Minister of Advanced Education and Technology, on building and educating tomorrow’s workforce, a very careful plan with substrategies to help us educate and grow our own in Alberta. We are working collaboratively, the minister of health and myself, with

Alberta Hansard March 8, 200718 the minister of advanced education on marketing tools that we can get involved with, the use of e-technology, conferencing, an aboriginal workforce strategy. I’m confident that by the time we open the doors for the south Calgary hospital, there will be a robust workforce in place. The activities to date suggest to me that we’ve laid the groundwork for replacing those that are needed and working with the minister of health on the scope of practice issues which will help to build the capacity in the Calgary health region. The Speaker: The hon.

Member for Edmonton-Centre, followed by the hon. Member for Edmonton-Calder, followed by the hon. Member for Whitecourt-Ste. Anne. Ms Blakeman: Thanks very much, Mr. Speaker. During the 1990s the government made the worst health policy decision of the decade by closing three hospitals and eliminating 1,500 beds in Calgary. Now the construction of the desperately needed hospital in south Calgary is being held up by skyrocketing construction costs, which are a direct consequence of this government’s failure to properly plan for the economic boom. My questions are to the Premier.

Is the Premier comfortable sitting back watching the Calgary health region scramble to find money and possibly go into debt to construct this hospital? Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, the Calgary regional health authority is not scrambling, not delaying anything. These are significant cost increases. We need information to process through the various departments to see how we can reduce some of the just huge inflationary cost pressures. It’s not only in this particular hospital, but it’s in schools and roads that are being built. We see inflation anywhere from 20 to 40 per cent.

Maybe there are ways of bringing some of that inflation down. But as we heard today, the hospital is part of our capital plan and will continue to be, and we’re going to get there. The Speaker: The hon. member. Ms Blakeman: Thank you. Again to the Premier: how does the Premier justify a $7 billion surp lus while the health region is considering going into debt to fund this hospital? Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, I’m not going to justify a $7 billion surplus. It just happens that o il and natural gas were at the prices they were in terms of the world market, so we’ve been very fortunate.

We just hope that these prices continue for some time, but we can’t depend on the level of natural resources, especially those prices, well into the future. That’s why we’re very pragmatic and thoughtful in the way we’re doing our budget to make sure that three, four years down the road we’re not in a deficit position. I made that promise to all Albertans, that this province will never ever again be in an operational deficit, period. The Speaker: The hon. member. Ms Blakeman: Well, thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

Again to the Premier: will the Premier join with the Alberta Liberals and finally stand up for Calgarians by recommending that they fully fund the new hospital in south Calgary? Do the right thing. Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, I don’t have to stand up with the Alberta Liberals. Alberta Liberals aren’t funding the hospital. The money for the hospital and all other infrastructure comes from the taxpayers of the province of Alberta. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Calder, followed by the hon. Member for Whitecourt-Ste. Anne. Carbon Dioxide Emissions Mr. Eggen: Thanks, Mr. Speaker.

Albertans are fed up with the lack of action by this government to reduce carbon dioxide emis- sions. Now federal money is available to reduce emissions, and this government reverts to its old habits with their plan to give the money away to big oil to build more pipelines and to drill more wells. The public demands absolute reductions in carbon dioxide emissions and not this shell game of pipelines and enhanced oil recovery and intensity targets. My questions are to the Minister of Environment.

After getting sweet deals on royalty rates and corporate tax breaks for so long, doesn’t this government think it’s about time that the big energy corporations started to pay their own way, especially for all the carbon dioxide and noxious emissions that they pump into the atmosphere? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Renner: Well, thanks very much, Mr. Speaker. I guess the short answer I might give to the member is that I advise him to stay tuned as I have legislation that I will be tabling immediately following question period that I think will go a long way towards answering his question. Mr. Eggen: Mr.

Speaker, intensity targets are not absolute reduction targets. Considering the huge profits that energy corporations are enjoy- ing, why can’t they build their own CO 2 pipelines and instead use public money to invest in conservation and in renewables? Mr. Renner: Well, Mr. Speaker, I look forward to the debate on the issue with regard to hard caps ve rsus intensity, and I’m sure we’ll have ample opportunity during debate on the bill. But with respect to the specific question, I’m not aware of any decisions that have been made on how the federal dollars are going to be allocated one way or the other.

There has been speculation in the media, and it would appear that the NDP have already decided that the decision has been made. Mr. Eggen: Well, I would ask then, please, as well: when will the government stop subsidizing half measures like this proposed CO 2 pipeline, which is, in fact, mostly designed to pump more oil out of the ground and therefore will actually release more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere? Mr. Renner: Again, Mr. Speaker, I actually look forward to the debate on the bill because obviously it’s going to be interesting.

On the issue of carbon sequestration, I encourage the member again to look very carefully at the plan that the government has. I will do my very, very best over the coming weeks to explain to him how our plan will eventually lead to the ability for us to maintain an economy in Alberta and at the same time ensure that we have an environment that is around for our children, our grandchildren, and their children. 3:00 The Speaker: The hon. Member for Whitecourt-Ste. Anne, followed by the hon. Member for Edmonton-Rutherford.

