You may find the following information useful in regard to the 2021 Fall Sitting.
Government Bills
Pursuant to Standing Order 74 all government bills to be dealt with during the 2021 Fall Sitting will have to be introduced and given first reading by the fifth sitting day – Monday, October 18, 2021. The introduction of a government bill after that date will require the unanimous consent of the House. At each subsequent stage, the bill would require unanimous consent to proceed, if the government wishes to proceed with the bill during the 2021 Fall Sitting.
Length of the Sitting
Pursuant to Standing Order 75, once all government bills have been introduced the House Leaders shall meet for the purpose of achieving agreement upon the number of sitting days for the 2021 Fall Sitting. The Government House Leader will report to the House by the seventh sitting day - Wednesday October 20, 2021 - on the deliberations of the House Leaders regarding the length of the 2021 Fall Sitting. For your information:
- A 20-day Sitting, the shortest permitted under Standing Order 75(2), would see the House rise on Monday, November 15, 2021.
- A 30-day Sitting, either agreed upon by the House Leaders or pursuant to Standing Order 75(3) (where there is no agreement between the Government House Leader and at least one other House Leader), would see the House rise on Wednesday, December 1, 2021.
- A 40-day Sitting, the longest permitted under Standing Order 75(2) would see the House rise on Monday, December 20, 2021.
Note: The Legislative Assembly will not sit on Thanksgiving Monday, October 11, 2021, or Thursday, November 11, 2021, for Remembrance Day. Also, the House may, by adopting a motion, decide to not sit on a day when it would otherwise normally meet. Adopting such a motion would alter the date on which the 20th, 30th or 40th sitting day would fall.
Private Members' Business
Standing Order 14(1) says, “After the Daily Routine, on the first Wednesday of a Session that private members’ business is to be considered, and every second Wednesday thereafter, the order of business shall be as follows:
Opposition private members’ business:
(a) Motions for the Production of Papers
(b) Motions other than Government Motions
(c) Bills other than Government Bills
Motions Respecting Committee Reports
Government Designated Business
Government private members' business:
(a) Motions for the Production of Papers
(b) Motions other than Government Motions
(c) Bills other than Government Bills”
Pursuant to Standing Order 14(2) “After the Daily Routine, on the second Wednesday of a Session that private members’ business is to be considered, and every second Wednesday thereafter, the order of business shall be as follows:
Government private members’ business:
(a) Motions for the Production of Papers
(b) Motions other than Government Motions
(c) Bills other than Government Bills
Government Designated Business
Motions Respecting Committee Reports
Opposition private members’ business:
(a) Motions for the Production of Papers
(b) Motions other than Government Motions
(c) Bills other than Government Bills”
There are currently no Government private members in the Legislative Assembly. If there are no Government private members then the Orders of the Day, pursuant to Standing Order 14(2), revert to the next item, which is Government Designated Business.
Therefore, the 2021 Fall Sitting will commence on Thursday, October 7, 2021, the schedule of private members’ business for the 2021 Fall Sitting will be:
- Oct. 13 Opposition Private Members
- Oct. 20 Government Business
- Oct. 27 Opposition Private Members
- Nov. 3 Government Business
- Nov. 10 Opposition Private Members
- Nov. 17 Government Business (Should the Sitting last 22 or more days)
- Nov. 24 Opposition Private Members (Should the sitting last 26 or more days)
- Dec. 1 Government Business (Should the sitting last 30 or more days)
- Dec. 8 Opposition Private Members (Should the sitting last 34 or more days)
- Dec. 15 Government Business (Should the sitting last 38 or more days)
Given that the House will not sit on Thanksgiving Monday (October 11, 2021), any motion to be debated on Wednesday, October 13, 2021 will have to be on the Notice Paper on Tuesday, October 12, 2021, which means that notice of the motion will have to be given to the House, either orally (during the Daily Routine) or in writing (to the Clerk’s Table before 5:00 p.m.), by Thursday, October 7, 2021.
Opposition Private Members' Business
Standing Order 14.2(2) says, “At the beginning of each Session a roster shall be established for the purpose of determining the order of business on Wednesdays when Opposition private members’ business has precedence. The roster shall be set in the following manner:
(a) the Official Opposition shall have the first, second and fifth positions on the roster;
(b) a party or group in opposition to the government, other than the Official Opposition, shall have the third, fourth and sixth positions on the roster…”
The last opposition private member’s motion debated during the 2021 Special Sitting was Motion No. 30, standing in the name of Mr. Kent, Official Opposition House Leader. Motion No. 30 was at Position 5 in the roster. Therefore, the roster is now at position 6 and the order for Opposition Private Members’ Business for the 2021 Fall Sitting will be:
- Position 6: Third Party (NDP)
- Position 1: Official Opposition (Yukon Party)
- Position 2: Official Opposition (Yukon Party)
- Position 3: Third Party (NDP)
- Position 4: Third Party (NDP)
- Position 5: Official Opposition (Yukon Party)
COVID-19 Procedures
For the 2021 Fall sitting, pages will be returning to the Assembly to deliver messages and provide water service. Pages will be required to be masked at all times when working in the Chamber. Clerks-at-the-Table will also continue to be masked at this time. Members may choose to opt out of the water service provided by pages and continue to bring their own bottles into the Chamber (for water only).
Members may wear masks as the Acting Chief Medical Officer of Health continues to recommend this practice in indoor settings, however there is currently no mandatory mask requirement for Members in the Chamber. Due to the compact nature of the public gallery when it is full or near full, masks will still be required.