Groups welcome proposed changes

Coalition welcomes motion to modernize legislative sitting times

The Coalition for Women in Government is welcoming a motion to modernize sitting times in the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island.

The coalition has long advocated for such a change.

“We’re thrilled to see some movement to modernize the legislature,” noted Dawn Wilson, the group’s executive director.

The group maintains the changes will better support the participation of women and people of all genders as MLAs. “The Coalition first recommended changes to evening sitting times almost 10 years ago, after extensive consultation with Island women, MLAs, and experts,” Wilson said. “The current hours of the Legislature were created to accommodate the passenger train schedule, which ended in 1968. The sitting hours, however, have only been slightly tweaked since the days of the train schedule, and we agree that a change is entirely appropriate at this time.”

The P.E.I. Legislature is in the minority among provinces and territories in holding sitting hours past 6 p.m., and, in fact, is one of only three jurisdictions that hold sitting hours past 7 p.m. “Parliaments across Canada, including that of P.E.I., were designed at a time when democratic process excluded the voices and experiences of women, when women didn’t have the right to vote or be considered ‘persons’ under the law,” noted Jane Ledwell, of the P.E.I. Advisory Council on the Status of Women. “It is not surprising, then, that certain aspects of parliamentary institutions fail to meet the needs of women members.” Ledwell said modernizing the system with family-friendly updates can make parliaments more inclusive spaces not only for women, but also for people of all genders and people who live outside of Charlottetown.