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Dear Friend,
This Fall Sitting of the PEI Legislature came to an end on
Thursday. It was short, lasting only 20 days, but a lot of bills (20
Government, 3 Opposition and one Private Member's bill) and motions
were passed, many of them with the unanimous approval by MLAs from all
three parties in the Legislature.
One thing about the current Legislature that is very different from
past legislatures is how much work happens on bills before
they come to the floor for debate. Knowing how important buy-in from
the opposition parties is to pass legislation in this minority
legislature, the government has consulted with both the Green and
Liberal caucuses on most bills in advance of the fall sitting in order
to address questions or concerns ahead of time. This has given Green
MLAs more influence over government bills than most other Official
Oppositions in the past.
At the same time, as Official
Opposition, the Green Caucus has a special responsibility to hold
government to account, and it takes that responsibility seriously by
asking tough questions, demanding real answers, and taking government
to task when it fails to uphold the principles of good
governance.
Read
the full roundup here, or click on items of interest
below to find out more!
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Green MLAs passed three bills this
sitting, including one which requires short-term rental operators to
provide the province with data about their rentals in order to help
the province get a more informed handle on the impact of short-term
rentals on PEI's housing stock and tourism sector.
Read
more >>
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The Capital
Budget?is a forecast of spending for infrastructure and
capital projects such as roads and bridges, public buildings, and
equipment (as opposed to the Operational Budget delivered each spring,
which details other government program and service
expenditures).?
The Capital Budget, like all
budgetary matters, is a matter of confidence, i.e. the bill must pass
in order for the government to survive. The defeat of a budget bill
means that the government has lost the confidence of the House, which
typically triggers a new election.
Ultimately, the 2019
Capital Budget passed with the support of four Green and four
Liberal MLAs.
Read
more >>
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In addition to the bills mentioned
above, the Green Party passed a number of important motions. Unlike
bills, motions do not become laws, but motions that pass indicate that
a majority of MLAs are in support of a particular course of action and
can be effective in establishing the political consensus for
legislative and policy changes.
Green motions that passed this
session cover topics ranging from poverty to Reconciliation,
government fiscal accountability, "Net Zero" buildings, drug treatment
courts, the creation of a rental registry and protecting children
during school renovations.
Read
more >>
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The daily Question Period is one of the key opportunities that our
Green MLAs have to hold the government to account. Some of the
questions posed by Green MLAs this sitting address subjects such as
the Eastern Kings wind farm expansion, plans to convert more public
buildings to wood heating, the response to Hurricane Dorian, social
assistance gaps and more.
Read
more >>
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20 government bills passed this sitting, most with Green Party
input and support. PEI now has new laws in place to close loopholes in
the Lands Protection Act, to combat youth smoking and vaping, to make
the Child & Youth Advocate an independent officer of the
Legislature, to open up adoption records, to provide better supports
for persons with disabilities, and banning the practice of Conversion
Therapy.
Read
more >>
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Green Party of PEI
http://www.greenparty.pe.ca/
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