Provincial release:

–—————————————————-–
NOTE: The following is a statement from Danielle Barkhouse, Speaker of the House of Assembly.
——————————————————

Since the spring sitting of the legislature, I have been speaking with constituents and interested persons from around the province who have offered their opinions on the temporary bans issued following the March 24 disruption in the gallery. This includes a representative of the Nova Scotia Arts Coalition who asked for the bans be lifted. The opposition caucuses have made their opinions opposing the bans known, as has the government via a recent letter.

I remain very concerned about what happened in March. While protests are a natural and healthy part of our democracy, there is a time and place for everything. Engaging in protests in the gallery of the House and preventing the House and its members from discharging their duties is a contempt of the House and a breach of parliamentary privilege. It is unlawful. If disruptions of the House are permitted to occur unfettered, the House will be paralyzed and the work of elected MLAs stymied. There is nothing democratic about this. The actions of the disruptors must not be condoned.

However, recognizing the broad consensus among the members of the House in opposition to the temporary bans and motivated by the spirit of constructive engagement and conciliation advocated by many I have spoken with, including the arts community, I have decided to rescind the bans unconditionally and allow the formerly banned persons full access to Province House, including the gallery. This rescission takes effect immediately. I place my faith in these individuals to follow the gallery rules and not engage in any demonstrations or other disruptive behaviour in the gallery or within the legislative precinct. People are certainly welcome to demonstrate on the sidewalks surrounding Province House, as has always been the case. I hope that this rescission will allow everyone to move forward respectfully and in good faith.

If there are disruptions in the gallery during this sitting, the disruptors will be removed from the gallery. If they persist in being disruptive outside of the gallery, they will be removed from the precinct. In the unlikely event that there are recurring or persistent disruptions, I will again consider bans from the gallery or, if necessary, the legislative precinct. I will not tolerate disruptions of the House and breaches of the gallery rules.

The gallery rules, which have been modernized, clarified and aligned with best practices from the Parliament of Canada and the other provincial and territorial legislative assemblies, will be posted both inside and outside of the gallery and handed out to every visitor to the gallery for ease of reference. I ask that visitors to the gallery review the rules and abide by them to ensure a pleasant experience for everyone who chooses to watch the proceedings from there.