Last night’s fiasco at the committee: the UCP set up a sub committe to do some work. The sub committee is 4 UCP, 2 NDP. It can meet and make decisions with only 4 members present. The UCP chair calls meetings - so basically it can meet with no opposition.

1/ #ableg

Why is this a problem:

1) the sub committee does work of substance - scopes the work of the committee (what sections we can consider) and decides what witnesses can be called.

2) it is off the record - no Hansard present.

3) this not usual for the leg. 2/ #ableg

Normally a subcommittee is small - like 1 gov and 1 oppo. Normally it doesn’t do work of substance - because it is off the record.

Officials said the closest was in the 28th leg, a sub committee with 33% of the committee, this is 50%.

4/ #ableg

Originally, the subcommittee was supposed to make decisions on these matters. Fortunately, when we asked about this Miranda Rosin jumped in claiming that was untrue. When it turned out it was true, rather than leave her a liar on the record the UCP amended it. 5/ #ableg

So, it is only by a lucky break with a careless UCP MLA who misread her notes, that the off the record subcommittee isn’t doing more of the substantive work and has to report back to the main committee. 6/ #ableg

So, in the end, we now have a subcommittee that meets off the record, possibly without any opposition MLAs being allowed to participate. And makes decisions about what the committee can talk about and who they talk to.

7/ #ableg

Did I mention the purpose of the committee - with the secret, possibly UCP only subcommittee- was to try and fix an anti-democratic over-reach that allowed the UCP to write legislation by Ministerial order.

Seriously. 8/8 #ableg