23 June 2007

What Tom said on the Green report

Exerpt from an interview with Deputy Premier Tom Rideout, aired on CBC radio On the Go, Friday, June 22, 2007:

Well, first of all, let me say that any changes made to the Green Report and the legislation that accompanied the Green Report were made in total concurrence and consent with Chief Justice Green.

Not one T was uncrossed or not one I undotted without, without his consent or his concurrence. There are certain aspects of the Green Report that, that he didn't develop a regulatory regime on. For example, the number of trips that members can take to their district and be reimbursed for, the number of days they can be out of their district and in St. John's and be reimbursed for. He made some general recommendations but no firm conclusions.

So, that matter has to be addressed by a management board, a new management board of the House which has to be, which has to be put in place and report and he concurred that that can't happen, you know, that has to take time to happen an that the recommendation, those recommendations could only come in effect at some time in the future.

And he agreed and we all agreed that the effective date ought to be the election day, which is October ninth. So, there are mechanical matters, there are other matters, for example, like, like a software program that reports automatically on members' expenses. It's in place in some departments now; it's not even, it hasn't even been put in place in the House of Assembly yet. These are mechanical things that have to be put in place and take time to put in place. He agreed to that and he agreed
that those, that it was necessary to reflect that in the schedule of the Act that we passed through the Legislature. So, it was done with his consent and with his concurrence.

-srbp-