Alberta Hansard — 9 March 2005, Afternoon sitting (13:30) (Legislature 26, Session 1)

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Alberta — Debates (Hansard)

March 9, 2005 Alberta Hansard 117 Legislative Assembly of Alberta Title: Wednesday, March 9, 2005 1:30 p.m. Date: 05/03/09 [The Speaker in the chair] head: Prayers The Speaker: Good afternoon. Let us pray. Grant us daily awareness of the precious gift of life which has been given to us. As Members of this Legislative Assembly we dedicate our lives anew to the service of our province and of our country. Amen. Please be seated. head: Introduction of Visitors The Speaker: The hon. Minister of Community Development. Mr. Mar: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

Sir, I am very pleased to introduce to you and through you to members of the Assembly His Excellency Mr. Sadaaki Numata, ambassador of Japan to Canada, and his wife. Also joining us today is Mr. Takeuchi, Japan’s consul general to Alberta, and his wife. Mr. Speaker, earlier today I was pleased to host our honoured guests at an official luncheon, and I was very pleased to learn that one of His Excellency’s hobbies is folksinging. He quoted in his speech today Alberta’s songwriter laureate Ian Tyson with a verse from Four Strong Winds.

He commented on the weather and how the winds had brought him here to the province of Alberta. I had suggested to him that there might actually be another song that Ian Tyson wrote that would be most appropriate. It’s called Springtime in Alberta, and it goes something like this: Just like springtime in Alberta Warm sunny days and the skies of blue Then without a warning Another winter storm comes raging through And the mercury is falling I am left all alone Springtime in Alberta Chills me to the bone Mr. Speaker, Japan is Alberta’s largest overseas trading partner.

Annual two-way trade between this province and Japan totals nearly $2.5 billion. But of course our relationship goes far beyond commerce. This year marks the 25th anniversary of Alberta’s sister province ties with the prefecture of Hokkaido. I would ask that our honoured guests please rise and r eceive the warm traditional welcome of this Legislative Assembly. The Speaker: I sit in apprehension of St. Patrick’s Day, March 17. head: Introduction of Guests The Speaker: The hon. Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development. Mr. Horner: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I can’t sing, so we’re not going to be hearing me sing in this Legislature. I have two introductions this after noon. First, it’s a pleasure to introduce to you and through you to the members of this Assembly a very accomplished young man, Mr. Robert Dixon, who is with us today in the members’ gallery. Robert is the 2004 4-H Premier’s award recipient, the highest honour the Alberta 4-H program bestows on a member. This award recognizes young Albertans that demonstrate strong project management, leadership, and communi- cation skills plus dedication to their community.

Winners are selected based on their 4-H and community involvement and performance at the Alberta 4-H selections program. Like many 4-H members Robert is now pursuing a future in agriculture. As a past 4-H member it’s a pleasure to introduce Robert, his mother Barb, Mark Muchka, and Corinne Skulmoski from our 4-H branch. They are in the members’ gallery, and I would ask that they rise and be recognized in this House. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is my pleasure also to introduce to you and through you to the members of this Assembly Miss Krista Wurz, a grade 5 student from the Morinville Co lony school.

Her poster on farm safety was selected as the winning entry in a recent farm safety poster contest organized by the Stony Plain Multicultural Heritage Centre. Miss Wurz is accompanied today by her family members. Also in the gallery I’d like to introduce two women who organized the farm safety poster contest, Mrs. Jeanette Smith and Mrs. Judy Kesanko of the Stony Plain Multicultural Heritage Centre. They are all seated in the members’ gallery. I would ask that they rise and receive the traditional warm welcome of the House. The Speaker: The hon. Minister of Human Resources and Employ- ment. Mr.

Cardinal: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. It’s my pleasure to introduce to you and through you to the members of the Assembly 45 students, parents, and teachers from the Boyle school in my constituency. They are seated in the members’ gallery. I’d like them to rise and receive the traditional warm welcome of the Assembly. The Speaker: The hon. Minister of Education. Mr. Zwozdesky: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It’s indeed a pleasure to introduce to you and through you to all members of the Assembly here today a 17-member advisory group of principals and vice- principals who are serving as volunteers on a committee that was appointed by the former minister of learning to conduct a review and to make a recommendation regarding Alberta Commission on Learning recommendation 78, which asks the government to consider establishing a new council of education executives.

I will ask each guest, as I call their names, to please rise and to remain standing until I have introduced all 17: from Lethbridge, Carol Steen; Joe Lepage, Strathmore; Mark Francis, Athabasca; Carol Grant-Watt, Airdrie; Ross Tyson, Edmonton; Rob Cowie, Vulcan; Larry Albrecht, Okotoks; Dave Elwood, Rocky M ountain House; Karen Bartsch, Brooks; Ray Battochio, Stettler; Marc Frey, Fairview; Gord Walters, Red Deer; Bob Tredger, Edson; Dianne Yee, Calgary; Dave Brecht and Irene Washylk from Edmonton; and the group leader from Rocky Mountain House, Mr. Jimmy Clark. Please welcome our guests. The Speaker: The hon.

Member for Edmonton-Mill Woods. Mrs. Mather: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am pleased to introduce to you and through you to the members of the Assembly guests from Edmonton-Mill Woods. We have 75 students from Meyonohk elementary school along with their teachers, Mr. Victor Wang and Mrs. Trudy Warkentin. I ask our guests to please rise and receive the traditional and warm welcome of the Assembly. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Manning. Mr. Backs: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to introduce to you

Alberta Hansard March 9, 2005118 and through you to the members of this Assembly two influential members of the Alberta Women’s Liberal Commission, Mary Amerasinghe and Trudy LaRose, who are seated in the public gallery. I’d like them to rise and please receive the warm welcome of this Assembly. 1:40 The Speaker: The hon. Member for Cardston-Taber-Warner. Mr. Hinman: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am very pleased today and it is my honour to introduce to you and through you to the members of this Assembly Rob Burton, an extraordinary young man from my constituency of Cardston-Taber-Warner.

This young man is studying in a home-based self-education program and this June will be going to Europe on a study tour of 13 countries. He has raised his own money for this educational trip by starting his own business. He is both a talented basketball player and a skilled pianist. He has a keen interest in constitutional law and a strong desire to make a difference for the good. This fall he’ll be attending George Wythe college on an early entrance Andel character prize scholarship, which is awarded to one youth leader per year.

For the last two weeks Rob Burton has been a volunteer here for me at the Legislature and has been a great asset. I would ask Rob Burton to please rise and receive the traditional warm welcome of this Assembly. head: Oral Question Period The Speaker: The Leader of the Official Opposition. The first Official Opposition question. Electricity Deregulation Dr. Taft: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Another day, another scandal.

An Enron commissioned report on Project Stanley in Alberta states that “strategies by many players to influence prices appear to have been fairly common.” Engage Energy Canada was active in Alberta’s electricity market during the time Enron was ripping off consumers. To the Premier: knowing that market manipulation was common in Alberta, why did the government employ a former executive of a company that cashed in on electricity deregulation, Engage Energy, to be the market surveillance administrator? Mr. Klein: Mr. Speaker, I don’t have the answer to that, and I’ll defer to the hon. Minister of Energy.

The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Melchin: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to first and foremost say that during the transition period when this was happening, all Albertans were protected by legislative mechanisms, that despite any price volatility or even if there were alleged manipulation, hedges were in place that Albertans would not be paying the price of any price volatility during that time. The Speaker: The hon. leader. Dr. Taft: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Is the Minister of Energy then saying that there was no price manipulation during that time in the development of Alberta’s deregulated electricity market? Mr. Melchin: What we are saying is that during a transition it was anticipated that as you’re adjusting to new rules, everybody has to get used to what the rules are in a new marketplace versus the regulated marketplace. To allow that, Albertans would be protected for a number of years, and that went through to August of 2000 before the power purchase arrangements were sold.

Through that time of transition Albertans would pay a legislated hedge protected on what they were paying in the past for the old generation since Albertans had paid for that generation in the past. In that sense it is possible that some – they are alleged at this stage; investigations are going on. That is why Enron has been referred by the market surveillance administrator to th e Competition Bureau. They are taking this seriously, and the matter is now before the Competition Bureau. The Speaker: The hon. leader. Dr. Taft: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, that should be a simple yes or no question.

Is the minister saying there was no market manipulation during that period of the development of Alberta’s deregulated electricity market? Yes or no? Mr. Melchin: Let me repeat, Mr. Speaker, that the matter is being investigated, has been investigated in the past with respect to Enron, and we are and will take it very se riously if any evidence is found rather than just allegations. We are seeking to find and support that there is evidence to support abuse, and the market surveillance administrator along with the Competition Bureau take that seriously on behalf of protecting all Albertans. Thank you.

The Speaker: Second Official Opposition main question. The hon. Leader of the Official Opposition. Market Surveillance Administrator Review of Enron Dr. Taft: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Given the background of the market surveillance administrato r, will the Minister of Energy replace him with someone willing to investigate Enron’s scandalous price gouging on behalf of Albertans? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Melchin: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This still is about protecting all Albertans. The market surveillance administrator has acted and continues to act on behalf of Albertans.

In this sense it’s important to see that we do look for the facts and the evidence as presented. At this stage that’s being reviewed. The Speaker: The hon. leader. Dr. Taft: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the interest of looking for the facts and the evidence, why isn’t this government and this Minister of Energy directing the market surveillance administrator to investigate Enron’s price-fixing? Mr. Melchin: The market surveillance administrator has been in front of this. They have been asking and requesting information from the Snohomish utility with respect to allegations made against Enron.

You’ve got to remember that the Snohomish utility in Washington is being sued by the bankruptcy trustee for Enron in that they owe a substantial amount of money to Enron’s bankruptcy trustee. They are going to continue, I suspect for some time, to look for all evidence, allegations, or otherwise to support their case. In that light, we are also interested in any evidence that they bring forward, and we’re staying on top of it.

March 9, 2005 Alberta Hansard 119 The Speaker: The hon. leader. Dr. Taft: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Premier: why do the people of Alberta have to depend on the county of Snohomish, Washington, to defend their rights and dig up the information into Enron’s price gouging of the people of Alberta? Why aren’t we doing this under this province? Mr. Klein: Mr. Speaker, I don’t get involved in the mechanics of an investigation. Relative to why this particular county is involved, I’ll defer to the hon. minister. Mr. Melchin: The market surveillance administrator is acting as a watchdog to protect all Albertans.

They are acting in their role just in doing that. Thank you. The Speaker: Third Official Opposition main question. The hon. Member for Edmonton-Centre. Nonsmoking Legislation Ms Blakeman: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The government has entered the debate surrounding a private member’s bill on a workplace smoking ban, but instead of protecting the workers, the Premier has announced the government’s intention to put workers’ health at risk by introducing amendments that will create exceptions to a workplace smoking ban for bars, casinos, and bingo halls. My questions are to the Premier.

Wh at justification does the Premier have in protecting the health of workers in some workplaces but not protecting the health of workers in bars, casinos, and bingo halls? Mr. Klein: Mr. Speaker, as a matter of procedure this issue is now before the Legislature, and the hon. member along with all members of this Legislature will have the opportunity to debate the bill and whatever amendments might be introduced. The Speaker: The hon. member. Ms Blakeman: Thank you.

Again to the Premier: why is the government prepared to create a policy for an unlevel playing field, especially for small business, by allowing some establishments an exemption from the smoking ban? Mr. Klein: Mr. Speaker, again, the bill is before the Legislature and will be duly debated in due course. The Speaker: The hon. member. Ms Blakeman: Thank you. Again to the Premier: why is govern- ment policy or government proposed policy focused on smokers’ rights rather than on workers’ rights to good health? Mr. Klein: Again, Mr.

