HANSARD
NOVA SCOTIA HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY
COMMITTEE
ON
HUMAN RESOURCES
Tuesday, November 27, 2018
COMMITTEE ROOM
Appointments to Agencies, Boards and Commissions
Printed and Published by Nova Scotia Hansard Reporting Services
STANDING COMMITTEE ON HUMAN RESOURCES
Mr. Brendan Maguire (Chairman)
Ms. Suzanne Lohnes-Croft (Vice-Chairman)
Mr. Bill Horne
Mr. Hugh MacKay
Ms. Rafah DiCostanzo
Ms. Alana Paon
Mr. Brad Johns
Ms. Claudia Chender
[Hon. Patricia Arab replaced Mr. Bill Horne]
[Ms. Lisa Roberts replaced Ms. Claudia Chender]
In Attendance:
Ms. Judy Kavanagh
Legislative Committee Clerk
Mr. Gordon Hebb
Legislative Counsel
HALIFAX, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2018
STANDING COMMITTEE ON HUMAN RESOURCES
10:00 A.M.
CHAIRMAN
Mr. Brendan Maguire
MR. CHAIRMAN: We’re going to call this meeting to order. There’s a new restructuring of the committee, obviously. We’ve got a few new members, starting with myself as the Chair. We’ll start from the left here and we’ll have the Liberal members introduce themselves and we’ll work our way around - save the best for last.
[The committee members introduced themselves.]
MR. CHAIRMAN: Today we are reviewing appointments on the ABCs. Just a reminder to turn your phone off or have it on vibrate. We are all experienced here, we know where the washrooms and the coffee stations are. In case of emergency we go to the Granville entrance and proceed to Grand Parade Square. Let’s jump into this. We’ll start with the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture.
The honourable member for Lunenburg.
MS. SUZANNE LOHNES-CROFT: Mr. Chairman, I so move that Donna Upham be appointed as a member to the Nova Scotia Fisheries and Aquaculture Loan Board.
MR. CHAIRMAN: Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.
The motion is carried.
The honourable member for Clayton Park West.
MS. RAFAH DICOSTANZO: Mr. Speaker, for the Department of Health and Wellness, I so move that Paulette Anderson be appointed as a lay member to the Midwifery Regulatory Council of Nova Scotia.
MR. CHAIRMAN: Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.
The motion is carried.
The honourable Minister of Internal Services.
HON. PATRICIA ARAB: Mr. Chairman, for the Department of Labour and Advanced Education, I so move that Heather Hanson be appointed as a governor to the Mount Saint Vincent University Board of Governors.
MR. CHAIRMAN: Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.
The motion is carried.
The honourable member for Chester-St. Margaret's.
MR. HUGH MACKAY: Mr. Chairman, I so move, to Research Nova Scotia: Nicholas Nickerson be appointed as director, small business representative; Jeffrey Norrie be appointed as director, medium business representative; and David Woolnough be appointed as director, member at large.
MR. CHAIRMAN: Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.
The motion is carried.
Okay. The honourable member for Cape Breton-Richmond.
MS. ALANA PAON: I would just like to know where on the agenda, moving forward, since we didn’t have any witnesses today - and I understand we’re getting into the precursor of December, everybody is really busy - could I just have some clarification about why we don’t have witnesses here today?
MR. CHAIRMAN: My understanding is that today was just to make sure that the ABCs move along and we get the motion passed so we can get these very busy individuals on the boards and moving forward.
As you know, December is a very busy time of the year. We are essentially into December right now - well, we’re as close as we’re going to get until we hit December, I guess, so we will be moving forward with witnesses.
Our next meeting is December 11th. I do want to have a discussion about that. As the member just stated, December is an extremely busy time of the year. A lot of us have a ton of stuff to do, including those of us with family. I’m wondering if we want to proceed with a December meeting. Is everybody comfortable with the December 11th date?
Okay, so the witness will be Laura Lee Langley, Commissioner of the Public Service Commission and it will be succession planning in the Public Service.
The honourable member for Cape Breton-Richmond.
MS. PAON: If I may, I just want to ask a question. I know we were going to have the Executive Council come, and there have been some changes, obviously, around the table. Can we have a discussion as to when we can expect to have members of the Executive Council come to explain the process to us? We had put that off at the last meeting.
MS. JUDY KAVANAGH (Legislative Committee Clerk): They are on standby, they can come any time.
MS. PAON: So December 11th?U
MR. CHAIRMAN: We can push that off and have it on December 11th.
MS. PAON: Could we not have both?
MS. KAVANAGH: A witness and the Executive Council?
MR. CHAIRMAN: If everybody wants to do that. The decision should be made by the committee, not by me, obviously. If you want to have a discussion about what the December 11th meeting looks like, have at ’er.
MS. PAON: To make sure that I’m being clear, we would then have witness Ms. Laura Lee Langley as well as the Executive Council members or a witness from the Executive Council?
MS. KAVANAGH: They’re not formally approved witnesses. They’re simply guests of the committee, so they would sit in on the meeting.
MS. PAON: Can I make a motion?
MS. KAVANAGH: We can agree to it by consensus or we can have a motion. Whatever you prefer.
MS. PAON: Mr. Chairman, if I may make a motion that on our next meeting day, December 11th, we have the witness Ms. Laura Lee Langley as well as guests from the Executive Council to be able to answer any questions that we may have regarding the process moving forward with the Standing Committee on Human Resources.
MR. CHAIRMAN: Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.
The motion is carried.
Is there any other business to come before the committee? Okay, the meeting is adjourned.
[The committee adjourned at 10:07 a.m.]
