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Legislative Activities

2004

New Brunswick

Prepared for The Honourable Bev Harrison

Speaker of the Legislative Assembly

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick

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April 30, 2005.

The Honourable Bev Harrison

Speaker of the Legislative Assembly

Room 31, Legislative Building

Fredericton, New Brunswick

E3B 5H1

Dear Mr. Speaker:

I have the honour of submitting this, the sixteenth annual report

of Legislative Activities, for the year ended December 31, 2004.

Respectfully submitted,

Loredana Catalli Sonier,

Clerk of the Legislative Assembly.

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Table of Contents

Year in Review ...................................................................................................................... 7

Office of the Legislative Assembly ..................................................................................... 10

Mission Statement ............................................................................................................... 10

Organizational Chart ............................................................................................................ 10

Functional Statements ......................................................................................................... 11

Office of the Clerk ............................................................................................................... 12

House, Committee, and Procedural Services ....................................................................... 12

Activities of Standing and Select Committees .................................................................... 17

House Statistics ................................................................................................................... 23

Financial and Human Resource Services ............................................................................ 24

Financial Summary — Legislative Assembly ..................................................................... 27

Human Resources Summary — Legislative Assembly....................................................... 27

Ceremonial, Security and Visitor Services .......................................................................... 28

Legislative Library .............................................................................................................. 32

Hansard Office ..................................................................................................................... 37

Debates Translation ............................................................................................................. 39

Special Project ..................................................................................................................... 41

Publications ......................................................................................................................... 42

Program for Members .......................................................................................................... 43

Tributes ................................................................................................................................ 43

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Year in ReviewClerk of the Legislative Assembly — Loredana Catalli Sonier

The Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick and theCommittees of the Assembly sat a record number ofdays in 2004.

The First Session of the Fifty-fifth Legislature, whichopened July 29, 2003—several weeks after a provincialelection—and sat during August and again duringDecember, resumed March 30, 2004, with the presen-tation of the budget by Finance Minister JeannotVolpé. The House continued until adjournment on June30, 2004, and was officially prorogued on Thursday,December 2, 2004, after sitting a total of 62 days. Thefirst session spanned an 18-month period.

In late February, Rogers Cable informed the Assemblythat it would no longer broadcast coverage ofLegislative proceedings on Rogers Television andTélévision Rogers’ community channels effective March30, 2004, in order to remain in compliance with theCanadian Radio-television and TelecommunicationsCommission regulations. Rogers Television continued totelevise proceedings for archival, webcast and closedcircuit telecast purposes. The Assembly is working withCommunications New Brunswick to determine the costof launching a dedicated parliamentary channel and ofoperating its own broadcasting system. A report isexpected early in 2005.

During the session, the House spent 35 daysscrutinizing departmental estimates during Committeeof Supply, considered a number of government andprivate members’ public bills, and received two finalselect committee reports.

The Second Session of the Fifty-fifth Legislatureopened on Thursday, December 2, 2004, instead of onthe traditional Tuesday and remained in session untilDecember 17, 2004. During the 10-day sitting, theHouse approved a legislative schedule, consideredcapital estimates, recommended the appointment of anew Consumer Advocate for Insurance, and receiveda report of the Law Amendments Committeeconcerning a proposed Bill that would restrict certainbreeds of dogs.

During the adjournment of the House, committeesmaintained hectic schedules; committees met on89 days during the 2004 calendar year.

A number of important initiatives were commenced orcompleted during the 2004 calendar year.

From April 30, 2004, to May 2, 2004 , the LegislativeAssembly hosted the Fifteenth Annual StudentLegislative Seminar. Fifty-five students representing33 high schools throughout the province attended thethree-day seminar which focused on the judicial,executive and legislative branches of government. Forthe first time in the Seminar’s history the Lieutenant-Governor, His Honour Herménégilde Chiasson,formally opened the Model Parliament by reading aSpeech from the Throne which outlined the initiativesof the young parliamentarians.

The Assembly hosts the yearly seminar with thefunding assistance from the Department ofIntergovernmental and International Relations and thefederal ministry of Canadian Heritage under theCanada-New Brunswick Agreement on the Promotionof Official Languages. Funding received under thisAgreement also assists with the translation backlog ofthe proceedings of the House. During the seminar, adiverse group of young people from across theprovince work together in an atmosphere of learningand friendship, while acquiring a more meaningfulknowledge of the provincial system of government.

After the adjournment of the House on June 30, 2004,staff focused efforts on three important initiatives.

Restoration Master PlanAn engineering firm was retained to prepare acomprehensive master plan to identify the necessarywork to restore, preserve and maintain the MainLegislative Building for the next 20 years.

In recent years, preservation and restoration prioritieswere established in an ad hoc fashion to correctmaintenance or safety concerns; but they were not partof any stated long-term strategy of plannedrestoration, maintenance or preservation. TheComprehensive Master Plan will assist the LegislativeAssembly in assigning priority to elements of aplanned implementation program of conservation,maintenance and restoration work.

The Main Legislative Building, the DepartmentalBuilding and the Old Education Building and groundsenclosed by Queen Street, St. John Street, King Streetand Secretary Lane were designated a “protectedhistoric site” in 2000.

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Spiral StaircaseThe structural upgrade of the Legislature’s spiralstaircase was completed February 27, 2004, when itreopened for use. The primary objective was toupgrade the strength of the staircase to meet loadingrequirements mandated by current building codes.Work commenced on June 10, 2003, the day after theprovincial general election, and was completed fivemonths behind schedule.

Chandelier Repair and RestorationWork continued on the repair and restoration of thehistoric chandeliers. In October 2004, after requestsfor proposals (RFPs) were issued to companiesqualified to undertake the specialized restorationwork, the contract was awarded to Acu-Bright Inc., ofEast Kingston, New Hampshire. The proposal fromAcu-Bright addressed the terms of reference of theRFP and demonstrated technical expertise,knowledge, and appreciation of the heritage aspects ofthe specialized restoration work. The time frame forcompletion of the repairs is March 31, 2005.

Through the summer months and early fall, theLegislative Assembly’s Information TechnologyCoordinator collaborated with the province’sCorporate Information Management Services (CIMS)to research the technology necessary to install awireless network in the Legislative AssemblyChamber and the Legislative Council.

By the time the Second Session opened December 2,2004, special software installed on Members’ laptopsprovided access to the Government of NewBrunswick’s resources and to secure transmission ofinformation through a wireless network in theChamber and in the Legislative Council Chamber(committee room); however, testing and finalconfigurations for the committee room were delayedwhile the repair and restoration of the ceilings on thesecond floor of the Legislative Building continued.

From August 28 to 31, 2004, the Legislative Assemblyand the Office of the Auditor General hosted the JointConference of the Canadian Council of PublicAccounts Committee and the Canadian Council ofLegislative Auditors. Delegates from provincial,territorial and federal jurisdictions, includingBermuda, attended the three-day conference.

In 2004, the Legislative Administration Committeeaccepted a proposal from Quebec National Assembly

Speaker Michel Bissonnet and Members of theNational Assembly for the establishment of a Québec-New Brunswick Parliamentary Association. It was theunanimous decision of the Committee that such anassociation would strengthen the close ties and bondsof friendship that already exist between Québec andNew Brunswick and would provide a regular forumfor meetings between Members of the twoAssemblies.

The agreement establishing the new Association wasofficially signed in Québec City on September 1 at thecommencement of the 50th Commonwealth Parlia-mentary Conference. The first meeting of the newAssociation was held in Québec City from October 17- 20, 2004. On the occasion of this inaugural meeting,the proceedings were suspended and a specialceremony was held in the Chamber of the NationalAssembly on October 19 to commemorate the RoyalProclamation designating July 28 of every year “ADay of Commemoration of the Great Upheaval.”

To mark the occasion, the New Brunswick andAcadian flags were flown on top of the NationalAssembly Building. Among the MLAs present wereCy LeBlanc (Dieppe-Memramcook), Ronald Ouellette(Grand Falls Region), Claude Williams (Kent South),John Betts (Moncton Crescent) and Eugene McGinley(Grand Lake). Among the topics discussed during thetwo-day meeting were: tourism as a regional economicdevelopment engine; the e-government project (one-stop centres, online services, consolidation of phoneinquiry services); automobile insurance,interprovincial trade and cross-border labour mobility;cross border highway safety issues (Route 185); andthe education system (early intervention). Cy LeBlanchas been designated president of the new associationand Ronald Ouellette vice- president. The meetings ofthe association will be held yearly and alternatebetween the two provinces.

In October, 2004, a section of ceiling plaster estimatedto weigh 200 kilograms crashed to the floor in thefoyer of the Departmental Building in an areafrequently used for press conferences. A structuralassessment by an engineering firm was undertaken toassess the condition of the ceilings in the LegislativeCouncil Chamber and in the second floor offices inthe Main Legislative Building which had developedsignificant cracks during the winter months. Thereport flagged serious structural issues within the

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Building and possible safety implications forMembers, staff and the public. All committeemeetings were rescheduled to meet in the AssemblyChamber to allow for the necessary repairs to bemade.

The Speaker, Hon. Bev Harrison, gave welcomingremarks to MLAs and guests in attendance at aceremony held in the rotunda of the LegislativeBuilding on September 30, 2004, to mark thepresentation and unveiling of the official portrait offormer Lieutenant-Governor, the Hon. SenatorMarilyn Trenholme Counsell. The portrait byrenowned Acadian artist Claude Picard featuresSenator Trenholme Counsell seated in the Library ofOld Government House.

A by-election was held October 4, 2004, in theelectoral district of Shediac–Cap-Pelé, a seatvacated by the resignation of Bernard Richard inNovember of 2003. The successful candidate,Victor E. Boudreau (Liberal) was sworn inOctober 27 and presented in the House onDecember 2, 2004, restoring the standings in theHouse to 28 Progressive Conservatives, 26 Liberalsand 1 New Democrat.

In 2004, the Office of the Clerk was recommended bythe Co-operative Education Program Faculty ofAdministration, University of New Brunswick, toreceive a Certificate of Appreciation. The Certificateof Appreciation was presented at the 2004 BusinessAwards Dinner held November 4, 2004. In attendanceto accept the award were Clerk Assistant ShayneDavies and Director of Finance and Human ResourcesPeter Wolters.

On December 17, the Assembly adopted its firstsessional calendar setting out the sitting days of theHouse for the balance of the Second Session. Theresolution was supported by both opposition parties.In accordance with the calendar the House will sit forthree-week periods, then adjourn for one week. TheHouse will sit for three weeks in January, resume onMarch 30, and sit until June 10, 2005.

Nine new employees joined the staff of the LegisaltiveAssembly Office in 2004: Denis Caissie (HansardOffice); Tom Stillwell (Legislative Library); Jack Carrand Ryan Donaghy (Office of the GovernmentMembers); Louise Goguen-Kelly, Marie-AndréeBolduc, Érik Denis and Jan Rowinski (Office of theOfficial Opposition); and Marie-Anne Bourque-Pollack (New Democratic Party Member’s Office.)

Left to right: Hon. Bev Harrison, Speaker; Hon. Marilyn Trenholm Counsell, Senator andformer Lieutenant-Governor; her son Giles Counsell; His Honour Herménégilde Chiasson,Lieutenant-Governor; and artist Claude Picard, at the unveiling of the official portrait of the formerLieutenant-Governor. Photo courtesy of Harry Mullin

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Mission Statement

1. To assist the Legislative Assembly in fostering respect for the institution and privileges of parliamentarydemocracy.

2. To provide assistance and support to all Members of the Legislative Assembly, their staff and the public.

3. To provide impartial and confidential service to all Members of the Legislative Assembly.

4. To record the proceedings and maintain the records of the Legislative Assembly.

5. To provide public education and information services on behalf of the Legislative Assembly.

6. To provide administrative, financial, and human resources to certain statutory offices reporting to theLegislative Assembly.

Organizational Chart

Office of the Legislative Assembly

LegislativeAdministration

Committee

Speaker of theLegislative Assembly

Office of theConflict of

InterestCommissioner

Clerk of theLegislative Assembly

Office of theChief Electoral

Officer

Office of theCommissioner of

OfficialLanguages forNew Brunswick

Office ofthe Clerk

LegislativeLibrary

HansardOffice

DebatesTranslation Program for Members

Office of theSupervisor of

PoliticalFinancing

Office ofGovernment

Members

Office ofthe OfficialOpposition

Office of theNew

DemocratricMember

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1. Clerk of the Legislative Assembly• The Clerk is the chief procedural advisor to the Speaker and to the Members and acts as Secretary

to the Legislative Administration Committee. Appointed by resolution of the House, the Clerk isresponsible for a wide range of administrative and procedural duties relating to the work of theHouse and its Committees. The Clerk of the Legislature is the Speaker’s chief administrative deputy andhas authority and responsibility similar to that of a Deputy Minister of a government department.

2. Office of the Clerk• Produces the Journal, Orders of the Day and maintains the official permanent records of the Assembly.• Provides procedural advice and support services to the chairs and members of committees of the

Legislative Assembly.• Provides public education and information services to Members, to government, and to the private

sector.• Provides administrative support to the Legislative Assembly.• Provides financial and human resource management services to the Legislative Assembly.• Provides administrative, financial and human resource support to the Office of the Conflict of Interest

Commissioner, Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Office of the Commissioner of Official Languagesfor New Brunswick, and Office of the Supervisor of Political Financing.

3. Legislative Library• Provides information and reference services to Members of the Legislative Assembly.

4. Hansard Office• Records and transcribes House proceedings (Hansard) for the members of the Legislative Assembly

and for publication; records and transcribes legislative committee proceedings for members of theLegislative Assembly.

5. Debates Translation• Translates House proceedings (Hansard) and the Journal for members of the Legislative Assembly and

for publication; translates speeches and statements for members of the Legislative Assembly, reports forlegislative committees, and procedural and administrative material for the Office of the LegislativeAssembly.

6. Sergeant-at-Arms• Provides security services to the Legislative Assembly.• Provides page and messenger services to the Assembly.• Provides visitor information services to the public.• Provides building maintenance and custodial services.

7. Program for Members• Provides financial and administrative support to the backbench Members of the Legislative Assembly.

Functional Statements

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Office of the ClerkClerk Assistant and Clerk of Committees — Donald J. Forestell

House, Committee, and Procedural Services

Office of the Clerk

House, Committeeand Procedural

Services

Financial and HumanResource Services

Ceremonial,Securi ty and Visi tor

Services

The Legislative Assembly maintained a busy schedulein 2004. The House sat for a total of 56 days duringthe course of the calendar year. In addition, legislativecommittees met for a total of 89 days. This continuesa trend over the past number of years which has seenan increased workload both within the House and incommittees.

The First Session of the 55th Legislature, whichadjourned on December 19, 2003, resumed sitting onMarch 30 for presentation of the 2004-2005 budget.The House adjourned on April 23 following a four-week sitting and resumed sitting on May 4, 2004. TheHouse then continued sitting until adjournment onJune 30.

