UPDATE: Budget vote passes after Province House put off limits to public

A vote on the provincial budget has passed in the legislature.

The Appropriations Act passed Wednesday afternoon, after Speaker Danielle Barkhouse announced Province House would be closed to the public for the rest of the week.

The ban comes after singing protestors interrupted the vote late Tuesday night.

Barkhouse told reporters that one MLA was blocked from leaving the House Tuesday night, and objects were thrown at windows on Wednesday.

“When the rules are ignored, it creates an environment that’s a tinder box, with a potential to ignite. We all have the responsibility to take the steps within our control to diffuse the situation,” said Barkhouse in an address to start the day’s proceedings.

Barkhouse says staff were feeling unsafe.

“I want to make sure that the public can come, and in order to do that, I feel it’s best to sit down, unpack this session, and figure out what went well and what didn’t, and to figure out how we can make this place better.”

The office will review the decision at the end of the week to see if access will be restored on Monday, March 30.

NDP leader Claudia Chender says she can’t speak to what other MLAs have experienced in the last few days.

But she says she hasn’t felt unsafe.

“We witnessed people singing, that did not feel dangerous to me, but I can only speak for myself,” said Chender.

She is critical of the way the Houston government has tried to pass votes on the budget.

This is a government that’s allergic to scrutiny, they didn’t consult anyone on this budget, and it’s unfortunate,” Chender told reporters.

Finance minister John Lohr says it’s part of the process.

“We made amendments to the Appropriations Act, which is highly unusual, it proves as a government we’re listening. We do listen, and we do care.”

He was not present for Wednesday’s vote, but says he fully supports the budget.