Speaker, the bill is before the Legislature, and this member will have an opportunity to debate it at that time. The Speaker: The hon. leader of the ND opposition, followed by the hon. Member for Cypress-Medicine Hat. Mr. Mason: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. No question today. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Cypress-Medicine Hat, followed by the hon. Member for Edmonton-Rutherford. Agricultural Income Stabilization Program Mr. Mitzel: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier this week the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development talked about Alberta’s six-point recovery strategy.

One of the elements of the strategy is inventory management; that is, compensating producers who are willing to set market-ready cattle or calves aside in exchange for compensation for their feed costs. While this program has admirable goals, could the minister please explain why some producers have yet to receive a program payment even months later? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Horner: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s a good question, and we are getting calls on this issue. The uptake that we had on the calf set-aside program and the fed cattle set-aside program has been very, very high.

It’s been tremendous. So far there are 502 registered bidders for the national fed cattle set-aside program. The auctions are held almost every week of the program. In addition, more than 13,000 producers applied to set aside 2004 calves. That represents 675,000 animals. So far we’ve paid more than 7,000 of the 13,000 applications, and we’re sending out more payments twice weekly.

However, there may be some producers who have not yet received their payments, and if this is the case, I would urge all hon. members to let them know to contact the rural services division of Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development. 1:50 The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Mitzel: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My first supplemental is for the same minister. Another key element of the six-point recovery strategy remains the CAIS program. What is the minister doing to ensure that this program is reac ting appropriately to the needs of Alberta producers? Mr. Horner: Well, Mr.

Speaker, Alberta continues to work with our federal and provincial counterparts on the CAIS program, and all of the provincial ministers as well as the federal minister want to ensure that it’s responsive to producers’ needs. In that light, today we announced that we have extended the election deadline for the 2005 program year from March 31 to May 31, 2005. That will give our producers more time to consider the benefits of the program and allow them to make the right decision for their farming operations.

We also addressed an inequity th at exists for CAIS participants who made their deposits before the requirement was reduced to one- third for the 2003 and 2004 program years. Now producers who contributed over the one-third level can access those deposit f unds almost immediately, Mr. Speaker. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Mitzel: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My final supplemental is for the same minister. Are there any additional changes to the CAIS program in the works? Mr. Horner: Well, Mr.

Speaker, we are, as I said, working with our industry and federal counterparts to develop alternatives to the current deposit requirement. All federal and provincial ag ministers will review these alternatives later this year. Alberta is hosting the federal/provincial meetings in July of this year, and we have asked our departments to work with us on alternatives. Alberta wants to be a leader in setting this program’s direction, and we’re going to

Alberta Hansard March 9, 2005120 continue to strive for that by working with our federal/provincial counterparts as this is a fed/prov agreement. I might add that all of the provincial ministers regardless of party stripe, Mr. Speaker, believe that this is the program for the farmers of the future. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Rutherford, followed by the hon. Member for Calgary-Fort. Government Investments Mr. R. Miller: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

This Conservative government has a history of allowing the heritage savings trust fund to be invested in companies that are deemed to be dangerous to human health and even human rights, such as Talisman Energy, numerous tobacco companies, and now even Lockheed Martin corporation, a leading weapons manufacturer. My question is for the Minister of Finance. Is there any company that this government would not invest in? Mrs. McClellan: Mr. Speaker, as I indicated yesterday, we have very competent investment managers that are investing billions of dollars on behalf of Albertans.

Our first priority, obviously, is to gain the greatest return on those dollars for current and future generations, and we look for investments to do that. Investing billions of dollars is very complex. We entrust that to our investment group. It’s not simply a matter of buying a few shares of this and a few shares of that. We have a very, very small amount of the heritage fund that’s invested in tobacco companies. I would remind the hon. member and this House that the heritage fund in particular has its books reviewed by an all-party committee of this House. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. R.

Miller: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the same minister then: would the minister please explain to Albertans why this government believes that the bottom line is more important than moral or ethical standards? Mrs. McClellan: Mr. Speaker, I wouldn’t agree that that’s the case at all. What I do agree with is putting the investment into the hands of very competent investors to ensure that Albertans get the greatest return. I will remind the hon. member one more time that the heritage fund books are reviewed by an all-party committee of this Legisla- ture. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. R. Miller: Thank you, Mr.

Speaker. Then to the same minister: will this minister please commit to establishing a firm strategy to deal with ethical investment of public funds? Mrs. McClellan: Mr. Speaker, I will commit to ensuring that we invest wisely and that we invest well, and I will also commit to any recommendations that I receive from the standing committee on the heritage fund. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-Fort, followed by the hon. Member for St. Albert. Seizure of Vehicles in Prostitution-related Offences Mr. Cao: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We all know that prostitu- tion activities are harmful to the safety and security of residential neighbourhoods. Nearly two years ago a bill was introduced by the hon. Member for Calgary-Buffalo, and this Assembly passed it. It gives police the power and authority to seize the vehicles of johns soliciting prostitutes. Reflecting the wishes of my constituents, my question is to the Solicitor General. It’s been two years. Why haven’t there been any seizures yet? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Cenaiko: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes.

In the year 2003 I did introduce a bill in the Assembly, which you’re very aware of, and at that point in time the bill did pass unanimously in this House. I have seen the devastation that the hon. Member for Calgary-Fort has just described in his community as well as in my own of Calgary- Buffalo. These are tremendous issues that not only deal with the causes of devastation to a community and neighbourhoods but as well to young women that are addicted to drugs and alcohol abuse.

I understand that Alberta Infrastructure and the Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation have set up a review of the seizure of vehicles with regard to this bill as well as all seizures of vehicles, and I’d ask the minister to supplement this answer, please. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Cao: Well, thank you. In fact, my next question is to the Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation. When can we expect the enforcement of this piece of legislation? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Dr. Oberg: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

At the advent I would say that the legislation that was brought forward was very good legislation and continues to be good legislation. It’s legislation that I as Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation strongly support. One of the issues that we’re having, Mr. Speaker, is quite simply the constitutionality of how this is going to work. We’re also looking at the logistics, exactly, as to how this is going to work. The seizure of vehicles is under my department – it is under infrastruc- ture – and we are currently looking at this.

I sincerely hope, through to the hon. member, that we will have closure on this issue consis- tent with the hon. Solicitor Gene ral’s initial bill that will be put forward very, very soon. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Cao: No more questions. The Speaker: The hon. Member for St. Albert, followed by the hon. Member for Red Deer-North. School Utilization Formula Mr. Flaherty: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Last night the Edmonton public school board voted to begin the process of closing four schools, yet yesterday in this Assembly the Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation indicated that he’s busy evolving the formula. My question to the Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation: why are you allowing these school closures to proceed when you’ve stated publicly that a new utilization formula for urban schools is in the works? The Speaker: The hon. minister.

March 9, 2005 Alberta Hansard 121 Dr. Oberg: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. The Edmonton public school board has taken a very difficult step for a school board, which is that they are looking at potentially closing some schools. I believe that the Edmonton public school board has done it for the right reasons.

They’re looking at programmatic changes, and I believe that even last night – and I apologize for saying this in the Assembly, but I actually watched the news – one of the principals said that it would be very, very difficult to provide the programming needs when the number of students in the school is getting down so low. I believe that they are doing it for programmatic reasons. There also is the potential to save $700,000, which is taxpayers’ money, after all, from the operation and maintenance for the Edmonton public school board. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Flaherty: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

To the minister: will the development of this new formula delay further approval of new schools such as the Lois Hole elementary school, proposed for St. Albert’s underserved northeast quadrant? Dr. Oberg: Absolutely not, Mr. Speaker. We’re talking about two separate issues here: operation and maintenance versus the building of new schools and new capital construction. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Flaherty: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

To the same minister: can the minister enlighten the public as to what this new formula for urban schools will look like and how it will better the community school proposal for rural areas? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Dr. Oberg: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I’m a firm believer in elected officials, and I’m a firm believer in school boards. I think it is their prerogative, being closer to the grassroots than anyone else. They’re ultimately the ones that should be making these decisions on opening or closing of schools.

The formula that we’re designing will give much more flexibility to the school boards as to what they need to do and what they should do. Again, Mr. Speaker, I will commend the Edmonton public school board for their decisions because they are looking at how they can provide a better learning environment for their children, and ultimately that’s what a school board’s responsibility is. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Red Deer-North, followed by the hon. Member for Edmonton-Manning. 2:00 Foreign and Non-union Workers Mrs. Jablonski: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

My question is to the Minister of Human Resources and Employment. In December 2004 the government gave Canadian Natural Resources Limited major project status for the Horizon oil sands project. Building trade unions say that the company may be attempting to reduce project costs at the expense of union members and fear that their members will be displaced by foreign workers. To the minister: what does the division 8 designation granted to Canadian Natural Resources Limited mean? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Cardinal: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

Of course, we are blessed here in Alberta with a good, diversified economy that’s booming and a good government to run the province also. A division 8 designation allows the parties to negotiate terms and conditions of employment that will be specific to the project only. If an agreement is reached, no strike or lockout could take place until the agreement expires. Mr. Speaker, this designation, of course, is only allowed on projects that have a major economic impact to the province. As you are no doubt aware, the oil sands project is a $10 billion project.

There are going to be about 6,000 jobs during construction, and once the operation starts, it will be about 2,000 jobs. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mrs. Jablonski: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the same minister. Union members are upset because they feel that their jobs are at risk as a result of the special project status granted to the Horizon oil sands project. Therefore, is it true that the designation granted to the Horizon oil sands project is a union-busting exercise? Mr. Cardinal: No, Mr. Speaker, of course not.

You know, like I said earlier and the same yesterday in question period, I mentioned that our economy is well diversified in Alberta. It’s very strong. There are jobs for everybody. In fact, the designation assumes that there is a unionized environment. It has no application to non- unionized workers, of course. Again, the purpose of this designation is simply to facilitate a special bargaining process, and the negotia- tions are voluntary. The Alberta government does not get involved in the process. Mrs. Jablonski: Mr.

Speaker, to the same minister: given that in 2004 about 5,500 temporary foreign workers came to Alberta through the federal government’s temporary foreign worker program, will the Horizon oil sands project open the door to cheaper foreign labour in Alberta? Mr. Cardinal: No. That’s a very good question, Mr. Speaker. Definitely not cheaper because all the workers that come to Alberta have to meet the Alberta standards we have in place.

Of course, I mentioned yesterday during question period also that the employers that are looking at workers and foreign workers first of all have to exhaust their attempts to hire Albertans, Canadians, aboriginal people, people with developmental disabilities. That is the number one priority. If they cannot find the employees they want, then they are allowed to make an application. It is a complicated process and costly, but the application actually goes through the federal govern- ment. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Manning, followed by the hon. Member for Edmonton-Strathcona. Mr.

Backs: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I was pleased to hear the questions from the previous member. In looking at how the provincial cabinet granted this quick and quiet, rare labour code exemption to CNRL for that huge Horizon oil sands project in early December, Horizon was given this power to impose these terms for union and non-union workers under the same long-term contract. My questions today are to the Minister of Human Resources and Employment. Will this minister release the documents that led to the decision to grant this controversial division 8 exemption?

Alberta Hansard March 9, 2005122 Mr. Cardinal: Mr. Speaker, I wouldn’t class this as a controversial decision. The process took a long time to arrive at the decision. It doesn’t happen overnight. I will review the submissions and what was reviewed and advise you further. Mr. Backs: Mr. Speaker, to the same minister: why didn’t the minister consult with major stakeholders such as the Alberta building trades, for example, on a matter so important to Alberta’s economy and the development of our precious oil sands resource? Mr. Cardinal: Mr.