In an effort to make Question Period more effective,rule changes to limit the length of questions andanswers were recommended by the StandingCommittee on Procedure in a report presented to theHouse December 9, 2003. The Standing Rules of theLegislative Assembly were subsequently amended inaccordance with the Committee’s recommendations.The revised Standing Rules stipulate that a Memberasking a question may speak for no more than sixtyseconds and that a Minister’s reply shall not exceedsixty seconds. The year 2004 marked the first full yearthat the House operated under the revised rules. TheSpeaker of the House was diligent in enforcing thenew rules, resulting in a significant increase in thenumber of questions asked.

In accordance with the recommendation of theStanding Committee on Procedure, the rules relating

to Private Members’ Public Business were alsoamended. Debate on an item of Private Members’Public Business is now limited to two hours to ensurethat Members are given the opportunity to introduceand debate issues of immediate concern. Ninemotions were debated during the first session of the55th Legislature, an increase of five over theprevious session. In addition, 25 Private Members’Public Bills were introduced during the First Session,a significant increase over the 7 introduced during theprevious session.

The most significant increase, however, was in thenumber of petitions presented in the House. Duringthe First Session of the 55th Legislature, 48 petitionswere presented on the floor of the House, tripling thenumber introduced during the previous session.

During the spring sitting and for the first time inrecent history, Members made use of a Pairing Book,maintained at the Table in accordance with an earlierrecommendation of the Standing Committee onProcedure. Pairing is an arrangement whereby twoMembers on opposite sides of the House agree not tovote for a specific period of time. This arrangement,which permits Members to be absent on otherbusiness, is worked out either by the respective whipsor by the Members themselves.

The Second Session of the 55th Legislature opened onThursday, December 2, 2004. Lieutenant-GovernorHerménégilde Chiasson, who was appointed theProvince’s 29th Lieutenant-Governor in August of2003, delivered his first Speech from the Throne. The

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House adjourned on December 17 following a 10 dayfall-sitting. Standings in the House at year-end were:28 Progressive Conservatives, 26 Liberals and 1 NewDemocrat.

Legislative CommitteesLegislative committees remained active during 2004,holding a total of 89 meetings throughout the year. Inaddition to the eight Standing Committees appointedpursuant to the Standing Rules, four SelectCommittees were appointed during the First Sitting ofthe 55th Legislature. Two of these Select Committeestabled their final reports during 2004. The SelectCommittee on Public Automobile Insurance, chairedby Elizabeth Weir, MLA for Saint John Harbour,tabled its final report on April 2, 2004. The SelectCommittee on Wood Supply, chaired by KirkMacDonald, MLA for Mactaquac, tabled its finalreport on September 15, 2004.

Due in part to scheduling conflicts and to repairsbeing made to the ceiling of the Legislative CouncilChamber during the latter part of 2004, a number ofcommittee meetings were held on the floor of theHouse itself. Of particular significance, the StandingCommittee on Crown Corporations held four days ofhigh-profile hearings in March to review issuessurrounding the agreement with Venezuela to secure asupply of Orimulsion at the Coleson Cove GeneratingStation in Saint John. Numerous witnesses were calledto appear before the Committee on the floor of thehistoric chamber. Committee members sat at theMembers desks on either side of the floor, with theCommittee Chair and Committee Clerk sitting at theClerk’s table. Witnesses appeared at a table set upspecifically for this purpose opposite the Chairperson,with the media sitting at the bar of the House. Thepublic and other attendees were seated in the gallery.

Over the past number of years there has been adramatic increase in committee-relatedcommunications through web-based and otherelectronic formats. The public is now able to accessonline all relevant information relating to a particularcommittee’s meeting dates, locations and agendas.Individuals and organizations can submit briefs onlineand advise the Clerk’s Office of their intention toparticipate in the public hearings. The majority ofcommunications and briefs submitted for committeehearings are now received electronically. SpecializedSelect Committees and related public hearings have

meant the creation of individualized Web sitescustomized to the needs of a particular committee.

Inter-Parliamentary RelationsThe Legislative Assembly acted as host of the25th Annual Conference of the Canadian Council ofPublic Accounts Committees. The conference washeld jointly with the 32nd Annual Conference of theCanadian Council of Legislative Auditors. The jointconference was held at the Delta Hotel in Frederictonfrom August 29 - 31. Over 130 delegates and guestsattended, representing every province and territory aswell as the island country of Bermuda. Clerk’s Officestaff worked in conjunction with staff from the Officeof the Auditor General in planning and hosting theconference. The business sessions touched on varioustopics of interest to legislators, including health careaccountability, the implementation of generallyaccepted accounting principles, and publicperformance reporting.

The 50th Commonwealth Parliamentary AssociationConference (CPA) was held in Ottawa, Quebec Cityand Toronto from August 29 to September 9, 2004.The Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson, GovernorGeneral of Canada, opened the Conference onSeptember 3 at the Château Frontenac in Quebec City.The Speakers of the House of Commons, the Senateand the provincial and territorial legislatures ofCanada, acted as the hosts of the conference. Theconference was attended by over 500 delegates andobservers representing the more than 165 national,state, provincial and territorial parliaments whichmake up the Association. The membership of the CPAconsists of over 15,000 parliamentarians who,irrespective of gender, race, religion or culture, areunited by community of interest, respect for the rule oflaw and individual rights and freedoms, and by pursuitof the positive ideals of parliamentary democracy.

Two Clerk’s Office staff served as Liaison Officersduring the conference. Research Officer Diane TaylorMyles and the Administrative Assistant to theSpeaker, Janet Trail, served with several others fromthe various legislatures across Canada. The LiaisonOfficers acted as the direct link with the ConferenceSecretariat staff. Their duties included providinginformation and details on ground transportation andexcursions, facilitation of arrivals to and departuresfrom Canada, accompanying delegations to all sites,providing accurate information on changes to the

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program and other logistical details, assisting in theexecution of various events, and numerous other tasksas required to ensure the success of the conferenceand the enjoyment of the delegates and guestsattending.

The Office of the Clerk was involved in theorganizing of the Quebec-New BrunswickParliamentary Association, whose inaugural meetingwas held in Quebec City in October. The associationwas formed with the aim of strengthening the closeties and bonds of friendship that already existbetween Quebec and New Brunswick and forproviding a regular forum for meetings betweenmembers of the two assemblies. Among the topicsdiscussed during the initial two-day meeting were:tourism as a regional economic development engine;the e-government project (one-stop centres, onlineservices, consolidation of phone inquiry services);automobile insurance; interprovincial trade and cross-border labour mobility; and cross-border highwaysafety issues.

The Canadian Association of Former Parliamentariansheld a regional reunion in Fredericton fromOctober 17 to October 19, 2004. The Association ismade up of former Members of the House ofCommons and the Senate and was established to putthe knowledge and experience of its members at theservice of parliamentary democracy in Canada andelsewhere. The Office of the Clerk hosted a receptionfor the former parliamentarians on October 18 in theSpeaker’s Lounge. The event was well attendedby former Members and Senators from across theregion.

During 2004 the Clerk of the Legislative Assemblymet with the Speaker and Clerk of the Nova ScotiaHouse of Assembly with respect to the reorganizationof services being undertaken in the Nova ScotiaLegislature. The Clerk provided detailed briefings onthe role and services offered by the Office of the Clerkin the New Brunswick Assembly and on theorganization and administration of the various officesthat make up the Office of the Legislative Assembly.The Clerk also provided written briefings to assist theNova Scotia Assembly as they made the transition to afull-time Clerk of the Legislature and the resultingconsolidation of services within the Office of theClerk.

EducationalThe Office of the Clerk organized the FifteenthAnnual Student Legislative Seminar, held fromApril 30 - May 2 in Fredericton. Fifty-two studentsrepresenting the various provincial high schoolsattended. The Students were welcomed to theAssembly by Speaker Harrison who took an activepart in the activities. Numerous workshops andlectures were held during the course of theweekend, focusing on the judicial, executive andlegislative branches of government. Guest speakersincluded Hon. David Walker, a Judge of theProvincial Court; Hon. Bernard Lord, Premier;Shawn Graham, Leader of the Opposition; andKirk MacDonald, MLA for Mactaquac. Theseminar concluded with the students participatingin a spirited model parliament on the floor of theLegislative Assembly’s historic chamber.

As in past years, the Office participated in “Machineryof Government” seminars for Legislative staff, civilservants and executive staff members. The Clerk ofthe Legislative Assembly spoke on the role andfunctions of the Legislative Assembly in relation tothe executive and judicial branches of government.

Clerk’s Office staff prepared and submitted a detailedlegislative report to each quarterly addition of theCanadian Parliamentary Review. The CanadianParliamentary Review is the Journal of theCommonwealth Parliamentary Association, CanadianRegion. Each legislative report details the mostcurrent happenings in the Legislative Assembly ofNew Brunswick and its committees, and refers toprocedural or other matters which may be of interestto legislators.

The Clerks Assistant attended the 2004 ProfessionalDevelopment Seminar of the Association of Clerks-at-the-Table in Canada. The Seminar, hosted by theLegislative Assembly of Nunavut, was held in Iqaluitduring the first week of August. The conference wasattended by procedural clerks from every province andterritory, as well as from the United Kingdom andAustralia. Representatives from the American Societyof Legislative Clerks and Secretaries were also inattendance.

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Technology InitiativesLive WebcastIn March, the Legislative Assembly, in consultationwith Communications New Brunswick, began to live-webcast Legislative committees. This enabled internetusers around the province and beyond to listen to liveaudio proceedings of legislative committees. TheAssembly’s Web site contains an online legislativecalendar listing the dates of scheduled committeehearings and noting those which will be webcast live.The following are some statistics on internetconnections to the committee webcasts in March:

Public AccountsTuesday, March 23 –– 354 connectionsWednesday, March 24 –– 261 connections

Crown CorporationsThursday, March 25 –– 1,699 connectionsFriday, March 26 –– 6,399 connectionsSaturday, March 27 –– 813 connections

Televised ProceedingsEffective March 30, Question Period became the onlypart of the Assembly’s proceedings available to thepublic through the local community programmingchannel. However, the daily Question Period was notcarried live but televised at 4 p.m. each day that theLegislature was in session. The Legislative Assemblycontinued to examine the feasability of launching anindependent provincial legislature television service,available to both cable and satellite televisiondistributers. This service would provide coverage oflegislative proceedings from prayers to dailyadjournment, and would also include committeeproceedings. In the interim, live webcast of Houseproceedings (video and audio) continues to beavailable on the Assembly’s Web site.

Wireless NetworkIn the spring of 2004 a request was put forward thatwould allow Members of the Legislative Assembly toaccess network resources while in the AssemblyChamber or Committee Room (Legislative CouncilChamber). After consultation from many sources itwas determined that a wireless network should beinstalled. This would result in the least amount ofphysical change to both rooms as there would be norequirement for network cables. The network in theChamber was put in place during the year and wasready for use by the opening of the Second Session.Final configurations were delayed in the Committee

room due to structural work being undertaken. It isexpected that Members will be able to utilize thewireless network in the Council Chamber by early inthe new year. The wireless networks have been set upas untrusted networks, and therefore reside outside thegovernment’s firewalls. Therefore, MLAs using thenetworks must have Remote Access Certificates(VPN/Entrust) software installed on their laptops togive them access to GNB resources and to securetransmission of information through the wirelessnetwork.

Procedural Services and ResearchIn early October, procedural staff met with VictorBoudreau, the Member for Shediac–Cap-Pelé, whowas elected in a by-election held on October 4, 2004.The Member was briefed on the role and functions ofthe Legislative Assembly; the transaction of businessin the House; the rules of procedure and participationin debate; and the process of decision making in theHouse. Mr. Boudreau was the only new Memberelected since the general election of 2003.

During the course of the year, Table Officers met withnew staff of the various party offices and providedbriefings on the various aspects of House business andprocedure. Staff continued to work in consultationwith Parliamentary House Leaders, Members and theirstaff throughout the year to provide impartial andconfidential advice with respect to parliamentary rulesand procedure.

Procedurally, the Clerks-at-the-Table were kept verybusy during the course of the House sittings. Due inlarge part to the closeness of the numbers in theHouse, the Table Officers were called upon regularlyto provide procedural advice to the Speaker, Membersand Parliamentary House Leaders, as well as staffwithin the various party offices. Procedural staff metwith the Speaker on a regular basis during the courseof the session, providing guidance and advice withrespect to the application of the Standing Rules andestablished parliamentary practice within the House.Procedural staff carried out detailed research asrequired, providing confidential and impartial adviceto Members and staff.

In the late 1990s, the Association of Clerks-at-the-Table in Canada (CATS) established an electronicsystem whereby Clerks from the various jurisdictionswithin Canada could post a procedural question orother inquiry relating to the functioning or operations

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of their respective parliament. This enabled proceduralstaff from the House of Commons, the Senate, andevery provincial and territorial legislature to eitherpost or respond to questions relating to parliamentaryprocedure or other matters relating to the functioningof the House and its committees. The CATS system,as it is referred to, serves as an invaluable tool toprocedural staff, allowing staff to quickly canvassother jurisdictions on matters which may arise in theHouse or in the day-to-day operations of theAssembly.

In 2002 the CATS system was expanded in scope toinclude parliaments in the United Kingdom andAustralia. In 2004, the procedural clerks gave detailedresponses to more than 60 inquires posted to theCATS system. In addition, the Clerks postednumerous inquiries and received responses relating tovarious matters which arose in the New BrunswickAssembly. The CATS Web site is administered by theClerk’s Office of the Legislative Assembly ofSaskatchewan.

Staff compiled and maintained complete records ofboth House and committee proceedings. All Houseproceedings, decisions and transactions arecompiled in the unrevised Journal, referred to inmany jurisdictions as the Votes and Proceedings.The Journal, the complete, official, indexed recordof House proceedings for a session, contains referenceto all matters before the House including the ThroneSpeech, Budget, Bills, motions, division votes,Speaker’s Rulings and Royal Assent. All currentsessional documents tabled in the House are notedin the Journal. The Journals are available onlinebeginning with the First Session of the53rd Legislative Assembly in October 1995.

Clerk’s Office staff prepared the booklet Biographiesof the Members of the 55th Legislature which containsthe biographical and constituency information for eachMember of the Legislative Assembly. In addition tobeing published in hard copy, the booklet is nowavailable on the Legislature’s Web site at

http://www.gnb.ca/legis/publications/2004e_bios.pdf.

The biographies of Members are updated on a day today basis online and changes to Members physical andpostal addresses are ongoing.

