UDP Senator Patrick Faber took to the podium to first express concern that he's noticed a pattern of senators being shut down during sessions. He alluded to when Glenford Dennison tried to bring up the hustle that police officers sometimes do at checkpoints, as well as the most recent meeting where Sheena Pitts tried to criticize the government for not appointing an ombudsman. Here's how he put it.
Patrick Faber, UDP Senator
"We must also been concerned in this country about freedom of expression, the ability of our citizenry, the ability of our lawmakers in particular to be able to call out the government without persecution. And I raise this topic very gently, very lily like, very delicately because I know that it is touchy but on behalf of the UDP senators, we have to sound the alarm and even the other senators who are not a part of the government side, we have to sound the alarm that we are now very concerned that our ability to speak freely in the Senate is apparently being stifled and we have seen demonstrations of this, I don't know how many of you keep in tune to the Senate Meetings and that's because in those meetings, the last one went on 13 hours."
"But in the last couple of those meeting, Senator Dennison in particular was in our opinion stifled from discussing matters which he though was important and we agree were important to this nation. In the last sitting of the senate, my colleague the honorable Sheena Pitts was most seriously disallowed from making a point that to me was very valid, the fact that we don't have an ombudsman, the fact that we're making appointments of other constitutionally appointed folks, the contractor general and the integrity commission and senator Pitts used that opportunity to say hey you all are appointing these other people who you say are so very important and immediate but when it comes to the ombudsman you make no haste and she was most unceremoniously shut down from making that point. And so we send the signal loud and clear, respectfully and tactfully, that those who are in control and those who are in authority and who are presiding over these houses must ensure that members have their say, especially as it relates to those who are in opposition and those who don't sit on the government's bench."
