HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Citizens News, 1977-02-23, Page 12Page 12 Citizens News, February 23, 1977
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By JACK RIDDELL
MPP Huron -Middlesex
During the week of January 7
applications were mailed to
340,000 recipients of the
Guaranteed Income Supplement
and Spouse Allowance who reside
in Ontario. As indicated at that
time it is essential that these
applications are returned to the
Health and Welfare Ministry of
the Federal Government prior to
March 31, so that the Ministry
can ensure continuity of payment
from March through to April.
Reminders to all recipients of
the Guaranteed Income Sup-
plement to submit their ap-
plications on time will be sub-
mitted periodically. A reminder
was sent during the week of
February 4, to those people who
have no income and who are
receiving maximum benefits. It
follows from this that such
recipients are not waiting for T-4
slips before submitting their
applications.
Additional reminders will be
sent on March 2, and subsequent
dates to all people who have
failed to return their ap-
plications. Again I repeat that it
is essential that these ap-
plications be returned to the
Health and Welfare Department
prior to March 31.
Return forms for supplement
I am sure many of my con- Many school boards will
stituents are wondering about the continue to have a Heritage Day
observance of Heritage Day and or Heritage Week as part of the
so I will take this opportunity to curriculum in February this year
bring you up to date on this as in other years, giving special
matter. emphasis to the rich variety of
For the last three years historical and cultural traditions
promotion of interest in Heritage in our society.
Day has been a special project of At the end of the Fall session,
Heritage Canada, an the Ontario Legislature adopted
organization created by the some 48 new procedures. The new
Federal Government in the rules were produced by a
Heritage preservation field. Last Committee of the Legislature,
year many Kinsmen's clubs were based upon research and study
also involved in promoting material and the many recom-
Heritage Day. mendations of the Ontario
In response to a question in the Commission on the Legislature.
Legislature last spring, the The Commission was, as you will
Minister of Culture and no doubt recall, appointed in 1972,
Recreation said the position the in recognition of the fact that it
Government of Ontario had taken was necessary to enhance the
on Heritage Day, was that the role of parliament and the power
Ontario Government would wait of parliamentarians. The
to recognize the occasion when it Commission members were
was proclaimed a National Conservative Dalton Camp,
holiday day or Day of Obser- Liberal Farquhar Oliver and
vance by the Federal Govern- New Democrat Douglas Fisher.
ment. While some people may con -
On December 21, 1976, the sider the new rules to be a major
Secretary of State for Canada break -through, they are for the
placed before Parliament for most part of a minor or
first reading Bill C-30 entitled, An housekeeping character. Some
Act Respecting Certain Holidays. are no more than repetitions of
The Legislation is not expected to current rules which have
receive third reading and be somehow become distorted,
proclaimed in time for this year usually to the Government's
and some changes to the section advantage.
on Heritage Day may be made in For example, proposed
the Committee stage, legislation may not be called for
For instance while Heritage second reading, that is approval
Canada has encouraged ob- in prinicple, until it has been
servance on the third Monday in printed, which enables Members
February, last year Alberta to know what they are debating.
recognized the first Monday in This rule is repeated as if it were
August as Heritage Day, and new, because the Government
some operators of winter resorts has often made a practice of
are known to favour the second pushing through bills before they
Monday in February to avoid the are available in printed form.
crush of American visitors The daily Question Period has
celebrating Washington's bir- been lengthened to one hour,
thday, coming on the same which means that more Members
weekend as Canadians will have an opportunity to ask
celebrating Heritage Day. questions during the additional
fifteen minutes. Party Leaders
will be allowed two questions,
and the remainder of the time
will be allotted to .the other
Members, taking turns in
rotation.
Currently, there is no
requirement in the parliamen-
tary system that the government
must answer questions. A
Minister may or may not answer
as he pleases, and he may how
he chooses. There is only one
recourse available to a Member
who is dissatisfied with an an-
swer to an oral question, and that
is to force a half-hour debate
before the Legislature rises on
Tuesday nights, popularly called
"the late show." In fact, written
questions frequently stay on the
Order Paper, unanswered, until
the Legislature prorogues.
Of course, this situation could
easily be rectified by simply
abolishing the rule that a
Minister is not obliged to answer,
thereby making it possible to
table a motion of censure for
failure to reply. However, neither
the Special Committtee nor the
Legislature approached the
problem in this way.
Instead, the new rules provide
for another "late show" on
Thursday nights, for Members
dissatisfied with answers to oral
questions. With respect to written
questions, a Minister will have to
say within 14 days either that he
isn't going to answer, or that the
answer will be costly or time-
consuming to prepare.
Under the , new rules, bills
submitted by non-government
Members may become law. For
the first time, there is provision
for a Private Member's Bill to
receive second and third reading.
Traditionally these bills have
been debated for an hour and
then allowed to "die", but in
future two of these bills will be
debated each Thursday afternoon
with each of the parties taking
turns in rotation to present this
type of legislation. Unless there is
an objection raised by twenty
Members, each item will come to
a vote at 6 p.m. that same af-
ternoon.
Pork producers
name executives
Five new directors have joined
the Huron County Pork
Producers Association but the
executive will remain unchanged
for 1977.
Elmer Harding, RR 1, Gorrie,
will stay on as president. Vice-
president Tom Papple of RR 4,
Seaforth and secretary -treasurer
Lloyd Stewart of RR 1, Clinton
will also continue in office. They
were re-elected at the
association's annual meeting in
Clinton.
The new director's are:
Colborne Township, Harm
Kloeze, RR 1, Gorrie; Stanley
Township, John Paul Rau, RR 2,
Zurich; McKillop Township,
Robert Robinson, RR 4, Walton;
Stephen Township, Simon Brand,
RR 1, Exeter; and Morris
Township, Dan Henry, RR 1,
Bluevale.
NO, YOU ARE NOT SEEING DOUBLE — Colleen, left and Christa
Keller are hard to tell apart when they get out on the ice in the Zurich
arena, the two girls even skate alike and are not adverse to giving
each other a helping hand. photo by McKinley
These changes will greatly
enhance the role of the M.P.P.
who will now have the same
power as a Cabinet Member to
introduce legislation, which may
subsequently be passed under his
name. With this prestige will
come an added responsibility. As
it is unlikely that a Member will
have more than one opportunity
to submit a Bill, he must choose
an issue or an item which appeals
to the majority of the House and
is of province -wide importance.
The rules make it clear that no
bill of this type may involve the
expenditure of public money.
This is in accordance with the
age-old parliamentary tradition
which gives only the Government
the right to collect and impose
taxes and to spend taxpayer's
money.
I have mentioned that 20
Members may prevent a Bill
from being voted upon. This
provision differs from the British
system, which allows one
member's objection to prevent
the vote, and will ensure that
each bill receives the scrutiny
that will prevent an erratic piece
of legislation from becoming law.
It will also force those who op-
pose a bill to organize their op-
positon and to find serious
reasons for their opposition.
Access to background material
will be given to Members for any
government bill or policy
statement. This will allow
Opposition Members and
government back -benchers an
opportunity to be briefed on the
background to government ac-
tion, and is a major step towards
the concept of freedom of in-
formation in the Province.
Additional copies of bilis are to
-be printed so that members of the
public will have a greater op-
portunity to study controversial
bills before these are debated.
Please contact me if you would
like any further information on
any of these changes, or if you
wish to receive a copy of a par-
ticular bill.
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