Bill
No. 17
The Professional Corporations Act
Mr.
Wall:
— Thank you, thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s a pleasure to be
able to stand in this legislature and enter the debate on Bill No.
17, The Professional Corporations Act. And, Mr. Speaker, we’ll
also have the opportunity later this day, I believe, to speak to
Bill No. 1. And I’m appreciative for both of those opportunities
because the remarks I have in the case of Bill No. 1 and 17 are
very similar. And, Mr. Speaker, they are based, they are based
around a belief that I have had for some time, formerly as an
economic developer, and that I maintain today, and that belief
fundamentally is that there are many things that a government can
do. Short of measures that actually cost the treasury, there are
many things that a government can do that assist, that can assist
small business — and frankly, medium-sized and large businesses
as well, Mr. Speaker. In the case of Bill No. 17, we’re talking
about an Act that if passed by this legislature would enable
professionals in our province to incorporate. And, Mr. Speaker, no
doubt government members have heard the same sort of thing that we
have heard on our side of the House as it relates to this
particular issue, specifically that professionals in the province
of Saskatchewan have for some time wanted this opportunity. They
have noted for us other jurisdictions where it’s currently
allowed and have noted for us how it is working in those
jurisdictions and how, if implemented here, would not come at a
great cost to our treasury. And yet, Mr. Speaker, would be very
important from the perspective of professionals who wish to stay
in the province of Saskatchewan and who wish to compete
successfully in the province of Saskatchewan and with their
colleagues in other jurisdictions. And so when the Bill was
introduced by the Hon. Minister of Justice, I think there was a
good deal of support for the introduction of that Bill on this
side of the House. This is an element, Mr. Speaker, that was in
the election platform of the Saskatchewan Party, heading into the
1999 election. This is an issue that we spoke to as individual
candidates and as a party. A measure that the government could
take at no great cost to the treasury, that would be welcomed by
our business community, and indeed would be an asset to one of the
business . . . one of the sectors of our economy where there is
great growth potential I think, that being the professional
services side of our economy. And so we have been calling for this
kind of a measure for some time, and we’re happy that it has
finally been introduced by this government. Mr. Speaker, as I was
mentioning at the outset of my remarks, I think that members on
this side of the House, and arguably the Minister of Justice who
has introduced this Bill, understand clearly that there are things
we can do as a government for small business, for our small
business sector in this province, that do not cost the treasury a
great deal of money, and yet can have a profound effect in terms
of enabling our business community
to compete, both within the province and across our country. There
are other things, Mr. Speaker, that this government can do as
well, I would point out, in addition to Bill 17, along those
lines. And we will continue to encourage and exhort this
government to do those things, Mr. Speaker, as it relates to red
tape that small business faces in our province. And I can think
specifically of the lag between trying to register and incorporate
your business, and when you’re actually registered and
incorporated in this province, which is still unfortunately
measured in weeks, Mr. Speaker, while other jurisdictions are
measuring that time period in days. There is another improvement
that this province can strive for, and I believe it also falls
under the purview of the Minister of Justice. And so that gives us
hope on this side of the House as well, that some action may occur
in light of the fact that it is the Minister of Justice who has
the opportunity to make this change. And so far, specifically on
the Bills I’ll be speaking to today, he seems to be the one
that’s introducing these measures into this Assembly, Mr.
Speaker. I would also point out that this government can also do
something else as it relates to . . . as it relates to the issue
of labour regulations in our province. Mr. Speaker, we can make a
great improvement in the business environment in our province, in
the environment in which our business community can thrive and
grow, if we make some fundamental changes to the labour laws
and the labour regulations here in our province. And like the
action that has been taken in Bill No. 17, this would come at very
little cost, if any, to the treasury of this province, and would
represent a major change and a major improvement in the
environment that business can operate in, here
in the province. I think specifically of the Bills that we’ve
introduced on this side of the House in the two sessions that
I’ve had the honour of participating in, Mr. Speaker. The one
Bill would simply bring a secret ballot to the workplace in terms
of people’s desire to organize or not to organize their
workplace. And the other would simply allow employers and unions
to share with the employees of any particular company the reasons
why they should or shouldn’t organize. Very common sense measures,
Mr. Speaker. Very common sense measures that would be fair to
employees and employers that would improve the business climate in
our province and would come at no cost to the treasury. And it was
in those terms and those parameters, Mr. Speaker, that I looked at
Bill No. 17. And it’s why, Mr. Speaker, I initially, on the face
of it today, can tell you that I see a lot of merit in this
particular Bill, in how it’s been drafted and how it’s been
presented. But I know, Mr. Speaker, because it has been a platform
issue of our party for some time, because it’s something we have
called on this government to do for some time, I know my
colleagues in the legislature will also want to speak to it,
because they’ve talked about this issue on the doorsteps in the
election. They’ve fielded calls in their constituency offices.
They’ve met with their business community. And I know they, like
me, will want to enter this debate, Mr. Speaker. And so, as it
relates to Bill 17, at this time I would move that we adjourn
debate. Debate adjourned.
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