New Brunswick’s legislative assembly is scheduled to return for a single sitting day on Feb. 12, but what form it will take, or even if it will go ahead as planned, is still up in the air.
“The biggest question really comes from what phase each of the zones are going to be in and how we deal with that,” said government house leader Glen Savoie on Friday.
“I’m currently awaiting some information from public health to give us some guidance on the different scenarios we could be facing.”
As of Sunday, the Edmundston area remains under lockdown and the Moncton area sits at the red alert level. Public health said last week both zones would be re-assessed on Monday to determine if restrictions could be loosened.
How the legislature has dealt with differences in alert levels in the past is varied and every sitting since the virus arrived in New Brunswick last March has been interrupted due to outbreaks somewhere in the province.
In May, the legislature adjourned after the Campbellton region was sent back to the orange phase, returning early in June. The assembly abruptly adjourned once again in November when several southern health zones were sent back to orange. MLAs returned two weeks later even though the Saint John area remained at orange.
Opposition MLAs say it’s unacceptable that no contingency plans have been created to allow the assembly to continue its work almost a year after the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in the province.
“We need to make sure that our democracy is resilient and that we can continue to make sure that our democratic processes are working and we have accountability for government even in the face of the pandemic,” said Green Party house leader Megan Mitton.
Mitton says a hybrid or virtual system for sittings needs to be utilized to allow MLAs to meet no matter the pandemic situation in the province.
Liberal deputy house leader Keith Chiasson said as far as he knows the assembly will sit on Friday. But he says there should be a virtual option for those who may not be able to travel outside of the Edmundston region.
“No matter what happens net week, technically the majority of us are able to travel to Fredericton and, for those that can’t, there’s a virtual option that really hasn’t been explored,” he said.
“If the government of Canada, with over 300 MPs from all over the country can do it, why can’t New Brunswick?”
Savoie said the hybrid option is being examined, but past opposition to using such a system has come from his caucus.
When the assembly adjourned for two weeks in November a hybrid system was implemented and tested. It is currently being used for committee work but hasn’t been used in the assembly due to the objections of Education Minister Dominic Cardy.
Cardy told reporters in December that he believes the legislature should meet in person or not at all, adding he would not support a hybrid sitting no matter the pandemic situation in the province.
“The legislature is a place where people stand face-to-face, engage, discuss, deal with each other, compromise — you can’t do that online,” Cardy said.
“The more that we move to take away authority from the legislature floor the more that we take power away from the hands of legislatures and place them in the hands of party leaders, premiers’ offices, prime ministers’ offices.”
Talks for how to allow the legislature to return have been taking place between the house leaders of the four parties throughout January, but decisions have yet to be made.
According to Mitton, the process has been mostly dictated by the government, but she says it should run through the speaker’s office and be discussed in the legislative administration committee.
“The best way to alleviate concerns would be to actually have it go through committee and examine it and not be throwing it together because, ‘oh my gosh, it’s suddenly urgent,'” Mitton said.
“But to think it through and put it in place in a thoughtful way with all parties making contributions.”
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