FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 14, 2023
Green Caucus pans decision to rush end of spring sitting
Charlottetown, PE – The Green Caucus is extremely disappointed by the Dennis King government using its super majority to pass a motion that will rush the end of the Spring sitting by requiring the House to sit until midnight.
As a result of the motion, the House is scheduled to sit continuously on Wednesday and Thursday from 1pm to midnight, and Friday from 10am to midnight. None of the additional time will be given to opposition parties.
By rushing to close the Legislature, government is reducing the quality of debate and reducing the opportunities available to opposition parties to hold government accountable in Question Period.
The unprecedented motion is alarming – at the time of tabling, the 2023 spring sitting was among the shortest of the last decade. At 19 days, the House has sat for a little over half as long as the Spring 2022 sitting, which lasted 36 days.
Though the Premier told us he hoped we could “maintain the respectful working relationship between our parties,” it’s clear the Premier was insincere.
“Government used an early election call to get ahead of bad news like the closure of the Intensive Care Unit at the Prince County Hospital and the resignation of numerous Island doctors,” said Third Party House Leader Karla Bernard. “Is this government once again trying to get ahead of bad news?”
“We have continued as we always have to hold government accountable and ask tough and thoughtful questions about their record,” said Green Leader Peter Bevan-Baker. “This move will allow government to skirt opposition questions, and they will undoubtedly continue to do the same with media questions after the PC government’s vacation begins.”
Motions of this nature, often employed by provincial conservative governments, have been panned for being politically expedient and anti-democratic.
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For media inquiries, please contact:
Katie Rankin
Chief of Staff
Office of the Third Party
Tel: (902) 213-6378
Email: kerankin@assembly.pe.ca