New Brunswick’s politicians return to the New Brunswick Legislature in Fredericton today.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, things look a lot different than they normally do.
Finance Minister Ernie Steeves describes the new seating arrangements, “Twenty-eight, plus the Speaker, on the main floor where we usually sit, and in the Gallery there will be 18. So, on the floor there will be twelve PC, eleven Liberals, two Green, two Peoples Alliance and one Independent. The rest will be in the Gallery.”
They are scheduled to sit in the Legislature three times a week.
“We’re going to be sitting on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays, four hours each day in the Legislature. We are encouraging people to wear masks, and it won’t be open to the public at all. It is going to be a different Legislature, but we’re looking forward to getting back and getting some of the business done,” Steeves says.
He adds that there are a few changes during Question Period as well, “The Opposition parties will tell how many questions they will have and who they are directed at. That is just to ensure that those members are on the floor. So they won’t know what the questions are ahead of time, just who the questions will be directed at.”
And finally, an aspect that the Finance Minister says he has been pushing for since he was elected. “They are limiting the use of paper, because they don’t want to transfer paper from one another. So finally, we are going to be able to use IPads in the Legislature and save about a zillion trees here. So I’m excited about it,” Steeves says.
