Today’s decision by the government members of the House of Assembly Management Commission (HOAMC) to reject additional caucus resources for the Official Opposition demonstrates that the HOAMC is dysfunctional and is nothing more than a political tool for government to manipulate the rules in their favour, says Opposition Leader Yvonne Jones. The independent consulting firm who conducted this review and made recommendations stated in their report that the Official Opposition is underfunded and resources should be increased.

At today’s meeting of the HOAMC, government members of the committee refused to approve additional resources for the Official Opposition as recommended by an independent consulting firm. The consultant was hired to review caucus resources as recommended in Justice Green’s report on accountability in the House of Assembly.

“An independent consultant hired by the House of Assembly made 17 recommendations on caucus resources,” said Ms. Jones. “The only recommendation government members rejected was for additional resources to allow the Official Opposition to do its job. Recommendations that provided additional funds for the Government Members Office and the Office of the third party were passed and will provide several hundred thousand dollars in additional resources. Yet, not one penny of new core funding was approved for our office.

“If the HOAMC is allowed to operate in a fashion where the identified needs and resources of the Official Opposition are ignored and continuously rejected by government, we are much closer to a dictatorship than the people of the province may think. The Official Opposition has a role to play, yet are not being given the resources needed for research, policy alternatives and to effectively challenge new legislation.

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