LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY of ALBERTA [The House Met at 2:30
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December 8, 1981 ALBERTA HANSARD 2177 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ALBERTA Auditor General shall perform such special duties as many be specified by the Executive Council". Those du• Title: Tuesday, December 8, 1981 2:30 p.m. ties have been specified and communicated, to give a full and complete review of the matter by the Auditor Gener• al. If members of the opposition believe other matters [The House met at 2:30 p.m.] should be considered they, together with any other member of the public, may communicate directly to the Auditor General. If he wishes, he can give the communi• PRAYERS cation the weight he believes such communication deserves. [Mr. Speaker in the Chair] MR. R. SPEAKER: Mr. Speaker, a supplementary ques• tion. In light of the answer, will the Premier consider an amendment to The Auditor General Act which would head: ORAL QUESTION PERIOD give status to members of this Legislature in terms of communication with the Auditor General — formal sta• Heritage Savings Trust Fund Auditing tus, as the status of the Executive Council, as the status of this Legislative Assembly as a whole? MR. R. SPEAKER: Mr. Speaker, my question this af• ternoon is to the Premier, with regard to the letter tabled MR. LOUGHEED: Mr. Speaker, obviously the hon. in the Legislature yesterday. I wonder if the Premier has Leader of the Opposition is having some difficulty read• had an opportunity to review that letter and has made a ing these Acts. Section 17(1) reads: "The Auditor General decision to forward it to the Auditor General, giving the shall perform such special duties as may be specified by tabled letter from Mr. Sindlinger and the other members the Assembly." If the hon. Leader of the Opposition of the opposition the same status as the letter forwarded wished a special report to be made, he could have pre• to the Auditor General by the Premier? sented that to the Legislative Assembly by way of a special report. He may or may not have received the MR. LOUGHEED: Mr. Speaker, I've had an opportuni• endorsation of the Legislature, but that is the route he ty to consider that matter over the night and to refer to should go. The Legislature can determine such special the questions I was asked December 3, as well as the duties for the Auditor General, pursuant to Section 17(1). question I was asked yesterday. What I said December 3 In addition to that, the Auditor General can respond to a was that I saw no reason request by the Executive Council, under Section 17(2). Of why any member of this Assembly could not com• course, the important matter is that the communication I municate directly to the Auditor General, in writing, provided to the Provincial Auditor on December 3 is any observations he has with regard to these terms of such that, in my view and I believe the view of any reference and the request for the special report. objective person, it clearly covers all matters that might The question yesterday was quite different, after ex• be raised and are at issue. amining the Blues. It had to do with suggesting that we give some official status to the communication by an hon. MR. R. SPEAKER: Mr. Speaker, a supplementary ques• member. Of course, that would be contrary to Section tion to the Premier. The matter we're raising in the letter 17(2) of The Auditor General Act, which reads: "The that is going to the Auditor General, and in the Premier's Auditor General shall perform such special duties as may letter as well, was raised last February. Two questions to be specified by the Executive Council". So it would not the Premier: one, was the Premier involved in discussions be our intention to change the terms of reference or to so at that time, and were any discussions held with the specify. But again, if communications want to proceed to Auditor General with regard to the realized loss of $60 the Auditor General from any member of the Legislature million; secondly, why at that point . or, for that matter, from any member of the public, obviously he can give it the weight he believes it deserves MR. SPEAKER: Order please. Possibly these sort of if he wishes. buckshot questions . As the hon. member knows, buckshot is for the birds. Perhaps he could shoot one MR. R. SPEAKER: Mr. Speaker, a supplementary ques• bee-bee at a time. tion. Could the Premier indicate the reasons for not accepting that letter as the chairman of Executive Council MR. R. SPEAKER: Mr. Speaker, my question to the and forwarding the matter to the Auditor General for his Premier is: what discussions with the Auditor General review, particularly in light of the concern of Albertans were held on previous occasions with regard to the matter for the realized loss . in the letter tabled in the Legislature, and specifically with regard to the realized loss of $60 million? MR. SPEAKER: Order please. I think we've been through some of that. This is the question period. The MR. LOUGHEED: Mr. Speaker, there haven't been any question is complete. I find it is quite complete. It can discussions that I've been involved in. I first of all saw the stand on its own feet and doesn't need any buttressing item in the annual report. As I mentioned in public, as after it has been asked. well as here, I would have been very surprised if I had not seen a provision for net realized losses. In fact, I would MR. R. SPEAKER: I'm just giving him some help. have been critical of the investment policies of any in• vestment trading group that doesn't recognize that it is MR. LOUGHEED: Mr. Speaker, I thought I made my appropriate, as a trading organization, to accept realized answer very clear in my rather detailed response to the losses and move to better investments. I have a blind first question. Section 17(2) of the Act clearly states: "The trustee for my own investments these days, so I don't 2178 ALBERTA HANSARD December 8, 1981 really know what he's doing in particular. But if he's not actions, in a respective meeting with regard to the discus• doing that and doesn't have net realized losses, he's not sion of marijuana, so we know where the government appropriately performing the trading function. stands? I anticipate that in this year and as long as the Heritage Savings Trust Fund is involved in a similar process, there will continue to be net realized losses. As a result of that, MR. LOUGHEED: There's no difficulty about where the there was nothing of any surprise or even concern to me. government stands on this issue. Now there's no difficulty When it was raised in the House in the fall that in the about where the Leader of the Opposition stands. view of some members of the opposition the answers, which I thought were fully given by the Provincial Treas• MR. R. SPEAKER: Mr. Speaker, on a point of order. In urer when he appeared before the legislative select com• question period, the Premier has always sat in this House mittee on the Heritage Savings Trust Fund, were inade• like a saint, saying . [interjections] quate and suggestions were made they were incomplete, we thought it only fair and proper that the Auditor MR. SPEAKER: Order please. We have just had a General be given an opportunity to clear the air complete• marvellous example of what happens when we have de• ly on this matter. I'm sure that's precisely what he will do bating questions and debating answers and . in due course. MR. R. SPEAKER: He started it; I didn't. [interjections] Marijuana Legislation MR. SPEAKER: . once that starts, there has to be MR. R. SPEAKER: Mr. Speaker, a second question to some equity on both sides. the Premier as well. It's with regard to the Solicitor General. Could the Premier indicate whether the Solicitor Treasury Branch Mortgage Loans General is attending a meeting out of the province at the present time, and what the items of discussion in that MR. NOTLEY: Mr. Speaker, I'd like to direct this ques• respective meeting might be? tion to the hon. Provincial Treasurer. It is a question exclusively with provincial jurisdiction, so I'm sure we'll MR. LOUGHEED: Mr. Speaker, I'd have to take notice have no difficulty with him saying it's Ottawa's of that question and report back to the House tomorrow. responsibility. Is the Provincial Treasurer able to advise the Assembly MR. R. SPEAKER: Mr. Speaker, a supplementary ques• why the upper ceiling for mortgages through the treasury tion to the Premier. Could the Premier determine wheth• branches in Edmonton and Calgary is $60,000, as com• er the Solicitor General is meeting with the solicitors pared to $75,000 in other parts of the province? general of the other nine provinces of Canada? Is one item on the agenda the legalization of marijuana? A MR. HYNDMAN: I'll check on the details, Mr. Speaker. supplementary question to the Premier with regard to I think hon. members will recall that since the very that. Could the Premier indicate the present position of inception of the treasury branches — and this perhaps the Alberta government with regard to that matter? reflects the Alberta Opportunity Company as well — there has been an emphasis to fill in gaps where tradi• MR.