Alberta Hansard — 14 March 2011, Afternoon sitting (13:30) (Legislature 27, Session 4)

20110314

Alberta — Debates (Hansard)

Province of Alberta The 27th Legislature Fourth Session Alberta Hansard Monday, March 14, 2011 Issue 12 The Honourable Kenneth R. Kowalski, Speaker

Legislative Assembly of Alberta The 27th Legislature Fourth Session Kowalski, Hon. Ken, Barrhead-Morinville-Westlock, Speaker Cao, Wayne C.N., Calgary-Fort, Deputy Speaker and Chair of Committees Mitzel, Len, Cypress-Medicine Hat, Deputy Chair of Committees Ady, Hon. Cindy, Calgary-Shaw (PC) Allred, Ken, St. Albert (PC) Amery, Moe, Calgary-East (PC) Anderson, Rob, Airdrie-Chestermere (WA), WA Opposition House Leader Benito, Carl, Edmonton-Mill Woods (PC) Berger, Evan, Livingstone-Macleod (PC) Bhardwaj, Naresh, Edmonton-Ellerslie (PC) Bhullar, Manmeet Singh, Calgary-Montrose (PC) Blackett, Hon.

Lindsay, Calgary-North West (PC) Blakeman, Laurie, Edmonton-Centre (AL), Official Opposition House Leader Boutilier, Guy C., Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo (WA) Brown, Dr. Neil, QC, Calgary-Nose Hill (PC) Calahasen, Pearl, Lesser Slave Lake (PC) Campbell, Robin, West Yellowhead (PC), Government Whip Chase, Harry B., Calgary-Varsity (AL), Official Opposition Whip Dallas, Cal, Red Deer-South (PC) Danyluk, Hon. Ray, Lac La Biche-St. Paul (PC) DeLong, Alana, Calgary-Bow (PC) Denis, Hon.

Jonathan, QC, Calgary-Egmont (PC), Deputy Government House Leader Doerksen, Arno, Strathmore-Brooks (PC), Deputy Government Whip Drysdale, Wayne, Grande Prairie-Wapiti (PC) Elniski, Doug, Edmonton-Calder (PC) Evans, Hon. Iris, Sherwood Park (PC) Fawcett, Kyle, Calgary-North Hill (PC) Forsyth, Heather, Calgary-Fish Creek (WA), WA Opposition Whip Fritz, Hon. Yvonne, Calgary-Cross (PC) Goudreau, Hon. Hector G., Dunvegan-Central Peace (PC) Griffiths, Doug, Battle River-Wainwright (PC) Groeneveld, George, Highwood (PC) Hancock, Hon. Dave, QC, Edmonton-Whitemud (PC), Government House Leader Hayden, Hon.

Jack, Drumheller-Stettler (PC) Hehr, Kent, Calgary-Buffalo (AL) Hinman, Paul, Calgary-Glenmore (WA), WA Opposition Deputy Leader Horne, Fred, Edmonton-Rutherford (PC) Horner, Doug, Spruce Grove-Sturgeon-St. Albert (PC) Jablonski, Hon. Mary Anne, Red Deer-North (PC) Jacobs, Broyce, Cardston-Taber-Warner (PC) Johnson, Jeff, Athabasca-Redwater (PC) Johnston, Art, Calgary-Hays (PC) Kang, Darshan S., Calgary-McCall (AL) Klimchuk, Hon. Heather, Edmonton-Glenora (PC) Knight, Hon. Mel, Grande Prairie-Smoky (PC) Leskiw, Genia, Bonnyville-Cold Lake (PC) Liepert, Hon.

Ron, Calgary-West (PC) Lindsay, Fred, Stony Plain (PC) Lukaszuk, Hon. Thomas A., Edmonton-Castle Downs (PC), Deputy Government House Leader Lund, Ty, Rocky Mountain House (PC) MacDonald, Hugh, Edmonton-Gold Bar (AL) Marz, Richard, Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills (PC) Mason, Brian, Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood (ND), Leader of the ND Opposition McFarland, Barry, Little Bow (PC) McQueen, Diana, Drayton Valley-Calmar (PC) Morton, F.L., Foothills-Rocky View (PC) Notley, Rachel, Edmonton-Strathcona (ND), ND Opposition House Leader Oberle, Hon. Frank, Peace River (PC) Olson, Hon.

Verlyn, QC, Wetaskiwin-Camrose (PC), Deputy Government House Leader Ouellette, Hon. Luke, Innisfail-Sylvan Lake (PC) Pastoor, Bridget Brennan, Lethbridge-East (AL), Official Opposition Deputy Whip, Official Opposition Deputy Leader Prins, Ray, Lacombe-Ponoka (PC) Quest, Dave, Strathcona (PC) Redford, Alison M., QC, Calgary-Elbow (PC) Renner, Hon. Rob, Medicine Hat (PC), Deputy Government House Leader Rodney, Dave, Calgary-Lougheed (PC) Rogers, George, Leduc-Beaumont-Devon (PC) Sandhu, Peter, Edmonton-Manning (PC) Sarich, Janice, Edmonton-Decore (PC) Sherman, Dr. Raj, Edmonton-Meadowlark (Ind) Snelgrove, Hon.

Lloyd, Vermilion-Lloydminster (PC) Stelmach, Hon. Ed, Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville (PC), Premier Swann, Dr. David, Calgary-Mountain View (AL), Leader of the Official Opposition Taft, Dr. Kevin, Edmonton-Riverview (AL) Tarchuk, Janis, Banff-Cochrane (PC) Taylor, Dave, Calgary-Currie (AB) VanderBurg, George, Whitecourt-Ste. Anne (PC) Vandermeer, Tony, Edmonton-Beverly-Clareview (PC) Weadick, Hon. Greg, Lethbridge-West (PC) Webber, Hon. Len, Calgary-Foothills (PC) Woo-Paw, Teresa, Calgary-Mackay (PC) Xiao, David H., Edmonton-McClung (PC) Zwozdesky, Hon.

Gene, Edmonton-Mill Creek (PC), Deputy Government House Leader Officers and Officials of the Legislative Assembly Clerk W.J. David McNeil Law Clerk/Director of Interparliamentary Relations Robert H. Reynolds, QC Senior Parliamentary Counsel/ Director of House Services Shannon Dean Manager – House Proceedings Micheline S. Gravel Parliamentary Counsel Stephanie LeBlanc Committee Research Co-ordinator Philip Massolin Sergeant-at-Arms Brian G. Hodgson Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms Chris Caughell Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms Gordon H.

Munk Managing Editor of Alberta Hansard Liz Sim Party standings: Progressive Conservative: 67 Alberta Liberal: 8 Wildrose Alliance: 4 New Democrat: 2 Alberta: 1 Independent: 1

Executive Council Ed Stelmach Premier, President of Executive Council, Chair of Agenda and Priorities Committee, Vice-chair of Treasury Board, Liaison to the Canadian Armed Forces Lloyd Snelgrove President of the Treasury Board, Minister of Finance and Enterprise Dave Hancock Minister of Education, Political Minister for Edmonton Iris Evans Minister of International and Intergovernmental Relations Mel Knight Minister of Sustainable Resource Development Luke Ouellette Minister of Transportation Rob Renner Minister of Environment Verlyn Olson Minister of Justice and Attorney General Yvonne Fritz Minister of Children and Youth Services, Political Minister for Calgary Jack Hayden Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Political Minister for Rural Alberta Ray Danyluk Minister of Infrastructure Gene Zwozdesky Minister of Health and Wellness Ron Liepert Minister of Energy Mary Anne Jablonski Minister of Seniors and Community Supports Len Webber Minister of Aboriginal Relations Heather Klimchuk Minister of Service Alberta Lindsay Blackett Minister of Culture and Community Spirit Cindy Ady Minister of Tourism, Parks and Recreation Hector Goudreau Minister of Municipal Affairs Frank Oberle Solicitor General and Minister of Public Security Jonathan Denis Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Thomas Lukaszuk Minister of Employment and Immigration Greg Weadick Minister of Advanced Education and Technology Parliamentary Assistants Evan Berger Sustainable Resource Development Manmeet Singh Bhullar Municipal Affairs Cal Dallas Finance and Enterprise Fred Horne Health and Wellness Broyce Jacobs Agriculture and Rural Development Jeff Johnson Treasury Board (Oil Sands Sustainable Development Secretariat) Diana McQueen Energy Janice Sarich Education Teresa Woo-Paw Employment and Immigration

STANDING AND SPECIAL COMMITTEES OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ALBERTA Standing Committee on the Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund Chair: Ms Tarchuk Deputy Chair: Mr. Elniski DeLong Forsyth Groeneveld Johnston MacDonald Quest Taft Standing Committee on Community Services Chair: Mr. Doerksen Deputy Chair: Mr. Hehr Allred Anderson Benito Bhullar Chase Johnston Notley Rodney Sarich Taylor Standing Committee on the Economy Chair: Mr. Bhardwaj Deputy Chair: Mr. Chase Amery Dallas Fawcett Hinman Johnson Lund Taft Tarchuk Taylor Woo-Paw Standing Committee on Health Chair: Mr.

McFarland Deputy Chair: Ms Pastoor Forsyth Griffiths Groeneveld Horne Lindsay Notley Quest Sherman Swann Vandermeer Standing Committee on Legislative Offices Chair: Mr. Mitzel Deputy Chair: Mr. Lund Bhullar Blakeman Campbell Hinman Lindsay MacDonald Marz Notley Quest Rogers Special Standing Committee on Members’ Services Chair: Mr. Kowalski Deputy Chair: Mr. Campbell Amery Anderson Bhullar Elniski Hehr Leskiw Mason Pastoor Rogers VanderBurg Standing Committee on Private Bills Chair: Dr.

Brown Deputy Chair: Ms Woo-Paw Allred Benito Boutilier Calahasen Dallas Doerksen Drysdale Hinman Horner Jacobs Kang Lindsay McQueen Morton Redford Sandhu Sarich Taft Xiao Standing Committee on Privileges and Elections, Standing Orders and Printing Chair: Mr. Prins Deputy Chair: Mr. Hancock Amery Berger Calahasen DeLong Doerksen Forsyth Groeneveld Hinman Jacobs Leskiw Lindsay McFarland Mitzel Notley Pastoor Quest Sherman Tarchuk Taylor Standing Committee on Public Accounts Chair: Mr. MacDonald Deputy Chair: Mr.

Rodney Allred Anderson Benito Calahasen Chase Dallas Elniski Fawcett Griffiths Groeneveld Kang Mason Sandhu Vandermeer Xiao Standing Committee on Public Safety and Services Chair: Mr. Drysdale Deputy Chair: Mr. Kang Boutilier Brown Calahasen Cao Forsyth Johnson MacDonald Rogers Sandhu Xiao Standing Committee on Resources and Environment Chair: Mr. Prins Deputy Chair: Ms Blakeman Anderson Berger Boutilier Hehr Jacobs Marz Mason McQueen Mitzel VanderBurg Select Special Ombudsman Search Committee Chair: Mr. Mitzel Deputy Chair: Mr. Lund Blakeman Hinman Lindsay Marz Notley Quest Rogers

March 14, 2011 Alberta Hansard 315 Legislative Assembly of Alberta Title: Monday, March 14, 2011 1:30 p.m. 1:30 p.m. Monday, March 14, 2011 [The Speaker in the chair] head: Prayers The Speaker: Good afternoon. Let us pray. Grant that we the members of our province’s Legis- lature fulfill our office with honesty and integrity. May our first concern be for the good of all our people. Let us be guided by these principles in our deliberations this day. Amen. Hon. members, I am now going to invite Mr.

Paul Lorieau to lead us in the singing of our national ant hem and would invite all to participate in the language of one’s choice. Hon. Members: O Canada, our home and native land! True patriot love in all thy sons command. With glowing hearts we see thee rise, The True North strong and free! From far and wide, O Canada, We stand on guard for thee. God keep our land glorious and free! O Canada, we stand on guard for thee. O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

The Speaker: Please be seated. head: Introduction of Visitors Ms Evans: It’s a great privilege to rise today and introduce to you and to all members of the Assembly some very special guests who have joined us here this afternoon. Dr. Andrew Pocock and his wife, Julie Pocock, who are resident in Vancouver, are here with the co nsul general of the United Kingdom, Alexander Budden, and a trade commissioner from Calgary, Tracey Grindal.

