Legislative Reports adorning the premises of the as well as the elimination and recy- Parliament Building; the interior or- cling of electronic waste. naments on display in this heritage The Member for Arthabaska and building; the history of the Parlia- Chairman of the Committee on De- ment Building; the Central Tower of mocracy and Peace of the Parlia- the Parliament. mentary Confederation of the In the same perspective, the sec- Americas (COPA) Jean-François ond season of Mémoires de députés Roux, led an electoral observation was launched last September 9. This mission to Guatemala, from Sep- n September 24, 2007, the new programme features former Qué- tember 5-10, 2007. Over twenty par- OLeader of the Parti Québécois, bec parliamentarians providing liamentarians hailing from Pauline Marois, was elected in the sensitive and sometimes Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Surinam Electoral Division of Charlevoix, humourous insight into the more and Venezuela also took part in this which had become vacant last Au- memorable events of their career. mission. gust 14 following the decision by To mark this event, the invited Interns Rosaire Bertrand to step down. Ac- guest was former Minister Victor cordingly, the composition of the Charles Goldbloom, who was the Assembly stands as follows: Qué- first Cabinet member to hold the of- The interns of the Jean-Charles- bec Liberal Party, 48 Members; Ac- fice of Minister of the Environment Bonenfant Foundation for 2007- tion démocratique, 41 Members; in 1973. 2008 are Julien Domingue, Bache- lor of Applied Political Studies, Parti Québécois, 36 Members. Interparliamentary Relations Two former Members passed Nicolas Fontaine, Bachelor of Biol- away in September 2007. Carrier ogy, Mathieu Fraser, holder of a Last August 12 to 15 at the 47th An- Fortin was the Liberal Party Mem- Master's Degree in History, nual Meeting of the Eastern Re- ber for the Electoral Division of Alexandre Paré, Bachelor of Politi- gional Conference of the Council of Sherbrooke and Minister of Labour cal Science, and Alexandre State Governments (ERC) Presi- from 1963 to 1966, and Fabien Regimbal, Bachelor of Law. The in- dent Michel Bissonnet welcomed Cordeau, of the Union nationale, ternship programme, which spans a some 800 delegates to Québec City was the Member for the Electoral ten-month period, comprises three to discuss the theme Regional Chal- Division of Saint-Hyacinthe from elements: the discovery of the Na- lenges, Innovative Opportunities: 1976 to 1981. tional Assembly and a comparative Sharing State-Province Expertise and study with other Canadian and for- National Assembly channel to take part in workshops on agri- eign parliamentary institutions, the culture, trade and border security alternate twinning with a Member To further enrich the program with the United States, education, from each of the three parliamen- schedule of its channel, last July the energy and the environment, crimi- tary groups and, finally, the draft- Assembly launched seven new nal justice, health as well as trans- ing of a research paper on the video vignettes on the services it portation. parliamentary institutions of Qué- provides to Members and citizens At the conclusion of the meeting, bec. and on its heritage conservation. important resolutions were These vignettes focus on the follow- adopted, particularly with regard to Francine Boivin Lamarche ing themes: the broadcasting of par- climate change, the passport re- Secretariat of the National Assembly liamentary debates; the National quirement at the Canada-United Assembly's communications tools; States border, the promotion of the parliamentary institution's Li- train and maritime transportation brary; the statues and ornaments WINTER 2007/CANADIAN PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW 53 Standing Committees in pursuance of the duties conferred Election took place on October 9th. upon it by the Standing Orders. Last The results were: 43 Progressive Autumn began with the launching September 18, it heard the Deputy Conservatives, three Liberals and of consultations. For the past sev- Minister of Sustainable Develop- one New Democrat elected. eral years now, the triennial plan- ment, Environment and Parks, as There was a judicial recount in ning of immigration in Québec (in well as the chief executive officer of the District of the Isles of Notre terms of volume and composition) RECYC-QUÉBEC concerning resid- Dame which had been held by has been the object of general con- ual waste. On 26 September, the Leader of the Opposition Gerry sultations. In keeping with this Committee examined the financial Reid as there was a difference of practice, the Committee on Culture, commitments of the Auditor Gen- only seven votes between the Pro- within the framework of an order of eral for the period from April 2006 gressive Conservative, Derrick the Assembly, has been holding to March 2007. It also took the op- Dally and the incumbent. Upon public hearings since September 18 portunity hear the latter on his completion of the recount on No- on the consultation document 2006-2007 annual management re- vember 