May 10, 2010

HANSARD 10-31

DEBATES AND PROCEEDINGS

Speaker: Honourable Charlie Parker

Published by Order of the Legislature by Hansard Reporting Services and printed by the Queen's Printer.

Available on INTERNET at http://nslegislature.ca/legislative-business/hansard-debates/

Second Session

MONDAY, MAY 10, 2010

TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE
PRESENTING AND READING PETITIONS:
Health: Lucentis Coverage: Decision - Re-examine,
Hon. K. Casey 2178
TABLING REPORTS, REGULATIONS AND OTHER PAPERS:
FOIPOP Review Office - Anl. Rept. (2009),
Hon. W. Estabrooks 2178
GOVERNMENT NOTICES OF MOTION:
No. 1169, Educ./LWD: Workplace Health and Safety Pilot
- Curriculum Congrats.,
Hon. M. More (by Hon. W. Estabrooks) 2178
Vote - Affirmative 2179
No. 1170, Cambridge Suites Sydney: Expedia Award - Congrats.,
Hon. P. Paris 2179
Vote - Affirmative 2180
No. 1171, Nat. Res.: Natl. Mining Wk. (05/10 - 05/16/10)
- Recognize, Hon. J. MacDonell (by Hon. R. Jennex) 2180
Vote - Affirmative 2181
No. 1172, Environ.: Clear Bag Progs. - Adopt,
Hon. S. Belliveau 2181
Vote - Affirmative 2181
No. 1173, Cdn. - Hemochromatosis Soc.: Efforts - Recognize,
Hon. Maureen MacDonald (by Hon. G. Steele) 2182
Vote - Affirmative 2182
INTRODUCTION OF BILLS:
No. 70, Wilderness Areas Protection Act,
Hon. M. Scott 2182
No. 71, Early Development Instrument Program Act,
Ms. K. Regan 2182
NOTICES OF MOTION:
No. 1174, British Home Children - Recognition:
Middlemore Atl. Soc. - Commend, Hon. S. McNeil 2183
Vote - Affirmative 2183
No. 1175, Five Islands Lighthouse Soc.: Preservation Award
- Congrats., Hon. K. Casey 2183
Vote - Affirmative 2184
No. 1176, Cole Hbr. PeeWee AAA Wings: Achievements
- Recognize, The Premier 2184
Vote - Affirmative 2185
No. 1177, Churchill, Zach - Yarmouth By-Election: Nomination
- Congrats., Mr. L. Glavine 2185
Vote - Affirmative 2186
No. 1178, LWD - Lbr. Shortage: Strategy - Outline,
Mr. K. Bain 2186
No. 1179, Orr, Bobby: Stanley Cup Winning Goal (05/10/70)
- Congrats., Hon. W. Estabrooks 2187
No. 1180, McDonalds' Restaurants (Anna. Valley): Fundraising
- Congrats., Mr. C. Porter 2187
Vote - Affirmative 2188
No. 1181, Koszucki, Roman: Annapolis Valley Reg. Science Fair
- Congrats., Hon. R. Jennex 2188
Vote - Affirmative 2189
No. 1182, MacLellan, Geoff - Glace Bay By-Election: Nomination
- Congrats., Ms. K. Regan 2189
Vote - Affirmative 2190
No. 1183, Justice: Legal Firearms Owners - Apologies,
Mr. A. MacLeod 2190
No. 1184, Ross, Raymond - Shining Star Award,
Hon. J. MacDonell 2191
Vote - Affirmative 2191
No. 1185, World Vision 30 Hr. Famine: Digby Reg. HS
- Participation, Mr. H. Theriault 2191
Vote - Affirmative ~ 2192
No. 1186, Prem./Health Min.: Liberation Treatment - Knowledge,
Hon. C. d'Entremont 2192
No. 1187, Skinner, Patricia: Human Rights Commn.
- Dedication, Mr. M. Smith 2193
Vote - Affirmative 2193
No. 1188, Colonie de la Jeunesse Acadienne - Anniv. (50th),
Hon. W. Gaudet 2194
Vote - Affirmative 2195
No. 1189, Baddeck Area Bus. and Tourism Assoc.: Tourist Season
- Efforts, Mr. K. Bain 2195
Vote - Affirmative 2195
No. 1190, Garrison Brewery: World Beer Championships (2010)
- Congrats., Mr. L. Preyra 2196
Vote - Affirmative 2196
No. 1191, Brownstone, Dr. Rob/ Team: Research - Congrats.,
Ms. K. Regan 2196
Vote - Affirmative 2197
No. 1192, Beaton, Dawn and Margie: ECMA Award - Congrats.,
Mr. A. MacMaster 2197
Vote - Affirmative 2198
No. 1193, Tallahassee Commun. Sch.: Olympic Spirit - Congrats.,
Ms. B. Kent (by Mr. G. Ramey) 2198
Vote - Affirmative 2199
No. 1194, Cornwallis Commun. Gardens Assoc.: Commun. Garden
- Congrats., Mr. H. Theriault 2199
Vote - Affirmative 2199
No. 1195, Debert Military Museum: Appreciation - Show,
Hon. K. Casey 2199
Vote - Affirmative 2200
No. 1196, Chance: Purina Hall of Fame - Induction,
Mr. G. Gosse (by Mr. C. MacKinnon) 2200
Vote - Affirmative 2201
No. 1197, Stan Doucet's Flower Shop - Anniv. (40th),
Hon. W. Gaudet 2201
Vote - Affirmative 2202
No. 1198, Health: Southwestern N.S. - Physician Shortage,
Hon. C. d'Entremont 2202
Vote - Affirmative 2202
No. 1199, Liverpool FD: Emergency Service Provider Fund
- Importance, Ms. V. Conrad 2202
Vote - Affirmative 2203
No. 1200, Annapolis Valley Lake and Ridge Runners
- Can. Snowmobile Club of Yr., Mr. L. Glavine 2203
Vote - Affirmative 2204
No. 1201, Sampson. Lynette: C.B. Special Olympics
- Top Female Athlete, Mr. A. MacLeod 2204
Vote - Affirmative 2205
No. 1202, Shaw, John: 2D Animation Comp. - Congrats.,
Ms. L. Zann 2205
Vote - Affirmative 2205
No. 1203, Barker, Dr. William (Bill) - King's College: Serv.
- Thank, Mr. A. Younger (by Ms. K. Regan) 2206
Vote - Affirmative 2206
No. 1204, Smith Windsor Rink: Curling Accomplishments
- Congrats., Mr. C. Porter 2206
Vote - Affirmative 2207
No. 1205, Mackintosh, Ryan: BAM Racing - Congrats.,
Mr. B. Skabar (by Mr. S. Prest) 2207
Vote - Affirmative 2208
No. 1206, Scotiabank Blue Nose Marathon (2010): Participants
- Congrats., Mr. A. Younger (by Ms. K. Regan) 2208
Vote - Affirmative 2209
No. 1207, Rankin, Sandy and Deannie: Rest. Opening - Congrats.,
Mr. A. MacMaster 2209
Vote - Affirmative 2209
No. 1208, Cdn. Tire Jumpstart/Dealers: Fundraising - Congrats.,
Mr. M. Whynott 2210
Vote - Affirmative 2210
No. 1209, Lunenburg: Can Winter Games - Importance,
Ms. P. Birdsall 2210
Vote - Affirmative 2211
No. 1210, Sherbrooke Garage/Fraser Fam.: Anniv (100th)
- Congrats., Mr. J. Boudreau (by Mr. J. Morton) 2211
Vote - Affirmative 2212
No. 1211, KOC No. 10486: Basketball Free Throw Championships
- Participants, Ms. B. Kent (by Mr. G. Ramey) 2212
Vote - Affirmative 2213
No. 1212, Guzdzoil, Anna - Strait Areas C. of C. Award,
Hon. C. Clarke (by Mr. A. MacMaster) 2213
Vote - Affirmative 2214
No. 1213, Arthur, George: CUPE Award (Posthumous)
- Congrats., Mr. G. Gosse (by Mr. C. MacKinnon) 2214
Vote - Affirmative 2215
No. 1214, MacCormick: Natl. RBC Jr. A. Scholarship
- Congrats., Hon. C. Clarke (by Mr. A. MacLeod) 2215
Vote - Affirmative 2216
HOUSE RECESSED AT 5:10 P.M. 2216
HOUSE RECONVENED AT 5:15 P.M. 2216
HOUSE RESOLVED INTO CWH ON BILLS AT 5:16 P.M. 2217
CWH REPORTS. 2217
PRIVATE MEMBERS' PUBLIC BILLS FOR THIRD READING:
No. 50, Correctional Services Act,
Hon. M. Samson 2218
PUBLIC BILLS FOR THIRD READING:
No. 62, Nova Scotia Hospital Foundation Act,
No. 67, Halifax Regional Municipality Charter 2219
Vote - Affirmative 2219
GOVERNMENT MOTIONS:
ADDRESS IN REPLY:
Hon. R. Jennex 2219
Hon. M. Samson 2235
Adjourned debate 2251
PRESENTING REPORTS OF COMMITTEES:
Law Amendments Committee, Hon. R. Landry 2251
Law Amendments Committee, Hon. R. Landry 2252
PUBLIC BILLS FOR SECOND READING:
No. 63, Legal Profession Act,
Hon. R. Landry 2253
Hon. M. Samson 2253
Hon. C. Clarke 2257
Hon. R. Landry 2260
Vote - Affirmative 2261
HOUSE RESOLVED INTO CWH ON BILLS AT 7:57 P.M. 2261
HOUSE RECONVENED AT 8:03 P.M. 2261
CWH REPORTS 2261
[PUBLIC BILLS FOR THIRD READING]:
No. 64, Electricity Act 2262
No. 65, Homes for Special Care Act 2262
No. 68, Public Utilities Act 2262
Vote - Affirmative 2262
ADJOURNMENT, House rose to meet again on Tue., May 11th at 12 noon 2262
NOTICES OF MOTION UNDER RULE 32(3):
No. 1215, Taylor, Susan - Paul Harris Fellowship Award
(Posthumous), Hon. M. Scott 2263
No. 1216, Comeau's Farm Market - Anniv. (25th),
Hon. W. Gaudet 2263
No. 1217, Prime, Anthony: Inspiring Lives Award - Congrats.,
Hon. S. McNeil 2264
No. 1218, Robinson, Chad: Inspiring Lives Award Nominee
- Congrats., Hon. S. McNeil 2264
No. 1219, Langille, Debbie: Inspiring Lives Award Nominee
- Congrats., Hon. S. McNeil 2265
No. 1220, Hastings, Guy, Jr.:Inspiring Lives Award Nominee
- Congrats., Hon. S. McNeil 2265
No. 1221, Malone, James: Inspiring Lives Award Nominee
- Congrats., Hon. S. McNeil 2266
No. 1222, Griffin, Jann: Inspiring Lives Award Nominee
- Congrats., Hon. S. McNeil 2266
No. 1223, Blaikie, Jessica: Inspiring Lives Award Nominee
- Congrats., Hon. S. McNeil 2267
No. 1224, Gardiner, Michelle: Inspiring Lives Award Nominee
- Congrats., Hon. S. McNeil 2267
No. 1225, Jones, Shaleen: Inspiring Lives Award Nominee
- Congrats., Hon. S. McNeil 2268
No. 1226, Craig, Tom: Inspiring Lives Award Nominee
- Congrats., Hon. S. McNeil 2268
No. 1227, Daigle, Vince: Inspiring Lives Award Nominee
- Congrats., Hon. S. McNeil 2269
No. 1228, Chapman, Wanda: Inspiring Lives Award Nominee
- Congrats., Hon. S. McNeil 2269

[Page 2177]

HALIFAX, MONDAY, MAY 10, 2010

Sixty-first General Assembly

Second Session

4:00 P.M.

SPEAKER

Hon. Charlie Parker

DEPUTY SPEAKERS

Mr. Gordon Gosse, Hon. Wayne Gaudet, Mr. Alfie MacLeod

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please. I call the House to order. Welcome back to the House for a new week.

Before we begin the daily routine, I will recognize the honourable Minister of Community Services.

The honourable Minister of Community Services.

HON. DENISE PETERSON-RAFUSE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to take this opportunity to table information and a report. It's the Minister's Advisory Committee on Children and Family Services Act and the Adoption Information Act. The honourable member for Cape Breton South had inquired about this information and I would like to table it - a copy for him and a copy for the House.

MR. SPEAKER: The information is tabled.

We'll begin the daily routine.

[Page 2178]

2177

PRESENTING AND READING PETITIONS

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party.

HON. KAREN CASEY: Mr. Speaker, I beg leave to table a petition on behalf of 655 signatories from Nova Scotia, the operative clause which reads:

"We, the undersigned, want the Nova Scotia Government to re-examine their decision to withhold covering Lucentis injections for all Nova Scotians afflicted with Macular Degeneration. We want the government to provide us with the same level of health care that everyone in the rest of Canada enjoys."

Mr. Speaker, I have affixed my signature to this petition, along with caucus colleagues.

MR. SPEAKER: The petition is tabled.

PRESENTING REPORTS OF COMMITTEES

TABLING REPORTS, REGULATIONS AND OTHER PAPERS

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal.

HON. WILLIAM ESTABROOKS: Mr. Speaker, I beg leave to table the 2009 Annual Report of the Nova Scotia Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Review Office.

MR. SPEAKER: The report is tabled.

STATEMENTS BY MINISTERS

GOVERNMENT NOTICES OF MOTION

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal.

RESOLUTION NO. 1169

HON. WILLIAM ESTABROOKS: Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the honourable Ministers of Education, and Labour and Workforce Development, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

[Page 2179]

Whereas in 2009 almost 1,000 workers under the age of 24 were injured seriously enough in the workplace to lose time from work; and

Whereas in an effort to reverse this trend, 330 students from across the province participated in the workplace health and safety pilot curriculum which teaches Grade 9 students about the importance of workplace safety and how they can prevent injuries on the job; and

Whereas this workplace safety module will be introduced into the compulsory Healthy Living 9 course this coming school year, where all Grade 9 students across the province will gain the knowledge, skills and positive reinforcement they need to make competent decisions about safety on the cusp of their entry into the workforce;

Therefore be it resolved that the Nova Scotia Legislature congratulate the teachers and students for completing a successful pilot and thank the Workers' Compensation Board for its partnership in developing this important workplace safety curriculum that will work to decrease workplace injuries in this province.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.

MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

The honourable Minister of Tourism, Culture and Heritage.

RESOLUTION NO. 1170

HON. PERCY PARIS: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the Cambridge Suites in Sydney has been rated by travellers as the top hotel in Canada and ninth in the world; and

Whereas the ranking comes from the Expedia 2010 Insiders' Select results, an annual ranking of the world's best hotels for quality and value, as determined primarily by traveller reviews; and

[Page 2180]

Whereas Cambridge Suites in Sydney has exceeded customer expectations in customer service, amenities, competitive pricing and overall customer satisfaction;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House congratulate management and staff of the Cambridge Suites Hotel Sydney on this award and wish them continued success during this tourism season.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.

[4:15 p.m.]

MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

The honourable Minister of Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations.

RESOLUTION NO. 1171

HON. RAMONA JENNEX: Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the honourable Minister of Natural Resources, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources is pleased to celebrate 2010 National Mining Week's theme, "Canada's Mining Resources: Creating Jobs and Opportunity for a Sustainable Future", from May 10th to May 16th; and

Whereas this celebration is a time to recognize the important role the mining industry has played in our lives for centuries; and

Whereas today's modern mining industry provides technology, training, jobs, schools, hospitals, and homes while ensuring the impact on the environment is minimal;

Therefore be it resolved that all members join in the celebration of National Mining Week, and recognize that the mining industry plays an important role in creating good jobs and growing our economy.

[Page 2181]

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.

MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

The honourable Minister of Environment.

RESOLUTION NO. 1172

HON. STERLING BELLIVEAU: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the Province of Nova Scotia has adopted a disposal target of 300 kilograms a person each year by 2015; and

Whereas waste diversion programs such as recycling and composting are good for the environment and help create local green jobs; and

Whereas adoption of a clear bag program for garbage can significantly increase recycling and composting rates and reduce our dependence on landfills;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House congratulate all of the municipalities that have adopted or are considering adopting clear bag programs for garbage collection.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.

MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

[Page 2182]

The motion is carried.

The honourable Minister of Finance.

RESOLUTION NO. 1173

HON. GRAHAM STEELE: Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the honourable Minister of Health Promotion and Protection, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas hemochromatosis is the most common genetic disorder affecting Canadians; and

Whereas complications of this crippling and potentially fatal metabolic disorder are preventable by early diagnosis and treatment; and

Whereas May is Hemochromatosis Awareness Month;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House acknowledge the work of the Canadian Hemochromatosis Society and its efforts to educate people about the condition and reduce the suffering of those affected by it.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.

MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

INTRODUCTION OF BILLS

Bill No. 70 - Entitled an Act to Amend Chapter 27 of the Acts of 1998. The Wilderness Areas Protection Act. (Hon. Murray Scott)

Bill No. 71 - Entitled an Act to Require the Establishment of a Mandatory Early Development Instrument Assessment Program in Nova Scotia. (Ms. Kelly Regan)

MR. SPEAKER: Ordered that these bills be read a second time on a future day.

[Page 2183]

NOTICES OF MOTION

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Leader of the Official Opposition.

RESOLUTION NO. 1174

HON. STEPHEN MCNEIL: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the federal government has proclaimed 2010 the year of the British Home Child to recognize the contributions of the 100,000 British orphans who made their way to Canada to work as farm labourers and servants between 1869 and 1948; and

Whereas these children faced tremendous adversity, often separated from siblings and left vulnerable to mistreatment and abuse; and

Whereas the Middlemore Atlantic Society aims to educate Canadians about the role these children played in our history and recognize the estimated 10,000 home children still living in Canada;

Therefore be it resolved that this House commend the efforts of the Middlemore Atlantic Society to recognize the British Home Children as an important part of Canada's history and voice its support for the Year of the British Home Child.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.

MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

The honourable Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party.

RESOLUTION NO. 1175

[Page 2184]

HON. KAREN CASEY: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the 95-year-old Five Islands lighthouse has been moved four times since it was first built; and

Whereas the Five Islands Lighthouse Society rescued the lighthouse from demolition in 1966 and in 2008 moved it from the Sand Point Campground to Broderick Lane; and

Whereas the Nova Scotia Lighthouse Preservation Society presented the Craig Harding Lighthouse Preservation Award in Halifax this week to the Five Islands Lighthouse Society;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate the Five Islands Lighthouse Society for winning the prestigious provincial heritage award and recognize the outstanding work the society has done to preserve this historic structure.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.

MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

The honourable Premier.

RESOLUTION NO. 1176

HON. DARRELL DEXTER (The Premier): Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the Cole Harbour PeeWee AAA Wings raised the funds to travel to Quebec City earlier this month to compete in the Quebec International BSR Minor Hockey Tournament; and

Whereas the team won the gold medal in the tournament; and

[Page 2185]

Whereas they are only the second PeeWee team from Cole Harbour to win a tournament in Quebec, the first being captained by Sidney Crosby in 2000;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House recognize the achievements of the Cole Harbour PeeWee AAA Wings and congratulate the players and coaches on their gold medal win.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.

MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

The honourable member for Kings West.

RESOLUTION NO. 1177

MR. LEO GLAVINE: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas over 700 Yarmouth Liberals held their nomination meeting on Saturday to select their candidate for the upcoming by-election; and

Whereas Zach Churchill won the nomination after delivering a passionate speech stressing the challenges facing the region and his commitment to work for the people of Yarmouth; and

Whereas Zach represents a new generation, as he recognized during his speech, "Often, it is our youth that serve as our impetus for change, that challenge us to reinvent ourselves and that offer the energy we need to bring about new beginnings.";

Therefore be it resolved that the House congratulate Zach Churchill on his nomination and urge the Premier to call the by-election to ensure the people of Yarmouth have an elected representative as soon as possible.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.

