Legislative Assembly of Alberta the 30Th Legislature Second Session

Legislative Assembly of Alberta The 30th Legislature Second Session Standing Committee on Resource Stewardship Public Interest Disclosure (Whistleblower Protection) Act Review Friday, June 11, 2021 9 a.m. Transcript No. 30-2-20 Legislative Assembly of Alberta The 30th Legislature Second Session Standing Committee on Resource Stewardship Hanson, David B., Bonnyville-Cold Lake-St. Paul (UC), Chair Ceci, Joe, Calgary-Buffalo (NDP), Deputy Chair Dach, Lorne, Edmonton-McClung (NDP) Feehan, Richard, Edmonton-Rutherford (NDP) Ganley, Kathleen T., Calgary-Mountain View (NDP) Getson, Shane C., Lac Ste. Anne-Parkland (UC) Guthrie, Peter F., Airdrie-Cochrane (UC) Issik, Whitney, Calgary-Glenmore (UC) Loewen, Todd, Central Peace-Notley (Ind) Singh, Peter, Calgary-East (UC) Turton, Searle, Spruce Grove-Stony Plain (UC) Yaseen, Muhammad, Calgary-North (UC) Support Staff Shannon Dean, QC Clerk Teri Cherkewich Law Clerk Trafton Koenig Senior Parliamentary Counsel Philip Massolin Clerk Assistant and Director of House Services Michael Kulicki Clerk of Committees and Research Services Sarah Amato Research Officer Melanie Niemi-Bohun Research Officer Nancy Robert Clerk of Journals and Research Officer Warren Huffman Committee Clerk Jody Rempel Committee Clerk Aaron Roth Committee Clerk Rhonda Sorensen Manager of Corporate Communications Janet Laurie Supervisor of Corporate Communications Jeanette Dotimas Communications Consultant Michael Nguyen Communications Consultant Tracey Sales Communications Consultant Janet Schwegel Director of Parliamentary Programs Amanda LeBlanc Deputy Editor of Alberta Hansard Transcript produced by Alberta Hansard June 11, 2021 Resource Stewardship RS-615 9 a.m. Friday, June 11, 2021 Deputy Public Interest Commissioner. Thank you both for joining Title: Friday, June 11, 2021 rs us today. [Mr. Hanson in the chair] A few housekeeping items to address before we turn to the business at hand. According to the February 22, 2021, memo from the hon. The Chair: Good morning, everybody. I’d like to call the meeting Speaker Cooper, I would remind everyone of the updated to order. I’d like to call the meeting of the Standing Committee on committee room protocols, which encourage members to wear Resource Stewardship to order and welcome everyone in attendance. masks in committee rooms and while seated, except when speaking, My name is David Hanson, MLA for Bonnyville-Cold Lake-St. at which time they may choose not to wear a face covering. Based Paul and chair of the committee. I’d ask that members and those on the recommendations from the chief medical officer of health joining the committee at the table introduce themselves for the regarding physical distancing, meeting attendees are reminded to record, and then I will call on those joining via videoconference. leave the appropriate distance between themselves and other We’ll begin to my right. meeting participants. Please note that the microphones are operated by Hansard staff. Mr. Getson: Sure. Shane Getson, MLA for Lac Ste. Anne-Parkland. Committee proceedings are live streamed on the Internet and Mr. Turton: Searle Turton, MLA for Spruce Grove-Stony Plain. broadcast on Alberta Assembly TV. The audio- and videostream and transcripts of the meeting can be accessed on the Legislative Mr. Dach: Morning. Lorne Dach, MLA for Edmonton-McClung. Assembly website. Those participating by videoconference are asked to please turn Mr. Feehan: Good morning. Richard Feehan, MLA for Edmonton- on your camera while speaking and mute your microphone while Rutherford. not speaking. Members participating virtually who wish to be placed on a speakers list are asked to e-mail or send a message in Mr. Koenig: Good morning. I’m Trafton Koenig with the the group chat to the committee clerk, and members in the room are Parliamentary Counsel office. asked to please signal to the chair. Please set your cellphones and other devices to silent for the duration of the meeting. Mr. Kulicki: Good morning. Michael Kulicki, clerk of committees Are there any changes or additions to the draft agenda? If not, and research services. would somebody like to make a motion to approve the agenda? Mr. Mr. Huffman: Good morning. Warren Huffman, committee clerk. Getson. Moved by Mr. Getson that the agenda for the June 11, 2021, meeting of the Standing Committee on Resource Stewardship be The Chair: Okay. Thank you. adopted as distributed. All in favour? Any opposed? Thank you. We’ll now go to the members joining virtually via Teams, That motion is carried. starting with Mr. Ceci. Approval of minutes. Next we have the draft minutes of our April 28, 2021, meeting. Are there any errors or omissions to note? If not, Member Ceci: Hi. Joe Ceci, Calgary-Buffalo, MLA. would a member like to make a motion to approve the minutes? Mr. Dach. Thank you. Moved by Mr. Dach that the minutes of the April The Chair: Ms Issik. 