MADAM CHAIRMAN: I will call this meeting to order. I believe you all have in front of you from the three Parties, what they would like to have as witnesses for the coming year. We have a letter from the Minister of Labour because he was at a banquet for the Nova Scotia Construction Safety Association and they asked him if they could appear before us. So I feel where they have made an application to appear that we should have them first, if everybody is in agreement to that.
MR. MANNING MACDONALD: So moved.
MADAM CHAIRMAN: We should pick a date. This is May 7th, and May 28th we are meeting for ABCs, so I don't feel we should do both on the same day, that is not fair. If you would like to meet the following week?
MR. MANNING MACDONALD: Well, we are going to be up here the week . . .
MADAM CHAIRMAN: We are up here on May 28th, and we are doing ABCs.
MR. MANNING MACDONALD: Why don't we do it that week? Oh, you can't have two meetings in a row.
MADAM CHAIRMAN: You can't have two, it is not fair to the witnesses that come in.
MR. MANNING MACDONALD: It is a little fairer to the guys from the hinterland. I am assuming the House is going to be finished that is all.
MADAM CHAIRMAN: I know that, yes, but I would hate to do that without really someone . . .
MR. WILLIAM MACDONALD: How would it bother the witnesses, what do you mean?
MADAM CHAIRMAN: Well, they have asked for an hour so you know that you are going to have an hour and one-half with them.
MR. WILLIAM MACDONALD: Manning meant the same week, didn't he?
MADAM CHAIRMAN: You are talking about the same day.
MR. MANNING MACDONALD: The same week because we have to be here that week of the 27th anyway, so you just don't cram them in. The following week if that is all we have on, Ken and I would have to come up for just that one meeting, unless there is caucus that week, I don't know.
MADAM CHAIRMAN: Well, I am just saying that the third Tuesday of the month is ABCs. If you want to go to June 11th, the second . . .
MR. MANNING MACDONALD: But ABCs though, that doesn't take any time.
MADAM CHAIRMAN: No. Well, if you want to do both on May 28th we will do both.
MR. CLIFFORD HUSKILSON: I think that is what we should do.
MR. MANNING MACDONALD: Yes.
MADAM CHAIRMAN: All right, then, why don't we have ABCs at 2:30 p.m., they haven't been normally longer than an hour, and ask them to appear at 3:00 p.m.
MR. MANNING MACDONALD: Good.
MADAM CHAIRMAN: Okay and then what do you wish to do in June? You have the list before you from Mr. Donahoe, you have the list from us and then you have a letter that Robert sent over and what he would like to see us do. We have also had a request from the Minister of Fisheries to have witnesses come in on the School of Fisheries in Pictou.
MR. KENNETH MACASKILL: For what date, Madam Chairman?
MADAM CHAIRMAN: Well, we can try to do both from now on, if you want, on the days of the ABCs. The House isn't in session on June 18th. We can meet at 2:00 p.m. and then do one-half hour with ABCs - about the length we have been running - and then have them come in for 3:00 p.m.
MR. HUSKILSON: For the fisheries?
MADAM CHAIRMAN: For whatever we want to do next, and then do it that way. Do one for June and then maybe again in September. I don't think it is fair asking anyone to come in July and August. We have to be here, but, you know, it is difficult for witnesses.
Okay, I will tell you what we will do, if everybody is in agreement; I would like to see us do the construction safety for May 28th. (Interruption) They have showed up. I was going to say we will wait until June, when they are here, and then we will ask them. We will do what we want for May and June and then when they come, we will ask them what they want to do for September and October.
MR. TERENCE DONAHOE: Sorry about that.
MADAM CHAIRMAN: I will tell you what we have decided, and, if you are in agreement, we are going to go ahead with it. Our next ABC is May 28th, which normally ABCs have been taking about one-half hour, maybe 35 or 40 minutes but no more. We have a letter from the Nova Scotia Construction Safety Association where they have asked to appear before us. So we have decided that we would meet at 2:30 p.m. for ABCs and then ask the Construction Safety Association to meet at 3:00 p.m. on the 28th.
Then we also have a request from the Minister of Fisheries to have the Pictou School of Fisheries. So we decided that we may do that on June 18th. Then we figured that by the June meeting the two Opposition Parties would be here and then we would discuss what you would like to have come on first. What was it that you wanted to push for more? Which would you like to see as a priority?
Do you have any opposition to the Nova Scotia Construction Safety Association appearing in May?
