You may find the following information useful in regard to the 2021 Spring Sitting.
Government Bills
Pursuant to Standing Order 74 of the Standing Orders of the Yukon Legislative Assembly, all government bills to be dealt with during the 2021 Spring Sitting will have to be introduced and given first reading by the fifth sitting day - March 11, 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 Spring Sitting.
Length of the Sitting
On February 17, 2021, Premier Silver advised the Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 73, that the public interest requires the House to meet. Standing Order 75(10) stipulates that the Spring Sitting shall commence the first week of March. The Premier requested that the Speaker give notice that the Third Session of the 34th Legislative Assembly will reconvene on March 4, 2021. Accordingly, the Speaker informed all Members that the House shall convene at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 4, 2021.
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 Spring Sitting. The Government House Leader will report to the House by the seventh sitting day –Tuesday, March 16, 2021 – on the deliberations of the House Leaders regarding the length of the 2021 Spring Sitting.
For your information, given that the first day of the 2021 Spring Sitting is March 4:
- A 20-day Sitting, the shortest permitted under Standing Order 75(2), that begins on March 4, 2021 would see the House rise on Thursday, April 8, 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 Tuesday, April 27, 2021.
- A 40-day Sitting, the longest permitted under Standing Order 75(2), would see the House rise on Thursday May 13, 2021.
Note: The Legislative Assembly will not sit on Easter Monday, April 5, 2021. 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”
The schedule of private members’ business for the 2021 Spring Sitting will be:
- March 10 Opposition Private Members
- March 17 Government Private Members
- March 24 Opposition Private Members
- March 31 Government Private Members
- April 7 Opposition Private Members
- April 14 Government Private Members (Should the Sitting last 23 or more days)
- April 21 Opposition Private Members (Should the Sitting last 27 or more days)
- April 28 Government Private Members (Should the Sitting last 31 or more days)
- May 5 Opposition Private Members (Should the Sitting last 35 or more days)
- May 12 Government Private Members (Should the Sitting last 39 or more days)
The House will not sit on Easter Monday (April 5, 2021). Any motion to be debated on Wednesday, April 7, 2021 will have to be on the Notice Paper on Tuesday, April 6, 2021. This 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, April 1, 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 2020 Fall Sitting was Motion No. 358, standing in the name of Ms. White, Leader of the Third Party. Motion No. 358 was at Position 6 in the roster. Therefore, the roster is now at position 1 and the order for Opposition Private Members’ Business for the 2021 Spring Sitting will be:
- 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)
- Position 6: Third Party (NDP)