Maxt
04-19-2016, 01:33 AM
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/dispute-over-ruling-gets-pc-leader-ric-mciver-kicked-out-of-legislature-1.3542009
http://www.calgarysun.com/videos/4851383002001
Should be interesting for the next week.
Tory Leader Ric McIver was ordered to leave the legislative assembly Monday after he challenged a ruling by Speaker Bob Wanner, claiming a copy of the decision was circulated in the house before the speaker heard any argument.
McIver eventually marched out with several fellow PC MLAs shortly after 5 p.m. after refusing several requests from Wanner to either sit down or leave.
“I will not sit down unless you reverse the ruling that you made,” McIver told Wanner before he was escorted out by the Sergeant of Arms Brian Hodgson.
The interim Progressive Conservative leader told Postmedia he didn’t know when he would return.
“I am new at this, sir,” he said.”I have no idea what happens next. The dignity of the house must be upheld, full stop.”
The MLA for Calgary-Hays said he was protesting the speaker’s ruling on whether to allow an amendment of his private member’s motion in support of private and charter schools.
He said a government MLA moved an amendment to the motion, and with the copy of the amendment that was handed out to MLAs, he received a copy of the speaker’s ruling, which the speaker later read “pretty close to verbatim.”
“People can draw their own conclusions, but I am upholding the dignity of the house because I think the rulings in the house have to be made based on the arguments made in the house — not pre-determined and typed up ahead of time,” McIver said.
In the house, Wanner denied he had referenced the written decision before ruling on the argument.
“You’re saying the speaker received a ruling from staff prior to my making the decision,” he told McIver. “You can accept, or not accept, my word. I can only give you my word as an honourable member, I received this now from a page.”
Wildrose house leader Nathan Cooper, whose children were in attendance, expressed shock at the incident.
“We’ve seen things this afternoon that we may never see in this assembly again,” he told MLAs in the legislature.
He later told reporters that it was “very concerning” that it appeared the speaker may have prejudged the outcome of the debate.
The last eviction from the Alberta legislature was a decade ago when Liberal MLA Bharat Agnihotri was turfed by Speaker Ken Kowalski for refusing to apologize for impugning the integrity of Premier Ed Stelmach.
Agnihotri was docked his MLA salary until he apologized.
Speaker David Carter kicked out a host of opposition MLAs during his term as speaker in the 1990s, even evicting Liberal Leader Laurence Decore for calling then-premier Ralph Klein a “mouse.”
With files from Emma Graney and Graham Thomson, Postmedia
http://www.calgarysun.com/videos/4851383002001
Should be interesting for the next week.
Tory Leader Ric McIver was ordered to leave the legislative assembly Monday after he challenged a ruling by Speaker Bob Wanner, claiming a copy of the decision was circulated in the house before the speaker heard any argument.
McIver eventually marched out with several fellow PC MLAs shortly after 5 p.m. after refusing several requests from Wanner to either sit down or leave.
“I will not sit down unless you reverse the ruling that you made,” McIver told Wanner before he was escorted out by the Sergeant of Arms Brian Hodgson.
The interim Progressive Conservative leader told Postmedia he didn’t know when he would return.
“I am new at this, sir,” he said.”I have no idea what happens next. The dignity of the house must be upheld, full stop.”
The MLA for Calgary-Hays said he was protesting the speaker’s ruling on whether to allow an amendment of his private member’s motion in support of private and charter schools.
He said a government MLA moved an amendment to the motion, and with the copy of the amendment that was handed out to MLAs, he received a copy of the speaker’s ruling, which the speaker later read “pretty close to verbatim.”
“People can draw their own conclusions, but I am upholding the dignity of the house because I think the rulings in the house have to be made based on the arguments made in the house — not pre-determined and typed up ahead of time,” McIver said.
In the house, Wanner denied he had referenced the written decision before ruling on the argument.
“You’re saying the speaker received a ruling from staff prior to my making the decision,” he told McIver. “You can accept, or not accept, my word. I can only give you my word as an honourable member, I received this now from a page.”
Wildrose house leader Nathan Cooper, whose children were in attendance, expressed shock at the incident.
“We’ve seen things this afternoon that we may never see in this assembly again,” he told MLAs in the legislature.
He later told reporters that it was “very concerning” that it appeared the speaker may have prejudged the outcome of the debate.
The last eviction from the Alberta legislature was a decade ago when Liberal MLA Bharat Agnihotri was turfed by Speaker Ken Kowalski for refusing to apologize for impugning the integrity of Premier Ed Stelmach.
Agnihotri was docked his MLA salary until he apologized.
Speaker David Carter kicked out a host of opposition MLAs during his term as speaker in the 1990s, even evicting Liberal Leader Laurence Decore for calling then-premier Ralph Klein a “mouse.”
With files from Emma Graney and Graham Thomson, Postmedia