Nova Scotians are being allowed back into the legislature after a week-long ban
The Speaker’s Office announced the reopening of Province House on Thursday morning, along with a number of restrictions for visitors that will be in place for the time being.
In a media release, the office says the use of devices like cell phones and tablets will not be allowed in the gallery, and visitors will not be allowed to sit in the front row of the galleries.
Visitors will also be prohibited from reading, writing, sketching or speaking during debates. The Speaker’s Office says that it is a rule enforced in the House of Commons in Ottawa that is aimed at preventing any distractions for MLAs.
Rules around clothing deemed to be conveying a message to the House of Assembly will be strictly enforced.
The legislature was shuttered to members of the public on Wednesday, March 25, after a group of people in the gallery started singing to interrupt a late-night budget vote the day before. Video showed some of those people, then yelled and jeered at MLAs from the gallery.
The Speaker’s office says everyone who was in the galleries that night will be banned for the remainder of the sitting or until the investigation wraps up. It says people who obey the rules will not face consequences, while those who do not will be subject to a short-term ban from the legislative precinct.