[Page 2186]

MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

The honourable member for Victoria-The Lakes.

RESOLUTION NO. 1178

MR. KEITH BAIN: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Canada's labour shortage is being described by strategists as an economic time bomb; and

Whereas Prime Minister Stephen Harper is on record as saying the labour shortage will be Canada's number one economic problem within the next few years; and

Whereas Nova Scotia's Minister of Labour and Workforce Development said in this Legislature last Wednesday that worker numbers are changing daily as to the extent of the labour shortage Nova Scotians will be facing in the next couple of years;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly request the minister and her government immediately outline a detailed strategy-working plan as to how her NDP Government will be addressing this serious economic problem.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.

MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.

Is it agreed?

I hear several Noes.

The notice is tabled.

[Page 2187]

The honourable Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal.

RESOLUTION NO. 1179

HON. WILLIAM ESTABROOKS: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas on May 10, 1970, legendary Boston Bruins defenceman Robert Gordon Orr scored THE GOAL, winning the Stanley Cup for that unforgettable NHL season; and

Whereas Bobby Orr revolutionized the game of hockey during his too-short playing career; and

Whereas loyal Bruins fans cling to the memory of the goal scored 40 years ago tonight in St. Louis;

Therefore be it resolved that the Nova Scotia Legislature recognize Bobby Orr's cup-winning goal on May 10, 1970, with best wishes to Bruins fans in their team's quest to capture another Stanley Cup.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.

MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.

Is it agreed?

I hear several Noes.

The notice is tabled.

The honourable member for Hants West.

RESOLUTION NO. 1180

MR. CHUCK PORTER: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas McHappy Day was held at McDonald's restaurants across the Annapolis Valley last Wednesday in support of Camp Brigadoon and Ronald McDonald House; and

[Page 2188]

Whereas there are seven McDonald's restaurants in the Annapolis Valley, in Windsor, Coldbrook, Greenwood, and two each in New Minas and Digby; and

Whereas with the assistance of some fantastic help in Windsor from the Family Resource Centre, staff from the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, King's-Edgehill, and the Windsor Fire Department, a total of $2,549 was raised, while nearly $10,000 was raised in total across the Annapolis Valley;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly recognize the caring community spirit of the owners and staff of McDonald's restaurants in the Annapolis Valley and their contribution to two worthwhile projects which assist many individuals and families.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.

MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

The honourable member for Halifax Atlantic on an introduction.

MS. MICHELE RAYMOND: Mr. Speaker, I'd like to draw attention to the gallery, to my good friend and relative, Judy Guernsey. Judy Guernsey is a professor in the Faculty of Medicine at Dalhousie and she's the Director at the Centre for Rural Health. They've just recently received major funding to establish a world-class laboratory in environmental health indoor and outdoor air quality through the Canadian Foundation for Innovation. I hope that you'll all give Dr. Guernsey a welcome and hope that her work will continue to benefit the people of Nova Scotia inside and out.

MR. SPEAKER: We welcome all our visitors here this afternoon.

The honourable Minister of Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations.

RESOLUTION NO. 1181

HON. RAMONA JENNEX: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

[Page 2189]

Whereas the Annapolis Valley Regional Science Fair took place from March 29 to April 1, 2010, at the NSCC Kingstec Campus, attracting 150 entries from all age levels; and

Whereas Roman Koszucki of Wolfville School won an Acadia Science Award, the Blomidon Naturalist Award, and a gold medal in the Life Science category for his project, "The Spill on Dawn"; and

Whereas as a reward for this remarkable achievement, Roman will attend the Canada-Wide Science Fair in Peterborough, Ontario, from May 15 to 23, 2010, as a representative of the Annapolis Valley;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House congratulate Roman Koszucki for his remarkable dedication and achievement, wish him all the best as he competes on behalf of Nova Scotia at the Canada-Wide Science Fair and recognize the hard work of all students and staff in making the 2010 Annapolis Valley Science Fair a success.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.

[4:30 p.m.]

MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

The honourable member for Bedford-Birch Cove.

RESOLUTION NO. 1182

MS. KELLY REGAN: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Geoff MacLellan is a "Bay Boy" down to his very fabric and has a deep appreciation for the community of Glace Bay; and

[Page 2190]

Whereas Geoff has a world of experience to channel into his efforts as the MLA for Glace Bay, including being former executive assistant for Rodger Cuzner, Member of Parliament for Cape Breton-Canso; and

Whereas Geoff is a friendly, familiar face in the riding of Glace Bay and knows the issues affecting the area where he has worked hard to increase the quality of life in his community as president of the Table Head Development Society and as a member of the Savoy Theatre Society;

Therefore be it resolved that this House congratulate Geoff MacLellan on his nomination as the Liberal candidate for Glace Bay and urge the Premier to call the by-election to ensure the people of Glace Bay have an elected representative as soon as possible.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.

MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

The honourable member for Cape Breton West.

RESOLUTION NO. 1183

MR. ALFIE MACLEOD: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Nova Scotia's Minister of Justice was quoted in Friday's Chronicle-Herald as saying he saw no use for guns "other than to kill or maim"; and

Whereas the Minister of Justice, for some reason, refuses to recognize 87,000 Nova Scotians who participate in hunting in this province on an annual basis generating $35 million for the provincial economy; and

Whereas the minister has steadfastly refused to apologize for his ridiculous and hurtful comments while also being seemingly oblivious to the current legislation in Nova Scotia which respects the heritage tradition of hunting and recreational outdoor benefits;

[Page 2191]

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly unanimously call upon the Minister of Justice to dig his head out of the sand and apologize to Nova Scotia's legal firearm owners.

The notice is tabled.

The honourable Minister of Agriculture.

RESOLUTION NO. 1184

HON. JOHN MACDONELL: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas volunteer fire departments provide a valuable service in rural communities; and

Whereas volunteers are essential to these rural fire departments; and

Whereas on April 23, 2010, the Municipality of East Hants recognized Raymond Ross of Walton with the Shining Star Award for his efforts over many years with Walton Volunteer Fire Department and the Walton lighthouse and park;

Therefore be it resolved this House of Assembly congratulate Raymond Ross on his Shining Star Award and thank him for his example of community service.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.

MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

The honourable member for Digby-Annapolis.

RESOLUTION NO. 1185

[Page 2192]

MR. HAROLD THERIAULT: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas students from Digby Regional High School spent a night in the gym on April 23rd without eating to raise money for the World Vision 30 Hour Famine; and

Whereas this is the 8th year the Digby Regional High School has participated and roughly 70 students took part to raise over $3,300; and

Whereas the fundraising method gives students a chance to experience hunger and raise money for the cause at the same time;

Therefore be it resolved that members of this House of Assembly recognize these students for their sacrifice they have made to bring awareness to World Vision 30 Hour Famine and raise much needed funds for this worthy cause.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.

MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

The honourable member for Argyle.

RESOLUTION NO. 1186

HON. CHRISTOPHER D'ENTREMONT: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas treatment of CCSVI by angioplasty is a means to successfully treat Multiple Sclerosis;

Whereas on Wednesday, May 5th, the Premier and the Minister of Health were dismissive of pleas from the MS Liberation organization and the member for Cape Breton West in seeking angioplasty treatment of CCSVI for multiple sclerosis; and

[Page 2193]

Whereas angioplasty for CCSVI is a current treatment for people who suffer from diabetes, hypertension, or blocked veins or arteries, so it is not an experimental treatment that the Premier and the Minister of Health claim it to be;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House join me in congratulating the Premier and the Minister of Health in receiving their medical degree, as obviously they know more about the treatment of MS using the Liberation Treatment than Dr. Paolo Zamboni, doctors in the United States, Poland, Jordan, and Kuwait, and the current use of the procedure to treat other maladies in Canada.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.

MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.

Is it agreed?

I hear several Noes.

The notice is tabled.

The honourable member for Antigonish.

RESOLUTION NO. 1187

MR. MAURICE SMITH: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption is the following resolution:

Whereas the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, declaring, "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights", thereby solidifying fundamental freedoms and protection from unfair treatment; and

Whereas Nova Scotia protects human rights through the Human Rights Act and the work of the Human Rights Commission; and

Whereas Antigonish resident Patricia Skinner, an active community leader and past recipient of the Human Rights Award, was recently appointed to the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission for a three-year term;

Therefore be it resolved that the House recognize and thank Ms. Skinner for her years of community work and her continued commitment to upholding human rights through the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission.

[Page 2194]

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.

MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

The honourable member for Clare.

RESOLUTION NO. 1188

HON. WAYNE GAUDET: Monsieur le Président, à une date ultérieure, je demanderai l'adoption de la résolution suivante:

Attendu que la Colonie de la jeunesse acadienne ou la CJA, un camp d'été pour les jeunes dans la région de Clare, célèbre son 50e anniversaire en 2010;

Attendu que au fil des ans, la CJA a toujours été un effort communautaire dirigé et appuyé par les bénévoles de la région de Clare, dont 250 bénévoles qui sont dévoués à la collecte de fonds cette année;

Attendu que les Dames patronnesses de la CJA travaillent maintenant avec diligence en collaboration avec des partenaires et la communauté pour rebâtir le camp et assurer sa continuité;

Par conséquent, il est résolu que les membres de cette Assemblée félicitent les Dames patronnesses de la CJA à l'occasion du 50e anniversaire de la Colonie de la jeunesse acadienne et les remercient pour leurs importantes contributions au leadership et à la qualité de vie des jeunes de notre communauté.

Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas 2010 marks the 50th Anniversary for La Colonie de la Jeunesse Acadienne or La CJA, a summer camp for youths in Clare; and

Whereas over the years La CJA remains a community effort, directed and supported by volunteers from Clare, with over 250 volunteers this year dedicated to fundraising; and

[Page 2195]

Whereas Les Dames Patronesses de la CJA are now working diligently with its partners and the community in rebuilding the camp and keeping its spirit alive;

Therefore be it resolved that members of this House of Assembly congratulate Les Dames Patronesses de la CJA on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of La Colonie de la Jeunesse Acadienne and thank them for their valuable contributions to the leadership and quality of life for the young people in our community.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.

MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

The honourable member for Victoria-The Lakes.

RESOLUTION NO. 1189

MR. KEITH BAIN: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the Baddeck Area Business and Tourism Association is well underway with planned activities for 2010; and

Whereas the association held its annual meeting about one month ago, with Glen MacDonald as President; and

Whereas the association is presently spending the majority of its time focusing energy and money on marketing Baddeck as a pristine tourist destination;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly join me in recognizing the Baddeck Area Business and Tourism Association for its concerted effort in wanting to make the 2010 summer tourist season for the local area the very best.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.

[Page 2196]

MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

The honourable member for Halifax Citadel-Sable Island.

RESOLUTION NO. 1190

MR. LEONARD PREYRA: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Halifax has always been at the centre of a proud and vibrant Maritime brewing tradition; and

Whereas Garrison Brewery is continuing this tradition by producing premium ales and introducing craft beers which have garnered national and international attention; and

Whereas Garrison Brewery recently was awarded gold for their Irish Red Ale and Imperial Pale Ale, and silver for their Hopyard Pale and Winter Warmer at the 2010 World Beer Championships;

Therefore be it resolved that this House of Assembly congratulate Garrison Brewery on their recent gold and silver awards at the 2010 World Beer Championships and wish them continuing success as world leaders in the movement to brew full-flavoured, all-natural, preservative-free ales.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.

MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

[Page 2197]

The motion is carried.

The honourable member for Bedford-Birch Cove.

RESOLUTION NO. 1191

MS. KELLY REGAN: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Dr. Rob Brownstone is a Bedford neurosurgeon and Dalhousie University professor; and

Whereas Dr. Brownstone and an international team of researchers have discovered a group of nerve cells critical to regulating how much force muscles use when they perform movements; and

Whereas this discovery could lead to breakthroughs in the treatment of spinal cord injuries and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease, among other conditions;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House congratulate Dr. Rob Brownstone and his colleagues at Dalhousie University, the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, and Columbia University in New York on their discovery, and wish them many "eureka" moments in their future research.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.

MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

The honourable member for Inverness.

RESOLUTION NO. 1192

MR. ALLAN MACMASTER: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

[Page 2198]

Whereas Dawn and Margie Beaton won the 2010 East Coast Music Award for Traditional Recording of the Year for their recording, Taste of Gaelic; and

Whereas the Beatons are fine exponents of the best and brightest musical talents from across Atlantic Canada; and

Whereas the ECMA win will expose them to a broader audience and further increase their profile;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Dawn and Margie Beaton on their ECMA win, and wish them continued success.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.

MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

The honourable member for Lunenburg West.

RESOLUTION NO. 1193

MR. GARY RAMEY: Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the member for Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas on February 15th, the Tallahassee Community School in Eastern Passage began a two-week celebration of the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, British Columbia; and

Whereas their celebrations included highlights from the events and a variety of activities such as Olympic bingo and outdoor play; and

Whereas on February 26th, the closing day for the Vancouver Olympics, each class wore colours from different nations that participated in the 2010 Olympics;

[Page 2199]

Therefore be it resolved that this House of Assembly commend Tallahassee Community School for their outstanding demonstration of community spirit and Canadian pride during the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.

MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

[4:45 p.m.]

The honourable member for Digby-Annapolis.

RESOLUTION NO. 1194

MR. HAROLD THERIAULT: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas over the past month, the newly-formed Cornwallis Community Gardens Association has chosen a piece of ground for its new community garden, had it plowed and spread with lime; and

Whereas the association is now accepting applications from citizens of all areas for summer garden plots at a nominal cost; and

Whereas the aim of the association is to create opportunities for seniors to pass on accumulated knowledge and experience to other generations through the creation of the community garden;

Therefore be it resolved the members of the House of Assembly congratulate the Cornwallis Community Gardens Association on their new community garden and wish them much success in the future.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.

MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.

[Page 2200]

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

The honourable Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party.

RESOLUTION NO. 1195

HON. KAREN CASEY: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the Debert Military Museum in Colchester County is located on one of the most important Canadian military bases of the Second World War; and

Whereas the Camp, as it was known in those days, was the staging area for troops before they shipped overseas during the war and it was used for training and had 3,000 to 4,000 soldiers pass through per month; and

Whereas the new president of the Debert Military Museum, Gordon Weatherby, a military historian, is passionate about keeping the history alive at this not-for-profit facility which is operated strictly by fundraising, donations, memberships and grants;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly show their appreciation to a museum whose purpose is to encourage people to remember what has been done for us by our military.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.

MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

The honourable member for Pictou East.

[Page 2201]

RESOLUTION NO. 1196

MR. CLARRIE MACKINNON: Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the member for Cape Breton Nova, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas on May 3, 2010 four pet heroes were inducted into the Purina Animal Hall of Fame; and

Whereas Chance, a dalmatian-fox terrier mix from South Bar, Cape Breton led searchers to James Delorey after he was lost in the woods; and

Whereas even though James passed away, his faithful companion Chance stayed by his side throughout the ordeal;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House salute Chance, a child's best friend and a true hero on his induction into the Purina Animal Hall of Fame.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.

MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

The honourable member for Clare.

RESOLUTION NO. 1197

HON. WAYNE GAUDET: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Stan Doucet's Flower Shop located in Meteghan Centre is celebrating 40 years in business this year; and

Whereas Stan has always provided the people of Clare and surrounding area with outstanding services throughout the years; and

[Page 2202]

Whereas Stan Doucet's Flower Shop has made a significant contribuition to the economy of Clare;

Therefore be it resolved that members of this House of Assembly congratulate Stan Doucet on his 40th Anniversary and wish him all the best in the years to come.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.

MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

The honourable member for Argyle.

RESOLUTION NO. 1198

HON. CHRISTOPHER D'ENTREMONT: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the shortage of doctors in southwest Nova Scotia is leaving thousands without access to a family doctor; and

Whereas people are forced to go to the emergency rooms to seek consultations from a doctor for usually minor ailments that a family doctor would normally address; and

Whereas the former government came up with innovative solutions to address the family doctor shortage with the implementation of foreign doctors working at the Ocean View Family Clinic and the Harbour View Family Clinic;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly ask the Minister of Health to immediately make the lack of access to family doctors in southwest Nova Scotia a top priority in her department.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.

MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.

[Page 2203]

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

The honourable member for Queens.

RESOLUTION NO. 1199

MS. VICKI CONRAD: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Nova Scotia's NDP Government is committed to keeping communities strong; and

Whereas the Emergency Services Provider Fund, through the Department of Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations, provided $15,000 to the Liverpool Fire Department in Queens County; and

Whereas these funds will allow this volunteer fire department to purchase much-needed new equipment so that they can continue to provide the important fire service to Queens;

Therefore be it resolved that the House of Assembly recognize the importance of the Emergency Services Provider Fund to all of our volunteer fire departments, including the Liverpool Fire Department of Queens County.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.

MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

The honourable member for Kings West.

[Page 2204]

RESOLUTION NO. 1200

MR. LEO GLAVINE: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the Canadian Council of Snowmobile Organizations named the Annapolis Valley Lake and Ridge Runners as winners of the Snowmobile Club of the Year Award for Canada; and

Whereas the Annapolis Valley Lake and Ridge Runners has benefited from outstanding leadership and a membership committed to best practices, which have been instrumental in the club receiving national recognition; and

Whereas the Annapolis Valley Lake and Ridge Runners have a long history of being good stewards of the environment, promoting safety for all riders while enjoying the club benefits of cultivating enjoyment with family and friends;

Therefore be it resolved that members of this House of Assembly congratulate the Annapolis Valley Lake and Ridge Runners on being named Canada's Snowmobile Club of the Year.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.

MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

The honourable member for Cape Breton West.

RESOLUTION NO. 1201

MR. ALFIE MACLEOD: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Special Olympics Nova Scotia, Cape Breton Region, has approximately 65 athletes participating in their programs; and

[Page 2205]

Whereas Lynette Sampson is a gifted swimmer who is joining the Nova Scotia Special Olympics team at the 2010 Summer Games in London, Ontario in July; and

Whereas Lynette was chosen by the Cape Breton Special Olympics as their Top Female Athlete of the Year at an awards ceremony at the Horizon Achievement Centre in Sydney;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Lynette Sampson for being named the top female athlete on the Cape Breton Special Olympics team and wish her the very best of luck in the national competition in London this summer.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.

MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

The honourable member for Truro-Bible Hill.

RESOLUTION NO. 1202

MS. LENORE ZANN: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas John Shaw is a first year student in the Digital Animation Program at the Nova Scotia Community College, Truro Campus; and

Whereas Mr. Shaw has been successfully taking part in animation competitions resulting in either bronze or gold awards for the past four years; and

Whereas Mr. Shaw recently won first place in the 2D animation competition through the Nova Scotia Skills Competition held at the Truro Campus;

[Page 2206]

Therefore be it resolved that the Nova Scotia Legislature congratulate John Shaw on winning first place in the 2D animation competition and wish him success as he studies and works toward a career in digital animation.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.

MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

The honourable member for Bedford-Birch Cove.

RESOLUTION NO. 1203

MS. KELLY REGAN: Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the honourable member for Dartmouth East, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the University of King's College in Halifax is Canada's oldest chartered university with a current student population of 1,100; and

Whereas Dr. William (Bill) Barker is currently the 22nd president of the University of King's College; and

Whereas after eight years of tireless support of university education at King's, Dr. Barker will retire from his post as president of the university in June 2011;

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly thank Dr. Barker for his years of dedicated service to the University of King's College, offer congratulations on his accomplishments during his career as president and wish him success in his future endeavours.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.

MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.

[Page 2207]

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

The honourable member for Hants West.

