HALIFAX, TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2003
STANDING COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
9:00 A.M.
CHAIRMAN
Mr. Brooke Taylor
MR. CHAIRMAN: Let's call this meeting to order. We will start with Mr. Chipman and go around the horn, so to speak.
[The committee members introduced themselves.]
MR. CHAIRMAN: First, on behalf of the committee, if I could, if it's appropriate, I would certainly like to express our condolences to the Savage family on the passing of former Premier John Savage and extend our sympathies.
I know today's agenda is to basically set a future agenda, and it is an organizational meeting in nature. Would somebody like to begin?
MR. RUSSELL MACKINNON: First of all, Mr. Chairman, I would like to ask, how many more meetings do we have before the writ is called?
MR. CHAIRMAN: If somebody could answer that, I would open up the floor.
MR. MACKINNON: Realistically, once the House is finished up - all indications are by the end of this week or close to it - what's the process? I'm relatively new to this committee. Will there be meetings going into June? (Interruptions) No? So, we're better off just deferring everything until the Fall then.
MR. CHAIRMAN: Well, I'm certainly at the beck and call of the committee. What about the NDP representative, Mr. Epstein?
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MR. HOWARD EPSTEIN: It certainly seems the most relevant factor, I think Mr. MacKinnon is correct on that. We're going into an election, and it seems very likely most of us are going to be busy doing other things and unlikely to be able to make the time to come in for committee meetings. On the other hand, it's also very unclear when the election might be called. Even given that, even if the election were delayed as late as August or September, I would think most of us probably have pre-election things to do anyway.
I'm quite happy to follow the suggestion that we either defer this completely until after the election, or we could bring forward a tentative list that might give the committee staff something to do as soon as the election was over, in terms of lining up potential witnesses. It seems to me either approach is possible.
MR. CHAIRMAN: Yes, your comments certainly make a lot of sense. Mr. Chataway.
MR. JOHN CHATAWAY: I just wondered about these unapproved items. All these associations have expressed a desire to come forward and give us a presentation, is that correct?
MRS. DARLENE HENRY (Legislative Committee Clerk): No. These names were put forward during our organizational meeting some time ago. They were brought in by all the members.
MR. CHATAWAY: Oh, all the members. They just wanted to talk to these people, members of the committee wanted to, okay.
MRS. HENRY: Members of the committee put these forward, yes, but they haven't been approved.
MR. CHAIRMAN: I'm just wondering, I guess for the sake of productivity, if somebody wanted to put forward a motion. I unofficially canvassed some of the members yesterday on this committee about the fact that this meeting today is being held in May, of course. Then we normally suspend in the summer months. No doubt there's going to be an election one of these times and we do, as members have pointed out, have other missions that we must tend to. Would somebody perhaps like to make a motion to reflect that and then we could come back at a future day if we're still in this business, so to speak. To be quite blunt.
MR. MACKINNON: Do I detect a sense of insecurity?
MR. CHAIRMAN: Well, political business is sometimes.
MR. MACKINNON: Well, I can assure you I used to have friends, money and a good business.
MR. CHAIRMAN: Need any more surveyors, Russell?
MR. EPSTEIN: I'd like to move that the committee suspend its meetings to meet again at the call of the Chair.
MR. FRANK CHIPMAN: I second that.
MR. CHAIRMAN: The motion has been moved and seconded. Is there any question? Hearing none, would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.
The motion is carried.
[The committee adjourned at 9:07 a.m.]