Thread by @MBellefontaine

Evening sitting starts with debate in third reading on Bill 80, another “red tape reduction” bill. #ableg

Bill 80 passes third and final reading. #ableg

Prior to the vote on motion 104, the motion condemning David Suzuki’s remarks, @JasonNixonAB tells the house, no abstaining, you are either with us or against us. #ableg

Earlier, NDP MLA Irfan Sabir said the caucus was in favour of the motion in the original form. Then the motion was amended to express support with the First Nations in favour of the Coastal Link pipeline.

The amended motion passes with NDP voting against. #ableg

Ok. Now the house moving to debate the motion setting up the committee to look at the pros and cons of safe supply as a harm reduction measure. #ableg

UCP MLA Brad Rutherford amends the motion to switch the committee membership. #ableg

NDP MLA David Shepherd proposes amendment to define how safe supply actually works in Canada and to remove quotation remarks around the term safe supply in the text of the motion. #ableg

Shepherd says the UCP and associate minister have mischaracterized how safe supply works. He says safe supply is used by people who failed at recovery and is used by 500 people at 17 sites in Canada. #ableg

Shepherd says if committee is supposed to look objectively at the issue then using scare quotes around safe supply in the wording of the motion should not occur. #ableg

Associate minister of Mental Health and addictions @MikeEllisUCP says the NDP amendment changes the scope of the committee #ableg

Ellis won’t support the amendment and urges MLAs not to support it. #ableg

Shepherd’s amendment is defeated. #ableg

The main motion to set up the committee is passed. #ableg

Now @JasonNixonAB moves time allocation on Bill 81 in committee of the whole. This is the bill that makes numerous amendments on elections rules and financing #ableg

I believe this is the last bill (besides Bill 86 which is in limbo) MLAs will debate in the fall sitting. #ableg

With time allocation, there will be one hour of debate left in committee of the whole. #ableg

@jkenney is in the house right now. #ableg

@KayceeMaduYEG is saying that Chief electoral officer Glen Resler’s interpretation is wrong on the membership issue. #ableg

Madu keeps insisting it is NOT illegal to buy party memberships for other people. #ableg

Chief Electoral Officer Glen Resler said that people can only buy memberships for themselves & not for others under election law. (see link)

but the justice minster says Resler is wrong and that it is fine to buy memberships for others.

elections.ab.ca/wp-content/upl… #ableg

@shoffmanAB says its clear the government think its fine for someone to buy 400 memberships for someone else so let's vote on it. She accuses UCP MLAs of trying to eat up time #ableg

@shoffmanAB Angela Pitt tells Cardston-Siksika MLA Joe Schow to stay on the amendment at hand. he yells at Joe Ceci for heckling and then insults him by calling Ceci "the worst finance minster of all time."
#ableg

@shoffmanAB Pitt -- who is chairing committee of the whole -- intervenes again telling him to get on topic. And Schow starts arguing with her. #ableg

@shoffmanAB WOW. UCP MLA Dave Hanson just said he wanted to introduce an amendment so people have to get permission from someone they are selling a membership to.
He will vote agains the bill.

#ableg

@shoffmanAB Now Independent MLA Todd Loewen calls out Schow and other UCP MLAs of filibustering. He calls it disgusting. He says the UCP should vote down the NDP amendment and move on. #ableg

NOW UCP MLA Leela Aheer. She thanks the chief electoral officer for his interpretation on memberships.

She has been raising concerns about the memberships sales.

She says any special interest group could come in and change the nomination process by buying nominations. #ableg

Aheer wants Hanson to be able to introduce his amendment. #ableg

Independent MLA @Drew__Barnes says what is happening is undemocratic. He says it mirrors what happened in the UCP leadership. #ableg

now Angela Pitt is rebuking @JasonNixonAB for trying to intervene. #ableg

@JasonNixonAB So much drama right now. Holy cannoli.

it's like all the bad feelings current and former UCP MLAs have been suppressing are exploding in the final hours of the fall sitting. #Ableg

Now UCP MLA @RichardGotfried wants to have written consent for people to be sold memberships. #ableg

Justice Minister Kaycee Madu is fighting back. He expresses his disappointment that Barnes suggested bulk UCP memberships can be bought. And is "flat-out inaccurate" for any one to suggest it. #ableg

so...the one hour of debate in committee of the whole is over.

now they must vote on the amendment. it is defeated.

