Filibusters, earplug flap characterize tensions of legislature’s spring sitting
The minister of education did concede last night that all schools including private schools will have GSA policies. This was a small victory.
The spring sitting of Alberta’s legislature ended Friday on the heels of a record-breaking day and nearly 40 hours of debate on gaystraight alliances.
Session, which launched on May 21, included two filibusters, an uproar over earplugs, and a ban on desk-thumping.
Fresh off the April election, the UCP also passed 13 bills, ranging from scrapping the NDP’s carbon tax to reviving Senate nominee elections. The government followed through on numerous election promises, including legislation to decrease corporate taxes and reduce red tape.
“The biggest thing that I’m excited about is that I think this is a historical session as far as tax relief for Albertans,” said government house leader Jason Nixon.
But Friday’s conclusion followed a two-night filibuster of Bill 8, dubbed ‘Bill H8’ by the NDP.
Speaker Nathan Cooper said the record-long day clocked in at more than 46 hours, officially starting at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday. Nearly 40 hours of that was continuous debate, ending around noon Friday.
Bill 8, the Education Amendment Act, tweaked the Education Act passed under the former Progressive Conservative government in 2012. It was never proclaimed.
The NDP slammed the legislation, arguing it rolls back protections for LGBTQ students and hinders the creation of gaystraight alliances. The Opposition proposed amendments that were voted down.
“The minister of education did concede last night that all schools including private schools will have GSA policies,” said NDP deputy leader Sarah Hoffman at a Friday news conference. “This was a small victory.”
‘Record-length fights’
That filibuster followed another political standoff in June over Bill 2, which changes overtime rules and cuts the minimum hourly wage for students under 18 to $13. The NDP debated the legislation for 24 hours.
“I’m so proud of our Opposition for seeing through two record-length fights,” Hoffman said. “Albertans sent us here to be the strongest Opposition this province has ever seen.”
Nixon called the filibusters a delay tactic.
“What happened though (is) they ran into a government that wasn’t prepared to slow down the process.”
Other legislation included the controversial Bill 9, which postpones wage talks with unions until after Oct. 31.
Finance Minister Travis Toews said the Public Sector Wage Arbitration Deferral Act gives the province a “responsible path forward” while waiting for a review on finances by a blue-ribbon panel.
It spurred unions representing thousands of Alberta workers to warn of potential labour unrest, with union leaders calling the delay in negotiations an “egregious attack.”
‘Earplug- gate’
Tensions in the house heightened over what the NDP later dubbed “earplug-gate.”
Bill 9 passed just hours after Premier Jason Kenney walked among government benches and handed earplugs to his caucus as the house debated the law.
The NDP said the stunt was disrespectful and arrogant, while Kenney’s office characterized it as a “harmless and lighthearted attempt to boost government caucus morale.”
Later Kenney said he was helping a member with tinnitus.
“When they put in earplugs to drown out the voices of workers, that’s who is really being disrespected,” Hoffman said Friday.
Nixon said the situation distracted from the government’s work.
“Certainly I don’t think that you would have seen a repeat of it, and the people who were involved probably would not do it again,” he said. “The intent of it was not to disrespect the place.”
The UCP also put an end to the habit of desk-thumping after Kenney argued it was demeaning. The NDP disagreed, calling it part of Alberta’s political tradition and a way to show support.