April
21, 2015
HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS
Vol. XLVII No. 71
The
House met at 11:00 a.m.
MR. SPEAKER (Verge):
Order, please!
Admit
strangers.
Please
be seated.
SERGEANT-AT-ARMS:
Mr. Speaker, His Honour the Lieutenant Governor has arrived.
MR. SPEAKER:
Admit His Honour the
Lieutenant Governor.
SERGEANT-AT-ARMS:
All rise.
[Mr.
Speaker leaves the Chair]
[His
Honour the Lieutenant Governor takes the Chair]
SERGEANT-AT-ARMS:
It is the wish of His
Honour the Lieutenant Governor that all parties be seated.
HIS HONOUR THE LIEUTENANT
GOVERNOR (Frank F. Fagan, CM, ONL, MBA):
Mr. Speaker and Members of
the Honourable House of Assembly:
The
Third Session of the Forty-Seventh General Assembly of the honourable House of
Assembly is about to be prorogued, but before releasing you from your duties, I
wish to express gratitude for the careful and sympathetic attention that you
have given to important matters brought to you by our Ministers.
Openness and Accountability
During
this session, members passed forty-one pieces of legislation.
A prominent theme of our Government's legislative agenda was openness and
accountability.
Bill 1
gave our Province its first Public
Interest Disclosure And Whistleblower Protection Act.
The Act provides a mechanism for the disclosure and investigation of
wrongdoings in or relating to the public service that an employee believes may
be unlawful, dangerous to the public or injurious to the public interest.
It also protects persons who make disclosures under the Act from
reprisals.
Bill 6
amended the City of Corner Brook Act,
the City of Mount Pearl Act, the
City of St. John's Act and the
Municipalities Act, 1999 to allow a
council to appoint one or more youth representatives.
Bill 8
introduced the Publication of
Adjudication Tribunal Decisions Amendment Act, which requires the
publication of decisions of adjudication tribunals in all cases, although an
individual can apply to the court to seek that certain information be withheld
from publication.
Bill 22
amended the Labour Relations Act to
provide workers with a mandatory secret ballot to vote on a union certification
application, and to amend the conciliation process.
Bill 24
amended the Labour Relations Act and
the Public Service Collective Bargaining
Act to repeal provisions respecting vote on offer.
Public Safety
Other
legislative amendments brought forward by our Government advance public safety.
Bill 4
amended the Mental Health Care and
Treatment Act to clarify to whom a rights advisor may offer advice and
assistance; to add a requirement for a rights advisor to contact a person who is
an involuntary patient or who is under a community treatment order and his or
her representative within ten days of the first meeting between the rights
advisor and the person; and to remove the requirement for a community treatment
order to contain an undertaking by the person who is the subject of the order.
Bill 14
introduced the Emergency 911 Act,
which established “911” as the primary emergency telephone number for use in the
Province; and required the establishment and implementation of a Province-wide
emergency 911 telephone service for the reporting of emergencies.
Bill 29
amended the Highway Traffic Act to
clarify the rules and improve the safety of roundabouts, rotary traffic islands
and traffic circles.
Bill 32
amended the Registered Nurses Act, 2008,
to add regulation-making authority respecting quality assurance; to add quality
assurance provisions to enhance public protection and accountability; and to
allow the complaints authorization committee to refer an allegation to the
quality assurance committee, allowing concerns to be addressed before they
become more serious and require engagement in the disciplinary process.
Bill 36
introduced a new Missing Persons Act
to allow members of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary and the Royal Canadian
Mounted Police to access records about a missing person that may assist them in
locating the missing person; and to enter a dwelling or other premises to search
for a missing minor or vulnerable person.
This legislation represents a significant advance in public safety.
Bill 37
amended the Highway Traffic Act to
require all persons riding a bicycle to wear a helmet.
Bill 38
amended the Social Workers Act to add
quality assurance provisions to enhance public protection and accountability.
These quality assurance measures provide further checks and balances
within the profession to ensure that social workers are delivering the best
services and care to the people who rely and depend on their expertise.
Fiscal Responsibility
Other
legislative amendments represent our Government's determination to be fiscally
responsible in managing the Province's affairs.
Bill 39
amended the Pensions Funding Act and
Public Service Pensions Act, 1991, to reflect the Public Service Pension
Plan Reform Agreement executed on September 2, 2014.
Bill 40
covered other provisions of pension reform with a new Act – the
Other Post-Employment Benefits
Eligibility Modification Act.
Bill 42
amended the Electoral Boundaries Act
to require the electoral boundaries commission to report upon the delimitation
of the Province into districts in 2015; reduce the number of one-member
districts in the Province; and make consequential amendments for the purpose of
a commission report in 2015.
Governance and
Administration
Still
other legislative amendments improve governance and administration in the
Province.
Bill 15
amended the Mineral Act to allow a
mineral licence to be extended for an additional ten-year period beyond the
twenty-year extension period and prescribe requirements for licence holders who
retain licences during that additional period; and amended the requirements for
renewing a mining lease.
Bill 19
amended the Dispensing Opticians Act,
2005 to remove the restriction that a dispensing optician may only supply
contact lenses where a prescription specifically indicates that they may be
supplied; and to clarify that a dispensing optician who is authorized by the
board to fit contact lenses may convert a prescription in order to fit, dispense
or supply contact lenses, consistent with the laws of other provinces.
Bill 20
amended the Income Tax Act, 2000 to
provide for a tax credit in respect of a qualifying investment in a qualifying
venture capital fund.
Bill 26
amended the Revenue Administration Act
to establish a procedure for the issuance of electronic clearance certificates.
Bill 27
introduced a brand new Chartered
Professional Accountants and Public Accountants Act to merge the professions
of Chartered Accountant, Certified Management Accountant, and Certified General
Accountant into the profession of Chartered Professional Accountant.
Bill 30
introduced a new Child Care Act to
modernize and strengthen the legislation, reflecting current knowledge in the
child care field, streamlining policies and processes, increasing transparency
and providing flexibility for licensees.
Bill 41
amended the Municipalities Act, 1999,
to provide greater flexibility to municipalities to sell, lease, or dispose of
real and personal property that has an estimated fair market value of $500 or
more.
Among
the other legislative measures enacted during this session was an additional
bill to amend the Revenue Administration
Act, plus a bill to amend the Revenue
Administration Act and the Tax Agreement Act, 2010; a second bill to amend
the Income Tax Act, 2000; two Interim
Supply bills; and bills to amend the
Buildings Accessibility Act, the
Health Professions Act, the Student
Financial Assistance Act, the Fish
Processing Licensing Board Act, the
Loan Act, the Loan and Guarantee Act,
1957, the Elections Act, 1991,
the Provincial Offences Act, the
Vital Statistics Act, 2009, and the
Provincial Court Act, 1991.
The House enacted a new Atlantic
Provinces Harness Racing Commission Act and repealed the
Printing Services Act.
Summary
In
summary, our Government's legislative initiatives in 2014-15 enhanced openness
and accountability, advanced public safety, reflected sound fiscal management,
and improved governance and administration in the Province.
I thank
you for the large measure of Supply you have granted.
I assure you the appropriations you have granted have been and will be
expended by our Ministers with care and efficiency.
It is
my pleasure that the Third Session of the Forty-Seventh General Assembly now be
prorogued and is prorogued accordingly.
SERGEANT-AT-ARMS:
All rise.
[His
Honour the Lieutenant Governor leaves the Chamber].
[Mr.
Speaker returns to the Chair].
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
Pursuant to the Speech from His Honour, this House now stands prorogued.