March 8, 2007 Alberta Hansard 19 Petro-Canada Refinery Fire Mr. VanderBurg: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. You know, just recently there was a very serious fire out at Petro-Canada’s refinery in Strathcona county just outside of Edmonton, raising concerns about the price of gasoline and public safety. My first question is to the Minister of Energy. Can the minister advise the members of the Assembly of the expected impact of the fire on the supply of gasoline in this province? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Knight: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Indeed, there has been a minor fire reported in the Petro-Canada refinery, as the member has noted, but thankfully it was contained very quickly, and there are no reported injuries. Petro-Canada reports that the incident would reduce their capacity by about 15 per cent in the short term. The good news is that it’s not expected to affect the supply of gasoline in this region. It’s also important to note that there are two other refineries producing gasoline in the area, and together these fac ilities have a capacity of close to 400,000 barrels a day. So put in this perspec- tive, Mr.

Speaker, it’s a small impact to one of the three refineries and should not have any long-term effect on our supply. Mr. VanderBurg: Well, again to the same minister. Given his answer, I know that I’ll go home this weekend to Whitecourt-Ste. Anne and they’ll say: what’s happening to the prices at the pumps? I think we all have noticed recently what’s happened. They’re going up. Has this fire caused that price increase? Mr. Knight: Mr. Speaker, I would suggest that this fire has very, very little to do with the current price of gasoline at the pumps in Whitecourt or any other region in the province of Alberta.

The price of gasoline is determined by the market, determined by supply and demand. The good news is, as I said earlier, that the fire is not expected to have a major impact on our supply. Other factors affecting prices would include the price of crude oil, refining costs, retailing, marketing costs, transportation, and distribution. I’m pleased to say that the gasoline prices in Alberta continue to be the lowest on average in the country, and Albertans still pay the lowest provincial tax at 9 cents a litre on gasoline we consume. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. VanderBurg: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

My constituents will be much more satisfied after that answer, I’m sure. To the Minister of Environment: can the minister tell this House what were the environmental impacts of that fire? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Renner: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. As the Minister of Energy indicated, this was a small, isolated incident, so we’re confident that there are no environmental impacts as a result of this fire. As a matter of fact, measurements were taken, and they show no measurable impact with respect to air quality.

We’ve asked, consistent with environment legislation, that Petro- Canada provide us with an explanation of what happened and, in addition to that, with any measures that they will be putting in place to prevent it from happening again. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Rutherford, followed by the hon. Member for Edmonton-Castle Downs. Nonrenewable Resource Revenues Mr. R. Miller: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. This govern- ment is addicted to nonrenewable resource revenues for annual spending. However, the government’s own projections show that these revenues are declining.

Yesterday’s throne speech made absolutely no mention of a savings plan for nonrenewable resource revenue. I’m honoured to ask the first question of the new President of the Treasury Board, and out of respect for him, I’m going to make it easy. A one-word answer, a true-or-false question. Mr. Minister, is it true or is it false that this government relies more on resource revenues today for annual spending than it did ten years ago? True or false? Mr. Snelgrove: To make it really simple for the hon. member, I’ll let the Minister of Finance answer. Dr. Oberg: I, too, shall make it very simple for the hon. member.

The answer is: true. Mr. R. Miller: Thank you for the truth. Mr. Speaker, my second question is for the Minister of Sustain- able Resource Development. Given that a few months ago this minister advocated for a 30 per cent resource revenue savings plan and has recently been silent on the issue, I’m w ondering: has the minister lost his voice? The Speaker: Questions in the question period deal with govern- ment policies. It strikes the chair that that question had to do with a personal opinion. Now, if the hon. minister wishes to deal with it, fine, but I think we should have to move on to your third question, sir.

Mr. R. Miller: Well, it would appear as if he has, in fact, lost his voice. Speaker’s Ruling Oral Question Period Rules The Speaker: No, that’s not a nice thing to say. The chair made it very clear that questions in question period deal with government policy. The hon. Member for Edmonton-Rutherford was asking a question for personal opinion. The chair interceded as the chair is supposed to do. The chair in a gentle way cautioned the hon. Member for Edmonton-Rutherford. The hon. Member for Edmonton-Rutherford got up and made a smarty-pants comment, which caused the chair to stand up again.

So would the hon. member move to his third question, please. Nonrenewable Resource Revenues (continued) Mr. R. Miller: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I can’t wait until Tuesday. To the Minister of Finance: a multiple choice question. How does this government expect to fund Alberta’s future as resource revenues decline: (

a) tax increases, (

b) program cuts, (

c) go back into debt, or (

d) all of the above? Dr. Oberg: Mr. Speaker, again, very simply the obvious answer is: (

e) none of the above. The hon. member should know that there’s been legislation passed in this Assembly that limits the amount of oil and gas revenue to be utilized in our budget at $5.3 billion. The rest of the questions that will be there are obviously questions that will be dealt with in the budget, and I would ask the hon. member to stay tuned for the budget on April 19, 2007.

