Legislative Reports • Kirk MacDonald,MLAfor announced the launch of a New Mactaquac, Minister of Business Brunswick parliamentary channel New Brunswick dedicated to broadcasting proceed- • Brenda Fowlie,MLAfor ings to keep the public informed of Kennebecasis, Minister of Energy the important work of the House • Bev Harrison,MLAfor and the province's elected represen- Hampton-Belleisle, Minister of tatives. The Legislature acquired a Supply and Services and Govern- professional broadcasting system ment House Leader with five state-of-the-art cameras located throughout the chamber Retiring to the backbench were: and operated remotely by Rogers New Brunswick Elvy Robichaud,MLAfor Television, the company commis- Tracadie-Sheila, Peter Mesheau, sioned to manage the new channel. ince the adjournment of the MLA for Tantramar and Marga- The new channel will be offered in SThird Session of the Fifty-Fifth ret-Ann Blaney,MLAforSaint both official languages on televi- Legislature of New Brunswick on John-Kings. sions with secondary audio pro- December 23, 2005, Premier Ber- The Final Report of the Electoral gramming (SAP) features in major nard Lord, shuffled his Cabinet, an Boundaries and Representation Com- centres across the province. Ques- Electoral Boundaries and Represen- mission saw the boundaries of 20 of tion period will continue to be tation Commission completed its the province's 55 electoral districts shown on the community channel mandate and released a final report, revised and the names of nine elec- in the smaller communities. The As- the House resumed to elect a new toral districts changed as a result of sembly will also approach satellite Speaker shortly before the budget public input. Major changes were providers to expand coverage was brought down, and a special made in the Moncton-Dieppe area, throughout the province. channel began broadcasting and in western New Brunswick in The House resumed in the fore- gavel-to-gavel coverage of legisla- the electoral districts of York, noon March 28 and elected Mr. tive proceedings, giving New Woodstock, Carleton, and Victo- Malley to be Speaker, subsequent to Brunswickers access to the political ria-Tobique. The commission, the resignation of Speaker Harri- process and their elected officials. which began its work last August, son. As a result of Premier Lord's re- released a preliminary report on The House resumed in the after- structuring of government follow- November 21, 2005, followed by the noon when Finance Minister ing a “Five in Five” initiative final report on February 20, 2006. Jeannot Volpé,MLAfor announced a few days earlier in the On February 21, Michael Malley, Madawaska-les-Lacs, brought state of the province address, a MLA for Miramichi-Bay du Vin and down his third budget, stating: number of new Ministers were former Government Whip, an- “This budget supports our vision of sworn in as Members of the Execu- nounced his intention to sit as an In- New Brunswick and our balanced tive Council on February 14: dependent Member, bringing the approach. It builds on our results standings in the House on that date and our policies, further imple- • Claude Williams, MLA for Kent to Progressive Conservatives, 27; ments our commitments, takes South, Minister of Education Liberals, 26; and Independents, 2. steps in meeting the Premier's Five • Jody Carr, MLA for Oromocto- On March 23,Deputy Speakers in Five Initiative and makes new in- Gagetown, Minister of Post-Sec- Cy (Richard) LeBlanc,MLAfor vestments for people.” ondary Education and Training Dieppe-Memramcook and John Highlighted in the 2006-2007 Betts, MLA for Moncton Crescent, budget: SUMMER 2006 /CANADIAN PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW 39 • $2.46 billion for record invest- getthatmentionseverythingbut House Leader Harrison regarding a ments in health and senior care, a solves nothing.” He submitted that letter from Abel LeBlanc, MLA for 75 per cent increase since 1999; the budget neglected to address job Saint John Lancaster, published in • $893 million for record invest- creation, affordable housing, the the Telegraph-Journal on April 6, ments in Kindergarten to Grade uncertainty facing mills in the prov- 2006, which characterized the elec- 12 education, including 240 new teaching positions; ince, the cost of nursing home care tion of the Speaker as a sham. In giv- and post-secondary education, the ing notice of his motion to refer the • Over $100 million in energy relief, lack of spaces in community col- matter to the Standing Committee including the rebate of the pro- vincial portion of the HST on leges, the prolonged care of special on Privileges, the Government home electricity and heating fu- needs children, the clean-up of mu- House Leader claimed the com- els; nicipal harbours, or the lack of sup- ments in the letter demonstrated • $28.8 million more for senior care, port for small business owners. contempt, disrespect, and called including covering nursing home He was