During the 2020 Spring Sitting the House adopted a special adjournment Order to stand adjourned until 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 1, 2020. The Speaker subsequently provided notice to all Members on September 14, 2020, that the House shall convene at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 1, 2020.
You may find the following information useful in regard to the 2020 Fall Sitting.
Government Bills
Pursuant to Standing Order 74 all government bills to be dealt with during the 2020 Fall Sitting will have to be introduced and given first reading by the fifth sitting day – Thursday, October 8, 2020. 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 2020 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 2020 Fall Sitting. The Government House Leader will report to the House by the seventh sitting day - Wednesday October 14, 2020 - on the deliberations of the House Leaders regarding the length of the 2020 Fall Sitting. For your information:
- A 20-day Sitting, the shortest permitted under Standing Order 75(2), would see the House rise on Thursday, November 5, 2020.
- 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, November 25, 2019.
- A 40-day Sitting, the longest permitted under Standing Order 75(2) would see the House rise on Monday December 14, 2020.
Note: The Legislative Assembly will not sit on Thanksgiving Monday, October 12, 2020, or Wednesday, November 11, 2020, for Remembrance Day. Also, the House may, by adopting a motion, decide to not sit on a day when it would otherwise normally meet. For instance, in the past when a holiday has landed on a day mid-week, the House has sometimes decided to adopt a motion to not sit on an adjacent day in order to facilitate Members traveling to or from their electoral districts for the holiday. electoral districts. 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”
Therefore, as the 2020 Fall Sitting will commence on Thursday, October 1, 2020, the schedule of private members’ business for the 2020 Fall Sitting will be:
- Oct. 7 Opposition Private Members
- Oct. 14 Government Private Members
- Oct. 21 Opposition Private Members
- Oct. 28 Government Private Members
- Nov. 4 Opposition Private Members
- Nov. 18 Government Private Members (Should the Sitting last 26 or more days)
- Nov. 25 Opposition Private Members (Should the Sitting last 30 or more days)
- Dec. 2 Government Private Members (Should the Sitting last 34 or more days)
- Dec. 9 Opposition Private Members (Should the Sitting last 38 or more days)
Given that the House will not sit on Thanksgiving Monday (October 12, 2020), any motion to be debated on Wednesday, October 14, 2019 will have to be on the Notice Paper on Tuesday, October 13, 2020, 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 8, 2020.
In addition, the House will not sit on Remembrance Day, Wednesday, November 11, 2020, which means that the order for private members’ business will continue on Wednesday, November 18, 2020.
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 Spring Sitting was Motion No. 123, standing in the name of Ms. White, Leader of the Third Party. Motion No. 123 was at Position 3 in the roster. Therefore, the roster is now at position 4 and the order for Opposition Private Members’ Business for the 2020 Fall Sitting will be:
- Position 4: Third Party (NDP)
- Position 5: Official Opposition (Yukon Party)
- Position 6: Third Party (NDP)
- Position 1: Official Opposition (Yukon Party)
- Position 2: Official Opposition (Yukon Party)
- Position 3: Third Party (NDP)
Do not hesitate to contact me if you require further information about these, or other, matters.
Dan Cable, Clerk
Yukon Legislative Assembly