House to meet with hybrid sitting

HALIFAX — Stay the blazes home has morphed into a hybrid attendance at the legislature.

“All three house leaders have come to an agreement of having limited numbers in the house,” Premier Iain Rankin said after a Thursday cabinet meeting.

“We can continue to operate the house that works well, moving bills forward and most members will be on virtual.”

The Speaker's office sent out a notice Thursday afternoon that said all 51 members of the assembly have been sent a proposal endorsed by the three house leaders — Geoff Maclellan of the Liberals, PC Allan Macmaster and Claudia Chender of the New Democrats — providing for a hybrid sitting, in which some members attend in person and others attend by videoconference.

The hybrid sitting, necessary to provide for physical distancing, would have the Speaker, three members from each party caucus and the two Independent members sit inperson in the legislature.

Chender said the three recognized parties can rotate the members who sit in the house from day to day.

The Speaker's office said MLAS can ask questions remotely during question period and some of the answers by ministers will also be delivered from a remote location. Voting on legislation will be done virtually.

The Liberals hold a slim majority in the 51-seat house with 26 members. The Opposition Progressive Conservatives have 18 seats, the NDP five and there are two Independents.

Rankin, elected Feb. 6 as leader of the Liberal party to replace two-term premier Stephen Mcneil, also talked about meeting with Tim Houston and Gary Burrill, the respective PC and NDP leaders.

Burrill said opposition parties have to be at different times co-operative and strong in opposition.

“The previous administration had not distinguished itself in its capacity to work respectively with opposition parties,” Burrill said. “Mr. Rankin has emphasized that's an area where he sees his party looking for improvement. I am hopeful that he will be able to bring about those improvements.”

Labi Kousoulis, the new finance minister, said he is aiming to introduce the budget the week of March 21.

Kousoulis said he had enough time to make sure that as much of Rankin's leadership campaign platform as possible has been added into the budget.

At his final cabinet meeting Mcneil had forecast a $500-million deficit because of COVID expenditures. Kousoulis said he would leave budget forecasts until budget day.