Speaker, I know the previous minister consulted with all parties that were interested. Since my appointment to the ministry I’ve met with a number of these groups: the unions, non- union members, company officials. I’ve had meetings constantly with these people, and I don’t see any conflict in this issue. Only the Liberals would see it as a conflict and negative, like they always see everything negatively. Any jurisdiction in North America would love to have the challenges that we have here in Alberta: a strong economy and a good government. Mr. Backs: Mr.

Speaker, to the same minister: are there any other division 8 applications pending? Mr. Cardinal: Mr. Speaker, only the opposition, thinking nega- tively, would assume that there are things happening that we don’t know of. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Strathcona, followed by the hon. Member for Little Bow. Dr. Pannu: With respect, Mr. Speaker, no question today. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Little Bow, followed by the hon. Member for Calgary-Varsity. Agricultural Assistance Mr. McFarland: Sorry, Mr. Speaker. I was taken aback – to the back of the row.

To say that agricultural producers in Alberta are facing challeng- ing times is quite an understatement. I know that the Canadian agricultural income program and the Alberta hail and crop program are designed to alleviate income issues, but a lot of the producers in our area are expressing frustration with the CAIS program in particular. My question is to the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development.

If the CAIS program is supposed to alleviate and moderate some of the income coming into a farm, why are some of the producers still waiting for the finalization and the processing of their applications for this program, particularly those who applied back in September of 2003? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Horner: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker, and again a very, very good question. I know there are a number of producers out there with concerns on the CAIS program, and as with all programs that are national and have various agreements in them, we’ve had some growing pains in the CAIS program.

It’s no exception. It has had overwhelming interest from producers, and for the 2003 claim year alone more than 24,000 Alberta producers submitted applications and almost half of those in the last two-month period after the original deadline was extended. So getting CAIS payments and advances out to producers took longer than we’d hoped. AFSC has spent a great deal of effort trying to improve their system. We recognized the acute cash flow problems and went with the advance payments, which some other provinces don’t do, Mr. Speaker. We’re about 80 per cent complete on the 2003s as I stand today.

I know that on Monday I mentioned we were at 70 per cent. We’re moving closer to the 100 per cent. So far $186 million in payments for the 2003 year. We’re anticipating about $256 million to complete final payments for 2004. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. McFarland: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, some of the frustrations that particularly grain producers are passing on are their concerns with eroding margins, where PROs for barley have fallen 20 per cent and yellow mustard is down maybe 33 per cent.

Could the minister tell us if changes to the CAIS program could be implemented to more accurately reflect the gradual, steadily diminishing margin that we experience? Mr. Horner: Mr. Speaker, the hon. member brings up a very, very important point, and that is that Alberta’s agricultural industry has been hit hard in the BSE sector, but that’s not the only sector that’s being hit hard. Certainly, we should remember to focus on our grain and other sectors of agriculture. They are being hit hard.

When we were in Ottawa last week with the federal/provincial ministers’ meetings, the issue of margins and the reference margin was brought up. As I mentioned, we are reviewing the CAIS program this summer with federal and provincial counterparts. Our intent is to address those issues and try to come up with some alternatives that will not, Mr. Speaker, cause us undo stress under the World Trade Organization because agriculture support has to be based either on a producer’s most recent three years or on what we call the Olympic average, which is where we are. The Speaker: The hon. member? The hon.

Member for Calgary-Varsity, followed by the hon. Member for Calgary-Nose Hill. 2:10 Government Aircraft Mr. Chase: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The minister of infrastructure has repeatedly refused to table the government flight logs, citing privacy and security reasons. Would the minister please explain through this House to all Albertans what concerns contained in month-old, year-old flight logs are more important than transparency and accountability? Dr. Oberg: Oh, absolutely, Mr. Speaker.

I’m not in any way meaning to lecture the hon. member, but there was a freedom of information and privacy act that was passed in this particular Legislature that is paramount to what has happened here. So the answer to the question is the FOIP legislation. I believe strongly in transparency, and for that reason we gave the Liberal opposition access to the flight manifests, and indeed they were even able, I believe – they may not have taken that ability – to photocopy them.

When asked by the New Democrat opposition about whether or not we would make the flight manifests public, I said quite simply: certainly, anything that we can. We are limited though, Mr. Speaker, as you yourself would know very well, by the FOIP legislation. Mr. Chase: Will the minister quickly table the flight logs, not the manifests, from May through December 2004?

March 9, 2005 Alberta Hansard 123 Dr. Oberg: Again, Mr. Speaker – and I do apologize for having to say this again – we will table anything that has been through the FOIP process. Mr. Chase: Will the minister follow the transparent example of the federal government in publishing its flight logs? Dr. Oberg: Mr. Speaker, transparency and federal Liberals: I’m just having a really difficult time in dealing with that right now. But we certainly will make our effort. If I do remember correctly, Mr.

Speaker, I believe that there is absolutely minimal information that is put on from the federal government about their logs. Indeed, our manifests, I believe, have more information than the flight logs that were actually put on the Internet by the federal Liberals. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-Nose Hill, followed by the hon. Member for Edmonton-Decore. High School Completion Rate Dr. Brown: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Education. Higher education is increasingly necessary to enable our young people to compete in a global ec onomy.

However, many of our students are failing to complete their high school studies, to the detriment of their own success and that of our province. In fact, our high school completion rates are amongst the lowest in Canada. To the minister: can the minister advise the House what steps are being made to address the question of high school completion rates in view of the recommendations of the Learning Commission that 90 per cent of our high school students complete within four years? Mr. Zwozdesky: Well, Mr.

Speaker, first of all, I want to clarify that it’s the three-year high school completion rate that rates amongst some of the lowest in Canada. I’m not proud of that, but I just wanted to confirm the fact. In fact, however, our five-year high school completion rate is on the increase. It’s up around the 75 per cent mark. I recognize that there’s work to do, but that at least shows that some of the initiatives we are undertaking are working. I will conclude by simply saying that the completion rate isn’t just up to the school system. It’s also up to the individual and to the individual’s family and the community.

Some people, Mr. Speaker, do leave the education system in around the grade 10 or 11 level perhaps for one year to earn some money or whatever it is that they wish to do, or they’re facing other socioeconomic or related community factors. So it’s not just the education system that is a stakeholder in that outcome. Dr. Brown: Can the minister advise the House when Alberta will achieve the performance goals recommended in the Learning Commission report of 90 per cent completion within four years? Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr.

Speaker, our target is to increase our high school completion rates every year, and that’s why I’m happy that we’re on the right trend so far. But I also want to just say quickly that we have a number of initiatives that we’ve either taken on that are ongoing or some that are new. For example, I instituted an internal task force just a while ago to review this issue completely and thoroughly with our stakeholders to see what new strategies we can add to enhance our high school completion rates.

At the moment, however, we have a number of things that are impacting that question in a very positive way such as our Alberta initiative for school improvement, such as our First Nations/Métis/Inuit strategy, such as the class size reduc- tion initiative, which is increasing our students’ abilities to learn, and a number of other things. I expect, Mr. Speaker, that the short answer will be that it’ll happen sooner than later. Dr. Brown: For the same minister: why are Alberta’s high school completion rates lagging behind those of the other provinces? Mr. Zwozdesky: Well, again, Mr.

Speaker, it’s the three-year rate that I’m not pleased with. I think that if you read the rest of the StatsCan report, you would probably find there where something in the order of 89 per cent of Albertans in the age bracket of 25 to 34 have completed high school. So there’s a period of time that sometimes evolves during which people do return to finish their high school, and that’s a very good thing. The specific answer of why is a very complex one, and it’s one that we’re studying now to try and, in fact, answer in some detail.

I don’t think that any single jurisdiction out of the 62 school boards that I’ve met with would give you an exact answer to that, and I say that having surveyed almost all 62 of them. But the fact is that it has been brought to their attention, it has been brought to mine, and there will be more information within a few weeks on how we’re going to address improving our high school completion rates, and we will do that. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Decore, followed by the hon. Member for Wetaskiwin-Camrose. Canadian Forest Products Ltd. Mill Closure Mr. Bonko: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

On December 3 Canadian Forest Products Ltd. announced that it was ending operations at its Hines Creek sawmill. The closure of this mill will mean a loss of over 100 jobs and $6 million in yearly salaries that will have a devastating economic impact on Hines Creek and surrounding communities. My first question is to the Minister of Economic Development. In the throne speech the government stated, “Vibrant rural communities are vital to this province.” Then why is the government not ensuring that Hines Creek remains vibrant? Mr. Dunford: Well, Mr.

Speaker, we did make that comment in the throne speech, and I want the member to know that the rural development strategy is part of the top three initiatives that we have under way within Economic Development. Certainly, the Hines Creek situation is at the forefront as we speak, and thank you for raising that particular issue. I mentioned yesterday on a question from another hon. member that the Peace region economic alliance was involved currently with that situation as well as our Grande Prairie office. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Bonko: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the same minister.

This minister stated yesterday: “What other economic . . . opportunities will there be? We look into things like tourism.” Can this govern- ment tell us what tourism opportunities can replace the lost jobs at Hines Creek? [interjection] Mr. Dunford: I didn’t hear that, so I don’t know what took place. In terms of the comments that the hon. member has neatly picked up out of Hansard, certainly we’re looking at tourism as one, of course, of the obvious economic development activities that we look

Alberta Hansard March 9, 2005124 at throughout Alberta and particularly want to look at beyond just Calgary, Edmonton, Banff, and Jasper. You know, there are value- added areas in terms of secondary manufacturing. The value-added strategy that we have in terms of our number one strategy inside Economic Development is really to look at developing secondary manufacturing as it relates to wood products. So we think we have opportunities there. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Bonko: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

To the same minister: will this government commit to taking action to protect Hines Creek from becoming a ghost town? Mr. Dunford: Well, I wish the hon. member wouldn’t be so pessimistic. I mean, there are good people in Hines Creek, as you know if you’ve taken the time to be there as our Minister of Sustainable Resource Development has. These are good people, they’re Albertans, they’re ambitious, they are inventive, and we think that in working with them, we’ll be able to reorganize the Hines Creek area so that they’ll continue to be a viable part of Alberta.

I’m actually disappointed and disturbed that a rookie MLA would walk into this place and start talking in such a disparaging way about a fellow citizen. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Wetaskiwin-Camrose, followed by the hon. Member for Edmonton-Gold Bar. 2:20 Capital Grants for Major Fairs Mr. Johnson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Some of my constituents have expressed interest in and I might say support for the capital grants for major fairs that were announced in the 2004-2005 third- quarter fiscal update, released on February 28. Some are curious to know which fairs will be funded and what this means for them.

My first question is to the Minister of Gaming. As the minister responsi- ble for the Alberta lottery fund which fairs are going to receive grants, and what will the grants be used for? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Graydon: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m pleased that my first question in the House allows me to stand and talk about the wonder- ful things that flow from the Alberta lottery fund. It was announced in the third-quarter fiscal update that $40 million is being provided to seven regional fair and agricultural societies.

They’re located in Camrose, Grande Prairie, Lethbridge, Lloydminster, Medicine Hat, Olds, and Red Deer. These funds will be used to upgrade buildings and facilities at these regional facilities. They’re extremely excited about it, and I know that they’re all looking forward to putting this money to good use. Mr. Johnson: To the same minister then: why did the government identify major fairs as a priority for this $40 million in funding? Mr. Graydon: These seven boards are very regional in nature. You know, I can remember as a young lad – I can remember back that far – living in Lacombe, Alberta.