MR. DONAHOE: No, I am familiar with that and some of the issues that they want to raise, so that is a worthwhile session. Yes, that is fine for the 28th.
MADAM CHAIRMAN: Then we will do that one on May 28th.
MR. DONAHOE: Okay. We would then meet when, after that?
MADAM CHAIRMAN: We would normally meet on the third Tuesday of the month, so the next meeting would be June 18th.
MR. DONAHOE: June 18th. Would we have ABCs then as well?
MADAM CHAIRMAN: Yes.
MR. DONAHOE: And again, about one-half hour or so of that?
MADAM CHAIRMAN: Yes.
MR. DONAHOE: And what are you saying, Madam Chairman? That you are open to suggestions?
MADAM CHAIRMAN: Well, we are open to suggestions. Like I say, the Minister of Fisheries has requested that the Pictou School of Fisheries be asked to appear. We were going to do that one in June and then, when you and Robert were here, really discuss what you . . .
MR. MANNING MACDONALD: You are saying that on that date we will then set up a pattern or a system . . .
MADAM CHAIRMAN: Yes, until the House goes back in session. I think we can manage that.
MR. DONAHOE: Okay, June 18th, ABCs at 2:30 p. m., and then we would do the Pictou School of Fisheries at, say, 3:00 p.m.?
MADAM CHAIRMAN: Yes.
MR. DONAHOE: Then at that meeting we would have a chance to look at?
MADAM CHAIRMAN: At whatever we want to do for September.
MR. DONAHOE: Okay. Well, speaking for myself, and I am the only one here to speak for me, that is okay by me. (Laughter)
MADAM CHAIRMAN: Maybe you would priorize what you would like to see as one, two and three, and we will ask Robert to do the same.
MR. DONAHOE: Yes. Would it likely be our intention, when we communicate with the Nova Scotia Construction Safety Association, to ask them to send any brief? Would you do that?
MS. MORA STEVENS (Legislative Committee Clerk): I can certainly do that.
MADAM CHAIRMAN: Yes. It is a lot easier that way.
MR. DONAHOE: It is often very helpful to have a little bit of a sneak preview of what it is they want to talk about. The same might apply later with the School of Fisheries presentation.
I will sit down with our guys and see which of the five that we suggested they think they would like me to recommend in order of priority. I will leave it to you to talk to Robert to do the same.
MADAM CHAIRMAN: Yes, I will.
MR. DONAHOE: Sorry, I was so late.
MADAM CHAIRMAN: No, that is fine.
MR. DONAHOE: No ABCs this morning?
MADAM CHAIRMAN: No, this was strictly what we were going to meet for, to do the agenda.
MS. STEVENS: So we have July and August, just ABCs then?
MADAM CHAIRMAN: I think July and August we will just do ABCs, unless somebody has a pressing issue. That is what I feel. What do the rest of you feel?
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Agreed.
MADAM CHAIRMAN: Do you agree? If you really feel there is something you want us to do, . . .
MR. DONAHOE: Well, let me give some thought to that, between here and the June 18th meeting. It might be that one or other of those items is a little hotter at that time than perhaps they are at present. I might invite the committee to consider throwing one of those into a July or an August meeting but we could decide that.
MADAM CHAIRMAN: That is fair.
MR. MACASKILL: Madam Chairman, I think that would only be reasonable because sometimes our ABC meetings only last a few minutes.
MADAM CHAIRMAN: That is true.
MR. MACASKILL: If you come up here for a meeting and there is a backlog of groups who want to meet with us, I think we should try to accommodate them. We are coming for a meeting anyway.
MADAM CHAIRMAN: That is fair. We can consider that then. Let's do it for one month though, July or August.
MR. MANNING MACDONALD: I think, Madam Chairman, in July and August we should try to schedule them around our caucus meetings so we are not coming up here . . .
MS. STEVENS: We have gone to Wednesday afternoons.
MADAM CHAIRMAN: We have gone to Wednesday afternoons because the Opposition also has caucus on Wednesday, which we will probably end up doing again. Or Wednesday morning, when caucus has been in the afternoon. But we worked around it.
MS. STEVENS: Yes, it was afterwards because the Public Accounts Committee meets Wednesday mornings.
MADAM CHAIRMAN: Stay tuned, we will let you know. Thank you for coming. Any other concerns before I adjourn the meeting?
The meeting is adjourned.
[The committee adjourned at 10:49 a.m.]
