Alberta.

• Author: Massolin, Philip
• Position: Legislative Reports

The Fall Sitting of the Third Session of the Twenty-Seventh Legislature, which commenced on October 25, 2010, and adjourned on December 2, lasted 19 sitting days and 132 sitting hours. During the sitting, the Assembly passed 13 Government Bills. A total of one Government Bill and five Private Members' Public Bills, along with other Private Members' business items, remained on the Order Paper upon the adjournment of the sitting.

Bill 17, Alberta Health Act, and other Health-Care Issues

Health-care concerns in large part marked the Fall Sitting of the Assembly, with the introduction of Bill 17, Alberta Health Act, the suspension from the Progressive Conservative caucus of the Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Health and Wellness, and an emergency debate on emergency room wait times in Alberta hospitals. The health-care issue came to a head in mid-November when the Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Health, Dr. Raj Sherman, openly criticized the Government's failure to decrease emergency room wait times. Furthermore, on November 18, a request for leave for an emergency debate on the state of emergency room services was granted and debate on this issue continued for the remainder of the sitting day.

Subsequently, Dr. Sherman was suspended from the Progressive Conservative caucus and relieved of his duties as Parliamentary Assistant. During the afternoon sitting on November 24, Dr. Sherman, sitting as an Independent Member of the Assembly, moved an amendment to Bill 17 to provide, among other things, that the lengths of stay in emergency departments accord with standards set by the Canadian Association of Emergency Room Physicians. The amendment was debated for the remainder of the afternoon sitting and during the evening sitting, which adjourned at 4:30 p.m. the following day. After further debate, the amendment was defeated and Bill 17 was passed and granted Royal Assent.

Bill 17, Alberta Health Act requires that the Minister of Health and Wellness create a Health Charter. The Health Charter sets out expectations and responsibilities within the healthcare system, creates a Health Advocate to address citizen concerns with the health-care system, and establishes a process by which the public may provide input into the development of regulations made under the Act.

Other Notable Bills

The Government Bills that received Royal Assent at the conclusion of the Fall Sitting included Bill 16, Traffic Safety (Distracted Driving)...