The highlight of the summer was to go to the Red Deer fair, and it’s still going on to this day. This weekend I am returning home to my constituency and attending the 20th annual Agri-bition at the Evergreen Park in Grande Prairie. It’s a huge regional agricultural fair and provides tremendous economic benefit to the region, allows the rural community to come in and show their stuff. Mr. Johnson: To the same minister then: why are only these seven fairs getting this money? Mr. Graydon: Mr. Speaker, these seven are just the tip of the iceberg, if you will.

For the past several years this government has provided the 283 additional ag societies – they’re in smaller communities. There’s not a small community in Alberta, I think, that doesn’t have an ag society or fair board or something. There are 283 of them, and each year Alberta Lotteries provides f unds to Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, an unconditional base grant of $17,500 for operating. That’s unconditional, but on top of that, they submit the list of activities that they’ve hosted the previous year and are allotted extra money based on how busy they were in the previous year.

As well, Edmonton Northlands and the Calgary Stampede receive more than $7 million each for their activities over the year. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Gold Bar, followed by the hon. Member for Edmonton-Calder. School Utilization Formula (continued) Mr. MacDonald: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last night the Edmon- ton public school board, to the bitter disappointment of parents that attended the public school board meeting, voted to begin the process of closing four public schools. This government must return authority for public school structures to the Minister of Education, where it properly belongs.

My first question is to the Minister of Education. Why doesn’t the government provide block funding for public school buildings and get out of the job of counting spaces? Mr. Zwozdesky: Well, Mr. Speaker, the Edmonton public school board does a very good job against some very unique circumstances, and I’ve followed with interest and I’ve met with them and discussed with interest some of their initiatives.

Unfortunately, these things, like declining enrolments, do happen from time to time, and in this case they’re faced with some very, very difficult decisions, which I think the Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation answered a bit earlier. But I think the key

part in the question is with respect to the utilization rate in that formula, and that’s one reason why we are reviewing that rate formula right now. Perhaps some relief will be forthcoming that will address this problem from that point of view. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. MacDonald: Thank you. To the same minister: how can this government support a policy that tears the heart out of the communi- ties by closing their community schools? Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr. Speaker, I wouldn’t exactly consider the high regard in which North America holds the Edmonton public school board as tearing the heart out of anything.

They’re the number one school board, and that’s why they frequently receive visitors from around the world to come and have a look. So they are doing a very, very good job. But the fact is that we do need to review some of these difficulties where we see student enrolment going down and costs skyrocketing upwards, and the school utilization formula is the key part of that, regardless if it’s done in this ministry or if it’s done in the ministry of infrastructure. Mr. MacDonald: Again, Mr. Speaker, to the same minister: has this

March 9, 2005 Alberta Hansard 125 government considered moving some of its offices in the capital city to share space with underutilized public schools? Save some money. Mr. Zwozdesky: Save some money. Well, there are a number of initiatives that the school boards are looking at that might bring that very thing about. In fact, that’s part of our renewed funding framework, which I’m sure the member knows about; that is, to allow maximum flexibility. Under the renewed funding framework school boards have asked for and they have received that particular flexibility formula to work with.

Now, I am reviewing those budgets as we speak to see where some additional support might or might not be possible and see what kind of utilization we can have for these schools. I would tell you, though, in conclusion, Mr. Speaker, that the new schools that are coming on stream do have a fundamentally different approach to their design that will make them quite useful in later years for either continued school purposes or for some other community use purpose, and that in the long run will save all taxpayers money. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Calder, followed by the hon. Member for Peace River. Mr.

Eggen: Mr. Speaker, while this may be the only time that we do get to question 18, unfortunately I have no questions today. Thanks. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Peace River, followed by the hon. Member for Calgary-Currie, and I have six additional members beyond that. No shortage of members. Edmonton City Centre Airport Mr. Oberle: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Edmonton City Centre Airport is a vital facility to my constituents and indeed, I believe, to all Albertans. My question is to the Minister of Economic Develop- ment.

Can the minister inform th is House as to the government’s position on the importance of the Edmonton City Centre Airport? Mr. Dunford: Mr. Speaker, some time ago there was a committee that was put together to look at the City Centre Airport and some of the issues that were surrounding passenger flights in and out of that airport, and that committee presented a report then to the board of directors of the Edmonton Airports Authority. Unfortunately, not all of the recommendations were accepted.

So it’s put the government now into a position, in terms of economic development, of now taking those recommendations and looking at it in the juxtaposition of what the authority actually did and trying to determine what is in the best interest now of all Albertans. I’ve charged my deputy minister with that responsibility as recently as this morning, as a matter of fact, and we’ll have to develop, then, a strategy from an economic development perspective and then, of course, take that thr ough the internal process to try to develop a government position as to the City Centre Airport. The Speaker: The hon. member.

Mr. Oberle: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the minister. To the same minister: can the minister offer Albertans any assur- ances that we’ll be able to access our capital city through the City Centre Airport in the future? Mr. Dunford: Well, yes we can.

Again, as far as the recommenda- tions made that were accepted, I’ve been assured by the airport authority through its chair and its president that the business model that the City Centre Airport will be working from indicates that those airlines that are currently bringing passengers in and out of that City Centre Airport will be allowed to continue to do so off into the future as long as the individual airline’s business model makes sense for it to do that. So they have assured me that they’re not in a position and will not take the position of removing any further airlines from that airport.

The difficulty, of course, is that they’ve already removed a couple, and that’s where the tension continues to circulate between members of this House, including myself as the representative of Lethbridge- West, and the airport authority. 2:30 The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Oberle: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and again thank you to the minister. To the same minister: can the minister inform us as to the current status of the City Centre Airport and what changes, if any, we can expect with respect to this vital facility in the near future? Mr.

Dunford: As we speak, there’s a meeting that’s taking place at a hotel here in Edmonton. It’s been organized by a group now called CAANA, and I believe that stands for Commuter Air Access Network of Alberta. Many of the people here on the floor of this House will remember a previous member that we had with us, Gary Friedel. We have a situation where Gary has organized this group. There are players from all across the province, including Edmon- ton’s city council, the representatives of the airport authority, and mayors of various communities including my own community of Lethbridge.

I was part of a panel there this morning. We’re trying to get the issues dealt with, and the call that I made, hon. member: it’s time for us to be candid. There’s been too much of this talk, parallel talk where, yeah, maybe people are happy; maybe they’re not happy. Let’s get all of the cards on the table over this issue, and let’s get it dealt with. The Speaker: Hon. members, something very historic happened today. This is the first time in th e history of Alberta that the chair was able to call on 19 members to participate in the question period.

My apologies do go to the eight additional members who sent me notes wanting to get in the question period. Perhaps Monday we’ll be able to do just a bit better. Vignettes from Alberta’s History The Speaker: I indicated before that I would provide a historic comment of the day. I want all hon. members to know that in March of 1941 the Legislative Assembly under the leadership of Premier William Aberhart amended on this day in 1941 the provincial School Act, making it illegal not to salute the Union Jack. In 30 seconds I’ll call upon the first of several members to participate.

Hon. members, prior to introducing the first of several members to participate in Recognitions, might we revert briefly to Introduction of Guests? [Unanimous consent granted] head: Introduction of Guests (reversion) The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Manning. Mr. Backs: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to introduce to you

Alberta Hansard March 9, 2005126 and through you to this Assembly my lovely sister Susan Backs and my dear dad, John Backs. Susan has acted on many stages including London, New York, Toronto, Calgary, and of course in Spruce Grove. My dad recently received an award from the Crown Prince of the Netherlands for his work as a member of the Stootroopen regiment in the Second World War. That, of course, was the crucial regiment that was formed from armed underground resistance fighters that fought with the Canadian army to help liberate the Netherlands in many crucial battles that ended the Second World War.

I’d like you to rise and receive the warm welcome of this Assembly. head: Recognitions The Speaker: Hon. members, as per the ruling yesterday, today we’ll be proceeding with four recognitions from government members, two from the Official Opposition, and one from the third party. I guess that I have to ask for clarification. Is the hon. Member for Edmonton-Strathcona proceeding this afternoon with a recognition, or should we fill it with someone else? Dr. Pannu: Yes, Mr. Speaker. The Speaker: You are going to proceed? Dr. Pannu: Yes. The Speaker: Okay. The hon. Member for Wetaskiwin-Camrose.

Youth Science Month Mr. Johnson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Every year thousands of young Albertans take

part in local and regional science fairs. Each of these young scientists works diligently to develop projects that demonstrate innovation, initiative, and imagination. This year the very best of our province’s science fair participants will represent Alberta at the Canada-wide science fair to be held in Vancouver in May. Mr. Speaker, one only has to attend one of the many regional science fairs held throughout the province to meet the many exceptional young science students of Alberta. They are truly the innovators and leaders of tomorrow.

It is vitally important to nurture a generation of scientifically literate young people who will push forward the boundaries of our knowledge and improve the culture of innovation in our province. This is why I’m happy to join the Youth Science Foundation Canada and the Alberta Science Fair Foundation in recognizing March 2005 as Youth Science Month in Alberta. Thank you. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Drayton Valley-Calmar. Western Canadian Blind Curling Championship Rev. Abbott: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise today to recognize the Calmar Lions Club for once again successfully hosting the Western Canadian Blind Curling Championship. This championship was originally born in 1971, when a rink of blind curlers came down to Calmar from Edmonton to challenge the Calmar Lions Club in the first blind curling bonspiel. This quickly turned into an annual event, which expanded a couple of years later to include teams from both Edmonton and Calgary.

A few years later it expanded once again to include two blind curling teams from each of the western provinces, thereby creating the Western Canadian Blind Curling Championship. Mr. Speaker, unlike the curling you may be watching at the Brier this week, blind curling allows five-member rinks, with one sighted skip and one sighted sweeper. At least one member must be completely blind; two others may at the very most have partial vision. This year’s western Canadian championship was won by a B.C. rink, with an Alberta rink placing fourth.

I would like to commend the Calmar Lions Clubs and surrounding clubs for their decades of commitment to the sport of blind curling. Mr. Speaker, for what the participants might lack in sight, the Lions Club more than makes up for in vision. Thank you. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Leduc-Beaumont-Devon. Ken Flesher Mr. Rogers: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again in this the week of the Brier in Edmonton it gives me great pleasure to recognize a very exceptional senior from the constituency of Leduc-Beaumont- Devon. Mr.

Ken Flesher of Devon was recently successful as the Alberta champion in the provincial Masters Curling Championship, and Ken will be representing Alberta in Brandon, Manitoba, the weekend of April 8 to 10 as the skip for the Alberta rink. I would like to recognize Ken on behalf of this House. Thank you. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-Hays. British Commonwealth Air Crew Memorial Mr. Johnston: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On September 3, 2004, a six-metre high statue of a uniformed airman was unveiled by the Premier at McDougall Centre in Calgary.

This memorial pays tribute to the more than 1,600 Albertans in the air service who lost their lives during the Second World War. This unique group of individuals were all graduates of the British Commonwealth air training program, with 18 of the 360 training schools located right here in Alberta. I am honoured and humbled, Mr. Speaker, to remember their service to this province and to their country. I find it appropriate during our centennial year to recognize the sacrifice these Albertans and their family have made.

