Legislative reports: Assemblee Nationale.

• Author: Leonard, Denise

For the purpose of bringing a solution to the temporary closing of emergency services in certain Quebec hospitals, the Members of the National Assembly were summoned by the Premier for an extraordinary sitting on July 25, 2002, in order to adopt an act to ensure the continued provision of emergency medical services.

This act provides that at the request of the Minister of Health and Social Services, the president and executive director of a regional health board must, where an institution's emergency services are interrupted or their maintenance is threatened and the Minister is of the opinion that the situation is or is likely to be prejudicial to the medical services to which every person is entitled, confer on the head of the regional department of general medicine of the regional board the responsibility of establishing a list of on-duty physicians who are to provide medical services in the emergency services facility of the institution. The act orders the physicians designated to report to the emergency services facilities of the institutions to which they are assigned and to participate in the periods of duty specified on the lists.

Other Matters

Pursuant to the provisions of the Lobbying Transparency and Ethics Act adopted on June 13, Andre Cote, Secretary General of Laval University, was appointed Lobbyists Commissioner for a term of five years, beginning on August 5, 2002.

On October 28, 2002, Paul Begin, Member for the Electoral Division of Louis-Hebert, announced that he was resigning as Minister of Justice, Attorney General and Minister responsible for the administration of legislation respecting the professions, and that he would henceforth sit as an independent Member. The composition of the National Assembly is now as follows: Parti Quebecois, 68 Members; Quebec Liberal Party, 51 Members; Independent Members, six (five of whom are members of the Action Democratique du Quebec).

Ruling from the Chair

Following the by-elections held in the spring of 2002, which modified the composition of the Assembly by increasing from two to five the number of independent Members, on October 15, 2002 the President of the Assembly, Louise Harel, rendered her decision, firstly, on the allocation of main questions during Oral Question Period and, secondly, on the determination of the order in which Business Standing in the Name of Members in Opposition would be taken.

As regards the allocation of main questions, the President ruled, on the basis...