AppointmentsOn December 14, 2004, the Assembly adopted aresolution recommending the appointment ofRonald Godin as the first Consumer Advocate forInsurance under the Consumer Advocate for InsuranceAct. The Act came into effect January 1, 2005, andestablished the Office of the Consumer Advocate forInsurance. The Consumer Advocate is an officer ofthe Legislative Assembly and has the followingresponsibilities under the Act:

(a) to examine the underwriting practices andguidelines of insurers, brokers and agents, and reportthe use of any prohibited underwriting practices to theSuperintendent;

(b) to conduct investigations in relation to insurers,brokers and agents concerning

(i) the premiums charged for contracts ofinsurance, and

(ii) the availability of contracts of insurance;

(c) to respond to requests for information with respectto insurance;

(d) to develop and conduct educational programmeswith respect to insurance for the purpose of educatingconsumers; and

(e) to carry out tasks or investigations in relation toinsurance matters or the insurance industry asdirected by the Legislative Assembly.

The new Office of the Consumer Advocate forInsurance will be established in the city of Bathurstwhich is in the northeastern region of the province;costs associated with the Office will be charged backto the insurance industry. The Consumer Advocatewill report directly to the Legislature. Financialadministration of the Office will be administeredthrough the Office of the Clerk of the LegislativeAssembly.

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Activities of Standing and Select CommitteesClerk Assistant and Committee Clerk — Shayne Davies

I. IntroductionLegislative committees have existed in NewBrunswick since the meeting of the first LegislativeAssembly in 1786. Parliamentarians realized veryearly on the need to entrust some of their work tocommittees made up of their own Members. Sincethat time, the role and importance of committees hasincreased dramatically, especially over the past35 years. Much of this is due to the increase involume of the work coming before the Legislature,the complexity of which has made it more urgent thatwork be delegated to committees. It is also due to theability and experience of persons elected to publicoffice, who have sought a more meaningful role forthemselves in the legislative process to better utilizetheir divers talents and abilities.

Legislative committees are an extension of the Houseand the makeup of a committee will generally reflectthe overall distribution of seats in the Assembly.Proceedings in committee are often more informal andcollegial than in the House itself, providing anatmosphere that is more conducive to collaborativethought and cooperation. Indeed, reports to the Houseare often agreed to unanimously, providingconstructive recommendations that have received thesupport of all parties. Committees are able to carry outwork that the Assembly as a whole would finddifficult, if not impossible, to undertake. They areable to consult with the public on important matters inorder to hear the views and suggestions of ordinarycitizens. In addition, committees are able to travelwhen necessary, allowing Members to hear fromcitizens in all areas of the province.

Following the provincial election in 2003, theLegislative Assembly appointed 8 StandingCommittees, which exist for the life of a Legislature,and 4 Select Committees, which generally exist untilthe presentation of their final report to the Assembly.In 2004 the majority of the Standing and SelectCommittees were active, with a total of 89 meetingsheld during the year. In particular, the StandingCommittee on Public Accounts and the StandingCommittee on Crown Corporations were busyreviewing annual reports, public accounts, and othermatters referred to their respective Committees. As forthe Legislature’s Select Committees, both the Select

Committee on Public Automobile Insurance and theSelect Committee on Wood Supply were able to tabletheir final reports in the Legislature before the year end.

The following chart presents a breakdown of thevarious committees and the number of days eachcommittee met during 2004:

COMMITTEE NO. OF MEETINGS

Crown Corporations 22Education 0Health Care 3Law Amendments 10Legislative Administration 8Ombudsman 0Private Bills 4Privileges 0Procedure 0Public Accounts 19Public Automobile Insurance 6Wood Supply 17

TOTAL 89

II. Standing CommitteesStanding Committee on Crown CorporationsThe Standing Committee on Crown Corporations,chaired by Wally Stiles (Petitcodiac), remained activewith a total of 22 committee meetings held during2004.

Officials of the province’s eight regional healthauthorities appeared before the Committee duringFebruary and March. The Chairman of the Board,Chief Executive Officer and other senior officialsfrom each health authority appeared before theCommittee to account for their activities and spendingduring the two previous fiscal years (year endingMarch 31, 2002 and 2003).

The Committee met with the health authorities asfollows:

February 3 Regional Health Authority 1 (South-East)February 4 Regional Health Authority 3February 5 Regional Health Authority 2February10 Regional Health Authority 4February12 Regional Health Authority 1 (Beauséjour)March 16 Regional Health Authority 7

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March 17 Regional Health Authority 5March 17 Regional Health Authority 6

The Committee also met during this period to reviewthe activities and financial statements of the followingCrown corporations and agencies for the fiscal yearending March 31, 2003: Atlantic Lottery Corporation;Lotteries Commission of New Brunswick; NewBrunswick Investment Management Corporation; andNew Brunswick Board of Commissioners of PublicUtilities.

The Committee held four days of public hearings inthe Legislative Assembly Chamber on March 25, 26,27, and 29, to review issues surrounding theagreement between NB Power and Venezuelan oilcompanies to secure a supply of Orimulsion for theColeson Cove Generating Station near Saint John. TheCommittee was charged with examining whether therewere any failures in the decision making process thatled to the alleged breach of this agreement by the oilcompanies involved. The Committee heard from13 individuals, including present and former officialsof NB Power, the Department of Energy and othergovernment departments. The Committee hasreviewed the transcripts from over 40 hours oftestimony and is expected to report back to the Housewith a summary of the testimony in 2005.

The Committee met again on October 13, 22, 27, 28,November 2, 3, 4, and 5, to review the activities andfinancial statements of the following Crowncorporations and agencies for the fiscal year endingMarch 31, 2003, and in certain circumstances, thefiscal year ending March 31, 2004:

Algonquin Properties LimitedAtlantic Lottery CorporationForest Protection LimitedKings Landing CorporationNew Brunswick Credit Union Deposit Insurance

CorporationNew Brunswick Crop Insurance CommissionNew Brunswick Farm Products CommissionNew Brunswick Forest Products CommissionNew Brunswick Highway CorporationNew Brunswick Liquor CorporationNew Brunswick Municipal Finance CorporationNew Brunswick MuseumNew Brunswick Research and Productivity CouncilProvincial Holdings Ltd.

Regional Development CorporationWorkplace Health, Safety and Compensation

Commission of New Brunswick

On November 5 the Committee was also briefed bythe Auditor General on chapter 6 of the Report of theAuditor General of New Brunswick, Volume 1, 2003entitled “Crown Agency Governance”. On December14 the Committee met in a special joint session withthe Standing Committee on Public Accounts to receiveand review the Report of the Auditor General of NewBrunswick, Volume 2, 2004. The Auditor Generalbriefed members on the nature of the work undertakenduring the year and the contents and findings of theReport.

Standing Committee on Law AmendmentsThe Standing Committee on Law Amendments ischaired by Jody Carr (Oromocto-Gagetown). Onoccasion bills introduced in the Legislative Assemblymay not receive second reading, but instead, bereferred by way of motion to the Standing Committeeon Law Amendments for review. This referral is oftenmade to allow for public consultation in order toreceive input from interested stakeholders, groups andindividuals.

During 2004 three bills were referred to the StandingCommittee on Law Amendments. Bill 55, RestrictedDogs Act, was introduced by Kelly Lamrock(Fredericton - Fort Nashwaak) on May 28, during theFirst Session of the 55th Legislature, and referred tothe Committee on June 8 for review. The Bill wouldmake several changes to the law regarding certainbreeds of dogs, namely, Staffordshire Bull Terriers,American Staffordshire Terriers, Rottweilers, andAkitas. The Bill requires owners to have a licence forthese dogs, and to carry liability insurance to coverdamages caused by them. As well, the Bill holdsowners strictly responsible for any injuries caused bythese dogs, and requires owners to maintain control ofthem both on and off their property. The Bill alsoallows for the seizure of these dogs in specificcircumstances.

The Committee held public hearings on Bill 55 onNovember 16 and 17 in the Legislative AssemblyChamber and a total of 203 written submissions werereceived by the Committee. In a report to theLegislature on December 16 the Committeerecommended that breed specific legislation such as

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Bill 55 not be proceeded with, but rather, that theLegislative Assembly urge the government to considerthe advisability of developing province-widedangerous dog legislation that does not focus onspecific breeds of dogs, but rather focuses oneducation, prevention, responsible dog ownership andcommitment to enforcement.

Bill 77, Pay Equity Act, was introduced by ElizabethWeir (Saint John Harbour) on June 25, during theFirst Session of the 55th Legislature, and referred tothe Committee on June 29 for review. The Bill sets outa framework for resolving the differences in thepayment of wages to men and women inpredominantly female work occupations. The Billapplies to both private and public sector employeesand would require that employers take proactivemeasures to achieve pay equity in the work place. Aswell, the Bill proposes the establishment of a PayEquity Commission to help promote and achieve payequity in the province.

The Committee held public hearings on Bill 77 onNovember 18, 19, and 26, in the Legislative AssemblyChamber and a total of 49 written submissions werereceived by the Committee. The Committee isexpected to report its findings on the Bill in 2005.

Bill 16, Pension Benefits Guarantee Fund Act, wasintroduced by Opposition Leader Shawn Graham(Kent) on December 14, during the Second Session ofthe 55th Legislature, and referred to the Committee onDecember 17 for review. The Bill attempts to protectthe benefits provided by a provincially registeredprivate pension plan. The Bill requires private sectorcompanies to make payments to a Guarantee Fund. Ifshortfalls arise in a pension fund, the Guarantee Fundwould ensure payment for a portion of an employee’spension benefits. The Committee is expected to begindeliberations on the Bill in 2005.

Legislative Administration CommitteeThe Legislative Administration Committee is chairedby the Speaker, Hon. Bev Harrison (Hampton-Belleisle) and, pursuant to the Standing Rules, iscomposed of the following additional Members: twoCabinet Ministers, two Deputy Speakers, twogovernment private members, two oppositionmembers, and one member from a registered politicalparty not already represented on the Committee.

Pursuant to Standing Rule 104(2), the Committee isresponsible for the administration and operation of theLegislative Buildings and grounds and such otherlands, buildings and facilities connected with theLegislative Assembly and generally for all mattersrelating to the Legislative Assembly and to theMembers of the Legislative Assembly.

In accordance with the provisions of the LegislativeAssembly Act, the Committee reviews and approvesthe budget for the Legislative Assembly, including thebudgets of the caucus offices; determines andregulates the pay and other terms and conditions ofemployment of officers and employees in the Officeof the Legislative Assembly; establishes allowances inrespect of expenses for Members’ extra duties andcommittee meetings; establishes rules and directivesin respect to allowances, disbursements and otherpayments to Members; issues directives in respect tocaucus allowances; and establishes financial policy forthe administration of the Legislative Assembly.

The Committee also considers any matter necessaryfor the efficient and effective operation andmanagement of the Legislative Assembly. In 2004, theCommittee reviewed the 2004-2005 budget estimatesfor the Office of the Ombudsman and the Office of theCommissioner of Official Languages for NewBrunswick. In accordance with the LegislativeAssembly Act, the Speaker defended the estimates ofthe Office of the Legislative Assembly and theestimates of the reporting statutory officers (AuditorGeneral, Ombudsman, etc.) before the Committee ofSupply.

During 2004, the Committee held eight meetings onthe following dates: February 11, 17, March 19,April 8, June 15, October 12, November 23, andDecember 10. Among the matters considered by theCommittee were: security initiatives within thelegislative precincts; broadcast of legislativeproceedings; parking for Members; legislative draftingservices, translation services and language training forMembers; custodial and commissionaire services;amendments to the Legislative Assembly Act, theMembers’ Pension Act and the Members’Superannuation Act; repair and restoration ofchandeliers; Hansard transcription and editingpolicies; establishment of a Quebec-New BrunswickParliamentary Association; digitization of tapes of

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legislative proceedings; installation of a wirelessnetwork in Assembly Chamber and committee room;public accounts presentation format; blues project forHansard Transcription; rules for the operation ofMembers’ constituency offices; budget estimates;committee budgets; and staffing and personnel issues.

Standing Committee on the OmbudsmanThe Standing Committee on the Ombudsman ischaired by Michael (Tanker) Malley (Miramichi-Baydu Vin). Pursuant to Standing Rule 91, all reports tothe House of the Ombudsman stand permanentlyreferred to the Standing Committee on theOmbudsman. The Ombudsman is a statutory officer ofthe House and reports to the Legislative Assemblythrough the Committee. The Office of theOmbudsman ensures that individuals are served in ajust, fair and reasonable manner by departments,agencies or organizations of the Government. TheCommittee is mandated to meet annually or asrequired to review the Annual Report of theOmbudsman and to consider other questions relatingto the Office of the Ombudsman as they may arise.The Committee did not meet in 2004.

Standing Committee on Private BillsThe Standing Committee on Private Bills is chaired byMilton Sherwood (Grand Bay-Westfield). Pursuant toStanding Rule 115, Private Bills introduced in theLegislative Assembly are referred to the StandingCommittee on Private Bills after First Reading. Anyperson whose interests or property may be affected bya Private Bill may appear before the Committee toexpress their concerns.

In 2004 the Committee considered the following sevenPrivate Bills:

Bill 40, An Act to Incorporate the New BrunswickAssociation of Medical RadiationTechnologists.

Bill 41, An Act to Incorporate the New BrunswickInstitute of Agrologists.

Bill 48, An Act to Incorporate Firecrest Hambro TrustCorporation Canada Limited.

Bill 49, An Act to Amend the Pension Plan forEmployees of the City of Moncton Act.

Bill 54, An Act Respecting the New Brunswick Societyof Cardiology Technologists.

Bill 57, Optometry Act, 2004.

Bill 62, Embalmers, Funeral Directors and FuneralProviders Act.

The Committee met on May 4 and in a report onMay 7 the Committee recommended Bill 40 to thefavourable consideration of the House, with certainamendments, and Bill 41 to the favourableconsideration of the House. Bills 40 and 41 receivedRoyal Assent on May 28.

The Committee met again on May 18 and in a reporton May 20 the Committee reported progress on Bill 48and recommended Bill 49 to the favourableconsideration of the House. Bill 49 received RoyalAssent on May 28.

The Committee met again on June 8 and in a report onJune 9 the Committee recommended Bill 48 to thefavourable consideration of the House and Bill 54 tothe favourable consideration of the House, withcertain amendments. Bills 48 and 54 received RoyalAssent on June 30.

Finally, the Committee met on June 22 and in a reporton June 23 the Committee recommended Bill 57 to thefavourable consideration of the House, with certainamendments, and Bill 62 to the favourableconsideration of the House. Bills 57 and 62 receivedRoyal Assent on June 30.

Standing Committee on PrivilegesThe Standing Committee on Privileges is chaired bythe Minister of Justice, Hon. Brad Green (Fredericton-South). Pursuant to Standing Rule 9(2), the Housemay, by resolution, refer a matter or question directlyconcerning the House, a Committee, or Member, tothe Standing Committee on Privileges. The Committeedid not meet in 2004.

