Wendy Bisaro

Thank you Madam Chair. We would like to start with Tabled Document 248-17(5), the supplementary estimates document and then I think in this order: Bill 37, Committee Report 15-17(5), Bill 44, Committee Report 16-17(5), Bill 47 and Committee Report 17-17(5), time permitting. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I would like to make a motion. In accordance with Rule 50(a), I move that we continue to sit beyond our normal hour of daily adjournment to continue consideration of Bill 44, Hospital Insurance and Health and Social Services Administration Act.

Thanks, Mr. Speaker. Thanks again to the Minister. I guess I agree with the Minister this is not free money and we have to be careful how we borrow it and what we do with it.

So, I guess I would like to know from the Minister if there is a list of things that they are contemplating that may or may not be in the capital budget, will the Minister commit to providing that list to Regular Members so we can have some comment on that list back to Cabinet before a capital budget is determined? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I want to make a few comments about the work that committee and Minister and staff did on this bill. As the Minister said in his remarks, it has been a long-term initiative. The amendments to this act were long overdue. This is a totally rewritten act and it is going to be quite beneficial.

The actual work to get a new act has been ongoing since 2005. I think that’s when the first LP was proposed. It has gone back and forth over several Assemblies. I think we were successful in this Assembly, and with this particular piece of legislation, because there was a great deal of...

To the Minister: I think the statement that there are no active plans simply reinforces Mrs. Groenewegen’s statement from earlier today.

Regular Members have had no exchanges, no meetings with the Minister, and he admitted to that, but we are now two days away from the end of this session, and we will then have four months when Members do not meet. Cabinet will meet quite regularly, as I am sure they do during the summer, so there is some concern on the part of Members on this side of the House that we won’t have an opportunity for input, looking at a budget. A capital budget, once it is done...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I was just going to say that’s all. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s my pleasure today to recognize one of our hardworking Pages who resides in my riding of Frame Lake. Caleb Cleary has been working for us for the two weeks, I think, and will be continuing on, I think, for the rest of the week. Thank you to all the Pages, and particularly to Caleb, for the work that they do.

Thanks, Madam Chair. I have a question with regards to the $57,000 funding for costs associated with monitoring activity on Highway No. 3. I understand that this is federal funding and the background information provided suggests that the Department of Transportation is reviewing a draft report of previous testing on this section of the highway.

Could I get a bit of an update on what this $57,000 is going to be used for? It seems a fair bit of money just to monitor, and if there is a report being reviewed, that suggests to me that the work is already completed. Thank you.

So, just to clarify, we’re putting in an application, so we may get some money back from the feds but we obviously won’t know that for a while. Is that correct?

Thanks to Minister Abernethy. I’m still not totally clear. So, am I correct in saying that the Child and Family Resource Program has been reduced in the amount of funding they will get and that the Healthy Family Program has been increased in the amount of money they get, that the criteria for both programs will remain the same? Thank you.