New commission guts Speaker’s Office staffing
Posted Jun 9, 2010 04:23:24 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The first order of business for a new commission that held its first public meeting today was to downsize the Speaker’s Office, much to the chagrin of opposition members.
The Assembly Management Commission trimmed the Speaker’s Office from six staffers to two. The staff that were removed are being shipped out to other departments along with their responsibilities including payroll.
The government says this will help streamline services, but the opposition’s not convinced.
Tory MLA Murray Scott says rather than cuts, the Speaker’s Office should have been beefed up.
“The Auditor General very clearly identified the problems,” says Scott. “Changes were made to adhere to his recommendations. I think it would’ve been more responsible now to put the services in the Speaker’s Office, if they’re needed to, ensure that those changes are adhered to.”
The Assembly Management Commission is the replacement body for the Internal Economy Board which met secretly to make decisions on matters of pay and expenses.
Liberal Manning MacDonald is worried it puts too much authority into government’s hands, rather than the independent Speaker’s Office.
“The Speaker’s Office is no longer in control,” says MacDonald. “The department of finance is in control, which is a department of government, so in effect the government is now going to control a legislative branch of government.”
The government has majority on the committee and the motion to dismantle the speaker’s office passed.