Standing Committee on ProcedureThe Standing Committee on Procedure is chaired bythe Minister of Justice, Hon. Brad Green (Fredericton-South). Pursuant to Standing Rule 92, all StandingRules and practices of the House, together with anymatter referred by the Speaker, stand permanentlyreferred to the Standing Committee on Procedure. TheCommittee did not meet in 2004.

Standing Committee on Public AccountsThe Standing Committee on Public Accounts, chairedby Frank Branch (Nepisiquit), remained active with atotal of 19 committee meetings held during 2004.

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The Committee met on January 6 and 7 to review theannual reports and financial statements of thefollowing government departments and offices for thefiscal year ending March 31, 2002:

Department of Business New BrunswickDepartment of JusticeDepartment of Tourism and ParksOffice of Human Resources

The Committee met again on January 13, 14, 20, 21,27, 28, March 23, 24, September 28, 29, 30,October 8, 26, and November 9, to review the annualreports and financial statements of the followinggovernment departments and offices for the fiscal yearending March 31, 2003:

Aboriginal Affairs SecretariatAdvisory Council on the Status of WomenCulture and Sport SecretariatDepartment of Agriculture, Fisheries and AquacultureDepartment of Business New BrunswickDepartment of EducationDepartment of the Environment and Local

GovernmentDepartment of Family and Community ServicesDepartment of FinanceDepartment of Health and WellnessDepartment of Intergovernmental and International

RelationsDepartment of JusticeDepartment of Natural Resources and EnergyDepartment of Public SafetyDepartment of Supply and ServicesDepartment of Tourism and ParksDepartment of Training and Employment

DevelopmentDepartment of TransportationExecutive Council OfficeLabour and Employment BoardLegislative AssemblyMaritime Provinces Higher Education CommissionNew Brunswick Police CommissionOffice of the Auditor GeneralOffice of the ComptrollerOffice of Human ResourcesOffice of the PremierPremier’s Council on the Status of Disabled PersonsYouth Council of New Brunswick

On October 26 the Committee was also briefed by theAuditor General on the Report of the Auditor Generalof New Brunswick, Volume 1, 2004 entitled “NewBrunswick Salmon Aquaculture”. On December 14the Committee met in a special joint session with theStanding Committee on Crown Corporations toreceive and review the Report of the Auditor Generalof New Brunswick, Volume 2, 2004. The AuditorGeneral briefed members on the nature of the workundertaken during the year and the contents andfindings of the Report.

III. Select CommitteesSelect Committee on EducationThe Select Committee on Education is chaired byJohn Betts (Moncton Crescent). The Committee isresponsible for examining the issues related to thedelivery of education in the province and to considerother such matters and materials as may be referred bythe Minister of Education. The Committee did notmeet in 2004.

Select Committee on Health CareThe Select Committee on Health Care is chaired byClaude Williams (Kent South). The Committee isresponsible for examining the issues related to thedelivery of health care in the province and to considerother such matters and materials as may be referred bythe Minister of Health and Wellness.

The Committee met on February 19, November 12,and December 1, to discuss various health issues. As aresult, the Committee decided to hold public hearingsto take place in early 2005 on the Health Charter ofRights and Responsibilities Act (Bill 60 introducedduring the 5th Session of the 54th Legislature). TheCommittee is expected to report its findings on theBill in 2005.

Select Committee on Public AutomobileInsuranceOn April 2 the Select Committee on PublicAutomobile Insurance, chaired by NDP LeaderElizabeth Weir (Saint John Harbour), tabled its finalreport. The report was based on the public hearingsheld around the province in 2003. The Committee wasasked to look at the various public automobileinsurance systems in Canada and identify the mostsuitable model of public automobile insurance to

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ensure fair, accessible and affordable automobileinsurance for all New Brunswickers, in the event adecision is made to move to a public system.

Among other things, the Report recommended amade-in-New Brunswick model of public automobileinsurance that offers extensive coverage at anaffordable rate for all drivers. The model containedthe following characteristics:

1. no reference to age, gender, marital status,territory, payment history or lapses in insurance todetermine insurance costs;

2. rates to be determined by driving record, vehicleusage, vehicle make and model, and optionalcoverage purchased;

3. oversight of the public utilities board formandatory and optional insurance rates;

4. pure, no-fault injury benefits with no option tosue;

5. drivers licences to continue to be sold by ServiceNew Brunswick;

6. vehicle registration and insurance sold throughbrokers and agents at a 7% commission;

7. mandatory vehicle coverage, additional injury andincome replacement benefits, third-party liabilitycoverage and collision, theft and comprehensiveto be sold by the Crown corporation throughprivate sector agents and brokers;

8. additional injury and income replacement benefitsand third-party liability coverage to be sold byprivate insurers in competition with the Crowncorporation.

The Committee ceased to exist upon the tabling of itsfinal report in the Legislature.

Select Committee on Wood SupplyOn September 15 the Select Committee on WoodSupply, chaired by Kirk MacDonald (Mactaquac),tabled its final report. The report contains25 recommendations relating to wood supply in theprovince and other matters pertaining to themanagement of the forests of New Brunswick.

Following the input received through a series of publichearings in 2003, the Committee deliberated over

several months in 2004. The Committee examined theCrown forest management system and the manycomplex issues related to the current wood supplysituation. This was a continuation of the process thatbegan with the Jaakko Pöyry study examining thepossibility of doubling the softwood supply of NewBrunswick. The Committee did not endorse theJaakko Pöyry strategy as a “go forward” one, butinstead recommended a more holistic approach,meaning, managing for a forest of greater diversity,thereby creating greater benefits for the stakeholdersover the long term.

The final report recommended continued participationof the public through the adoption of a formalconsultation process. It recommended theestablishment of a Provincial Advisory Committee,giving representatives from various stakeholdergroups an opportunity to routinely provide advice tothe Minister of Natural Resources. The Committeealso recommended the establishment of specific woodsupply objectives, with a silviculture fund devoted tosupport the management needed to meet thoseobjectives. These recommendations responded toissues of considerable significance to the forestindustry, and signified the Committee’s recognitionthat such commitments are essential to generate morestability and greater assurance about the province’scommitment to a vibrant forestry future.

The Committee ceased to exist upon the tabling of itsfinal report in the Legislature.

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54th Legislature 55th Legislature

Third Session Fourth Session Fifth Session First Session2000 - 2001 2001 - 2002 2002 - 2003 2003 - 2004

Daily SittingsNumber of Sitting Days 63 71 68 62Evening Sittings 15 17 23 3

Government BillsIntroduced 62 63 50 50Received Royal Assent 60 63 48 48

Private BillsIntroduced 10 4 5 7Received Royal Assent 7 4 5 7

Private Members’ Public BillsIntroduced - 1 7 25Received Royal Assent - 0 0 2

Government MotionsTotal 10 12 10 18Number debated 8 6 6 8Number agreed to 8 12 6 17Number withdrawn 2 - - -

Private Members’ MotionsTotal 118 83 92 107Number debated 5 6 4 9Number agreed to 4 4 0 5Motions for returns 102 53 71 83

Committee of SupplyIn House (Days) 32 41 35 35In Committee on Estimates - - - -

Annual Reports Tabled 54 71 57 62

Petitions 16 13 16 48

Written Questions 4 3 1 25

House Statistics

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The Director of Finance and Human Resources isaccountable for the proper and effective managementof the financial and human resource support systemsof the Legislative Assembly.

The provision of a high standard of support servicesto the Members and other branches of the Office ofthe Legislative Assembly is a priority and, to that end,staff attended information and training sessions suchas the following:

• Courses and seminars on changes andenhancements to the Province’s HumanResource Information System (HRIS) includingstreamlining the electronic reporting andreconciliation process and enhancing theprivacy of personnel information.

• Seminars entitled “Internal Auditing in a PublicSector Environment”, “Protecting our FinancialFuture” , “Cyber Crime, Identity Theft andPrivacy Related Issues” and “Restructuring inthe Provincial Government: The Challenges”,that covered areas such as current issues in thearea of purchasing, accounting and auditing ingovernments, protection of personnelinformation and financial planning andbudgeting.

• Training seminars on recent advancements ininformation technology affecting areas such aselectronic procurement, online input andprocessing of financial documents, andelectronic spending and payment authorization.

The Finance and Human Resource section continuedto provide financial and human resourceadministration support to the following statutoryofficers reporting to the Legislative Assembly: Officeof the Conflict of Interest Commissioner, Office of theChief Electoral Officer, Office of the Supervisor ofPolitical Financing and the Office of theCommissioner of Official Languages. In lateDecember, discussions were initiated with the Clerk’sOffice for the provision of administrative, financialand human resource support to the new Office of theConsumer Advocate for Insurance in New Brunswick,to be established January 1, 2005 with theproclamation of the Consumer Advocate for InsuranceAct. Since 1999 the Finance and Human resource

Financial and Human Resource ServicesDirector — Peter Wolters

section has assumed responsibility for providingadministrative, financial and human resources supportto five of the seven statutory officers reporting to theAssembly.

The Finance and Human Resource section continuedto implement technology related changes andimprovements to facilitate the purchase of goods andthe payments to vendors for goods and services.During 2004, a new asset inventory managementdatabase was developed and implemented to facilitatethe monitoring and management of furniture andoffice equipment in the various branches of the Officeof the Legislative Assembly. The office alsoimplemented the necessary changes to receive payrollreports in electronic format only. The change frompaper to electronic format will increase the efficiencyand effectiveness of the payroll process.

The Canadian Association of ParliamentaryAdministrators (CAPA) was created for parliamentarystaff responsible for providing support services in theareas of finance, human resources, technology andadministration. The Association’s mission is toprovide a means for consultation and informationsharing among parliamentary organizations and tofoster co-operation and understanding of the uniquerequirements to support these organizations. TheDirector attended the fourth annual CAPA conferencein September 2004 to share best practices withrepresentatives from legislatures across Canada.

I. Financial ServicesOverviewFinancial Services include the followingresponsibilities:

* Payroll and Benefits (Ministers, Members,public service and casual employees)

• Ensure timely and accurate payment of (andprovision of information relating to) salariesand benefits.

* Members’ and Committee Expenses

• Ensure timely and accurate payment ofexpenses based on legislation and decisionsof Legislative Administration Committee.

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* Purchasing of and Payment for Goods andServices

• Ensure compliance with the various Actsand Regulations of the province. Ensure alltransactions are properly recorded forfinancial statement presentation andsafeguarding of assets. Ensure proper recordkeeping and storage for future referencepurposes.

* Financial Analysis and Projections

• Review financial position of the Office ofthe Legislative Assembly and theresponsibility sections within the LegislativeAssembly. Advise individual managers ofchanges in expenditure status usingcustomized reports and specialized reportswhen required.

* Budget Process

• Coordinate the budget process, prepare thebudget submission and liaise with therelated central agencies of the province ofNew Brunswick.

Financial Services HighlightsThe Legislative Administration Committee supportedan in-year budgetary reduction, implemented in therest of the government, which mandated a five percentreduction in budget for all non-statutory expendituresfor the fiscal year ending March 31, 2004. Theaccompanying financial statement shows actualexpenditure savings amounting to $54,100 on a totalbudget of $10,734,300, after adjusting for the fivepercent reduction. This includes $21,300 in theprogram, Members Allowances and Committeescomponent, $5,200 in the program, Office of theLegislative Assembly component and $27,600 in theprogram, Leaders of Registered Political Parties.

The House was in session a total of 26 sitting daysduring the 2003-2004 fiscal year, in comparison to100 sitting days in 2002-2003. The reduction in thenumber of sitting days, which reflects the fact that anelection occurred during the 2003-2004 fiscal year,allowed the Legislative Assembly Office to achievethe in-year budgetary reduction.

An additional budget of $882,983 was approved forthe program, Members Allowances and Committees.

Cost increases relating to the operations of theStanding and Select Committees of the House, and inparticular the Select Committee on Public AutomobileInsurance and the Select Committee on Wood Supply,accounted for $682,900 of the increased fundingrequirements. Changes in the composition of theHouse (increase in the number of opposition MLAs)required the relocation of a number of oppositionmembers and staff within the Legislative Assemblycomplex. The resulting move and technology andsecurity related improvements accounted for theremainder of the increased funding. Additionalfunding in the amount of $424,950 was also approvedto increase the operating budgets for the Office ofGovernment Members, the Office of the OfficialOpposition and the Office of the New DemocraticMember.

The budgetary process for the Legislative Assembly’s2004-2005 fiscal year provided yet another challengeto maintain a reasonable level of services to theMembers of the Legislative Assembly and staff. TheLegislative Assembly faces increased demands andexpectations and recurring costs relating to safety andsecurity of the Legislative Assembly Complex and theprovision of support services to certain statutory offices.In addition, costs have increased in such areas astranslation and interpretation, Hansard transcription,recording and webcast of House proceedings, committeeactivities and generally, services to Members.

II. Human Resource ServicesOverviewHuman Resource Services include the followingresponsibilities:

* Personnel Administration

• Participate in recruitment process andensure proper classification, compensationand benefits through maintenance of payrolland personnel records.

• Update and communicate changes in theareas of policies and benefits to allemployees.

* Human Resource Development

• Facilitate staff training to enable employeesto develop professionally and use theircapabilities to further both organizationaland individual goals.

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* Personnel Policies

• Develop, maintain and document personnelpolicies in accordance with theAdministration Manual of the Province,Legislative Administration Committeedecisions and the unique environment of theLegislative Assembly. Ensure propercommunication of personnel policies to allemployees.

Human Resource Service HighlightsThe Director received a certificate of Appreciation onbehalf of the Clerk’s Office for its support ofcooperative education programs at the University ofNew Brunswick. The Finance and Human Resourcessection has utilized students from the BusinessAdministration program since 1995, hiring threestudents per year for four-month work terms each; thisincreased to four students during 2004 to include onestudent to assist while one regular employee was onleave. The students have been a valuable asset inmeeting the ever increasing demands andresponsibilities of the Finance and Human Resourcessection. More recently a student in the Bachelor ofComputer Science program has been employed toassist the IT coordinator in meeting the increasingneeds of the Legislative Assembly, its members andstaff.

A total of forty-nine students and other individualswere employed under the Student Employment andExperience Development (SEED) program and otherprograms administered by the Finance and HumanResource section. Responsibilities includedcoordination of the employment programs and thecommencement (payroll setup and notices of hiring),payment (weekly time sheet input) and subsequenttermination (removal from payroll and issuance ofRecord of Employment) of each of the relatedemployees. The students employed included fourteenPages for the 2003-2004 and the 2004-2005 sessions,four Tour Guides for the 2004 tourism season, and aninformation technology student.

In accordance with amendments to the LegislativeAssembly Act passed in 2001 that provided for theannual indexation of the indemnity of Members basedon the three-year average change in the “AverageWeekly Earnings of New Brunswick Employees”,

staff processed a 2.5% increase in the annualindemnity and expense allowance of Memberseffective January 1, 2004. Similar amendments werepassed to the Executive Council Act, requiring asimilar adjustment in the salary paid to the Premierand Ministers. The increases for MLAs and ministersand all the necessary adjustments were processed byFinance and Human Resources staff.

