Political career Wayne Cao

wayne cao elected deputy speaker , chairman of whole assembly committees, legislature, alberta, canada, april 2008

in april 2008, elected legislator colleagues deputy speaker of legislative assembly of alberta, defeating len mitzel , bridget pastoor in secret ballot.

legislative initiatives

cao has moved large number of private member s bills. of these, 1 pass 2001 s alberta official song act, established contest province s official song, winner selected party committee of legislature. passed support of members parties, although progressive conservative rob renner felt province s official song should known albertans rather new song composed occasion, , liberal hugh macdonald argued no official song necessary, since alberta had unofficial song , alberta bound (which macdonald recalled hearing ian tyson sing @ closing ceremonies of 1988 winter olympics, although song, along 4 strong winds, sung @ opening ceremonies tyson , gordon lightfoot, song s composer , singer). ensuing competition selected alberta, composed mary kieftenbeld, province s official song. cao followed bill efforts encourage translation of o canada languages spoken canadians; composed vietnamese version , sang on canadian broadcasting corporation.

wayne cao, deputy speaker, legislature, alberta, canada 2008

cao made headlines in 2007 school (canadian history content) amendment act, have mandated 75% of instructional hours in high school social studies courses devoted canadian history. several mlas spoke in opposition bill, including liberals bill bonko (who felt, former school trustee, percentage should mandated local school boards) , harry chase, new democrat david eggen (who suggested global history or more important canadian history), , progressive conservative education minister ron liepert (who agreed eggen , extolled virtues of implemented existing social studies curriculum). outside of legislature, progressive conservatives neil brown , len webber expressed reservations decision being made @ political, rather local, level. legislature adjourned before bill came vote.

cao sponsored employment standards (parental leave) amendment act, have combined provisions adoptive leave , maternity leave , extended them 27 weeks (alberta s maternity leave provisions were, @ time, least generous in country). first introduced bill in 1999, legislature adjourned before reached second reading. re-introduced in 2000, when several mlas, including liberals don massey, laurie blakeman, linda sloan, , percy wickman , progressive conservatives moe amery, karen kryczka, , mary anne jablonski, spoke in support of bill on second reading. shiraz shariff spoke against, citing concerns business community hadn t been sufficiently consulted. bill passed second reading 34 votes in favour , 4 (gary friedel, richard magnus, barry mcfarland, , rob renner) against. however, legislature adjourned while bill still in committee.

in 2008, cao sponsored alberta volunteer service medal act, have established medal exceptional volunteers. received bipartisan support progressive conservatives jonathan denis, carl benito, neil brown, , greg weadick , liberals hugh macdonald , darshan kang, hoisted on motion progressive conservative fred horne. bill s opponents included liberal harry b. chase (who felt government s role in volunteer recognition should come in form of support, rather in form of after-the-fact recognition) , progressive conservatives richard marz (who argued medals should restricted had risked lives), heather forsyth (who concerned level of bureaucracy in bill), george rogers (who suggested duplicated existing government programs), ray prins (who concerned singling out individual volunteers demean contributions of weren t recognized), , doug griffiths (who echoed rogers arguments , expressed concern proposed award have built in bias in favour of volunteers large organizations).

his other private member s bills have included 1997 s highway traffic amendment act, 2002 s environmental protection , enhancement (residential land disclosure) amendment act, 2003 s financial summit act, , 2004 s government accountability (identification of expenditures) amendment act, none of reached second reading.

in addition private member s bills, cao has sponsored government bill, tobacco tax amendment act of 2003. bill in response increase in number of albertans buying tobacco products out of province, after government imposed taxes on import of tobacco products alberta saw taxes on such goods more double. passed after little debate. cao sponsored successful private bill in 1998, tanya marie bryant adoption termination act.