New rules in offing to eject MLAs from P.E.I. Legislature

A committee of the P.E.I. Legislature is considering giving the speaker the power to eject members from the Legislature.

Speaker Buck Watts brought the issue to the attention of the province's Standing Committee on Rules, Regulations, Private Bills and Privileges, which discussed it at a recent meeting.

Committee chair Kathleen Casey says P.E.I. is the only jurisdiction that doesn't allow the speaker to directly remove an unruly MLA from the chamber.

"If a member of the House has been found to be disrespectful of the chair or to be breaking a rule, the speaker would of course ask them to withdraw or retract their remark, give them a few chances," said Casey.

Rules to follow

The MLA knows they're really in trouble, Casey said, when the speaker uses their given names rather than referring to them by their title.

Then, the speaker must ask that someone else put forward a motion to remove the member for the day.

Requiring the speaker to ask for a motion from the House introduces the possibility of non-confidence in the speaker, if no one puts the motion forward, Casey said.

"I just think that, we elect the speaker and give them full confidence to follow the rules and make sure everybody's carrying out the rules, and here we have to ask the house for permission," she said.

'Most unpleasant thing'

The last time it happened, Casey herself was speaker and asked to have then-opposition leader Olive Crane ejected. In spring 2011, Crane accused the premier of deceiving the house and refused to withdraw the comment.

"In my almost 10 years as a member and my four years as a speaker, it's only happened once and thankfully, because it's not the most pleasant thing for the member, and any speaker will tell you it's the most unpleasant thing they ever have to do."

The committee had a good discussion on the issue, Casey said, and Islanders will find out what the committee is recommending in its report in April.

Any change in the rule would have to be voted on by the legislative assembly.

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