October 27,

2011 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS Vol. XLVII

No. 1

Members met in the Assembly Chamber on the afternoon of October 27, 2011 for

the Election of a Speaker.

SERGEANT-AT-ARMS: All rise.

Mr. Clerk, His Honour the Administrator has arrived.

CLERK (MacKenzie): Admit His Honour the Administrator.

SERGEANT-AT-ARMS: It is the wish of His Honour the Administrator that all

present be seated.

CLERK: I have a Proclamation from His Honour the Lieutenant Governor:

"TO: Honourable David B. Orsborn

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Trial Division.

GREETING;

A PROCLAMATION

WHEREAS I have deemed it expedient that the Forty-Seventh General

Assembly of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador should be summoned for the

despatch of business on Thursday, the 27 th day of October, 2011,

whereof I have given notice in my Proclamation dated the 24 th day of

October, 2011;

AND

WHEREAS it is not convenient that the purposes for which I have

called the said General Assembly together should be declared until the Members

of the House of Assembly have proceeded to the choice of a Speaker;

NOW THEREFORE , I, the Lieutenant Governor of the Province of Newfoundland

and Labrador, do authorize and direct you, the said Honourable David B. Orsborn,

to signify to the Members of the said House of Assembly on the 27 th

day of October, 2011 that it is my pleasure that they should proceed to the

choice of some person to be their Speaker and to present such person for my

approbation on the date on which the purposes for which I have called the said

General Assembly together are to be declared."

His Honour the Administrator.

ADMINISTRATOR (Honourable David B. Orsborn): Members of the House of

Assembly, I have it in command of His Honour the Lieutenant Governor to acquaint

you that it is not convenient that the purposes for which he has called the

General Assembly together should be declared until the Members of the House of

Assembly have chosen a Speaker. It is therefore His Honour's will that you, the

Members of the House of Assembly, do proceed to the election of a Speaker.

SERGEANT-AT-ARMS: All rise, please.

[His Honour the Administrator leaves the Chamber]

CLERK: Please be seated.

At the close of nominations for the Office of Speaker at 4:30 yesterday, two

candidates put their names forward: Mr. Tom Osborne and Mr. Ross Wiseman. Mr.

Tom Osborne has since withdrawn his candidacy. Accordingly, further to suborder

4 (4) of the Standing Orders, I declare Mr. Ross Wiseman elected as Speaker for

the Forty-Seventh General Assembly.

[Applause]

[The hon. the Premier and the hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition lead

Mr. Wiseman to the Speaker's Chair]

MR. SPEAKER (Wiseman): Ladies and gentlemen of the House, thank you very

much.

Please be seated.

[Laughter]

MR. SPEAKER: That was my first order of business.

Ladies and gentlemen of the House, thank you very much. It is indeed an

honour to be elected as the Speaker of this House, this great Assembly.

For those of you who were sworn in this morning for the first time, this is

your first opportunity to sit in this House. After being here for

eleven-and-a-half years, I can tell you it is truly an honour to sit here and to

represent the people of your constituencies. You will find that your experience

here will be a rewarding one, challenging on occasion but a very rewarding one.

For those of you who are returning, congratulations on your re-election.

This is about to start a new session of the Legislature and I really wanted

to take this opportunity to welcome you all back. For the new people coming in,

congratulations on your success.

I want to acknowledge as well the outgoing Speaker, the former Member for

Bonavista South, in the Speaker's gallery.

[Applause]

MR. SPEAKER: I want to acknowledge, in the gallery today, my parents

Victor and Pearl Wiseman, my daughter Melissa Mulrooney, and my wife Sandra who

has been a strong supporter of mine for the last eleven-and-a-half years. In

fact, you might find this hard to believe but she supports me more than you

people do.

[Applause]

MR. SPEAKER: Thank you very much for being here today and helping us

celebrate this wonderful afternoon.

This Legislature is a wonderful place to be, and it is always an honour to be

here and to represent our constituents, but we do not do our jobs without a lot

of support. I really want to thank Elizabeth Gallagher for coming back today and

acting as our Sergeant-at-Arms.

[Applause]

MR. SPEAKER: For those of us who have been here before, you will recall

that Elizabeth retired in the spring; but she agreed to come back today, for

this one day, for this ceremony. So thank you, Elizabeth, for that.

We have all witnessed her fourteen years of dedicated service, and her

commitment to the task at hand was always recognized.

