Legislative Assembly of Alberta The 28th Legislature First Session Standing Committee on Families and Communities Ministry of Education Consideration of Main Estimates Tuesday, March 19, 2013 3:31 p.m. Transcript No. 28-1-6 Legislative Assembly of Alberta The 28th Legislature First Session Standing Committee on Families and Communities Quest, Dave, Strathcona-Sherwood Park (PC), Chair Forsyth, Heather, Calgary-Fish Creek (W), Deputy Chair Brown, Dr. Neil, QC, Calgary-Mackay-Nose Hill (PC) Cusanelli, Christine, Calgary-Currie (PC) DeLong, Alana, Calgary-Bow (PC) Fraser, Rick, Calgary-South East (PC) Fritz, Yvonne, Calgary-Cross (PC) Goudreau, Hector G., Dunvegan-Central Peace-Notley (PC) Hehr, Kent, Calgary-Buffalo (AL)* Jablonski, Mary Anne, Red Deer-North (PC) Jansen, Sandra, Calgary-North West (PC) Jeneroux, Matt, Edmonton-South West (PC) Leskiw, Genia, Bonnyville-Cold Lake (PC) Notley, Rachel, Edmonton-Strathcona (ND) Pedersen, Blake, Medicine Hat (W) Sandhu, Peter, Edmonton-Manning (PC)** Swann, Dr. David, Calgary-Mountain View (AL) Towle, Kerry, Innisfail-Sylvan Lake (W) Wilson, Jeff, Calgary-Shaw (W) Young, Steve, Edmonton-Riverview (PC) * substitution for Dr. David Swann ** substitution for Genia Leskiw Also in Attendance Eggen, David, Edmonton-Calder (ND) McAllister, Bruce, Chestermere-Rocky View (W) Ministry of Education Participants Jeff Johnson Minister Ellen Hambrook Assistant Deputy Minister, Education Program Standards and Assessment Michael Walter Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic Services Support Staff W.J. David McNeil Clerk Robert H. Reynolds, QC Law Clerk/Director of Interparliamentary Relations Shannon Dean Senior Parliamentary Counsel/ Director of House Services Philip Massolin Manager of Research Services Stephanie LeBlanc Legal Research Officer Nancy Zhang Legislative Research Officer Nancy Robert Research Officer Corinne Dacyshyn Committee Clerk Jody Rempel Committee Clerk Karen Sawchuk Committee Clerk Christopher Tyrell Committee Clerk Rhonda Sorensen Manager of Corporate Communications and Broadcast Services Jeanette Dotimas Communications Consultant Tracey Sales Communications Consultant Liz Sim Managing Editor of Alberta Hansard Transcript produced by Alberta Hansard March 19, 2013 Families and Communities FC-87 3:31 p.m. Tuesday, March 19, 2013 Assembly approved amendments to the standing orders that Title: Tuesday, March 19, 2013 fc impact consideration of the main estimates. Before we proceed [Mr. Quest in the chair] with consideration of the main estimates for the Ministry of Education, I would like to review briefly the standing orders Ministry of Education governing the speaking rotation. Consideration of Main Estimates As provided for in SO 59.01(6), the rotation will work as follows. The minister will make opening comments not to exceed The Chair: All right, everyone. We’re going to call the meeting 10 minutes. In the hour that follows, members of the Official to order. Note that the committee has under consideration the Opposition and the minister will speak. For the 20 minutes estimates for the Ministry of Education for the fiscal year ending following that, members of the third party and the minister will March 31, 2014. speak. In the 20 minutes following that, a member of the fourth I’d like to remind members that the microphones are operated party and the minister will speak. For the 20 minutes following by Hansard, and if you could just keep the BlackBerrys and so on that, private members of the government caucus and the minister off the table as usual. will speak. Then following that, any member may speak At this point I’d like to go around the table and have everybody thereafter, and we’ll rotate between opposition and government. introduce themselves and, Minister, your staff also, please. We’ll Members may speak more than once; however, speaking times start with the deputy chair to my right. are limited to 10 minutes at any one time. The minister and member may combine their time for a total of 20 minutes. Mrs. Forsyth: I’m Heather Forsyth, the MLA for Calgary-Fish Members are asked to advise the chair at the beginning of their Creek. speech, please, if they plan to combine their time with the Mr. Goudreau: Hector Goudreau, Dunvegan-Central Peace- minister’s time. I’ll also try and remember to ask what you’re Notley. planning to do with your time. Once the specified rotation between caucuses is complete and Mr. Sandhu: Peter Sandhu, Edmonton-Manning, covering for we go to that portion of the meeting where any member may Genia Leskiw. speak, the speaking times are then reduced to five minutes at any one time. Once again, the minister and a member may combine Ms DeLong: Alana DeLong, Calgary-Bow. their speaking time for a maximum total of 10 minutes, and members are asked to advise the chair at the beginning of their Mr. Jeneroux: Matt Jeneroux, Edmonton-South West. speech if they wish to combine their time with the minister’s