RESOLUTION NO. 1204

MR. CHUCK PORTER: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Courtney Smith's Windsor rink captured the Nova Scotia Dominion Women's Curling Club Championship held at the Windsor Curling Club in late February; and

Whereas Courtney is the proud daughter of Garnet "Gun" and Sandy Smith of Windsor and in winning the championship defeated 15 other club teams from across Nova Scotia; and

Whereas with the victory, Smith and her teammates, Heather Ross, Abbey Miller, and Shelley Samson have advanced to the third annual Dominion Insurance Canadian Curling Club Championship in November in Charlottetown;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly recognize the championship curling abilities of this Windsor-based team and wish them every success as they prepare and then participate in the Canadian Women's Club Curling Championship later this Fall in the "Cradle of Confederation."

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.

MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

[Page 2208]

The motion is carried.

The honourable member for Eastern Shore.

RESOLUTION NO. 1205

MR. SIDNEY PREST: Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the honourable member for Cumberland North, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas 14-year-old Ryan Mackintosh recently made the move from Amherst to North Carolina to pursue his dream of becoming a professional race car driver; and

Whereas Ryan took a huge step forward when he signed as a first development driver with BAM Racing in its eighth season in NASCAR Sprint Cup racing; and

Whereas racing co-owner Beth Ann Morgenthau says she chose Ryan because of his proven talent and the drive that he has exhibited at such a young age;

Therefore be it resolved that the House of Assembly extend our congratulations to Amherst's Ryan Mackintosh for his successes to date with racing and wish him the very best in his career with BAM Racing.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.

MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

The honourable member for Bedford-Birch Cove.

RESOLUTION NO. 1206

MS. KELLY REGAN: Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the honourable member for Dartmouth East, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

[Page 2209]

Whereas events for the seventh annual Scotiabank Blue Nose Marathon will begin May 21st and will close May 23rd; and

Whereas the Blue Nose Marathon is the largest annual race weekend in Atlantic Canada, with over 8,000 participants; and

Whereas several races and events for all ages are scheduled to take place in Halifax and Dartmouth throughout the weekend to promote healthy and active living;

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly join me in congratulating the athletes who will participate in the 2010 Scotiabank Blue Nose Marathon and thank the volunteers for organizing and sustaining such a positive event in our community.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.

MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

The honourable member for Inverness.

RESOLUTION NO. 1207

MR. ALLAN MACMASTER: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Sandy and Deannie Rankin of Port Hood recently opened their own restaurant, called Sandeannie's Bakery and Tea Room; and

Whereas Deannie's many years of cooking experience and recent diploma in culinary arts from the Nova Scotia Community College, combined with Sandy's recent retirement, enabled them to fulfill a long-held goal; and

[Page 2210]

Whereas the friendly service and excellent food have people all over Inverness County singing its praises;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Sandy and Deannie Rankin on the opening of their new restaurant and wish them many years of continued success.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.

MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

The honourable member for Hammonds Plains-Upper Sackville.

RESOLUTION NO. 1208

MR. MAT WHYNOTT: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas physical activity is an important part of a child's life; and

Whereas fundraising can provide kids a sporting chance, raising financial support to help offset registration fees; and

Whereas on May 29, 2010, Canadian Tire Jumpstart will hold its second annual Jumpstart Day, which is a national campaign to raise awareness about the importance of providing each child an opportunity to be involved in organized sports and recreation;

Therefore be it resolved that the House of Assembly congratulate Canadian Tire Jumpstart and all Canadian Tire dealers on their work in the community and on fundraising efforts of their local Jumpstart chapter that will give kids a sporting chance.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.

[5:00 p.m.]

[Page 2211]

MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

The honourable member for Lunenburg.

RESOLUTION NO. 1209

MS. PAM BIRDSALL: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the 2011 Games will be the largest sporting event in Halifax's history and the city's first Canada Winter Games with our country's best and brightest competing in over 20 sports, attracting thousands of visitors, VIPs, officials, and media; and

Whereas the 2011 Canada Games Torch Program celebrates the unique culture of Nova Scotia in the very community that helped shape and define it, generating an awareness and excitement in each region leading up to the games; and

Whereas the Town of Lunenburg is one of four Nova Scotian communities that will be welcoming the 2011 torch when it arrives on a naval vessel today, May 10th, at the Lunenburg waterfront with a celebration that includes local students, musicians, performances, and a torch run through the Old Town of Lunenburg;

Therefore be it resolved that this House of Assembly recognize the importance of the Canada Winter Games and its impact on athletes in Nova Scotia, and commend the Town of Lunenburg for hosting the Canada Games 2011 Torch on its arrival today, May 10th, at the Lunenburg waterfront.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.

MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

[Page 2212]

Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

The honourable member for Kings North.

RESOLUTION NO. 1210

MR. JIM MORTON: Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the honourable member for Guysborough-Sheet Harbour, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas in 2010 the Sherbrooke Garage, under the management of Scotty and Vi Fraser, will officially celebrate its 100th Anniversary; and

Whereas this business first began as a livery stable in 1909 and in the 1930s changed its name to Sherbrooke Taxi and Garage; and

Whereas the Sherbrooke Garage has provided employment and service for four generations of families;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House of Assembly congratulate Scotty and Vi Fraser and the entire Fraser family on the 100th Anniversary of the historic Sherbrooke Garage, and wish the Frasers continued success in their future endeavours.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.

MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

The honourable member for Lunenburg West.

RESOLUTION NO. 1211

[Page 2213]

MR. GARY RAMEY: Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the honourable member for Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the Knights of Columbus basketball free throw championships is held annually at local, district and provincial competitions; and

Whereas last year more than 179,000 sharpshooters participated in over 3,000 local competitions; and

Whereas the Knights of Columbus 10486 in Eastern Passage held their district free throw competition where winners Kenzie Eddy, Alexandra Hamilton, Nicole Wyatt, Logan Fowler, Dakota Clyke-Dixon and Amanda MacDonald demonstrated their free throw skills, along with all other participants;

Therefore be it resolved that this House of Assembly commend the Knights of Columbus 10486 in Eastern Passage for their ongoing support to Kenzie Eddy, Alexandra Hamilton, Nicole Wyatt, Logan Fowler, Dakota Clyke-Dixon and Amanda MacDonald of the Eastern Passage area through their annual Knights of Columbus basketball free throw program and congratulate all participants.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.

MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

The honourable member for Inverness.

RESOLUTION NO. 1212

MR. ALLAN MACMASTER: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the Strait Area Chamber of Commerce honoured Anna Guzdzoil and her late husband, Wladyslaw, with a lifetime achievement award April 30, 2010; and

[Page 2214]

Whereas Ms. Guzdzoil worked alongside her husband for many years at the family business, founded Port Hawkesbury's Girl Guide movement, and was an early member of the Advisory Council on the Status of Women; and

Whereas Ms. Guzdzoil worked . . .

MR. SPEAKER: Honourable member, if I could interrupt for a second. Is this your second or your third resolutions that you're reading today?

MR. ALLAN MACMASTER: Sorry, I'm reading this on behalf of the member for Cape Breton North.

MR. SPEAKER: Okay. Fine, continue.

MR. MACMASTER: Whereas Ms. Guzdzoil and her late husband are both highly regarded in their community as good employers who possess a high ethical standard, and she is well-deserving of this important award;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Anna Guzdzoil on receiving the Strait Area Chamber of Commerce Lifetime Achievement Award, and thank her for her commitment to her community.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.

MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

The honourable Minister of Health on an introduction.

HON. MAUREEN MACDONALD: Mr. Speaker, I would like to draw the attention of members of the House to the east gallery where, this evening, we're joined by Dr. Louise Parker. Dr. Parker is a professor of paediatrics and medicine at Dalhousie University and the principal investigator for the Atlantic Path. The Atlantic Path is the largest cancer research project ever undertaken in Atlantic Canada. The project is collecting lifestyle information, biological samples, and physical measurements from volunteers - men and women between the ages of 35 to 69.

[Page 2215]

Mr. Speaker, it's a landmark study into how genetics, environment and lifestyle contribute to the development of cancer. Atlantic Path will track participants' health for 30 years through cancer registries, hospital records, and other health-related databases. The project has already recruited thousands of volunteers so far and is looking for a total of 30,000 participants. The information Dr. Parker and her team obtain through this study will provide an enormous bank of information about cancer, which will be used to help develop better education, treatment and prevention methods.

Dr. Parker is originally from the U.K. where she was the director of research and development at the National Institute for Clinical Excellence in London. So I would ask Dr. Parker to rise and receive the warm welcome of the House and I thank her for being here this evening. (Applause)

MR. SPEAKER: We welcome our special guest here this evening.

The honourable member for Pictou East.

RESOLUTION NO. 1213

MR. CLARRIE MACKINNON: Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the member for Cape Breton Nova, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas on Tuesday, May 4, 2010, Phyllis Arthur was presented with an award, at the Canadian Union of Public Employees convention in Sydney, in honour of her late son, crossing guard extraordinaire, George Arthur, the pride of Whitney Pier; and

Whereas for 11 years, braving the elements day in and day out at the corner of Gottingen and Russell Streets in Halifax, George Arthur risked life and limb to stop traffic to ensure the safety of local schoolchildren; and

Whereas through his efforts and involvement in organizing crossing guards in 2007, George Arthur's legacy will live on for years to come;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House salute George Arthur's dedication and commitment to his community, ensuring youngsters have a chance to enjoy being a child en route to achieving their full potential at school.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.

MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.

Is it agreed?

[Page 2216]

It is agreed.

Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

The honourable member for Cape Breton West.

RESOLUTION NO. 1214

MR. ALFIE MACLEOD: Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the member for Cape Breton North, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Sam MacCormick of Sydney was awarded the National RBC Junior A Scholarship for 2009-10; and

Whereas the $5,000 educational scholarship is presented to an individual possessing impressive academic achievement, hockey achievement, and community involvement, and the scholarship falls on the heels of a $1,000 scholarship he received from the Maritime Junior A Hockey League earlier in the Spring; and

Whereas on top of his impressive on-ice achievements, Sam is equally impressive in the classroom as he is currently studying at Dalhousie University and hoping to eventually study medicine;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Sam MacCormick on being awarded the National RBC Junior A Scholarship and wish him well in his future academic endeavours.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.

MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

[Page 2217]

The honourable Acting Deputy House Leader.

HON. WILLIAM ESTABROOKS: Mr. Speaker, could we take a five-minute recess at this time?

MR. SPEAKER: Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

We'll have a short recess.

[5:10 p.m. The House recessed.]

[5:15 p.m. The House reconvened.]

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please. I would like to call the session back to order.

GOVERNMENT BUSINESS

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Government House Leader.

HON. FRANK CORBETT: Mr. Speaker, I move that you do now leave the Chair and that the House resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole House on Bills.

THE SPEAKER: Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

[5:16 p.m. The House resolved itself into a CWH on Bills with Deputy Speaker Hon. Wayne Gaudet in the Chair.]

[5:20 p.m. CWH on Bills rose and the House reconvened with Deputy Speaker Hon. Wayne Gaudet in the Chair.]

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please. The Chairman of the Committee of the Whole House on Bills reports:

THE CLERK: That the committee has met and considered three bills:

Bill No. 50 - Correctional Services Act and Police Act.

Bill No. 62 - Nova Scotia Hospital Foundation Act.

[Page 2218]

Bill No. 67 - Halifax Regional Municipality Charter.

and the chairman has been instructed to recommend these bills to the favourable consideration of the House, each without amendment.

MR. SPEAKER: Ordered that these bills be read for a third time on a future day.

The honourable Government House Leader.

HON. FRANK CORBETT: Mr. Speaker, with the concurrence of the House I would ask if it would be possible that we could move these three bills, Nos. 50, 62 and 67 for third reading right now.

MR. SPEAKER: Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Government House Leader.

HON. FRANK CORBETT: Mr. Speaker, would you please call Private Members' Public Bills for Third Reading.

PRIVATE MEMBERS' PUBLIC BILLS FOR THIRD READING

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Government House Leader.

HON. FRANK CORBETT: Mr. Speaker, would you please call Bill No. 50.

Bill No. 50 - Correctional Services Act.

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Richmond.

HON. MICHEL SAMSON: Mr. Speaker, it is with pleasure that I do move third reading of this bill. Again, I want to thank the Minister of Justice and the Government House Leader for calling forward this piece of legislation, which quite appropriately last week when it was called, it was Mental Health Week being recognized here in Nova Scotia.

I think this bill is meant to provide the necessary training for our correctional officers and our police officers, to assist them in dealing with Nova Scotians who may suffer from one form or another of mental illness, and have the ability of being able to recognize that, and see the factors leading to that in those dealings. This certainly was a recommendation which we brought forward some time ago after some high profile incidents in this province,

[Page 2219]

very unfortunate incidents, and we're certainly hoping that this is something that is going to be able to assist both our police officers and our correctional service officers as they move forward on this.

At the Law Amendments Committee - I don't have it with me right now - I did read an e-mail from the Executive Director of the Nova Scotia Schizophrenia Society where they indicated their full support for this bill. Unfortunately they were unable to attend the Law Amendments Committee due to many of the activities and meetings taking place during Mental Health Week here in Nova Scotia but they certainly did want to put it on the record their support for this legislation. I do want to thank all of my colleagues from all sides of this House for supporting this bill and I'm certainly hoping that this is an indication of many more Opposition bills that will be considered by this government in the future. With that, Mr. Speaker, I move third reading.

MR. SPEAKER: The motion is for third reading of Bill No. 50. Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

Ordered that the bill do pass. Ordered that the title be as read by the Clerk. Ordered that the bill be engrossed.

The honourable Government House Leader.

HON. FRANK CORBETT: Mr. Speaker, could you please call the order of business, Public Bills for Third Reading.

PUBLIC BILLS FOR THIRD READING

Bill No. 62 - Nova Scotia Hospital Foundation Act.

Bill No. 67 - Halifax Regional Municipality Charter.

MR. SPEAKER: The motions are carried.

Ordered that these bills do pass. Ordered that the titles be as read by the Clerk. Ordered that the bills be engrossed.

The honourable member for Hammonds Plains-Upper Sackville.

[Page 2220]

MR. MAT WHYNOTT: Mr. Speaker, I'd like to draw the attention of the House to the east gallery. We have a resident from Hammonds Plains here, Christina Parker. She is involved in pretty much every organization she can be in Hammonds Plains so we should give her a warm welcome. (Applause)

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Government House Leader.

HON. FRANK CORBETT: Mr. Speaker, would you please call the order of business, Government Motions.

GOVERNMENT MOTIONS

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Government House Leader.

HON. FRANK CORBETT: Mr. Speaker, I move that the adjourned debate on the Address in Reply to the Speech From the Throne be now resumed.

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Minister of Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations.

HON. RAMONA JENNEX: Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure and honour to rise in my place to deliver an Address in Reply to the Speech from the Throne. As a new member of the House of Assembly elected last June, this is my first opportunity to deliver such a speech in this historic House as the member for beautiful Kings South, responding to the speech delivered by Lieutenant Governor Mayann Francis.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to offer my sincere and unwavering thanks to my constituents in Kings South who have afforded myself this historic and honourable opportunity to represent them in the House of Assembly. I would especially like to thank the dedicated team of Party members in Kings South who assisted myself in achieving our historic victory here last June. We have an active and dedicated constituency association who have laboured tirelessly for many years in the political trenches.

I would never term my election as my victory, as it was as much a victory for those members over the years who have played a role in supporting our cause as it was a victory for myself. I would especially like to recognize some of the women who are politically active in Kings South and who have paved the way for the election last year. I'd like to mention Evelyn Garbary who passed away a number of years ago, who was an icon in our community because of her work in starting up Mermaid Theatre, along with Sara Lee Lewis, in Wolfville. (Applause)

[5:30 p.m.]

[Page 2221]

She was a candidate for our Party in a time when women had very little success in electoral politics. I'd also like to say that not only was Evelyn Garbary an icon, she was my friend, and I actually lived with Evelyn Garbary for a number of years as I was a student of hers when I took my theatre arts degree.

I also would like to acknowledge the work of Mary DeWolfe, who was a candidate for our Party no less then three times; the dedication of Bob Levy, for paving the way those many years ago for me to be here today; and David Mangle. David is currently a councillor in Wolfville and he was the last candidate for our Party in Kings South and still works tirelessly on my behalf and on behalf of Nova Scotians. I extend my heartfelt thanks to all of them.

Within this address as a response to the Speech from the Throne, I shall touch upon a number of areas. First, I will offer some specific comments with respect to the Speech from the Throne and the four-year plan we are embarking on as government. Second, I shall speak about my departmental responsibilities and priorities as Minister of Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations, the Office of Immigration, and the Emergency Management Office. Last but certainly not least, I will speak about my constituency, Kings South - specifically some of the interesting things about Kings South, as well as interesting happenings in my constituency.

Since the address by Lieutenant Governor Mayann E. Francis, delivered in April, I have spoken with many residents in Kings South. They have indicated to me that they believe our government is on the right track. (Applause) We're being fiscally prudent, looking to bring our finances back to balance while also providing assistance to those who require it, as well as pragmatic and a realistic vision for the future of this province.

We are making the right decisions for Nova Scotian families - right now and into the future. We are also fulfilling our commitments to Nova Scotians and I am proud to say, as minister, I've had a hand in ensuring some of these. Soon after our Party's election into government last June, my primary department Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations initiated the New Home Construction Rebate, a program which has helped roughly 1,500 families purchase or construct new homes in this province with a rebate up to $7,000. While this was a one-time program designed to address the need for economic stimulus, it has certainly been beneficial as it helped to keep our skilled tradespeople here in this province, working.

My department is also responsible for the delivery of Your Energy Rebate Program, and in particular the rollback of the 8 per cent increase in HST for all residential electricity users in this province. This has saved Nova Scotian families more than $15 million - a direct benefit to all families in this province.

[Page 2222]

Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations, along with Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal, has also helped to fulfill our commitment to leverage as many federal dollars for capital expenditures. Our focus has been on municipalities. In total, we have spent over $20 million in order to leverage over $23 million in federal dollars and over $23 million in municipal dollars as well. This has resulted in new or modernized infrastructure, which is very important to those communities where this money has been spent and to those workers who have had the opportunity to work on those projects.

Service Nova Scotia is also presently working on the development and implementation of a suburban priorities team whose purpose will be to focus on the specific needs of suburban dwellers, such as transit, road conditions, and access to proper recreational facilities. We expect an announcement with respect to this commitment very soon.

Most Nova Scotians don't recognize the plethora of programs and services offered by my department. In fact, Mr. Speaker, I suspect there are likely members of this House who are not fully aware of the breadth of this department's mandate. From the Residential Tenancies Act, to the many registries we are responsible for - Joint Stocks, Motor Vehicles and Land to name a few - to the multiple rebate programs to individuals, to our support for transit authorities, and to our direct and collaborative relationship with municipalities from one end of this province to the other, Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations touches the lives of all Nova Scotians.

While Service Nova Scotia keeps me on my toes, I have other offices which are also doing great work as well. The small yet mighty and effective Office of Immigration has been working on the development of a new immigration strategy in light of our commitment to double our immigration targets. My ministerial assistant, the honourable member for Halifax Citadel-Sable Island, has graciously taken the lead in the development of our new strategy along with members of our Immigration Advisory Council and members of staff in the department. This strategy will be robust and bold, building upon our past experience as well as the experience of other provinces.

We know that we are facing an impending if not immediate population challenge and immigration is a productive means to address this challenge. In order for this to be truly successful however, we must be sure we extend the proverbial welcome mat to newcomers, welcoming them to our communities and helping to facilitate their settlement. We must ensure that Nova Scotia, as a whole, is a welcoming community if we are to succeed in building our population through immigration. You will hear more about this plan in the coming month.

Specifically, the Office of Immigration recently expanded its Nominee Program to include a stream for non-dependent children of Nova Scotia nominees. The aim of this new stream is to help reunite families and assist the children of current nominees in obtaining

[Page 2223]

candidacy for immigration in this province. The update on this new stream has been promising and we hope to be able to introduce new streams with the new strategy.