Alberta Hansard March 8, 200720 The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Castle Downs. Foreign Workers Mr. Lukaszuk: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Over the last few months my constituency office has received numerous complaints of tragic cases where foreign workers have been under false pretenses and false promises imported to Alberta by so-called agents. Upon their arrival to Alberta these workers are paid less than what was initially promised, are charged exorbitant fees for the privilege of being employed, are accommodated in substandard dwellings, and often are threatened with deportation.

To the Minister of Employment, Immigration and Industry: what is Alberta doing to protect these workers from unscrupulous employers and labour brokers? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Ms Evans: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is a very timely question, a very good question because we have been working very hard on both our temporary foreign worker program as well as our provincial nominee program. Brokers are not entitled to charge both ways, which is, in fact, what has happened in some very unscrupulous situations.

When a contractor or an employer decides that they want to have foreign workers come over, they engage frequently some international broker for that privilege. They fund that broker, and they bring those foreign workers to Alberta. Hopefully, they fulfill the obligations in the contract. It is then incumbent upon that employer to make sure that they have the proper housing, the appropriate shelter, and the amenities.

In our department we offer foreign workers the same protection that other employees have working in this province, not only in occupational health and safety but by making sure that deductions are properly taken from their cheques, that employment standard complaints are followed up on in the same fashion. We hold workshops for employers, so they know what our expectations are. We, in fact, school the brokers that might want to do business in Alberta about what our laws and our expectations are. In short, Mr. Speaker, we do our level best to make sure that we try to avoid these types of conflicts.

The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Lukaszuk: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the same minister: is the minister working with the fe deral government to address this issue? Ms Evans: Yes, Mr. Speaker. As a matter of fact, as we speak, we have officials in Ottawa talking to them about all aspects of the immigration program. It is of urgent need that we get on with finding the right ways of selecting the appropriate employees for the province of Alberta.

I might add that in speaking with the immigrant women that I had the privilege of meeting with today at lunchtime, it’s important, too, that we work with the federal government to make sure, if people immigrate from another province, that in the transfer of their lives when they move to Alberta, we have resources to engage them appropriately in our community. The federal government seems sympathetic to this issue, and I’m assured that we will be well on our way to having a made-in-Alberta immigration solution. 3:10 The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Lukaszuk: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

My last question is to the Minister of Service Alberta. Can the minister tell us what regula- tions are in place and, more importantly, being enforced to stop this new industry of foreign worker exploitation? Mr. Snelgrove: Mr. Speaker, it doesn’t matter if you are looking for jobs for Albertans or for Canadians or others coming into Alberta. If you are doing that job, you have to be licensed by the province of Alberta, and you must be bonded. All directors, partners, and officers of such agencies must undergo a criminal record check, and they are also governed under the Fair Trading Act.

Any breaches of this act could be subject to fines up to $100,000. So the government is very aware of this growing industry, and we’re keeping an eye on it. The Speaker: Hon. members, shortly I’ll call upon the first of six to participate today, but just to note there were 84 questions and answers today which is very, very effective. If that kind of produc- tivity stays through to July 15, we’ll just really ask all the questions there are, and all the answers will be given. head: Members’ Statements The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-Hays. Great Kids Awards Mr. Johnston: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is a privilege to rise today and recognize Alberta’s great kids. On Sunday the hon. Premier and the Minister of Children’s Services presented awards to 16 outstanding children and youth for their extraordinary achieve- ments at home, at school, and in their communities. These great kids were selected from nearly 200 nominations province-wide. I had the honour of attending the eighth annual Great Kids awards ceremony and saw first-hand the great things that Alberta’s children and youth are doing in all corners of the province. Mr.

Speaker, I’d like to take this opportunity to acknowledge all of Alberta’s 2007 great kids. They are: Kyla Meinczinger from Stony Plain, Kendra Nilsson from Lethbridge, Samantha Semrock from Edmonton, Albert Goulet from Calgary, Alicia Baharally from Stettler, Alex Brown from Calgary, Natasha Maloney from Fort McMurray, Braden Morrison from Claresholm, Jerremy Mathews from Fort McMurray, Marie Kennedy from Edmonton, Josie Anton Roberts from St.

Paul, Rique Dempsey from Stettler, Kayla Lynn Mossewah from Rocky Mountain House, Chris Mani from Edmon- ton, Keely Evans from Thorhild, and Fardoussa Omar from Edmon- ton. As I heard the hon. Premier say, these great kids all have a promising future, and thanks to them, so does Alberta. Thank you. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Drayton Valley-Calmar. Provincial Men’s Curling Championship Rev. Abbott: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I stand today to recognize the community of Drayton Valley and Brazeau c ounty for hosting this year’s provincial men’s curling championships.

