A decision by government to begin night sittings proves once again their lack of commitment to the House of Assembly, says Opposition House Leader Kelvin Parsons.

Earlier today, Government House Leader Joan Burke advised the House of Assembly that starting Monday there will be night sittings to debate legislation. This is a heavy-handed move by government in an effort to get legislation passed in as short a timeframe as possible.

“This is a government that delayed the opening of the House of Assembly by two weeks, wasted the first week of the legislative agenda by not calling any legislation, and had government MHAs read generic speeches that touted the virtues of the premier for several days,” said Mr. Parsons. “Now, it appears they will rush to have the legislature closed as quickly as possible by holding night sessions to push legislation through.

“With only four members sitting on the Opposition side of the House of Assembly, ensuring the legislature remains open for the next few weeks could be very difficult. If government decides to hold night sittings to speed through their mostly housekeeping legislative agenda, this could be an even shorter session than we originally anticipated. It will also further hinder the Opposition’s efforts to prepare properly for legislative debates.

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