Newfoundland and Labrador.

• Author: Murphy, Elizabeth
• Position: Legislative Reports

The House resumed sitting on November 20th. A by-election had taken place on November 1st at which Lorraine Michael, representing the New Democratic Party, was elected in the District of Signal Hill-Quidi, succeeding Jack Harris who had resigned the seat on September 29th. There was no change in the party standings as a result of the by-election.

Reports

On October 4th the Child and Youth Advocate, Darlene Neville, released the report entitled The Turner Review and Investigation, carried out by Peter Markesteyn, concerning the drowning of 13-month old Zachary Turner by his mother in a murder/suicide in August of 2003.

On December 5th the Auditor General, John Noseworthy, tabled supplementary reports relating to excess constituency allowance claims of three sitting Members and one former Member as reported in the Autumn 2006 issue of the Canadian Parliamentary Review and an additional report relating to excess constituency allowance claims of another sitting Member, Percy Barrett, MHA (Bellevue).

The Auditor General tabled two further reports on January 8th in which he advised the House that he had identified double billings by John Hickey, MHA (Lake Melville) and Kathy Goudie, MHA (Humber Valley).

Premier Danny Williams had announced on January 4th that Mr. Hickey, would step aside from his duties as Minister of Transportation and Works and Minister Responsible for Labrador Affairs, pending the receipt of further information on a review being carried out by the Auditor General into constituency allowance claims. Trevor Taylor, MHA (Straits-White Bay North), Minister of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development, took over as acting minister in the interim.

On January 8th the Premier announced that he had reviewed the circumstances surrounding the Auditor General's findings in respect of Mr. Hickey and was confident that there had been no intentional wrongdoing. He re-instated Mr. Hickey as Minister of Transportation and Works and Minister Responsible for Labrador Affairs effective immediately.

Terry French, MHA (Conception Bay South) disclosed on January 8th that he had been interviewed by the Auditor General for double billing but that the Auditor General had decided not to file an official report on the matter after hearing Mr. French's explanation for the billings.

The Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board, Tom Marshall, MHA (Humber East) stated on January 12th that Members in receipt of overpayments had until the middle of...