The Brit- ish high commissioner was only appointed a scant two months ago, and within the first seven weeks on the job he determined that he wanted to come to Alberta and make this a priority. He recog- nized very quickly that there are incredible trade opportunities between both large and small companies, including technology companies, in Alberta. He wanted to be here. Most of all, Mr. Speaker and members of this Assembly, he wanted to visit our oil sands. We congratulate him for that choice. We’re thrilled that he’s here. He is seated in your Speaker’s gallery with his deleg a- tion. I would ask Dr.

Andrew Pocock and his delegation to please rise and receive the very warm welcome of this Assembly. head: Introduction of Guests The Speaker: The hon. Minister of Transportation. Mr. Ouellette: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It always gives me great pleasure to rise and introduce to you and through you to all me m- bers of this Assembly a group of bright young students from my constituency. We have with us today 38 grade 6 students from Bowden Grandview school, who are seated in the members’ ga l- lery. They may not be in here yet, but I’ll introduce them anyway.

I’ve said many times before that they will be tomorrow’s leaders, so it’s great for them to be able to come and experience the Legis- lature on a tour. With them they have some teachers and parent helpers. They have Mrs. Jo Anne Pearson and Mrs. Jill Admunson as teachers. They also have parent helpers Mrs. Cheryl Bradshaw, Mr. Gordon Wood, Mrs. Brenda Stacey, Mrs. Tammy Bodman, Mrs. Lianna Scott, Mrs. Dana Fox, Mrs. Alicia Heit, Mrs. Carla Sparks, Mr. Kees Verhoef, Mrs. Kyra Bona, Mr. Kevin Robinson, and Mrs. Tammy Cock e. I’d like them to rise if they have gotten here.

If not, I’d still like to have the members give them a warm welcome. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Whitecourt-Ste. Anne. Mr. VanderBurg: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s my pleasure to introduce on behalf of the MLA for Spruce Grove -Sturgeon-St. Albert the Camilla school group. There are 37 students here and teachers Amanda Murray and Jessica Garner. I’d ask them to please rise and receive the warm welcome of this Assembly. As well, I have three guests from the Northern Gateway school division. They had a meeting with me today.

I have Chair Judy Muir; Jim Govenlock, with whom I served 15 years on town council; and superintendent Kevin Andrea. I’d ask them to rise and receive the warm welcome of this Assembly as well. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-Bow. Ms DeLong: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. There’s a beau- tiful little school in my constituency called Chinook Winds Adventist Academy.

I’m very pleased that they have come to the Legislature to learn more about government and to get a little taste of it themselves in case this might be something that they want to do in the future or just to get more of a feeling for how gover n- ment works. I’m very pleased that they’re here. There’s one teacher with them, Mr. David Elias, and two parents, Mrs. Wendy Dobbin and Mrs. Darlyne Lessard. If they could please stand and if all the members would welcome them, that would be wonderful. Thank you. The Speaker: The hon. Member for West Yellowhead. Mr. Campbell: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise today to intr o- duce to you and through you to all members of the Assembly 15 grade 9 students from the Yellowhead Koinonia Christian school. They are accompanied today by their teachers, Mrs. Pamela Graham and Miss Michelle S tewart, and parent Mr. Henry Fousert, who is also the chairman of the board. I’d ask them to rise and receive the warm welcome of this Assembly. They’re in the members’ gallery. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Gold Bar. Mr. MacDonald: Yes. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

It’s my pleasure to rise and introduce to you and through you to all hon. members of this Assembly a visiting group from St. Gabriel school. There are 40 visitors from the school, and it is another fine public school in the Hardisty -Capilano neighbourhood of Edmonton-Gold Bar . This group is led today by teacher Mrs. Svetlana Sech. She is accompanied by Mr. Zdunich and Ms Zapi- socki. I would now ask this group – they’re in the public gallery – to please rise and receive the warm traditional welcome of this Assembly. Thank you. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Rutherford. Mr.

Horne: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I’m delighted to introduce to you and through you to all members today 86 visitors from St. Augustine school i n my constituency of Edmonton- Rutherford. The students are accompanied today by teachers Mrs. Nancy Ellestad, Ms Carmen Chevalier, and Ms Roberta Stevens

316 Alberta Hansard March 14, 2011 and also by parent helpers Mrs. Leanne Hafso -Shepherd, Mrs. Marivic De Guzman, and Ms Maria Fiorini. I ’ve had the pleasure of visiting with these students on a couple of occasions, and I’m just delighted to be able to introduce them today. I’d ask them all to please stand and receive the warm welcome of the Assembly. The Speaker: The hon. Minister of Children and Youth Services. Mrs. Fritz: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I’m pleased to introduce to you and through you to all members of the Assembly five me m- bers of the Alberta College of Social Workers who are seated in the members’ gallery today. They’ve joined us as we celebrate National Social Work Week. I would ask that our guests rise as I introduce them and to please remain standing until we can give them the warm welcome of the Assembly. We have Alison Mac- Donald. She’s the associate registrar at the college. Derek Chewka works for Children and Youth Services and is a council member.

Scott Stewart is with Covenant Health and is the chair of the gerontological social work committee for the college. Brandy Delaire is a caseworker in adoptions, and Peter Smyth is the s u- pervisor of the high-risk youth unit in Old Strathcona. Peter’s son Braden is a page here in our Assembly. I’d ask that the Assembly please join me in thanking these wonderful people, that work hard on our behalf every day on behalf of children and y outh, and give them the warm welcome of the Assembly. 1:40 The Speaker: The hon. Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs. Mr. Denis: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

It’s an honour for me to introduce to you and through you to all members of this Assembly s ome students who are here today from Greenview elementary school and volunteers from the Ladybug Foundation. These students, inspired by the Ladybug Foundation’s efforts to help the homeless, fund raised and donated money to help the homeless in Edmonton.

One of the best things about this job is visiting schools, and I had the privilege of meeting with these students and their local MLA last month, when I was rather moved by their efforts to help homeless people as well as raise awareness of the particular topic in this province. The students are joined by their school principal and student helpers. They’re seated in the members’ gallery, and I’d ask that these great Alber- tans rise and receive the traditional warm welcome of this Assembly. The Speaker: The hon. Minister of Infrastructure. Mr. Danyluk: Well, thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

I am very pleased to introduce to you and through you to this Assembly two very distinguished individuals, Sheila Thompson and Jim Hawkins. They are both educators that ha ve worked in the Elk Point-St. Paul area since 1975. They have been very active volu n- teers in the community. Sheila has been a leader and an integral part of the establishment of the trail systems in our area, in part the Iron Horse Trail. Also, Jim has be en very involved in minor hockey and in being a mentor for so many youth in the comm u- nity. As an aside, I’d also say that he played hockey with the hon.

Member for Stony Plain and was his bodyguard for many years. It is indeed a pleasure for me to introduc e to you my honoured guests. Jim and Sheila, would you please stand and receive the traditional warm welcome. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills. Mr. Marz: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m very pleased to introduce to you and through you two good friends of mine, Mr. Jeff Carlson and Mr. James Carpenter.

They are both very su c- cessful businessmen from the Olds-Didsbury -Three Hills constituency association, and I’m very pleased that I have the benefit of their counsel as board of dire ctors for my constituency association. They’ve often heard me talk there of the time- honoured traditions of this Assembly and especially about the exemplary and respectful decorum that’s exhibited in this House on a regular basis. They’re here today to experience that for them- selves, and I trust we won’t disappoint.

They’re seated in the members’ gallery, and I’d ask them to stand to receive the very warm welcome of this Assembly. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Highlands - Norwood. Mr. Mason: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I am pleased to rise today to introduce to you and through you to all members of the Legislature two remarkable Albertans. William and Susan Prettie are dedicated volunteers, celebrated artists, and passionate members of my constituency. William and Susan are very active in making the area of Highlands -Bellevue a more livable, access i- ble, and beautiful place for all.

They’ve taken a strong role in the Walkable Edmonton initiative and are currently working with a neighbourhood planning group to encourage the green streeting of 112th Avenue. In addition to this, Susan and William have been nominated sev- eral times for the city of Edmonton’s good neighbour award as well as its front yards in bloom award. They’re both photographers and provide all of the photos for the Highlands -Bellevue Highlights quarterly magazine, and they strive to facilitate community awar e- ness and participation through their work.

Susan has won photography awards in a province -wide competition called Open Photo and in the Edmonton Horticultural Society’s annual Bench Show. William was recently a featured artist at the Spruce Grove gallery. Susan and William will also be showing in an exhibition at the Jubilee Auditorium this summer. I would ask William and Susan Prettie, who are seated in the public gallery, to please rise and r e- ceive the warm traditional welcome of this Assembly. head: Ministerial Statements The Speaker: The hon. Minister of International and Intergov- ernmental Relations.

Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami Ms Evans: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today not as a minister or MLA but as a citizen of humanity. I speak now mindful of the compassion expressed by the Premier in his words over the wee k- end. It has been only four days since an e arthquake of horrific intensity struck Japan on March 11 at 2:40 p.m. When the shaking finally ended and tears of emotion began, northern Japan was struck by yet an even greater disaster. A 30 -foot wall of water engulfed the region around Sendai, swallowing villages and in an instant changing lives.

Thousands of lives have been lost, and tragically the numbers continue to rise while hundreds of thousands more are displaced from their homes and living in evacuation camps. The suffering and the distressing i mages we see taking place are both heartbreaking and difficult to watch. It reminds us all of our hu- man fragility and that a natural disaster can strike anywhere at any time on any continent. On behalf of Albertans I join our Premier and members of this Assembly to extend our deepest sympathy and heartfelt condo-

March 14, 2011 Alberta Hansard 317 lences to the Japanese people, to all Albertans, to all Canadians of Japanese descent as well as to the many Canadians living in Japan. Our thoughts and prayers are with our friends in Japan. Mr. S peaker, while this is a disaster of incredible proportions, we’re encouraged by the tenacity and resilience of the Japanese people during the last few days. It gives all nations hope that indi- viduals can come together as one to overcome what is almost insurmountable adversity through acts of compassion, bravery, and inspiration.

While we recognize the enormity of this tragedy, we’re inspired by the strength of the human spirit. I believe Moth- er Nature only has one equal, human will. Mr. Speaker, I take thi s opportunity to share with all members of the House a letter I received from dear Kyoko Minemura, wife of Yasuo Minemura, who departed recently for Japan to assume another post. She writes: When the earthquake hit at 2:40 p.m. on the 11th, I was on the 10th floor of the Takashimaya Department Store in Shinjuku. I felt swinging and heard screaming. Some china started to fall off and break.

I was grabbing onto a huge pole to hold m y- self. It lasted for a long time and before it became stable, the second one came. I have never felt that big of an earthquake b e- fore. I tried to reach my husband and my son but my phone didn’t work at all. I knew that no train service was available. I was left alone to imagine the worst. But at last I received a phone call from my son at 7:30 p.m. while I was sitting on the stairs at the station. Later I had new information that some train lines were moving, and it would take me close to my house. So I headed to the subway station.

I waited a few hours more and managed to f i- nally reach home at 1:45 a.m. I feel so sorry for the folks in Tohoku. This earthquake was the biggest one I have ever felt in my life – I have never experienced this kind of emergency whatsoever. She goes on to thank me for my concern and says: Iris, I feel I am not alone. It warms my heart that my good friend was able to make it home to see her family; so many didn’t. It does also to know that our office staff in Tokyo are all safe. Mr.

Speaker, I know Japan is not alone and that Albertans, C a- nadians, and t he international community are ready to provide whatever assistance is needed to help survivors start over. It r e- minds us all of our resilience and of our shared future on this planet. I am confident that Japan will find the strength to ove r- come the sorrow and the courage to rebuild. We are with them in spirit and in the strong hope that they, indeed, will. Thank you. The Speaker: On behalf of the Official Opposition the hon. Member for Lethbridge-East. Ms Pastoor: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Minis- ter, for those words of understanding. Like all members of this Assembly – indeed, like hundreds of millions of people around the world – I was horrified by the images and the videos of the deva s- tation in Japan. The toll of human suffering caused by t his massive earthquake and the following tsunami is already horrific and only grows in scope with each passing day. Like the dreadful Indonesian tsunami of 2004, once again humanity is faced with a natural disaster of epic scale.

