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Secondary Ticket Sales

Ms Blakeman: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. In the spring I raised my concern that this government does not protect ticket buyers, artists, and stagehands from Ticketmaster’s scheme on Internet and secondary sales. Since then governments in the U.S. and Canada have both convened inquiries and have introduced legislation on this issue. My questions are to the Minister of Service Alberta. What steps has the minister taken since the spring to protect Alberta ticket buyers, artists, and stagehands from Ticketmaster’s scheme of secondary sales?

The Speaker: The hon. minister.

Mrs. Klimchuk: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. With respect to this whole issue Service Alberta is monitoring it on a daily basis. Protecting consumers is very important. When the act is proclaimed – indeed, that is going to be happening. The legislation that we have in place, the Fair Trading Act, does protect consumers, but we are monitoring it on a daily basis because of the ongoing cases that are before the courts.

Ms Blakeman: No, it doesn’t protect them, and my question to the minister is: why? When it has the chance to protect its citizens, to protect ticket buyers, to protect artists, and to protect stage workers, why won’t this government step up and protect them?

Mr. Blackett: Mr. Speaker, we are stepping up. We’ve got Bill 18, that has yet to be proclaimed, that will indeed do what the hon. member is asking for. In the meantime, ticket selling and scalping of tickets is illegal, and when that Bill 18 is proclaimed, we’ll be addressing the issues that the hon. member mentions.

Ms Blakeman: So the minister wants us to rely for protection on a bill that has not yet been proclaimed. How is that protecting ticket buyers in Alberta, artists in Alberta, and stagehands in Alberta? You haven’t even proclaimed the legislation. It does not protect them.

Mr. Blackett: Well, Mr. Speaker, all I can say is that as the hon. member who has been in this House a lot longer than I have knows, everything doesn’t work as quickly as we would like, but we’ll take time, and when the bill is proclaimed, then we will have the protection that you are looking for.