Opposition decries scant schedule

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This article was published 19/05/2020 (2111 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

At a time when government decisions are affecting Manitobans to perhaps an unprecedented degree, the Pallister government appears to be trying to escape accountability, NDP Leader Wab Kinew says.

The legislature will convene today — with reduced numbers due to physical distancing — for only the fourth time since March 19. The only other scheduled sitting day so far is May 27.

Normally, the legislature is in recess from the first Monday in June until early October.

Kinew and Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont said Tuesday they’ve yet to negotiate more sitting days this spring with the government.

The normal legislature schedule was suspended due to the novel coronavirus, but in recent days, the pandemic curve has flattened and the economy has begun to reopen.

“We continue to press for more sitting days,” said Kinew, who would like to see MLAs convene more than the one day a week they’re scheduled to meet this month. And he wants to see the sitting extended well past the normal recess date.

“As it stands right now, my concern is that we may only have two more question periods between now and fall. And that just isn’t good enough at a time when the government is putting so many people out of work, when there are so many lingering questions about the impact of the pandemic on people’s health.”

Kinew believes Manitobans expect a greater level of accountability from government during a time of crisis.

“The average person would say, ‘If you’re making so many decisions that affect my day-to-day life, you ought to stand up and explain them to the press, to the Opposition and to all the people,’” he said.

While Premier Brian Pallister holds frequent news conferences, reporters are usually limited to one or two questions apiece.

When the legislature sits for an extended period, the Opposition gets to pepper the government with questions four days a week, making it more difficult for it to duck issues. During normal times, cabinet ministers are available to scrum with reporters after question period. Opposition MLAs also press their points with reporters. That hasn’t been happening due to physical-distancing rules.

To add insult to injury, the NDP says, the government has blocked it from using the legislative building’s news conference theatre (Room 68) in recent weeks. That’s the room where Pallister, Dr. Brent Roussin and Shared Health chief nursing officer Lanette Siragusa have been holding their teleconferences with journalists. Room 68 has traditionally been available to any MLA.

Kinew called the prohibition “petty” and “vindictive,” and said it is illustrative of a government “more concerned with escaping accountability than maintaining the principles of our democracy.”

A government official agreed all MLAs have access to the government news room. “However, in light of COVID-19 briefings and rapidly changing information affecting Manitobans, we have limited access to the news conference theatre until the COVID emergency response has lessened,” she said in a statement.

Government house leader Kelvin Goertzen was unavailable for an interview, a spokesman said.

In an email, the spokesman merely pointed out there were two more sitting days until the legislative assembly’s normal summer adjournment date.

Meanwhile, Lamont said he would like to see the legislature convene throughout the months of June and September to deal with a huge backlog of government business.

Three legislative committee meetings have been scheduled in the next few weeks to scrutinize the three large Crown corporations (Manitoba Hydro, Manitoba Public Insurance, and Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries).

However, the estimates process — where Opposition members traditionally receive 100 hours to question the premier and cabinet ministers about their portfolios — has yet to begin, Lamont noted. He blamed the government and the NDP for the failure to schedule more legislative sitting days, although the premier has the power to recall the legislature at any time.

“Right now, we’re in a cycle of punishment and retaliation between the PCs and the NDP, which keeps holding things up,” Lamont said.

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca