Legislative Assembly of Alberta The 27th Legislature First Session Standing Committee on Health Wednesday, June 18, 2008 1:03 p.m. Transcript No. 27-1-1 Legislative Assembly of Alberta The 27th Legislature First Session Standing Committee on Health Horne, Fred, Edmonton-Rutherford (PC), Chair Pastoor, Bridget Brennan, Lethbridge-East (L), Deputy Chair Dallas, Cal, Red Deer-South (PC) Denis, Jonathan, Calgary-Egmont (PC) Fawcett, Kyle, Calgary-North Hill (PC) Notley, Rachel, Edmonton-Strathcona (NDP) Olson, Verlyn, QC, Wetaskiwin-Camrose (PC) Quest, Dave, Strathcona (PC) Sherman, Dr. Raj, Edmonton-Meadowlark (PC) Swann, Dr. David, Calgary-Mountain View (L) Vandermeer, Tony, Edmonton-Beverly-Clareview (PC) Bill 24 Sponsor Jablonski, Hon. Mary Anne, Red Deer-North (PC) Department of Justice and Attorney General Participant Cindy Bentz Public Trustee Department of Seniors and Community Supports Participant Brenda Lee Doyle Provincial Director, Office of the Public Guardian Office of the Premier Participant George Samoil Executive Director, House Procedures and Legislative Affairs Office of the Progressive Conservative Caucus Participant Brett Sparrow Research Branch Support Staff W.J. David McNeil Clerk Louise J. Kamuchik Clerk Assistant/Director of House Services Robert H. Reynolds, QC Senior Parliamentary Counsel Shannon Dean Senior Parliamentary Counsel Corinne Dacyshyn Committee Clerk Jody Rempel Committee Clerk Karen Sawchuk Committee Clerk Rhonda Sorensen Manager of Communications Services Melanie Friesacher Communications Consultant Tracey Sales Communications Consultant Philip Massolin Committee Research Co-ordinator Katrina Stewart Committee Research Assistant Liz Sim Managing Editor of Alberta Hansard Transcript produced by Alberta Hansard June 18, 2008 Health HE-1 1:03 p.m. Wednesday, June 18, 2008 Ms Stewart: I’m Katrina Stewart. I’m with House services, and I’ll Title: Wednesday, June 18, 2008 HE be helping with research. [Mr. Horne in the chair] Ms Sales: Tracey Sales, communications services. The Chair: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. On behalf of our deputy chair, Bridget Pastoor, and myself welcome to the inaugural Dr. Swann: David Swann in Calgary, if anybody is interested. meeting of the Standing Committee on Health. My name is Fred Horne. I’m the MLA for Edmonton-Rutherford, and I’m the chair The Chair: I was coming to you. You feel forgotten already. We’ll of the committee. This is an organizational meeting, and we’ll be be right with you, David. providing you with a lot of background as we go through. We will Over on this side. also have the opportunity to get into the matter that’s been referred to us by the Assembly, the review of Bill 24. Mr. Sparrow: Brett Sparrow, government members’ research. Before we get started, just a couple of practical notes. The microphone in front of you is actually controlled by the gentleman Mr. Samoil: George Samoil, office of the Premier. at the far end of the room, so it’s not necessary for you to push a button or anything. When you’re recognized and when you’re Mr. Quest: Dave Quest, Strathcona. speaking, the microphone will be turned on. Also, just a note, please: if you have a BlackBerry, the BlackBerrys interfere with the The Chair: On the phone we have three members. There is the sound equipment here, so I’d ask you to please either turn it off or opportunity for you to participate by teleconference. Can we start perhaps put it under the table or somewhere at a considerable with Dr. Swann, please? distance from the microphone. That would be appreciated. The proceedings of the committee are recorded in Hansard. Dr. Swann: Well, thanks very much. David Swann here in They’re also broadcast, I believe audio only, through the Legislative beautiful, sunny Calgary-Mountain View. Assembly website, so I’d ask you to bear that in mind as well. I’ll just note that the meeting materials have been available online The Chair: Kyle Fawcett, are you on the line? for printing and viewing since Wednesday, June 11. There was a revised agenda that was distributed I think yesterday or the day Mr. Fawcett: Yes. Kyle Fawcett, Calgary-North Hill. before. The materials are made available to you via the website, and we’ll certainly do our utmost to have the materials out and available Mr. Denis: And Jonathan Denis in fabulous Calgary-Egmont. for you as early as possible prior to each meeting. In addition to members, we have some support staff from the The Chair: Thank you. Legislative Assembly Office. I wonder if we could just take a We also have some department staff with us who you’ll be minute and quickly go around the room and introduce ourselves. meeting later. You’ll notice that there is a gallery at the back of the Perhaps we could start on my right. room as well. These meetings