time. Mr. Hehr: Kent Hehr, MLA, Calgary-Buffalo. With me is our Six hours have been scheduled to consider the estimates of the communications director, Amy McBain. Ministry of Education. With the concurrence of the committee I will call a five-minute break near the midpoint of this meeting. Mr. Eggen: Good afternoon. I’m Dave Eggen. I’m the MLA for Committee members, ministers, and other members who are not Edmonton-Calder. committee members may participate. Members’ staff and ministry officials may be present, and at the direction of the minister Mr. J. Johnson: I’m Jeff Johnson, the Minister of Education. I officials from the ministry may address the committee. can introduce my staff in my opening comments. Or do you want If debate is exhausted prior to the six hours for the ministry’s me to introduce them now? estimates, then they are deemed to have been considered, and we will adjourn, although I think that’s pretty unlikely. The Chair: Now would be good if you don’t mind, Jeff, since Points of order will be dealt with as they arise, and the clock they’re at the table. will continue to run. Mr. J. Johnson: Dean Lindquist, who’s our ADM; and Mike Any written material provided in response to questions raised Walter, ADM; and Brad Smith, executive director. during the main estimates should be tabled in the Assembly for the benefit of all members. The Chair: Thank you. Vote on the estimates is deferred until consideration of all ministry estimates has concluded and will occur in Committee of Mr. Wilson: Jeff Wilson, Calgary-Shaw. Supply on April 22, 2013. With that, I would invite the Minister of Education to begin Mr. McAllister: Bruce McAllister, Chestermere-Rocky View. With your remarks. me, Mr. Chair, are Naomi Christensen and Cadence Bergman, who are research and leg. assistants. Mr. J. Johnson: Thanks, Mr. Chair. It’s a pleasure to present today Education’s 2013 budget and estimates to you. Again, The Chair: Great. Thank you very much. joining me at the table here is Dean Lindquist, acting deputy minister of Alberta Education. We have Michael Walter, assistant Mr. Pedersen: Blake Pedersen, Medicine Hat. deputy minister of strategic services; and Brad Smith, the Mrs. Fritz: Yvonne Fritz, Calgary-Cross. executive director of strategic financial services. Behind me we also have a few others from Alberta Education. I’d like to Dr. Brown: Neil Brown, Calgary-Mackay-Nose Hill. introduce Ellen Hambrook, our ADM of education program standards and assessment. Take a bow, Ellen. George Lee is our Ms Rempel: Jody Rempel, committee clerk, Legislative Assembly director of budget and fiscal analysis. Laura Cameron is our Office. executive director of capital planning. Everybody wants to talk to Laura nowadays. Leanne Niblock is our director of communica- The Chair: Okay. Very good. So we’ll just go through the tions and, from my office, Chief of Staff Tom Bradley, who I process on how the speaking times work. As you know, the think has just stepped out; and Kim Capstick, press secretary. FC-88 Families and Communities March 19, 2013 Mr. Chairman, we certainly had to make some difficult the early childhood program. So we’re just funding new kids decisions this year with respect to the Education budget, but coming into the system. We’re not increasing the instructional behind every decision that we made was how we could best grants for those providers from this year. support students and bring Inspiring Education to life in our Teachers’ pension plan. To the benefit of our students Alberta’s schools. teachers are some of the best compensated in the country. This Overall Education’s total budget, including capital, increases includes a generous pension plan. Contributions made by the slightly to $7 billion, a $216 million, or 3.2 per cent, increase. government of Alberta on behalf of teachers for current services Now, that includes capital. will increase by $26 million, to $353 million this year. In addition, Over $6.13 billion in operating support will go directly to government will contribute $456 million for the cost of the pre- school boards to support kids. This is a $45 million increase over 1992 teachers’ pension liability. That funding is, I believe, in the last year. However, we are facing significant enrolment growth, Finance portfolio. This brings funding in support of teachers’ which is putting pressure on our budget and putting pressure on pensions to over $800 million in Budget 2013. school boards. Difficult choices had to be made. Although our overall budget is increasing, we do have to make While we were not able to provide any increases to base reductions. My department must be part of the solution, and we instructional funding, we are maintaining the base instructional must lead. The administration budget within the department will funding at 2012 levels. Small class size and inclusion funding will be reduced by $18.5 million, or 15 per cent, through internal increase this year.