I would like to touch upon the work of the Emergency Management Office as well. Just recently Craig MacLaughlan, the deputy head of EMO, retired from the organization after years of hard work and dedication to the safety and security of Nova Scotians. His determination is in large measure why our EMO is revered in the world of emergency management. I am sure that there will be little rest for Craig in his retirement because he has done such a good job with EMO, I know some organization is going to grab him quickly.

I can say with great certainty, as minister, that in the tragic event of a major disaster in this province we are served very well by this organization. In my time since becoming minister, I have encountered a handful of situations which have demonstrated that these folks are ready and it is because of the great planning and experience of the team we have in place. I can say that I am very proud to work with these fine people in all of my departments.

Now I would like to talk in some detail about Kings South, the place I represent in this House of Assembly. From Cambridge to the Hants border, from the Lunenburg line to Grand-Pré, Kings South is a treasure as are the people who reside there. I am blessed to be from a place in Nova Scotia with so much talent. With Acadia University located within the beautiful Town of Wolfville, we are home to many interesting people who both work at the university or who study there, as I did, and which is what drew me to the area in the first place. There are fine restaurants, lively pubs and retailers in the area, and many young families are drawn to the way of life in our community along with the relative peace and serenity of Valley life.

I must acknowledge the hard work of the president of Acadia University, Ray Ivany. Ray brings a strong track record to his present duties at Acadia and as an alumnus of this institution, I am happy to see it in such good hands. Now, I have met Ray on several occasions since taking office, but I see him in the community. He is out and about as much as I am, he is everywhere, and I am also extremely confident in his leadership to move this institution forward.

As I just said, I came to the Valley as a result of attending Acadia University. What kept me to the area, in large extent, was the way of life. I made a life for myself there as a teacher, raising a family of four children, and I lived for part of that time, after moving out of Wolfville, in Berwick, but now I reside in Coldbrook. I stayed in Kings County in part because of the education system, which I know from first-hand experience is advanced and capable of providing the supports that children require. Along with that, the beauty of the Valley, the diversity of the activities and events, I stayed because of the solid sense of community. Prior to my election last year, I taught for 30 years in the public school system.

AN HON. MEMBER: You're not that old.

[Page 2224]

MS. JENNEX: I know. (Interruptions) And 26 of those years I taught at Coldbrook and District School. I found it interesting though, in the last couple of years I was teaching, I was teaching the children of children that I have taught.

I can't talk about Kings South and not talk about agriculture though. We are the breadbasket of Nova Scotia with some of the most productive farmland in Nova Scotia. This isn't due to the micro climate of the Annapolis Valley, it is also due to the hard work and determination of the farmers who have worked the land over the years, investing their time and their knowledge. About 90 per cent of the food produced in this province is grown in Kings County.

Mr. Speaker, I am committed to a sustainable and vibrant industry. I want you to know that I feel that Nova Scotians have been paying a price for cheap imported food and we need to make sure that we celebrate and support our farmers. Many of us can say who your doctor is, who your dentist is. I want people to say and answer, who is your farmer? I would like to have a bumper sticker, who's your MLA and who's your farmer?

I would like to talk about some of the primary farm families in our region and I know I won't be able to name all of them because it is a vibrant community. I know the member opposite and my honourable member here with me, we share many of the farmers in the area. Many people visit the Valley to partake of the beauty and as you travel through Greenwich, you're going to stop at the Elderkin's Farm Market and you're going to buy delicious products there, or while you stop there, you also might want to pick your own apples.

Now, the Elderkin's Farm Market also has a U-pick of a different kind, too, in the Fall. You can pick your own pumpkins and I know many of you here would like to know they also make a fine hard cider along with the sweet cider. So if you're going to visit there, I would advise you to take your camera if you're there in the Fall. It's absolutely beautiful. The field across from the farm market is filled with pumpkins. It's beautiful and it's also beautiful when you go by, just around Halloween time, to watch children out carrying their big pumpkins in off of the field.

AN HON. MEMBER: Pumpkin People.

MS. JENNEX: Well, that's Kentville. Then you can stop at Stirling's Farm Market. That farm was established in 1917. Now, if you stop at that farm market, you're not only going to pick up fresh fruits and vegetables, you're going to pick up fantastic jams, jellies and pickles. If you're not up in the Valley and you want to buy some of the Stirling's products, they are also available at Pete's Frootique. Stirling's does a great export to Great Britain and also to the United States. They also have been increasing their business into the Caribbean and the Middle East.

[Page 2225]

[5:45 p.m.]

Now, I am going to say the name of a place that I know everyone here knows, because if you go to the Valley everyone stops at Hennigar's. Hennigar's has been a family operation for 62 years. This is the farm market that boasts a bakery, a fish and chips stand, which is a new addition, and a 2.5-kilometre nature walk. When you stop there you can browse the store for giftware, plants, baked goods and you can line up for the famous ice cream area there. Who hasn't stopped there? (Interruption) Many, many times, so you can take your ice cream and then you can go for a walk through the nature trail.

As I drove through there as I was coming down today, I also noticed for those people who golf, they have Farmersgolf there now. I also would like to say that Hennigar's Farm Market was cited in Reader's Digest as one of the best farm markets in Canada.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear! Hear!

MS. JENNEX: Then as you travel a little bit more you're going to meet up with Bishop's Noggins Corner, which is also in Greenwich. It is owned and operated by Avard Bishop and his sons, Andrew and Stirling. Their mixed-farm operation includes a variety of home-grown fruits and vegetables, a dairy and a bustling year-round farm market.

With 175 acres of orchard stretched along the banks of the Cornwallis River, they grow 52 varieties of apples, as well as pears, peaches, plums and raspberries. They also cultivate 80 acres of crops including sweet corn, squash, pumpkins, cucumbers, peas and peppers. They have a state-of-the-art warehouse, which allows them to store fresh, locally- grown fruits and vegetables. They also have the capacity to house 1,500 bins in cold storage. Their modern ultra low oxygen (ULO) technology ensures that you can enjoy crisp produce year-round. Very innovative in the Valley.

We also have other farmers, the Forysthes and the Palmeters. The families I am citing here are long-standing farm families who are working for generations in the Valley.

Another area which is out my way in the Cambridge area is Webster's, and I know many people go there to pick their strawberries and their raspberries. I want to say something about Webster Farms. Webster's,when I first moved to the Valley, when I used to travel up Highway No. 1, was tobacco fields and that was their main source of farming - tobacco. When there was a change, they adapted with the times and they are extremely well-known across Nova Scotia as one the best U-picks. They have the best strawberries and raspberries and you can stop there and many people come up from the city to get their strawberries and raspberries in the Spring. I am seeing lots of nods here, I'm sure many of you are familiar with the Webster Farms.

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In my community, I have Scotian Gold, another place very well-known for its ice cream too. But the thing that a lot of people don't know about Scotian Gold is it is a producer-owned apple co-operative and helps to maximize the growers' yield and revenue. This is a co-operative that consists of 55 committed growers and their president at this time is a man by the name of David Cudmore, I've met with him many times. He is another person who is out in the community and meeting people, he is also the president of their chamber of commerce in the area.

Scotian Gold may be known for its ice cream as I've said but the country store is a thriving enterprise for supplies for farmers for their crops, their livestock, carries seed and is a great place to get your work gear. A lot of people go there because they have a tremendous amount of pet supplies. I know that I stop there for my dog's supplies, it carries a high quality of pet food and I have to say that it is one of my grandson's favourite places because they also stock John Deere toys - and my grandson loves John Deere.

Now you can see that there is a diversity of foods produced in Kings County, but really, all in all, when you think of the Annapolis Valley you always think of apples.

Part of my weekly schedule is to visit the Wolfville Farmers' Market. It started in 1992 with three vendors and it now boasts 50 vendors and it is a year-round operation. Their mission is to provide a fair and direct market revenue for locally produced goods and services in an environment that inspires and nurtures community - and I think you've heard me use the word "community" already today, we have a lot of that in the Valley.

This market has been operating outdoors in the Spring and summer and moves indoors in the winter months at the Student Union Building at Acadia, but soon it will be making a year-round home at the DeWolfe warehouse owned by the university. There's a warehouse down in the front part of Wolfville and when Ray Ivany heard that the market was looking for a permanent home, he said we have a warehouse, we have a facility. At this point there is a partnership - they've provided the warehouse, and with fundraising that's going on and a contribution by the honourable member here, the Minister of Agriculture, to the tune of $228,000, they will be refurbishing that because we recognize the importance of local food.

Farm markets are key components of local economic development, so this is a great place to visit year-round, that will be a year-round operation. It also shows the collaborative and co-operative nature of the people in my area where Acadia is working with the community in allowing this to happen. This is fantastic. So I invite all of you to come on up on Saturday mornings to pick up your plethora of great food.

AN HON. MEMBER: Where is that, Madam Minister?

MS. JENNEX: Downtown Wolfville.

[Page 2227]

We celebrate our main crop each Spring and, as you know, that is coming up. Normally in late May or early June we have the world-renowned Apple Blossom Festival and this year we are celebrating the 78th year of the festival, so mark it on your calendar everyone - May 26th through to May 31st. As you know, this is a world-class event and a major tourist draw for the area.

The festival has the honour of being the only festival in this province that has been incorporated by this Legislature. My congratulations go out to all the organizers of the festival for all their hard work and dedication to the celebration of all things apple.

While apples remain our top agricultural export, in recent years Kings County has become well known for the quality and variety of wines produced from the region's numerous vineyards. Grand Pré is home to Domaine de Grand Pré under the ownership of Hanspeter Stutz, whom I think many of you might know; we have a new winery in the area, Muir Murray, proprietor Jonathan Murray; we have Gaspereau Winery, the proprietor is Dan Burns; we have Benjamin Bridge, also in the Gaspereau Valley, which is Gerry McConnell and Dara Gorden; and we have l'Acadie Vineyards, under the leadership of Bruce Ewert. These are all fine wineries and, if anyone notices, I have quite a few in my area - I am very blessed.

These quality vineyards, worked by knowledgeable winemakers, are producing fantastic wines and they are making a name for our region for the quality of this wine - they are winning awards all over the place. I have had the opportunity to visit - I haven't toured all of them, but I have visited all of them and I can truly say that a winemaking industry in Kings South is something that we all can be proud of here in Nova Scotia.

Our region is also well known for the quality of our apple ciders - no surprise, given the quality of our apples and also the expertise that is being brought to the Valley. Hanspeter Stutz makes Stutz Hard Apple Cider; Noggins Corner Farm, operated by the Bishops, is now producing Tideview Vintage Cider; and Elderkin's Farm, as I also mentioned, is producing an apple cider. There are plenty of ciders now to choose from.

I must recognize that there are time constraints with my address so I will not be able to mention each and every business, however, there are some that I'd like to highlight for the good work that they're doing in generating the economic activities in my community. Moreover, some of these that I shall make note of are quite innovative. Now, we have two coffee co-operatives which are headquartered in Kings South, Just Us! Coffee and T.A.N Coffee are both co-operatives offering a fair trade alternative to mainstream coffee, and we all love our coffee.

Founded in 1995, Just Us! was Canada's first fair trade coffee roaster. Their business is centred on three pillars, quality product, social, and environmental responsibility. Now I

[Page 2228]

love their mission. Their mission is, "People and the planet before profits." Quite a novel mission for such a profitable business. They're mainly working with organic fair trade coffee, however, they have also branched out into tea, sugar and chocolate. But they're all similar to coffee in that they're all organic and they're all fair trade. They use state-of-the-art packaging, which helps them maintain the freshness and quality of their coffee - and I was just getting a nod from my member opposite. Their coffee is very well known, it's fabulous. You can purchase their coffee in just about any grocery store, including the larger chains, but you can also purchase directly from Just Us! Roastery in Wolfville or at one of their cafes. There are two locations in Kings South, Grand Pré and Wolfville, as well as a location here in Halifax, just a block away from the Legislature.

My congratulations go to Jeff Moore, the CEO, as the heart and soul of this successful business built upon good ethics and business practices. His passion for this, and for the people who help to produce this quality coffee from Mexico to Grand Pré, is one of the reasons Just Us! is doing so well. That is why we are so proud of him and the work that he is doing.

T.A.N. Coffee, another fair trade organic purveyor of quality coffee, is headquartered in Wolfville. Founded by Lay Yong, they roast their own coffee, which can be purchased in bean form or in liquid form from any of their cafes. Now they have cafés in Greenwood, Wolfville, and Toronto, with plans as well, to expand into Ontario. These folks have a great business model and are a welcome addition to the economy of our region.

Both Just Us! and T.A.N., like the wineries of Kings South, have contributed to our region, being recognized for the quality of the products.

Food is important to all of us, and Kings South is well known for its wonderful restaurants. This year, Le Caveau, which is the restaurant at Grand Pré Winery, was recognized as Nova Scotia's best restaurant. We have a chef in the restaurant The Tempest, which is in Wolfville, Michael Howell, and he is also working with Slow Food Nova Scotia along with other chefs, the Chives restaurant, both of those fine chefs are working with Slow Food Nova Scotia, but Michael Howell was recognized for being an outstanding chef here in Nova Scotia.

One of the things I am most proud of in Kings South is our generosity and caring spirit with respect to how we provide for people with disabilities. There are individuals that often fall through the cracks of society without the proper support and resources. In Kings South these individuals have a variety of options available to them, whether they are young and looking for educational options, or older individuals looking for meaningful work opportunities.

For younger persons with learning disabilities we have a wonderful educational facility, Landmark East. They are located in Wolfville and have just celebrated 30 years of

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service in our community. They have also served over 850 students since 1979. Many of these students may not have been able to achieve their academic goals without the support provided at Landmark East. I know earlier on in the Legislature, the honourable Minister of Education has made sure that the children who need these supports will be receiving supports on an ongoing basis.

[6:00 p.m.]

Landmark is special because of the intimate environment within which students are able to learn and grow, with a population on average of between 40 to 45 students. Students come to Landmark from across Canada, many local students, and with many international students coming to learn in this intimate learning environment. The work they do is stellar. I've been there many times. I know that many of the members have been there and I know the Premier has visited, and under the leadership of Tim Moore, they're a gem in our community. As I drove by today - they're also very well-known for their absolutely beautiful magnolia tree. You know Spring has arrived when the magnolia tree at Landmark East is in full bloom.

We have a number of services in our community that are there to provide assistance to persons with special needs. L'Arche in Wolfville, known as Homefires, helps to integrate these people into the life of the town and community. We have five homes in the Wolfville and Greenwich area. There are three different day programs - sorry, there are three different programs. We have Applewicks - now, I just have to stop. I know we're not to use props, but I did wear a product from Applewicks. (Interruption) Yes, I did. Applewicks, where candles and weaving are produced.

Now, any of the honourable members, if they would like to share in these (Interruption) I think one of the honourable members really likes my scarf here. These are actually available at the protocol office. You can actually purchase them. They're all handmade by the people who work there, and this one was made by Christina, and I actually stopped in and visited there today. I got a hug from Scott, I had a chance to get a hug from Heather, and Christina was working on another scarf. I was very pleased. It's a very welcoming place. So if you're in Wolfville, please drop into Applewicks. They have a variety of other things, but they produce the scarves and candles there. They also have a day program called Cornerstone, and that is a program for people who require a higher level of support during the day. They also have Discoveries. It's a retirement program.

The building of healthy, supportive relationships is fundamental to living together in a L'Arche community, and each person is provided support and guidance, and the members of the community receive a great deal from each other. L'Arche brings people with different abilities together to create a home, to work, to pray, and to celebrate life. I hate to bring in a sad note, but we're all in mourning because we just lost Patrick Berryman. He lived in Emmaus House, and if you were listening to CBC on Friday, many of the fire departments

[Page 2230]

from across the province came and gave Patrick tribute by having the fire trucks in Wolfville parading through the town. Patrick knew more about fire departments than 15-year veterans. He knew everything about all of the trucks and how the trucks worked. He knew about all the language around the fighting of fire. I must say that the people in Wolfville are going to miss this wonderful, vibrant young man who died suddenly.

I must also acknowledge the Flower Cart, and that is where Patrick worked. It's an organization that has been there for close to 40 years and provides a variety of employment support programs for intellectually disabled people. They have several vocational departments: Baker's Choice Fine Foods and Used Clothing and Woodworking. The sandwich that I had today was actually made with the bread from their bakery, which they supply around the Valley. On the bakery side, participants are involved with the baking and the sale of home-style baked bread products. The Used Clothing and Woodworking Division participants engage in the collection, processing, and sale of used clothing to retailers and wholesalers. They make these great quilts out of corduroy and material. You can buy them for queen, twin, and double, and they make also little beds for dogs and cats. It's reusing material that they pick up secondhand. It's recycling.

The Flower Cart provides assistance to individuals also seeking employment with other organizations and businesses in the community. They have a great history of working with The Flower Cart to provide meaningful and respectful employment opportunities.

I also would like to acknowledge the very active Habitat for Humanity group that's now residing in the area. They're going to be building a home, this is the first one outside of Halifax. I am terribly proud to say that the Town of Wolfville gave Habitat for Humanity the lot of land to build the two-family home starting next month. (Applause) I will also say that not only did they give them the lot of land, which is on a street very close to the downtown centre (Interruption) Yes, I will be over there working. I can see the honourable member opposite, that he will be working on this project.

This is a wonderful project for the whole community. The town not only gave them that lot, they have also given them the option of two more lots at $10,000 each. This is prime land in Wolfville, walking distance to the downtown. It's a beautiful street, it's up on Maple Avenue if you want to come by this summer and help out.

I'd also like to tell you a bit about the Acadia Cinema Cooperative. It's a nonprofit community co-operative that was created for the purposes of purchasing and refurbishing the Acadia Cinema. The initial goal was to create a 160-seat state of the art Al Whittle Theatre for film and live performances with a café on the premises. In partnership with Just Us! Coffee Roasters Co-operative, and with the Fundy Film Society as the anchor tenant, the facility has been available to patrons, presenters and shareholders since November 2004.

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Acadia Cinema's Al Whittle Theatre lobby opened January 8, 2009 and honours the late Jack Sheriff, and I know many of you would know Jack. (Applause) He is a memorial name for art and culture in the Annapolis Valley and throughout the world. Funded by Acadia Cinema Co-operative, the Just for Us! Wolfville Café and Youth Challenge International, this gallery, which honours Jack Sheriff, is a place for young and emerging artists of the Valley to share their work. They can share it for viewing, also for sale.

I also would like to say that the Acadia Cinema, which is now the Al Whittle Theatre, was my home for many years. There was an apartment right above the marquee and I had my apartment there. I was a young teacher and I lived right downtown above the theatre. It was the best apartment, I must say, that Wolfville had to offer. I used to look over at Herbin Jewellers quite a bit because the alarm used to go off when people would lean against the window. If you looked at the window when people went by it would set off the alarm.

I would like to say something about Herbin Jewellers now that I've mentioned it - it is now in the fourth generation of people working in a jewellery store in downtown Wolfville. It's a great place to visit.

Mr. Speaker, if you would continue to indulge me, I'd like to speak more about some of the communities around Kings South and in particular what makes them special. Starting of course with Wolfville, which I've mentioned a number of times, Wolfville is shaped by its proximity to Acadia University, as I've mentioned before, and because of this Wolfville has attracted and cultivated a very progressive local culture. Academics and artists abound within the community along with some innovative entrepreneurs and enterprising farmers, some of whom I've already mentioned.

The progressive nature of the community is evident in the focus on fair trade and organic food and beverages. It is evident in the bustling business community, in the cafes, in the art galleries and in the special societies and groups devoted to various causes. It is also very well known for its strict anti-smoking bylaw considered to be the strictest in the country. In Wolfville, it is illegal to smoke in a vehicle with a minor. This bylaw was the stimulus for a bill in this House which made this law province-wide, something that the residents of Wolfville are very proud of.

While Wolfville is the largest population centre in Kings South, I must speak about the community in which I reside, Coldbrook. Coldbrook would be deemed by most to be the suburb of the Town of Kentville. I have an interesting constituency in that you travel along from the Hants border, come straight through, when you get to the edge of Kentville - I have to give that to my honourable colleague for Kings North - I have to travel through Kings North to get back to Coldbrook and then out to the Waterville line, which is then Kings South.

