Yukon.

• Author: McCormick, Floyd
• Position: Legislative Reports

The 2003 Fall Sitting of the Yukon Legislative Assembly began on October 30. As the 2003 Spring Sitting had lasted 36 sitting days this one will not last longer than 24 sitting days. This is because Standing Order 75(1) limits the Assembly to 60 sitting days per year (exclusive of special sittings). Standing Order 2(1) provides that the Assembly sits every Monday to Thursday unless otherwise ordered. According to practice the House did not sit on Remembrance Day, Tuesday, November 11. Thus, following normal practice, the final sitting day would be Thursday, December 11.

However the parliamentary calendar became the subject of debate when on November 3, 2003 Government House Leader Peter Jenkins (Klondike, Yukon Party) moved the adoption of Government Motion No. 101. The intent of the motion was to change the parliamentary calendar so that the House would not sit on Monday, November 10 but would sit on Friday, November 14. Mr. Jenkins argued this schedule would be of benefit to members, especially rural members, to ensure they could be in their constituencies for Remembrance Day events.

This change was not agreed to in advance by the opposition parties, however, so what might have been a pro forma motion engendered over an hour of debate. Opposition members argued that re-scheduling the Monday sitting was not necessary for members to attend Remembrance Day events in their constituencies. They also argued that making Friday a sitting day would unduly inconvenience them as they use Fridays for activities, such as caucus meetings and appointments with constituents, that cannot be carried out on days when the House is sitting.

Eventually Official Opposition House Leader Gary McRobb (Kluane, NDP) proposed an amendment to excise the reference to Friday, November 14 and provide that the House would sit on Monday, December 15. After some debate all Members present voted in favour of the amendment and the motion as amended.

Legislation

Standing Order 74 requires the government "introduce all legislation, including Appropriation Bill, to be dealt with during that Sitting by the fifth sitting day." The government fulfilled this requirement, introducing the following 10 bills by November 6:

* Bill No. 6, Fourth Appropriation Act, 2002-03;

* Bill No. 7, Second Appropriation Act, 2003-04;

* Bill No. 35, Act to Amend the Public Printing Act;

* Bill No. 36, Act to Amend the Taxpayer Protection Act;

* Bill No. 37, Statistics Act;

* Bill No. 38, Act to Amend...