Agreed.

---Agreed

Expenditures On Behalf Of Members

Agreed.

---Agreed

Office Of The Chief Electoral Officer

Agreed.

---Agreed

Commissioner Of Official Languages

Agreed.

---Agreed

Mr. Chairman, I wonder if I could get consent to go back to ask just one general question?

I apologize to Members. I thought that this particular topic would be outlined. I have some concerns about the Conflict of Interest Commissioner and about what we are going to do as an Assembly to ensure that we don't have the sort of thing that happened to the Premier, where someone

can make a totally unsubstantiated complaint against an MLA at considerable cost to the Legislative Assembly.

Mr. Speaker, one thing that I think perhaps should be in the Legislative Assembly budget book is a page specifically for that particular cost so the public can really see at the end of the day exactly what the cost is. The reason I would like to ask the Speaker is because the Speaker, probably more than any Minister, is the one that would probably have to lead any changes that the Legislative Assembly might want to consider. Are there any thoughts, Mr. Speaker, to put in some parameters under which people can make a complaint? If someone makes, as the last one did, a complaint that the Commissioner finds irresponsible, for instance, could they have to pay for the cost of the inquiry?

I really think that we, as an Assembly, should at least talk about this and discuss it. I am not quite sure exactly what the format would be to discuss it. I think it's important that if we don't deal with this issue, who knows, the next time around there could be a complaint a month against MLAs for any number of reasons. I, for one, support the concept -- if there are legitimate complaints against MLAs, MLAs obviously should be held accountable -- but I don't think that means an open hunting licence on every MLA because someone doesn't like them.

So I wonder if the Speaker has any thoughts or advice to Members on how this issue might be handled?

Mr. Chairman, that was brought up during the last Management and Services Board meeting as a result of the last complaint to come before the Conflict of Interest Commissioner. The discussion was on how we might be able to address the situation that arose as a result of a member of the public filing complaints against the Premier. The Management and Services Board is looking at what other jurisdictions have. As well, we are looking at enacting amendments to the legislation so that we might be able to put in a fee for the filing of a complaint. We hope that by the spring session we will have a discussion paper and even an amendment.

Thank you. I am a Member of the Management and Services Board, but I thought it was important that we got that on the floor of the House so that all Members and the public are aware of the fact that there are concerns and that we are trying to deal with those concerns. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

Line By Line

Agreed.

---Agreed

Agreed.

---Agreed

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, there is no difficulty in referring to the names of officers or directors of a numbered company. There may well be some privacy issues if you refer to a shareholder, but the names of officers and directors are available in the corporate and the companies registry and it is public information. The only caution that Members may wish to take into consideration when commenting on people outside the House is the rule that generally applies to any comments made by persons outside of the House which is found in Beauchesne's and which is often incited to Members is that we have to take great care in making statements about people who are outside the House and are unable to reply.

However, I see no difficulty in answering Mrs. Marie-Jewell's request for the names of officers and directors of the numbered company. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. Chairman, may I move to the witness table and bring a witness into the Assembly, please? Thank you.