P.E.I.’s legislature has a date for an emergency sitting.
Speaker Colin LaVie issued a statement on Friday afternoon recalling the province’s legislative assembly for May 26. LaVie said the decision to recall the legislature was made at the request of Premier Dennis King, Opposition Leader Peter Bevan-Baker and interim Third Party Leader Sonny Gallant.
The legislative chamber has been reconfigured to allow all 27 MLAs to take part in the sitting while maintaining a six feet distance from one another.
The statement said the session will consider issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic and will be a continuation of the 66th Assembly session, which had been scheduled to resume April 7, 2020. LaVie said he has waived the 60 days notice for recalling the legislature.
The reconfiguration of desks in the chamber, done in consultation with the Chief Public Health Office, will mean no media or members of the public will be permitted inside the Chamber. The Coles building will be closed to the public during the sitting, but proceedings will be livestreamed on the Assembly’s webpage.
Negotiations had been ongoing between the House leaders of the government, Opposition and Third Party over the last few weeks. Last week, King had suggested the session would be a short, one-day sitting, but Opposition House Leader Hannah Bell suggested two or three days may be required.
Members are expected to approve candidates for a Child and Youth Advocate, Information and Privacy Commissioner and Auditor General. The session may involve changes to P.E.I.’s Employment Standards Act to allow provisions for sick leave for employees required to self-quarantine due to COVID-19, as well as changes to regulations in order to allow virtual sittings.
P.E.I. is the last province to recall its legislature since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