[Page 2232]

As I said, it's considered a suburb of the Town of Kentville, which, as I mentioned, falls into the constituency of my honourable colleague in Kings North - who is not paying attention to me, I might add. (Laughter) I am going to pay for that one, I can see.

However, Coldbrook is unique and it is one of the fastest-growing areas of the Annapolis Valley, its population having grown over 91 per cent in the last 15 years. It is interesting that the house I live in used to be the road, and when I first started teaching at Coldbrook it was a road, and now I am living in a house where there (Interruption) It's a roadhouse, thank you very much.

I have also been delighted and honoured to watch the community grow street by street, and so it went from a few homes, and once the school came in it became the fastest-growing area. It boasts a dynamic and growing commercial district along Highway No. 1, which attracts residents from around Kentville as well as commuters traveling along Highway No. 101 who want to stop and have a break.

Adjacent to Coldbrook is the community of Cambridge. It, like Coldbrook, is considered a suburb, and is home to several schools, including one of the largest high schools in the area.

It is also home to the Valley Drive-in and I think it might be the last remaining drive-in in Nova Scotia. It's been there a long time. It is now open, by the way; it opened a couple of weeks ago. It's open in the summer months, and it is a great way to spend an evening with your family. They have great junk food there, too - the greasiest, wonderful onion rings and french fries. The nice thing about this drive-in is that when you go there, you are supporting the community because it is operated by the local Lions Clubs that volunteer all their time. All of the profits, all of the money, goes to local organizations through the Lions Clubs. Everything there is run by the Lions Clubs. It is totally non-profit, and it is therefore major fund-raising, and I must say that the school that I worked at always benefitted from the work that the Lions did at the drive-in. They are also open to having other groups work with them.

Also in Cambridge, not only do we have the drive-in, but right next to the drive-in is the Waterville Airport, which sounds kind of silly because it is the Waterville Airport but it is actually in Cambridge, and there you can learn to fly. It is also used for a lot of transportation; farmers use it for their bees, back and forth. Also you will be at the drive-in and you will watch people literally falling from the sky because they have their parachuting. Also on-site at the airport is our local ground search and rescue, that operate from a building at the airport.

Then there is the village of New Minas. That was incorporated in 1968 and is considered to be the commercial shopping hub of the entire Annapolis Valley. It is also where I have my constituency office in Milne Court. Mr. Speaker, if you or any of our other

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honourable colleagues in the House of Assembly are passing through New Minas, please feel free to stop in to my office and have a visit.

New Minas is home to the County Fair Mall, the largest mall in the valley. It has a great number of stores. Some of them are big box, but there are many independent stores there - lots of variety in terms of places to shop. It is also very conveniently located and it is accessible by public transportation.

New Minas is also the soccer capital of Atlantic Canada. It has wonderful facilities in the community which result in many tournaments being held there. This is in no small measure due to the good work of the village recreation department, which provides many important programs for residents in the community, including soccer.

At the opposite end of my constituency from Cambridge is Hants Border, on the outskirts of Hantsport. It is a beautiful community, largely residential, and is home to some of the oldest known fossils in the world at Blue Beach. There is a small museum on the site now, owned and operated by Sonja Wood and Chris Mansky. And let me tell you, these two individuals have a tremendous passion for this site and the significance of it. Our community is better off because of their passion. They, along with a larger group of committed volunteers, are working toward the development of a new and improved museum which would better reflect the significance of this site and would help to make Nova Scotia as a whole a destination for academics with geological or paleontology background or a tourist simply looking to discover their very ancient past.

[6:15 p.m.]

We see what has happened at Joggins over the past number of years and we are inspired that there are possibilities in Blue Beach. The nice thing about Joggins and Blue Beach, they're totally different in the offerings that they're finding in fossils. It is a different time frame. I wish I could speak about the science about that but if ever stopped and talked with Chris or with Sonja, they know the science around this time and they welcome visitors there at any time.

We also have the beautiful community of Avonport and the gateway of the Annapolis Valley. I never tire of the amazing view as I drive down over the hill. It is an absolutely beautiful community, like so many other of our communities in the Valley.

I would like to mention one of the farmers there, there is a young farmer named Jonathan Fuller and he has made some extensive modifications to his farm after taking it over in 1988. Now, he phased out his beef herd and the strawberry U-pick in order to expand into an enhanced focus on a number of apple variations. He has had tremendous success with this. He is an example of young people in the Valley who work hard and are innovative. I visited his farm and the different things that he is he doing with his apples and I know he also welcomes people to talk with him about the apple industry.

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Also, Mr. Speaker, I want to talk about Grand Pré. Now, everyone here knows Grand Pré, everyone in the world, I would imagine, would know Grand Pré and they should. It is a community with a history. It is also a community with a future. Grand Pré is a land well known - it is the Land of Evangeline. It has beautiful landscapes, dyke lands, it is of huge significance to our Acadian people. I have also been told that the statue of Evangeline is the most photographed statue in Canada. (Interruption) Yes, I found that out when I was at a symposium.

In order to protect and preserve this exceptional place, a group has been formed to called Nomination Grand Pré. The group is working hard to gain a nomination for a UNESCO site. This area we recognize as being so unique, it needs to be shared with the rest of the world. I encourage members to visit Grand Pré as you will be taken by its beautiful rural settings and I have to say, spiritual landscape.

After the tragic explusion of the Acadians, the New England planters settled there and this summer marks the 250th Anniversary of the arrival of the planters. I wish to acknowledge the hard work of Peter Herbin and the entire community that is working so diligently to make the UNESCO designation a reality. I am also very proud that our government has made it a priority as well. (Applause)

Another project that I am very proud that is taking place in Kings South is Camp Brigadoon, which will be a year-round camp for children with chronic illness. With the site located on Aylesford Lake, the fundraising campaign is in full swing, being led by the executive director and a wonderful young man, David McKeage - someone that I know many of us have had the opportunity of meeting. He is very active in enlisting support for this project. He has a passion for this project because he has the passion for children with chronic illness. I have met with David and he knows that I support this project with pride, as many other members in this House do. I was talking with David on Saturday night and they will be breaking ground for Camp Brigadoon in July.

Another beautiful community in Kings South is the Gaspereau Valley. I noted earlier that they make great wine in this region. The Gaspereau River runs through here and is the site of great fishing, which I know will be of interest to many here. It is also home to a hydroelectric dam, something that we can be proud of as it is an environmentally friendly way of producing electricity and has been in place for years. I know that many of you might know about tubing down the Gaspereau River.

I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge other areas. We have the mountainous areas of our constituency. We have Blue Mountain, Forest Home, Rocky Lake, Sunken Lake, Canaan, Gaspereau Mountain, and the list goes on and on. Many wonderful communities, both scenic and serene, located slightly off the beaten path. You really need to take a drive to just let the beauty sink in, it's absolutely gorgeous there. That is, in many ways, what makes the Kings South so beautiful is the diversity and the uniqueness of the different areas.

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I am honoured to have two Aboriginal communities located within Kings South. They are the Annapolis Valley First Nation community led by Chief Brian Toney and the Glooscap First Nation led by Shirley Clarke. Annapolis Valley First Nation is located just outside of Cambridge, not very far from where I live and is a community of just over 200. Glooscap First Nation has about 300 people living there and is located very close to the Hants border.

I'd also like to touch on some of the significant music events and festivals in Kings South. As many of my colleagues and constituents know, I have a deep love for music, which is the reason why I love living in Kings South so much. There is the Deep Roots Festival held annually in the Fall in Wolfville, which celebrates an eclectic blend of music from across Nova Scotia. (Interruption) Wolfville. You have to live there to know. Also taking place in Wolfville annually is the Acoustic Music Producers Festival or the AMP Festival, which just took place last weekend.

Kings South has many choirs, bands, groups and individual musicians. Some of the notable musicians take part in many of the events - I can't name all of them but we have living in Kings South, Adam Bazinet, Paul Marshall and Carter Lake, and if you go to Paddy's Pub you'll hear them play most times. We have Cuckoo Moon, we have Heather Kelday, her music is just absolutely incredible. We have a group called TAB, which is Ariana and Andy Flinn and they're songwriters extraordinaire. We have the Hupman Brothers. We have Jack MacDonald and John Kavanagh the list goes on and on.

We also have in my constituency, we have festival theatre, we have Denton Hall, well used by the many, many theatre groups and I would be remiss not to mention the Women of Wolfville, that they do every year, they put a big production on. Any weekend you could go to something in the Valley with all of the theatre and the music, every weekend. Actually, you have to pick and choose what you want to go to hear or see.

In my constituency, I'm honoured to have Alex Colville. He is an absolutely world-renowned artist and I'm honoured to say that Alex Colville is a great supporter of me as I am a big fan of Alex Colville. (Interruption) He is a wonderful man.

I have many schools in my area - and I see the time here - volunteerism is alive and well.

I must acknowledge and thank my constituents in the beautiful constituency of Kings South who last June voted to put their faith in me as their new MLA and Darrell Dexter as their Premier. This is a role I do not take lightly. I recognize that there are issues facing our constituents, both on an individual basis and collectively, that require my attention. I can assure my constituents that I will work diligently on their behalf and I am honoured to have been given this mandate from them.

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To close, I would just say that I would like to thank my mother and father, who live over in Dartmouth, for all their support. I want to thank my children for being unique, I've got some unique ones, and they're very supportive of me. I just want to say as I close, there's not a second that goes by that I do not miss my son. I want to thank the honourable members here on all sides for their love and their support, for their understanding as I've been travelling through this journey of grief, I appreciate that. With that, I thank you. (Standing Ovation)

MR. SPEAKER: L'honorable, le député de Richmond

HON. MICHEL SAMSON: Merci, M. le Prèsident. It's an honour for me to rise and to speak on the Address in Reply to the Speech from the Throne. I first want to take this opportunity to commend the honourable member for Kings South, who is also the Minister of Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations and the Minister of Immigration. I want to tell her that she certainly has earned a great deal of respect here in this House in the way, the grace and dignity in which she did face personal tragedy so early in her mandate. I want to tell her that she has certainly been an inspiration to all members. (Applause)

I know that the minister will know that our thoughts are with her at all times during these challenges. I do want to commend the minister, during my own family's medical difficulties, I know she was one of the first to approach me and give her best wishes and I do thank her personally for that.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank our Lieutenant Governor, Mayann Francis, in delivering the Speech from the Throne. The Lieutenant Governor is familiar with Richmond County as she had the opportunity to visit on a couple of occasions. I joined the Lieutenant Governor when she visited the Arm of Gold Community Association in the beautiful community of Dundee, at St. George's Channel, where she presented that organization with the Lieutenant Governor's Community Spirit Award.

As well, I had the opportunity to join Her Honour for the unveiling of the recently renovated cenotaph in the community of River Bourgeois. I can tell you that it meant a great deal to the veterans, to the legionnaires, members of the community and certainly the organizing committee that the Lieutenant Governor would be present for that event. Unfortunately, the weather was not very favourable but it was certainly a reminder to all of us of what our veterans have gone through in fighting for our freedom. I also want to say, Mr. Speaker, that the province and this Legislature was the largest donor to that cenotaph restoration, with a $10,000 contribution from the D250 Fund. I certainly want to thank the previous government for the creation of that fund and for approving that donation.

Mr. Speaker, I first had the opportunity to reply to the Speech from the Throne in 1998, when I had the privilege of moving the speech then given as a member of the Russell MacLellan minority government. March 12, 2010, marked the 12th Anniversary of my first

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election to this Chamber. There are but a few of us who remain from the Class of 1998 but I do want to recognize and congratulate on their recent re-elections, specifically from the Progressive Conservative caucus, the member for Cumberland South and from the government caucus, the Premier, the member for Cole Harbour, the member for Hants East, the member for Halifax Needham, the member for Cape Breton Centre, the member for Timberlea-Prospect, the member for Halifax Chebucto and the member for Pictou West. That leaves nine of us from the class of 1998 out of 52 members. Unfortunately, I am the only one left in the Liberal caucus from that year but it goes to show you the turnaround which has taken place in this Legislature over those 12 years.

I would be remiss if I did not recognize my two colleagues from the Official Opposition, the honourable member for Clare and the honourable member for Cape Breton South, who are the veterans of this Legislature. Because, as often as I say 12 years has been a long time, I know that they remind me that they have now been here for 17 years, having first been elected in 1993. So I do commend them for their duration in surviving, in their case, six election victories.

Mr. Speaker, I also want to recognize some of my colleagues in the Strait area who were re-elected in June: in Inverness, the Honourable Rodney MacDonald, former Premier of the province, on his re-election and he subsequently chose to resign his seat last Fall and, as well, the member for Antigonish, the Honourable Angus MacIsaac on his re-election and again, Angus as well, decided to resign from his office.

[6:30 p.m.]

I do want to recognize new colleagues in the Legislature. From Inverness, the new honourable member, whom I'm pleased to see assists in bringing down the average age of this House of Assembly, something which has been a bit challenging for myself and many of our colleagues. As well to the new member for Antigonish on his historic victory in Antigonish. One of our former members in the Liberal caucus said it would be all over for this province the day Antigonish ever voted NDP and, lo and behold, the sky has not fallen, at least not yet. But it certainly was an historic win for him in Antigonish and I do commend him for his victory and for his persistence in pursuing elected office in Antigonish. I certainly wish him well.

At the same time, Mr. Speaker, the victory of the member for Guysborough-Sheet Harbour was historic as well. Again, it was the first time ever that the residents of Guysborough-Sheet Harbour had elected an NDP member and I do wish the new member well as he pursues his career as the representative for that area.

I believe I may have had the opportunity once, other than when I was first elected, to give an Address in Reply to the Speech from the Throne. I wanted this opportunity to be able to recognize some of the hard-working and dedicated individuals who have helped me as the

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member for Richmond and, more importantly, as being able to remain as the member for Richmond following the June 9th provincial election. As I mentioned earlier, this year marks the 12th Anniversary since I was first elected and the election of June 9, 2009, was my fifth provincial election, so five elections in 12 years.

Mr. Speaker, had I been advised of that back in 1998, I may have reconsidered my decision because my predecessor in Richmond, Richie Mann, served for 10 years and had but to face two general elections in 10 years. I'm now at five for 12 years and I know that my colleagues from the class of 1998 are very sympathetic. I know my two colleagues from the class of 1993 are even more sympathetic to the amount of elections that we've had. But there's no doubt that democracy has been alive and well in Nova Scotia during those 12 years.

My election victory on June 9th was the result of a tremendous amount of work from many individuals throughout Richmond County. Clem Benoit has been my campaign manager since my first election. Clem has been a close friend, a close adviser, someone with a tremendous knowledge of both local, provincial and national politics. It has been truly an honour for me to have had Clem be able to direct our campaigns and the success that we have had is certainly a reflection of the work that Clem has brought to that role. I certainly want to commend him for all of his work.

Tony Thibeau has been my co-campaign manager and a bit of my jack-of-all-trades as he has been the one who has been available throughout the campaign to put out any fires, to address any issues, and to be able to take care of poll organization, drivers, and a lot of the administrative responsibilities for the election. I do need to recognize Tony's contribution as well because with the write-in ballot, Tony, I believe, probably now has a specialization in the rules around the write-in ballot and the results speak for themselves. When one looks at the numbers from the June 9th election, the Progressive Conservative candidate had 21 write-in ballots; the NDP candidate had 15 write-in ballots; and myself, as Liberal candidate, had 101 write-in ballots. That would not have been possible without the hard work by individuals such as Tony Thibeau who delivered on those ballots and was able to work so hard on our campaign. I want to recognize him for that.

All members of this House will know that one of the most important roles in a campaign is the official agent. The new rules that have been implemented by Elections Nova Scotia over the last number of years have made that position that much more difficult, because after June 9th most people were able to pack up and finish their duties on the campaign. But we all know the official agent's duties continue for months after an election. I do want to thank my good friend, James Mullins, who undertook the job of official agent. This was the first time he undertook this duty and I can tell you we were in great financial shape during the campaign. We ran a very effective campaign, one that was very fiscally sound, and that could not have been done without the direction of James Mullins as our official agent.

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Our fundraising co-chairs were Edgar Samson and Robert Wamboldt who have been assisting and fundraising ever since my first election. I can tell you, for a riding which has such a small voting base and a population of under 10,000 people, our fundraising rivals that of ridings all around the province. That could not be done without the hard work that has been put in by both Edgar Samson and Robert Wamboldt and the generosity that has been shown by both businesses and individuals inside Richmond County and in our province.

One of the most important elements of a campaign is the communications. It's getting your message out, it's radio ads, newspaper ads, flyers, newsletters. I want to thank Mike McGrath, a retired teacher from St. Peter's who has worked on my campaigns for many years. Mike was pivotal in the radio messages that we delivered and the campaign messages that were put out there. I do want to thank Mike.

On the written side of the communications, I want to recognize, as well, Don Boudreau, another retired teacher from Arichat who has worked on our campaigns for many years, for his contributions. Jason Boudreau, who is a great friend of mine, helped us in the campaign as one of our legal advisers, but certainly brought as many years of political experience to our campaign as well. Jason Martell, who serves on our executive as our youth representative, played a large role, as well, in assisting us in identifying some of the issues facing the youth of Richmond County and overall assistance to us in the campaign.

Being able to run an efficient election often means having strategic signs located throughout your riding. I want to thank my father, Theophile Samson, who has taken charge of our signs ever since my first election and this year received a lot of help from a good friend, Donald Boudreau from Little Anse, who assisted him. As well, we had tremendous help on the mainland portion of our riding from Brian Sampson, Gregory Sampson and Manny Momborquette in getting our signs up throughout that portion of our riding.

One of the other most important jobs during your campaign, especially in rural Nova Scotia, is your driver. This is an individual who spends more time with you in the run of a day than any other individual during a campaign. It's a task that is challenging in the fact that you sit behind the wheel of a van, in our case, for hour upon hour and get to have conversation very intermittently. I'm very honoured to have had Leo Landry, who has been a neighbour, a former elementary school teacher of mine, a mentor of mine who again this election was there with me as my driver. Leo has always been there to offer advice, to hear my joy, my frustration from the door-to-door campaigns. He was a tremendous support to me and gave up a great deal of his time, every single day of the campaign, to be there for me. I certainly want to thank Leo and thank his wife, Shirley, for her patience and allowing Leo to spend that much time with me during the campaign.

Our executive members in Richmond County who played a role throughout the entire campaign in various capacities were Dr. Gary Sampson in Arichat, Tony Thibeau in Petit-de-

[Page 2240]

Grat, Glen Bennett in the north side of Isle Madame, Councillor Alvin Martell in West Arichat, Janvrin's Island; Wilfred Marchand in Louisdale; Gerry Fougère in River Bourgeois; Danny Madden in St. Peters; Mannie Mombourquette in L'Ardoise and Dan Alec Morrison in District 10, which covers a whole host of communities such as Johnstown, Loch Lomond, Framboise, Forchu and many other communities.

Mr. Speaker, your effectiveness during a campaign is often centered in your headquarters. We are fortunate in this election because our headquarters in Arichat to serve the area of Isle Madame and Louisdale was located at the old Active Living Centre, which - for those who are familiar with Arichat - has served in a number of different capacities. It started off as being the location of the Royal Bank in Arichat and following that it became the school board offices for the Richmond District School Board and then after that it was taken over by a community organization and eventually part of it had a small café in it known as Gulliver's Tea Room.

We had the whole building to ourselves and it was a tremendous meeting place for us, a central location, and it was very effective in the running of our campaign. I want to recognize my constituency assistant Dawn Boudreau for all the time she volunteered at the headquarters, as well as Stacy Wright, who joined our campaign for the first time in this election and played a vital role, especially in followup calls to constituents after I had done my door-to-door campaigning.

