NB Telegraph-Journal | Politics As published on page A1/A8 on May 17, 2006
Tories, Liberals make progress on ending gridlock in legislature House leaders met Tuesday and will sit down again later this week
By Shannon Hagerman Telegraph-Journal
FREDERICTON - The Conservatives and the Liberals in New Brunswick are expressing some optimism they can settle a dispute over the way the legislature should operate.
Government house leader Bev Harrison and Liberal house leader Kelly Lamrock met Tuesday to discuss options to end potential gridlock inside the tightly-matched legislature.
The house leaders emerged from a 90-minute meeting Tuesday saying some progress was made. They have agreed to meet again later this week.
"I am very optimistic," said Mr. Harrison.
The truce, of sorts, was reached last week when the Tories delayed a vote on controversial rule changes in the legislature and the Liberals shelved a non-confidence motion in Speaker Michael (Tanker) Malley, a Conservative MLA from Miramichi-Bay du Vin.
Both parties agreed last week to another round of talks aimed at hammering out a deal that would avoid a political showdown in the legislature.
While neither party is revealing exactly what the options are, they say everything is on the table. That is believed to include Mr. Malley's future as Speaker and a potential early election campaign.
Mr. Lamrock said he was "cautiously optimistic" about Tuesday's talks.
The Liberals aren't abandoning their call for Mr. Malley to resign. Mr. Lamrock said their non-confidence motion in Mr. Malley, which was supposed to be debated last Thursday, has been put on hold for the time being.
"If the house is going to go on for a long time, I think I have made my feelings clear, I just don't think he's up to the job," Mr. Lamrock said.
Mr. Harrison wouldn't confirm whether Mr. Malley's status was discussed during Tuesday's meeting, but last week he said it would be on the agenda.
"We had discussions on all sorts of topics but I can't elaborate on any of them," he said.
The Conservatives have a one-seat majority, but when the house breaks into committee to study budget estimates or legislation they don't have votes to guarantee their proposals are approved.
There are 28 Tories, 26 Liberals and one Independent inside the 55-seat legislature.
However when the legislature breaks into committee to study estimates or proposed bills, there are 26 Tories, 26 Liberals and one Independent who can vote.
The reason the Tories are outnumbered is because Mr. Malley doesn't sit on the committees and the Tory MLA who is chairing the supply or estimates committee, doesn't vote, unless there is a tie.
The structure gives the Opposition Liberals enough power - if Independent MLA Frank Branch, a former Liberal votes with them - to alter government legislation and departmental spending estimates, something they've threatened to do to force an early election campaign.
The Conservatives countered with proposals to change the voting rules in the legislature. One proposal included giving the Tory committee chair two votes, another was moving debate over budget estimates and legislation to a smaller committee of MLAs for review, which would give the Conservatives the majority required to pass their legislation and estimates.
The Liberals called the rule changes undemocratic and have vowed to fight them.
Mr. Lamrock said he's hopeful the two sides can reach a compromise they both can live with.
"There is more common ground than one might think," he said.
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NB Telegraph-Journal | Politics
As published on page A1/A8 on May 17, 2006
Tories, Liberals make progress on ending gridlock in legislature
House leaders met Tuesday and will sit down again later this week
By Shannon Hagerman
Telegraph-Journal
FREDERICTON - The Conservatives and the Liberals in New Brunswick are expressing some optimism they can settle a dispute over the way the legislature should operate.
Government house leader Bev Harrison and Liberal house leader Kelly Lamrock met Tuesday to discuss options to end potential gridlock inside the tightly-matched legislature.
The house leaders emerged from a 90-minute meeting Tuesday saying some progress was made. They have agreed to meet again later this week.
"I am very optimistic," said Mr. Harrison.
The truce, of sorts, was reached last week when the Tories delayed a vote on controversial rule changes in the legislature and the Liberals shelved a non-confidence motion in Speaker Michael (Tanker) Malley, a Conservative MLA from Miramichi-Bay du Vin.
Both parties agreed last week to another round of talks aimed at hammering out a deal that would avoid a political showdown in the legislature.
While neither party is revealing exactly what the options are, they say everything is on the table. That is believed to include Mr. Malley's future as Speaker and a potential early election campaign.
Mr. Lamrock said he was "cautiously optimistic" about Tuesday's talks.
The Liberals aren't abandoning their call for Mr. Malley to resign. Mr. Lamrock said their non-confidence motion in Mr. Malley, which was supposed to be debated last Thursday, has been put on hold for the time being.
"If the house is going to go on for a long time, I think I have made my feelings clear, I just don't think he's up to the job," Mr. Lamrock said.
Mr. Harrison wouldn't confirm whether Mr. Malley's status was discussed during Tuesday's meeting, but last week he said it would be on the agenda.
"We had discussions on all sorts of topics but I can't elaborate on any of them," he said.
The Conservatives have a one-seat majority, but when the house breaks into committee to study budget estimates or legislation they don't have votes to guarantee their proposals are approved.
There are 28 Tories, 26 Liberals and one Independent inside the 55-seat legislature.
However when the legislature breaks into committee to study estimates or proposed bills, there are 26 Tories, 26 Liberals and one Independent who can vote.
The reason the Tories are outnumbered is because Mr. Malley doesn't sit on the committees and the Tory MLA who is chairing the supply or estimates committee, doesn't vote, unless there is a tie.
The structure gives the Opposition Liberals enough power - if Independent MLA Frank Branch, a former Liberal votes with them - to alter government legislation and departmental spending estimates, something they've threatened to do to force an early election campaign.
The Conservatives countered with proposals to change the voting rules in the legislature. One proposal included giving the Tory committee chair two votes, another was moving debate over budget estimates and legislation to a smaller committee of MLAs for review, which would give the Conservatives the majority required to pass their legislation and estimates.
The Liberals called the rule changes undemocratic and have vowed to fight them.
Mr. Lamrock said he's hopeful the two sides can reach a compromise they both can live with.
"There is more common ground than one might think," he said.
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