Manitoba.

• Author: Signorelli, Andrea
• Position: Legislative Reports

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The Fifth Session of the 40th Legislature resumed on February 24, 2016 and continued consideration of outstanding business until March 15. The Legislature was then dissolved on March 16 and the provincial General Election was held on April 19, 2016.

At the end of this three-week sitting of the House, six Government Bills received Royal Assent:

* Bill 8--The Employment Standards Code Amendment Act (Leave for Victims of Domestic Violence, Leave for Serious Injury or Illness and Extension of Compassionate Care Leave), which enables an employee who is a victim of domestic violence to take up to 10 days of leave, either intermittently or in a continuous period, as well as a continuous leave period of up to 17 weeks, with up to five days to be paid leave;

* Bill 11--The Domestic Violence and Stalking Amendment Act, which makes a number of changes to the process for obtaining protection orders against someone who has engaged in domestic violence or stalking;

* Bill 17--The Manitoba Teachers' Society Act, which gives the organization representing teachers in the province a comprehensive set of by-law powers to deal with its own governance and operations;

* Bill 18--The Path to Reconciliation Act, a bill that sets out the government's commitment to advancing reconciliation;

* Bill 22--The Elections Amendment Act (Signatures Required for Nomination Document), which follows a recommendation of Manitoba's Chief Electoral Officer to reduce from 100 to 50 the number of voters required to sign a candidate's nomination document;

* Bill 23--The Interim Appropriation Act, 2016.

In addition, a Private Bill, Bill 300--The Mount Carmel Clinic Amendment Act, also received Royal Assent on the same day.

Standing Committees

Since our last submission, the Standing Committee on Social and Economic Development met twice and the Standing Committee on Justice met once to hear public presentations and conduct clause-by-clause consideration of several bills.

Moreover, the Standing Committee on Rules of the House met on March 9 to consider proposed amendments to the Rules, Orders and Forms of Proceedings of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, described in the next section of this article.

Rule changes

As noted above, prior to the dissolution of the 40th Legislature, the Legislative Assembly adopted a series of changes to its Rules, Orders and Forms of Proceeding, continuing a rules review process initiated in June 2015.

Following several weeks of...