New Brunswick.

• Author: Davies, Shayne
• Position: Legislative Reports - Report

The Fall sitting of the Second Session of the 56th Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick, which opened on November 27, 2007, adjourned on December 20, 2007, after sitting a total of 15 days. The agenda of the House for the Fall sitting was devoted to debating the Throne Speech, capital budget, and various pieces of legislation and private members' resolutions.

Capital Budget

On December 11 the Minister of Finance, Victor Boudreau, introduced the 2008-2009 Capital Budget, which totals $486 million. Excluding the one-time Trans-Canada Highway payment made in 2007-2008, the 2008-2009 Capital Budget is the largest in New Brunswick history. The focus of the capital budget is the $325.8 million investment in the rehabilitation of the province's existing roads, bridges and highway infrastructure. The province will also move from the current approach of road infrastructure management to an Asset Management System, which is the first of its kind in Canada. The capital budget also includes $57.5 million for health care; $41.6 million for K-12 schools; $3.0 million for community colleges; $5.5 million investment in tourism infrastructure; $16.1 million for municipal infrastructure; $22.5 million for buildings and other public infrastructure; and $14.0 million to upgrade the provincial fleet of vehicles.

Legislation

Premier Shawn Graham introduced twenty-three Bills during the course of the Fall sitting. Among the noteworthy pieces of government legislation introduced in the House were the following:

* Bill 4, An Act Respecting Payday Loans, introduced by the Minister of Justice and Consumer Affairs, Thomas J. Burke, to provide a consumer protection framework for short-term, small-dollar amount loans. The Bill sets limits on the costs of borrowing and regulates business practices of payday lenders within the province.

* Bill 8, Public Interest Disclosure Act, introduced by the Minister of Human Resources, Wally Stiles, to facilitate the disclosure and investigation of wrongdoing in the public service. The Bill provides for processes by which employees can make good-faith disclosures of suspected government wrongdoing; empowers the Conflict of Interest Commissioner to receive and investigate any disclosed incidents; and provides job protection should any employee suffer workplace reprisal after making a disclosure.

* Bill 11, An Act to Amend the Employment Standards Act, introduced by the Minister of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour, Dr. Ed...