They contributed to making this the prosperous province it is today and made these centennial year celebrations possible. Mr. Speaker, I would also like to take this opportunity to thank those involved with the establishment of the memorial, notably former Member of Parliament Mr. Arthur Smith, who was a strong voice for the air crews and their families. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Mill Woods. 2:40 Youth Emergency Shelter Mrs. Mather: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is with pride that I ask this Assembly to recognize youth sh elters in this province for the invaluable service they contribute to our society. I especially want to recognize the Youth Emergency Shelter Society in Edmonton. This program helps youth between the ages of 15 and 18 who are homeless. Over 68 per cent have been physically, sexually, or emotionally abused, an increasing number with serious mental health problems. Most attempt to numb their inner pain by using drugs and/or alcohol. The youth come from every neighbourhood in Edmonton and surrounding communities. They all have different

March 9, 2005 Alberta Hansard 127 economic backgrounds and are of every race and religion. Some are high school dropouts while some are honour students. The Youth Emergency Shelter provides basic necessities along with opportunities to become strong, independent, and learn life and decision-making skills, giving youth at risk a chance to become productive and successful individuals. Thank you. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Decore. Democratic Process in the Ukraine Mr. Bonko: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to recognize the people of Ukraine.

This past fall when Ukrainians felt that the presidential election had been tainted, they stood up despite the threats of violence from the government, and they refused to accept the results. Ukrainians showed the world that peaceful change is possible. We do not have to accept corruption, and when our political process fails us, it’s up to each and every one of us to stand up and correct the wrong. I want to recognize Ukrainians who supported either candidate in the presidential election.

I heard from Canadian election observers of the amazing commitment to the democratic process from the supporters of the candidates on both sides. I’ve heard of friendships being forged between political adversaries and the desire to make democracy work regardless of the outcome. Ukrainians showed that it is possible to right a wrong, to stand up to injustice, and to work together as one for the good of all. Ukrainians have taught us how to make democracy work, and their lessons should never be forgotten. Thank you. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Strathcona. International Women’s Day Dr.

Pannu: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is an honour for me to take this opportunity, the earliest one available to me, to recognize International Women’s Day. International Women’s Day is a time to recognize and celebrate women’s struggle for equality and women’s ongoing work to build a more just and compassionate world. On behalf of the NDP opposition I would like to reaffirm our commitment to women’s equality.

We will continue to work with child care advocates for low-cost, high-quality child care centred on early childhood learning and development, for laws and policies that prevent harassment and discrimination, for adequate funding for women’s shelters, for community policing and safer communities. The NDP oppos ition will also continue to work with women’s groups and others for public health care that includes a full range of women’s health needs including midwifery and reproductive choice and will stand up for women regardless of their sexual orientation, country of origin, or economic status.

This International Women’s Day, Mr. Speaker, the NDP opposi- tion reaffirms it’s commitment to bread and roses for all Alberta women. Thank you. head: Notices of Motions The Speaker: The hon. Deputy Government House Leader. Mr. Zwozdesky: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise pursuant to Standing Order 34(2)(

a) to give notice that on Monday I will move that written questions appearing on the Order Paper do stand and retain their places. I’m also giving notice that on Monday I will move that motions for returns appearing on the Order Paper do stand and retain their places as well. head: Introduction of Bills The Speaker: The hon. Minister of Advanced Education. Bill 14 Student Financial Assistance Amendment Act, 2005 Mr. Hancock: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I beg leave to introduce Bill 14, the Student Financial Assistance Amendment Act, 2005. Just so that there is no confusion, Mr.

Speaker, this does not embody the new and improved formula for student finance or student affordability but really is just housekeeping with respect to items that have been left over in the past. We can look forward to more and better new, exciting legislation later on the other topics. [Motion carried; Bill 14 read a first time] The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-Foothills. Bill 15 Workers’ Compensation Amendment Act, 2005 Mr. Webber: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I request leave to move first reading of Bill 15, the Workers’ Compensation Amendment Act, 2005. Mr.

Speaker, this bill clarifies wording around immunity for the board of directors of the Workers’ Compensation Board, the WCB. It confirms that the WCB can regulate the fees charged by private lawyers working on third-party civil actions, and it permits WCB to pay cost of living increases to workers who are on extended temporary partial disability benefits. [Motion carried; Bill 15 read a first time] The Speaker: The hon. Government House Leader. Mr. Hancock: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I would move that Bill 15 be moved onto the Order Paper under Government Bills and Orders. [Motion carried] Bill 16 Business Corporations Amendment Act, 2005 Dr. Brown: Mr. Speaker, I rise to request the leave of the House to introduce a bill being the Business Corporations Amendment Act, 2005. The bill proposes amendments to the Alberta Business Corpora- tions Act which will modernize the act and bring it into conformity with the

Canada business corporations act. It will also for the first time allow the incorporation of unlimited liability corporations. [Motion carried; Bill 16 read a first time] The Speaker: The hon. Government House Leader. Mr. Hancock: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would move that Bill 16 be moved onto the Order Paper under Government Bills and Orders. [Motion carried] The Speaker: The hon Member for Lac La Biche-St. Paul.

Alberta Hansard March 9, 2005128 Bill 17 Agrology Profession Act Mr. Danyluk: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I am very pleased today to request leave to introduce Bill 17, the Agrology Profession Act. Mr. Speaker, this act will help to clarify and strengthen the agrology profession by ensuring that its governing legislation is consistent with the current government policy on professional legislation. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. [Motion carried; Bill 17 read a first time] The Speaker: The hon. Government House Leader. Mr. Hancock: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I would move that Bill 17 be moved onto the Order Paper under Government Bills and Orders. [Motion carried] The Speaker: The hon. Member for Leduc-Beaumont-Devon. Bill 18 Alberta Order of Excellence Amendment Act, 2005 Mr. Rogers: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise and request leave of the House to introduce Bill 18, th e Alberta Order of Excellence Amendment Act, 2005. Mr. Speaker, this bill will allow the movement from five members to the order per year to 10. [Motion carried; Bill 18 read a first time] The Speaker: The hon. Government House Leader. Mr. Hancock: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I move that Bill 18 be moved onto the Order Paper under Government Bills and Orders. [Motion carried] The Speaker: The hon. Member for Bonnyville-Cold Lake. Bill 20 Alberta Personal Income Tax Amendment Act, 2005 Mr. Ducharme: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I beg leave to introduce a bill being the Alberta Personal Income Tax Amendment Act, 2005. Mr.

Speaker, this bill amends the Personal Income Tax Act to parallel recent federal amendments including easing the eligibility requirements to qualify for the disability tax credit, to improve fairness with respect to the treatment of part-year residents, and to ensure that the act is consistent with the current administration. [Motion carried; Bill 20 read a first time] The Speaker: The hon. Government House Leader. Mr. Hancock: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I would move that Bill 20 be moved onto the Order Paper under Government Bills and Orders. [Motion carried] head: 2:50 Tabling Returns and Reports The Speaker: The hon. Minister of Health and Wellness. Ms Evans: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have two groups of tablings today. For the first I would like to table the annual reports for the year 2003-2004 for the following health authorities: Chinook regional, Palliser regional, Calgary health region, David Thompson regional health authority, and East Central health. That’s the first tabling. The second tabling, Mr.

Speaker, is the requisite number of copies of the annual reports of the following colleges and associations: the Alberta College of Optometrists’ annual report 2003, the Alberta College of Pharmacists’ annual report 2003, the Alberta College of Medical Laboratory Technologists’ annual report 2003, the Alberta College of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists’ annual report 2003, and, finally, the Alberta Opticians Association annual report 2003. The Speaker: The hon. Government House Leader. Mr. Hancock: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I’d like to take the liberty today to table four copies of a document entitled Projected Govern- ment Business for the week of March 14, 2005. Given that we will not be sitting on Thursday of this week, I thought it appropriate to table the document and would ask, if it pleases you and the Legisla- ture, that perhaps on this occasion only it could be printed in the Order Paper in the same manner as it’s normally printed when it’s asked for and read out on Thursdays. The Speaker: Official Opposition House Leader, no difficulty with that, is there? It’s a unique situation: we’re not sitting tomorrow.

Ms Blakeman: It is indeed unique, and I appreciate the efforts of the Government House Leader and would appreciate having it printed and shared orally, if possible, at the end of the Routine. The Speaker: No disagreements with any members? So be it. The hon. Member for Edmonton-Gold Bar. Mr. MacDonald: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I have two tablings this afternoon. The first is a letter dated March 8, 2005, from the constituency office of Edmonton-Gold Bar to the chairper- son of the Edmonton public school board, and it’s CCed to all school board members.

This is requestin g that there be a stop put to the closure process until the provincial government introduces its new utilization formula. The second tabling is a letter that I received as chairperson of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts dated June 9, 2004, from the Auditor General of Alberta. The Auditor General is explaining to me why he cannot release to me information in regard to manage- ment letters that reference both the University of Alberta and the University of Calgary. Thank you. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Meadowlark. Mr. Tougas: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I would like to table a letter from a Mr. Don Lind – he’s an outfitter in High Prairie – regarding his concerns over the Métis harvesting agreement. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Strathcona. Dr. Pannu: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise to table the appropriate number of copies of a news release issued by the University of Alberta Students’ Union on March 2 of this year which expresses serious concerns about whether the government’s proposed measures

March 9, 2005 Alberta Hansard 129 for postsecondary education will satisfactorily address issues of affordability and accessibility. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Speaker’s Ruling Projected Government Business The Speaker: Hon. members, a minute or two ago under Tabling Returns and Reports the hon. Government House Leader rose and did something. The reason he did it: if you look at Standing Order 7(1), it says that it is only on Thursday that we can deal with Projected Government Business. There’s no provision to deal with it without unanimous consent on Wednesday because it is a Wednes- day. So the hon.

Government House Leader used the opportunity to deal with the tabling. The hon. Opposition House Leader agreed to that, and you all agreed to it, so it’s been done. We worked the rules, I guess, so to speak, as to how you can be efficient with respect to this matter. head: Orders of the Day head: Consideration of His Honour the Lieutenant Governor’s Speech Mr. Lukaszuk moved that an humble address be presented to His Honour the Honourable the Lieutenant Governor as follows. To His Honour the Honourable Norman L.

Kwong, CM, AOE, Lieutenant Governor of the province of Alberta: We, Her Majesty’s most dutiful and loyal subjects, the Legislative Assembly, now assembled, beg leave to thank you, Your Honour, for the gracious speech Your Honour has been pleased to address to us at the opening of the present session. [Adjourned debate March 8: Mr. Oberle] The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-Currie. Mr. Taylor: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s a great pleasure and a great honour to stand and deliver my maiden speech in the Assembly today on behalf of the constituents of Calgary-Currie.

I want to start by expressing a deep debt of gratitude to my wife, Martha, for her love, her support, her encouragement, and her patience – some of those who know us both are so impressed that she’s put up with me for 22 years that they’ve nicknamed her Martha Theresa – to my nearly adult children Scott and Jenny for being everything a father could hope for, and to one of the most awesome teams of campaign workers in Calgary history: 146 dedicated volunteers, many of whom joined in without even being asked and few of whom needed to be asked more than once, who stepped forward to help me in spite of myself.

I spent a lifetime being politically aware and interested but as an outsider, a journalist and a talk show host. Although I’ve always considered myself a small “l” liberal, because of how I earn my living, I was never a member of any political party until I decided in September to run for the big “L” Liberals. Look, since I was old enough to vote, I voted provincially and federally for just about every political party there is at one time or another. My dear old late Nova Scotia grandfather, Charlie Walker, was as dyed-in-the-wool Liberal as you could get.

If the Liberals down there were running Elmer’s dog against Nova Scotia Tory Robert Stanfield himself, Charlie Walker would have voted for the dog. When I won election, my Aunt Shirley, his daughter, said to me: if your grandfather were still alive, he’d be so proud of you. Me, I’ve always preferred to take a different approach to elections and vote for the candidate or the party or the leader whose views and policies aligned most closely with what I as a voter thought the country or the province or the city I was living in needed at the time.