Over in St. Peter's, we as well had a headquarters that was very strategically located. It was in the old Cozy Corner Restaurant, for those who are familiar with driving through St. Peter's. You cannot find a better location on the main drive through the community of St. Peter's. We had both Kathleen Boudreau working for us full time during the campaign, as well as Jennifer McNeil, a university student from St. Peter's, who worked together at the headquarters.

I can tell you, it was quite an honour when we had the official opening of the headquarters in St. Peter's. The restaurant had been initially owned and operated by Joe Mancini, a former councillor from St. Peters and well-known businessman in St. Peter's. It was his two daughters who cut the ribbon for the official opening of our headquarters. I know it meant a great deal to them, knowing their father's proud tradition in public service and in business, but certainly it didn't hurt that Joe Mancini was also known very well as a proud Liberal supporter in Richmond County, so how fitting to have his former business be the headquarters for the Liberal campaign.

We also had some of our members at large from our association who played such a large role in the campaign: Harold Mury from West Arichat; Jonathan Osmond from Petit- de-Grat and Jimmy Linden from Louisdale; as well, one of my close friends and advisers who has been there with me from day one, in 1998, is Councillor Steve Sampson, who represents District 9 on Richmond Municipal Council.

[Page 2241]

Steve is, again, a bit of a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to campaigns. He is someone who, if you run into an issue that you need someone to take charge, he is there for it, a tremendous networking ability. It doesn't hurt the fact that not only is he a councillor but he is also a salesman for Canso Ford Sales in Port Hawkesbury, which certainly puts him in touch with many of our residents and many of our constituents. Steve is the person who is ready to take a call at 6:00 a.m. or at midnight, but is an individual who I think all of us rely upon so heavily during our campaigns for the support and enthusiasm that they bring and the understanding they bring to the challenges faced during a campaign.

Mr. Speaker, I also want to recognize some of the individuals who helped us in our door-to-door campaign: John Marchand from Louisdale and Bobby Samson. The results speak for themselves when one looks at Louisdale and the fact that we won all three polls by very healthy margins, it is in no small part to the role they played in assisting me in doing my door-to-door campaigning, as well as Kelvin Digout who assisted us in St. Peters. Again, we were extremely proud of our results in St. Peter's, and it's certainly a reflection of the hard work done by Kelvin and so many others in that area. As well, Blair Mombourquette in l'Ardoise, who helped with some door-to-door campaigning in that community. Certainly I want to recognize Chief Kenny Basque of the Chapel Island First Nation, who assisted in organizing a barbeque to allow us an opportunity to speak to the voters and the residents of the Chapel Island First Nation.

[6:45 p.m.]

As I mentioned on June 9th, it was my fifth campaign, and after, at that point, 11 years, I was very proud of the fact that the results showed that we had won with 55.36 per cent of the total count of votes in Richmond County. That recognized my largest margin of victory in five campaigns, and one often worries, after four campaigns or three campaigns, that voters may grow tired of their member. It was very comforting for me, and it was a personal victory for me to have seen that my fifth campaign was my largest margin of victory. That could not be done without the support of the individuals that I mentioned, without the support of all the residents of Richmond County who came out and voted to support our campaign.

It also could not have been done without the support of family. I have been blessed from the day I first decided to put my name forward for the Liberal nomination in Richmond, which was on March 1, 1998 - the support which I enjoyed by my mother and father, Theophile and Lucille Samson. I can tell you, while I have tremendous campaigners who have helped me in my five elections, I have found no better campaigners than either my mother or father. The amount of work that they put into a campaign, not only in getting results, but especially from my mom, the amount of worry that goes into a campaign is one that only a mother would understand and that a father would understand. That is something that in our profession, when we do choose to seek elected office, we do accept the challenges

[Page 2242]

that come with being in that office, but we also have to recognize the pressure that it places on our families, who are the ones who often may be exposed to not always complimentary comments, either regarding ourselves or the profession as a whole.

Certainly the last number of months have been particularly challenging for all of our families. I certainly want to recognize Mom and Dad for their unwavering support, their daily phone calls, and certainly the tremendous effort that they have put in helping me throughout all of my goals in life and certainly for our election victory. It's certainly a reflection of who they are and the hard work that they have done in our community.

I am fortunate to have siblings who have been there for me as well, my sister Nicole and her husband Ronnie, along with their daughters Micheline, Simone, and Monique. I can tell you after a day of campaigning, getting to see their faces and their enthusiasm certainly was of tremendous help throughout the campaign. As well, my sister Colette and my brother Daniel, who live outside of Richmond County now, for their constant support.

As I'm sure you'll know, bearing the last name Samson in Richmond County means that for the most part you come from a large family, and I am very blessed not only to come from a large family, but to have the unwavering support of that family. You would have been hard-pressed to attend one of our campaign events without seeing many aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends who have been there all along to support me throughout my life, but certainly to support me throughout my political career. I certainly want to thank them for their unwavering support.

As well, now that I am married, I have the fortune of having the support of in-laws. I do want to recognize my father-in-law, Jack, and my mother-in-law, Jean Bardsley, from the community of West Chezzetcook, for their continued support. Even to this day, they still have one of my campaign posters on their fridge, and I believe it was a campaign poster from approximately 10 years ago. So I do commend them for doing their efforts to not only support me but try to support the Liberal candidate on the Eastern Shore. Unfortunately, there hasn't been a great deal of political success for our Party in that riding for the last number of years but I do certainly want to congratulate the current member for Eastern Shore whom I know is very familiar with the community of West Chezzetcook.

Mr. Speaker, as well, my in-laws, I have my sister Nicole and her husband, George Robertson, their boys - Blaise and Rémy, as well as my sister-in-law, Bernadette and her husband, Tony Robicheau, and their children - Samantha, Cassidy and Cordell. Whenever I do give a speech, some of my friends always cringe in thinking you've thanked everyone except the vital person, the very most important person, and fortunately to date I have not forgotten but I do save it at the end to recognize my wife, Claudine.

It has been 12 years and doing this job, as all members know, is next to impossible without the support of your partner. Claudine has done that. This profession requires you to

[Page 2243]

spend a tremendous amount of time away from your family and it takes unwavering support to allow you to get through that. That has been challenging but since the election it has also been exciting because we have had an addition to our family. Just before I get into that, one of the most difficult things during the election campaign was the fact that we had made a decision that while Claudine was expecting, we were not going to share it during the campaign. We decided that we were going to run the campaign on my record, on the platform that we were putting forward, and that this was something that we did not want to play into that equation. So it was only on election night that I announced it to my family and to our supporters. To this day I still wonder whether their excitement was about the fact that I had been re-elected or about the fact that we were about to have a child. I'm still not sure which one had them more excited. (Interruptions)

Yes, I know, many of my colleagues are suggesting it was the child and that is quite possible. So it was quite an exciting election night because we had wonderful things to celebrate - an election victory and, as well, announcing to our family and friends that we would soon be expanding our family.

I've come to learn in minority governments you can never plan very far ahead, as far as when elections will be, or what will happen next year, and I've quickly learned having a child is again something that one should not plan too much into the future because while it is very traditional to have at least nine months to prepare for the arrival of a child, often children decide that they're about to make their own decisions as to when they are going to arrive. So our baby made that decision 10 weeks early, just when I thought the nursery was ready and that I still had 10 weeks to buy the furniture and get everything ready, she decided a change of plans for us. So coming in under three pounds when she was born on September 15, 2009, we were very blessed to have a baby girl, Satine Lucille Jeanne Samson. (Applause). She has been a tremendous addition to our family. When people say children change your life, they really do - for the better I must say. (Interruption) Yes, it does bring more gray hair, that has happened. A number of people have asked me if I lost weight and I just tell them we have a seven-month-old child and that tends to answer the question.

Mr. Speaker, not only has this been such a blessing for us in our life, I would be remiss if I did not take the opportunity to recognize the staff at the Izaak Walton Killam Hospital here in Halifax. (Applause)

As elected officials, we have often all raised concerns about our health care system, about lack of doctors in some cases, closures of emergency rooms, and other pressures on our health care system. At the same time, while those are concerns, any one of us who has gone to through our health care system walks away with such an appreciation for how fortunate we are as Nova Scotians to have the health care system that we have.

This was my first opportunity, and my family's first opportunity, to really see the care and compassion that is available at the IWK. During the difficulties of the pregnancy that our

[Page 2244]

family went through, we had the opportunity, I believe, to meet almost every doctor who deals with the maternity ward at the IWK. Each one brought such a level of care - there was no stone left unturned. They were prepared to do whatever it was to address the medical issues, to make our stay more comfortable, and to make sure the health of both my baby and my wife were always the top priority.

We met specialists, we met interns, we met nurses - at one point my wife and I said we were going to remember all of their names, unfortunately we met so many that it's impossible to remember all of their names, but each one of them was so caring for us and the amount of tests they ran, the amount of different avenues they explored. It was simply remarkable, and I certainly want to commend them for that.

As well, the staff in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, better known at the hospital as NICU, the care those people provide for premature babies is incredible. When you walk in there and you see the incubators that are there, and the small babies - we thought that our baby at just under three pounds would be one of the smallest, but we quickly saw there were babies in there barely one pound. Somehow, in that NICU they are able to allow those children to grow into healthy young babies and it's certainly a testament of the love and dedication which is shown by the staff there.

I was also surprised at the fact that a number of the nurses, when they noted our last name, spoke to us in French - one was from the South Shore of Nova Scotia, another was from New Brunswick - so it certainly was comforting to us and I know to my family that they were able to go and speak to the nurses in French and to converse with them as to the baby's progress. After spending 40 days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, we certainly had the opportunity to grow very close with the nurses.

I can tell you, when you're the parent of a premature baby, there's nothing more tense than when they actually weigh your baby and it's almost like watching the lottery or a horse race and hoping for what the number's going to be, because you're always hoping the number will be higher. What's interesting is that they always measure in grams and they give you the number and then you're wondering what it is in pounds - and I can tell you I've never been very strong at conversion or at math to start off with, so fortunately they have a chart on the wall which you quickly run over to and figure out how many grams to the pounds. In that unit the goal is always for the child to put on weight and eventually to be able to go home once it is healthy enough.

[7:00 p.m.]

As I said, words cannot properly express our gratitude as a family for the care that we did receive. We had the meeting of la région Amérique de l' Assembleé de la parlementaire Francophonie and they had a reception up at Citadel Hill, and we had a couple of representatives from Louisiana who were there and when I spoke to them and thanked them

[Page 2245]

for all their care and concern I also reminded them - it was at the time where the issue of health care costs in the U.S. was being debated and President Obama's wish that there would be access to health care for all Americans - I pointed out to them, that if one were to calculate the costs of all the X-rays, CAT scans, blood work and every other test that was undertaken for my wife and for my baby, if someone were to put a dollar value on that it would be an astounding amount.

I question whether - we possibly could have been able to financially afford it, but it would be something that would have probably wiped out any savings we had and cost us well into the future. But because we live in Nova Scotia, because we live in Canada, we were able to access such excellent quality of care that the doctor never said, I'm not sure if we can run this test, can you afford for us to run that test? Or I'm not sure. (Applause) There was never any question and when you looked at the hospital, there was no distinguishing of whether you're middle class, whether you were poor, whether you're rich, everybody was treated the same way and given the same level of care. We're very blessed here in Nova Scotia to have that system and I think every one of us in this Legislature has to make sure that we have that system going into the future as a province.

As I said, there is no real way for us to have properly thanked the IWK for everything that they have done for us and our family. But at Christmastime when family members were asking what can we buy you guys for Christmas gifts, Claudine and I, we didn't need any gifts, we had gotten the best gift we could have asked for, so we told them that whatever you were going to buy for us, why don't you take the monetary value and put it as a donation to the IWK. Mr. Speaker, with the support of our family and with our own personal contribution that we put in, we were able to donate over $2,000 to the IWK Hospital at Christmastime to thank them for everything that they did for us, everything they did for us and everything that they do for families throughout Nova Scotia.

I can certainly tell you that while I have watched the IWK Telethon in the past and have given in the past that they certainly play a much larger role in our life now, and anything we can do to support the IWK and the fundraising for what they do is certainly something that our family will continue doing.

As I mentioned, 12 years has gone by extremely quickly. When I look back to when I first ran to now, 12 years later, when I look at Richmond County and what we have been able to achieve, I look back certainly with a sense of pride. Mr. Speaker, shortly after I was first elected, the local cable station Telile approached me and asked, would you like to do some sort of a report as the MLA for Richmond County? Immediately I recalled that one of the longest-serving members, if not the longest-serving member of the Legislature, Paul MacEwan, the then member for Cape Breton Nova, told me that he had previously used the cable time in his riding to be able to personally speak to his constituents and how effective that was. So I taped my first episode and it was aired and the reaction that we received convinced us that this was a great medium of being able to communicate with the people of

[Page 2246]

Richmond County about government programs, about what I was doing as their MLA, discussing issues of the day.

Mr. Speaker, 12 years later, and 60 episodes later, I'm very proud of having been able to maintain that contact with the residents of Richmond County and would certainly want to commend the management, board, and staff of Telile, who continue to assist in the production and the displaying of those reports. What's interesting on that is now Telile is being carried even further than Richmond County and it has now even made its way down into industrial Cape Breton, so I find it amusing when some of my colleagues from other areas remark on what I had to say in my MLA report in Richmond County now that it makes its way all the way down to various parts of Cape Breton Island.

Just today we did third reading of Bill No. 50, which were amendments to the Correctional Services Act and the Police Act, to provide mandatory mental health training for those professions. As I mentioned when we did second reading, that is now 11 Private Member's Bills which I have had the privilege of supporting and seeing go through third reading in this Legislature. I was advised that these are more bills by a member in Opposition that any other here in the Legislature. (Interruption) So, I just wanted to let the honourable member for Sackville-Cobequid know that.

Mr. Speaker, I raise that not simply to point out the fact that it is 11 bills, but when I was first elected, I remember having looked at some of those who previously had represented the people of Richmond County, both provincially and federally. When I look at federally, the leadership that was shown by people such as Allan J. MacEachen, who would often tell me that when people would ask him the day after an election, how many votes did you get, he would respond, I got them all. And they would say, well, now clearly, you didn't get every vote. But he said, as far as I am concerned, now that I have won, they all voted for me and I will treat them as if they all voted for me and I will not distinguish any person who comes before me seeking my help.

I believe that was the same approach that was used by Dave Dingwall, another very effective member for our area who was able to bring a number of necessary infrastructure projects to Cape Breton Island and, as well, the effective representation he gave to the residents. On a provincial level, when you look at the representation given by individuals such as Gaston LeBlanc, who passed away while in office and then Richie Mann, who served in this House for 10 years and in the last five years in a number of various ministerial posts. It became very clear to me that their success was in the fact that they treated people the same, regardless of political affiliation or regardless of how they voted and I have done my best to do the same in the last 12 years.

I believe the results of the last election certainly were a reflection of that approach. I have had the opportunity during my twelve years, like so many members here in the House, to assist people with such a variety of different matters and not only on a provincial level but even on federal issues. I have done almost 20 Canada Pension Disability tribunals, which are

[Page 2247]

clearly a federal body and should be done by the Members of Parliament, but in light of the vast ridings they represent, they very rarely are in a position to be able to assist directly and I have had the opportunity to do that.

In fact, I have gone in front of the Pension Appeals Board on a number of occasions, with success I should add, and I as well have had the opportunity to go to Tax Court on behalf of individuals. Tax Court is never a pleasant thing to have to go in front of and I was starting to lose faith in the fact that I had yet to win one matter and my faith was restored when in the Fall I actually did win my first case in front of Tax Court. The decision that had been made by Human Resources Canada was overturned and the family in question was able to get their EI benefits after that. So my faith in that system was restored, but as a lawyer, often when people approach you, if you are in a firm, to do Canada Pension Disability tribunals, often it is done on a contingency basis in that the lawyer will take a percentage of the award that is given and that is how the lawyers would get payment.

As the MLA for Richmond, I chose to represent the residents as their MLA and not as their lawyer and I had the opportunity one day to look back at some of the awards, not just the back-time awards that were given, not including the pension going forward for both Canada Pension and Workers' Compensation, and the last time I checked that total, just of those awards, it was over half a million dollars that I was able to fight for for the people of Richmond County and I am very proud of that and I was happy to be able to fight for those families, in the system, in their time of need.

One of the issues in my 12 years which I was very pleased to fight for, and I know that the former government made measures to address, was the issue of out-of-province travel costs for Nova Scotians who had to seek medical treatment not available in this province. I had the opportunity to bring this issue forward because of Marilyn and Ken MacKay. Marilyn needed a double-lung transplant and to do so she had to be in Toronto, near the hospital, in case a donor would be available.

Marilyn and Ken, on their own, simply could not afford the financial cost of living in Toronto for such an extended period of time. I was happy to assist a number of the fund-raisers and to financially donate toward those to assist them, but it was still clear after two years that they would need some additional help and I do want to commend the former Minister of Health, my friend from Argyle, who I know took a very personal interest in this matter when he did announce assistance for Nova Scotians having to be out of Nova Scotia. I also want to commend the current Minister of Health and her government who also made a commitment, during the election, that they would implement a system of helping Nova Scotians with such costs, which I am proud to say is now available here in the Province of Nova Scotia.

When we bring issues forward here often it is just a name and it is hard to make the government or the media or Nova Scotians fully appreciative of the importance of the matter.

[Page 2248]

When I first met with Marilyn and Ken, I said look, if we're going to be able to move on this issue and really have the government and Nova Scotians understand what you are going through, we have to go public and share your story with the public, share your story with the media. Immediately Marilyn said she had no problem with that and she was happy to do that and they did that during their struggle, both Marilyn and her husband Ken. Ken even attending a press conference here at Province House, which was extremely difficult for him to speak about what Marilyn was going through and the impact on their family. It was because of what they did and so many other families who went through this that the previous government listened, the current government has listened as well. Mr. Speaker, I want to recognize both Marilyn and Ken.

Unfortunately, there is not a happy ending to the story because as many members will now know, while Marilyn did receive her double-lung transplant, unfortunately she passed away shortly after that surgery. I know all Nova Scotians, many who contacted me from different parts of the province who didn't know Marilyn and Ken personally other than what they saw through the media and what they heard of their story, they wanted to express their sympathy. Again, on behalf of myself and my family and all members of this House, I want to express our sympathy to Ken MacKay.

I also want to say, Mr. Speaker, that with Marilyn's passing one would have thought that Ken's interest in this matter may have gone as well but I can assure you that Ken was still calling me and placing calls to the new Minister of Health to see where is the new program that we have been promised. I was very pleased that Ken was able to see that new program being put in place to assist Nova Scotia families that have gone through what he and Marilyn went through as well. It is a sign of how one person and one couple can make a change that will benefit policy in this province for the future and for many families to come.

Many issues remain in Richmond County. We are very happy that on the long weekend of May that Richmond will be hosting the 2010 Jeux de l'Acadie, which are games organized by the Acadian schools throughout Nova Scotia where their students come together and participate in athletic competition, all doing so while speaking in the French language. This is the second time during my 12 years that Richmond has hosted the games. I do believe that the Minister of Acadian Affairs will be joining us for the opening ceremonies and we certainly look to hosting students, their coaches and their supervisors and parents from throughout Nova Scotia during those games.

Mr. Speaker, as well I've had the opportunity to raise in this House the fact that the community of L'Ardoise and surrounding area is undergoing a massive fundraising campaign for the new Dr. Kingston Memorial Health Centre. This will be a modern medical facility which will allow the local doctors, along with a number of other medical professionals and health professionals, to have a modern facility. As I've mentioned here and I know the Minister of Health is aware, the municipality has put forward $250,000, with an additional $250,000 to come next year. Enterprise Cape Breton Corporation has put forward $0.5

[Page 2249]

million towards the project. As well, the community has indicated that they will raise $250,000. That leaves them short $250,000 to meet their goal of $1.5 million. I do hope that the Minister of Health, once the House rises, will have the opportunity to meet with the organizing committee and explore ways of how the Province of Nova Scotia can be a partner in that new health clinic which will play such an important role for that community.

