Wendy Bisaro

Thank you, and thanks for that answer. I guess I would just like to ask something that’s occurred to me a couple of times as we’ve had various discussions about any number of things. There was quite some time ago a suggestion that perhaps education programs might be changed. For instance, high schools might be brought to a regional centre instead of leaving them in each individual community. Could the Premier comment on that, please?

I thank the Premier for the answer. I’m a little confused. I guess I need to ask the Premier if the intention of this initiative is that it will be a strategic initiative committee, like the other five that are currently in place.

Mr. Speaker, I guess I would try to push the Premier to fast track this project if at all possible. It is obviously one that is very dear to everyone’s hearts, and we all feel it in our pocketbooks.

My last question. I don’t know whether the review is considering changes to legislation for the PUB, but I would like to ask the Minister what priority he puts on changes to the legislation for the Public Utilities Board.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the Minister for the answer. I am concerned, though. My question is specifically related to the structure of the Power Corporation and how it operates as a business. Not having seen the terms of reference for this particular review, I’d like to get some sense from the Minister as to what kinds of things, what kinds of analyses, are going to be done on the corporation as a business under this review.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Friday, October 24, 2008, I will move the following motion.

I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that notwithstanding Rule 4, when this House adjourns on October 24, 2008, it shall be adjourned until Wednesday, February 4, 2009.

And further, that any time prior to February 4, 2009, if the Speaker is satisfied, after consultation with the Executive Council and Members of the Legislative Assembly, that the public interest requires that the House should meet at an earlier time during the adjournment, the Speaker may give notice and...

The Minister mentioned a number of actions that are currently in place to try and determine an equitable distribution of dollars and projects. Again, I say there is certainly a perception that that is not operating as efficiently as it should, or certainly it’s not to the satisfaction of Members on this side of the House.

I guess I would like to know from the Minister what actions or what things are currently in place. What do they currently do when they are looking at projects? What do they do to try and ensure that it’s a fair distribution?

Thank you. My questions today are addressed to the Minister of Finance, and I would like to thank him again for the opportunity to tell him what he should be doing.

I’d like to ask a question of the Minister relative to the changes to this year’s plan and the opportunity or the possibility of an evaluation. I’d like to know if the Minister can advise the House, and me in particular, of any plans he has to evaluate this new budget process.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Now that we have closed the book on the 2009–2010 capital budget, I would like to provide my thoughts on the process.

First, the change in timing for the consideration and approval of the Capital Acquisition Plan is a positive step. There’s a better probability that projects will get activated and started early enough to take advantage of the summer construction season, but at the moment it only works in theory. It hasn’t yet been tested. There must be an evaluation of this new process after this year — say early 2010 — to see if the change in timing really does produce...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks again to the Minister. I guess I would like to suggest that perhaps his perception of how fair things are is not the same as what’s over here and not the same as my own. If there is a per capita cost to the projects within individual communities, it certainly isn’t even. I would like to suggest that there needs to be a better opportunity for Members to feel that the distribution is even.

I’d like to ask the Minister, as a last question.... I understand that individual years certainly can vary from one year to the next or that amounts can vary per community from...

I thank the Minister for his comments. It’s always wonderful when both sides of the House are on the same page.

I mentioned in my statement that Members on this side of the House have indicated a concern with equal sharing of dollars and so on. There has also been expressed over the last several months a need for Members to have input into the Capital Plan, a need for Members to get a project on the list. I’d like to ask the Minister what he intends to do to enable Members to get a project on the list. We need a new process, because the current one isn’t working.