Letter called a criticism of Speaker's performance
The Speaker of the legislature chastised several MLAs Thursday for what he called undermining his authority.
The Speaker of the legislature chastised several MLAs Thursday for what he called undermining his authority.
Six members of the Yukon Party and the Liberal party sent a letter asking Liz Hanson, the leader of the official Opposition, to apologize for the use of inappropriate language.
A point of order relating to those words was raised and was dismissed Wednesday by Speaker David Laxton.
On Thursday, he reprimanded the Yukon Party MLAs, many of whom are cabinet ministers, for sending the letter.
"In writing this to the leader of the official Opposition, and in seeking redress directly from her, the members in question have implicitly criticized the Speaker's handling on this point of order,” he said. "That is not acceptable.”
Members may not always agree with his rulings on a point of order, he said, but they will have to accept them.
"It is not appropriate for members to attempt to discipline other members on their own. To do so demonstrates a lack of confidence in the Speaker, who was elected by this house to preserve order and decorum,” said Laxton.
During debate Wednesday on a homeowner's protection motion, Mike Nixon, the Yukon Party MLA for Porter Creek South, raised a point of order regarding what he called Hanson's use of unparliamentary language.
"The leader of the official Opposition is using foul language in the legislature in respect to the member on this side's speech and I personally find it very offensive in this respectful place,” said Nixon.
He raised the point of order during Community Services Minister Elaine Taylor's speech on the homeowners motion. Taylor is the MLA for Whitehorse West.
Laxton dismissed Nixon's concern.
"I don't believe there is any point of order,” he said.
"I never heard anything. It was a conversation on the other side. I ask the member to carry on, please,” he said.
Earlier during debate, Hanson also raised a point of order that Taylor had spent "the last 10 minutes speaking on matters ... other than the question under discussion.”
Responded Laxton: "I encourage the member to bring it back around to the subject at hand. I'm sure she's getting there. There is no point of order at this time.”
Hanson could not be reached for comment before press time this afternoon.
See story on homeowners motion.
Comments (3)
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D Drake on Apr 30, 2012 at 8:40 am
Wow another mistake Mr. Speaker. The first one was on opening day of this sitting when the protestors were in the gallery being disrespectful. The Speaker should of stopped the proceedings and had everyone thrown out.
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Jackie Ward on Apr 28, 2012 at 5:30 pm
Unfortunately Laxton is wrong. How can a speaker be impartial when they have an affiliation to one political party? Isn't that a conflict of interest? I would rather see an ombudsman type of position for these over priced speaker positions.
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Ken Bolton on Apr 27, 2012 at 7:51 pm
Speaker Laxton is right. It is his role to maintain order and discipline in the House and to rule on what is, or is not, appropriate conduct. That is not to say a Speaker is infallible, any more than a hockey (or boxing) referee. The best Speaker is one who can leave his/her ego and party affiliation outside the door. During my time in Yukon, I have seen some who could and some who couldn't. There are procedures for challenging a Speaker's impartiality, but doing so often comes at a political cost