Yukon.

• Author: McCormick, Floyd
• Position: Legislative Reports

Spring Sitting

On March 5, 2015, Premier Darrell Pasloski advised Speaker David Laxton that the public interest required that Legislative Assembly reconvene. The Premier identified April 2 as the start date for the 2015 Spring Sitting of the First Session of the 33rd Legislative Assembly. This was the first time since 2007 that the Spring Sitting had begun after the start of a new fiscal year.

The Legislative Assembly does not have a fixed calendar for sittings. Standing Order 73(2) requires the Premier to give the Speaker at least two weeks' notice of the date on which he would like the House to reconvene. This year's four-week notice period was unusual, as the Speaker is normally given the minimum two-weeks' notice. Having received the Premier's advice, the Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 73, informed the Members that the House would reconvene on April 2.

On April 2, Government House Leader Darius Elias informed the House, pursuant to Standing Order 75(4), that after conferring with opposition House Leaders it was agreed that the Spring Sitting would be a maximum of 31 sitting days, with the 31st sitting day being May 28. This was also unusual. The Government House Leader's report on the length of the Sitting is, by practice, given only after the Government has introduced all its legislation for that Sitting. This is the first time the report was given on the first sitting day of a Spring or Fall Sitting.

Budget Day

The first day of the Spring Sitting is traditionally the day the budget is introduced. In keeping with that tradition, the Premier, who is also the Minister of Finance, introduced Bill No. 18, First Appropriation Act, 2015-16. Once the House moved to Orders of the Day, the Premier moved second reading of Bill No. 18 and then delivered his 2015-16 budget address. For the coming fiscal year the government sought approval to appropriate $1,367 billion, the largest budget in Yukon's history. The motion for second reading of Bill No. 18 carried on April 7 and Committee of the Whole consideration of the bill commenced on April 20. Much of the remainder of the 2015 Spring Sitting was devoted to Committee of the Whole consideration of departmental estimates. The bill was passed and assented to on May 28.

Government Bills

The other government bills introduced, passed and assented to during the 2015 Spring Sitting were:

Bill No. 16, Third Appropriation Act, 2014-15, which finalizes government expenditures for the 2014- 15 fiscal...