I should point out that as of last week, the community itself, which is a community that is probably under 5,000 people, has already raised $90,000 towards their goal of raising $250,000. So I certainly want to recognize the organizing committee and certainly look forward to the sod turning for the Dr. Kingston Memorial Clinic. As well, on healthcare, the Minister of Health will recall that I did raise the issue of St. Anne Community and Nursing Care Centre in Arichat, which has been operating as an independent entity outside of the district health authority system. This has worked for the facility, it is a facility that offers a wide range of medical services, with a 24-hour emergency room, nursing homes beds, as well as veteran nursing home beds.

[7:15 p.m.]

The Corpus Sanchez Report, which was commissioned by the previous government, made the final two recommendations, if I'm not mistaken, that said that St. Anne's should be forced into a district health authority, in our case being the Guysborough Antigonish Strait Health Authority. The board itself is very concerned about losing their autonomy. I have raised the matter with the Minister of Health, and I was quite pleased in her response that she is reviewing those recommendations and has not made a final decision. I know that the board has written to the minister as well, requesting a meeting in order to further discuss those concerns, and I do hope the minister, once the House rises, will have the opportunity to meet with St. Anne's. I can't say enough about the board, the staff, and Dr. Laurie MacNeil and all other professionals at that facility for the tremendous work they do, as well as the Strait Richmond Hospital, which does fall under GASHA, but as well provides 24-hour emergency room care to the residents of Richmond County.

I also raised with the Minister of Community Services, the situation at the Regional Occupational Centre in Richmond County and in Port Hawkesbury. These are centres which provide services to their clients who have various disabilities, by offering them work opportunities, social interaction, and a number of life skills. Right now those clients are paid a per diem, which is only $2 per day. I have raised the matter with the minister on behalf of the parents of the clients, the clients themselves, and on behalf of the board. I do hope that in the very near future - I know the minister has agreed to meet with myself and the executive director, along with the chairman of the board in order to explore how we can provide those clients with a more respectful per diem than what's being provided now. I do look forward to having some positive results from those meetings.

[Page 2250]

As well, yesterday I had the opportunity to raise with the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal the situation . . .

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please. The chatter is getting a little bit high and it's hard to hear the member. The honourable member for Richmond has the floor.

MR. SAMSON: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, as I was saying, the situation in the community of Little Anse, which like so many coastal communities in Nova Scotia, was hit by a vicious storm in January of this year, which was a combination of high tides - seasonal high tides - along with gale-force winds which wreaked havoc in the community. The breakwater, which is there, was built by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans in the 1970s has become breached over the last number of years, and got breached even more during that storm.

As well, the community wharf - which I raised in this House - that was funded by the provincial Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture collapsed. It's now to the point that sections of that wharf are washing up on the shore. The problem being, as the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal who has accepted my invitation to visit the community will soon see, there is only one road leading into Little Anse. One side is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, and the other side is bordered by a very large pond, so there's no real means of moving the road. The only other option would be to build a bridge, which we all know how expensive that option would be. The problem with the storm is that debris from the wharf and from the sea washed up on the road to the point that the road was impassable for several hours during that night. Over 100 residents were unable to get out on the road, had there been an emergency.

I know that the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal has recognized that, and has indicated it's not just a matter of fixing the road, but it's a matter of finding a long-term solution for that community. Fortunately, due to the quick response of staff from the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal, along with the assistance of a local contractor, they were able to bring in a front-end loader to remove sections of the wharf and debris that was on the road, making the road impassable. I do commend them for their quick response, but there was a period of hours where that road simply could not be accessed by anything other than heavy equipment due to the large pieces of wood from the wharf, which were blocking that road.

I do look forward, when the House rises, to having the minister visit the community of Little Anse, and I will also ask him to give us a few more hours so that he can visit a number of other communities to better appreciate some of the challenges faced by the residents of Richmond County.

I can say, Mr. Speaker, I am proud of having been able in the last 12 years, out of that 12 years, over 10 years have been spent in Opposition and often it has been said that when

[Page 2251]

you're in Opposition, you can't get any government work. I never accepted that and I always felt it was important to lobby ministers of the day and the government of the day to try to address the needs of the residents of Richmond County. I'm pleased with the fact that in the last 12 years, mostly in Opposition, that we have seen, I think at last count, almost over $20 million of investment made in the roads of Richmond County. So progress has been made but I'm sure the minister will see - hopefully he books off a full day and we'll have the opportunity to take him not only to Little Anse but as well to the communities of Dundee, the Lower Road in South Side, River Bourgeois, to give him an opportunity to see some of the sections of Route 4 and the state that it's in.

While some sections have been fixed, there still is the need for a long-term plan for that highway which, although I did not have the chance to raise with the minister in Question Period, I do hope that it is something he is working on. As I know he has indicated, he wants to make a list public of what the department's priorities are and certainly Route 4 from St. Peter's to Sydney needs to have a long-term plan to complement some of the sections which have been fixed to date. I do understand that there are two sections in Richmond County that are slated to be addressed this year and I do commend the minister and hope that that, in fact, is going to be the case. As well, I hope that the minister will have the opportunity to see, for example, Little Harbour wharf in the community of Lower L'Ardoise which is a gravel road.

Now, the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal for the last number of years has said it's our policy not to pave gravel roads because the argument has been there's not enough funding to be able to keep up with our paved roads. Well, Little Harbour Road generates millions of dollars for the economy of Richmond County because at that wharf there are a number of boats landing both lobster and snow crab. The problem is that there are heavy trucks constantly on that road from May 1st right until the Fall on a gravel road. It's just not reasonable to expect that that road can be maintained as a gravel road or that the residents of that area and the businesses that have made investments have to continue to drive on a gravel road. So I do hope that the minister will have time to visit that community to see for himself and speak to the fishermen and to the buyers, and to appreciate the economic impact that that small section of gravel road brings to the economy.

As well, hopefully, we'll have the opportunity to take the minister out to Loch Lomond and to have an opportunity to see some of the roads in Loch Lomond and Hay Cove. They are gravel roads. There has been some RIM money invested in those roads but clearly it has been patchwork investments that have been made. Those residents are very frustrated and are looking for a long-term solution that they can have good gravel roads into the future. I do hope that the minister will have the opportunity to do that. As I did mention to him in Question Period, it is lobster season and crab season in Richmond County. I would encourage him to come sooner rather than later because I'm sure we'll find some time to give him some Richmond County hospitality when he is there.

[Page 2252]

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I want to thank the Government House Leader for the opportunity to give this Address in Reply to the Speech from the Throne. As I mentioned, I believe it's only my second or third in 12 years but in light of what has gone on in my life and in my family's life, I did want an opportunity to commend and thank those who played such an important role in my life and allowing me to continue to serve the people of Richmond County.

I do want to congratulate all the returning members of this Chamber and all the new members because, regardless of our political affiliation, we come to this Chamber and we come to elected office with a desire to be able to help our fellow constituents. I have yet to meet an elected official in Nova Scotia who has been deemed to be rich. So it's clearly not done, although some Nova Scotians may think that. I can assure you none of us have entered this profession to get rich. We have done so, for many of us, at a financial loss but we've done so because of dedication and determination to help the people we represent.

When I look back at how many people have had the privilege of serving in this House of 52 members out of a population of one million over the last 250 years, I assure you that I count every day a blessing to have the honour of being able to stand in this place on behalf of the residents of Richmond County. Merci. (Applause)

MR. [DEPUTY] SPEAKER: Before I recognize the Government House Leader I'd like to make an introduction. In the east gallery we have some visitors from the Town of Louisbourg. We have with us tonight Jon and Cathy Lawrence. Jon and Cathy have run the Town Dairy, CJ's Bakery, and the Fortress View Restaurant, and Cathy has just retired as an educator. The good news is they are going to reopen the restaurant this year, so we are glad to have them as visitors. They are good, strong supporters of the member for Cape Breton West as well. (Applause)

The honourable member for Queens on an introduction.

MS. VICKI CONRAD: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If I could draw the members' attention to the east gallery where we have two visitors this evening, I want to introduce George Fraser, who was, for many years, a constituent of mine in the riding of Queens. He lived in Milton. Unfortunately, he has now moved into the city and he is now a constituent of the member for Halifax Chebucto. Along with George Fraser is his friend, Patty Nielsen. I'd like all members of the House to give both George and Patty a warm welcome this evening. (Applause)

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Government House Leader.

HON. FRANK CORBETT: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and to all our guests, especially our Cape Breton guests. Even though on polling day they may be a little wayward, they are

[Page 2253]

very good people and very good supporters of local sports. It is great to see them here. (Interruption) They are probably not Boston Bruins fans, from the heckling I'm getting here.

With the indulgence of the House, would you please revert to the order of business, Presenting Reports of Committees.

MR. SPEAKER: Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

PRESENTING REPORTS OF COMMITTEES

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Minister of Justice.

HON. ROSS LANDRY: Mr. Speaker, as Chairman of the Committee on Law Amendments, I am directed to report that the committee has met and considered the following bills:

Bill No. 64 - Electricity Act.

Bill No. 68 - Public Utilities Act.

and the committee recommends these bills to the favourable consideration of the House, without amendment.

MR. SPEAKER: Ordered that these bills be referred to the Committee of the Whole House on Bills.

The honourable Minister of Justice.

HON. ROSS LANDRY: Mr. Speaker, as Chairman of the Committee on Law Amendments, I am directed to report that the committee has met and considered the following bills:

Bill No. 61 - Non-essential Pesticides Control Act.

Bill No. 65 - Homes for Special Care Act.

and the committee recommends these bills to the favourable consideration of the House, with certain amendments.

[Page 2254]

MR. SPEAKER: Ordered that these bills be referred to the Committee of the Whole House on Bills.

The honourable Government House Leader.

HON. FRANK CORBETT: Mr. Speaker, with the indulgence of the House, would it be possible to do second reading of Bill No. 63, the Legal Profession Act, today?

MR. SPEAKER: Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

PUBLIC BILLS FOR SECOND READING

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Government House Leader.

HON. FRANK CORBETT: Mr. Speaker, would you please call Bill No. 63.

Bill No. 63 - Legal Profession Act.

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Minister of Justice.

HON. ROSS LANDRY: Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to give second reading to amendments to the Legal Profession Act. On May 31, 2005, the Legal Profession Act came into effect. It governs lawyers in Nova Scotia and is a good piece of legislation. The Nova Scotia Barristers' Society played a major role in the changes we propose today. The Barristers' Society, which governs Nova Scotia lawyers, has identified the need for small amendments to improve it. The Department of Justice greatly values the advice of the Barristers' Society of Nova Scotia, and we appreciate the members bringing forward suggestions for improvements to the Act.

There have been recent consultations about the changes, which include a smaller membership for its council. We are satisfied any concerns have been addressed. The Barristers' Society also believes it is important that the legislation be amended to include protection for members of the public who file complaints with the society from actions for damages arising from those complaints. That is an important protection and one that we, as a government, believe Nova Scotians deserve to have.

[7:30 p.m.]

Finally, there is also an amendment to improve the professional responsibility and fitness procedures. The society has invested considerable resources in analyzing its role when it comes to the capacity issues for its members and whether they are fit to practise. During the past number of years, they have looked at the legislation governing medical and other

[Page 2255]

health professions and are putting forward a model similar to that governing those professions. In essence, the program would allow individuals with significant personal or medical issues impacting their fitness to practise to voluntarily enter into an arrangement with the society regarding their practice as they deal with matters that could be affecting their client services. We believe that these are responsible requests and they will improve the law as it is now.

Mr. Speaker, I hope the House joins me in moving this forward.

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Richmond.

HON. MICHEL SAMSON: Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise as the Justice Critic for the Official Opposition, but also as a member of the Nova Scotia Barristers' Society to speak on Bill No. 63, an Act to Amend Chapter 28 of the Acts of 2004, the Legal Profession Act.

I had the opportunity to speak a bit earlier in my Address in Reply to indicate a bit of my age in serving in this House. It was in 2004 that the Bar Society last brought us significant amendments to the Legal Profession Act. At the time, I believe it was probably the largest overhaul of the Act that had taken place since its creation and a great deal of discussion did take place in 2004 leading up to that. In fact, during that time we were under a minority Progressive Conservative Government, so as the Justice Critic for the Liberal caucus at the time - and I know with the Justice Critic for the Official Opposition, who was a former member for Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage, Kevin Deveaux - we were able to address a number of the issues, which we had with the bill with the Minister of Finance of the day, the late Mike Baker, a former member for Lunenburg.

I would be remiss if I did not take this opportunity to express a bit of concern with Bill No. 63 in its current format because one of the issues raised in 2004 was the composition of the Bar council - 2004 was the same year when the Government of Nova Scotia introduced the French-language Services Act, an Act which was meant to enhance French-language services in the public institutions under the direction of the Government of Nova Scotia. The idea was meant to allow Acadian and francophone Nova Scotians to access government services in their own language.

After discussions amongst the different Parties, I was pleased to move an amendment to the bill, the Legal Profession Act in 2004, which would have mandated that the president of the French Lawyers' Association, which is known in French as l'Association des juristes d'expression française de la Nouvelle-Écosse, would be a member of the Bar Council, the idea being that this would send a clear signal that not only did we take the provision of French-language services important at the government level as far as the Province of Nova Scotia, but we felt that it was also important that a profession as important as the legal profession here in Nova Scotia would also work towards addressing some of the issues being

[Page 2256]

faced by the Acadian and francophone community in Nova Scotia when it comes to accessing legal services in their native tongue.

I do believe that that was a positive amendment; I'm very pleased to say it received unanimous support from this House from all caucuses. It was the first time, I believe, in my 12 years when one looks back at all the different professions, which have come before us asking for us to pass an Act on their behalf, whether it be engineers, whether it be, I believe, the licensed practical nurses a few years ago, whether it be the dental hygienist. Home decorators, I believe was one of the other groups. There have been various professions, which have come forward and asked this House to pass an Act to recognize their profession.

In my 12 years, 2004 was the first time that the Legislature told their profession we are going to amend the legislation you've brought to this House and add a clause in it recognizing the importance that we feel with the amendment.

Needless to say, as a member of the society, when I first received some of the draft changes that were made available to the membership, I was disappointed to see that in the reduction being proposed for the Council of the Barristers' Society, the president of the French lawyers association had been removed. I was disappointed with this in a number of senses. First, as a French-speaking lawyer and a member of the society to see that this had been removed I thought was very unfortunate. I do recognize the Barristers' Society wanting to reduce the composition of their council but I was quite disappointed as a French lawyer and a member for the society that this would have been removed.

As the MLA for Richmond, as the Justice Critic, I was equally disappointed that since the House of Assembly had sent such a strong message in 2004 to the Barristers' Society by putting in an amendment in to include the president of the French lawyers association on the Council of the Barristers' Society and for the Barristers' Society to now come back to this Legislature and remove the amendment that we put in was extremely disappointing to me. Because, Mr. Speaker, to me I find it almost an insult to the House that a profession would do so and to say that it is because they wanted to downsize is simply not good enough as far as I am concerned.

Mr. Speaker, as a member of the society, I took the opportunity to write, because there was a request for feedback and I did write to the Barristers' Society and I did outline my concerns both as a member of the society, as a French-speaking attorney in Nova Scotia and as the Justice Critic of the Liberal caucus who had moved the amendment with all-Party support to include the president of the French lawyers association on the Barristers' Society Council.

Unfortunately; Mr. Speaker, as I indicated to the current President of the Barristers' Society Council, Mr. Ron Creighton, I indicated to him that I never did receive a reply to that submission. So, today, as I stand before you, I'm still concerned about the fact that Bill No.

[Page 2257]

63 does not allow for the president of the French lawyers society as a member of the Barristers' Society Council.

As a result of that, Mr. Speaker, I have had the opportunity to raise this matter with the Minister of Justice, with the Government House Leader as well as the Acting Justice Critic for the PC caucus. As a result of that, while I am prepared to see Bill No. 64 go through second reading, I will be, once we arrive at the Law Amendments Committee, moving an amendment which I have already indicated to the Minister of Justice and to my other colleagues restoring the president to the French lawyers association as a member of the Barristers' Society Council.

Mr. Speaker, I do want to thank the minister and my colleagues who have already indicated their willingness to support that amendment. I would certainly hope that the Barristers' Society Council is prepared to accept that amendment and to continue to work and do what they can to make sure that the legal services in our province and the foundations of our legal profession respect the needs of the Acadian community. I do know that the Barristers' Society has been working to address a number of issues as was suggested to me this morning. For example, in Nova Scotia, you could not currently probate a last will and testament that is written in French.

That is an issue which they are exploring right now with the government to see what changes can be made to do that. Because as we expand French language services in the legal profession, one of the first areas that people want to be able to express themselves is in French, with their last will and testament, where they can clearly use the language that they are comfortable with in leaving their final instructions.

So, I do commend the Bar for making those types of review and I am sure that they will continue to do so but, again, as a French barrister in this province, as an Acadian barrister, as someone who was previously involved in the executive of the French lawyers association, l'Association des juristes d'expression française de la Nouvelle-Écosse, I do see the role of the president of the French lawyers association as a vital one, as a member of the Barristers' Society Council, to ensure that the society fully appreciates the needs and the challenges being faced by the Acadian community and francophone community here in Nova Scotia.

The other concern, Mr. Speaker, is while I do appreciate that there have been some amendments here to help the society on the issue of fitness and capacity of its members, as the Minister of Justice indicated this mirrors some other professions such as health professions where the society is there to try to assist its members should they become incapacitated or should their fitness to practice be brought into question. We are all hopeful this will allow the society to assist members of the Bar should they find themselves in such difficult circumstances.

[Page 2258]

I would be remiss as well, as a barrister from rural Nova Scotia - in my case, Cape Breton - if I did not highlight concerns which I have heard from a number of my colleagues in the legal profession that the reduction in bar counsel also appears to be a reduction in representation for rural barristers in Nova Scotia. This is a concern which has been raised, a concern which I do hope the bar is cognizant of.

It is important that barristers throughout Nova Scotia feel they do have a say on the Barristers' Society, on the counsel and in the operations of the Bar. Many rural lawyers, especially those with small practices, are faced with many challenges, many challenges that aren't necessarily faced by some of the larger firms here in metro, which have a greater variety of resources in dealing with some of the requirements and obligations of the Barristers' Society.

I would hope the Bar counsel and the society itself will be very sensitive to the needs of rural lawyers, especially those with either sole practices or very small practices, and being able to continue to have their practice as well as continuing to meet the obligations that are imposed by the Barristers' Society as they move forward.

With that, I'm not sure what fate will come of Bill No. 63 during this sitting of the House. Our caucus is certainly prepared to see it move on to second reading and whether it goes to the Law Amendments Committee this session or not remains to be seen. As I indicated at the Law Amendments Committee, I will be moving the amendment to Bill No. 63 and do look forward to the support of my colleagues on the Law Amendments Committee and the support of all members of this House should Bill No. 63 return during this session.

I do want to just thank president of the society, Ron Creighton for his personal intervention in trying to see the passage of Bill No. 63. I do acknowledge that he was not a part of the discussions that took place in 2004 and the amendment made at that time, but certainly do appreciate his efforts in trying to address the concerns that I had as the Justice Critic for the Official Opposition with regard to Bill No. 63.

With that, I again thank you for the opportunity to make a few remarks on second reading on Bill No. 63. Merci.

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Cape Breton North.

HON. CECIL CLARKE: Mr. Speaker, I'm very pleased to rise to speak to Bill No. 63, the Legal Profession Act, just carrying on some of the comments made by the honourable member for Richmond with regard to some of the provisions within this bill. As I do know, and likely would have been the case, members of the Barristers' Society did presentations to caucuses with regard to some of the changes they wanted to bring forward.

