Jane Groenewegen

Agreed. Thank you. Bill 9 is now ready for third reading. Thank you, Minister McLeod and your staff. I will ask the Sergeant-at-Arms if he will escort the witnesses from the Chamber.

Committee, I direct your attention now to Bill 3, An Act to Amend the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act. I will ask the Minister of Justice if he has opening comments. Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, with the changing mandate of the Housing Corporation that the Minister has referred to, does he anticipate that the new mandate will require the same level of staffing at headquarters? Thank you.

We will now refer to a clause-by-clause review of the bill. Bill 3, An Act to Amend the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, clause 1.

Agreed. Thank you. To the bill as a whole.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the consolidation of the human resources function is something that has happened government-wide. Every department gave up human resources people. Besides the human resources people, has there been any reduction in the staff at headquarters as a result of this transfer of money to ECE and the recent contracting out by the Housing Corporation? Thank you.

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Thank you, Ms. Lee. Mr. Bell.

Clause 2.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Seven percent in headquarters and five percent in the district offices; just doing the math, not to challenge the Minister, but that is 12 percent not 10 percent. This is a capital-intensive corporation. The money should be going to capital. There are not a lot of operations issues. Of course, might I also say I have no issue with the staff located in the districts. I’m talking about the staff in headquarters, and I’d like to know the number. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Mr. Bell.

Okay. We will resume with that after a short break.

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