Our thoughts and prayers g o out to the people of Japan, who now face what their Prime Minister has called the greatest calamity they have faced since the Second World War. There are many ways in which Albertans can help: the Red Cross, Doctors without Borders, Save the Children, S alvation Army, GlobalGiving, and a host of other charities and nongov- ernmental organizations are rushing to deliver assistance to victims of the disaster. All of these organizations are accepting donations, and thanks to the Internet and smart phones, it’s now much easier to be able to do this.

The issues that we debate in this Assembly are important; there’s no question. The Official Opposi- tion will continue to do its duty and hold the government accountable for the people of Alberta. That’s our job. But a disas- ter like this really puts everything into perspective. 1:50 In Sendai entire communities have been utterly destroyed, mer- cilessly washed out to sea. I can’t even wrap my head around something like that, thousands of people lost in an instant. I’m very proud of the countless Albertans who have already donated to the relief efforts, and I know that more will join them.

A disa s- ter of this scale touches everyone on the globe, and we Albertans are certainly there in spirit. The Speaker: I’ve been advised that additional members would like to participate. In order to do so, unanimous consent of the Assembly must be given. I will raise one question. Is any member opposed to allowing additional members to participate in response to this ministerial statement? [Unanimous consent granted] The Speaker: The hon. Member for Fort McMurray -Wood Buffalo. Mr. Boutilier: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the Assembly.

Albertans are citizens of humanity, as the mini s- ter mentioned earlier. It is a sad circumstance that I speak to the tragic situation in Japan. I know all members of this Assembly and all Albertans’ and Canadians’ thoughts and prayers are with the people of Japan as they recover from this massive earthquake and the subsequent tsunami that struck last week. Thousands upon thousands of lives have been lost. Homes and entire villages have been wiped out and have disappeared as Canadians, Albertans, and the rest of the world have looked on in horror.

Because Japan is home to the most earthquakes in the world, they are the most prepared in dealing with natural disasters, yet no one could have ever imagined the devastation of an earthquake that was 8.9 on the Richter scale. I applaud the people of Japan, as I know all members of this Assembly do, in their organized response because the devastation to people and to the environment could have been much worse, even with the horror that we looked onto. The Japanese are a resourceful and resilient people. Earthquakes and tsunamis literally are a fact of life.

The Japanese people have pulled themselves up before and, clearly, have built one of the most advanced and largest economies in the world. No matter what the setback the Japanese have always moved forward stronger than ever. We believe in the power of spirit, and now the world must join together. Every brick we lay in rebuilding Japan will honour those who have been lost in this horror, in this tragedy. I’ve also been inspired by the charitable spirit of Albertans. When Haiti was struck by an ear thquake, Albertans stepped up and raised money. Every dollar helped to aid relief efforts.

The same spirit when Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans. I do have hope, Mr. Speaker, about the future, and I thank all Albertans who continue to do their

part in helping those less fortunate in times of suffering such as what is being experienced today with the Japa- nese people. Our thoughts and prayers are also with Albertans and all Canadians who are currently in Japan and with our Japanese

318 Alberta Hansard March 14, 2011 community right here in Albert a, in our province. Our thoughts and our prayers are with them all, and God speed. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Strathcona. Ms Notley: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you also to the minister and to the subsequent members for their kind thoughts on this day. The past days have deeply touched the hearts of Albertans as we’ve see the terrible news coming from Japan. The loss of lives is tragic.

The continuing suffering and anxiety as people search for loved ones and as authorities struggle to deal with the problems at their nuclear power plants are situa- tions that we feel here in Alberta despite the distance from our nation. Our world is very closel y connected today, and we see the images and even here can feel just a little of the horror and pain that this means for those in the midst of the catastrophe.

At the least we can be clear that we care about the agony that so many are experiencing, and we can also be clear that we are inspired by the heroic efforts that have been demonstrated by the Japanese since these tragedies occurred. People of Japanese origin have been contributing to life in Al- berta for many decades. To these friends and neighbours in particular we extend a caring ha nd. We know distance does not reduce the feelings when something like this happens, and we are ready to support you in every way.

None of us ever know when disaster might strike or how, and the events of the past days in Japan are a clear message that when this happens, it is essential for us to remember our common hu- manity and to add our caring hearts and our practical services to support those who are afflicted. It is good to see people and na- tions around the globe moving forward with offers of assistance.

These events also remind us that we must be as careful as pos- sible with all human developments that add to dangers in the world such as nuclear power because it is clear that there are al- ready so many matters over which we have no control. Mr. Speaker, the NDP opposition sends its deep condolences and sympathies to every person in Japan and especially to those who have lost loved ones or who are dealing with injuries.

We look forward to coming together with Albertans from all walks of life who will reach out in efforts to raise money and provide what- ever support is needed to amelio rate the tragedy suffered by the Japanese nation. Thank you. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Meadowlark. Dr. Sherman: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. What happened recently was an absolute tragedy. I’d like to thank the hon. minister for her kind words and thank everybody else here. Our collective human- ity has faced major challenges recently from the earthquakes in Haiti to the floods of Hurricane Katrina as well as the floods in Pakistan.

This is a time for us to remember that Canada and Al- berta are the world’s hope. We are from everywhere in the world, and Albertans have a value of giving back to their community. This is a tremendous opportunity fo r us to do what we’ve always done, come to the rescue of people most in need. It’s just an honour for me to be an Albertan. It’s an honour for me to be a member of this As sembly. I look forward to Alberta playing a major role in helping these poor people in Japan. As human beings this is the one thin g that unites us all when we suf- fer, and I believe that we can do much more.

Thank you. head: Oral Question Period The Speaker: First Official Opposition main question. The hon. Leader of the Official Opposition. Health Quality Council Review Dr. Swann: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. With a dark cloud hanging over this government by increasing allegations of intimidation and misconduct, Albertans have no reason to trust this Tory govern- ment. If this Premier truly cared a bout the health of the people he leads, he would immediately support the united opposition call for an independent public inquiry.

The opposition will not allow our doctors and nurses to be threatened for telling the truth, and we will not allow public health care to be destroyed by this govern- ment’s dishonesty. To the Premier: will he finally recognize that this health care investigation on the fly won’t suffice for these damning new allegations of gov ernment misconduct and that Al- bertans deserve a fully independent, public inquiry? Mr. Stelmach: Mr.

Speaker, my interest is in having the best performing publicly funded, publicly administered health care system here in Alberta, and I also want to support the 90,000 or so people that are working in the health system every day that are bringing care and compassion to Al bertans. I informed this House that if emergency care or cancer care has been compromised in any way by waiting lists, we want the Health Quality Council to ensure they bring that evidence forward and tell us why and how to prevent it in the future.

And if there are any other allegations out there that are going to be made by physicians or nurses or anybody in the health care system, they are free to bring that evi- dence forward to the Health Quality Council. Dr. Swann: Of course, Mr. Speaker, that’s not at all true. They cannot bring anything forward without threat to their future, to their career. Only a public inquiry can do that. Are you willing, then, to come clean about your government’s dishonesty and incompetence by disclosing all cases where the gov- ernment, Alberta Health Services, regional health authorities . . . An Hon. Member: Point of order.

Dr. Swann: . . . paid any form of compensation to people for their silence? Are you willing, sir? The Speaker: I have that point of order. Mr. Zwozdesky: Yes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There is a point of order there. The hon. member should know better. We’ll deal with it later. Let me make it very clear to this House and to the hon. member asking the question that I have or dered an independent review by the Health Quality Council of Alberta, which even he himself is on record numerous times over the past several days supporting. In fact, he asked for the Health Quality Council to be brought in.

They are going to do an independent review. It will be made pub- lic. They will set their own terms of reference, Mr. Speaker, and they will determine exactly who par ticipates as the review panel. That’s very, very accountable. 2:00 Dr. Swann: Mr. Speaker, will this Premier support the united opposition call for an emergency health care debate today to openly discuss these allegations from doctors that were intimi- dated, punished, and paid for their silence by this government?

March 14, 2011 Alberta Hansard 319 Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr. Speaker, I find it really interesting that a group of politicians stands up on a little stage on Friday, and after jostling each other to get to the microphone first, they say this has nothing to do with politics. Come on. This is all to do with pol i- tics, and you know that. The important point here is what they’re trying to do with these innuendoes.

They’re standing up there besmirching the College of Physicians and Surgeons, the Alberta Medical Association, and the two faculties of the University of Alberta and the University of Calgary for political reasons. Mr. Anderson: Point of order. The Speaker: We have another point of order. One thing is clear to me. W e’ve now arrived at 2 o’clock, and if I look at the time, we’re never even going to get to the subject on the agenda called Notices of Motions before 3 o’clock. Second Official Opposition main question. The Leader of the Official Opposition. Dr. Swann: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Only this Premier would have the audacity to blame his failures in health care on the o p- position. In his statement yesterday, the Premie r said, “Let’s focus back on the facts and less on the theatre.” Well, the fact is that this Premier and ministers knew about the 322 cases of compromised ER care over three years ago and failed to act. This Premier again failed to act when these cases bec ame public six months ago. To the Premier: why has it taken three years for the Premier to finally act on these 322 cases of compromised ER care? What were you hiding? Mr. Stelmach: Mr.

Speaker, once again the hon. member is rai s- ing a letter that was sent to me, I think in March ’08, where I clearly identified to the writer of that letter the steps that we are taking as a government. We have met all those commitments that I made in ’08. With respect to all of the other allegations, as the minister of health said: anything and everything can come forward to the Health Quality Council under absolute confidence. I have huge trust in the Health Quality Council to do their best. Dr. Swann: Well, absolute confidence my ass, Mr. Speaker. I’m one of those . . . [interjections] The Speaker: Okay.

Please. [interjections] Please. [interjections] Please. [interjections] There are children in the galleries today. They have schoolteachers. I believe the schoolteachers would reprimand their children. The hon. Leader of the Official Opposition. Dr. Swann: I apologize for that statement, Mr. Speaker. But I was one of those this government fired in 2008. I know you cannot speak with impunity to this government. Don’t give me that. Why do you believe that both you and your mi nister should escape accountability? Why, Mr. Premier? Why should you es- cape this? Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr.

Speaker, you know, on March 3 this same Liberal leader said: ask the Health Quality Council to investigate the cases of delayed or compromised care. Well, we’re doing that. On the same day he said: can the Health Quality Council give confidence to the people by looking into this seriously? Well, they’re going to look into it seriously. Then, a couple of days later he said: return these 322 cases to the Heal th Quality Council. He went on making good references about a good organization that he knows very well has the trust, faith, and confidence of every member of this House and of all Albertans. Dr. Swann: Mr.

Speaker, are Albertans expected to believe that it was merely coincidence that this Premier finally agreed to the Health Quality Council review just hours before McNamee’s all e- gations of intimidation and compromised patient care surfaced? Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr. Speaker, again, you have a statement of claim by one doctor against a statement of defence where another doctor is implicated, as is a health authority, as is a credible hosp i- tal in our province. This is a statement of allegations. This is a statement in defence against that.

Allegations are not neces sarily fact, and you don’t substantiate one allegation by raising more allegations. I expect that by the time the day is over, we’ll see even more allegations but no proof and no evidence. The Speaker: Third Official Opposition main question. The hon. Member for Edmonton-Meadowlark. Dr. Ciaran McNamee Dr. Sherman: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Premier said in this House that health care workers have an obligation to come fo r- ward when they see compromises of patient care, yet it is alleged that a senior executive of the Capital health region told a prom i- nent surgeon who raised these patient safety concerns that advocacy would not be tolerated. This is the same surgeon who presented his concerns to the curr ent minister of health, who was the Associate Minister of Health and Wellness at the time, as well as several members of the PC caucus in this cabinet, all of whom now conveniently claim they have no recollection of him. Mr.

