Liberal Leader Stephen McNeil wants to bring in fixed dates for elections, budgets and legislature sittings.
“It takes away the opportunity for a government to politicize an election campaign, to call one when it’s to their political advantage,” McNeil said yesterday.
He also said health authorities, school boards and municipal governments need to see budgets released before the fiscal year is over so they can plan their own spending.
McNeil said elections would be called the second Tuesday of October every four years. Budgets would be released by the third Tuesday in February. Sessions of the House of Assembly would begin by the second Monday of February and the first Monday of October.
NDP Leader Darrell Dexter doubted the effectiveness of McNeil’s promises, saying “you can’t legislate common sense or work ethic.”
He said the only true solution is to have a government dedicated to sitting in the legislature getting work done on time.
McNeil also wants to ban governments spending millions of surplus dollars at the end of the fiscal year. He wants that money to be approved by the legislature.