A division is called. #ableg

they are now voting on the NDP amendment. Kenney is in the house and voted against it.

It is defeated.

#ableg

Now they will report the bill to conclude committee of the whole but a division is called. MLAs will vote in a minute. #ableg

Majority votes in favour. So they are now rising and reporting the bill.

Now they are moving to debate Bill 81 in third and final reading. #ableg

Now @shoffmanAB is speaking. She says what just happened in committee of the whole was one of the most overt anti-democratic actions she's seen this government engage in. #ableg

Given the RCMP investigations into the UCP leadership race, Hoffman suggests one would think the government would be more cautious. Instead they will change the law, she says. #ableg

Hoffman says if the UCP really wants to increase access they could make memberships cheaper or free. She says they won't because the real purpose is to allow wealthy people to buy memberships for others and buy influence. #ableg

Chestermere-Strathmore UCP MLA Leela Aheer speaking now.

She wants the government to ensure that every person that has a UCP membership has signed for it. #ableg

Aheer does not want to legalize something that was not legal.

She introduces an amendment to Bill 81 to not be read a third time.

#ableg

So in other words, Aheer wants the passage of the bill to be delayed to ensure the house has the very best legislation.

#ableg

Justice Minister @KayceeMaduYEG is choosing his words carefully in response to Aheer's amendment. He says the house voted on amendments...and majority expressed their view. And the will of the assembly has been expressed. #ableg

Madu said if the NDP had so much of an issue with the membership issue they could have changed it when they were in government. #ableg

Madu says people can hear the frustration in his voice. He had four meetings with caucus about the bill since it was introduced. #Ableg

He admits his amendments were in response to the concerns of the UCP caucus. #ableg

Madu says democracy can't be "my way, or the high road."

He says he has tremendous respect for Leela Aheer. He says her amendment cannot happen at this late hour at this point in the debate on Bill 81. #ableg

Madu reminds UCP MLAs that Bill 81 fulfills the UCP campaign promise to close the AFL loophole. #ableg

Madu urges all MLAs to vote against Aheer's amendment. #ableg

Independent MLA Drew Barnes says tonight was the chance for MLAs to talk and it was taken away. "Shame on you," he tells Madu.

he says Bill 81 is certain to be challenged in court. #ableg

Bonnyville-Cold Lake-St. Paul Dave Hanson speaking now.

He says Madu knew about his amendment as he gave to the minister yesterday. #ableg

Hanson says his amendment to have people give their written consent to get a membership was not unreasonable. Seven words added to the bill, that's all, he says.
#ableg

Hanson says he asked Madu yesterday to delay the bill. So much dissent and discussion on the bill he says.
#ableg

Hanson says the UCP doesn't want to delay the bill because of upcoming leadership review and nominations.

"This doesn't protect us," Hanson says. He says the Alberta Federation of Labour could dump money into UCP nominations. #ableg

Hanson says he will vote against Bill 81 if the referral amendment doesn't pass.

he asks his caucus members to look in their heart and think whether this is what they really want. #ableg

Hanson says it is embarrassing to see cabinet ministers filibustering to ensure he couldn't table his amendment. #ableg

Independent MLA Todd Loewen says one of the few times the NDP government invoked closure was on Bill 6, the contentious farm bill. Now he reads a quote from @JasonNixonAB complaining about closure. #ableg

"What's go around comes around," Loewen says. he says the UCP govt has invoked closure 25 times.

"The hypocrisy is astounding," he adds.

Nixon is now the UCP house leader and is now invoking closure which he complained about when in opposition. #ableg

I don't think Nixon has invoked time allocation on third reading of this bill (which would limit debate to one hour). So this could go all night.

