MLA wants to end night sittings in P.E.I. Legislature

The P.E.I. government is considering a proposal to end night sessions in the legislature as part of an effort to reduce barriers to office.

​​​Paula Biggar, the minister responsible for the status of women, said ending night sessions would not mean a reduction in the hours the house sits, as extra hours would be added to the day sittings. The house sits from 7-9 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and ends at 1 p.m. on Fridays.

"It's a life balance issue for MLAs in the legislature across Canada," Biggar said. "P.E.I. is one of the last to adjust their hours."

Reducing barriers

She said the initiative stems from work done by the PEI Coalition for Women in Government to reduce barriers to office for women thinking of running. P.E.I. is the only province that goes past 6 p.m. on a regular basis and only Saskatchewan and Quebec have sittings for one week that go into the late evening, Biggar said.

"It's something that has been identified by a number of studies of barriers to public life," Biggar said. "The parties have been talking about making changes, this is a small way we can make a change in our system to encourage more diversity in the legislature."

Fewer people are in the gallery in the evenings, and unlike the day sittings, the evening sessions aren't televised live. Bigger said changes to the schedule could increase transparency and access to the legislature.

Biggar said depending on how quickly the details of the scheduling changes are studied and agreed upon, and if support from the other parties is forthcoming, the changes could be implemented by next fall's sitting.

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