I am so glad to take this opportunity to recognize both the accomplishments of tournament winners, Kevin Martin and his team, and the beautifully executed event put on by a shining light of rural Alberta. Being involved in a variety of sports, I have a great appreciation for the time that goes into the success of an event such as the provincial men’s curling championships. The time and effort that went into preparing for the Drayton Valley curling tournament, from

March 8, 2007 Alberta Hansard 21 the event co-chairs to the volunteers and, of course, the fans, are what made it such a tremendous success. The 12 teams that competed for Alberta’s Kia Cup included the Ferbey Four and many other well-known Alberta teams. Mr. Speaker, curling has become tremendously popular in Canada, particularly in the prairies, which are home to 31 per cent of curlers in the country. One of these curlers participating in this year’s tournament and leading his team to victory was, as previously mentioned, Kevin Martin.

Kevin is an Alberta boy and is hailed as one of the most successful curlers in the world. He got his start in the Canadian junior championships in 1985. He made an appearance at the Winter Olympics in 1992 and again in 2002, and today he is competing in the 2007 Brier in Hamilton, Ontario. This history is what led to the use of the expression in the world of curling known as “to do a Martin,” acknowledging Kevin’s amazing ability to pull off what appear to be impossible shots in difficult circumstances. We wish him and Team Alberta well. Mr.

Speaker, the people and the community of Drayton Valley and area have greatly contributed to the continued growth of curling in our province. I appreciate the time I’ve been given to recognize their efforts and contributions, and I ask my colleagues to take a moment to applaud their efforts as well. Thank you. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-Currie. Hospital Construction in South Calgary Mr. Taylor: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It feels good to be back among my friends and colleagues and even the members opposite.

Four weeks ago I had surgery to have my gall bladder out in Calgary and lived to talk about it thanks to the excellent doctors, nurses, staff, and management who work in the Rockyview hospital and in and for the Calgary health region, no thanks to the Conservative government of Alberta. For reasons I won’t go into because my medical history is my business, so I’ll just park that part of my story behind FOIP, I needed to have my gall bladder removed old school: open abdominal surgery instead of laparoscopically. Now, doing it old school, Mr.

Speaker, meant a two-day stay in the Rockyview hospital, 34 hours of which I spent in recovery on the day surgery ward on a gurney because there were no beds available in the hospital. By the time I was able to get out of my gurney to go for my first walk the afternoon of the surgery, the staff were getting patients changed into their gowns, handing them back their clothing in plastic bags, and telling them to go take a seat in the waiting room for perhaps several hours because things were backed up in the OR again and day surgery was out of beds. The Rockyview was under an almost continuous code burgundy.

Well, actually, now they call it status burgundy b ecause the word “code” implies something urgent or acute, and “status,” well, is a word that reflects the chronic condition that is the hospital bed shortage in Alberta’s biggest city. Over a million people, Mr. Speaker, live and from time to time get sick or hurt in a city with the acute care capacity for a population of not much more than half a million.

There’s a big empty field off the Deerfoot in Calgary’s deep south that’s supposed to have a new hospital under construction on it, and nothing is happening because the Conservatives, with their $7 b illion surplus, won’t just cut the Calgary health region a cheque to cover today’s cost of building the hospital that Calgary needed yesterday. In fact, we needed it three years ago. Mr. Speaker, Nero fiddled while Rome burned. I don’t know what instrument the Calgary Conservative caucus plays, but it’s time to put it down and get to work. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Lethbridge-East.

International Women’s Day Ms Pastoor: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today marks the 30th anniversary of International Women’s Day. This significant day reminds us of the progress we have made to advance women’s rights and of the challenges that remain. This year’s theme, Ending Violence against Women: Action for Real Results, reflects the urgent need to address violence against women. The Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters’ fiscal year statistics ending March 2006 note that nearly 13,000 women and children were accommo- dated in shelters in one year. Sadly, another 13,000 were turned away because they were full.

International Women’s Day is a time to reflect on our collective responsibility to women and children experiencing violence, and not providing shelter for half of the women in need is truly unacceptable. Violence against women is also the issue of poverty. The Canadian Panel on Violence against Women drew the connection between poverty and violence when they said, “Working to end poverty is integral to ending systemic inequality and violence against all women.” Violence against women knows no boundaries of income, race, or geography. For women experiencing violence, poverty limits their choices and their options.

There are a number of women’s organizations working hard to offer hope to women and children experiencing this terrible violence. The Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters, the YWCA, and many other women’s centres and shelters provide assistance, and I thank them for that. Their work is essential and inspirational. I would like to congratulate Sylvia Oishi, Laraine Stuart, Jean Greer McCarthy, Pat McMillan, and Sandra Nelson on being the 2007 YWCA Lethbridge women of distinction, and I thank them for their many volunteer hours. The Speaker: The hon. Deputy Speaker. 3:20 Lifesaving Society Mr. Marz: Thank you, Mr.

Speaker. I rise today to recognize the Lifesaving Society and the admirable service that this organization provides to Albertans. The Lifesaving Society is a charitable organization that works to prevent drowning and water-related injury through its training programs like Water Smart, public education, and safety management services. Each year in Canada the society certifies more than 500,000 people in its swim, lifesaving, lifeguard- ing, and leadership courses.