critical of the numbers into question the legitimacy of the health care costs and fully pro- contained in the budget. While ac- Speaker and the proceedings in the tecting the value of seniors' knowledging a $5 million increase House. Opposition House Leader homes; in spending on special education, he Lamrock argued that the letter con- • $17 million in additional personal submitted that New Brunswick is cerned only the process by which income tax reductions for New one of only two provinces to cut ed- the Speaker came to Office and that Brunswickers, resulting in 50,000 it did not reflect negatively on the New Brunswickers removed ucation in real dollars. He agreed from the income tax rolls since more money is being spent in the Speaker himself but was critical of 1999; budget, an increase of 1.7% from the the government. However, Speaker Malley found that the remarks re- • $20 million in tax reductions for previous budget, but stated that this New Brunswick businesses, in- was inadequate when inflation rose flected on the Legislature as a whole cluding the reduction of the New by 2.5%. He further stated “when I and on the Office of Speaker and Brunswick small business income look at this budget, we have a gov- made it more difficult for the tax rate to 1.5 per cent; ernment that cannot even meet its Speaker to fulfill his duties by di- • $25 million over five years for a own priority areas, a government minishing the respect owed to the new Wellness Infrastructure that cannot deliver change, a gov- Office and to the institution. In rul- Fund; ernment that has been given $1.6 ing that a prima facie case of con- • $15 million for regional economic billion more in revenue and has not tempt had not been made, Speaker development funds in Miramichi, delivered a single bit of Malley ruled that it would not be Restigouche-Chaleur and the transformative change.” productive to allow the matter to go Acadian Peninsula; On April 7 Speaker Malley cast forward for a debate and would • $26 million over two years in tax his first deciding vote following a only serve to give more significance relief and incentives as part of the division on the budget motion. In to the remarks than they merit. $250-million, five-year Forestry Speaker Malley noted that the letter Assistance Support Package to casting his vote in the affirmative, help the forestry sector; Mr. Speaker stated that : was in poor taste and did a disser- vice to the House and the Office of • $9.2 million for culture, including the Speaker; the Member subse- an additional $1 million for the Questions of confidence are of Cultural Policy and a new book such importance that an ex- quently apologized to the House. policy; pression of nonconfidence On April 13, Speaker Malley an- should clearly be stated by a • A 27.8 per cent net debt-to-GDP majority. In addition to my re- nounced his intention to rejoin the ratio, for the seventh consecutive sponsibilities as Speaker, I Government caucus while continu- annual reduction; have a responsibility to the ing to fulfill the duties of the Office constituents of my riding of • A $22.2 million surplus for an- Miramichi-Bay du Vin and to of Speaker in a fair and impartial other balanced budget. the people of New Brunswick. manner, bringing the standings in In this instance, I am guided by the House to Progressive Conserva- In his response to the budget the principles of the Speaker's speech, Opposition House Leader casting vote, on questions of tives, 28; Liberals, 26; and Inde- Kelly Lamrock, MLA for Frederic- confidence. pendent, 1. ton-Fort Nashwaak, pinch hitting On April 11, Speaker Malley Among the government bills in- for Finance Critic Michael Murphy, ruled on a question of privilege troduced were Bill 34, to amend the characterized the budget as “a bud- raised earlier by Government Municipalities Act introduced by Lo- 40 CANADIAN PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW / SUMMER 2006 cal Government Minister room is the former home of the wherein he asked them to express Rose-May Porier, and Bill 35, to Legislative Council, or New Bruns- their view as to whether he should amend The Residential Tenancies Act wick's Upper House. contest the next general election introduced by Justice and Con- (due later this year) as a New Demo- sumer Affairs Minister Bruce Fitch. crat, Liberal or independent candi- The amendments would give mu- Diane Taylor-Myles date. The following day Mr. Hardy nicipal bylaw enforcement officers Researcher excised Eric Fairclough (Mayo- the tools necessary to ensure that Tatchun) from the caucus for hav- negligent landlords address issues ing conducted a similar, if less for- of health and safety in residential mal, survey of his constituents. As a properties including ticketing land- result the party standings were lords for violations and undertak- now: Yukon Party 10, NDP 3, Liber- ing repairs where a landlord fails to als 2, and three independent mem- do so, with remedial costs being bers.