Premier, were you aware of Dr. McNamee’s presentation to cau- cus and that the Capital . . . The Speaker: The hon. Premier. [interjection] The hon. the Premier. Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, I don’t know the doctor that the member is referring to. All I know is that the allegations have been made and raised by the member that just rose. They were made in this House under immunity. There were allegations made against third-party members, and as of this minute there is no sub- stantiating evidence tabled in this House. The Speaker: The hon. member. Dr. Sherman: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

G iven the fact that the Premier just said that there’s no substantial evidence tabled, I have tabled Dr. McNamee’s statement of claims to the Legislative A s- sembly. My second question is to the Minister of Health and Wellness. Were you aware when you were the Associate Minister of Health and Wellness, way back when, in 1999 to 2001 that the Capital health region made claims against Dr. McNamee about his compe- tency and mental health prior to . . . The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr. Speaker, I believe he’s talking about a time before I became the associate minister.

I became the associate minister approximately May 15 or so of 1999, and I was in that position until approximately March 15, or whenever the election was called, in 2001. Do I have any vivid recollection of any sort regarding Dr. McNamee? Absolutely none. Did he appear before

320 Alberta Hansard March 14, 2011 some committees where I may have been in the room? Possibly. I just don’t recall it at all, hon. member. The Speaker: Hon. member, I’d just refer you to Beauchesne 409(6). “The Minister to whom the question is directed is respo n- sible to the House for his or her present Ministry and not for any decisions taken in a previous portfolio.” Please proceed. Dr. Sherman: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My last question is to the Minister of Justice.

Given that the Premier has said that health care workers have an obligation to come forward when they see compromises to patient care, will you release Dr. McNamee from his nondisclos ure clause in his out -of-court settlement to allow him to come forward and speak publicly to the Health Quality Council and to a public judicial inquiry? The Speaker: The hon. Minister of Justice and Attorney General. Mr. Olson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I w ould just point out that there is ample protection for whistle -blowers. The Criminal Code has protection. The contractual documents that Alberta Health has have protection.

One of my concerns about this whole process is that there have been some very seri ous allegations, allegations that could point towards some criminal activity, financial mismanagement, and so on. We have a process for that. It’s called the police. The police can investigate. They’re professional investigators. If there is ev i- dence, then they can move on to prosecute. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Fort McMurray -Wood Buffalo. Health Quality Council Review (continued) Mr. Boutilier: Thank you. Mr.

Speaker, last week in this House the health minister said no, no, and no on Monday, Tuesda y, and Wednesday to a Health Quality Council investigation. Then on Thursday in a stunning display of crude politics the Premier said yes just before a news broadcast that would shine light on alleg a- tions of his government’s silencing and intimidation of a prominent Edmonton surgeon. To the health minister: why did you resist our demands on those days and months before and put the health of your political party ahead of the health of Albertans? Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr.

Speaker, it’s so unfortunate that you have a number of members making allegations, and we are living with that. Now you have a member misquoting, again for some simple political gain. At no point did I say: no, never. I said clearly: “No, not at this time.” I said clearly that I will take appropriate action at the appropriate time with the appropriate information. I took that action, and I think Albertans understand that even though this member may not. Mr. Boutilier: That’s unbelievable, Mr. Speaker. He should have said: not at this time.

Given tha t the current health minister was the junior minister from May of ’99 to March of ’01, the entire period in question as it relates to allegations of silencing and intimidation, does he not see the obvious conflict of interest in having the Health Quality Council investigate the actions of his department and then report directly back to him? Mr. Zwozdesky: Well, Mr. Speaker, I find it very interesting that this hon. member can on one day stand up and say one thing and then just flip right over and say something else totally erroneous. He’s asking for an independent review by the Health Quality Council.

That was on March 8. He made other references in the days before and after that where he said the Health Quality Cou n- cil said that there should be an investiga tion. Well, I agree, hon. member. And you know what? There will be. It will be made pub- lic, and it will be totally independent of this House. Even that member can appear if he wishes to. 2:10 Mr.

Boutilier: Given that the Health Quality Council investiga t- ing the health minister and then reporting back to him constitutes an obvious conflict of interest, will the Premier of Alberta call an immediate and full public inquiry independent of conflicting po- litical interests? To the Premier. Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr. Speaker, let’s be really clear. It’s true that I was an associate minister of health. I was responsible for AADAC. I was responsible for bringing in the electronic health records. I was responsible for early detection and screening of important diseases and s o on.

That was my responsibility as an associate minister. I was not the minister of health in any way, shape, or form. Perhaps this member would like to stand corrected on that fact at least. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Highlands - Norwood. Mr. Mason: Thanks very much, Mr. Speaker. I’ve got here a letter to the Premier signed by the Leader of the Official Oppos i- tion, the Wildrose Party, the NDP opposition, the House leader of the Alberta Party, and the MLA for Edmonton-Meadowlark call- ing for a full, independent public inquiry. Why will the Premier not call a full, independent public inquiry? Mr.

Olson: I’d just like to clarify. I think a lot of people are co n- fused by all this talk of inquiries. An independent public inquiry, first of all, is directed by the Lieutenant Governor in Council, so it would be the government that would be creating that. Now, I sus- pect that that may fall under some criticism, but that’s what the law says. You have a judge or somebody else who is appointed as a commissioner, and at the end of the day what you get is a report. You do not get action. You get a report. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Mason: Thanks, Mr. Speaker.

Well, perhaps action would be too much to hope for from this government. I want to come back to the question about the conflict of interest inherent in a Health Quality Council that reports to the minister of health and has to investigate activities under the minister of health’s purview. How can you think that’s acceptable? Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr. Speaker, I’m going to table copies so that this member can maybe read it and understand it. This is an independent review in which the Health Quality Council itself is going to set its own terms of reference.

They will choose whom they wish to speak to or people who wish to come to them to speak. They will make that report public. They will determine who is going to be on the interview or review panel, and that, as was said this morning on a popular radio show, may likely include people from outside the province to give it yet even more independence. As soon as that report arrives, it will be brought forward and made public. Mr. Mason: Mr. Speaker, given that the Health Quality Council is not competent to investigate whether health professionals were

March 14, 2011 Alberta Hansard 321 intimidated or fired or coerced and given that it’s not independent from the government, then I want to ask the health minister once again: why are you trying to prevent an adequate investigation into this very, very serious matter? It doesn’t even have the power to call witnesses or to subpoena evidence. Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr. Speaker, they can contact whoever they want, and I’m sure they will. They do have credibility because they are from and with and part of the community that delivers health care or they’re formally in volved in it.

People feel conf i- dent and comfortable coming to them. That’s the reason we appointed them to do it, an independent review. Otherwise, as the Justice minister just said, you would have cabinet determining a public inquiry. That’s not what I he ar Albertans asking for. They want an independent review, and that’s what they’re going to get. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Meadowlark. Dr. Sherman: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Usually what the guilty always say is: show me the proof. The current Minister of Health and Wellness was associate minister of health at that time.

He completely sloughed his responsibility. I was his associate mini s- ter of health. I spoke up, and I have a duty and a responsibility not only as a physician but as a legislato r when I’m aware of these cases of physicians begging for resources, and the minister co m- pletely sloughs any responsibility he has as a legislator. Minister, can you . . . The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr. Speaker, the last I recall, in this country you are innocent until proven guilty.

I challenge this member to pr o- vide some evidence that would make somebody feel guilty before they have had a chance to prove it otherwise. Stand up and pr o- vide it. Stop this game playing. You’re making a bunch of wild accusations, and you’re bringing forward allegations. Hon. mem- ber, we’re giving you a chance here. You’ve got the stage. You’ve got the platform. Do something with it that is evidentiary. The Speaker: The hon. member. Dr. Sherman: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. All I’ve heard is: we have no proof; show us the proof.

To the Premier: are you actually the Premier of this province, and do you have the authority to invest i- gate these matters, or do you require me to give you the proof that you are the Premier before you act? Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr. Speaker, there are questions that deserve answers. Then there are questions that don’t deserve to even be asked, and that would have been one of them.

What we have here again is something that has been requested even by this member himself, who on February 28 said, “Will he call the Health Quality Council of Alberta and carry out a fatality review?” Well, they’re coming in to carry out an independent review. If there were fatalities caused as a result of s ome negl i- gence, I can assure you that the proper steps will be taken, the proper bodies will be brought in, the proper mechanisms will be kicked into force, and they will get to the bottom of it. The Speaker: The hon. member. Dr. Sherman: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Doctors have over the years pleaded for help and no inquiry, no immediate action was taken until a CBC report was going to come out. Doctors will be coming out in droves, and I will be tabling further evidence in the near future. If the Premier and the current Minister of Health and Wellness refuse to order a full public investigation with the ability to subpoena witnesses . . . The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr.

Speaker, if this member inside this House or outside this House has evidence or knows of evidence that has to do with real corruption, as he is alleging, or some other perfor- mance with respect to fraud or other words that he has used, you have a duty to take that to the police, hon. member. You have a duty to do that, and I would encourage you to do that because the police have ways of dealing with allegations like that. If you have proof, take it there. If you have financial malfeasance proof, take it over to the Auditor General. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Gold Bar.

Health Services Financial Reporting Mr. MacDonald: Thank you. Between 2003 and 2009 the Ca l- gary health region provided a detailed breakdown of the $1.7 billion incurred in expenses under its Other column in the annual reports of Alberta Health. In the same time period Capital health had $1.6 billion in other expenses and failed to provide a brea k- down like Calgary. To the minister of health: why did this government allow these two health authorities to report some of their expenses so differently over a seven-year time period? Mr. Snelgrove: Mr.

Speaker, what the hon. member leaves out of the Auditor’s report is probably the most telling statement. It says, “Our auditor’s opinion on [the ministry and department’s] fina n- cial statements for the years en ded March 31, 2010 and 2009 is unqualified.” That means they are without question and correct. Read the whole story. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. MacDonald: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m talking about the period between 2003 and ’09 and the annual reports from the min- istry of health, nothing to do with the Auditor’s report.

Now, again, given that the Capital health authority failed to provide any details on over $300 million of a $1.6 billion expense that they incurred in the seven-year period, why did this gover n- ment allow Capital health to avoid any disclosure of the $300 million in expenses while Calgary gave an account of the money? Mr. Snelgrove: In their entries held to by their predecessors, there are different auditing types.

One of them in the $500 million was misclassified expenses that needed to be corrected in the topside ledger, and with Covenant Health as, too, with Capital health they had a unique classification that was not picked up by the topside ledger, and approximately $420 million of expenses were omitted. The topside ledger layered on top of multiple legacy general ledg- ers does increase the risk for error. However, it took considerable time to reconcile the two accounts. 2:20 Mr. MacDonald: Again, Mr.

Speaker, I’m talking about Alber ta Health and Wellness annual reports, not the Auditor General’s report, but I appreciate the minister’s earnestness. Now, again to the minister of health: has any of the $300 mi l- lion undisclosed by Capital health been used to fund any of the court settle ments, the lawsuits, or legal fees against doctors who have spoken out against this government about your policy and direction on public health care?

322 Alberta Hansard March 14, 2011 Mr. Snelgrove: Mr. Speaker, none of the $300 million that he’s alleging is unaccounted for. They are all audited. Alberta Health Services, Capital health, and Calgary health: all the health regions were audited. All of our books are audited. They are included in our consolidated statement, which has been given unqualified support by the Auditor General. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-Bow, followed by the hon. Member for Calgary-Buffalo. Vulnerable Infant Response Team Ms DeLong: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

I have heard from constituents in the community of Bowness increasing con- cerns about infants at risk of ha rm, so I was pleased to attend an announcement on Friday by the Minister of Children and Youth Services that a million dollars was being allocated to establish an Alberta Vulnerable Infant Response Team in Calgary. My ques- tion is to the Minister of Children and Youth Services. What has changed with at-risk infants to cause you to establish this rapid response team? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mrs. Fritz: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Six months ago I was very concerned when I saw increasing reports of infants aged zero to three months in Calgary who were at risk of harm due to abuse or neglect. That’s between 45 and 55 infants per month. Sixty per cent of the concerns were raised by health professionals; 15 per cent were raised by the Calgary Police Service. The minister of health, the Solicitor General, and I developed a pa rtnership with our child and family service authorities, with public health, and with the Calgary Police Service to address this serious situation. The Speaker: The hon. member. Ms DeLong: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It’s heartbreaking to hear of infants coming to harm through abuse and neglect, but it’s also heartbreaking to hear of babies being separated from their parents during those critical early parent-child bonding days. To the same minister: can the minister please explain how this one initiative will help protect those vulnerable infants without the need to take them into provincial care? Mrs. Fritz: Well, Mr.