are open to the public, and the media attend them occasionally as well. Ms Dean: Shannon Dean, Senior Parliamentary Counsel, Legislative I think that’s all in the way of introductions. Assembly. You have the revised agenda before you. Because this is an organizational meeting, it’s quite possible that there’ll be some Ms Pastoor: Bridget Pastoor, Lethbridge-East. additional issues which come along. We can discuss these under Other Business, and I’ll make a point of calling for items under Mr. Vandermeer: Tony Vandermeer, Edmonton-Beverly-Clare- Other Business at the end. view. Could I ask for a motion, please, to approve the agenda? Mr. Dallas. We don’t need seconders in committee. Any discussion? Mr. Dallas: Cal Dallas, Red Deer-South. Those in favour? Opposed, if any? Carried. Thank you. The next item is the committee orientation. I have some notes Dr. Sherman: Raj Sherman, Edmonton-Meadowlark. here which I’d like to go over briefly. I know that many of you are familiar with the standing orders that are pertinent to these commit- Ms Notley: Rachel Notley, Edmonton-Strathcona. tees, but for the record we’d just like to get down the authority under which the committee operates and the specific mandate of the Mrs. Kamuchik: Louise Kamuchik, Clerk Assistant, director of committee. House services, Legislative Assembly. You have a mandate document as part of your package, so you will be aware, then, that the Legislative Assembly has asked the Ms Friesacher: Melanie Friesacher, communications consultant, committee to review Bill 24, the Adult Guardianship and Trustee- Legislative Assembly Office. ship Act. That referral was made after first reading of the bill, and that’s a point we’ll talk about in just a moment. The requirement is Ms Sorensen: Rhonda Sorensen, manager of communications that the committee report to the Assembly by the fourth week of services with the Legislative Assembly Office. October. It’s not a lot of time. Many of the other standing commit- tees have a similar deadline for items that have been referred to Dr. Massolin: Good afternoon. Philip Massolin. I’m the committee them. research co-ordinator from the Legislative Assembly Office. In terms of the operations of the committee and the scope of its authority, just to summarize, the committee is charged with review- Mrs. Dacyshyn: Corinne Dacyshyn, committee clerk. ing whatever matter is referred to it by the Assembly. This could be a bill, or it could be some other subject matter. The matters referred HE-2 Health June 18, 2008 by the Assembly are the priority items for the committee. The either House can be used against the witness in any other place committee may also receive a request from a minister to inquire into without the permission of the House. a matter within the committee’s mandate. This is what occurred last Finally, I want to highlight for you one of your key powers, and year with the policy field committee that was examining the that is your ability to summon witnesses. To date I’m not aware of beverage container recycling regulation. That was a ministerial any committee of the Assembly in Alberta having to use that power. request. The committee may also undertake to study issues on its Typically, committees extend invitations to particular people, own initiative through an inquiry conducted by the committee. particularly officials in departments, and usually departments co- Finally, the committee may wish to examine the annual reports of operate. Of course, if they didn’t co-operate, the committee could the departments and agencies within its mandate. Under Standing issue a summons through a warrant from the Speaker, and this power Order 52.05 all of these reports are deemed to be permanently is spelled out in section 14 of the Legislative Assembly Act. But, referred to a committee. Each time one of those annual reports is again, I’m not aware of that power actually having been used to date. referred, it is also deemed to have been referred to this committee, Those are all my comments unless anybody has any questions. and it is, I believe, optional for the committee to choose whether to review the report and whether to provide some comment on it, again, The Chair: Any questions on the point of the mandate of the back to the Assembly. committee or the privileges that were just described? Okay. Thank you very much. 1:10 The next item under the orientation that we wanted to discuss In addition to these four functions, the committee does have the briefly was the review process and the role of the department and authority to conduct public hearings on any bill or regulation under department officials in the work of the committee. The review review. An example of that situation would be when at the invita- process itself is to be determined by the committee.