Finance and Human Resource staff processed cost ofliving increases affecting a total of seventy-onepositions. Staff processed regular merit increases foremployees and requests for position reclassifications,and assisted in the interviewing and hiring process fora Legislative Library Assistant, four Tour Guides andfourteen Pages for the Office of the LegislativeAssembly. With respect to the full-time employees ofthe Legislative Assembly, a total of ten employeecommencements and five terminations, including oneretirement and two transfers to governmentdepartments, were processed by staff during the year.A significant number of applications to purchasepensionable service have been processed on behalf ofAssembly employees as a result of changes to thePublic Service Superannuation Act relating to eligibleperiods of government service that may qualify aspensionable under the Act.

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Financial Summary — Legislative AssemblyFor the Year Ended March 31, 2004

(in $ 000’s) Budget Actual

Members’ Allowances and CommitteesAllowances to Members 5,797.9 5,887.3Legislative Committees 858.8 748.1Subtotal 6,656.7 6,635.4

Office of the Legislative AssemblyLegislative Library 369.5 363.5Office of the Clerk (includes Speaker’s Office) 1,014.6 1,034.2Office of the Conflict of Interest Commissioner 124.5 103.2Hansard Office 430.4 425.7Debates Translation 571.9 579.1Subtotal 2,510.9 2,505.7

Offices of Members of Registered Political PartiesOffice of Government Members 534.7 520.7Office of the Official Opposition 894.1 890.5Office of the New Democratic Member 137.9 127.9Subtotal 1,566.7 1,539.1

Total - Legislative Assembly 10,734.3 10,680.2

Human Resources Summary — Legislative Assembly Permanent Elected Sessional Wages Co-op

StudentsOffice of the Clerk

House and Committee Support 4 0 0 0 0General Administration 2 0 0 3 0Finance and Human Resources 3 0 0 0 1Technology 1 0 0 0 1Sergeant-at-Arms / Security 1 0 14 4 0Speaker’s Office 2 0 0 1 0

Office of the Conflict of InterestCommissioner 1 0 0 1 0

Legislative Library and Research Services 7 0 0 0 0

Hansard Office 10 0 0 0 0Debates Translation 9 0 0 1 0Office of Government Members 8 0 0 0 0Office of the Official Opposition 14 0 0 0 0New Democratic Member’s Office 2 0 0 0 0Pages and Tour Guides (students) 0 0 12 4 0Members 0 55 0 0 0

TOTAL 64 55 26 14 2

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Ceremonial, Security and Visitor ServicesSergeant-at-Arms — Daniel Bussières

The First Session of the Fifty-fifth Legislatureresumed March 30, 2004, and continued untilprorogation December 2.

Twenty-seven students and eight teachers from eightschools involved in the Falls Brook Centre programvisited the Assembly on April 7. The students, whowere familiar with the legislative process, were treatedto a tour by the Speaker Bev Harrison who led adiscussion on environmental challenges, children’srights and responsibilities, and the structure ofgovernment.

The New Brunswick Arts Board Excellence Awardswere presented at a ceremony in the Chamber on April20. The recipients for 2004 were Fredericton musicianRichard Hornsby; Halifax dancer Diane Moore,originally of Moncton; Edmundston painter ClaudePicard, and Caraquet arts administrator MartineThériault.

Approximately 50 students from across the provinceparticipated in the Sixteenth Annual StudentLegislative Seminar from April 30 to May 2. Theweekend combined a busy business program withsocial activities and culminated with a ModelParliament.

Guest Speakers included Provincial Court JudgeDavid Walker, Judicial District of Saint John; PremierBernard Lord; Official Opposition Leader ShawnGraham, and Mactaquac MLA Kirk MacDonald.

On May 5, the Assembly welcomed the “The WeeOnes,” a group of young entrepreneurs/ambassadorsfrom the Miramichi area, who were promoting multi-cultural pride in New Brunswick. Included in thegroup were Ryley Allison (age 10), Sydney Allison(age 8), and Hailey Allison (age 6), in Irish, Scotch,and Acadian dress.

On May 21 the Assembly received 95 Chinesestudents from nine provincial high schools who wereparticipating in the Beijing Concord College of Sino-Canada Program offered through UNB, a program thatintegrates Chinese exchange students in NewBrunswick high schools and Canadian students inChinese high schools.

On May 30, 2004, the Chamber was the location ofthe provincial Investiture Ceremony of The MostVenerable Order of the Hospital of St. John ofJerusalem, Priory of Canada, St. John Council forNew Brunswick. The pageantry of the Investiture intothe Order dates back to the Crusades. Her Majesty the

View of the Legislature’s spiral staircase from above. Photo courtesy of Harry Mullin.

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Queen, Sovereign Head of the Most Venerable Orderof the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem, gives royalsanction for admission and promotion of individuals inthe Order. She is represented in New Brunswick byHis Honour, the Honourable Herménégilde Chiasson,KstJ, Lieutenant-Governor and Vice Prior, whopresided over the Investiture Ceremony.

From June 24 to 27, the Legislature hosted adelegation of German parliamentarians on a study tourwith the Partnership of Parliaments, anongovernmental, nonprofit organization whose goalsare to provide new contacts for its members, topromote transatlantic dialogue, and to improverelations in the fields of politics, economy, andculture. The delegates took in the festivities markingthe 400th Anniversary of the Landing of Samuel deChamplain on St. Croix Island.

The New Brunswick Cancer Society’s “Run for theCure” was launched from the Legislature’s steps onSeptember 14 and drew a large crowd. A number ofMinisters and MLAs participated in the event.

A ceremony was held on September 30 to unveil theofficial portrait of former Lieutenant-Governor andnow Senator, Marilyn Trenholme Counsell. Theportrait was completed by renowned New Brunswickartist Claude Picard who also painted the officialportraits of Lieutenants-Governor Hédard Robichaudand Gilbert Finn.

The provincial chapter of the Girl Guides of Canada heldits Canada Cord Ceremony in the Chamber on October 2.Parents and friends filled the public galleries as a total of49 girls were honoured during the ceremony presidedover by the Lieutenant-Governor.

Legislative staff received a delegation of the CanadianAssociation of Former Parliamentarians on October18. After holding a founding meeting, delegates wereguided through a tour of the Legislature and attendeda reception hosted by the Clerks-at-the-Table.

Victor Boudreau (Liberal, Shediac–Cap-Pelé,), whowas elected in an October 4, 2004, by-election torepresent the constituency of Shediac–Cap-Pelé, wassworn in at a ceremony held October 22, 2004. TheOath of Office was administered by the Lieutenant-Governor, His Honour Herménégilde Chiasson.

November 3 was Take Your Kids to Work day.Government departments including Justice, Supply

and Services, and Agriculture, Fisheries andAquaculture, arranged for children of employees toparticipate in a special tour of the Assembly. Thestudents from each of these departments had specificareas of interest; for example, those from theDepartment of Justice were interested in the legislativeprocess and how a Bill becomes law, while those fromthe Department of Supply and Services focussed onthe structural upgrade and restoration work carried outon the spiral staircase.

The Second Session opened Thursday, December 2 asMembers of the Assembly, guests, and officials of theHouse witnessed the traditional symbolic ceremony inthe Legislative Chamber.

The annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony washeld Friday, December 3, when a crowd of 600 cameout to enjoy the evening. The Fredericton SchoolgirlChoir and the First Wesleyan Singers provided theentertainment. The Fredericton Schoolgirl Choir lastperformed at the Tree Lighting Ceremony in 1997.The choir gave a rendition of A Holly Jolly Holidayand Le Sommet de l’enfant Jésus. This was the firsttime that the First Wesleyan Singers performed at theceremony. Singing from the front of the LegislativeAssembly steps, the choir encouraged everyone tosing along to The Sleigh Ride, Come on Ring thoseBells, Winter Wonderland, White Christmas, andChristmas, by Eddie Arnold. A total of 4,500 newenergy efficient LED lights decorated the 33-foot tree,which was donated by Ralph Bull of Woodstock. HisHonour the Lieutenant-Governor led the countdown tothe time of the official lighting and the lights wereturned on by Sara Penney and Andrea Lutes ofFredericton.

Eleven New Brunswick lawyers were awarded thedistinction of Queen’s Counsel in a ceremony held inthe Chamber on December 6. The Lieutenant-Governor and the Chief Justice, Hon. J. ErnestDrapeau, participated in the ceremony whichhonoured Gerald McMackin, Lewis Ayles, WilliamCorby, Ronald LeBlanc, Yassin Choukry, DeniseLeBlanc, Maria Henheffer, Richard Bell, LiseDeschênes, Euclide LeBouthillier, and JeffreyMockler.

His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor presided onDecember 11 when 37 Chief Scout Awards and twoQueen’s Venturer Awards were given out at theAnnual Chief Scout Ceremony .

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Visiting dignitaries included His Excellency YoucefYousfi, Algerian Ambassador to Canada; HisExcellency Paul Cellucci, American Ambassador toCanada; the Consul General of the United States ofAmerica in Halifax, Mr. Leonard Hill; His ExcellencyPhilippe Guelluy, French Ambassador to Canada;Monsieur Michel Freymüth, Consul General of Francein Moncton; His Excellency Hartmut Scheer, ConsulGeneral of the Federal Republic of Germany; HisExcellency Jacques Van Hellenberg Hubar, ConsulGeneral and His Excellency Albert E. Moses, theConsul General of The Netherlands, His ExcellencyDr. Alvaro Moerzinger, Ambassador of Uruguay; HisExcellency Choi Jong-Moo, Consul General of theRepublic of Korea; and His Excellency DanielJouanneau, Ambassador of France in Canada.

Among the many delegations visiting in 2004, was adelegation from the Mission du Conseil Général duNord which signed a five-year Memorandum ofUnderstanding with New Brunswick to promoteexchanges in various sectors of activity. Otherdelegations included that of the Consul Général deFrance, Thailand, Kenya, and the Partnership ofParliaments from Germany.

During 2004, there were 18,378 visitors to theLegislative Assembly. Of this number of visitors,3,564 represented large group tours which took placein June and July.

SecurityIn July of 2004, the Sergeant-at-Arms attended theCommonwealth Serjeant at Arms ProfessionalDevelopment Conference held in London, England, andhosted by Sir Michael Cummins, Serjeant at Arms of theHouse of Commons, at the Palace of Westminster.

Forty delegates from Commonwealth Parliaments andLegislatures participated and contributed significantlyin both plenary sessions and workshops whichcovered topics such as “How to review securityarrangements,” “ceremonial event management andVIP visits,” “visitor management” and “informationsystems for the Serjeant-at-Arms”.

Two highly regarded speakers captured the delegatesfull attention on the subject of terrorism. Sir DavidVeness, Assistant Commissioner SpecialistOperations with the Metropolitan Police provided aUnited Kingdom threat perspective and how itinfluences security at sites such as Parliament.

Paul Wilkinson, Professor of International Relationsand Chairman of the Centre for the study of terrorismand political violence at the University of St. Andrewsshared his perspective on global terrorist threats andbest practices to mitigate potential impact.

The conference was deemed a complete success anddelegates acquired the knowledge and skills toappropriately balance providing safety and securitywhile ensuring minimum inconvenience to publicaccess to Parliaments and Legislatures.

BuildingsWork to upgrade the structural support of theLegislature’s spiral commenced June 8, 2003. Locatedin the rear of the main entrance to the LegislativeAssembly Building, the wood-framed free-standingstaircase was constructed in the 1880s. Over time, itdeveloped a significant lean and was considered astructural risk.

The legislature’s circular staircase ascends to twostories. The treads and risers are made of pine, whilethe curved wooden handrail consists of ash withtongue-and-groove wainscotting on the inside of thestair and ash panelling with cherry mouldings on theexterior wall. The newel, or centre pillar, the mostdecorative component of the stair, repeats the ash andcherry theme in a grand Romanesque setting (Romanstyle) with engraved columns, egg-and-dart detailingand flower motifs. Stairwells of its time were built togive a majestic and stately appearance to importantbuildings. Master craftspeople would design and builda spiral staircase to display their artistic andconstructive abilities.

The restoration project at the legislature was publiclytendered and construction was awarded to KingConstruction Limited of Fredericton. A work permitwas granted under the Historic Sites Protection Actwith the acknowledgement that particular attentionwould to be given to ensure the renovations preservedthe original aesthetic of the staircase.

“This was an exciting and very interesting project,”said Keith Thompson, structural engineer for EasternDesigners and Company Ltd. in Fredericton. “Theprimary objective was to upgrade the strength of thestaircase so that it could safely support the loadingrequirements mandated by current building codes. Thechallenge was to do so without altering the appearanceof the staircase in any way.”

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Thompson explained the work was accomplished byhiding eight rigid steel columns between the interiorplastered surface of the stairwell and the exterior stonewalls that form the octagonal shape of the tower. Steelbeams were extended from these columns within thethickness of the stair stringers to support the staircaseand the ornate curved wood handrail. Once the plasterwas restored on the walls and the underside of thestaircase by Quality Plastering Ltd., all the steelreinforcements were hidden from view and thestaircase was restored to its original appearance.

In beginning their work, one of the first challenges theengineers faced was to determine how the staircasefunctioned for more than a century. There were manypossible load carrying mechanisms that would explainhow the staircase worked. However, none of thesewould provide the assurance and safety required bymodern engineering practices. The engineers decidedto take a closer look.

“The original construction drawings contained nodetails on the staircase,” Thompson said. “Therefore,it was necessary to cut away some of the architecturalcovering at the initial stages of the design in order toensure the new steel members would work with theexisting load carrying element of the staircase.”

The second challenge was to design a steel systemsmall enough to fit inside the existing finishes, yetrigid enough to support today’s design loads. Once thesystem was designed, the next challenge was toactually get it in place.

Dynex Manufacturing Limited of Fredericton was thesteel fabricator and sub-contractor in charge of theactual installation and fastening of the steel membersto the wood staircase and surrounding walls.

“The Dynex designers, detailers and erection crew werevery creative in developing methods to slip steelmembers, weighing hundreds of pounds, through smallopenings and then fasten these members to the woodwith very limited room to work,” Thompson said.

Working with dry, century-old wood presentedanother challenge. For example, great care had to betaken in levelling the stairs so as not to disturb theoverall structure or cause it damage.

“This was particularly true in trying to determine howmuch of the existing sag in the staircase could becorrected before the wood in the staircase would

crack,” Thompson said. “The combined knowledgeand expertise of all the partners on the project helpedto determine how high to jack up the staircase. Theend result is that, while the staircase is not perfectlylevel, the slope on the treads is much less noticeableand the delicate woodwork was not damaged in thejacking process.”

The impressive staircase, made of ash, cherry, walnutand pine, was reopened for use on February 27, 2004.Originally built in 1882, the historical integrity,beauty, and artistry of the original design by architectJ.C. Dumaresq remains.

