I have a few general comments with respect to the budget of the Legislative Assembly. On the issue of the lighting that Ms. Lee referred to, I think it's already a foregone conclusion that we spent a lot of money on this building. I had my reservation about it when the money was first expended and when we were first making plans for a building of this nature. But I do think the lighting does enhance the very high priced architecture of this building. It was supposed to look like an igloo. With the lighting, it does look really nice. If we were going to spend all that money on a building that looked like this, we might as well highlight it.
One issue that I want to bring up was, when we talk about capital improvements around this building, as I said, it's a very nice building. I have visited a lot of legislatures in my work as committee chair and I have toured a lot of other Legislative Assemblies in Canada. Certainly, we have a very nice facility here. One thing that is very sadly lacking here is parking. I wanted to comment on an incident which happened here the day that our Finance Minister invited many people to a reception to celebrate the presentation of his first budget. Literally, by the time you put all the people who work in this building, those of us who have offices here, put them in the parking lot, there are no other parking spaces available. So we invite all these people here, we should put on the bottom of all our invitations, take a cab, because there is no place to park. Whilst we were in here, hearing the news of our Finance Minister's budget, security was having vehicles towed away out front. I know that was an intervention that they took which is their job and I'm not criticizing them for that, but I just think it's sad to have a $25 million or $30 million building and no place to park. We've got the Great Hall so people can hold functions here, but if we're here -- those of us who work in this building are here -- there is no place to park whatsoever. I think we seriously need to look at that.
We have put quite an effort into preserving the natural vegetation around this building, which is admirable, but if we don't have a place to park, it kind of diminishes the usefulness of the building, as far as I'm concerned. So I think parking is something I would like to have looked at. I know there have been lots of little upgrades of extra parking stalls here and there for contractors and different things like that, but even if we take a chunk of that circular area out there and turn it into parking I think we need to consider that.
One other thing that I would like to comment on is -- and maybe this is something that needs to be done internally or by some kind of payroll deduction or something -- when our most recently departed Speaker, Mr. Whitford, left the Assembly we have no policy or procedure on recognizing those people. Now upstairs in our hallway there, going down to the Ministers' corridor, there are portraits of former Speakers. I just find that it's left to happenstance of chance whether or not people holding some of these positions get thanked or recognized in any way. I understand when our Clerk departed it was an initiative of the staff to thank and recognize him, but then when one of us amongst us has served in a capacity like that and can depart here with not even a tea party or anything costly or otherwise...The reason why I make a point of this is I think we need a policy on this. If it's a Members' payroll deduction or something like that, that's fine. But we need to be a little bit more conscious of some of those kinds of protocols. I still think something should be done for the former Speaker and I certainly will be willing to participate in that if we can find the right time and date to do that.
One of the things I was curious about, too, is that in the 13th Assembly when we all first arrived here we passed a motion in the House with respect to any Members' or Ministers' indemnities allowances including entertainment that would include the cost of alcohol. We had passed a motion in the 13th Assembly that would not allow government functions at government expense to include the purchase of alcohol. I don't know if that policy, now two assemblies later, is still in place or not. It's one that I supported. I mean, if we have an event and we want to have a cash bar, no problem, but I am just only concerned specifically with taxpayers' money being used to entertain people, entertain ourselves when it comes to the use of alcohol. I think it was for a reason that we made that motion because it made a statement and I think we're all capable of picking up that tab.
I guess that's about all I wanted to comment on. Specifically I'd like to know if there are any plans in the works for additional parking around this building. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.