As the honourable Member knows, and everybody in the House knows, there was a great deal of controversy as it related to the development and the changes that were required. It was with respect to the Legislation and Mine Safety Act. There was a committee in place. When I took over the ministry, it lacked what I believe was a broader base of workers' representation. We added the workers' representation to the committee, in consultation with the Federation of Labour. At that point, if you like, the process broke down. I tried, on a number of occasions, to get both sides of the equation back to the table. They chose, for whatever reason, not to. Therefore, I shut down the committee. At that point, most of the Mining Safety Act was written. They were working on what they call the regulations and 70 per cent of the regulations were done at that point. The current status of the Mining Safety Act is, though close to completion of the regulations, the door is open. We have asked everybody who was involved, all the stakeholders involved, that they have ongoing input, through the chairman of the Mine Safety Act changes committee. We have provided every opportunity we can to those who want to be involved, whether they are from the federated labour, the mine ownership, organized or unorganized labour. I am confident that we should be able to conclude the Mine Safety Act very soon. I hope it is reflective of the concerns of the groups because it is a serious piece of legislation. The door is open. Those who want to be involved in the process are. Thank you.
John Todd on Question 273-12(4): Update Of Mine Safety Act
In the Legislative Assembly on December 9th, 1993. See this statement in context.
Return To Question 273-12(4): Update Of Mine Safety Act
Question 273-12(4): Update Of Mine Safety Act
Item 5: Oral Questions
December 8th, 1993
Page 580
John Todd Keewatin Central
See context to find out what was said next.