The 27th Canadian Regional Conference

The 27th Canadian Regional Conference of CPA was held in Regina and Saskatoon in July 1987. Among the 150 delegates and observers were representatives from every Canadian Legislature as well as parliamentarians from the United Kingdom, the Cayman Islands, Grenada and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

One of the highlights of the conference was a panel discussion on "The Parliamentarian and The Press" featuring Premier Grant Devine, of Saskatchewan, Professor David Smith of the University of Saskatchewan and Jeffrey Simpson of the Toronto Globe and Mail.

There was also a stimulating discussion of moral questions in politics. The leadoff speaker was Marty Dolin, MLA of Manitoba.

Among the other legislators who introduced topics on the agenda were Stan Darling, (House of Commons) and James Hodder, MLA (Newfoundland) who spoke on "Immigration and the Question of Refugees"; Allan Nording, MLA (Yukon) and Gerald Muirhead, MLA (Saskatchewan) on "Education and the Teaching of the Basics"; Lloyd Crouse (House of Commons) and Maximilien Polak, MNA (Quebec) on "Special Interests Groups"; T. Neil Vant, MLA (British Columbia) and Dr. Colin Stewart, MLA (Nova Scotia) on "Conflict of Interest"; Halvar Johnson, MLA (Alberta) and Douglas Reycraft, MPP (Ontario) on "Free Trade".

The host, Speaker Arnold Tusa, the conference co-ordinator Gordon Barnhart and the conference staff organised numerous social events to augment the business sessions.

The conference took place while the legislature was in session. This complicated the task of the organizing committee but did not prevent the conference from being a tremendous success.

 

Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick

The new Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick is Gilbert Finn , chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Assumption Mutual Life Insurance Co. Born in Inkerman, N.B., and now a resident of Dieppe, N.B., Mr. Finn, 66, will replaced George Stanley who has been ill for some time.

As chairman of the Atlantic Enterprise Board, which recommends projects to the provincial Minister for Regional Development, Mr. Finn was the driving force behind the founding of Le Matin, the Government backed French language daily newspaper in New Brunswick. A graduate of the Seminaire de Chicoutimi and Laval University, he has been active in numerous community organisations, including the University of Moncton and the New Brunswick Productivity Council.

 

Table Officer Appointments

There have been changes recently among Officers at the Table in Alberta, Saskatchewan and the House of Commons.

The new Clerk of the House of Commons is Robert Marleau. Born and educated in Cornwall he holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Ottawa. After a brief career as a high school teacher, he joined the House of Commons in 1969 where he served with the Committees Branch from 1969 to 1974. For the next seven years he was with the Parliamentary Relations Secretariat.

In 1981 he was promoted to Principal Clerk of the Committees and Private Legislation Branch and in 1983 became Clerk Assistant (Legal). He was appointed Clerk of the House in July 1987 replacing C.B. Koester who becomes special advisor to the Speaker of the House.

The new Deputy Clerk is Mary Ann Griffith. A graduate of Carleton University she has served in a number of capacities with the House since 1970 . She has been a committee clerk, executive assistant to the administrator, and to the Clerk, principal Clerk in charge of the Table Research Bureau and most recently Clerk Assistant (Research).

In Alberta, Speaker David Carter, announced the appointment of David McNeil as Clerk and Miss Karen South as Deputy Clerk. Originally from Calgary Dr. McNeil is a graduate in Engineering from the University of Alberta and Management Services from the University of Waterloo. He joins the Legislative Assembly after serving as Director of Executive Programs with the Government of Saskatchewan. Previously, he held increasingly responsible managerial roles with the Government of Alberta, Associated Kellogg Ltd., Bechtel Canada and Kodak Canada. Dr. McNeil has also lectured in Management at the University of Waterloo and the University of Alberta.

Karen South has been employed by the Legislative Assembly Office for the past six years, the last four as the Assistant Clerk. She graduated from the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology in 1976 and has worked in the public and private sectors in increasingly responsible secretarial and administrative positions. For the past six months, she has been the Acting Clerk.

In Saskatchewan the new Clerk Assistant is Greg Putz. Born and raised in Saskatchewan, he is a graduate of the University of Regina and has an M.A. in history from the University of Western Ontario. He was previously employed in Ottawa by the Canadian Institute for Historical Micro Reproductions.