As expected, a private member’s bill from the Yukon Party asking for amendments to the Civil Emergency Measures Act (CEMA) was defeated in the legislature Wednesday.

Brad Cathers of the Yukon Party introduced the motion.

Cabinet minister John Streicker said he acknowledges “there are some jurisdictions in Canada — it’s about 50-50 — that require that it be the legislature that considers extensions to states of emergency, or longer states of emergency, and there are some that do not, but I think that’s a really good question to pose.

“However, we had better be pretty careful about how we introduce it so that we don’t inadvertently, through the way in which we have amended a piece of legislation here — if it’s through a private member’s bill or however it is amended — that it be done appropriately, because we are talking about incredibly serious issues,” Streicker added.

“I just want to make sure that there needs to be that forethought that would go into how this legislation would be shaped.”

Streicker continued on that tangent.

“What if we set ourselves up into a situation where we were caught without being able to take a decision?” he asked.

The NDP’s Emily Tredger said the bill “has some really important points. There is a need for more accountability and more oversight of the use of the Civil Emergency Measures Act.

“I absolutely agree that there is a need for improvement. It is well-known that we have been pushing for less politics and more opinions — and more information from experts — in the use of CEMA.”

Declaring a state of emergency that grants such broad powers to a government should be used “only in the best interests of all Yukoners,” Tredger added.

“I do want to point out that there are numerous issues with this bill as well. Parts of this bill have essentially been copied from the federal Emergencies Act. That is problematic in terms of legislative language, scope of the bill, feasibility, and so on.”

It’s a concern that this bill, as written, “would do what it is intended to do, because it is harder than one might think to take a federal bill and apply it to a much smaller jurisdiction, like ours,” Tredger said.

The Yukon Party issued a statement after losing the vote.

“A Yukon Party official Opposition bill providing more democratic oversight of the Civil Emergency Measures Act (CEMA) was blocked at second reading in the Yukon Legislative Assembly by the Liberal government with the support of their NDP coalition partners,” the statement read.

“In response to concerns raised by MLAs in debate, the Yukon Party moved an amendment to refer the bill to the all-party Standing Committee on Statutory Instruments.

“Work by the Standing Committee would have enabled Yukoners and interested groups to provide feedback on the proposed changes, as well as better enable Yukon MLAs to make any necessary amendments to ensure it is effective.”

The release went on to state, “The Liberals rejected both the amendment and overall bill, insisting that they alone should oversee a review of the legislation.

“The NDP also rejected these principles of democratic oversight. This came after the NDP agreed to support the proposal earlier in the day – only to flip-flop when it came time to make a decision.”

“This just shows the my-way-or-the-highway mentality of the Liberals,” said Cathers.

“The Liberals have touted a spirit of collaboration during their time in office, but it seems when presented with ideas and a chance for collaboration, they refuse to engage.

“It’s unfortunate, as this process would have provided an opportunity for all MLAs to have a say when it comes to invoking such important legislation such as the Civil Emergency Measures Act,” said the Lake Laberge MLA.

The Yukon Party said the proposed amendments would have:

• required that any declaration of a state of emergency be debated by the assembly within seven days and be subject to a vote;

• provided the legislature with control over the extension of a state of emergency;

• required that any regulations and ministerial orders be subject to a mandatory review by the house or a house committee within 45 days of being issued;

• empowered committees to conduct public hearings on regulations and ministerial orders under the CEMA;

• if the Speaker received a request from three MLAs, require that the assembly debate a request to revoke a declaration of a state of emergency; and

• required that a public inquiry be held after the declaration of a state of emergency (this could be waived if three-quarters of MLAs agree).