Going through the motions
Sensing an end to the fall session, Greens push through agenda items on variety of topics
In what appeared to be the waning hours of the fall sitting of the P.E.I. legislature, the Opposition Greens passed several non-binding motions in the legislature on Tuesday night on topics ranging from tenancy support to green building codes.
In all, MLAs passed four motions introduced by the Green Opposition. In addition, one bill introduced by the Greens, which aimed to require shortterm rental operators to provide data to the Department of Economic Growth, Tourism and Culture, passed third reading on Tuesday.
While the motions were non-binding, Green Opposition house leader Hannah Bell said they could be used to push the governing provincial Conservatives in the future.
“We know the power of ‘you said it in the house,’” said Bell.
“Motions are not binding, but what we’re finding is that, if you said it in the house, there’s a lot more weight to that.”
Bell pointed to the ongoing discussion around a basic income guarantee, which has been partly maintained by a unanimous, non-binding motion supporting the idea passed during the previous Liberal government.
Due to the behind-the-scenes negotiations between Opposition parties and government in the lead-up to the fall session, substantive debate has largely been confined to motions. Debate over binding bills has been brief and truncated.
The more collaborative tone to the legislative proceedings under the PC government has meant that by the time bills have hit the floor, both Opposition parties have had a full briefing and have had most of their questions answered.
Non-binding motions, on the other hand, have become the main avenue where ideas have been debated publicly by P.E.I.’s current crop of MLAs.
One motion, which has perhaps seen the most debate over the fall sitting, called for the province to only construct buildings that meet net zero standards.
These buildings would generate 100 per cent of their energy needs on-site, said Green MLA Ole Hammarlund, who introduced the motion.
“The good news, of course, with net zero buildings is that savings and operating costs – basically you don’t have to pay power, lights, heat – completely offset the extra costs,” Hammarlund told The Guardian.
“They’re paid over the next 20 years of operating the building.”
Hammarlund’s motion saw two amendments added. One amendment, from the government side, changed the language, urging the province to “target the net zero or beyond building standards.”
A further amendment introduced from Opposition Leader Peter Bevan-Baker urged government to build the Sherwood school according to zero carbon building standards.
Bell also introduced a motion calling for the creation of a rental registry, a free, searchable database of rental units. The registry would include past rent prices, increases beyond the allowable limit and legal orders for repairs.
“It’s about the property. It's not about the landlords or the tenants,” Bell said.
“For landlords, it means they can show what they have available.”
Tenants would be able to search the rent that previous tenants in the unit were paying.
Another motion that passed on Tuesday called for annual reporting on the progress of implementing recommendations from the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls report and the report from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
A fourth motion, introduced by Summerside Green MLA Lynne Lund, called for the implementation of a drug treatment court pilot program in Summerside.
The courts would provide court-monitored treatment and community service support for non-violent offenders with drug addictions.
Last Tuesday, an amendment to the motion was proposed by Justice and Public Safety Minister Bloyce Thompson to “explore the possibility” of establishing “specialty courts such as voluntary drug treatment court".
Lund indicated she would vote against the amendment.
“I would have supported an amendment to see a pilot provincewide but not to water down what the intent of this needs to be – and that’s drug treatment courts,” Lund told the House.
In a rare moment, both the Liberal and Green caucuses outvoted the minority government side, defeating the amendment. The original motion would pass on Tuesday night.