NEWS RELEASE
                                                                                       Office of the Official Opposition

Opposition to Introduce Bill to Regulate House Openings

Andrew Parsons, MHA for Burgeo-La Poile, announced today that he will be introducing a Bill to regulate the opening of the House of Assembly in the future.

“The decision to open the House is too important to leave to the whim of the Premier.  There should be a regular and predictable schedule removing the discretion of government to close or cancel the House when it becomes inconvenient for them.  The people of the province deserve to have the House open so their representatives can discuss and debate issues important to them.  The fact that the Premier waited until the close of the election to announce a seven month holiday showed disrespect to all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians and contempt for the issues facing the province,” said Parsons.

Parsons noted that it’s appalling that of the five provincial elections held in 2011, Newfoundland and Labrador was the only province to keep their legislature closed.  

“It’s an embarrassment that Ms. Dunderdale decided to keep the people’s representatives out of the House,” said Parsons. “My hope is that this Bill will prevent prolonged closures of the House from ever happening again.”  

Parsons said, “Ms. Dunderdale is quick to condemn the opposition parties for being negative and non-constructive.  By introducing this Bill, the Liberal Opposition demonstrates that our members are full and equal participants in the legislative process.  We look forward to cooperation from government members to ensure that the House receives the opportunity to fully discuss and debate this important initiative.”