MR. CHAIRMAN (MR. TIMOTHY OLIVE): I am going to call this meeting of the Standing Committee on Human Resources to order. First of all, a couple of things: Mr. Mark Parent, the Chairman was unable to be here, and Mr. Donald Downe, the Vice-Chairman was unable to be here, so I have assumed the Chair. Mr. Brooke Taylor is replacing Mr. Mark Parent, Mr. Jim DeWolfe is replacing Mr. Ronald Chisholm, Mr. Kevin Deveaux is replacing Ms. Eileen O'Connell, and Mr. Jerry Pye is replacing Mr. Darrell Dexter.
You have a letter in front of you from James Muir, Minister of Health, dated August 25th, withdrawing a request for a special meeting of the Human Resources Committee, related to the appointment of directors of the district health authorities. It is my understanding that that will now happen at the meeting on September 26th, which we have to establish before we finish today.
MR. BROOKE TAYLOR: Mr. Chairman, what is the protocol with that? Does Mora acknowledge that and notify Mr. Muir?
MR. CHAIRMAN: I would assume so.
MS. MORA STEVENS (Legislative Committees Clerk): Yes.
MR. CHAIRMAN: Any questions, comments? I would like to start with the appointments to the agencies, boards and commissions. You all have a copy of the book - it should have been sent out prior to the meeting. I would ask that we follow the standard format, naming the department, the board, the individuals and their position on the board. I will open it up. Mr. Taylor.
MR. TAYLOR: Mr. Chairman, regarding the Department of Health, I would move the appointment of nominees Debra Boudreau, Stephen Coughlan and Vincent Richman as members of the Nurses Association (Registered) of Nova Scotia Board of Directors.
MR. CHAIRMAN: Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.
The motion is carried.
The honourable member for Eastern Shore.
MR. WILLIAM DOOKS: Mr. Chairman, I would like to go to the Department of Labour, Workers' Compensation Board. I would move the appointment of Gary Dean and Charlene Long as members.
MR. TAYLOR: Mr. Chairman, I would like to duly note that while I will be supporting these nominees for appointment, many times around this table we have re-iterated that the most qualified candidates, irrespective of their political stripe, should receive the nod, and many times, I guess, members of all political stripes have referenced the fact that some of these candidates appear to have what I guess we would call a pretty distinguished pedigree.
In the case of Ms. Long, as far as political involvement goes, in her bio, I want to point out that she is involved in various positions with the Antigonish NDP since 1980. She has been on the provincial executive-at-large with the NDP between 1996 and 1999; she was an NDP candidate for Pictou-Antigonish-Guysborough for the 1997 federal election. She was also the NDP candidate in the last provincial election in Antigonish, and, besides, she developed the Antigonish NDP website.
Mr. Chairman, while I don't dispute she is qualified, I just thought I should make the point that people from all political Parties do find their way on ABCs, as well they should.
MR. CHAIRMAN: Thank you, Brooke. Any comments?
The honourable member for Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage.
MR. KEVIN DEVEAUX: Not that I want to make the meeting go any longer, just for the record this is an appointment of a labour representative on the Workers' Compensation Board. A member of organized labour has had a name put forward and it just happens to be a member of the New Democratic Party, and an excellent candidate. I am glad to see the government is accepting it
and recognizing as well that the labour movement has the right to put the name forward, which is something the last government did not do, really, in many cases.
MR. CHAIRMAN: Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.
The motion is carried.
MR. JAMES DEWOLFE: Mr. Chairman, I would like to move Robert P. Harvey, as member of the Public Archives Board of Trustees, Department of Tourism and Culture.
MR. CHAIRMAN: Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.
The motion is carried.
The only other business before us this morning would be the date and time of the next meeting. It would appear from the Minister of Health's letter that there will be a substantial number of appointments. Mora, you indicated how many?
MS. STEVENS: If all of the regional health authorities come through, there will be 111 names. There are 8 boards of 12 and 1 board of 15, and that is just those boards. There might be other boards coming forward because our regular September meeting would be scheduled for September 26th. It will be a long one.
MR. CHAIRMAN: What would be the recommendation of the committee on timing; 9:00 a.m. is probably earlier enough, but how late do you think we should go?
MS. STEVENS: If I may, if we schedule it for two hours, if you are out early it is not a bad thing, and you won't have to worry about running out of time. We have never had a meeting longer than two hours.
MR. DEVEAUX: Have you ever had more than 115 appointments in a meeting?
MS. STEVENS: Yes, when we did the original regional health boards, so we have done quite a few in two hours.
MR. JERRY PYE: I would just make the comment that the House is not sitting during the month of September, therefore a three hour time-frame would not be out of the question. The important thing is to have these health boards set up and going. I think that is what the minister is telling us in that letter. I think 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon would be an appropriate time.
MR. TAYLOR: On that same date, the Standing Committee on Economic Development and
Transportation also meets. Some of the full-time members are on both committees. You might want to be conscious of that.
MS. STEVENS: I am not sure if your committee is in the afternoon or in the morning.
MR. TAYLOR: We are from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. We should be completed before then.
MR. CHAIRMAN: From 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on September 26th. Does anyone have any other business before the committee? Hearing none, I would ask for motion to adjourn.
MR. WILLIAM DOOKS: I move adjournment, Mr. Chairman.
MR. CHAIRMAN: The meeting is adjourned.
[The committee adjourned at 9:13 a.m.]
