Sitting hours must change
One wonders if the irony was lost on Jamie Fox and others who oppose adjusting the sitting hours of Prince Edward Island’s Legislative Assembly. During debate this week on Paula Biggar’s motion, Mr. Fox spoke against changes.
The Borden-Kinkora MLA said shifting sitting hours would limit public access to the legislature. “If we limit the hours and reduce the night sessions we’re actually going backwards in time.” He doesn’t seem to grasp that sitting times will not be reduced but will remain at 16 hours per week. The only change is eliminating the 7 to 9 p.m. sittings on Tuesdays and Thursdays and moving them to mornings.
Convincing arguments from women’s groups and other progressive and reform-minded Islanders have been made for years: That access to the legislature and interest in public office will be enhanced by eliminating night sittings.
Mr. Fox is supporting sitting times put in place to accommodate passenger trains eliminated 50 years ago. The era when MLAs departed the legislature to catch a train for home is lost in antiquity.
Wednesday afternoon marked opening debate on the motion. Mr. Fox argued that he relies on mornings to meet with constituents; and transferring that time to an evening would limit his family time. Yet, that same evening, Mr. Fox held a meeting with constituents concerning a roundabout in his riding. The issue affects farmers and commuters, groups who would be largely unavailable to attend a daytime meeting, so it made perfect sense to hold it that night.
Perhaps it’s time for Mr. Fox and others with concerns about shifting sitting times to actually read the motion and consider arguments in support of modernizing the house. Look around the legislature, Mr. Fox. There are five women out of 27 MLAs. P.E.I. ranks 11th among 13 provinces and territories for fewest elected women. Doesn’t it show we have a problem -- when more than half our population are women?
Evening sittings are an impediment for women to run for office, when the job means night work and being away from home, family and children. P.E.I. remains the last province in Canada with evening sitting hours. Something has to change.
Ms. Biggar wants to remove barriers. She isn’t alone. Yvonne Deagle of Miminegash, chairwoman, P.E.I. Advisory Council on the Status of Women, says adjusting the legislature’s sitting hours will be good for people with young families, and especially for women and rural Islanders.
The P.E.I. Coalition for Women in Government says adopting family-friendly practices is another way legislatures can better meet the needs of women and MLAs of all genders. In May 2006, Kirstin Lund, then-chairwoman of the advisory council, wrote a letter expressing disappointment that the Standing Committee on Privileges, Rules and Private Bills made a decision that the hours of the legislature remain with evening sitting hours.
Let’s hope that 12 years later, we have progressed beyond that point. It’s time for all parties and all MLAs to get behind this motion and take P.E.I. into the 21st century.