I wanted to also acknowledge what a privilege it was for me to attend the Lifesaving Society rescue awards and the Royal Life Saving Society Commonwealth awards earlier today. The awards recognize approximately 130 Albertans who have demonstrated personal acts of bravery or dedicated significant years of service. These individuals exemplify personal courage, and I am humbled that there are so many Albertans who were honoured in the award ceremony. I have the highest appreciation for the important and courageous work done by all the individuals involved with this organization.

They provide important services that are engaged in protecting and furthering the health and safety of Albertans. I commend their steadfast leadership in educating people on water safety, lifesaving, and lifeguarding. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of all my colleagues I want to acknowl- edge the commendable initiatives of the Lifesaving Society, and I wish them continued success in providing their valuable services. Thank you.

Alberta Hansard March 8, 200722 The Speaker: The hon. leader of the third party. Growth Pressures in Fort McMurray Mr. Mason: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to speak about the urgent need for planned, orderly growth in our province, particularly in the tar sands. The current gold rush style of growth is leaving many Albertans behind. Families are feeling the squeeze. There aren’t enough schools. Wait times in hospitals and emergency rooms are increasing. Families are facing high tuition fees for their kids and a shortage of affordable, high- quality long-term care for their parents.

Working families face increasing housing costs, homelessness in their communities is increasing, and there is serious environmental damage. Despite the rhetoric in yesterday’s Speech from the Throne it’s clear that when it comes to planning, this government just doesn’t get it. As it stands, the energy policy of the government of Alberta is designed to meet American interests. What we need is a made-in- Alberta energy policy designed to meet the needs of Albertans and Canadians.

A secret meeting in Houston last year in which Alberta’s Minister of Energy participated has called for a fivefold increase in tar sands production within a very short time, something which would completely derail Alberta’s economy. The result is that Alberta’s quality of life is being sold down the pipeline for the sake of record-breaking oil company profits. Several new projects have recently been announced for the export of raw bitumen to the United States.

A proposal has been made to build an entire plant in Asia and ship it to Alberta, and worst of all, qualified Alberta building trades workers are left sitting by the phone while employers bring in thousands of temporary foreign workers. Alberta needs a made-in-Alberta energy policy. We need a short- term moratorium on approval of new projects in order to develop a clear plan for Alberta’s economic future. We must stop the rush to build pipelines to send raw bitumen to the United States for processing.

Finally, we must establish a new, more reasonable royalty regime, including a 50 per cent royalty on exported raw bitumen. These royalties will ensure that we can lay the foundation for sustained prosperity that includes all Albertans. Alberta needs a made-in- Alberta energy policy which is in the interests of Albertans. Thank you very much. The Speaker: Hon. Member for Edmonton-Manning, petitions? Mr. Backs: Yes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s with some sadness that I present these petitions because these are petitions that deal with the need for action for Josh Hunt.

These are the first of about 45,000 names put together. The Speaker: Hon. member, please just have a chair. Does the hon. member want to do this under petitions or tablings? Mr. Backs: Both. The Speaker: Is the petition in order? Mr. Backs: I think this one is. The Speaker: You think? We’re having a debate. There’s a way that the chair knows because he gets a lot of stares from the table officers, who at this point are shaking their heads. Mr. Backs: Okay. We’ll table those. The Speaker: Okay. Thank you. head: Notices of Motions The Speaker: The hon. Government House Leader. Mr. Hancock: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I’d like to give oral notice of a motion to be dealt with possibly Monday night. I beg the indulgence of the House because it’s a fairly long motion dealing with temporary amendments to be made to the Standing Orders of the Legislative Assembly once I table the House leaders’ agreement. The notice of motion would be as follows:

Be it resolved that the following temporary amendments be made to the Standing Orders of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta in order to give effect to the March 7, 2007, House Leaders’ Agreement. 1 Standing Order 3(1) is amended by striking out “1:30 p.m.” and substituting “1 p.m.” 2 The following is added after Standing Order 3: 2007 sitting

schedule 3.1(1) Unless otherwise ordered, the Assembly shall stand adjourned every 4th week during the 2007 Spring Sitting.

(2) Unless otherwise ordered and subject to suborder (3), the Assembly shall meet for the 2007 Fall Sitting from the first Monday in November to the first Thursday in December, inclusive.

(3) The 2007 Fall Sitting may be varied by House Leaders’ agreement, which shall be provided to the Clerk who shall immediately publish a revised calendar.

(4) Nothing in this Standing Order precludes the Government from advising the Speaker that the public interest requires the Assembly to meet on a certain date, and the Speaker shall give notice that the Assembly shall meet at that time to transact its business as if it had been duly adjourned to that time. 3 Standing Order 4 is struck out and the following is substituted: 4(1) Unless otherwise ordered, the sitting hours of the Assembly shall be as follows: Monday:1 p.m. to conclusion of Motions other than Government Motions Tuesday: 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday: 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday: 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.