I always wondered, Elizabeth, how you would sometimes sit there for hours

upon end listening to what was sometimes very spirited debate and sometimes

not-so-spirited debate, but you had patience and tolerance through all that

period.

Thank you for the tremendous service, not just to this Legislature but to the

people of Newfoundland and Labrador, and thank you for coming back today

(inaudible).

[Applause]

MR. SPEAKER: For those of you who have been around to experience some of

my time here during the last eleven years, you must have been somewhat surprised

to know that I wanted to become the Speaker of the House of Assembly where

brevity is the order of the day and you will hear me frequently call you to task

and tell you your time has run out. So do not get any ideas that now you will be

at liberty to speak on end just because I am the Speaker. It is one of those

practices: Do as I say rather than do as I do.

I look forward to the opportunity to serve this House. I look forward to the

opportunity to continue to serve the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. I look

forward to the co-operation and support continuing from all sides of this House

as we move into the next session of the Legislature.

With that, I do thank you and look forward to working with all of you, all

three Parties, in a very co-operative way as we move forward.

There has been lots said about the House, how we function, how we do not

function, but I think there is one thing that is really important. All of us

here have one thing at heart, a single focus: to serve the people of

Newfoundland and Labrador. I think it is an obligation of all of us to come

together in this Legislature to serve their best interests.

My role as the Speaker is to try to facilitate that process and help the

debate, help the discussion, move forward in the best interests of Newfoundland

and Labrador.

Again, thank you for your support. I look forward to working with all Parties

and all individuals in this Legislature. Have a wonderful afternoon.

[Applause]

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the Leader of the

Official Opposition, that the Member for Lewisporte be appointed Deputy Speaker

for the Forty-Seventh General Assembly.

MR. SPEAKER: The motion is that the Member for Lewisporte be nominated as

the Deputy Speaker.

All those in favour, aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.

MR. SPEAKER: Contra-minded?

Motion carried.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the Leader of the

Official Opposition, that the Member for Mount Pearl North be appointed Deputy

Chair of Committees for the Forty-Seventh General Assembly.

MR. SPEAKER: The motion is that the Member for Mount Pearl North be

appointed Deputy Chair of Committees.

All those in favour, aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.

MR. SPEAKER: Opposed?

The motion is carried.

[Applause]

MR. SPEAKER: I have a message from the Lieutenant Governor:

"WHEREAS I think fit to formerly open the 47 th General Assembly of

Newfoundland and Labrador by declaring the purpose of summoning the said General

Assembly;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, the Lieutenant Governor of the Province of Newfoundland

and Labrador, shall declare the purposes of summoning the said General Assembly

when the Members next meet at the formal opening of the First Session of the

Forty-Seventh General Assembly at 2:00 p.m. on Monday, the 5 th day of

March, 2012, of which all persons concerned are hereby required to take due

notice and govern themselves accordingly."

The hon. the Government House Leader.

MS BURKE: Mr. Speaker, I move that this House do now adjourn.

MR. SPEAKER: The motion is that this House now do adjourn.

All those in favour, aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.

MR. SPEAKER: Contra-minded?

AN HON. MEMBER: Division.

MR. SPEAKER: Division has been called.

Division

MR. SPEAKER: You have all heard the motion.

All in favour of the motion, please stand.

CLERK: Premier Dunderdale, Ms Burke, Mr. King, Mr. Hedderson, Ms

Sullivan, Mr. O'Brien, Mr. Dalley, Mr. Marshall, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Felix Collins,

Mr. Terry French, Mr. Tony Cornect, Mr. Tom Osborne, Mr. David Brazil, Mr. Sandy

Collins, Ms Charlene Johnson, Mr. Glenn Littlejohn, Mr. Keith Russell, Mr. Nick

McGrath, Mr. Dan Crummell, Mr. Paul Lane, Mr. Glen Little, Mr. Eli Cross, Mr.

Wade Verge, Mr. Ray Hunter, Mr. Calvin Peach, Mr. Steve Kent, Mr. Pollard, Mr.

Kevin Parsons, Mr. Davis, Mr. Hutchings, Mr. Forsey, Mr. Dinn, Mr. Granter, Ms

Perry.

MR. SPEAKER: All opposed?

CLERK: Ms Jones, Mr. Ball, Mr. Parsons, Mr. Edmunds, Ms Michael, Ms

Rogers, Mr. Murphy, Mr. Mitchelmore.

Mr. Speaker, the ayes thirty-five, the nays eight.

MR. SPEAKER: The motion is carried.

This House will now adjourn.