Speaker, we know that many parents are not prepared for having babies, and for some it can be very over- whelming, especially families that have complex issues like addictions, mental health issues, or family violence. So that’s why we’ll have four CFSA caseworkers , four public health nurses, and one Calgary police officer all working together as a critical re- sponse team. They will assess at-ri sk infants and their families, they’ll develop safety plans, and they’ll connect those families with intensive supports in the co mmunity. I hope that that will help to ensure that their babies are safe and cared for.

The Speaker: The hon. member. Ms DeLong: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. To the same minister: why is the Alberta Vu lnerable Infant Response Team only benefiting children in Calgary? Mrs. Fritz: Mr. Speaker, I anticipated that that question would arise. This member has discusse d that with me. We know it is vital, as I said earlier, for new, at-risk parents to get the assistance they need with their babies early on.

This is the first time in Cana- da, actually, that we’re going to have an integrated approach where we provide immediate res ources and supports for infants aged zero to three months with the four caseworkers, four public health nurses, and a police officer working closely together. Our plan is to take that information from that model and to ensure that it’s developed in Edmonton by August. Nuclear Power Mr. Hehr: Mr. Speaker, due to the tragic events in Japan it’s come to light that there’s a clear danger of a nuclear leak occur- ring.

Given our proximity there’s a possibility of the jet stream carrying radiation through the upper atmosphere to Alberta. To the Minister of Environment: is there any action being taken by emer- gency services, our air monitori ng systems, or other protection agencies to prepare for the possible risk of radiation spreading to Alberta through the jet stream? Mr. Renner: Well, Mr. Speaker, the responsibility for emergency management in Alberta falls under the Ministry of Municipal Af- fairs, so I won’t begin to try to answer on behalf of that ministry.

But I can assure this member that all kinds of contingency plans lie within their responsibility, and I’m sure that they have begun putting some contingencies in place. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Hehr: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Minister of Energy: given the events with the nuclear power stations in Japan and the Bruce Power application that is being included in the AESO long-term capacity forecast, does the minister support nuc- lear power in Alberta? Mr. Liepert: Mr.

Speaker, first of all, there is no assumption of anything happening relative to nu clear power in Alberta, and to sort of tie this together at this time I think is inappropriate. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Hehr: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the same minister. What role, if any, does the Albe rta government play in assessing safety impacts of nuclear power development in Alberta? Or is that inappropriate as well? Mr. Liepert: Mr. Speaker, any applicant under our open, com- petitive generation market makes application and has to abide by a certain number of rules and regul ations.

Until such time as an application may be received, it’s hypothetical. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Livingstone-Macleod, fol- lowed by the hon. Member for Lethbridge-East. Farm Safety Advisory Council Mr. Berger: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Farm safety is an important topic in my constituency. My question is for the Minister of Agri- culture and Rural Development. In November the minister announced the creation of a Farm Safety Advisory Council. Can the minister tell us what has happened since then? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Hayden: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Actually, today we announced the 15 members of the Fa rm Safety Advisory Council. They include members from diverse backgrounds in primary agri- culture, agribusiness, and safety areas. The council will be co- chaired by one of my assistant deputy ministers. It came about

March 14, 2011 Alberta Hansard 323 through recommendations from a consultation process that i n- volved grou ps that represented 50,000 primary and agrifood businesses throughout the province. Mr. Berger: To the same minister: how do we know one sector of agriculture will not overly influence the direction of this council? In other words, is this council going to work in the interests of all agricultural producers, not just one sector of the industry? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Hayden: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. In fact, all areas of agriculture are represented: forage, grain, beef, and dairy.

Even beekeepers are represented. These people are all well known wit h- in the industry and all have a good background in concerns with respect to safety. I know that they’re going to work very well t o- gether and be a good board. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Berger: Thank you. My final question is: what will the cou n- cil be doing in regard to on-farm industries that actually have nothing to do with food production? Mr. Hayden: Well, Mr. Speaker, a priority of the council is going to be to develop a joint industry a nd government action plan on farm safety.

In addition, the advisory council is going to be r e- sponsible for helping government enhance the safety programs and training that we have in place right now and co-ordinate a communication approach and strategy wit h the industry. Agricu l- ture is a very unique industry, and we’ve always said that government shares the responsibility for the safety of these people. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Lethbridge-East, followed by the hon. Member for Whitecourt-Ste. Anne. Farm Worker Safety Ms Pastoor: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The former member pro b- ably looked at my questions because this is an excellent segue.

When an explosion at a natural gas well in Edson injured 12 workers earlier this month, provincial safety inspectors rushed to the scene to investigate. But when two Albertans were tragically killed in December, safety inspectors sent to the site had to turn around and go home. Why? The second incident involved paid farm workers, meaning that occupational health and safety inspec- tors are not allowed to investigate. To the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development: will the minister support the Alberta Liberals’ call earlier this year to make investigations mandatory for serious farm safety accidents?

The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Hayden: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. What the minister will support is what has been recommended by the industry. Alberta’s farmers and rural Albertans are no different than urban Albertans. They want government out of their face. They want us to help them with the tools that are available, and we’re going to do that. We’re not going to complicate their lives. But what they are u n- animous on in rural Alberta and urban Alberta is that they have no respect for ambulance chasers.

Ms Pastoor: How is the government supposed to design an ade- quate program to reduce the number of farm worker deaths and injuries when you don’t even investigate the causes of the incidents? Mr. Hayden: Mr. Speaker, we do investigate. We take a great deal of pride in the work that we do along with the producers in the province and the different organizations to try and ensure that we save lives of Alberta farmers and agriculture industry people by reducing injuries, and we’re doing that.

That’s where our con- centration is now, and that’s what the industry has asked us for. 2:30 Ms Pastoor: Will any of those investigations be made public, and will the newly appointed farm safety council have any power to request inquiries? A simple order in council could address this. I might add that there’s only one representative south of Calgary. The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Hayden: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We will do as we’ve done with the original consultations: we’ll take very seriously any re c- ommendations that come forward.

We do have Laura Nelson from Raymond, Alberta, in southern Alberta, w hich is very close to the border. We’ve got people throughout the province. I suppose it depends where you want to put a pin on the map. If you want to go to the middle of our province, that’s Swan Hills, then all but two members are in southern Alberta. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Whitecourt-Ste. Anne , fo l- lowed by the hon. Member for Calgary-Fish Creek. Land Sales Mr. VanderBurg: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are all to the Minister of Energy.

Last week Alberta had another land sal e record, earning approximately $160 million for the province. This follows a record year of land sales with rev e- nues over $2 billion for the first time in history. Mr. Minister, can you tell me if these land sales are because of the price of oil, b e- cause of the new finds, or because of our new competitiveness review? Mr. Liepert: Mr. Speaker, the short answer is probably all of the above. What it really boils down to is that it’s a situation where as government we worked with industry to see what needed to be done in order that these land sales could take place.

I think a lot of what we did last spring in changing the fiscal regime was around new technologies that are now being employed, things that I don’t know much about but that certainly are part of the industry – hori- zontal drilling, multifracking, those kinds of things – and it’s paying off. Mr. VanderBurg: Well, again to the same minister. All of those technologies are centred in my constituency of Whitecourt-Ste. Anne, a very important service sector . Can you tell me how soon these benefits will reach the northwest part of our province? Mr.

Liepert: Well, I think that it’s pretty evident that it’s reaching all of the province, Mr. Speaker. It doesn’t matter what corner you go to in this province, from High Level to Milk River, the activity is very buoyant. I know that last week’s and a couple of the other major sales that happened recently were actually in my co l- league’s constituency of Grande Prairie -Smoky, but they’re very close to where this particu lar member represents, and I’m sure the economic spinoff will impact positively his constituency. Mr. VanderBurg: Well, in our part of the province we all know that in Whitecourt -Ste.

Anne we service the Grande Prairie- Smoky area as well, and we do that, y ou know, with a lot of the sector that’s in Grande Prairie and in Whitecourt and in Edson.

324 Alberta Hansard March 14, 2011 The Speaker: Now, finish with your question there. Mr. VanderBurg: So, Mr. Minister, when will we expect to see the wheels rolling on our machinery? Mr. Liepert: Well, I think the wheels are rolling right now. In some cases I know industry is expressing concerns about labour shortages, about inflationary costs relative to input costs. But it’s a good problem to have. I was very interested on the weekend, Mr. Speaker, where one of the economists was quoted in the daily media as calling Alberta the job creation machine. The Speaker: The hon.

Member for Calgary -Fish Creek , fo l- lowed by the hon. Member for Calgary-McCall. Health Quality Council Review (continued) Mrs. Forsyth: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As the Wildrose health critic I’ve been hearing all week from doctors and health care professionals, and these are not preposterous allegations despite what the health minister has indicated in the past. One doctor – let’s call him Dr. X – called me to say that he knows of nondisclo- sure agreements that have been signed by health care workers who were silenced after advocating for patients. My questions are all to the health minister.

Given that there is more than one doctor wil l- ing to testify, will you immediately call a public inquiry? Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr. Speaker, I don’t know who Dr. X is, but Dr. X is certainly welcome to speak to Dr. Y, and Dr. Y is Dr. John Cowell. Mrs. Forsyth: Well, Mr. Speaker, the health professionals I’m hearing from indicate that that’s not enough. Given that I was e- mailed a letter, that I’m now happy to table, from a doctor – and let’s call him Dr.

Y – who indicated that there are many cases of physicians being intimidated and discredited and that there’s a daunting culture of silence that needs to be br o- ken, Mr. Minister, will you please immediately call a public inquiry? Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr. Speaker, I don’t see the need for a public inquiry at this time because we already have an independent r e- view going on, and I’ve explained that.

What I’d like this hon. member to do is explain to us how five politicians would stand there from the opposition on Friday and make some outrageous remarks that somehow infer that there was some grand conspiracy, which there never was, that involved the College of Physicians and Surgeons, the Alberta Medical Associa- tion, the two faculties of university in Edmonton and Calgary as well as a former health authority, and they stand united by that. Mrs. Forsyth: Minister, I don’t think that Albertans would call what we did on Friday outrageous, quite frankly.

Given that it’s not only doctors I’m receiving calls from – as well, there’s the case with Nurse Z who complained to me this weekend about the silence imposed on everyone because of the strict Alberta Health Services code of conduct – will you immedi- ately call a public inquiry? Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr. Speaker, in this case I think she referred to a nurse. I would encourage that nurse to get in touch with the Health Quality Council. They can also get in touch with CARNA or any other organization if they wish.

The point here is that there is a process in place where all of these suggestions or points can be made, and that process is to contact the Health Quality Council of Alberta, a credible, knowledgeable, and very skilled organization. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-McCall, followed by the hon. Member for St. Albert. Fort McMurray Apartment Evacuations Mr. Kang: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Over the weekend more than 300 people were evacuated from several apartment buildings in Fort McMurray after engineers found the buildings unsafe.

Albe r- tans have a long list of complaints when it comes to oversight of the construction industry. To the Minister of Service Alberta: b e- ginning with the home inspections can the minister explain what interests continue to delay action on this issue 18 months after Service Alberta announced it was consulting with the stak e- holders? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Danyluk: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. This is a ser i- ous situation, and the regional municipality of Wood Buffalo has taken action in the interest of safety.

There are multiple legal i s- sues involved, and I will take this under advisement and refer it to the Minister of Municipal Affairs. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Kang: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Albertans are hurting out there, and the government is so slow taking any action about the plight of Albertans. To the minister again: with the Alberta eco n- omy heating up, when can Albertans expect the minister to finally put forward amendments to the Fair Trading Act to give some protection from shoddy workmanship? Mr. Danyluk: Well, Mr.

