Oh baby! Sarauer becomes first to test out new rules

Saskatchewan’s legislative assembly had a tiny visitor on Thursday morning — baby Olivia.

NDP MLA Nicole Sarauer became the first lawmaker to take advantage of rule changes she championed in the spring session this year.

The changes now no longer deem infants “strangers,” and allows them on the floor of the assembly.

Sarauer had her daughter Olivia in July. Thursday was the first time she brought the little girl into the house.

She explained the baby had napped longer than planned.

“I didn’t really have a choice, I have to feed my baby,” she laughed. “And session had started, question period had started, I needed to get in there so we brought her in.”

Olivia was pretty good, said Sarauer. She didn’t cry and “probably heckled the least of everybody in the room.”

She’s not planning on bringing the little girl into the assembly a lot.

“But she sort of dictates my schedule, so if she wants to eat, I’ve got to feed her so we might have to bring her in a couple of more times this session,” Sarauer said.

She said it’s a little messy, pointing to a spot of spit-up on her blazer.

“It’s definitely not perfect,” she said, “but it’s definitely filled with love.”