At the same time, the work ensures that currentstructural standards are met.

In October, as a result of the failure of a portion ofplaster ceiling in the Departmental Building, allexisting plaster ceiling suspension system of theLegislative Assembly were inspected. It wasdetermined that the original 1882 wood lath andceiling plaster of the 2nd floor offices and theLegislative Council Chamber could not be relied uponto safely support the ceiling plaster. The 2nd floor hadto be immediately closed off. Restoration projects ofplaster ceilings is ongoing and is expected to continuethroughout 2005.

Following the lengthy process of identifying qualifiedNorth American companies who specialize inchandelier restoration, three qualified companiessubmitted proposals to restore the LegislativeChamber’s north and south chandelier; the latter hadcrashed on the Chamber floor at 8:45 a.m. November8, 2002 during annual maintenance.

On October 12, 2004, the contract for the repair andrestoration of the chandelier was awarded to Acu-Bright Inc. Judicious dismantling and packaging ofboth chandeliers began November 21, 2004.Restoration is ongoing in the company’s home townof Exeter, New Hampshire. Both brass chandeliers,original gasoliers from Mitchell Vance & Co. of NewYork weigh over 350 lbs each and respectively carry574 pieces of crystals and 18 globes. They areexpected to be hoisted back into position in theLegislative Chamber in time for the 2005 touristseason.

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Legislative LibraryLegislative Librarian — Margaret Pacey

Legislative Librarian

Technical Services GovernmentPublicati ons Service Reference Service

MandateAccording to the Legislative Library Act, “TheLegislative Library shall operate primarily for the useof the Members of the Legislative Assembly and themembers of departments in order that they may betterserve the people of New Brunswick. The LegislativeLibrary may acquire by gift, bequest, loan or purchaseany book, periodical, newspaper, film or any publica-tion that may serve the members of the LegislativeAssembly or the departments in the performance oftheir duties. The Legislative Library is designated asthe official library for the deposit of New Brunswickgovernment publications. The Queen’s Printer shalldeposit with the Legislative Library four copies ofevery government publication printed by her. Subjectto the government publications deposited by theQueen’s Printer, all departments shall deposit with theLegislative Library four copies of every governmentpublication printed by it or under its authority withinthirty days after its printing.”

The Library will be broadening its mandate to auto-matically receive all “online” or “born digital” NewBrunswick government publications. An e-repositorywill be established whereby selected New Brunswickelectronic government publications will bedownloaded for long-term preservation and betteraccess. The Legislative Library Act will be amendedwhereby all New Brunswick publishers will bemandated to deposit their publications with theLibrary. The Library’s New Brunswick Collection isthe largest collection of “New Brunswickana,” andmandatory deposit would ensure its completeness, andthereby preserve New Brunswick’s written heritage.

All requests for information are handled in confidenceand in a nonpartisan fashion. Twenty-four-hour access isavailable through phone, e-mail and fax, and the Libraryis open from 8:15 a.m. to 5 p.m., five days a week. When

the House is in session, the Library remains open in theevening until the House rises.

HighlightsThe first big news for the Legislative Library this springwas the re-opening of the Legislature’s spiral staircaseafter almost a year spent in refurbishment. During thistime, the main entrance to the Library was blocked off,and the only access was through a labyrinthine corridorleading to a side door. At times the Library was almostcompletely inaccessible to the public.

The Legislative Library hosted several very successfulbook launches this year. In April the Library teamed upwith New Brunswick’s Commission on LegislativeDemocracy to launch the first titles in the CanadianDemocratic Audit Book Series. William Cross read fromhis book Political Parties, and John C. Courtney – whotraveled all the way from Saskatchewan for the event –read from Elections, his volume in the series. In July theLibrary launched a publication of Fredericton HeritageTrust entitled Building capital: a guide to Fredericton’shistoric landmarks, edited by John Leroux and PeterPacey. It is a beautiful well-illustrated book comprisingthree self-guided walking tours in Fredericton’s beautifuldowntown. The book launch attracted a large crowdincluding the Lieutenant-Governor. On October 5, theLibrary launched Jacques Poitras’ political book entitled:The right fight: Bernard Lord and the Conservativedilemma. The publisher was Goose Lane Editions ofFredericton, which celebrated 50 years of publishing in2004. Among the dignitaries attending the launch of thishistoric landmark publication was Lieutenant-GovernorHerménégilde Chiasson. The Library’s book launchesare an excellent way to raise its profile to draw morepoliticians, public servants, students and members of thegeneral public who may not otherwise visit the Library.

The Library welcomed the Members of the LegislativeAssembly and their staff back in December with its third

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annual wine and cheese reception. In attendance were theLieutenant-Governor, thirty-six of the fifty-fivemembers, and approximately fifty others.

In several “Acknowledgements,” Library staff havereceived praise for their assistance in new publications byauthors George Macbeath, Peggy Scott and JacquesPoitras and the Commission on Legislative Democracy.

With correspondence from thankful public servants inabundant evidence, the Library staff’s efforts to answerreference questions receive top marks from politiciansand public servants alike. The number of referencequestions has increased by 68%, since the reorganizationof the staff three years ago. Some of the more time-consuming reference questions included: please provideimmigration figures for New Brunswick for a ten-yearperiod (for areas not covered in the Statistics Canadapublications); indicate the major labour issues andaccomplishments during Hatfield’s tenure; name thedefining contemporary Acadian architects; trace theevolution of the Orimulsion/Coleson Cove situation.

Collection DevelopmentThe Legislative Library’s New Brunswick Collection isan important part of New Brunswick’s heritage and is anincredible resource. New Brunswick publishers wereonce again approached to donate their books in returnfor a tax receipt. Specific authors of privately publishedbooks were also approached. A great many accepted theidea and, as a result, the New Brunswick Collection isexpanding without depleting the budget. In 2004 theLibrary acquired a greater number of New Brunswickbooks than in 2003. Of the total number of booksacquired last year, 19% were donated. The LegislativeLibrary is extremely grateful to the following individualsand publishers who have donated books:

IndividualsHarry BagleyJohn BethellRoy BoudreauBob ButlerDr. Kathleen ForsytheEdith GillcashR. Wallace HaleGirvan HarrisonKirsten Jones

Phyllis KerrGeorge MacBeathBauke MiedemaGraeme SomervilleCyril and Liliane WelchJohn L. WilliamsonNorah WilsonSemra Yuksel

Publishers/Associations:Association of New

Brunswick LicensedPractical Nurses

Beaverbrook Art GalleryCode Pink Books

DreamCatcher PublishingEnvironment & Local Government,

LibraryGalerie Sans Nom CoopGoose Lane Editions

Les Éditions de la GrandeMarée

Heritage Discovery ToursMiramichi BooksMuddle Puddle BooksNeptune Publishing

Company Ltd.Paul Anderson Rare Books

& MapsLa Petite Imprimerie Ltée

The Sisters of Charity of theImmaculate Conception

University of New Brunswick, EarlyChildhood Centre

University of New Brunswick, Dept. ofEconomics

University of New Brunswick, Officeof the President & Vice-Chancellor

Village of Dorchester

The Legislative Library gratefully acknowledges moniesreceived through the Viscount Bennett Trust Fund.With this grant the Library purchased a few rare NewBrunswick publications “reflecting the intellectualheritage of the province.” For example, the Libraryacquired: The subject and mode of baptism, impartiallyand scripturally considered by George Burns (SaintJohn, N.B.: Donald A. Cameron, 1830); Effectivefranchise; or Why reformed Presbyterians do not vote atparliamentary or municipal elections: a discourse (SaintJohn, N.B.: R.A.H. Morrow, 1878); The CelestialMagazine (Fredericton, N.B.: vol.1, no.2 1897). Withoutthis generous grant, purchase of the titles mentioned, andother valuable New Brunswick books, would not havebeen possible.

The Library has added a few new periodicals to thecollection this year including: Resurgence and E/TheEnvironmental Magazine. The most utilized part ofthe collection in 2004 remains the periodicalcollection. Efforts will be made in 2005 to enhanceand expand this popular and valuable collection.

Marketing/OutreachThe Library has continued striving to raise its profileand foster closer relations with its most important andprized clients, New Brunswick’s MLAs. In 2004 therewas an 18% increase in Library use by MLAscompared to the previous year. The Library hasnoticeably become a place where Members feel quiteat home. Many regularly stop by in the morning tocatch up with the newest issue of their localnewspaper before the daily sitting. Others stop bybriefly to borrow periodicals or other “pleasurereading.” Still others regularly take all their breaksfrom legislative duties to relax in the comfortableatmosphere of the library – at times some MLAs evendecide which CD to have as background music. Earlyevening use of the Library by Members has increased.

In terms of publishing, the Government DocumentsChecklist is available on the Legislative Library’s website: (<http://www.gnb.ca/legis/leglibbib/publications/publications-e.asp>).

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Members are still sent paper copies of the SelectedAccessions List four times a year. The Library e-mailscopies of this list of new books to all New Brunswickcivil servants (approximately 10,000). These e-mailedcopies of the Selected Accessions List contain addednotes or “updates” emphasizing a service that theLibrary provides (e.g. government publications), orsome aspect of the collection (e.g. talking books),along with a short selection of entries from theaccessions list thought to appeal to employees of thatparticular department.

The Library’s popular Periodical Contents nowincludes a cover sheet specifying particular articles onthe contents pages. This requires more work but italerts Members quickly to the themes in the periodicalliterature. It is a successful marketing tool.

Working with the Sergeant-at-Arms, the Libraryrecently began holding brief tutorials with newly hiredLegislative Pages before the House sits. Pages wereinformed of resources available to them and what theywill commonly be asked to retrieve for MLAs. As aresult, the Library has noticed a marked increase in thenumber of Pages who use the Library.

Several displays have been mounted. Onecomplemented the Jacques Poitras book launch,emphasizing items dealing with the ProgressiveConservative Party and its Leaders. “Hot topics” suchas electoral reform, medical errors, rural governanceand development and St. Croix Island Celebrationswere represented in display cases.

As a footnote, the Library’s profile-raising effortsseem to be paying dividends. At the end of June, theHon. Percy Mockler and University of NewBrunswick President John D. McLaughlin wereplanning a press conference and needed a backdropfor the launch of NextNB’s online discussion forum(www.nextnb.ca). They chose the Legislative Libraryas the perfect locale.

InitiativesA new Integrated Library System is at the top of theLibrary’s agenda. The Library’s current cataloguingsystem, MultiLIS, is being phased out. Sirsi’s newsystem, Unicorn, appears to be cost-prohibitive and nolonger an option. The Library has been examiningdifferent replacement options and has called for literatureand demonstrations. Library staff were very impressedwith a demo by Dynix’s product called Horizon.Dynix’s vision is very good; they are adapting industrystandards, not just library standards. Horizon has aFrench interface and their level of French is of thehighest quality; even SDM Inc. (premier source of

cataloguing data for French Canada) has signed withDynix. Four of the other Canadian LegislativeLibraries use Dynix and recommend this vendor.Horizon has greatly improved functionality andenhancements; for example, the circulation module isincluded free of charge. A budget submission for itwill go forward in the near future.

The biggest challenge over the past few years hasbeen adapting to the increasing complexity of librarywork due to the rapid expansion of electronic infor-mation resources. As the official library for thedeposit of New Brunswick government publications,the Legislative Library continues to impress upongovernment the importance of producing print copiesas well as Internet versions of government publica-tions. Print copies must continue to be made availablefor future generations and for today’s public thatmight not own a computer. Although recognizing theimportance of the Internet in today’s information-sharing age, the Web itself is not a stable publishingmedium, as URLs tend not to be persistent andpermanent. The Legislative Library has stressed theimportance of ensuring that documents such as theRoyal Gazette and Bills introduced in the House aremade available in paper copy as well as online. Inparticular, the New Brunswick Statutes are of suchimportance – both as a historical record of the laws ofthe province and as a compendium of the present daylegislation–that the Legislative Library has taken anactive role in advocating for the continued publishingand distribution of paper copies.

Last summer, in association with the Clerk’s Office,the Library began the long process of amending theLegislative Library Act to include mandated depositof government e-publications, which are published onand removed from the web all the time without anarchival copy kept for future reference. Discussionshave taken place on how best to begin collecting andstoring all born-digital government publications intheir original format and appearance, in a way whichis accessible to the public. Of the options discussed,the Library prefers a cost-sharing network of govern-ment partners dedicated to the common goal ofpreservation. The government’s Corporate Informa-tion Management Services would be the technologypartner, the Library–as the depository partner–woulduse its experience to select and organize the data to besaved, and Communications New Brunswick as thethird partner would make it available to the public.Discussions are ongoing as an agreement between thethree is negotiated. The Library will be required tobuy its own server, a cost it is currently examining.

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The Legislative Librarian attended several sessionsregarding the NB government’s Electronic Informa-tion Management System Project. Two vendorsdemonstrated their proposed solution for the manage-ment of the Government of New Brunswick’selectronic information. The focus of these sessionswas really electronic office records as opposed topublic e-documents.

The MLA database, 1784 to the present, is finallyup-to-date and complete. There are over 1,000 biogra-phies; many include a photograph of the Member. Theentries for deceased MLAs are quite comprehensive,especially if they were a figure of notable politicalimportance. For more recent Members and especiallycurrent MLAs the entry is less of a true biography, butsimply “fast facts.” The MLA database is proving to beeven more useful than expected. Instead of having toscour parliamentary guides or legislative records forinformation, it is instantly available to the press, MLAsand party staff, as well as genealogists and historybuffs. It is currently an in-house database, and entriesare e-mailed, mailed or faxed to interested parties,but it will in due course be posted to the Web site.

Reference staff has been very happy with thesubscription to EBSCO databases. The full-textnature of the databases is particularly appealing, butalso, EBSCO is easier to use and more convenientthan some of the other systems tested.

With the Library’s subscription to CEDROM,specifically Newscan, the Library hopes to createpersonal interest profiles for each Member. Newscanoffers full-text access to many New Brunswicknewspapers, and articles of interest would be sentelectronically on a daily basis. The Library isworking with the Government Member’s Office andthe Opposition offices to extend its Newscansubscription so that all Members and researchers willhave it on their desktop. In the meantime the Librarycontinues to create a subject-specific database ofcurrent news stories that will be of interest to theMLAs and their staff.

The online Index of the Private Acts of New Bruns-wick, 1929-2003 – a vital compendium unavailableanywhere else –has been updated and revamped toallow for searching and greater ease of use.

Also the Library has worked with two special Com-mittees/Commissions this year to gather news articles,search the periodical literature, select books and reportsand track down overview information: the SelectCommittee on Public Automobile Insurance, and theCommission on Legislative Democracy. In early April,

the Select Committee on Public Automobile Insurancetabled its report, but in changing automobile insuranceregulations, the government opted to create a no-frillsinsurance option rather than a public insurancesystem. The Commission on Legislative Democracy’sfinal report is expected in early January 2005.