So my campaign team didn’t exactly rally around me b ecause I’d been a good big “L” Liberal. I hadn’t. In fact, I counted among my friends hardly anyone who was politically active in any party. In my past life I spent a lot of time talking about politics at work, so over the years Martha and I have formed most of our friendships with decidedly apolitical people precisely to make a clean break from work. So why did they rally around me?

Well, because they picked up on the same appetite for change, the same desire to see things done differently in this province that I picked up on from the callers to my talk show in the months leading up to the election. It was a buzz that many of the pundits and many in the media missed. My own boss laughed at me when I said that I was going to run for the Liberals. But there was and is among the people of Alberta and the constitu- ents of Calgary-Currie impatience with the status quo and a feeling that we can do better. So, Mr.

Speaker, let me tell you and the hon. members gathered here today a little bit about the constituency of Calgary-Currie, the people who live there, and what they value and believe. Calgary-Currie is an inner-city riding close in to the downtown core of what we modestly like to call the greatest city in Canada. It is an eclectic, diverse, vibrant, and interesting mix of communities from the old downtown neighourhoods of Mission and Cliff Bungalow through the mansions of Mount Royal, the condos and apartment buildings of Lower Mount Royal along the Red Mile.

Across 14th Street is Bankview, an established, funky collection of houses and apartment buildings, each different from the next, very much like the people who live there, built on a series of hills that exudes almost a bohemian atmosphere in the sense that you might be someplace in San Francisco.

To the south are the neighbourhoods of South Calgary and Richmond-Knob Hill, in the midst of rejuvenating and reinventing themselves, a mix of houses from the very old to the very new; the Marda Loop business district, like 4th Street and 17th Avenue a destination area with its storefronts, coffee houses, ice cream shops, and restaurants.

Each one of those three areas is unique, but what they all have in common is that they attract people from the adjacent neighbourhoods and from the far-flung suburbs, people who park their cars, get out on foot, and explore, enjoy, and engage themselves with their surroundings at street level. These are not mall crawlers, at least not while they’re in Calgary-Currie.

Further south, Garrison Woods, a new community built on part of the old Canadian Forces Base Currie barracks, which gives my constituency its name, has attracted families from other parts of Calgary as well as from big cities across North America who were drawn there because they wanted that close in to downtown, big city feel.

South of that is the mature residential community of Altadore, which itself is starting to see some new infill development and houses undergoing substantial renovation, and to the west the neighbourhoods of Killarney, Glengarry, Glenbrook, and Glendale, good neighbourhoods filled with good people. Mr. Speaker, you can look at the demographics of Calgary-Currie and, depending on your point of view, take away different impres- sions of the makeup of the constituency. Some have noted that Calgary-Currie has a disproportionate percentage of young single residents. It also has a significant population of seniors.

It’s also home to a substantial number of married, two-career couples with children. There is some real poverty in my constituency and some unbelievable wealth and everything in between. It is in many ways a microcosm of Canada.

Alberta Hansard March 9, 2005130 3:00 There is, however, one demographic that stands out no matter how you read the other numbers, and that is the incredible level of education in Calgary-Currie. The single biggest percentage of the adult population, 31 and a half per cent, has a bachelor’s degree or higher. Another 17 per cent have a college certificate or diploma, and a further 10 and a half per cent have a trade certificate or diploma. In all, 77 per cent of the adult population of Calgary- Currie has at least some postsecondary education. As I went door to door during the campaign, Mr.

Speaker, I encountered deep concerns and great annoyance among my constitu- ents with the declining state of postsecondary education in this province. That’s not surprising. The people of Calgary-Currie understand that accessible, affordable, excellence in advanced education is crucial to the future success of today’s students and tomorrow’s Alberta.

They and I will be watching closely to see whether the platitudes and promises about postsecondary education contained in the Speech from the Throne are actually acted upon, and we will be watching with the understanding that even if they are, the systemic problem in Alberta’s advanced education system will not be addressed unless and until the government substantially increases base operating grants to the institutions and adopts a new, more equitable, and realistic way of calculating just how much a postsecondary student in Alberta is worth. There was no mention of this in the throne speech.

My constituents, many of whom learn, teach, and work in support roles at Mount Royal College or are friends or neighbours of those who do, are also watching and waiting for this government to do the right thing and make Mount Royal into a university. Calgary is the biggest city in North America without a second university. Mount Royal is ready, willing, and able to fill that role as soon as this government grants its approval. The proposal has been in the hands of the government for two years now. One wonders what possible reasonable excuse there could be for delaying this decision any longer. Mr.

Speaker, I said at the outset that I wanted to talk about what my constituents value and believe. Those values and beliefs are informed by an urban, inner-city, downtown attitude. These are people, by and large, who live close to the downtown core by choice, because they prefer it to the suburbs. They like being able to walk out their front door and down the street for a couple of blocks to shop or dine or go for a drink. They prefer being a short public transit ride away from work to spending an hour or more every day stuck in traffic.

They like the proximity to arts and culture, to theatres, museums, the opera, ballet, the philharmonic, the folk festival. They understand that vibrant arts, entertainment, and cultural sectors add to the quality of life in a city and to that city’s potential for greatness. Frankly, many of the constituents I met during the campaign think that th is government has let us down badly in that department. They value and embrace diversity for the way in which it enriches their lives.

They have a tolerance for ways of doing things that are different from their own, and they have a hard time understanding what all the fuss is about over same-sex marriage. They care about fairness and equity, and to them politicians who are more concerned about blocking a loving couple from declaring their commitment to each other in front of friends, family, and the wider community than they are about improving the lives of the elderly, the sick, and the disabled by raising AISH payments and restoring seniors’ benefits are politicians who have their priorities mixed up.

The people of Calgary-Currie don’t always embrace change – I mean, who among us does, other than the consultants? – nor do they always resist it. They do however understand that real progress is measured by more than just profit. The people of Calgary-Currie value community. By definition community is a group of people with a common interest living together within a larger society, individuals bound together by common cause, if you will, for the common good.

Community is about more than shared values, for if the only value people share is this self-interested pursuit of personal wealth and happiness, well, then that’s not really a community. What you have there is a collection of strangers who agree to respect each other’s property lines and stay out of each other’s way. Community is about caring about what happens to others and knowing there are people who care about you. It’s about feeling safe when you go out for a walk, and feeling secure in letting your children out to play because you know the entire community is looking out for its own.

It’s about knowing the neighbours, understanding that we’re in this together, and getting it that society works best when everyone has the opportunity to participate. Community allows us to leave this world a better place than we found it by combining our efforts through strength in numbers. The people of Calgary-Currie want a government that understands that common cause and common good sustain the human spirit and quality of life in a way that self-interest does not, a government that appreciates that its job amounts to more than merely creating conditions for the rich to get richer.

The people of Calgary-Currie care about the land. Why wouldn’t they? They live on the edge of what is quite possibly the most beautiful place on earth, a land so beautiful that it pierces clean through to the soul. I’ve yet to meet a constituent, whether by birth or by choice, who doesn’t feel a deep connection to the awesome natural beauty that surrounds us. It sustains us and can sustain our children and their children but only if we sustain it through conser- vation, responsible development, and caring stewardship. The notion of undeveloped, unexploited, undisturbed wilderness as sterile land must end.

My constituents were proud to send me to this Legislature. I’m proud to be here and to serve them. Mr. Speaker, thank you for your time today. The Speaker: Thank you. Hon. members, Standing Order 29(2)(

a) is available should any member wish to take advantage of it. If not, then might we revert briefly to Introduction of Guests? [Unanimous consent granted] head: Introduction of Guests (reversion) The Speaker: The hon. Member for Foothills-Rocky View. Dr. Morton: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is with great pleasure that I introduce to you and through you to all members of this Assembly this afternoon several individuals who are here to hear my maiden speech later this afternoon. I’d first like to recognize Mr. Stan Schumacher, a former Member of Parliament, a former member and Speaker of this Assembly.

Thank you for joining us this afternoon, Stan. I’d also like to recognize that we’ve been joined by one of Alberta’s newest Senators-in-waiting, hopefully soon to be ap- pointed, Mrs. Betty Unger. Like everybody else in this Chamber on both sides, I’m here partly by my own efforts but more because of the efforts of all the volunteers and friends. There are a lot of volunteers and friends here that I’d like to ask to stand in a moment, but, of course, like everybody else the person I owe the most thanks to and apologies, probably, for getting into this business, is my wife, Bambi. I’d like

March 9, 2005 Alberta Hansard 131 to ask the rest of my family, friends, and supporters who are here today seated in the public gallery to rise and receive the traditional warm welcome of this Assembly. Thank you. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Manning on an introduction, as well. Mr. Backs: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like introduce to you and through you to the members of this Assembly my brother Stan Backs, who’s in the public gallery.

Stan, could you please rise to receive the warm welcome of this Assembly. head: Consideration of His Honour the Lieutenant Governor’s Speech (continued) The Speaker: The hon. Member for Foothills-Rocky View, followed by the hon. Member for Edmonton-Manning. Dr. Morton: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is a pleasure to add my comments to those already offered by my colleagues in consider- ation of the Speech from the Throne.

I’d like to congratulate you and offer you my best wishes on your re-election, and I truly hope that the fate that befell several Speakers of the British Parliament in the 17th century will not afflict you this session. Mr. Speaker, Foothills-Rocky View is a new constituency. It is comprised of the territory from the former constituencies of Airdrie- Rocky View, Banff-Cochrane, and Highwood. Our territory lies to the west of highway 2 and the city of Calgary. It stretches from Crossfield and Madden in the north to Black Diamond and Turner Valley in the south.

It includes the acreage communities that surround Calgary on the west: Bearspaw, Springbank, Elbow Valley, Priddis, and De Winton, and the beautiful hamlets of Bragg Creek and Millarville. It also includes the Tsuu T’ina Nation, one of the most dynamic and well-governed reserves in Canada. Our greatest asset, however, is the people of Foothills-Rocky View, some of the most successful, well-educated, and community-minded citizens of this province and whom I’m honoured to represent. Mr. Speaker, Foothills-Rocky View is truly the crown jewel of southern Alberta. We’re the gateway to the Rockies.

The sweeping Canadian prairies end at our eastern doorstep. Our rolling foothills are nature’s staircase to the craggy peaks that fence us on the west. We share this special place with the deer, elk, and moose, cougars and lynx, black bears and grizzlies, and hundreds of God’s lesser but no less important creatures. 3:10 Mr. Speaker, living in Foothills-Rocky View is a privilege, and we’re determined to protect and preserve the natural beauty and environmental integrity. So we’re especially pleased with the throne speech’s commitment to help in this effort.

In Alberta our quality of life and life itself depends on having a healthy and sustainable water supply. Foothills-Rocky View straddles the central

section of the eastern slopes watershed. A river flows through it; not one, not two, but three of the most important rivers in the South Saskatchewan River basin: the Bow, the Elbow, and the Sheep. Managing the waters of these rivers in a sustainable and environmentally responsi- ble way is among the very highest priorities of my constituents, so we’re pleased that Alberta will continue to implement the Water for Life strategy. Foothills-Rocky View is also home to some of Alberta’s earliest cattle ranching.

The beef industry remains an important pillar of our local economy and has been hurt by the U.S. border closure. We applaud the throne speech’s commitment to increased domestic slaughter capacity, and we are proud that one of the most important new plants, Rancher’s Beef, is being built in the MD of Rocky View. Mr. Speaker, Foothills-Rocky View is uniquely tied to Calgary. The water that flows through the taps of Calgarians flows first through the rivers and streams of Foothills-Rocky View. We have serious waste-water issues in Bragg Creek and Springbank.