(2) Notwithstanding suborder (1), upon the passage of a Government motion before 6 p.m. which may be made on one day’s notice and is subject to debate, the Assem- bly may meet on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings.

(3) If there is no evening sitting, at 6 p.m. or on Mon- day at the conclusion of Motions other than Government Motions, the Speaker adjourns the Assembly to the next sitting day.

(4) On Monday, if there is an evening sitting, at the conclusion of Motions other than Government Motions, the Speaker leaves the chair until 7 p.m.

(5) On Tuesday and Wednesday, if there is an evening sitting and at 6 p.m. the business of the Assembly or Committee of the Whole has not concluded, the Speaker or Chair, as the case may be, leaves the chair until 7 p.m.

(6) On evenings when the Assembly is in Committee of the Whole and the business of the committee is not concluded, at 10 p.m. the Committee shall rise and report immediately. 4 Standing Order 7 is amended (

a) in suborder (1) by adding “at 1:30 p.m.,” before “Oral Question Period”;

March 8, 2007 Alberta Hansard 23 (

b) by adding the following after suborder (1):

(1.1) At 1:30 p.m., the Assembly shall proceed to Oral Question Period with the balance of the daily routine to follow. 5 Standing Order 8 is amended (

a) by striking out suborders (1) to (3) and substituting the following: 8(1) On Monday afternoon, after the daily routine, the order of business for consideration of the As- sembly shall be as follows: Written Questions Motions for Returns Public Bills and Orders other than Govern- ment Bills and Orders At 4:55 p.m.: Motions other than Government Motions.

(2) Subject to suborder (3), on Tuesday, Wednes- day and Thursday afternoons, the order of business for consideration of the Assembly shall be as follows: Government Motions Government Bills and Orders Private Bills.

(3) If the business enumerated in suborder (1) has not received a total of 3 hours of consideration, then Public Bills and Orders other than Government Bills and Orders shall be the first order of business for the Assembly on Thursday afternoon for such time until the total time for consideration for those items enumerated in suborder (1) reaches 3 hours for that week. (

b) in suborder (6) by striking out “evening” and substituting “afternoon”. 6 Standing Order 34 is amended by striking out suborder (3) and substituting the following:

(3) On the Wednesday preced ing the consideration of written questions and motions for returns, the Govern- ment House Leader shall indicate to the Assembly which ones the Government will be accepting, accepting with amendments and rejecting.

(3.1) The Clerk shall read the number, text and name of the sponsor of any written question or motion for return that has been accepted by the Government when this item of business is called. 7 Standing Order 53 is struck out and the following is substi- tuted: 53 Public accounts and all reports of the Auditor General shall stand permanen tly referred to the Public Accounts Committee as they become available. 8 Standing Order 56 is amended by adding the following after suborder (2):

(2.1) A temporary substitution in the membership of a standing or special committee may be made upon written notification signed by the original member and filed with the Clerk and Committee Chair, provided such notice is given not less than 24 hours prior to the meeting.

(2.2) A substituted member under the suborder (2.1) shall be considered for all purposes to be acting in the place of the original member.

(2.3) A temporary substitution in the membership shall be permitted for a specific time period or for committee consideration of a specific issue.

(2.4) A temporary substitution may be terminated at any time by the original member of the committee. 9 These amendments shall have effect from Tuesday, March 13, 2007, until the conclusion of the 2007 Fall Sitting. 10 As soon as possible after approval of this motion, the Clerk shall publish a calendar which shows the days on which the Assembly shall meet in 2007. And be it further resolved that the Assembly shall give further consideration on a timely basis to the necessary temporary Standing Orders that will be required to give effect to the balance of the House Leaders’ Agreement. 3:30 The Speaker: Hon.

Government House Leader, the last draft that the chair was provided with was dated at 12:19 p.m. today. The motion that the hon. Government House Leader has read into the record varies from this one, so for all intents and purposes I would ask that the House leader provide a copy of the motion the House leader just read into the record to all members. Hansard will not be published before members return on Monday. I think it would be unfair for members to have to wait until Monday to see this written text. They should have it this afternoon in the House.

Would you kindly stamp on that 3:30 p.m. and ensure that all other previous drafts are shredded so that when we arrive here to have a debate on this motion, everybody will be talking from the same proposed rule paper, please. Now, would you proceed, sir, with the next item. Mr. Hancock: I’d be pleased to do that, and just for the reference of members I would indicate that the pieces that I did not read in related to the House sitting in the evenings. The motion as it was worded that I was provided with provided for specific sitting times, which were not part of the House leaders’ agreement.

That can be brought back in when we deal with sections 5 and 6 of the House leaders’ agreement and dealt with at that time. That’s the difference between them as I read it, but I will make sure that the appropriate version is on the tables of every member. The Speaker: This afternoon, please. Mr. Hancock: This afternoon. The Speaker: Now, are we going to deal with the Government House Leader on the next item? Do you want to give notice about written questions and motions for returns? Mr. Hancock: Well, yes, Mr. Speaker.

