Prince Edward Island.

• Author: Reddin, Ryan
• Position: Legislative Reports

Second Session, Sixty-fifth General Assembly

The Second Session of the Sixty-fifth General Assembly resumed on April 4, 2017 at 2:00 p.m. in the Legislative Assembly Chamber, The Hon. George Coles Building. It had previously adjourned to the call of the Speaker on December 15, 2016.

Budget

Minister of Finance Allen Roach delivered the Budget Address on April 7. Total revenue for 2017-18 is listed at $1,812 billion, and total expenditures $1,811 billion, with a surplus of $600,000. In terms of tax measures, the Basic Personal Income Tax exemption will grow by 2 per cent. Notable expenditure increases include $5.5 million more for K-12 education, a 5.8 per cent growth in health expenditures, and $6.6 million more to the Department of Families and Human Services for programs and services for Islanders in need.

House Business

To date in the month of April, Government has tabled 3 bills, with 4 bills from the fall sitting still on the Order Paper awaiting second reading. Notable among them are Bill No. 61, "An Act to Amend the Archives and Records Act", which is intended to improve records management across government, and a new "Lobbyists Registration Act" (Bill No. 57).

Leader of the Third Party Peter Bevan-Baker tabled Private Member's Bill No. 103, "Election Age Act", on April 6. This bill would amend the Election Act to lower the voting age to 16 from 18 years of age, and also amend the Legislative Assembly Act to lower the age of eligibility to serve as a member to 16 from 18. As of this writing the bill has been introduced and read a first time.

The Official Opposition has not introduced any bills so far during the spring sitting, but has tabled eight motions on matters such as re-introduction of elected school boards, the establishment of a Passport Canada Office in PEI, and an expansion of the insulin pump program for adult Type 1 diabetes.

Electoral Boundaries Commission

A five-person Electoral Boundaries Commission was established pursuant to the Electoral Boundaries Act in December 2016, in order to review the provincial electoral districts and make a report, complete with recommendations, to the Legislative Assembly. The Commission...