By The Canadian Press

Edmonton

MLAs allowed to abstain from voting in the Alberta legislature

May 24, 2019 | 1:03 PM

Premier Jason Kenney’s government is changing the rules to give MLAs a third option on votes in the Alberta legislature.

Legislators will soon be free to remain in their seats and abstain from voting.

They currently have to physically leave the chamber if they don’t want to cast a vote.

House leader Jason Nixon says the change is part of a package of amended rules to be introduced and voted on by legislature members next week.

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Allowing members to abstain is already allowed in the House of Commons and in some other provinces.

Opposition NDP critic Heather Sweet says Kenney is giving his members a weak-kneed way to back out of doing what they were elected to do — weigh competing issues and vote on them.

Another change expected next week will be a ban on members thumping on their desks during debate, which Kenney has called distracting and demeaning.