[Page 2259]

At that particular time it would have been more in the form of a chart where things were, where they wanted to go. As we know, as of Tuesday, May 4th, the Attorney General, the Minister of Justice introduced the bill to the House and now we are six days later in the legislative agenda with a weekend in between, having second reading of the bill and looking at some of the provisions contained therein.

One of the things I found in looking at this was being presented with information of a general strategy and approach and a rationale from the Barristers' Society's perspective and then subsequently having a bill that came quite a distance or awhile after those presentations. It was just left that those were something that were being worked on. And then it was presented before the House.

I do also recognize that some of the very principle behind the objectives of the Barristers' Society are applaudable. However, some of the components of this - and the honourable member for Richmond hit on a good point - one of the things that I was very clear on that was not explicitly laid out, if the member for Richmond had not been involved with that process before, if the member for Richmond had not had a role and involvement in 2004, the bill as it is before the House, if you weren't aware of that from the francophone Acadian community in terms of the representation on Bar Council, one would assume that was just an acceptable item.

[7:45 p.m.]

So the fact that our colleagues here, Acadian colleagues of the Legislature, were appropriately pleased to have the inclusion of the French Jurists' Association with regard to the Bar Council, so if that was not known, if these individuals were not here, it technically could have slipped through and people wouldn't have known until after the fact if we were expeditious in moving it forward.

The other question that it begs to myself is what other components or provisions do members of the Bar, in looking at the changes offered - because if I am looking at May 4th, the first time we've seen it in this House, how many members of the Bar have actually seen the legislation? The member for Richmond indicated receiving an initial consultation responding to that and not having feedback to the comments that he had had. So I would look at this specifically about where are members of the Bar in relation to the provisions that are contained within the bill and, more importantly, do they have concerns?

When you start talking about fitness to practice and you read this, even from a layperson, that can have a pretty wide berth as to the interpretation by Bar Council versus how individual members would see themselves in that process.

I am reminded of an instance one time where a person who had a mental health issue subsequently went to be educated, acquired a law degree and then found themselves being

[Page 2260]

put to a fitness to practice test because people had understood this person had some personal issues or problems in the past. What this bill does is that person had a difficult time to try and explain themselves - even though that they had challenges, they dealt with them, went to university and went to practice and then were called into question.

So the one thing I've noticed with this as well, Mr. Speaker - as I've often heard and some of the government members will know this - a lot is left to regulations and regulation-making authority at the Bar Society that is not articulated in detail for us to understand fully. If we're talking about physical capacity, if we're talking about mental capacity or any other matters of fitness to practice, there's not a clear understanding of what that is going to be. Then in this legislation it is left to the Bar Council to determine what they see as fitness to practice.

One of the things that I would expect and assume is that when you have large law firms, medium and very small, one- or two-person firms around the province, in small towns like Sydney Mines often there is a solicitor in town and that is the one person - has that person been consulted? I have not received that feedback and I am not sure if they deem what a Bar Council would see as appropriate to being appropriate for them, and does it meet their needs as a practising lawyer in the Province of Nova Scotia?

I am not trying to suggest, Mr. Speaker, that it doesn't - I just haven't had that clarity provided to me. While I am prepared to support this bill moving forward, I want to know with assurance that indeed this is going to be acceptable and supported by a wide cross-section and a geographical distribution, linguistic as we've seen, that this is properly reflected.

My hesitation on this bill has been what I don't know, and it raises some questions. I've been asked by members of the Bar Society, what is it you oppose? In principle, I don't oppose anything, but in practice I don't know the full impact. But I do know it has been articulated as well and it is a concern I've heard, if you are reducing the council by six members, what does that entail? Then I'm told they are going to deal with committees and deal with interest groups in a committee structure, as opposed to a more formalized council structure.

What does that really entail, and that has not been, again, articulated to a level that I feel totally comfortable with. What I would not want to see, since this is something they've been working on, we have not had the clarity from a briefing a while back, to the bill being presented, and I do commend the minister for bringing it forward because it has been a request by the society. I know it's something that they deem to be important and for those who are practising - and we know the Attorney General today, with his history in law enforcement and his background academically, it will allow him to be able to consult and get some feedback.

[Page 2261]

The one thing I recall during my time as Attorney General was the fact that when you are first appointed as a non-lawyer, or someone without a legal background per se, you often wonder with trepidation what is lying before you. The one thing I had in my tenure as Attorney General and Minister of Justice was no constituent groups to be affected by or feel a need to advocate for, or overcompensate for. The one thing I've looked at, and I remember my discussions with the Bar and I kept looking, for example, at this Legislative Chamber, I met at the Bar Society annual meeting, Bench/Bar meetings, and something that was a concern to me in two years running as the Minister of Justice and Attorney General, and I raised them and it was almost, I regret, the forerunner to an issue another day because in those meetings I questioned about being asked for legislative changes, being lobbied for changes depending on what the legislation before the House would be.

I can tell you, Mr. Speaker, the one thing I understood and told them is the Bar as a profession and the practice of law was not being supportive of individuals to be elected to the House where the legislation itself was being driven from and being evaluated from. One of the issues that was there, and I did say at the time, things like Bar fees, which end up getting politicized, regrettably, another day, about how is it that you're asking people to make sacrifices and compromise to be able to stand forward and many, in the vast majority of cases, take a cut in pay for public service, for those who are practising lawyers. They get in there and then there's a requirement, because they can provide some diversity and a breadth and depth of knowledge that is helpful for the legislative process that we all are striving to make sure we have the best outcomes and, at the same time, it seems like those members have been penalized because they are expected, as well, to maintain their fees.

So that has been an item that I've truly regretted and I know that the Premier has faced a lot of questions around that. I have not felt good about that at all. I know issues have come forward because I've looked at it and I always felt that you need to support the members, anyone from that profession, to come in here. I think of the paramedics and people from that sector - and we have two in this House, one in the NDP and the Progressive Conservative side - and I'm just reminded that their association understood that their taking leave of their job to be elected was seen as a good thing for the profession because they could be properly understood and another aspect of the health delivery system in this province would be enhanced by their knowledge and their experience. In fact, anything that they could offer to this House would be an improvement and they accommodate that.

When we did have the presentation to our caucus, once again I took advantage of the opportunity to highlight to the Barristers' Society representatives, supporting those within the legal profession to more effectively and more capably be able to stand up and serve in public office, it would be seen as a good thing for them to do and the Barristers' Society would be an enabler for that diversity in the House. As my colleague for Richmond has indicated, I mean he raised concerns, if he hasn't heard back and he's a member of the Bar and he's a member of the Legislature, I'm just wondering, and I asked the question, do I have

[Page 2262]

the assurance that the consultation has been done in a more holistic manner around the province?

So some of my concerns that I have raised here this evening, as well as some of the items in comparing this piece of legislation, I'm fully prepared to see this move past second reading. I've indicated to the Government House Leader, as well as to the Attorney General, that I do believe this will be best served if there is the appropriate time for feedback and if I know we have that assurance, we don't know of any recommendations that would come forward or presentations to the Law Amendments Committee from the legal community, both geographically by the size of firms, from a language service point of view, those are things that I hope the Attorney General and the government will take into account but I am committed to moving things forward. I want to make sure if we're going to make fundamental changes, we've fully represented all of the interests and this is the best possible legislation to do that.

So with those comments, Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my other colleagues for their interventions and I just want to reassure the minister that in no way are we trying to delay, but make sure we have all the information necessary to endorse and support his work. I don't see this as a politicized process whatsoever, but I want to make it's the right process and the right next step. We just don't have the level of detail at this time, but I'm willing to see it move past second reading and I thank the House for its indulgence.

MR. SPEAKER: If I recognize the minister it will be to close the debate.

The honourable Minister of Justice.

HON. ROSS LANDRY: Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the two honourable members for their comments. I've taken note as to what their key points are and I think they are very good points. I move second reading.

MR. SPEAKER: The motion is for second reading on Bill No. 63. Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

Ordered that this bill be referred to the Committee on Law Amendments.

The honourable Government House Leader.

HON. FRANK CORBETT: Mr. Speaker, I move that you do now leave the Chair and that the House resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole House on Bills.

[Page 2263]

[7:57 p.m. The House resolved itself into a CWH on Bills with Deputy Speaker Mr. Gordon Gosse in the Chair.]

[8:03 p.m. CWH on Bills rose and the House reconvened with Deputy Speaker Mr. Gordon Gosse in the Chair.]

MR. SPEAKER: The Chairman of the Committee of the Whole House on Bills reports:

THE CLERK: That the committee has met and considered the following bills:

Bill No. 64 - Electricity Act.

Bill No. 65 - Homes for Special Care Act.

Bill No. 68 - Public Utilities Act.

and the chairman has been instructed to recommend these bills to the favourable consideration of the House, each without amendment.

MR. SPEAKER: Ordered that these bills be read for a third time on a future day.

The honourable Government House Leader.

HON. FRANK CORBETT: Mr. Speaker, with the indulgence of the House, could we concur to do third reading on the three bills that were just reported back?

MR. SPEAKER: Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

[PUBLIC BILLS FOR THIRD READING]

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Government House Leader.

HON. FRANK CORBETT: Mr. Speaker, would you please call Bill No. 64.

Bill No. 64 - Electricity Act.

Bill No. 65 - Homes for Special Care Act.

Bill No. 68 - Public Utilities Act.

MR. SPEAKER: The motions are carried.

[Page 2264]

Ordered that these bills do pass. Ordered that the titles be as read by the Clerk. Ordered that the bills be engrossed.

The honourable Government House Leader.

HON. FRANK CORBETT: Mr. Speaker, that concludes the government's business for today. I move that the House do now rise to meet again tomorrow at the hour of 12:00 noon to 10:00 p.m. After the daily routine and Question Period we will be doing Committee of the Whole House on Bills and third reading on certain bills. I move the House do now rise.

MR. SPEAKER: The motion is that the House now rise to meet again tomorrow from the hours of 12:00 noon to 10:00 p.m.

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

[The House rose at 8:06 p.m.]

[Page 2265]

NOTICES OF MOTION UNDER RULE 32(3)

RESOLUTION NO. 1215

By: Hon. Murray Scott (Cumberland South)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the Paul Harris Fellowship Award is the most prestigious award that an individual can receive from the Rotary Club; and

Whereas Susan Taylor was a popular and award-winning teacher who developed the Amherst Regional High School's band program into one of the most successful in the province prior to her unfortunate death following a boating accident;

Whereas Susan Taylor was posthumously awarded the Paul Harris Fellowship Award by the Amherst Rotary Club at their 75th Anniversary Dinner on March 12, 2010; and

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly join me in sending our congratulations to the Taylor family for receiving the recognition Susan so deeply deserved.

RESOLUTION NO. 1216

By: Hon. Wayne Gaudet (Clare)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas 2010 marks the 25th Anniversary for Comeau's Farm Market located in Meteghan Centre; and

Whereas throughout the years Alfred and Alain Comeau, along with their staff, have provided outstanding service to their loyal customers; and

Whereas Comeau's Farm Market has made a significant contribution to the economy of Clare;

Therefore be it resolved that members of this House of Assembly congratulate Alfred and Alain Comeau and their staff for the exemplary service they provide to their customers and wish them continued success in future endeavours

[Page 2266]

RESOLUTION NO. 1217

By: Hon. Stephen McNeil (Leader of the Official Opposition)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas each year individuals, groups and organizations throughout Nova Scotia nominate outstanding community members to receive an Inspiring Lives Award; and

Whereas while all nominees have faced difficult challenges in their lives, they have inspired countless others with their determination, spirit and willingness to share their stories; and

Whereas Inspiring Lives Award winner Anthony Prime spent years hiding his mental illness for fear of stigma and rejection and today works for the Department of Health advocating for mental health consumer rights and developing policies and programs that enhance the quality of life for those who find themselves in similar situations;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of the House congratulate Inspiring Lives Award winner Anthony Prime, and extend their appreciation to him for his efforts in inspiring others and in the process giving those facing mental health issues hope for their future.

RESOLUTION NO. 1218

By: Hon. Stephen McNeil (Leader of the Official Opposition)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas each year individuals, groups and organizations throughout Nova Scotia nominate outstanding community members to receive an Inspiring Lives Award; and

Whereas while all nominees have faced difficult challenges in their lives, they have inspired countless others with their determination, spirit and willingness to share their stories; and

Whereas Inspiring Lives Award nominee Chad Robinson spent years battling a drug and alcohol addiction and today has turned his life around and is supporting youth on their road to recovery by telling his story and encouraging them to get the support they need;

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Therefore be it resolved that all members of the House congratulate Inspiring Lives Award nominee Chad Robinson, and extend their appreciation to him for his efforts in inspiring others and in the process giving those facing mental health issues hope for their future.

RESOLUTION NO. 1219

By: Hon. Stephen McNeil (Leader of the Official Opposition)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas each year individuals, groups and organizations throughout Nova Scotia nominate outstanding community members to receive an Inspiring Lives Award; and

Whereas while all nominees have faced difficult challenges in their lives, they have inspired countless others with their determination, spirit and willingness to share their stories; and

Whereas Inspiring Lives Award nominee Debbie Langille, a successful federal government employee for 25 years until she was overcome by an addiction to video lottery terminals, has since dedicated her life as a volunteer of Game Over VLTs and works tirelessly to educate the public about the harms of gambling;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of the House congratulate Inspiring Lives Award nominee Debbie Langille, and extend their appreciation to her for her efforts in inspiring others and in the process giving those facing mental health issues hope for their future.

RESOLUTION NO. 1220

By: Hon. Stephen McNeil (Leader of the Official Opposition)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas each year individuals, groups and organizations throughout Nova Scotia nominate outstanding community members to receive an Inspiring Lives Award; and

Whereas while all nominees have faced difficult challenges in their lives, they have inspired countless others with their determination, spirit and willingness to share their stories; and

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Whereas Inspiring Lives Award nominee Hastings Guy, Junior, overcame chronic post-traumatic stress disorder and today speaks publicly about his experiences and encourages others to persevere with their challenges and seek the help they need;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of the House congratulate Inspiring Lives Award nominee Hastings Guy, Junior and extend their appreciation to him for his efforts in inspiring others and in the process giving those facing mental health issues hope for their future.

RESOLUTION NO. 1221

By: Hon. Stephen McNeil (Leader of the Official Opposition)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas each year individuals, groups and organizations throughout Nova Scotia nominate outstanding community members to receive an Inspiring Lives Award; and

Whereas while all nominees have faced difficult challenges in their lives, they have inspired countless others with their determination, spirit and willingness to share their stories; and

Whereas Inspiring Lives Award nominee James Malone, who lives with a major depressive disorder while raising three teenagers, recognized the importance of group support as integral to recovery and in doing so founded a depression support group in Sackville;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of the House congratulate Inspiring Lives Award nominee James Malone, and extend their appreciation to him for his efforts in inspiring others and in the process giving those facing mental health issues hope for their future.

RESOLUTION NO. 1222

By: Hon. Stephen McNeil (Leader of the Official Opposition)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas each year individuals, groups and organizations throughout Nova Scotia nominate outstanding community members to receive an Inspiring Lives Award; and

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Whereas while all nominees have faced difficult challenges in their lives, they have inspired countless others with their determination, spirit and willingness to share their stories; and

Whereas Inspiring Lives Award nominee Jann Griffin uses her 10-year battle with a crippling drug addiction to motivate and support others through her advocacy work with the Community Action on Homelessness;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of the House congratulate Inspiring Lives Award nominee Jann Griffin, and extend their appreciation to her for her efforts in inspiring others and in the process giving those facing mental health issues hope for their future.

RESOLUTION NO. 1223

By: Hon. Stephen McNeil (Leader of the Official Opposition)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas each year individuals, groups and organizations throughout Nova Scotia nominate outstanding community members to receive an Inspiring Lives Award; and

Whereas while all nominees have faced difficult challenges in their lives, they have inspired countless others with their determination, spirit and willingness to share their stories; and

Whereas Inspiring Lives Award winner Jessica Blaikie spent her teenage years experiencing homelessness and facing the stigma associated with a mental illness and today attends the Nova Scotia Community College where she is studying to be a mental health professional;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of the House congratulate Inspiring Lives Award winner Jessica Blaikie and extend our appreciation to her for her efforts in inspiring others and in the process, giving those facing mental health issues hope for their future.

RESOLUTION NO. 1224

By: Hon. Stephen McNeil (Leader of the Official Opposition)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

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Whereas each year individuals, groups and organizations throughout Nova Scotia nominate outstanding community members to receive an Inspiring Lives Award; and

Whereas while all nominees have faced difficult challenges in their lives, they have inspired countless others with their determination, spirit and willingness to share their stories; and

Whereas Inspiring Lives Award nominee Michelle Gardiner chose to embrace her diagnosis of bipolar disorder by serving as Executive Director of the Autism Society of Cape Breton, by being an active volunteer in the community and most importantly, by advocating for the needs of her son with autism;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of the House congratulate Inspiring Lives Award nominee Michelle Gardiner and extend our appreciation to her for her efforts in inspiring others and in the process, giving those facing mental health issues hope for their future.

RESOLUTION NO. 1225

By: Hon. Stephen McNeil (Leader of the Official Opposition)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas each year individuals, groups and organizations throughout Nova Scotia nominate outstanding community members to receive an Inspiring Lives Award; and

Whereas while all nominees have faced difficult challenges in their lives, they have inspired countless others with their determination, spirit and willingness to share their stories; and

Whereas Inspiring Lives Award winner Shaleen Jones grew up struggling with an eating disorder and eventually overcame her illness to go on to become a trained peer counsellor, and eventually Executive Director of the British Columbia Eating Disorders Association before moving to Nova Scotia to establish the Eating Disorders Action Group;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of the House congratulate Inspiring Lives Award Winner Shaleen Jones and extend our appreciation to her for her efforts in inspiring others and in the process, giving those facing mental health issues hope for their future.

RESOLUTION NO. 1226

By: Hon. Stephen McNeil (Leader of the Official Opposition)

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I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas each year individuals, groups and organizations throughout Nova Scotia nominate outstanding community members to receive an Inspiring Lives Award; and

Whereas while all nominees have faced difficult challenges in their lives, they have inspired countless others with their determination, spirit and willingness to share their stories; and

Whereas Inspiring Lives Award nominee Tom Craig who was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder at 28, embarked on a path of recovery that led him to complete his Bachelor degree in Art History after being away from the classroom for 21 years;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of the House congratulate Inspiring Lives Award nominee Tom Craig and extend our appreciation to him for his efforts in inspiring others and in the process, giving those facing mental health issues hope for their future.

RESOLUTION NO. 1227

By: Hon. Stephen McNeil (Leader of the Official Opposition)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas each year individuals, groups and organizations throughout Nova Scotia nominate outstanding community members to receive an Inspiring Lives Award; and

Whereas while all nominees have faced difficult challenges in their lives, they have inspired countless others with their determination, spirit and willingness to share their stories; and

Whereas after having lived with mental illness for 10 years, Inspiring Lives winner Vince Daigle went on to become a peer support worker and a founding member of the Mental Health Coalition of Nova Scotia;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of the House congratulate Inspiring Lives Award winner Vince Daigle and extend our appreciation to him for his efforts in inspiring others and in the process, giving those facing mental health issues hope for their future.

RESOLUTION NO. 1228

By: Hon. Stephen McNeil (Leader of the Official Opposition)

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I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas each year individuals, groups and organizations throughout Nova Scotia nominate outstanding community members to receive an Inspiring Lives Award; and

Whereas while all nominees have faced difficult challenges in their lives, they have inspired countless others with their determination, spirit and willingness to share their stories; and

Whereas Inspiring Lives Award nominee Wanda Chapman struggled after a diagnosis of schizophrenia, a divorce and a loss of her job yet overcame her obstacles and has since re-established her hairdressing license and now provides free haircuts to mental health consumers;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of the House congratulate Inspiring Lives Award nominee Wanda Chapman and extend our appreciation to her for her efforts in inspiring others and in the process, giving those facing mental health issues hope for their future.