Speaker, the independent municipalities are responsible for, I guess, the e nforcement of the safety codes. There’s no doubt that the safety codes and building codes are brought forward by this government, but municipalities are r e- sponsible for making sure that those safety codes and building codes are implemented. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Kang: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. All those codes are inade- quate, and we should have some uniformity there and some enforcement in the building codes.

To the minister again: given that in the Fort McMurray episode the condominium association had to shoulder the costs of the inspections, can the minister tell us when we might expect some results from the long -running Con- dominium Property Act review? Mr. Danyluk: Well, Mr. Speaker, first of all, I want to say that as far as building codes and s afety codes, they are being readjusted all the time and being updated, and the hon. member has an oppor- tunity for input. The Speaker: The hon. Member for St. Albert, followed by the hon. Member for Edmonton-Centre. Métis Settlements Land Tenure Mr.

Allred: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In 1990 the government of Alberta passed the Metis Settlements Act, giving the Métis settle- ments a form of self -government. The legislation also established a unique form of communal land tenure on the Métis settlements.

March 14, 2011 Alberta Hansard 325 Unfortunately, this communal land tenure does not allow for the land to be mortgaged. To the minister of aboriginal affairs: has the effect of this legislation been reviewed by the Métis settlements and/or your department? Mr. Webber: Well, thank you, hon. member, for that interesting question. I can say that yes, absolutely, the legislation effects have been reviewed by the Métis settlements, and it was done a number of years ago.

They did submit a business case to the government back in 2007, which did recognize s ome of the challenges that they face with the current Métis land structure, but the business case, Mr. Speaker, also identified a number of options to deal with these challenges, including investment through land planning and creating long-term land leases. 2:40 The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Allred: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Given that the noted econ- omist Hernando de Soto has posited that citizens need to have title that they can leverage by way of mortgages in order to establish themselves economically i n society, does the hon. minister feel that the Métis settlement system of land tenure is viable to esta b- lish self-reliant communities in the Métis settlements? Mr. Webber: Mr. Speaker, the Metis Settlements Act does have the ability for them to develop an d carry out policies that will contribute to self -reliance.

I can tell you that the settlements did insist on the current land structure when the legislation was passed back in 1990. Over the years the settlements have remained co n- sistent in wanting their land secured the way it is for their future generations. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Allred: Thank you. Given that the Metis Settlements Act has been in place for 20 years now and the original monetary settl e- ment has been extended for three years, when does the minister think that the Métis settlements will become self-sustaining? Mr. Webber: Well, Mr.

Speaker, first I need to clarify that the original funding agreement ended in 2007. We entered into a tra n- sitional funding agreement in 2008, which provided an additional $18 million over three years, and it does come to its scheduled end here this month. In regard to the hon. member’s question on self - sustainability the settlements have made a lot of progress since the legislation came into effect, bu t like any local government each settlement is at a different level of achieving its goals. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Centre , followed by the hon. Member for Leduc-Beaumont-Devon.

Abandoned Wells Ms Blakeman: Thanks very much, Mr. Speaker. This government talks big when it comes to the oil and gas industry covering the costs of cleanup after development, but collecting $12 million this year to cover the cost of cleaning up abandoned or orphaned wells and $820 million for the life of the fund for reclaiming the oil sands simply won’t cover it. To the Minister of Environment: when the government has collected only $12,000 per hectare from industry to pay for a cleanup that will actually cost closer to $150,000 per hectare, why is the taxpayer inevitably on the hook? Mr. Renner: Mr.

Speaker, let’s be very clear. It is the industry who is on the hook to do the cleanup. The funds that the member refers to are only contingency funds in case the circumstance should arise that the industry that creat ed the disturbance is no longer economically viable. That is by far the exception, not the rule. Ms Blakeman: Sorry. The bottom line is that the buck stops with the taxpayers if there’s no oil company to cover it.

Still to the minister: why won’t the minister require companies to put up the cash for cleanup at the start of a project with the opportunity for top-ups as the project expands instead of allowing oil sands companies to push payments to the end of the life of the project? That increases the risk and the liability for taxpayers if the companies go bankrupt or walk away. Mr. Renner: Mr. Speaker, I’m a little confused. I don’t know if the member is referring to oil sands development or oil and gas well development. Ms Blakeman: Both. Mr. Renner: Well, she says both, Mr. Speaker.

Unfortunately, there are two sets of rules, so I can’t answer the question in the way that it was asked. I will say that we have been developing a very robust new revised regime for mine liability. I announced last week t hat we would be coming forward with the details, and I encourage the member to stay tuned because it should be later this week. The Speaker: The hon. member, please. Ms Blakeman: Thanks. The final question is to the Minister of Energy.

Why did the minister give cleanup of the environment no consideration at all when developing the oil sands progressive reclamation strategy, proposing virtually no payment from the oil sands sector for reclamation until the end of the life of the project, where they can determine when the end of the life is? Mr. Renner: Mr. Speaker, the program that the member refers to was developed by Alberta Environment, and that’s the program that I referenced earlier.

Despite the fact that the opposition felt it necessary to release the d ocuments in advance of our scheduled announcement, the announcement is still scheduled, and it will be later this week. I encourage the member to come and get all of the details. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Leduc -Beaumont-Devon, followed by the hon. Member for Calgary-Varsity. School Construction in Beaumont Mr. Rogers: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The town of Beaumont is one of the fastest growing communities in Canada, with about 25 to 30 per cent of the population being of school age. The schools are bursting at the seams.

To the Minister of Education: why was nothing included in this year’s budget to rectify this situation, and when can the parents and the students of Beaumont expect some relief? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Hancock: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. There are a number of communities across this provinc e which are suffering from the same issue. That’s a wonderful issue to suffer from. It’s an issue of growth, it’s an issue of people wanting to come to this province and work in this province because of the good opportunities here, and it’s an issue of peo ple having their families and raising their

326 Alberta Hansard March 14, 2011 families in Alberta. The fact of the matter is that the capital spen d- ing for a new school in Beaumont wouldn’t hit the actual budget for two years out or three years out. We’re working on the issue with respect t o the capital plan. We hope to be able to do some things which will help communities like . . . The Speaker: The hon. member now, please. Mr. Rogers: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the minister: thank you for that answer. It’s encouraging, Mr.

Minister, that you sug- gest that there may be some relief coming in the near future on the capital side, but assuming that an announcement is sometime soon, nothing would start for three to five years. What is your department doing to work with St. Thomas Aquinas and Black Gold schools to mitigate the current overcrowding? Mr. Hancock: Actually, Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member knows, I’ve met with both of those jurisdictions on a number of occasions over the past year to discuss the issue. We have moved forward in approving STAR, St.

Thomas Aquinas Roman Catholic, to move ahead to lease space, not the best space possible but at least where they can start a school in Beaumont and have some accommod a- tion for students. We’re working with the Black Gold board to acquire more modulars so that they can deal with their population growth. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Rogers: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I do thank you for that, Mr. Minister, on behalf of the parents of Beaumont.

That tempo- rary school really has made a big difference in the community, but with the growth that is going on not only in Beaumont but in L e- duc and many other parts of the area that I represent, how can the parents be assured that this situation will not occur again in the future? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Hancock: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

In the Department of Edu- cation we have some very good people who have developed with help a very strong demographic modelling tool which allows us to work with school boards to predict growth in student population, to take a look at where we need the new schools, where the growth is going to be, where the student spaces are needed. We also have in our capital development department a group that works with school boards in regions to do value reviews to see how we can make the best use of the public space that’s available regardless of what school board owns it.

We can do appropriate planning to determine what we need to do with respect to improvement of schools that we already have and where we need to build new. There’s a consider- able amount of work that’s happened and considerably more work now in terms of how we finance and build. The Speaker: Hon. members, that now concludes Oral Question Period for today. Seventeen members were recognized. There were 102 questions and responses.

Because of the time and the requirements of our standing orders and the 3 o’clock situation, we are going to move forward imm e- diately now with Members’ Statements, and I’m going to call on first of all the hon. Member for Bonnyville-Cold Lake. Mr. Hancock: Mr. Speaker, rather than interrupt a speaker while they’re speaking in Members’ Statements, I wonder if it might be appropriate now to ask for unanimous consent to waive the stand- ing order and allow the Routine to move past 3 p.m. The Speaker: I can certainly do that.

The request is that we allow the Routine to move beyond 3 o’clock p.m., and I’ll ask it in such a way: if any member is opposed, please say no. Is any member opposed? Okay. [Unanimous consent granted] head: Members’ Statements The Speaker: Hon. members, we have received on behalf of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta a message from Her Majesty the Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, a message for dispersal this Commonwealth Day titled Women: Agents of Change! I now would like to invite the hon.

Member for Bonnyville -Cold Lake, Alberta’s representative on Canadian Women Parliamentarians, to present Her Majesty’s message as part of her member’s statement today. Commonwealth Day Message from the Queen Mrs. Leskiw: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last week, on the 8th of March, we marked the hundredth ann i- versary of the first International Women’s Day. The idea of having a women’s day was first proposed against the backdrop of the rapid industrialisation in the early twentieth century. From small beginnings, this idea has grown to become a widely recognised way of celebrating women around the world.

While some people use this day to acknowledge the love, admiration and respect for women, others use it to remember the great s o- cial and political strides made both by and for women in the last hundred years. There is no right or wrong approach. [Mr. Mitzel in the chair] In the Commonwealth, every year, 26 million girls are born; and this equates to one new baby girl arriving alm ost every second of every day. In the time it takes to hold the Commonwealth Observance Service at Westminster Abbey, nearly four thousand girls will have been born in Commo n- wealth lands.

And every one of these births marks the start of a new life, a journey which begins with the hopes of parents, fam- ilies and communities, and which is continued through the aspirations of those girls themselves. 2:50 This year, the Commonwealth celebrates the important role that women already play in every walk of life and in every Commonwealth country – from the richest to the poorest areas, across continents and oceans, from villages to places of intern a- tional debate, in every culture and faith – recognising that women are “agents of change” in so many ways: as mothers and sisters, teachers and doctors, artists and craftspeople, smallhold- ers and entrepreneurs, and as leaders of our societies, unleashing the potential of those around them.

And also this year, the Commonwealth reflects on what more could be achieved if women were able to play an even larger role. For example, I am encouraged that last year the Commonwealth launched a global effort to train and support half a million more midwives worldwide. In all this work the commendable goal is to create a greater opportu nity for women as children and adults to pursue their hopes and dreams, to a t- tain their goals, and to make best use of their talents and knowledge. Thank you. Health Care System Public Inquiry Request Mr.

Hehr: Trust, accountability, and openness are absolutely vital to Canadian democracy. When a government loses the confidence

March 14, 2011 Alberta Hansard 327 of its people, when citizens take everything the government says with a huge grain of salt, our entire society suffers. This gover n- ment’s mismanagement of public health care and its ham -handed approach to criticism from health care professionals at the heart of the system have shaken people’s trust and confidence. That’s why on Friday representatives of all opposition parties as well as the hon. Member for Edmonton-Meadowlark issued a joint call for a full public inquiry, an independent inquiry with full pr o- tection for witnesses, led by a justice of the Crown.

This unprecedented step was taken because of startling new sugges- tions that at least one doctor was intimidated into keeping quiet about problems in health care delivery. If there is even a grain of truth in these allegations, then we must get to the bottom of the affair and any others that have yet to come to light. It’s time to clear the air. It’s time to stop intimidating doctors. It’s time to learn the full sordid truth about this government’s mismanagement of health care and its alleged attempts to cover up this mismanagement.

I urge this government to leave a legacy it can be proud of, to allow a full public inquiry free of government censorship and interference so that Albertans can regain their trust in government and so that our health care professionals can finally feel free to speak out about the challenge they face in properly treating their patients. It’s the right thing to do. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Acting Speaker: The hon. Member for Strathcona. National Social Work Week Mr. Quest: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I’m pleased to rise today in recognition of National Social Work Week, which celebrates an important profession with a long history of commitment to i m- proving the well -being of people in our province. Social workers help people facing some of the most difficult and challenging circumstances of their lives, assist f amilies in need, and reach out to others facing social, health, and financial problems. They pr o- vide counselling, advice, and support for people who want to better their situation. This year’s National Social Work Week theme is Social Workers for Dignity a nd Inclusion: Upholding Human Rights.

