I would like to update the public on what the Legislative Assembly Office is doing to continue to support the work of Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
The Assembly’s committee meeting room is equipped with teleconference and videoconference equipment to allow the Assembly’s standing committees to conduct meetings with committee members participating remotely. The equipment and procedures for committee members to participate by teleconference or videoconference were already in place prior to the current health crisis. Meetings can be held safely for Members and staff using these tools.
Face-to-face committee meetings and public hearings can also be accommodated in the Legislative Assembly Chamber. Should committees wish to meet in the Chamber, seating arrangements will allow for over two metres’ distance between individuals in keeping with the physical distancing recommendations from Yukon’s chief medical officer of health.
At present there are committee meetings being scheduled and it is expected that more committee meetings will be required and scheduled during the summer months to continue the work of the Assembly.
The Legislative Assembly is scheduled to reconvene on October 1, 2020, pursuant to the special adjournment Order adopted by the House on the final sitting day of the Spring Sitting, March 19, 2020. Prior to the House rising in the 2020 Spring Sitting, social distancing measures such as closing the public gallery and increasing physical separation between Members were implemented. These measures will be continued in the 2020 Fall Sitting, in the absence of a vaccine or any material changes in the risk profile of COVID-19. Further measures have been and will continue to be taken to ensure the safety of support staff and of all Members.
The Assembly will continue its business to the best of our ability while the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic continues, to ensure MLAs can conduct their important work.
Hon. Nils Clarke
Speaker, Yukon Legislative Assembly