Guide to the Fall Sitting of the Nova Scotia Legislature
The fall sitting of the House of Assembly is now in session.
Below is a quick guide to keeping up with the session, where you can find out what I'm working on, and how you can get involved in the democratic process.
My activity will be posted regularly to the In the Legislature page of my website. This includes member's statements, questions to ministers, bills introduced, and motions. Wherever possible, we will also post videos.
So far, I have offered thanks to education professionals and congratulations to restorative justice workers. I have also questioned the Minister of Education about the bussing situation and the Minister of Justice about prison conditions in Central Nova Correctional Facility in Burnside.
Follow Along
If you would like to follow the entirety of the proceedings, there are several ways to do so:
LegTV
Watch the proceedings live during the week online via Legislative Television or on selected channels:
Eastlink Cable channel 95
Eastlink Cable channel 630 in HD
Bell Aliant TV1 channel 1 or 401
Hansard
Read the proceedings in Hansard, the official report of what was said in the House of Assembly. Hansard is usually updated within 24 hours.
The Legislative Chamber from the government benches on the west side.
Credit: M. James MacNutt, 2009 via nslegislature.ca
Visit Province House
Visit the Gallery and experience the House for yourself. The public is welcome to come and watch the House of Assembly in person.
Next year marks the 200th anniversary of Province House. To help celebrate, the Nova Scotia legislature will tweet out an interesting fact about the House every day. Check them out by searching #ProvinceHouse200.
Participate
There are two main ways you can participate in the legislative session.
Submit a Petition
Petitions are an opportunity for constituents to bring attention to an issue in the House of Assembly through their MLA. Petitions must be presented in a certain format. All details are available on the NS legislature website.
Present to a Committee
Once a bill has passed the second reading, it goes to either the Law Amendments Committee or the Private and Local Bills Committee. This is your chance to offer your input. See the NS legislature website for details on how to do so.
You can always get in touch with my office by calling 902-406-2301, visiting us at 33 Ochterloney Street, emailing me at claudiachendermla@gmail.com, or following me on social media.
Or, sign up for the newsletter to get my posts directly in you inbox!