I would move that written questions and motions for returns stand and retain their places. head: Introduction of Bills The Speaker: The hon. Minister of Environment. Bill 3 Climate Change and Emissions Management Amendment Act, 2007 Mr. Renner: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I request leave to introduce Bill 3, the Climate Change and Emissions Management Amendment Act, 2007. Mr. Speaker, this groundbreaking legislation establishes Canada’s first legislated greenhouse gas emission reduction targets for large industrial emitters.

Bill 3 and the accompanying regulations require industry to reduce emissions intensity by 12 per cent by 2008 either through upgrading facilities, purchasing Alberta offsets, or investing in a technology fund to develop Alberta-based technology to reduce emissions. Mr. Speaker, because this is primarily enabling legislation, I will also be tabling draft copies of the proposed specified gas emitters regulation at the appropriate time so that the details of our approach are more open for debate. [Motion carried; Bill 3 read a first time]

Alberta Hansard March 8, 200724 The Speaker: The hon. Minister of Children’s Services. Bill 4 Child Care Licensing Act Ms Tarchuk: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I request leave to introduce Bill 4, the Child Care Licensing Act. This bill is designed to give government the framework needed to create better access to innovative, quality child care programs while ensuring that enforcement mechanisms are in place to protect children and keep them safe. Thank you. [Motion carried; Bill 4 read a first time] The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-Lougheed. Bill 5 Health Statutes Amendment Act, 2007 Mr.

Rodney: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It gives me great pleasure to rise to introduce at first r eading Bill 5, the Health Statutes Amendment Act, 2007. Minor amendments to health legislation will make it easier for the government to review and verify health care claims and will ease administrative procedures for Albertans who wish to opt out of the health insurance plan. Other housekeeping amendments will ensure that the act is more inclusive and will legislate the rolling adoption of guidelines and schedules. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. [Motion carried; Bill 5 read a first time] The Speaker: The hon.

Government House Leader. Mr. Hancock: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would move that Bill 5 be moved onto the Order Paper under Government Bills and Orders. [Motion carried] The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-Lougheed on behalf of the hon. Member for Lethbridge-West. Bill 6 Post-secondary Learning Amendment Act, 2007 Mr. Rodney: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I request leave to introduce and move Bill 6, the Post-secondary Learning Amendment Act, 2007. These amendments clarify processes to align legislation with current practices, including the approval processes of degree programs for public and private institutions.

Other amendments enhance flexibility for public postsecondary institutions, including the opportunity for board members appointed to a college or technical institute board as chair in their second term to serve an additional term. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. [Motion carried; Bill 6 read a first time] The Speaker: The hon. Government House Leader. Mr. Hancock: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would move that Bill 6 be moved onto the Order Paper under Government Bills and Orders. [Motion carried] The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-Foothills. Bill 7 Private Vocational Schools Amendment Act, 2007 Mr.

Webber: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I request leave to introduce and move Bill 7, the Private Vocational Schools Amendment Act, 2007. This bill deals with amendments to the Private Vocational Schools Act, which is the legislation governing the licensing of vocational training offered by private institutions in Alberta. Changes to the Private Vocational Schools Act that are included in this bill are designed to enhance consumer protection and update the act so that it is more reflective of the current environment surrounding the licensing of vocational training. Thank you, Mr.

Speaker. [Motion carried; Bill 7 read a first time] The Speaker: The hon. Government House Leader. Mr. Hancock: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would move that Bill 7 be moved onto the Order Paper under Government Bills and Orders. [Motion carried] The Speaker: The hon. Member for Whitecourt-Ste. Anne. Bill 8 Vital Statistics Act Mr. VanderBurg: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I request leave to introduce a bill being the Vital Statistics Act. This proposed bill consolidates the Vital Statistics Act and the Change of Name Act.

It will modernize the legislation to reflect cultural changes as the legislation has not been substantially amended since 1950. It makes provisions consistent with federal and other provincial acts and improves clarity and efficiency of the legislation and, as well, updates languages and processes. Thank you. [Motion carried; Bill 8 read a first time] The Speaker: The hon. Government House Leader. Mr. Hancock: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would move that Bill 8 be moved onto the Order Paper under Government Bills and Orders. [Motion carried] The Speaker: The hon.

Member for Edmonton-Centre. 3:40 Ms Blakeman: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. At this time I would ask the House for unanimous consent to waive Standing Order 39(1)(

d) in order to introduce bills 201 and 202. The Speaker: Normally the chair would not intervene with respect to one side or the other side of a request, but this is a good request that allows business to get done on Monday. Anybody opposed? [Unanimous consent granted] The Speaker: The hon. Leader of the Official Opposition.

March 8, 2007 Alberta Hansard 25 Bill 201 Funding Alberta’s Future Act Dr. Taft: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to request leave to introduce private member’s Bill 201, the flagship bill of the Alberta Liberal caucus, entitled Funding Alberta’s Future Act. The purpose of Bill 201 is to do for Alberta what every financial planner tells their clients to do: pay yourself first.