The Legislative Building was completed in 1882, andthis year, Dr. Marie Elwood, History Curator Emerituswith the Nova Scotia Museum, visited to complete acatalogue of its artefacts. Library staff assistedDr. Elwood, providing her with all documentationavailable. Dr. Elwood commented that the fireplace inthe Legislative Librarian’s office is one of the finestshe has ever seen.

The Library continues to host a series of rotatingexhibits of New Brunswick artists. The art isborrowed from a nearby private gallery. A specialthank you is extended to Gallery 78 for theircooperation and generosity.

Space/StorageAccommodation of the collections continues toprovide challenges. Shifting older or less-usedmaterials to our storage facilities has been an ongoingviable solution until recently. The Department ofSupply and Services will be turning the Library’scurrent off-site storage facility into office space. Afteran inventory of the material in storage by a rare-bookdealer, this collection was divided. The Lieutenant-Governor has graciously accepted the rare booksinvolved to fill the bookshelves in his residence.Mostly bound in leather, these books wonderfully suitthe Lieutenant-Governor’s residence that dates back to1828.The books necessary for us to keep will berestored. The New Brunswick and federal governmentdocuments housed in storage have been reorganized.The large collections of Journals from the House ofLords and the British Parliament will be donated to theU.N.B. library. In anticipation that the Library’sstorage material may need to be moved at any momentto a replacement storage facility, all has been boxedand labelled.

The libraries in the Department of Education, theDepartment of Health and Wellness, and the HumanRights Commission have all closed, and the Legisla-tive Library has been inundated with their collections.Staff have sorted through these collections and will beattempting to find space for them. The staff from thesedepartments are using the Legislative Library at anincreasing rate. To offset this additional usage, theLibrarian has asked for a storage facility that previ-ously housed one of these defunct libraries.

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StaffingThe Legislative Library has a permanent staff of seven as ofNovember 29th, 2004. Tom Stillwell was the successfulapplicant in the Library Assistant competition. He worksprimarily in Reference and will also be doing somepreservation work. Tom’s other responsibilities includecirculation and the New Brunswick pamphlet collection.

Anthony Lovesey, a 5th year computer science studenthas been employed on a full time basis for two summersand has stayed on for the fall and spring terms on a part-time basis. Anthony works on the Library’s Web page,has designed all six databases (MLAs, municipal plans,reference questions, news clippings, N.B. HistoryChecklist, and Company/Hospital annual reports) as wellas various other tasks. The Librarian intends to proposethat this position be upgraded to a full-time position.With the implementation of a new Integrated LibrarySystem, the Library will need an expert on staff.

Thank you for the dedicated work of Kevin Plummer, agraduate student in History. Kevin commenced employ-ment as a summer student and decided to stay on tocomplete the MLA database. Kevin was with the Libraryfull time from April 2003 until August 2004.

Peggy Goss continues to excel in management of thereference functions. The Reference team at the Libraryconsists of Peggy, Janet McNeil, Tom Stillwell, KathleenJeffries and Margie Pacey. The Library has receivedmuch praise on the quality and timeliness of work doneby staff. All have a high degree of computer and webliteracy and strong interpersonal and communicationskills. The Library is indebted to Documents LibrarianJanet McNeil’s persistence and tenacity in tracking downand organizing the New Brunswick government publica-tions. Voluntary compliance with the deposit require-ments is unusual. Kathleen Jeffries, Library Assistant, isresponsible for the day-to-day operation of the Docu-ments Section, including cataloguing and classification,as well as ongoing training of Members. Jean-ClaudeArcand remains as Technical Services Librarian. Hecompleted a painstaking inventory of the approximately1000 books loaned to Government House. JeanWeissenhorn Delong works in technical services,accounting and interlibrary loans. Due to the closure ofseveral departmental libraries, Jean has seen a 33% in-crease in the number of titles borrowed via interlibraryloans in 2004 compared to the previous year.

The Legislative Library has benefited this past summerwith a legion of summer students. Thank you to, SarahRichard, Paul Donovan, Michelle Wheaton, TeannHennick, Erin Forbes, Leah Corby, Kevin Plummer andAnthony Lovesey for all their help during the summer of2003. Through their work the Library has been able toreorganize parts of its collection and complete other

special projects. The Library’s indexed listing ofriding-by-riding election results, 1784-1984, has beenrevised to include all elections and by-elections from1984 to the present. The Emergency PreparednessPlan has been rewritten. The departmental annualreport collection in the vault has been reorganized.Several threadbare journals, statutes and synopticreports have been sent for binding or boxing. Themunicipal plan collection has been inputted into asearchable database. A special thanks to the Memberswho provided the hours needed to hire these students.

A continuing program of staff tutorials on a variety oftopics is offered as needed. This year’s tutorialsincluded the proper citation of an Act and the 5Stheory. With these tutorials the Library is graduallybuilding a training manual for new staff.

New EquipmentNew computers were purchased for Kathleen Jeffriesand Peggy Goss. Both positions require extensivecomputer searching, and fast machines are mandatory.

Continuing EducationThe Library consistently seeks to find ways to do itswork more effectively and efficiently. All reference staffparticipated in a Rita Vine PowerPoint seminar to get afirmer grasp on the tools and tricks of online searchingfor information. An ergonomics specialist was hired togive a presentation to Library staff on improved workingpositions. Tom Stillwell spent a week at the ProvincialArchives in the Conservation section benefiting fromDean Lund’s expert training. Tom and Kathleen Jeffriesattended a two-day seminar at U.N.B. entitled “Theserials ecosystem: perspectives on the transition fromprint to electronic journals”. Jean-Claude Arcandattended the Atlantic Province’s Library Association’sannual conference in Moncton, including its pre-conference workshop on cooperative cataloguing ofserials. In June he participated in an Amicus workshopprovided by the National Library and Archives ofCanada. Margie Pacey travelled to Edmonton to attendthe Association of Parliamentarian Librarians inCanada’s biennial conference. Margie gave apresentation on the Library’s MLA database.

MembershipsMargie Pacey is a member of the Atlantic ProvincesLibrary Association, the Canadian Library Associa-tion, the Special Libraries Association and the Asso-ciation of Parliamentarian Librarians in Canada. Allfour librarians are members of the Association desbibliothécaires professionnel(le)s du Nouveau-Brunswick/Association of Professional Librarians ofNew Brunswick. Jean-Claude Arcand is Treasurer ofthis association.

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Hansard OfficeSpecial Project Officer — Valmond LeBlanc

MandateUnder section 8 of the Official Languages Act of NewBrunswick, the “records, journals and reports of theLegislative Assembly and its committees shall beprinted and published in English and French”. Thisrequirement is enshrined in subsection 18(2) of theConstitution Act, 1982: “The statutes, records andjournals of the legislature of New Brunswick shall beprinted and published in English and French and bothlanguage versions are equally authoritative.”

More specifically, the Hansard Office records,transcribes and publishes the proceedings of theHouse (“Hansard”) in both official languages, withemphasis on oral questions; records, transcribes andmakes available the proceedings of the standing andselect committees of the Legislative Assembly in thespoken word; and responds to inquiries relating torecorded proceedings.

Highlights• The number of recorded hours of proceedings

decreased from 616 last year to 141 during the2003-04 fiscal year for the House and increasedfrom 56 last year to 345 during 2003-04 forcommittees.

• The number of requests for transcripts ofproceedings decreased from 383 last year to185 during the 2003-04 fiscal year for the Houseand increased from 53 to 92 during 2003-04 forcommittees.

• Two casuals were hired to assist staff during theyear.

HouseObjective: to record, transcribe, and edit Houseproceedings, with priority given to oral questions andrequests for specific excerpts of transcripts orinformation.

Daily oral question transcripts are provided to270 clients. Tables 1 and 2 provide a breakdown oforal questions by party, as well as statements byministers and members.

During the 2003-04 fiscal year, there were 26 sittingdays, including four night sittings. This entailed therecording of 1 568 five-minute takes and 63 ten-minute tapes.

Hansard dailies are provided to 49 subscribers. At theend of the fiscal year under review, the daily sittingscompleted and distributed were as follows:

• 54th legislature, 3rd session, 2000-01, eight finaldailies (up to June 1, 2001);

• 54th legislature, 4th session, 2001-02, Dailies1 (November 20, 2001) to 3 (November 22, 2001),5 (November 27, 2001) to 20 (December 21, 2001),and 30 (March 28, 2002);

• 54th legislature, 5th session, 2002-03, Dailies1 (November 19, 2002), 3 (November 21, 2002),and 15 (December 12, 2002); and

• 55th legislature, 1st session, 2003-04, Dailies1 (July 29, 2003) and 3 (July 31, 2003).

During the 2003-04 fiscal year, there were185 requests for specific excerpts of Houseproceedings.

2003-2004

Hansard Edi tor

5 ParliamentaryEdi tors (Engli sh)

2 ParliamentaryEditors (French)

38

Table 3 provides comparative statistics on the numberof days, hours, takes and tapes for the past fivesessions.

Bound volumes of Hansard are published in bothofficial languages. Hansard volumes are provided to56 subscribers: Members of the Legislative Assembly;government departments; political party offices;legislative, university, and public libraries throughoutCanada; the media; and interested citizens.

CommitteesObjective: to record, transcribe, and edit proceedingsof the standing and select committees of theLegislative Assembly, with priority given to requestsfor specific excerpts of transcripts or information.

During the 2003-04 fiscal year, a total of 41 meetingsof standing committees were recorded: CrownCorporations, 20; Crown Corporations/PublicAccounts, 1; Private Bills, 1; Public Accounts,15; Law Amendments, 1; Ombudsman, 1; Privileges,1; and Procedure, 1. A total of 31 meetings of select

Table 1: Oral Questions by Caucus,2003-04 Fiscal Year

Caucus Questions Minutes

Progressive Conservative Party - -Liberal Party 121 750New Democratic Party 16 78

TOTAL 137 828

Table 2: Statements by Ministers andMembers, 2003-04 Fiscal Year

Caucus Ministers Members

Progressive Conservative Party 62 112Liberal Party - 99New Democratic Party - 23

TOTAL 62 234

committees were recorded: Select Committee onPublic Automobile Insurance, 15; Select Committeeon Education, 1; Select Committee on Health Care,1; and Select Committee on Wood Supply, 14. Thesecommittee meetings entailed the recording of2 526 five-minute takes, 87 ninety-minute tapes, and24 ten-minute tapes.

During the 2003-04 fiscal year, there were 92 requestsfor specific excerpts of committee proceedings.

Table 4 shows the percentage of committee workcompared to House work.

Special EventsHansard Office staff operated the sound equipmentthroughout the three-day Student Legislative Seminarin April 2003, for the installation of the Lieutenant-Governor, Hon. Herménégilde Chiasson, in August,for the annual Girl Guides of Canada cord ceremonyin September, and for the annual Chief Scout Awardsceremony in November.

Table 3: Comparative Statistics for Sessions

1999 + 1999-2000 2000-2001 2001-2002 2002-2003 2003-2004

Days 1 + 65 63 71 68 62

Hours 1 + 376 340 396 410 334

Tapes 7 79

Takes 4 766 4 199 4 826 5 119 4 050

Table 4: Hours Recorded,2003-04 Fiscal Year

Hours % of Workload

House 141 29Committees 345 71

TOTAL 486 100

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MandateUnder section 8 of the Official Languages Act of NewBrunswick, “The records, journals and reports of theLegislative Assembly and its committees shall beprinted and published in English and French”. Thisrequirement is enshrined in subsection 18(2) of theConstitution Act, 1982: “The statutes, records andjournals of the legislature of New Brunswick shall beprinted and published in English and French and bothlanguage versions are equally authoritative.”

More specifically, Debates Translation translatesstatements and speeches delivered by members in theHouse, the daily Journal, the proceedings of the House(“Hansard”), committee reports and other material forthe Office of the Legislative Assembly.

Highlights• The number of daily sittings decreased by 74%,

from 101 during the 2002-2003 fiscal year to 26 in2003-2004.

• During the 2003-2004 fiscal year, nearly1.8 million words were translated, a markeddecrease of 31% over the previous year.

• During the year, over 1 148 translation requestswere processed, 34% fewer than the previous year.

• In July 2003, a TR1 was hired to fill theTR3 position that had remained vacant sincethe fall of 2002.

• On July 22, 2003, Debates Translation movedfrom Jewett House to Edgecombe House, on KingStreet. It took at least one week to set up theoffices, move everyone in, and unpack the boxes.

Meanwhile, the staff was also preparing for theJuly 30 opening of the session.

• After a few months in the new premises, tworooms on the second floor used for staff officeshad to be vacated due to excessive sagging of thefloors. The function of the rooms wassubsequently changed: one became a meetingroom; the other, a room for storing documents.

HouseObjective: to translate the records and journals ofLegislative Assembly proceedings, as well as motionsintroduced in the House.

Translation of Hansard accounted for approximately58% of the workload and decreased by 12% over lastyear. Approximately 24% of Hansard translation wasinto English. Table 2 provides comparative statisticson the number of words for the past five sessions.

The daily Journal represented 6% of the workload;translation is usually completed shortly after thesession. The Order Paper and notices of motionaccounted for a little over 9% of the workload, a77% decrease over last year, due to the reducednumber of daily sittings. The Order Paper and noticesof motion receive same-day translation.

Members of the Legislative AssemblyObjective: to translate, as resources allow, statementsand speeches delivered in the House by members,including Cabinet ministers and opposition members.

Translation for Members of the Legislative Assemblyaccounted for approximately 11% of the total

Debates TranslationChief Translator — Aurella Losier-Vienneau

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2003-2004

40

workload. Although the demand for statements andspeeches decreased by 66% over last year, demandrelated to correspondence and press releases increasedby 83%.

During the 26 sitting days in the fiscal year underreview, 433 requests for translation of speeches andstatements were processed, representing 1 338 pages.These included the throne speech, the budget speech,as well as 358 statements and 73 speeches given in theHouse by ministers or private members. An averagespeech is 11 pages in length. Translation for Cabinetministers accounted for 86% of the workload.Approximately 98% of translation was into French.

During intercession, written translation servicesprovided for both government and oppositionmembers include correspondence and pressreleases. The Office of the Official Opposition was thelargest client, comprising 93% of workload. TheOffice of Government Members and the NewDemocratic Member’s Office accounted for 1% and6% of the workload respectively. Translation requestsby Members of the Legislative Assembly usuallyreceive same-day or next-day service, asresources allow.

CommitteesObjective: to translate reports, agendas, and noticesof meeting for standing and select committees of theLegislative Assembly.

Translation for committees represented over 5% ofthe total workload and increased by 11% during the2003-2004 fiscal year.

Office of the Legislative AssemblyObjective: to translate material of a procedural andadministrative nature for the Speaker’s Office, theClerk’s Office, and the Legislative Library.

