Tories call for house to be reopened immediately

The Leader of the Opposition is calling for the House of Assembly to be re-opened immediately to deal with issues brought to light by the resignation of Progressive Conservative MHA Steve Kent this week.

PC Leader Paul Davis wants the province to be out in front of a special ballot provision in the Elections Act recently ruled unconstitutional by the courts that would allow people to vote before all candidates have had a chance to declare for the position.

Section 54 of the House of Assembly Act requires a byelection to be called within 60 days of a vacancy, and Section 58 of the Elections Act, 1991 requires a byelection to be held within 30 clear days after it is called.

“I am calling for the House of Assembly to be reconvened immediately to amend the Elections Act, 1991 to ensure we have special ballot provisions that reflect the court’s decision and are constitutionally valid,” Davis stated in a news release Tuesday.

“We now know that a vacancy will occur on Oct. 10, and there is always the possibility of a vacancy occurring even sooner, so our election legislation must be fixed before that happens to ensure the most fundamental democratic processes in our society will be lawful and precisely defined.”

A recent court decision ruled the special ballot provisions of Sections 86 through 86.10 of the Elections Act, 1991 to be unconstitutional and therefore of no effect because they allow people to vote before all candidates declare.