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2009 Jun 15 (Mon)

Returning Officer Appointments Day 3

Kevin Taft raises concerns about the method used to fill the positions of Election Day Officials

 

February 19, 2009 Alberta Hansard 131

Returning Officer Appointments

 

Dr. Taft: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday the Deputy Premier failed to answer basic questions about the appointment of returning officers for the last election. On an issue that important the Deputy Premier needs to be open and accountable to Albertans. My question is back to the Deputy Premier. How does he justify to this Assembly a policy in which six written requests from the Chief Electoral Officer, an officer of this Assembly, are ignored and the key nonpartisan responsibility of appointing returning officers is turned over to a political party?

 

The Speaker: The hon. the Deputy Premier.

 

Mr. Stevens: Yes, Mr. Speaker. I think the Justice minister should respond to this.

 

The Speaker: The hon. Minister of Justice and Attorney General.

 

Ms Redford: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We've had the opportunity to review the suggestions that have been made by the hon. member. Our records do indicate that responses were made appropriately at the time, that requests made by the Chief Electoral Officer were responded to, and that's all we could do.

 

Dr. Taft: That's pretty pathetic, then, isn't it? Mr. Speaker, the Chief Electoral Officer contacted this government six different times in writing about appointing returning officers, and the Deputy Premier was the person receiving those submissions. Does the Deputy Premier really expect Albertans to believe that he cannot remember this happening, or is he simply

hiding the truth?

 

Speaker's Ruling

Questions about a Previous Responsibility

The Speaker: Well, actually, if we look at Beauchesne 409(6), it says:

A question must be within the administrative competence of the Government. The Minister to whom the question is directed is responsible to the House for his or her present Ministry and not for any decisions taken in a previous portfolio.

So it's appropriate that the Minister of Justice and Attorney General

be the one who responds.

 

Ms Redford: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I understood the suggestion to be that the government did not respond to the request, and I'm advising the House that it is my information as Minister of Justice that we did respond to the request.

 

The Speaker: The hon. member.

Dr. Taft: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Minister of Justice: is she saying that in testimony last week the Chief Electoral Officer lied or misled the Legislative Offices Committee when he indicated that he did not receive a response from the then Justice minister?

 

Ms Redford: I won't draw a conclusion either way, Mr. Speaker. I will simply advise the House that it is my information and I have been advised that we did respond to the request.

 

Date: Mon Jun 15 14:53:56 MDT 2009 changed by: Rebecca IP: 199.213.91.1