Translation for the Office of the LegislativeAssembly represented nearly 11% of the totalworkload and increased by 57% in 2003-2004.

Table 1: Debates Translation Output,

2003-2004 Fiscal Year

(in thousands of words)

HOUSE

Notices of Motions and Order Paper 168Journal 110Hansard1 1 033

MEMBERS

Speeches and Statements 127Correspondence, releases 66

COMMITTEES 95

OFFICE OF THELEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 195

TOTAL2 1 794

1 Includes a carryover of a little over994 000 words (40% of 1999-2000Hansard, as well as Sitting 3 of 2003-2004 Hansard) from the previous fiscalyear.

2 Excludes a carryover of approximately10.83 million words (53% of 1999-2000 Hansard, 100% of 2000-2001Hansard, 100% of 2001-2002 Hansard,100% of 2002-2003 Hansard, and Sittings1 to 18 of 2003-2004 Hansard) into thenext fiscal year.

Table 2 :Comparative Statistics for Sessions

1999-2000 2000-2001 2001-2002 2002-2003 2003-2004Days 65 63 71 68 62Words* 2 497 2 378 2 534** 2 427** 2 177**

* In thousands.** Estimate.

41

Special ProjectSpecial Project Officer — Valmond LeBlanc

BackgroundWhen Debates Translation was established in 1977,its mandate was to translate House proceedings(“Hansard”) before the next session. This differs fromother legislatures in Canada, where proceedings areusually made available within 24 to 48 hours. Atranslation backlog of Hansard developed in theearly nineties, and the Legislative AdministrationCommittee approved in September 1997 a strategy toaddress the issue. This strategy had three components.

The first component was to maintain outside fundingto assist catch-up efforts. In 2003-04, for the ninthconsecutive year, a translation outsourcing contribu-tion was received under the Canada/New BrunswickGeneral Agreement on the Promotion of OfficialLanguages. The Legislative Assembly appreciates thecooperation of the Department of Intergovernmentaland International Relations and Canadian Heritage insupport of efforts to meet the objective of makingdocuments available simultaneously in both officiallanguages.

The second component was internal funding for out-sourcing. In 2003-04, the $100 000 added to theDebates Translation budget for outsourcing wasmaintained. One portion was used for a casual supportstaff.

The third component was designation of a senior staffmember as Special Project Officer, reporting to theClerk of the Legislative Assembly, to focus full-timeon elimination of the translation backlog. Duties alsoincluded updating the Directory of New Brunswickand National Organizations and leadership in settingstandards and quality control.

The special project has three objectives.

Objective 1: Maintain the Hansard translationworkflow.

Results• In 2003-04, Hansard translation demand was an

estimated 997 000 words, compared to 3 976 000words in the previous fiscal year.

• In 2003-04, Hansard translation output totaled1 033 000 words, a decrease of 12% over theprevious fiscal year.

• During the year in review, output exceededdemand by 56 000 words. However, over the pastfive fiscal years, demand has exceeded output byan average 1.1 million words per year.

Objective 2: Provide translation of daily sittings atan earlier date.

Results• In 2003-04, on-line translation of Hansard dailies

was made available on the Legislative Assemblynetwork 88 months earlier than the publishedvolumes.

• As of March 31, 2004, translation of dailies up toDay 36 (April 26, 2000) of the 1999-2000 sessionwas posted on the network in both PDF andWordPerfect format.

• Dailies up to Day 17 (January 26, 1999) of the1998-99 session were available in bilingual dual-column format on the network. This material canbe viewed, printed and is fully searchableelectronically.

Objective 3: Reduce the Hansard translationbacklog to 12 months.

Results• In 2003-04, the Hansard translation backlog

decreased by a net 56 000 words, compared to anet increase of 2.8 million words in the previousfiscal year.

• During the fiscal year, 26 new daily sittingsoccurred, while translation of 28 sitting days wascompleted, for a net backlog decrease of 2 sittingdays, compared to an increase of 69 sitting days inthe previous fiscal year.

• As of March 31, 2004, Hansard translation wastrailing by 47 months (or 242 dailies), compared to39 months (or 244 dailies) at the end of theprevious fiscal year.

Quality Control and PromotionThe Parliamentary Stylebook and the Directory ofNew Brunswick and National Organizations wereupdated during the year. Both documents are available

42

for consultation and download at <http://www.gnb.ca/legis/publications/publications-e.asp>.

A conference entitled Parliamentary Translation inNew Brunswick: An Inside Look was given at theCorporation of Translators, Terminologists andInterpreters of New Brunswick (CTINB) annualgeneral meeting on November 1, 2003. It was aimedat providing insight into this aspect of the professionand encouraging young people to consider a career asparliamentary translators.

ConclusionTranslation of House proceedings is conducted inconcert with the 8 other parliamentary translators atDebates Translation as well as 11 professionalsin the private sector, in close cooperation withstaff at the Hansard Office. Efforts will continueto offer a product that not only meets high-qualitystandards but that is also provided on a moretimely basis for members and staff of theLegislative Assembly, government departments,and New Brunswickers.

Debates TranslationComeau, Georges. Listing of Definitions in Legislation,

1993- (on disk only) / Recueil de définitions législatives,1993- (sur disquette seulement)

Sauvageau, Alain. Parliamentary Translation Forms,1995- (on disk only) / Formules pour la traductionparlementaire, 1995- (sur disquette seulement)

Hansard OfficeJournal of Debates (Hansard). 54th Legislature, 3rd Session,

2000-01, Dailies 55 (May 18, 2001), 56 (May 22, 2001), and58 (May 24, 2001) to 63 (June 1, 2001).

Journal of Debates (Hansard). 54th Legislature,4th Session, 2001-02, Dailies 5 (November 27, 2001),6 (November 28, 2001), 8 (November 30, 2001) to18 (December 19, 2001) and 20 (December 21, 2001).

Journal of Debates (Hansard). 55th Legislature, 1stSession, 2003-04, Dailies 1 (July 29, 2003) and 3(July 31, 2003).

Office of the ClerkLegislative Activities 2003Biographies of Members 55th Legislature 2004Employee Handbook Legislative Assembly of New

Brunswick 1998Journal of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of New

Brunswick, First Session, Fifty-fifth Legislature, 2003-2004 (Unrevised, 62 issues); Second Session, Fifty-FifthLegislature (Unrevised, 10 issues)

Journals of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick,Third Session, 54th Legislature, 2000-2001.

Order and Notice Paper, July 29, 2003-December 2, 2004,62 issues; December 2 to December 17, 2004, 10 issues*

Orientation Manual 2003Seating Arrangement, Second Session, 55th LegislatureStatus of Legislation Introduced during the First Session of

the Fifty-fifth Legislative Assembly*Status of Legislation Introduced during the Second Session

of the Fifty-fifth Legislative Assembly*Quarterly Jurisdictional Reports, Canadian Parliamentary

Review, 2004“A Legislature rooted in Canada’s history, Fredericton’s

Legislative Building”**‘New Brunswick’s experiment with a “House of No Nays,”

The Unusual 51st Legislative Assembly’**New Brunswick, Jurisdictional Information**

Legislative LibraryThe Development of the New Brunswick Legislative

Library, 1841 - 1991Elections in New Brunswick, 1784-1984Index to the Private Acts of New Brunswick, 1929-2003*New Brunswick Government Documents Annual

Catalogue*New Brunswick Legislative Library Handbook, 1999.Periodicals Contents (monthly) Selected Accessions (quarterly)*

Special ProjectLeBlanc, Valmond. Directory of New Brunswick and

National Organizations [online in PDF, updatedregularly]. 1979-, <http://www.gnb.ca/legis/publications/publications_e.asp>.

————. Parliamentary Stylebook [online in PDF,updated regularly]. 2001-, <http://www.gnb.ca/legis/publications/publications_e.asp>.

————. Parliamentary Translation in New Brunswick:An Inside Look. Conference given on November 1, 2003,<http://www.gnb.ca/legis/publications/

Publications

* Available on the Internet only.**A Supplement to The Parliamentarian, published to mark the

50th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference, hosted by theParliament of Canada and provincial and territorial Legislative

43

Wilfred BishopOn March 31, 2004, Premier Bernard Lord (Moncton-East) recognized in the House the contribution of thelate Wilfred Bishop (1917-2004) who died March 1,2004:

It was with deep regret that we noted, earlier thismonth, the passing of Wilfred Bishop, who servedas a Cabinet minister in the government of formerPremier Richard Hatfield. He was and still is thelongest sitting member of the New BrunswickLegislature.

Hailing from Chipman, Mr. Bishop served 35years as a provincial MLA, from 1952 to 1987. Hewas first elected with the Hugh John Flemminggovernment in the early fifties.

Within the Hatfield government and until hisretirement, Mr. Bishop served the people of NewBrunswick and his region in various portfolios. Hewas Minister of Natural Resources, Minister ofHighways, in the department later known as theDepartment of Transportation, and President ofthe Executive Council.

Wilfred Bishop represented his community and thepeople of New Brunswick with dedication and withdignity. He set an example of public service thatfew will ever match. On behalf of all members of

Program for Members

Tributes

The function of the Program for Members is toprovide legislative and administrative support for thePrivate Members of the Legislative Assembly. ThePrivate Members are provided with furnished officesin the legislative complex in Fredericton.

Funding is provided for Members’ support staff intheir Fredericton office. Members of each politicalparty combine this funding to obtain and shareresearch, secretarial and receptionist personnel.

The staff of each office provides primary andsecondary research support with respect to topics andissues of interest to the Members. The Office helpshandle correspondence relating to Members’legislative and public duties and provides many othersupport functions.

Office of Government MembersThe staff for this Office is comprised of a chief ofstaff, a communications/research officer, acommunications officer, an office manager, aresearcher and a secretary.

Office of the Official OppositionThe staff for this Office is comprised of a chief ofstaff, a senior advisor/policy development, two policyanalysts, a director of research and planning, an officemanager, a special assistant to the Leader, acommunications assistant, two secretaries to theMembers and an executive assistant.

Office of the New Democratic MemberThe staff for this Office is comprised of a research andplanning officer and an executive secretary to theLeader of the NDP.

this House, I want to extend sincere condolencesto the Bishop family on their loss. Our thoughtsand our prayers are with them.

A Progressive Conservative, Wilfred Bishop was firstelected to represent Queens County in the provincialelection of 1952, and he was re-elected in 1956, 1960,1963, 1967, and 1970. He was first elected torepresent the single-member riding of Queens Northin 1974, and he was re-elected in 1978, and 1982.

Adjutor FergusonAdjutor Ferguson (1927-2004) passed away July 28,2004, in Tracadie-Sheila. He was elected in theprovincial elections of 1967 and 1970 as one of therepresentatives for Gloucester. From 1974 to 1978, herepresented the new single-member riding of Tracadie.

On December 3, 2004, Official Opposition LeaderShawn Graham (Kent) paid tribute to the memory ofthe former Liberal MLA in a statement in the House:

Adjutor Ferguson passed away on July 28, 2004,in Tracadie-Sheila, at the age of 77. Mr. Fergusonwas a member of the Assembly for the Tracadieriding from 1967 to 1978. He was a respectedmember of his community, as a businessman, amember of the Chamber of Commerce, and amember of the Knights of Columbus.

44

Rodman Logan, Q.C.On December 3, 2004, Mr. Sherwood (Grand Bay-Westfield) paid tribute to the memory of RodmanLogan (1922-2004), a former provincial CabinetMinister and a Court of Queen’s Bench Justice, whodied September 15, 2004.

Mr. Logan served his country, his city, and hisprovince as a soldier, in the Legislature, and onthe Bench. Born in Saint John West, he enlisted inthe Canadian Armed Forces after graduating fromRothesay Collegiate School. Mr. Logan served asan officer with the Carleton-York Regiment andthe West Nova Scotia Regiment. He was twicewounded in combat. After the war, he continued toserve in the reserves and retired with the rank ofcolonel in 1962.

Rod Logan was elected as a ProgressiveConservative member for the Saint John area. Asminister, one of his greatest accomplishments wasthe reorganization of the provincial court system.As the Premier stated earlier this year, Rod Logantruly loved the Legislature and had a great senseof and appreciation for the House and all itstraditions. As an MLA and minister, he wasrenowned for his intellectual capacity. Heepitomized what it means to serve one’scommunity, one’s province, and one’s countrywith enthusiasm, determination, and dignity. Hewill be sorely missed.

Rodman Logan was Minister of Labour, ProvincialSecretary, Minister Responsible for Housing, AttorneyGeneral and Minister of Justice. He was appointed tothe bench in 1982.

Gerald MerrithewOn December 3, 2004, the Speaker, Hon. BevHarrison (Hampton-Belleisle) extended condolenceson the passing of former MLA Gerald Merrithew(1931-2004), who died September 5, 2004:

I wish to acknowledge the passing of a great NewBrunswicker, a former colleague in this Houseand a former resident of Springfield, in theconstituency of Hampton-Belleisle. Hon. GeraldMerrithew passed away suddenly last summer. Heenhanced the life of this province in many waysthroughout a very long and distinguished career.

He was an educator and a principal in the schoolsystem for a very long time in his life. He served

on the council in Saint John. He spent 12 years inthis Assembly—as a member, as a ministerholding many portfolios, as Government HouseLeader, and as Deputy Premier. He went on toserve eight years as a Member of Parliament forthe constituency of Saint John. He spent that timein the ministry of the government of the day,serving in two portfolios: in Forestry and inVeterans Affairs.

He had a long and distinguished career in themilitary. In the militia, he reached the rank oflieutenant colonel in the Royal New BrunswickRegiment.

Gerald Merrithew spent a lifetime in the service ofthis province, and he left a very big gap. He willcertainly go on in the memory of all of us as agreat Canadian.

A Progressive Conservative, he was first elected torepresent the single-member riding of East Saint Johnin a 1972 by-election and he was re-elected in the1974, 1978, and 1982 provincial elections. He servedas Minister of Education, Commerce andDevelopment, and Natural Resources.

Adélard SavoieOn December 3, 2004, Cy Richard LeBlanc (Dieppe-Memramcook) noted the death onAugust 27, 2004, of the late Adélard Savoie atthe age of 81 years.

It was with great sadness that we recentlylearned of the sudden death of a great Acadian,Mr. Adélard M. Savoie, of Dieppe, formerly ofNeguac. Mr. Savoie was an MLA. He was alsothe first Mayor of the beautiful municipality ofDieppe. He will be remembered, too, as a greatadministrator at the Université de Moncton.Adélard Savoie touched the lives of many people.Acadia has lost a great man. Recently, the cityof Dieppe honoured him for his enormouscontribution by naming a street Adélard-SavoieBoulevard. I ask my colleagues to join me inextending our most sincere condolences toMrs. Savoie and her family.

Adélard Savoie was elected as a Liberal representativefor the constituency of Northumberland in the 1948provincial election.