#ableg

Loewen says only two pages of this massive bill deals with closing the AFL loophole. #ableg

Loewen says the bill takes away ability of grassroots of political parties to have their say.

he won't support the bill.

#ableg

Loewen says people are still disgusted by the 2017 UCP leadership race. People still talk about it on Facebook. It hurts the party's reputation and casts aspirsions on it. #ableg

Loewen said he doesn't understand what the issue would be to have signed consent for membership sales...it's UCP policy, he says.

Loewen says it's because the government didn't want to. They want others to be able to influence the political process, he says. #Ableg

UCP MLA Richard Gotfried says the UCP is a grassroots party. He believes in one member, one vote. #ableg

Aheer intervenes and says many concerns about Bill 81 that were brought up were not dealt with. #ableg

Gotfried asks why they are rushing Bill 81? Why not take the take the time to get it right?

He asks if they can bring Bill 81 back in the spring sitting, raise the bar, and get it right. #ableg

NDP MLA Christina Gray points out that they have been debating in third reading for 2 and a half hours, yet they rushed through committee of the whole in one hour. Maybe they could have spent more time in committee to debate amendments, she muses. #ableg

UCP MLA Shane Getson tells NDP MLA Rod Loyola "I don't really like you."

he says he likes four NDP MLAs: Christina Gray, Nicole Goehring, Deron Bilous, and Chris Nielsen.

#ableg

Gray calls Getson out on a point of order. Getson withdraws his remark. #ableg

@doug_schweitzer moves to adjourn debate.

Now he moves a motion invoking time allocation on Bill 81 to one more hour. #ableg

NDP MLA Richard Feehan says the UCP is using voter suppression on their own members and subverting deomcracy. #ableg

Feehan, like other MLAs tonight, raises the ongoing investigation into the UCP leadership race.

He is very passionate and frustrated. He says the UCP should be ashamed of what they are doing, it is unacceptable in a democracy. #ableg

A division is called on the closure motion.

"CALL IN THE MEMBERS," Speaker Cooper says. #ableg

The closure motion passes. The NDP and the independents against it. #ableg

So there is one hour left to the debate on Bill 81.

@doug_schweitzer speaking to the bill. Now is the time to vote on the matter, he says. it is the right thing for Alberta, and he is proud to vote in favour of Bill 81.
#ableg

NDP MLA Irfan Sabir says people will remember which MLAs stood up for democracy and those who supported this bill. #ableg

Sabir says the MLAs who vote in favour of Bill 81 are complicit on this attack on democracy. #ableg

NDP MLA David Eggen warns UCP MLAs that the provisions in Bill 81 could be used against them in their own nomination races. #ableg

Municipal Affairs Minister Ric McIver says every vote that took place in the house was democratic. "Every voice in this house has value," he says.
"Nothing but democracy has happened here tonight."

#ableg

And the clock runs out on debate on Bill 81

they are voting on Leela Aheer's amendment to delay the final vote on Bill 81. #ableg

Gotfried, Hanson and Aheer vote along with NDP and Independent MLAs in favour of Aheer's amendment. However, UCP majority vote ensure the amendment is defeated. #ableg

Here we go. Third reading vote. One last division is called. #ableg

Third and final reading on Bill 81 passes.

UCP MLAs Gotfried, Aheer, Hanson vote against the bill along with Loewen, Barnes and NDP MLAs.

Bill 81 is passed into law. #ableg

And that's it. Speaker @NathanCooperAB thanks all the staff in the legislative assembly for their work. He says the current session ran 139 days, the longest in history.

And the fall sitting is over at 2:58 a.m. The house is adjourned until February. #ableg

Good morning everyone. If you want to get caught up on what went down last night in the #ableg please read this thread. My colleague @Jantafrench also live-tweeted. Coming up at 10 am— UCP house leader @JasonNixonAB holds his end of session newser.

UCP House Leader Jason Nixon says it is against the bylaws of the United Conservative Party to buy memberships for others.

He is putting forward the arugment that political parties are private clubs. #ableg