Mr. MacDonald: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When asked about appointments to cabinet policy committees on Tuesday, it was stated that members were paid according to order in council, but that wasn’t the question. 

The question was: how are Conservative members appointed? The Legislative Assembly Act states that to be paid for committee work, members must be appointed by order in council, by regulation, or ministerial order.

To the Premier: since we know the appointments were not made by order in council, how did the Premier appoint all 69 Conservative members to the cabinet policy committees without violating the Legislative Assembly Act?

Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, I believe the other day the member asked for a copy of the order in council. Unfortunately, I didn’t bring it with me here today, but I believe that order in council was issued close to two years ago. It’s public. For all orders in council, as soon as they’re signed, copies are left with all members of the media. I know the media has them, and we’ll make sure that a copy is given to the opposition.

The Speaker: The hon. member.

Mr. MacDonald: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Clearly, the Premier is confused and does not understand. We’re not after the order in council that set up the fee schedule for the committee work. We are after the order in council, if it does exist, for the appointments to the five cabinet policy committees that you set up so that each and every Conservative MLA last year received $1.4 million. Show us that order in council, or you’re in violation of the act.

Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, let’s be very clear. Each member did not receive $1.4 million. You know, one day we don’t have an order in council, and today we do have an order in council. All members were appointed to CPC through ministerial order. The order in council gave, very publicly, the rate of pay to those members.

Mr. MacDonald: He’s digging himself in deeper, Mr. Speaker.

Again to the Premier. If what the Premier stated on Tuesday is true, that the cabinet policy committees are “not committees of the Legislature,” why does the order in council or the ministerial order that sets out the fee schedule for these committees fall under the authority of the Legislative Assembly Act, specifically section 37?

Are you not violating that section?

Mr. Hancock: Mr. Speaker, this is almost a point of privilege at this stage.

An Hon. Member: He needs a lawyer.

Mr. Hancock: The hon. member is not entitled to ask for legal advice, but he probably should get legal advice if he can’t even read section 37 of the Legislative Assembly Act, which allows for the payment of members in a number of different circumstances. One of the ways that Members of the Legislative Assembly are paid is pursuant to the Legislative Assembly Act and the allocations under the Members’ Services Committee. Another way that Members of the Legislative Assembly are paid is if they take on other responsibilities. Some serve as members of Executive Council, some serve as members of cabinet policy committees, as an example, and some in the past have served as members of agencies, boards, and commissions, and the Legislative Assembly Act specifically allows and provides for that.

Alberta Hansard, February 25, 2010

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