This act will require the establishment of a clear, legislated plan for investing 30 per cent of Alberta’s resource revenue in the heritage fund as well as other funds for critical infrastructure investments, postsecondary education, the arts, and future opportunities identified by Albertans. Over time the renewable revenue from these investments will replace the boom-and-bust budgeting of r ecent years and put Alberta’s finances on a truly sustainable foundation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. [Motion carried; Bill 201 read a first time] The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-McClung.

Bill 202 Consumer Advocate Act Mr. Elsalhy: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I request leave to introduce and move first reading of my firs t-ever private member’s bill, Bill 202, the Consumer Advocate Act. The purpose of Bill 202 is to establish an independent officer of the Legislature, a market watchdog whose mandate will be to present and protect the rights and interests of Alberta consumers. Consum- ers need a voice. They need someone to advocate on their behalf, and they need someone who has the power to investigate and make recommendations to address unfair market practices. Thank you, Mr.

Speaker. [Motion carried; Bill 202 read a first time] Tabling Returns and Reports The Speaker: The hon. Government House Leader. Mr. Hancock: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m pleased to table with the House the requisite number of copies of a document entitled All Party* Agreement.

There’s an asterisk beside Party to indicate that party is defined as per the Legislative Assembly Act to be recog- nized parties, just so it’s clear that it doesn’t leave anybody out by that definition, but using that to describe the document that was acknowledged by the Government House Leader, the Official Opposition House Leader, and the House leader of the third party with respect to democratic reform initiatives relative to the proce- dures of the House.

We hope to bring forward, as I mentioned in Notices of Motions, discussion with respect to time fr ames as set out in the House leaders’ agreement, which will make the House more friendly to participation by members and people who aspire to be members. Other parts of the agreement deal with how we might establish policy field committees, how we might deal with Committee of Supply, and other matters. That agreement will be the subject of various motions before the House in due course.

The Speaker: To the page that’s going to take the document to have it filed with the Clerk, I want you to make a copy for all Members of the Legislative Assembly and have it placed on their desk forthwith. Just to file them in the library – not all the members have access if they’re going away for the weekend. If this thing comes back, because this will deal with changes in the House, all hon. members must be up to date, front and centre, having studied the document so that there’ll be no privilege questions raised on Monday, please. Government House Leader, I’m sorry. You were going to proceed with another one?

Mr. Hancock: Yes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On behalf of the Minister of Environment I’m pleased to table draft copies of a proposed specified gas emitters regulation, which was earlier referred to by the minister. These would be regulations which he would propose to be promulgated after the adoption of Bill 3, and he wanted them to be available to the House as they look at the bill. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Manning. Mr. Backs: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I’d just like to rise with the requisite number of copies to table a petition, the first 250 names of about 45,000 to come, put together by Gary Hunt on public safety matters. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Strathcona. Dr. Pannu: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today being International Women’s Day and the theme this year being Ending Impunity for Violence against Women and Girls, I rise to table a document which is a compilation of figures from the United Nations study on violence against women.

One of the key findings of this study is that violence against women is the most common but least punished crime in the world. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Rutherford. Mr. R. Miller: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I rise this afternoon to table the requisite number of copies of a web page posted by the Minister of Sustainable Resource Development. It was a web page during his campaign for the leadership of the PC Party in which he espouses the idea of saving 30 per cent of nonrenewable resource revenues. Thank you. The Speaker: Are there others?

Hon. members, I have a number of tablings that I have to do today as well.

Pursuant to the Legislative Assembly Act I’m tabling with the Assembly five copies of the following Members’ Services orders: number one, the Members’ Services Committee Order No. 1/06, members’ allowances amendment order (No. 13), which came into force on January 1, 2007; number two, Members’ Services Committee Order No. 2/06, constituency services amendment order (No. 17), which will come into force on April 1, 2007; and number three, Members’ Services Committee Order No. 3/06, constituency services amendment order (No. 18), which came into force on December 14, 2006.

I did previously provide to all members a copy of these orders. Pursuant to

section 46(1) of the Conflicts of Interest Act,

chapter C-23, the Revised Statutes of Alberta, I’m tabling with the Assembly the annual report of the Ethics Commissioner. This report covers the period April 1, 2005, to March 31, 2006. I’m tabling with the Assembly as well the report of the Ethics Commissioner into allegations involving the hon. Member for

Alberta Hansard March 8, 200726 Calgary-Montrose, Hung Pham, dated January 23, 2007. I distrib- uted this report to members on

Document details

Collection	Alberta — Debates (Hansard)
Citation	20070308
Type	hansard
Volume / chapter	L26 S3 20070308 1330 01 han.pdf
Language	en
Format	json
Source	PROVINCIAL
Identifier	748a8710f4ea728cd2a183a71347f583cb161cb0

Source file is stored in the law ingest library (json).