28, 2021, meeting of the Standing Committee on Resource Ms Issik: Whitney Issik, MLA for Calgary-Glenmore. Stewardship be approved as distributed. All in favour? Any opposed? Again, that motion is carried. Thank you very much. The Chair: Mr. Yaseen. Okay. Review of the Public Interest Disclosure (Whistleblower Protection) Act, item (a). We have a letter from the Public Interest Mr. Yaseen: Good morning. Muhammad Yaseen, MLA, Calgary- Commissioner. Hon. members, I’d like to note for the record that North. on May 28, 2021, the committee received a letter from the Public Interest Commissioner following up on issues discussed at the The Chair: Mr. Guthrie. committee’s April 28 meeting. This letter was posted to the internal committee website for members to review. At this time I would like Mr. Guthrie: Hi there. Peter Guthrie, MLA, Airdrie-Cochrane. to open the floor to members if they have any comments on this The Chair: Ms Ganley. item. Any members online with discussion? Okay. Thank you. As is standard practice, the committee can decide to make the Ms Ganley: Kathleen Ganley, MLA, Calgary-Mountain View. document publicly available on the committee’s external website. Would a member like to make a motion to that effect? Thank you, The Chair: Mr. Singh. Mr. Feehan. Moved by Mr. Feehan that the Standing Committee on Resource Stewardship make the May Mr. Singh: Good morning, everyone. Peter Singh, MLA, Calgary- 28, 2021, letter from the office of the Public Interest Commissioner East. publicly available on the committee’s external website. All in favour? Oh, sorry. The Chair: Have I missed anybody? Member Ceci: Sorry. Just for clarification, Chair, I thought I read Mr. Loewen: Yes. Todd Loewen, MLA, Central Peace-Notley. that it’d already been posted. Am I incorrect? The Chair: Okay. Thank you, Todd. The Chair: Just internally, sir. This would make it publicly. All right. There are no substitutions to announce. I would note that the Public Interest Commissioner was unable to Member Ceci: Oh, okay. Sorry. join us today; however, we have representation from her office joining us online to provide technical assistance as the committee The Chair: Not a problem. goes through the deliberations: Mr. Chris Ewaniuk, investigations That motion is still on the floor. All in favour of that motion? Any manager, Public Interest Commissioner; and Mr. Peter Sherstan, opposed? Thank you very much. RS-616 Resource Stewardship June 11, 2021 That motion is carried. Some of the rationale behind this is that it was a recommendation As we begin our deliberations in relation to the Public Interest from Alberta Health Services. The Public Interest Commissioner Disclosure (Whistleblower Protection) Act, I will remind members supported the recommendation at our deliberations in previous that we are now considering the recommendations that we would meetings. Commissioner Ryan – the request for the extension from like to include in our report to the Assembly. I would remind the 30 to 60 days did occur quite often, so this change would make that committee that we are required to report to the Legislative part more of the process, more efficient. Assembly by July 7, 2021. Our Legislative Assembly Office staff have been available to assist committee members with the drafting The Chair: Thank you, sir. of motions and to distribute proposed motions on the committee’s Are there any comments from committee members? internal website. Additionally, the summary of issues and proposals Mr. Feehan: I just want to offer my support for this motion. I think document prepared by research services in February is also we’ve been given some good advice that a reasonable amount of available to assist members during deliberations. time provides a better service in the long run, even though it may With that, I would like to open the floor to begin deliberations. extend a particular initiative at one time, so I support the motion. Go ahead, Mr. Dach. The Chair: Thank you. Any other members wishing to comment? Mr. Dach: Thank you, Mr. Chair. I’d like to begin by moving that Any members online? the Standing Committee on Resource Stewardship recommend that Seeing none, it looks like we’re going through these quite well. the Public Interest Disclosure (Whistleblower Protection) Act be Do you want to reread your motion, and then we can vote on it, amended in section 1(g) to expand the definition of “employee” to Mr. Getson? include regulated members of the College of Physicians & Surgeons 9:10 of Alberta, including physicians, medical residents, and medical students, who provide services to a regional health authority. Mr. Getson: Sure. Thank you, Mr. Chair. It always helps when the This was a recommendation, Mr. Chair, by the Alberta Medical sun is shining outside. It makes people want to go a little quicker Association, and I think it makes sense to include physicians under on a Friday. I move that the act. Physicians and health services have very much been in the the Standing Committee on Resource Stewardship recommend forefront of the public’s mind, and I think this is an appropriate that the Public Interest Disclosure (Whistleblower Protection) Act regulation be amended in section 5(1) to permit 5(1) AR measure to take.

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