Saskatchewan: Spring sitting of the fourth session of the twenty-eighth Legislature.

AuthorUrsulescu, Stacey
PositionLegislative Reports

As previously reported, on March 18, 2020, the planned budget presentation was cancelled and the Assembly adjourned to the call of the Chair due to COVID-19.

On May 26, 2020, House leadership agreed to a June 15, 2020, resumption of the legislative session on a modified schedule with a July 3, 2020 completion date.

On June 15, 2020, the Standing Committee on House Services met to consider and adopt a report which identified and developed temporary modifications to the processes, practices, and standing orders in order to facilitate the safe resumption of the session in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The agreement included:

* a 14-day sitting period including a budget address on June 15, 2020;

* 60 hours' consideration of budgetary estimates in standing committees including three hours' scrutiny of Premier's estimates;

* routine proceedings, including Question Period, to be held each sitting day;

* a private members' day was designated for June 19, 2020.

It was agreed that 15 members (10 government and five opposition members) plus the Speaker, would participate in proceedings. This provision required an amendment to The Legislative Assembly Act, 2007 to define quorum to be no less than 10 members for the period of June 15 to July 3, 2020. A motion was moved on July 3, 2020, to allow 25 members to participate in the Chamber for the final sitting day prior to the election scheduled for October 26, 2020.

Changes were required to how recorded divisions were conducted. In Saskatchewan, when a recorded division is requested, members are summoned to their seats where they are called on individually to cast their vote. This practice was temporarily suspended. In its place, whips were permitted to register the votes of members not present in the Chamber on a tally sheet and report their names to the Speaker. Also, members were...

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