Yukon MLA makes history by bringing baby to the Legislative Assembly
CBC
Dressed in matching suspenders, white shirts and bow ties, NDP MLA Lane Tredger and their four-month-old son Bowen spent Wednesday together on the job — a first for the Yukon Legislative Assembly.
With baby Bowen drifting off to sleep in the crux of their arm, Tredger told CBC News they often hear from people considering a future in politics and field questions about balancing public office with children.
"Can I have a baby while I'm in office? Or can I still be an involved parent while I'm an MLA?" Tredger said.
"I think it's really important to show them that they can, and it's important to show that they can because we need all kinds of people in the legislature not just old people, not just people who are done having their families but young people as well."
But Tredger said having Bowen there also served a different purpose.
"I also think it's good for us in the legislature. We're making decisions that will affect Bowen when he's older and it's good for us to think about when we're older," they said.
"And, you know everyone is, I think, a little kinder and more respectful when they're a baby in the room and that's a good thing."
Through question period, debates and a vote, Bowen spent the day sleeping, eating and watching the ceiling fans spin and even gaining some admirers from across the floor.
"It just brought this really great grounding, I think, to the legislature, it was exciting to be there," said Liberal MLA Jeanie McLean, who is also the minister responsible for Yukon's Women and Gender Equity Directorate.
"Given that it's 2025 I'm surprised that it hasn't happened sooner," she added. "We've definitely seen changes along the way to accommodate families, to have sitting times more certain to accommodate families."
Babies have long since made appearances in other political assemblies. In 1998, MP Michelle Dockrill brought her seven-week-old into the House of Commons in Ottawa. Provinces like British Columbia and Saskatchewan have also seen babies at their legislative assemblies in recent years.
"In the modern era babies have been brought into most legislatures," said Dan Cable, clerk of the Yukon Legislative Assembly. "So Yukon is just keeping up with that."
Kate White, the NDP leader, says nonetheless it's a moment of note.
"You know, Lane Tredger has done a lot of things with stereotypes and breaking ceilings and I'm delighted that they brought their son."
Montreal officials will hold a ceremony to mark the 36th anniversary of the Polytechnique massacre today.
The City of Regina's proposal to build a roadway through the McKell Wascana Conservation Park should be discarded, local conservationists say.
A holiday event that began in 2020 during the pandemic with three floats on pickup trucks has now become one of Kelowna’s big winter events, drawing thousands to the city’s downtown core.
WARNING: This story details allegations of child abuse.
It’s been hard to keep track of how many legal challenges and active court proceedings the United Conservative government has tried to quash or pre-emptively block in the last six weeks, but let’s try to tally:
Margaret Walker, the emcee of a Waterloo vigil commemorating the victims of the Montreal massacre, doesn't feel enough is being done to reflect on the killings and address gender-based violence.
The P.E.I. Humane Society says it is doing far more fundraising than it used to, and rising expenses — including the cost of animal medications — are a big reason why.
Ottawa is staring down a court-ordered deadline to submit a new plan to reform the on-reserve child welfare system, as a group of First Nations leaders and children’s advocates prepare a competing proposal.
An underpass revitalization project that was meant to pay tribute to the people of Parkdale has instead deteriorated into “a garbage dump,” according to nearby residents.
A young man has been charged with criminal negligence causing bodily harm after a fire at a frat party near Western University that injured five sorority sisters, including two seriously, late Tuesday night.
The massive deal to combine one of Hollywood's oldest studios with a streaming giant hasn't even been approved yet, but it's already riling multiple related industries and politicians concerned about monopolies and media concentration.
Mi'kmaq chiefs and a former Nova Scotia justice minister are criticizing the provincial government for directing police to crack down on illegal cannabis, saying the order undermines relations with Indigenous Peoples.
For years, there has been “glaring inequity” in the way the province has allocated the millions of dollars in its county roads budget, according to Department of Transportation Minister Chuck Chiasson.