Alberta.

• Author: Rempel, Jody
• Position: Legislative Reports

Continuation of the 3rd Session of the 28th Legislature

The 3rd Session of the 28th Legislature resumed on March 10, 2015. After months of floor crossings and resignations the composition of the Assembly was at 70 Progressive Conservatives, five Wildrose members, five Liberals, four New Democrats, one Independent and two vacancies.

Bill 10

During the fall sitting the Assembly considered the highly controversial Bill 10, An Act to Amend the Alberta Bill of Rights to Protect our Children. Among other things, Bill 10 addressed the issue of Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs) in schools. The Bill passed Committee of the Whole, with amendments, on December 3, 2014, but was put on hold by Premier Jim Prentice to allow for further consultation.

In March 2015, when session resumed, Laurie Blakeman (Edmonton-Centre) moved to have Bill 10 recommitted to Committee of the Whole, out of which it was passed with new amendments. Later that same day it received Third Reading which was followed by Royal Assent on March 19,2015. Under this legislation all Alberta public, Catholic, and charter schools will be required to accommodate GSA clubs if students request one, and schools will no longer be required to notify parents when sexual orientation is to be discussed in the classroom. It also adds sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression as protected grounds from discrimination under the Alberta Bill of Rights.

Standing Committee on Legislative Offices

The Standing Committee on Legislative Offices met in December 2014 to review the budget estimates of Alberta's Legislative Officers. The Committee approved these budgets at two per cent less than the previous year with two exceptions: the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, which has a four-year budget cycle, and the Office of the Child and Youth Advocate (OCYA). In July 2014, the OCYA received additional funds following a legislated increase to its responsibilities. This pro-rated amount was added to the amount originally approved for the previous year before the two per cent reduction was applied.

On February 10, 2015, the Committee met with representatives of the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) and the OCYA to consider requests for an increase to their approved budgets for the upcoming fiscal year. The OAG requested an additional $546,000 in order to ensure the Office would be able to fulfill its mandate and perform its work. The OCYA requested an additional $275,000 to reflect the cost of...