Dumville replaced as chairman

There was little fanfare Wednesday in replacing Bush Dumville, the West-RoyaltySpringvale MLA who resigned from the Liberal caucus on Jan. 31.

The Standing Committee on Education and Economic Development got underway with the nomination and election of a chairman.

With no fuss, Alan McIsaac, who stepped down as agriculture and fisheries minister after deciding not to reoffer in the 2019 provincial election, was elected as Dumville’s replacement.

Now sitting as an independent, Dumville can no longer sit on any standing committee.

Membership on the committees, explains legislative clerk assistant Ryan Reddin, is divided up based on the proportion of MLAs as they exist in recognized parties in the house.

At the time of his departure from the government caucus, Dumville was a member of the standing committees on

Agriculture and Fisheries, Education and Economic Development, which he chaired; Health and Wellness, Public Accounts and Rules, Regulations, Private Bills and Privileges.

Also, Dumville had previously served as a member and chairman of the Infrastructure and Energy committee, but ceased to be a member, and by default ceased to be the chairman, of that committee on Jan. 16, prior to his departure from government caucus.

Reddin says an MLA would normally stay in the role of chairman of a standing committee for the life of the committee, which is the duration of the general assembly.

“The chair,’’ he adds, “is in charge of maintaining order and decorum in the committee and during meetings.’’

As an independent, Dumville will have to have the house leaders agree on how much time and when he can ask questions and speak in the legislature with the final say up to the speaker.

Dumville, who is the first independent since Olive Crane in 2013, also needs to find a new office and determine where he’ll sit in the legislature.