You may find the following information useful in regard to the 2022 Fall Sitting.
Government Bills
Pursuant to Standing Order 74 all government bills to be dealt with during the 2022 Fall Sitting will have to be introduced and given first reading by the fifth sitting day – Monday, October 17, 2022. 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 2022 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 2022 Fall Sitting. The Government House Leader will report to the House by the seventh sitting day – Wednesday October 19, 2022 - on the deliberations of the House Leaders regarding the length of the 2022 Fall Sitting. The Spring Sitting of 2022 lasted 32 days, therefore, the fall sitting will last a maximum of 28 days, unless a motion is put forth and agreed to by the assembly to extend beyond 28 days. For your information:
- A 20-day Sitting, the shortest permitted under Standing Order 75(2), would see the House rise on Thursday, November 10, 2022.
- A 28-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 Thursday, November 24, 2022.
- A longer sitting than 28 days would require a motion to be passed by the Members extending the sitting beyond that provided for by the Standing Orders.
Note: The Legislative Assembly will not sit on Thanksgiving Monday, October 10, 2022. 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 or 28th 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, during the 2022 Fall Sitting which commences on Thursday, October 6, 2022, the schedule of private members’ business for the Sitting will be:
October 12 Opposition Private Members
October 19 Government Business
October 26 Opposition Private Members
November 2 Government Business
November 9 Opposition Private Members
November 16 Government Business (Should the Sitting last 23 or more days)
November 23 Opposition Private Members (Should the Sitting last 27 or more days)
Given that the House will not sit on Thanksgiving Monday (October 10, 2022), any motion to be debated on Wednesday, October 12, 2022 will have to be on the Notice Paper on Tuesday, October 11, 2022, 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 6, 2022.
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 2022 Spring Sitting was Bill No. 304 (standing in the name of Emily Tredger), on which the Bill Carried. Bill No. 304 was at Position 6 in the roster. As the bill passed and the Official Opposition did not identify a motion for debate, the roster now returns to position 1. Therefore, the roster for Opposition Private Members’ Business for the 2022 Fall 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)
COVID-19 Procedures
For the 2022 Fall Sitting, masks will be optional for Members and Staff of the Legislative Assembly. We recommend that Members or staff who have COVID-19 or COVID-19 like symptoms remain home until they test negative or have isolated for the period recommended by the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health if they test positive for COVID-19.