The proceedings at the Alberta legislature will soon be coming to a television channel near you.
After obtaining a special licence from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) before Christmas, the Alberta legislature will launch its own dedicated TV channel.
“It’ll be the proceedings of the assembly,” said Rob Reynolds, clerk of the Legislative Assembly. “It’ll be all the business. It will be soup to nuts. It will be motions, bills and of course question period and the daily routine.
“It’s what we call gavel-to-gavel coverage. Ironically, we don’t use a gavel but it’s from the opening, which starts with a prayer every day, until the end of business.”
Televised broadcast of the legislative proceedings began in 1972. In 2007, the province began live streaming the proceedings online.
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Reynolds said they made the decision to obtain their own TV channel due to demand for the service.
“As time went on it seemed more efficient to have our own broadcasting capability,” he explained.
“Some people are very devoted to that and we want to meet that demand. We want to make sure that the proceedings of the assembly are available to the greatest number of people in Alberta and certainly, that’s what members have told us they want too.”
Reynolds said the channel will also broadcast the committee proceedings. At times when the legislature is not in session, he said the station will either run repeats or a slate.
Reynolds said the station is not costing the province any more than what was already budgeted to provide this service. There will be no commercials or advertising, Reynolds said.
It’s hoped the channel will be up and running in time for the spring session, which begins on March 8.
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