Alberta Legislature Extends Time for Government Responses

0:00It's March 23rd. You're listening to Canada News today, AI-powered local news. New rules are now in place in the Alberta legislature that extend the time the United Conservative government has to answer written questions from. Members, instead of 30 sitting days after accepting a query, they now get up to 120 sitting days. One lawmaker warns this could let the government delay responses for years, especially with only 54 sitting days planned this year, and an election said for October 2027. These changes came after former cabinet minister Peter Guthrie, now leading the progressive Tory party, submitted more than two dozen detailed. Questions last fall. They cover government spending on things like health contracts, staff trips, and workplace issues. Guthrie says the rules seem tailored to sidestep as inquiries, pointing to a sudden halt in house business when they were first due. Guthrie and the opposition new Democratic party, argue the updates cut Democratic oversight. Rejected questions used to spark debates, but now they don't, and limits are added on

1:03emergency debates and how many questions each member can file. NDP leader Nahid Nenshi called it a blow to opposition tools. The government house leader Joseph Show defends the shifts as ways to boost overall debate time and stop any one member from dominating sessions. He says the longer deadline still ensures timely answers for Albertans and points to past opposition tactics like proposing 30 emergency debates, in a day as reasons for balance. With these rules locked in last week, questions like Guthrie's could sit unresolved through the year, reshaping how accountability plays out in, Alberta's legislature until the next vote.