8th Mr. Dalley, the Progres- "Planning for 2008-2010 Québec Im- port and on his 2006-2009 strategic sive Conservative candidate, was migration Levels" produced by the plan. Furthermore, last October 10, confirmed as the Member for the Ministère de l'Immigration et des the Committee heard the Deputy District by a 12-vote margin. Communautés culturelles. An Minister of Transport on the annual In the District of Grand Falls - on-line consultation is also being management report of this ministry. Windsor - Buchans the election had held concurrently for this year's ex- For more information on the pro- to be postponed owing to the un- ercise, thus increasingly aiming to- ceedings of the standing commit- timely death of the Liberal candi- wards cyberdemocracy. tees, please visit the Internet site of date, Dr. Gerry Tobin, on October The Committee on Institutions the National Assembly of Québec at 1. The seat was won by Susan followed in these footsteps and, by the following address: Sullivan, the Progressive Conser- order of the Assembly, held a gen- www.assnat.qc.ca. vative candidate, at the election on eral consultation, along with an November 6th increasing the num- on-line consultation, within the Anik Laplante ber of Progressive Conservative framework of the consideration of Secretariat of committees seats to 44. Bill 9, An Act respecting the safety of Translation: Sylvia Ford The Members elected on October persons on certain premises and amend- Secretariat of the Assembly 9th were sworn on November 1st. ing the Act respecting safety in sports. Roger Fitzgerald,Memberfor This bills aims particularly to pro- Bonavista South, was acclaimed hibit the possession of firearms in Speaker. Mr. Fitzgerald was twice the buildings and on the grounds of acclaimed as the other candidate for childcare facilities and educational the District of Bonavista South, institutions and in conveyances Clayton Hobbs had to withdraw used for public transportation and from the campaign because of ill- school transportation. Public ness. Jack Byrne was elected Dep- hearings began October 10. uty Speaker and Chair of In accordance with the obligation Committees and Tom Osborne was stipulated in the Sustainable Develop- elected Deputy Chair of Commit- ment Act (R.S.Q.., c. D-8.1.1), as- tees. sented to in 2006, the Government Newfoundland and Auditor General Reports presented last September its Sus- Labrador tainable Development Strategy pro- ject and ordered the Committee on On September 14th the Auditor Transportation and the Environ- n 2004 the House of Assembly General tabled a review of Constit- ment to hold special consultations Iamended the House of Assembly uency Allowance Claims for the pe- beginning on October 17, as well as Act to provide for fixed election riod 1989-90 to 2005-06. The review an on-line consultation. dates quadrennially on the second identified inappropriate expendi- Tuesday of October. The Forty-Fifth The Committee on Public Admin- tures and claims for which there General Assembly was dissolved on istration carried out several orders was no documentation or inade- September 17th and the General quate documentation. The Auditor 54 CANADIAN PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW / WINTER 2007 stated in the Report that he is confi- dence" the Access To Information And dent that with the adoption of the Protection of Privacy Act (ATIPPA) Green Commission Report and the now applies to the House of Assem- restoration of independent scrutiny bly and statutory offices. Personal by the Auditor General and Comp- and constituency records of a Mem- troller General and the hiring of ber; records of a registered political professional accountants to staff the party; House of Assembly records Corporate and Members' Services the non-disclosure of which is re- Division of the House of Assembly quired for the protection of the priv- the financial management and ileges of the House and records controls have significantly connected with the investigatory House of Commons improved. functions of Statutory Offices are On September 17th the Auditor among those records which are ex- n August 14, 2007, mid-way General table a report pursuant to empt from ATIPPA. Othrough the summer adjourn- section 16 of the Auditor General Act The ATIPP co-ordinator and se- ment and in anticipation of the Sec- which allows the Auditor General nior privacy analyst for the House ond Session of the 39th Parliament, to "inquire into and report on a per- of Assembly has received 174 re- Prime Minister Stephen Harper son or organization that has re- quests for information since Octo- shuffled his Cabinet for the second ceived financial aid from the ber 9th when the sections of the time, reassigning a number of key government of the province or in re- House of Assembly Accountability, In- portfolios. Peter MacKay replaced spect of which financial aid from the tegrity and Administration Act relat- Gordon O'Connor as Minister of government of the province is ing to the application of ATIPPA to National Defence and Maxime sought." The House, by Resolution, the House and related offices came Bernier replaced Mr.