In promoting human rights and inclusion, social workers help to improve the dignity and well -being of all. Social workers ensure that children and youth are kept safe, that people with disabilities receive assistance, and that families receive the support they need to be strong and to stay together. Alberta is privileged to have skilled and dedicated professionals delivering programs and services to our children and families. Thank you to all of those who are in this honourable profession and who undertake the task of working with our most vulnerable.

I encourage all members to take the time this week to recognize the important contribution social workers make to the lives of all Albertans. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Acting Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-Montrose. Vulnerable Infant Response Team Mr. Bhullar: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. A sad reality in our world is that an increasing number of vulnerable infants are coming to the attention of Calgary and area child and family ser- vices authorities each month because of neglect or abuse. We must deal with such circumstances proactively, before a precious child suffers.

We must aim to keep families together. That’s why I’m very pleased that this past Friday the Minister of Children and Youth Services announced a new Alberta Vulne r- able Infant Response Team in Calgary.

This new, $1 million initiative is a team of child and family services caseworkers, pu b- lic health nurses, and a Calgary police officer working closely together to assess families with vulnerable babies, develop safety plans, and provide immediate and strong supports to families be- fore a crisis occurs. [The Speaker in the chair] Depending on the challenges a family faces, supports may include addictions or family violence counselling and access to mental health care. Mr.

Speaker, through this initiative at-risk parents will get the assistance they need early on so they are able to provide a safe and nurturing home environment for their child. T he new A l- berta Vulnerable Infant Response Team will help at -risk parents with challenging life situations learn parenting and coping skills to keep babies safe and well cared for and families together. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Calder. Community Initiatives Program Mr. Elniski: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Churchill said that the loudest sound he usually heard was that of axes grinding.

We live in a noisy world, and we work in noisy places. All the noise, how- ever unpleasant, cannot drown out the sound of the good such as the sounds of a senior with Alzheimer’s clapping her hands to a long-forgotten song played on a new baby grand piano or the cheering of a gymnasium full of junior high students celebrating the work of the ir principal and teachers in getting them a new workout centre. These are the sounds and the joys of small yet mighty community initiatives program grants. Each of the two groups I talked about used roughly $16,000 in grant money to make a big difference.

In the first example the Rotary Club of Edmonton West raised $32,000 for a baby grand piano for the Grandview seniors’ home in the Edmonton- Riverview constituency. I’m told that Senator Tommy Banks has offered to christen the piano and that the hon. Membe r for Edmonton-Riverview has offered to sing the opening song. I look forward to being there as it should be a night to remember. Spruce Avenue school principal and former Edmonton Eskimo Chris Morris raised a similar sum to turn part of his school’s stage into a fitness centre. Spruce Avenue school is in my constituency of Edmonton-Calder.

The fitness equipment supplier sold the school a fully refurbished workout centre, exactly the same equipment he sells to the football team. It’s high-quality stuff. If it stands up to the players, it should last a long time in a junior high. So to groups like the Rotary Club of Edmonton West, the down- town Rotary, the staff and parents of Spruce Avenue school, thank you for your foresight, your creativity, and efficiency in making these things happen. I have listed but two of hundreds of small expenditures that make big differences.

You have in your own way made life a better thing for those close to and around you. It didn’t cost much, but it is worth a great deal. Thank you. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Mill Woods. Community Facility Enhancement Program Mr. Benito: Thank you very mu ch, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to recognize an outstanding program and speak to how it benefited

328 Alberta Hansard March 14, 2011 the constituents in my constituency of Edmonton- Mill Woods . The Ministry of Culture and Community Spirit established the community facility enhancement program to help foster the unique characteristics of Alberta’s many communities. This pr o- gram has been designed to respond to local facility enhancement needs and to work in partnership with community groups and volunteers.

The community facility enhancement program assists communi- ties with the construction, renovation, or redevelopment of community public -use facilities and is designed to help enhance the quality of life in communities across the province. Mr. Speaker, two Saturdays ago I was able to see first-hand how the community facility enhancement program benefits local co m- munities. In my constituency I was able to present a cheque for $125,000 to the Ghana Friendship Association for the purchase of a community centre.

The cheque presentation coincided with the 54th anniversary of Ghana’s Independence Day, Edmonton’s Ghana Week, and it saw a large number of Ghanaians and me m- bers of the African community on hand. I feel that this $125,000 cheque for the purchase of the community centre will make Mill Woods a better place to live and raise a family. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. The Speaker: The hon. Member for West Yellowhead. 3:00 Firefighters at Robb Gas Well Blowout Mr. Campbell: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to rise today to acknowledge the events which happened at the Husky natural gas well near Robb last Monday.

In an unfortunate incident 11 wor k- ers, including four firefighters, were injured due to a flash fire caused by fracking operations at the well. The firefighters showed great courage in their battle to contain the blaze as they fought to extinguish the flames and rescue injured individuals despite suf- fering burns to their hands and faces. These firefighters were employees of HSE Integrated, an indus- trial safety services firm, and the compan y president, David Yager, stated: “Every single one of our firefighters came out with another injured worker. They’re heroes.” Mr.

Speaker, I’m pleased to say that our government is commit- ted to ensuring that these firefighters and all firefighters injured on the job have the best care. The burn unit at the University of A l- berta hospital is among the best in the world, and I’m sure these four firefighters will receive unparalleled treatment through the duration of their stay. While the names of these inju red firefighters have not been yet released, I commend them for their valour and courage, and I wish them the very best in their recovery. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. head: Notices of Motions The Speaker: The hon.

Member for Edmonton-Centre. Ms Blakeman: Yes, Mr. Speaker. At this point I’d like to give oral notice of a Standing Order 30 request, and I have the appropriate number of copies to be distributed. The request is that we would suspend the ordinary business of the Assembly to discuss a matter of u rgent public importance; namely, the new evidence that has surfaced demonstrating that the government silenced critics of the health care system, thereby contributing to the crisis in Alberta’s health care and undermining confidence in public health care. Thank you. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Airdrie-Chestermere.

Mr. Anderson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Under Standing Order 30 I’d like to serve notice that the ordinary business of the Legislative Assembly be adjourned to discuss a matter of urgent publi c importance; namely, that given the willingness of multiple health professionals to now come forward under the protection of a full and independent public inquiry, the need for the government to immediately a p- point a commission under the Public Inquiries Act to investigate allegations that health care professionals may have been intim i- dated or faced the loss of employment or professional certification or had their character or mental health questioned unfairly in order to prevent them from speaking out pub licly about deficiencies in the delivery of health care such as exces- sive wait times for cancer surgeries, leading in a number of cases to unnecessary death, and, further, that individuals may have received payments from public health authorities in e x- change for their silence.

I have the requisite table copies. head: Introduction of Bills The Speaker: The President of the Treasury Board and Minister of Finance and Enterprise. Bill 13 Appropriation (Interim Supply) Act, 2011 Mr. Snelgrove: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I request leave to intr o- duce Bill 13, the Appropriation (Interim Supply) Act, 2011. This being a money bill, His Honour the Honourable the Lieutenant Governor, having been informed of the contents of this bill, re c- ommends the same to the Assembly. [Motion carried; Bill 13 read a first time] The Speaker: The hon. Member for Grande Prairie-Wapiti.

Bill 14 Wills and Succession Amendment Act, 2011 Mr. Drysdale: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to request leave to introduce first r eading of Bill 14, the Wills and Succe s- sion Amendment Act, 2011. The Wills and Succession Act governs how and to whom prop- erty is transferred when a person dies. Bill 14 will amend this legislation to clarify that the new court powers to validate or co r- rect wills may only be exercised in respect of wills of those who die after the act comes into force.

This amendment corrects an issue in the original act which seems to allow correction powers such as the power to rectify a will by adding words that were mi s- takenly omitted to apply to wills of people who are already dead. We want to avoid uncertainty and to avoid costs or delays caused by people trying to open closed matters or hold up administration of estates. Thank you. [Motion carried; Bill 14 read a first time] The Speaker: The hon. Government House Leader. Mr. Hancock: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I move that Bill 14 be moved onto the Order Paper under Government Bills and Orders. [Motion carried] The Speaker: The hon. Solicitor General and Minister of Publ ic Security.

March 14, 2011 Alberta Hansard 329 Bill 15 Victims of Crime Amendment Act, 2011 Mr. Oberle: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise and request leave to introduce a bill being Bill 15, the Victims of Crime Amendment Act, 2011. Mr. Speaker, this bill seeks to amend the Victims of Crime Act, hence the crafty name. We hope to ensure that the services we provide in Alberta to victims of crime are both timely and fair. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. [Motion carried; Bill 15 read a first time] head: Tabling Returns and Reports The Speaker: I have down here the hon. Member for Calgary - Mountain View. Is there a tabling? Hon.

Member for Lethbridge- East, proceed. Ms Pastoor: Yes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will be tabling on behalf of my colleague the Member for Calgary -Mountain View, Leader of the Official Opposition. These are actually tablings from last week that had been corrected. It’s the five copies of a letter concerning gender reassignment. Nine letters are from physicians who are again asking why there’s going to be a cut in the physician support programs. Thank you. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-Varsity. Mr. Chase: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am tabling e -mails from the following individuals concerned about block cutting, othe r- wise known as clear -cutting, in the Castle wilder ness: Roger Gagne, Larry Semchuk, Julie Walker, Katrina Kellner, Richard Collier, Annette Le Faive, Timothy Petkau, Lisa Hurst, Sean Willis, Joan Poulsen, Morris Prokop, Margaret Roberts, Rebecca Hohnsbein, Debra Bornhuse, Wendy Francis, Catherine Diebel, Adrian Thysse, Jeremy Derksen, Leanne Silva, Daniel Rudy, Elaine Roberts, Gene Oleksin, Robert Reeves, Terry Hrudey, and Dorothy Tovell. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Highlands - Norwood. Mr.

Mason: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I have two sets of tablings today. The first is a letter to the Premier that was sent to him today, signed by the hon. Leader of the Official Opposition, the leader of the Wildrose Alliance Party, the House leader of the A l- berta Party, the MLA for Edmonton-Meadowlark as well as myself, leader of the NDP opposition. The letter calls for a public inquiry, and it goes on to say that the Health Quality Council cannot compel witnesses to testify nor require evidence be produced and lacks power to overrule non -disclosure agreements.

It does not have sufficient independence from government, or sufficient separation from the medical establishment. My second set of tablings, Mr. Speaker, is a series of documents outlining the public statements of the Premier. The first one, fr om March 9, is entitled Premier Rejects Health Inquiry. The second one, from March 11, reads: Health Inquiry Ordered. Finally, on March 14 it says that the Premier quashes inquiry calls. I’m ex- pecting another one in a few days. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Strathcona. Ms Notley: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I’d like to table the appr o- priate number of copies of a poll recently released regarding the future of the Castle special management area. The poll finds that over 85 per cent of Lethbridge and C oaldale residents oppose logging in the Castle special management area west of Pincher Creek. A similarly overwhelming majority instead support the establishment of a wildland park, and 94 per cent of residents favour protection of the Castle watershed and wildlife habitat over recreational use. The Legislature, therefore, ought to act to protect this special area. Thank you. 3:10 The Speaker: The hon.

Member for Edmonton-Meadowlark. Dr. Sherman: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table three sepa- rate tablings. The first is a letter dated September 10, 1999. It’s on Capital health letterhead. It’s about a physician who had a conflict with the hospital administration over patients suffering and dying in emergency rooms. It’s a notice under the Trespass to Pre mises Act for the physician not to attend the hospital facilities anymore. My second tabling is a letter dated September 14, 1999. It’s on Capital health letterhead.

It’s about that same physician and his privileges being brought into question, and it’s s igned by an e x- ecutive vice-president and chief clinical officer of Capital health, also the associate dean of clinical affairs for the Faculty of Med i- cine & Dentistry. Then I have a third tabling dated June 5, 2000. It’s from the deputy registrar of the C ollege of Physicians and Surgeons about the said physician in question, saying that there is “no negative entry in your personal file at the College offices. You are in good standing at this time,” and you’re free to practise medicine.

