Newfoundland and Labrador.

• Author: Murphy, Elizabeth
• Position: Legislative Reports

The 48th General Assembly of the House of Assembly resumed on March 8. Following the approbation of Speaker Tom Osborne, who was elected on December 18, Lieutenant Governor Frank F. Fagan delivered the Speech from the Throne.

Bill 1, which in this jurisdiction is not merely pro forma, was An Act To Establish An Independent Appointments Commission And To Require A Merit-Based Process For Various Appointments. This legislation was the fulfillment of an election promise. The five-member commission appointed on recommendation of the Lieutenant Governor in Council on Resolution of the House of Assembly is chaired by former Premier and former Chief Justice Clyde K. Wells.

In commemoration of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians who were killed in the First World War, the House adopted a temporary proceeding, Honour 100, during which the names of those who were killed in the First World War were read out by a different Member each day until all 1600 names had been read. Following the reading of the final 41 names the Members sang the Provincial Anthem, the Ode to Newfoundland, which was the National Anthem of the Dominion of Newfoundland during the First World War.

The Budget, which included some significant measures taken to address the provincial deficit, was passed on May 31.

On May 19, Paul Lane, MHA for Mount Pearl North and Deputy Chair of Committees, voted with the Opposition on a Private Member's...