Why did the UCP end Monday afternoon’s legislative sitting nearly 3 hours early?

In a move that stumped even the Speaker of the Alberta legislature – an MLA for 13 years – the UCP government halted debates nearly three hours early Monday afternoon.

“What I’ve learned, or confirmed, I guess, is that the motion is in order. It’s not debateable; we’re going straight to the vote,” said Ric McIver, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.

The UCP majority won and the House was shuttered, prior to Opposition members being able to ask more questions or bring motions.

CityNews confirmed with officials in the legislature library they couldn’t find any record of that ever being done before.

“Well, you learn something every day. I didn’t know the library had that information,” said Government House Leader Joseph Schow.

Schow said he wanted to use the time to debate government bills, even though it was set aside for Opposition MLAs.

“Lots of business to get to, it was a great opportunity,” Schow told CityNews. “We’ve already extended session by two weeks. We thought we could use that three hours to debate government business. Absent of unanimous consent, we decided to use that and go ahead and prepare for debate last night.”

The government already used their majority power to limit debate on a trio of controversial bills to one hour.

Respectively, bills 9, 11 and 14 affect transgender people; allow more private health care; and loosen referendum rules.

“It’s an unfortunate dynamic and it keeps happening,” said Christina Gray, Alberta NDP House Leader. “This government will say and do anything to ram their agenda through because they are entitled and arrogant and they are not listening to Albertans.”

The adjournment effectively delays a pair of NDP motions, including one calling for a vote on denouncing separatism, until the spring.

Former UCP cabinet minister Peter Guthrie also planned to question the government, including on health care scandal allegations, but his time was denied.

“They’re shutting down the legislature, so I don’t have an opportunity to speak,” the Airdrie-Cochrane MLA said. “You know, in an interview last week, I said that they were terrified, and they’re sure acting like they are.”

The government is trying to wrap up the last of its 14 bills before MLAs take a couple of months away from the legislature. Word is they are aiming to finish with this session Wednesday or early Thursday morning.