There are no impedim ents based on competency or mental health issues. Mr. Speaker, that physician is this current member of the Legislature. Thank you. The Speaker: Are there others? Calgary-Fish Creek. Mrs. Forsyth: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ll be tabling a letter that I got from Dr. Y and that I referred to in my questions in question period, where he said: There are so many of us, wanting to do the right thing for patients, but who are working in fear of retribution if we speak out.

I have direct knowledge of several health professionals, who were negatively impacted by their efforts to advocate for better healthcare. They were silenced or worked out, or discred- ited, one after the other. I have also been . . . impacted by this “muzzling of physicians voices”, and this “culture of silence” was simply reinforced. Anyone questioning the status quo would be “dealt with” rapidly and effectively. He goes on: “Our moral distress continues . . .” The Speaker: Hon. member, table the letter. It is not necessary to read the whole letter. The hon. Minister of Health and Wellness. Mr.

Zwozdesky: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. It is my pleasure to rise and table with you the appropriate number of cop- ies in follow-up to an answer I gave during question period earlier today. It’s basically my letter to Dr. Tyrrell, chair of the Health Quality Council of Alberta, in which I am asking them to do an independent review and “determine, to the extent possible, the impact of wait times on a group of emergency department patients identified by emergency department physicians, and others.” The letter goes on similarly with respect to the impact of wait times on

330 Alberta Hansard March 14, 2011 cancer patients. This, again, will be a fully public document once they finish their review. Thank you. The Speaker: Okay. Thank you. head: Tablings to the Clerk The Clerk: I wish to advise the House that the following doc u- ments were deposited with the office of the Clerk. On behalf of the hon. Mr. Stelmach, Premier, a partial transcript dated March 9, 2011, from the Rutherford show, CHQR/CHED radio, with guest Dr. John Cowell, Health Quality Council, with attached 630 CHED web page dated March 9, 2011. On behalf of the hon. Mr.

Hayden, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, pursuant to the Livestock Identification and Commerce Act the Livestock Identification Services Ltd. su m- mary of activities April 1, 2009, to March 31, 2010, fiscal year 2010, with attached financial statements dated March 31, 2010. On behalf of Dr. Sherman, hon. Member for Edmonton- Meadowlark, Court of Queen’s Bench amended statement of claim dated August 27, 2002, between Dr. Ciaran J. McNamee and Ciaran J. McNamee Professional Corporation, plaintiffs, and the University of Alberta hospital, Capital health authority, and Dr. Robert Bear and Dr.

Tim Winton, defendants. The Speaker: Hon. members, we also have three points of order to deal with. The first one is from the hon. Government House Leader, who rose on a point of order. The hon. Government House Leader. Point of Order Parliamentary Language Mr. Hancock: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier today during question period the Leader of the Official Opposition was very intemperate with his remarks on a number of occasions, as he has been both in and outside the House.

Specifically, I would raise a point of order under 23(j), “uses abusive or insulting language of a nature likely to create disorder,” and (l), “introduces any matter in debate that offends the practices and precedents of the Assembly.” I would also draw the Speaker’s attention to a number of cit a- tions in Beauchesne’s, referencing at least one of the statements that was made by the member, where he talks about: “come clean about your government’s dishonesty and incompetence by disclos- ing all cases,” et cetera. Now, Mr.

Speaker, it is parliamentary pr actice to ask questions and even to be aggressive in asking questions, but under Bea u- chesne’s 409(7) at page 121 “a question must adhere to the proprieties of the House, in terms of inferences, imputing motives or casting aspersions upon persons within the House or out of it.” Beauchesne’s 411: it must not be hypothetical and be only in rel a- tion to current portfolios; it must not reflect on character. The short of it is that as parliamentarians there’s a duty on us to act in the public interest, and that in cludes letting the public know.

That’s 410(4), that I was going to cite. “In the view of the watc h- ing public, decorum is of importance.” It is absolutely inappropriate to use language alleging disho n- esty and corruption except in one very, very important circumstance, and that is the circumstance where you’re prepared to bring evidence to show it. In that case it’s appropriate to have that referred to the appropriate officer of the House or to the po- lice for investigation.

But if you do not have evidence of dishonesty or corruption, it is absolutely without the proprieties of the House to use that language to describe members or a collective of members in this House. The hon. member today offended that propriety with his language. Mr. Speaker, I raise this as a point of order because it is impor- tant. We’ve talked about this on a number of occasions in the past. We can disagree on important matters of public policy and on issues important to the public without being disagreeable, and in fact we have an obligation to do so.

If we cannot engage in this House in appropriate levels of public discourse and exchange of ideas and viewpoints without rancour and without allegation and without bringing in accusations about other members, what kind of an example are we s etting for the discussion of public policy in this province? This is a very important role that we have. It’s important that we carry out this role with a sense of dignity and decorum, as befits this House, and I would ask you to ask the hon. member to apol o- gize for his offensive language. The Speaker: The hon. Opposition House Leader. Ms Blakeman: Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker. I do rise at this time to refute that there is a point of order in this particular instance. Now, I’m going to take it that the Government House Leader was referring specifically to the one phrase that he put on the r e- cord, that had been uttered by the Leader of the Official Opposition.

I agree with him that there are many times where we can find language to disagree with each other in this House, but I will say that over a prolonged period of observation, especially in this session but going back several years, there is a movement on behalf of members of the government that genuine questions, backed up by proof of any kind that you wish, are asked by any member of the opposition, and they are met with, generally, a denial, then a trivialization of the issue, and then some sort of insult about the intelligence of the person asking the question or their ability to comprehend the i ssue or the problem at hand or some other offhandedness.

So the respect in this House, for both sides, has been disintegrating for some time. That tone does get set, and it does get set by the government members. 3:20 Now, we have had a particularly spirited discussion back and forth about the need to have an inquiry to investigate the issues that have been brought up around the deaths of the 322 people in emergency care and various forms of care. What we have had from the government is: “Well, we don ’t answer these questions.

I’m not the minister any longer, so I’m not going to answer that question.” Or the administration says, “That was then; this is now; that’s not our problem” as though it were somehow a different government that was in charge, and that’s simply not true. From the position of the oppositions in this House and, parti c- ularly, the Official Opposition we have to try a little harder, yell a little louder, and dig a little deeper to try and get the inform a- tion out.

In fact, I believe tha t when the Leader of the Official Opposition talked about coming clean and about dishonesty, we have one that has been presented with proof, and that is that we’ve had a doctor who was in fact chased out of the province, lost their licence, lost their priv ileges. There was a deal made – and that has been brought on the public record – and there was a payment. If there was nothing wrong – I’ve never seen the go v- ernment move with such alacrity to settle something as they did in that particular case.

So proof is on CBC and on their website and now in a number of other media. [interjection] Well, there are interviews with the

March 14, 2011 Alberta Hansard 331 individual, and if you don’t want to listen to the interviews, I can’t help you. But it’s certainly public reference. It’s certainly avai l- able from a number of places. If the government wants to argue about how much proof is enough, okay. We can have that arg u- ment. But you said, “Prove that this has happened,” and that proof has stepped forward in public, on the record. To say that the government was dishonest in saying, “This has never happened; it’s not our problem; we’ve never heard of this,” yes, I think that a person on the street would see that as dishonest.

We have had a number of high-profile medical personnel who’ve left their positions, Mr. Speaker. We’ve had four medical officers of health in the Edmonton region, the previous head of the Provi n- cial Laboratory of Public Health. We’ve had a medical officer of health with Palliser, who is now known as the Leader of the Off i- cial Opposition. We’ve had Dr. O’Connor, a physician for the Fort Chip area, where the government asked both the college and the AMA to review his record.

So right there are a number of exa m- ples where we have brought forward or the individuals have brought forward t hat there was an issue, and we can’t get any information from the government. As far as whether or not the language should have been used, it has to be looked at in context, Mr. Speaker, as you have well ad- vised us many times. As I reviewed the citations that were made by the member and that appear for us in House of Commons Pro- cedure and Practice, clearly there are examples where on language and decorum the deciding factor is: did it create disorder in the Chamber?

Through that question period there were a num- ber of times that disorder was created, and I cannot say that that particular time was the largest disorder. I think, in fact, it was one of the smaller disorders. I can give the Speaker 619 as that particu- lar quote and also, on the previous page unde r 618, a ruling on the basis of the context in which the language was used.

I would respectfully argue back to my colleague that he b e- lieved at the time that he used it – he probably still believes it – that that particular choice of language was in order based on what we have seen and that that was an appropriate choice of language for that time. It’s not hypothetical in this case, which was quoted using 411(5). This is not a hypothetical case anymore. It’s not. And that’s what keeps happening to the opposition. We bring issues up, we’re pooh-poohed by the government, and then we’re able to back it up. This is another example. We’ve backed it up. You asked us for evidence.

We provided the evidence. Now the evidence isn’t good enough; that’s not the language that we should use to present it. Thank you very much for the opportunity to speak, but I do deny that there is a point of order in the context of what was said today and in the context of the larger question period. Thank you. The Speaker: The hon. Minister of Health and Wellness. Mr. Zwozdesky: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I want to support what the hon.

House leader on our side has said, and I want to draw some clarity to the issue in terms of some of the allegations and some of the references t hat were just made by the previous speaker. I don’t think there’s anyone in this House or anyone out there who would not understand the difference between an allegation and truth. I don’t think there’s anybody who would not understand the difference betwe en a statement of claim, which is a statement from one particular party’s interests and from one particular party’s side of the argument, and what a statement of defence would be.

The fact is that some of the issues they’ve dealt with seem to fuzzy the issue. They don’t provide any clarity. What the hon. member on the opposition side did today is, in my view, a point of order. I would hope that you will find in that respect. But let’s not start dragging in all kinds of other issues to do with clinical skills or practices in medicine that do or don’t apply in this case. Let’s stick to the point of order. I’m hoping you’ll find that there wasn’t one. We’ll have ample time perhaps, if the vote goes a certain way, to discuss some of the other issues that this member wishes to raise.

Until then, let’s get back onto the business of the House. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton- Meadowlark on this point of order. Dr. Sherman: Mr. Speaker, thank you. Having taught medicine and law to medical students for year s and having served as an expert witness many times on medical lawsuits, lawsuits are set- tled three ways. Either the person drops the action, or they go to court, or it’s settled. In that particular action Dr. McNamee is u n- able to speak. The action, therefore, I assume, is settled. The Speaker: Hon. member, there were no names mentioned in the point of order before us.

Let’s stay on the point of order. Are you continuing on the point of order? No names mentioned. Dr. Sherman: My apologies. With respect to the evidence that was produced in the statement of claim, with Dr. McNamee not being able to speak openly, there are certain allegations . . . The Speaker: Please sit down. Okay? I think we’ll move on if you don’t mind. Who else would like to participate on this point of order? We’ve got all afternoon. The hon. Member for Edmonton-Riverview . Don’t hold back. We’re dealing with a point of order. Dr.

Taft: On the point of order, if there was no evidence, then why did the government pay a settlement? The Speaker: Anybody else want to participate? No? Well, okay. Here’s what happened, just so that everybody can remember, because it’s important to get back to the point. The hon. Leader of the Official Opposition is already par tway through his answer, but I think these are the words that caused the hon. Government House Leader to rise.

Are you willing, then, to come clean about your government’s dishonesty and incompetence by disclosing all cases where the government, Alberta Health Services, regional health authorities paid any form of compensation to people for their silence? Are you willing, sir? I do believe that it was at that point the hon. Government House Leader rose and dealt with this matter. Now, it’s very, very clear that in our rules – and they’ve been commented on by various speakers in here already this afternoon – you cannot say that deliberately about any individual member.

We have a situation here where it was not really deliberate to one particular member, but the comment was about “your gover n- ment’s dishonesty and incompetence,” so clearly some people could make the argument that you are making a direct accusation against another member. 3:30 I’m going to just read again because it’s kind of important for us to be reminded of these things: page 618,

chapter 13, Rules of Order and Decorum, House of Commons Procedure and Practice , second edition, 2009, under Unp

Document details

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Citation	20110314
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