Provincial legislature to resume ‘fairly regular’ sittings next week

The Alberta legislature will resume sitting regularly next Wednesday, according to the provincial government.

House Speaker Nathan Cooper tweeted Wednesday he’d been informed by government house leader Jason Nixon the Legislative Assembly of Alberta would resume sitting May 27, following disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We’re excited to get back to the business of making life better for Albertans amid some very challenging times,” Nixon wrote on Twitter.

A spokesperson for Nixon declined to comment further on the timing of the decision and whether extra precautions would be in place to help prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus among politicians and staff, noting the government would have more to say next week.

While indoor gatherings remain limited to a maximum of 15 people across the province, chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw has granted the legislature an exemption from that order.

The legislature has sat periodically throughout the pandemic, including in mid-march when it passed urgent changes to the Emergency Management Act.

Alberta politicians also returned to the legislature earlier this month to debate bills tied to the COVID -19 outbreak.

Premier Jason Kenney said on Facebook Live on Wednesday sittings would be “fairly regular” moving forward.

NDP Leader Rachel Notley said she believes it’s possible for politicians to safely return to the Legislative

Assembly.

But she said she expected fewer MLAS to be physically present than normal, adding that “people’s representation will be somewhat challenged.”

“We need to be careful about it, and what that means, of course, is that we will have fewer MLAS in the house at any given time,” Notley said.

“I think at this point, now that we’re actually in a situation where the chief medical officer of health is recommending forms of reopening, it makes some more sense that we be going back now than perhaps when we’d gone back the several times that we have over the course of the past two months.”

Hinshaw said Thursday that the legislature, “like any place of business or activity that is opening,” must consider public health guidelines in effect.

“That would include the requirement for people to be two metres distant from one another at all times, for hand sanitizer to be made available, for there to be some mechanisms to ensure that if anyone is ill that they don’t attend,” she said.

If people need to be within two metres of one another, they should consider wearing masks, Hinshaw said.

Notley said her caucus has an agreement with the UCP government to share information if an MLA or a staff member tests positive for the virus.

“We still need to be focusing on things that are immediate and urgent to Albertans, and not on longsince forgotten political agendas, in order to get the job done best,” the Opposition leader said.

Most employees who would normally work at the legislature are continuing to work from home in accordance with Hinshaw’s recommendations, according to the province.

All tours and public events at the legislature have been suspended.