Our problems are also Calgary’s problems, so we applaud the govern- ment’s commitment to invest in wa ter infrastructure to provide a safe, clean water supply. The residents of Foothills-Rocky View value being close to Calgary but only close to, not part of Calgary. We do not want to be swallowed up by mindless urban sprawl. We value our working rural landscapes and open spaces, and we want to keep them that way. So again we applaud the government’s commitment to a new land use management framework, and we encourage the government to embrace the concepts of natural capital and smart growth. Mr.

Speaker, the Speech from the Throne informs us that “strengthening the postsecondary learning system is the govern- ment’s top priority during this centennial year.” As a professor who has taught at the University of Calgary for the past 24 years, nothing could please me more. Bill 1, the Access to the Future Act, commits 4 and a half billion dollars to our universities, colleges, and technical institutes.

These funds “will lay the groundwork for investments that will allow Alberta to continue to prosper in the increasingly globalized, knowledge-based economy.” Much of this learning will be technical and scientific, but it will also include the humanities and social sciences, which include history and, specifically, Alberta’s history. As the throne speech declares, “As this province’s 100-year history illustrates so unmistakably, Albertans have what it takes to be leaders.” So I would like to take this opportunity to revisit the role of political leadership in Alberta’s history. Mr.

Speaker, as we celebrate the great occasion of our centennial, we should recall that provincehood did not come easily to Alberta. Sir Frederick Haultain, the Premie r of the North-West Territories began in the late 1890s to push the idea of extending provincial status and responsible government for the western territories. Initially, the Laurier Liberals were receptive, but for the first time but not the last politics in Quebec dictated Ottawa’s treatment of the west, and Laurier rejected the call for provincehood as premature. Happily for us, Premier Haultain refused to take no for an answer.

He abandoned his embrace of nonpartisanship and plunged into the 1904 federal election as a candidate for the Conservative Party. In that campaign he declared to his supporters: Let us fight for our rights with all the energy we can command. The only way to show the Liberal government that we are in earnest is to turn them down at the polls. Give them a crushing defeat and we will get the rights we demand. I’m sure my Liberal friends are quick to point out that Haultain lost that election. But he won the war. The Laurier Liberals carried the west, but conceded on the issue of provincehood the very next year. Mr.

Speaker, thanks to Frederic k Haultain’s spirited defence of democracy, Alberta achieved provincial status in 1905 but not on the terms demanded by Haultain and the other western autonomists. Ownership of natural resources was not granted to the two new provinces. This was a radical departure from the practice in the rest of Canada, under which all existing provinces did control their own natural resources. Thus right from our birth equality of the prov- inces has been the battle cry of Alberta.

The transfer of natural resource ownership to Alberta was pursued in virtually every session of this Legislature for our first 25 years. Not once but twice this Assembly enacted mineral taxation legislation to try to recoup the

Alberta Hansard March 9, 2005132 revenues that were supposed to be coming to this province but were being denied, and not once but twice these laws were disallowed by Ottawa. Did Albertans become discouraged? Did Albertans give up? No. We persisted, and in 1930, under the persistent leadership of Premier John Brownlee and the United Farmers of Alberta, ownership of natural resources was transferred back to Alberta. Mr. Speaker, the prosperity that Albertans enjoy today did not happen by accident. It happened on purpose. It happened because of the bold leadership of men like Frederick Haultain and John Brownlee.

No decade was as harsh and cruel for Alberta as the Dirty Thirties. The Great Depression forced thousands of Alberta families off their farms and into bankruptcy. The government was forced to default on its bond payments, and into this breach strode William Aberhart and the new Social Credit Party. Premier Aberhart enacted a suite of Social Credit policies designed to stimulate consumer spending and revive our prostrate economy. These acts, however, were quickly disallowed by the Liberal government in Ottawa.

Undeterred, the following month Premier Aberhart reconvened this Legislature and passed the same three acts again, only slightly amended. Within weeks these new acts were struck down again, this time by Alberta’s own Lieutenant Governor.

Aberhart immediately challenged in court this striking down as an unconstitutional attack on responsible government and provincial rights, and to make sure the Lieutenant Governor and Ottawa got the message, in the next budget, in the spring of ’37, the Aberhart government cancelled all provincial funding for the Lieutenant Governor, including his residence, his car, his driver, and his secretary. They got the message. Writing in 1954, 20 years after this, J.R.

Mallory, one of English Canada’s leading constitutional scholars, observed: “One of the most significant facts which emerges from a study of the disallowance power is that the power has been used primarily against the West . . . The disallowance power [was] an imperial device for holding other provinces under the sway of the predominant economic interest of the central provinces.” These words were written in 1954 not by an Alberta separatist but by a revered McGill University professor, but the message they conveyed was understood 20 years earlier by a strong-willed Alberta preacher.

To his credit and to our benefit William Aberhart refused to accept the antiwestern bias of the political status quo. Mr. Speaker, perhaps William Aberhart’s greatest gift to Alberta was his second-in-command and Alberta’s longest serving Premier, the Hon. Ernest C. Manning. Ernest C. Manning was the Moses of Alberta. His steady hand guided Albertans from the economic desert of the ’30s to the promised land of economic self-sufficiency and prosperity in the ’60s. Today I want to draw attention to only one of Premier Manning’s many important legacies, provincial control of natural gas transmis- sion.

Premier Manning saw that the economic value of Alberta’s emerging natural gas industry depended on export markets. He also understood that every time a gas pipeline crosses a provincial or international border, it falls under federal jurisdiction. Thus, in 1954 Premier Manning created the Alberta Gas Trunk Line, the AGTL. The AGTL was designed to transport Alberta gas to provincial borders and the U.S. border, thus keeping gas shipment under provincial jurisdiction.

In later years Premier Manning explained this strategy. “Theoretically . . . if we’d ever had a constitutional hassle over the export of gas under that arrangement, you could just simply turn the tap off at the border.” Contemporary Alberta’s prosperity and control of its resources did not happen by accident. It was made possible by far-sighted decisions of leaders like Ernest C. Manning. Ernest Manning mused about the possibility of conflict with Ottawa over Alberta’s oil and gas revenues. For his successor, Peter Lougheed, this was not mere speculation.

During his 15 years as Premier Alberta was constantly under attack by a rapacious federal bureaucracy. Thankfully for us, Peter Lougheed rose to the occasion. He had hardly been in office two years when in September of 1973 Mr. Trudeau surprised him with the announcement of the federal oil export tax. Lougheed’s response was direct and unequivocal. This appears to be the most discriminatory action taken by a federal government against a particular province in the entire history of Confederation. . . . The natura l resources of the provinces are owned by the provinces under the terms of Confederation.

The action taken by Ottawa strikes at the very roots of Confederation. And why just an export tax on oil? Why not on lumber from British Columbia, potash from Saskatchewan, nickel from Manitoba, pulp and paper, asbestos, and gold from Ontario and Quebec? Why only Alberta oil? 3:20 But Premier Lougheed was not anti-Ottawa; he was pro-Alberta. This explains why over the protest of the oil and gas industry he raised provincial royalty payments in March of 1974. Peter Lougheed wanted all Albertans to share in the province’s resource wealth, but this was too much for Ottawa.

Less than two months later, in May of ’74, the Liberals brought in a new federal budget declaring that provincial royalties would no longer be deductible from federal corporate income tax. This punitive measure provoked a sharp rebuke from Peter Lougheed and also sent a lot of drilling rigs out of the province immediately.

Lougheed denounced the Liberal budget on nondeductibility of royalties as “the biggest rip-off of any province that’s ever occurred in Confederation’s history.” Premier Lougheed’s unflinching defence of Alberta resources brought several years of peace, but the energy wars erupted again in October of 1980, when the Liberals announced the national energy program. Lougheed lost no time in responding.

In a televised speech that same after noon the Premier told Albertans, “We have made it abundantly clear to the federal government that we would not, as a matter of principle, accept a . . . royalty upon Alberta’s oil.” Lougheed did not just talk though; he took action. He announced the shut-in of 60,000 barrels of oil daily. He also launched a constitutional challenge to the natural gas export tax, a challenge, I might add, that Alberta won in the courts. This strategy worked and forced Trudeau back to the bargaining table.

Lougheed subse- quently cemented this victory over natural resources into the Constitution. Trudeau gave in to Lougheed’s demand for a new and strengthened recognition of provincial responsibility for nonrenew- able resources. Lougheed also shaped the new constitutional amending formula in a way that protected Alberta. From 1970 Lougheed had fought for the principle of provincial equality of all provinces with respect to a made-in-Canada amending formula. Premier Lougheed took the lead in opposing Mr.

Trudeau’s attempt at unilateral patriation in 1980, and his persistence was rewarded in the final amending formula adopted in the 1982 Constitution in which no province received special treatment, thus ending the de facto constitutional veto enjoyed by Quebec. No Alberta Premier has achieved more for our province in the constitu- tional field than Peter Lougheed. Last in time but first in responsibility for our province’s current financial strength is our own Premier, the hon. Member for Calgary- Elbow.

When he assumed the reins of leadership in 1992, our province was drowning in debts and deficits, but the Premier led this province out of the annual operating deficits in just three years. The Alberta model, first scorned by political and media elites, soon was being copied by other provinces and eventually even by Ottawa.

March 9, 2005 Alberta Hansard 133 This is the ultimate kind of leadership, leadership by example. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Speaker: Standing Order 29(2)(

a) applies. The hon. Member for Drayton Valley-Calmar. Rev. Abbott: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Given that Standing Order 29(2) does allow for up to five minutes of further comment and debate, I’m just wondering how the hon. Member for Foothills- Rocky View would conclude his speech had he been given another four and a half minutes. Dr. Morton: I’ll abuse the privilege. I’ll go back to a

section of the speech that I left out. The Rutherford scholarships recognize the role that Premier Alexander C. Rutherford played in the establishment of higher education in Alberta. Today in the spirit of nonpartisanship I want our Liberal friends to know that I am wearing an original campaign pin from the 1905 campaign with the likeness of Alexander C. Rutherford on it. I’ll be happy to let you see this afterwards. It will remind you of the distant days a century ago when the Liberals governed this province.

Returning to my conclusion, which will take 75 seconds, Premier Klein’s prudent fiscal management soon produced a second and even greater legacy. He paid off our $24 billion net debt. The result, as the throne speech notes, is that Alberta enters its second century with a strong economy, no debt, nation-leading rates of growth and employment. What a way to turn 100. When the history books are written, they will show again that Alberta’s enviable status was not by accident but on purpose, and it was the legacy of the hon. Member for Calgary-Elbow. Mr.

Speaker, the people of Foothills-Rocky View are happy with the government’s throne speech. We are excited a bout Alberta’s second century b ecause we agree with the throne speech that this province’s 100-year history illustrates so unmistakably that Alber- tans have what it takes to be leaders. A society that forgets its past has no future. The path to our present can serve as our guide to the future. Our Alberta strong and free did not happen by accident; it happened on purpose. It happened because of the wise and deliber- ate choices made by the statesman who has served as Premier of this province.

I congratulate the government for a throne speech that proposes a plan of action that will continue this pr oud legacy. As Peter Lougheed liked to challenge his adversaries in Ottawa, how do you make Canada stronger by making a province or region weaker? The answer, Mr. Speaker, is: you don’t. An Alberta strong and free is the best way to ensure a Canada strong and free. Thank you. The Speaker: My congratulations, hon. Member for Drayton Valley-Calmar. That’s the second time today that innovative use and knowledge of the Standing Orders allowed certain things to happen. This is good. The hon.

