New Brunswick MLA with Newborn Advocacy Calls for Hybrid Legislative Sessions – New Brunswick | The Canadian News

Green MLA Megan Mitton found herself defending a request to move to hybrid-virtual sessions next week in the New Brunswick legislature.

Mitton brings her baby under 6 months to the legislature every day.

The recent spike in COVID-19 cases, in Zone 3 in particular, is also part of their rationale for requesting hybrid-virtual sessions.

“I have a baby who cannot be vaccinated, who cannot wear a mask, but I need to bring him here,” she said.

Mitton, like many new mothers, is breastfeeding.

The need to defend your situation to most male colleagues is frustrating, he said.

Glen Savoie, the head of the House of Government, brought up the Mitton situation directly in the legislature.

The leader of the Popular Alliance, Kris Austin, also established a connection with Mitton.

He said he was “trying to be sensitive to the limb that had a baby.”

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Austin has been quite vocal about not wanting hybrid-virtual sessions because he sees them as a way for MLAs to avoid traveling to Fredericton to conduct legislature business in person with colleagues.

“What I really want to see are really strict rules on how this works,” he said.

He spoke of PC MLA Glen Savoie, who underwent cancer treatment but kept coming to the legislature for work.

“I look at him, he comes here every day. How do we justify others staying home for other reasons? Austin said on Friday.

But for Mitton, it’s complex.

“Being the only MLA asked about my personal situation can be somewhat uncomfortable,” she said. “He’s not six months old yet, so I’m his only source of food.”

Still having to push for accommodations in 2021 to do her job as a paralegal while being a mother is frustrating, she said.

Mitton said the legislature was not created for caregivers and “it shows.”

“It’s really frustrating,” she said, holding back tears, “I’ve heard some comments from certain members of the justice system, since it became public that I was pregnant, that well, maybe, I should have known what I was getting into and not I should have”. not even being here – it’s kind of a tone. It’s really frustrating to hear that. “

“I’m trying to change things so that people like me can be here.”