NDP to introduce 'dozens' of amendments to bills, as government threatens closure

The government and the NDP Official Opposition are set for a showdown this week over two contentious bills that make changes to labour legislation and the health care system. 

Shortly after NDP Leader Rachel Notley announced plans to table "dozens and dozens" of amendments to Bills 30 and 32, Government House Leader Jason Nixon introduced motions which, if passed, would limit the remaining time for debate to two hours for each bill. 

Bill 30, the Health Statutes Amendment Act, and Bill 32, Restoring Balance in Alberta's Workplaces Act, have passed second reading. The next stage of debate is committee of the whole where MLAs introduce and debate amendments to legislation. 

Nixon's press secretary Jess Sinclair said on Twitter that Nixon has only given oral notice of the motions. She said the government won't invoke time allocation unless the NDP "unnecessarily impedes progress in the chamber."

The NDP has opposed both pieces of proposed legislation since they were introduced earlier this month. 

Bill 30 proposes to cut approval times required to allow private surgical facilities to open in Alberta, give the ministry the ability to contract directly with doctors and permit private companies to take over the administrative functions of physician clinics. 

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Bill 32 places limits on where and how unions picket during strikes or lockouts, and introduces a controversial opt-in option which requires members to give permission before their union dues are used for political activity.

Bill 32 also allows employer associations to apply for variances and exemption to employment standards rules, which the NDP alleges would allow certain industries to avoid paying the minimum wages. The bill also changes work averaging agreements, which Notley says would deprive workers of thousands of dollars of overtime payments. 

On Monday, the Alberta Federation of Labour, along with its 25 affiliated unions, said the government could expect a constitutional challenge of Bill 32 unless the law's provisions are fundamentally changed.

Notley said she was not surprised by the AFL's threat, and said the government will likely face "countless" challenges in court. She said Bill 32 affects the constitutional rights of at least half a million Albertans. 

"I don't, in my career as a lawyer, in this house, recall ever seeing a bill that breaches the Charter of Rights and Freedoms as many times and in many ways as Bill 32 does," Notley said. 

Labour and Immigration Minister Jason Copping was not made available for an interview on Monday. 

In her written response to questions from CBC News, Copping's spokesperson Adrienne South avoided the question of the bill's constitutionality. 

"The government respects the rights of workers and employers and will continue to work to ensure that Alberta has fair and balanced workplaces that enable job creation and encourage economic growth," South wrote. 

"While it is no surprise that union bosses are threatening to run to the courts to continue their use of union dues to fund political activities that harm the interests of workers, we believe that workers should have the choice to opt out of campaigns they don't agree with."

When asked by a reporter whether the NDP was heading into filibuster territory by proposing that many amendments, Notley countered her caucus was doing its job by conducting an appropriate level of debate on two wide-reaching bills