Member for Edmonton-Manning, followed by the hon. Member for Calgary-Lougheed. Mr. Backs: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is with tremendous pride and with a sense of great honour that I rise today to present this my maiden speech to this Legislature. First, of course, I thank the voters of Edmonton-Manning. Edmonton-Manning is a diverse riding. It’s one of the largest urban ridings in the province. Even though being in the city of Edmonton, it has a very large rural component, with many families whose homesteading history goes back to the late 1800s and with farm families on those places for generations.

There are also many diverse communities of very different ethnic and cultural back- grounds, there are many languages heard, and it is an extremely vibrant community. It is their support, those voters of Edmonton- Manning, that made me their voice in our Alberta Legislature. I also thank the many volunteers that helped put me here, and I hope and pray that I can live up to their expectations. It is incredible the amount of work that goes into an election.

The tens of thousands of pamphlets dropped, the tens of t housands of phone calls, the thousands of signs erected, the money donated and raised, and the many other volunteer activities all attest to the huge amount of work that was done to put me here. I cannot give enough thanks to those that helped. It was a hard and difficult campaign in some ways. I extend again my sympathies to Premier Klein for the loss of his mother in the early stages of this campaign. It is extremely difficult to have such a difficult event in the middle of the emotional extremes of an election battle.

I also give condolences to the family of our dear departed Lieutenant Governor, Lois Hole. Also, my own dear and much beloved mother, Helen Backs, passed on to her heavenly reward on November 7, 2004, just 15 days prior to election day. I don’t know if I’ve quite personally accepted that yet. I thank my extended family and friends, who provided great support for me in that difficult time, and I’ll dedicate these humble words to my mom. I offer prayers to our Lord to all those who have lost a loved one in recent times. I am a proud Albertan. I was born in Calgary and grew up on the city’s west side.

My dad immigrated to Canada from Holland in 1948. My mother’s side of the family came to western Canada in 1871. Dad learned a trade, attended night school at SAIT, and developed a successful construction business and a lumberyard, which he later sold to go ranching in the Peace c ountry near High Prairie. But he got design awards, a 12-page spread in Better Homes and Gardens for his houses, and he did well. 3:30 I went to the University of Alberta in Edmonton but always helped him in his businesses both in the south and the north of this province.

We broke 140 acres of bush for a couple of years, and I’ve worked countless acres of land and worked on equipment, tended cattle, and ridden herd for many days. I even had five quarters myself for a while. Like most young guys on the farm I went off to work in construction except in the peak seasons. I got into industrial construction and pipeline. In Alberta I worked at many sites including Suncor, Syncrude, Sundance, Keephills, Genesee, Joffre, Dow at Fort Saskatchewan, Hardisty, many other sites, and I pipelined from Brooks to Rainbow Lake. It’s an experience that many Albertans have worked in and enjoyed.

Like most farm families and with an offer that really couldn’t be refused, we eventually sold the farm. There’s maybe one family living and farming on the old road, where there were probably 10 a quarter of a century ago. That’s what’s happened to farming in Alberta. I ran crews and later moved on to a lot of work in labour relations representation and labour market analysis. I’ve been an operating engineer for nearly 30 years. For many of those years I also had a place in Edmonton. I’ve also travelled and worked in 45 countries in Europe, Africa, and South America. I’ve done a lot of wildlife photography.

I’ve been to every province in Canada as well as the territories as well many of the states in the U.S. and Mexico. A year and a half ago I even made it north of Ellesmere Island and Greenland on an icebreaker expedition.

Alberta Hansard March 9, 2005134 I’ve been involved in many election campaigns and have done some political work. I first door-knocked in what is now Edmonton- Manning nearly 20 years ago. I have great respect for the memory of Bettie Hewes, Laurence Decore, and Percy Wickman, all of whom I helped extensively and draw inspiration from. I hope that those varied experiences and k nowledge of those people will help me in my work as an MLA. We are in a tremendous process of change.

Technological advances, environmental challenges, globalization, international terrorism, and the demographics of the baby boom all pose tremen- dous challenges which cry out for leadership. Albertans in the last election told me that they do not want a smug, self-satisfied, and complacent government. They want a government with a sense of purpose and a mission for our future. In going door to door, I was told that even with our well-earned prosperity, people are afraid for their future and the future of their children.

It is good to see this government finally wake up and begin to recognize the value of education and the real justice of investing in the future of our people. Such investments will pay dividends a hundredfold if only this government could fully and completely understand the idea and provide the full-meal deal called for by Alberta Liberals for education and postsecondary education in the last election. Many seniors supported me in the last election, and I am indebted to them. Indeed, the huge increase in long-term care rates foisted on fixed-income elders led me to decide to join the race in Edmonton- Manning.

My aunt was hit like a sledgehammer with that particular money grab. I couldn’t believe how any government with one bit of a sense of respect for its pioneers could pull such

an act. It’s all about dignity; it’s all about respect. We must show and our government must demonstrate that respect to those people that have built our province. We must also be compassionate to those that are less fortunate. AISH and other supports are embarrassing. I heard that loud and clear. There are some things that government has done well over the years. Our apprenticeship system still holds up against any in the land, even though there are some unscrupulous and exploitive types, I think, that would have it degraded.

We must maintain and improve the apprenticeship system and decrease the cost of access to trades apprenticeship. We must also have a multifaceted approach to ensure that those who take up a trade stay in it. Many trades – and I’ve talked to many of them – lost a majority of their new appren- tices in the last few years because of mass layoffs in i ndustry after projects were finished and intermittent work, and the people just couldn’t keep their young families provided for by that apprentice- ship. There has to be change in the way that is done.

There is also too much hype and misinformation on the demo- graphic time bomb of the baby boom. Do the arithmetic. World War II ended in 1945. It took a while for the boys to get back, get families started, and there’s this common thing of a nine-month delay. Boomers started coming on in about 1947-48, and the baby boom lasted until the mid-60s. The first boomers will be 65 in 2012, the middle boomers in 2022, and the late boomers are still having kids. I really wonder how many will actually want to retire at 65.

There has certainly been far too much one-sided hype on short- ages in the trades, yet there are shortages in health care occupations. So many health care professionals were let go in the government-led purges of the last decade that it’s no w onder that it’s hard to find nurses and doctors who want to work in our system. There are shortages in residential construction because this government downgraded the trade of carpenter.

Yes, there are shortages from time to time in some trades, but Alberta can handle it, together with a proper and paced development, wit hout recourse to temporary foreign workers to take their jobs. There has been a working trades labour mobility system in place in Canada for generations. Immigration has also been an important part of that process. Oft reported studies speak to demand, like Todd Hirsch’s excellent survey of employers/organizations for the Canada West Foundation. These do that, though they only speak to demand.

To only survey demand from employers for workers down the road is like surveying a grade 3 class on the supply of candy in two months: there will never be enough. There have been precious few public reports on the supply side. Some pending studies have been kept private or delayed, but I personally asked many of the trades organizations just last week if they could supply now and in the future. They said that they have no problem in supplying the major oil sands projects, and they said that there was availability from the traditional areas in the United States as well.

The temporary foreign worker program can only be one huge mistake. It will drive away apprentices. It will grab the best jobs and take the wages away. It will not work. You cannot treat labour like a commodity. I have heard some foreign companies come in and say that they should be able to come up to the tar sands and build their plants, like they do in the Persian Gulf or in Indonesia, and just grab 10,000 workers away from some country, just come up here and do that. Well, I don’t think that that’s right for Alberta.

Over 20 years ago, after the failure of the Alsands project – and there were great difficulties at that time in Alberta – I lobbied to grant royalty holidays for oil sands developers. Eventually this took hold, and I believe it has been a great success for Alberta and the development of our oil sands. For many Albertans and certainly for tradesmen there has always been a trade-off, a quid pro quo, so to speak.

That quid pro quo for many Albertans is that in exchange for support for deferred royalty holidays for oil sands development there must be opportunity for Alberta businesses, opportunity for those top wages and benefits for Alberta workers, and development of our own economy for the benefit of Alberta. These opportunities provide taxes, develop our economy, and pay for the many advan- tages that we hold dear in our Alberta. There’s also the environment. Albertans want clean, clear water. Don’t give us a water disease di saster like Walkerton in Ontario. Albertans want clean air.

Clean up the pollution hanging increas- ingly over our cities. Why is it that the air quality in the pristine eastern slopes near Rocky Mountain House is worse than in downtown Vancouver? What about sour gas? What about agricul- ture? Do something for Albertans, not just the big American outfits. We must have fiscal responsibility. Enough said. But I wonder about the supplementary estimates released just yesterday. In closing, Mr. Speaker, Albertans are looking for a government of decision. The throne speech did not reflect that. Albertans are looking for change.

I suspect that that will only happen in the next election. Mr. Speaker, thank you very much. 3:40 The Speaker: Hon. members, Standing Order 29(2)(

a) is available should there be questions. Speaker’s Ruling Referring to a Member by Name The Speaker: Hon. members, the chair did not intervene when the last two speakers gave their remarks when they mentioned the name of a member in the Assembly, and he did that in deference to the fact that these were their maiden speeches. But it is against the rules to mention the name of an existing person in the Assembly, and there’s

March 9, 2005 Alberta Hansard 135 a reason for it. There’s a reason for it. Every once in a while there arrives a name that perhaps can be pronounced in a number of different ways and if slurred improperly gives the wrong impression, at which point in time the phones in my office would light up incredibly. So the tradition is set to protect everyone. We mention only the name of the constituency. Now the hon. Member for Calgary-Lougheed. Debate Continued Mr. Rodney: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

It is with great pleasure and pride that I rise today to give my maiden speech in this the 26th Legislature of Alberta before you, whom I congratulate on your re-election, sir, and before our hon. colleagues on both sides of the House, whom I also congratulate on their recent election. I would like to begin by saluting the pioneers of our fine province, who have taught us all that we can turn stumbling blocks into stepping stones, obstacles into opportunities, and, yes, even bust into boom if we choose to.

Our forebears were dealt many raw hands in the past 100 years, and b ecause they played their cards right, we have all benefited. To their credit they applied the advice of Winston Churchill, “If you are going through hell, keep going.” In many ways those who have come and gone before us have turned our small corner of the globe into a little piece of heaven, perhaps because they truly understood Charles Darwin’s notion that it is not the strongest that survive; nor is it the most intelligent. It is those who are most adaptable to change.

I believe, as our grandmothers and grandfathers must have, that the sky is the limit as long as we develop and implement the righ t attitudes, actions, resources, personnel, luck, and dreams. Mr. Speaker, we’ve had dreams in the past, we have dreams in the present, and we will have dreams in the future. As such, I would like to thank all the residents of Calgary-Lougheed who have made a dream come true for me by electing me to this Legislature.

I applaud all of my constituents in the extreme southwest corner of our city, which includes the communities of Woodbine, Woodlands, Shawnee Slopes, Millrise, Evergreen, Bridlewood, and the western half of Canyon Meadows, those who exercised their democratic right to vote during the last election. Whether they cast a ballot for me or for one of my political opponents, they participated in one of the most fundamental aspects of a free society, and I appreciate that they took their precious time to do so.

In my travels over the years I’ve met people around the world who struggle daily for the kinds of opportunities that many of us take for granted in this great province and country. We take it for granted all too often. As an example of this, we recently watched on television as the people of Iraq turned out in record numbers to risk their lives to line up at polling stations, even as they were being bombed, just to cast their single ballot. Such images of great human perseverance to participate in our electoral process should remind us of the great responsibility that we hav

Document details

Collection	Alberta — Debates (Hansard)
Citation	20050309
Type	hansard
Volume / chapter	L26 S1 20050309 1330 01 han.pdf
Language	en
Format	json
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