No. 30/2008

House of Assembly

Province of Newfoundland & Labrador

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1st Session – 46th General Assembly

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Thursday, May 22, 2008

 

ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS

(a)    Statements by Members

(b)    Statements by Ministers

(c)    Oral Questions

(d)    Presenting Reports by Standing and Select Committees

(e)    Tabling of Documents

(f)    Notices of Motion

(g)    Answers to questions for which notice has been given

(h)    Petitions

ORDERS OF THE DAY

1. C Committee of Supply

 

2. C Address in Reply

 

3. C Concurrence Motions C

        (a)    Resource Committee

        (b)    Social Services Committee

        (c)    Government Services Committee

 

Second Reading Bills

 

4. C Second Reading of a Bill C AAn Act Respecting Registered Nurses@. (Bill No. 3)

                                                                (Health and Community Services)

 

5. C Second Reading of a Bill C AAn Act To Provide For The Protection Of Personal Health Information”. (Bill No. 7)                          (Health and Community Services)

 

6. C Second Reading of a Bill C AAn Act To Amend The Members Of The House Of Assembly Retiring Allowances Act, The Provincial Court Judges' Pension Plan Act, The Public Service Pensions Act, 1991, The Teachers' Pensions Act And The Uniformed Services Pensions Act, 1991@. (Bill No. 20)           (Adjourned)                                (Finance and President of Treasury Board)

 

7. C Second Reading of a Bill C AAn Act To Amend The Legal Aid Act”. (Bill No. 29)

                        (Adjourned)                        (Justice and Attorney General)

 

8. C Second Reading of a Bill C AAn Act To Amend The Partnership Act”. (Bill No. 30)

                                                                                     (Justice and Attorney General)

 

9. C Second Reading of a Bill C AAn Act To Amend The Provincial Court Act, 1991”. (Bill No. 31)                                                           (Justice and Attorney General)

 

10. C Second Reading of a Bill C AAn Act To Amend The House Of Assembly Accountability, Integrity And Administration Act”. (Bill No. 32)                        (Government House Leader)

 

11. C Second Reading of a Bill C AAn Act To Amend The Child and Youth Advocate Act”. (Bill No. 33)                                                    (Government House Leader)

 

12. C Second Reading of a Bill C AAn Act To Amend The Judicature Act”. (Bill No. 34)

                                                                (Justice and Attorney General)

 

MOTIONS

 

1. C THE HONOURABLE THE MINISTER OF FINANCE AND PRESIDENT OF TREASURY BOARD C To Move that the House Resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole on Supply to Consider a Resolution for the Granting of Supply to Her Majesty. (Bill No. 25)

 

2. C THE HONOURABLE THE MINISTER OF FINANCE AND PRESIDENT OF TREASURY BOARD C To ask leave to introduce a Bill entitled, AAn Act To Amend The Liquor Control Act”. (Bill 37)

 

3. C THE HONOURABLE THE MINISTER OF NATURAL RESOURCES C To ask leave to introduce a Bill entitled, AAn Act To Amend The Energy Corporation Act”. (Bill No. 35)

 

4. C THE HONOURABLE THE MINISTER OF NATURAL RESOURCES C To ask leave to introduce a Bill entitled, AAn Act To Enable The Issuance Of Water Rights To The Energy Corporation Of Newfoundland And Labrador For The Lower Churchill River”. (Bill No. 36)

 

5. C THE HONOURABLE THE GOVERNMENT HOUSE LEADER C To Move:

 

“WHEREAS under subsection 35(1) of the House of Assembly Accountability, Integrity and Administration Act the Speaker referred to the Standing Committee of the House of Assembly on Privileges and Elections the responsibility for developing and proposing to this House of Assembly  a Code of Conduct to assist members in the discharge of their obligations to the House of Assembly, constituents and the public at large,

 

AND WHEREAS the Standing Committee of the House of Assembly on Privileges and Elections has met, considered and reached an agreement on a Code of Conduct to apply to all members of the House of Assembly,

 

         NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that this House of Assembly for the purposes of section 35 of the House of Assembly Accountability, Integrity and Administration Act and for the benefit of the electorate of Newfoundland and Labrador, adopt the following Code of Conduct:

 

CODE OF CONDUCT FOR MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY

 

Commitments:

Members of this House of Assembly recognize that we are responsible to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador and will responsibly execute our official duties in order to promote the human, environmental and economic welfare of Newfoundland and Labrador.

 

Members of this House of Assembly respect the law and the institution of the Legislature and acknowledge our need to maintain the public trust placed in us by performing our duties with accessibility, accountability, courtesy, honesty and integrity.

 

Principles:

 

1.            Members shall inform themselves of and shall conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions and spirit of the Standing Orders of the House of Assembly, the House of Assembly Accountability, Integrity and Administration Act, the Members' Resources and Allowances Rules, the Elections Act, 1991, the House of Assembly Act and this Code of Conduct and shall ensure that their conduct does not bring the integrity of their office or the House of Assembly into disrepute.

 

2.                 It is a fundamental objective of their holding public office that Members serve their fellow citizens with integrity in order to improve the economic and social conditions of the people of the province.

 

3.            Members reject political corruption and refuse to participate in unethical political practices which tend to undermine the democratic traditions of our province and its institutions.

 

4.                 Members will act lawfully and in a manner that will withstand the closest public scrutiny. Neither the law nor this code is designed to be exhaustive and there will be occasions on which Members will find it necessary to adopt more stringent norms of conduct in order to protect the public interest and to enhance public confidence and trust.

 

5.                 Members will not engage in personal conduct that exploits for private reasons their positions or authorities or that would tend to bring discredit to their offices.

 

6.                 Members will carry out their official duties and arrange their private financial affairs in a manner that protects the public interest and enhances public confidence and trust in government and in high standards of ethical conduct in public office.

 

7.                 Members will base their conduct on a consideration of the public interest. They are individually responsible for preventing conflicts of interest and will endeavor to prevent them from arising. Members will take all reasonable steps to resolve any such conflict quickly and in a manner which is in the best interests of the public.

 

8.                 In performing their official duties, Members will apply public resources prudently and only for the purposes for which they are intended.

 

9.            Members will not use official information which is not in the public domain, or information obtained in confidence in the course of their official duties, for personal gain or the personal gain of others.

 

10.          Relationships between Members and government employees should be professional and based upon mutual respect and should have regard to the duty of those employees to remain politically impartial when carrying out their duties.

 

11.          Members should promote and support these principles by leadership and example.

 

12.          This Code of Conduct has a continuing effect except as amended or rescinded by Resolution of the House of Assembly.”

 

6. C  THE HONOURABLE THE GOVERNMENT HOUSE LEADER C To Move pursuant to Standing Order 11 that the House not adjourn at 5:30 o=clock p.m. on Thursday, May 22nd, 2008.

 

7.  C  THE HONOURABLE THE GOVERNMENT HOUSE LEADER C To Move pursuant to Standing Order 11 that the House not adjourn at 10:00 o=clock p.m. on Thursday, May 22nd, 2008.

 

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Published under the authority of the Speaker of the

House of Assembly by Earl G. Tucker, Queen's Printer