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Barkhouse says those rules are similar to existing restrictions in the public galleries at the House of Commons in Ottawa. 

The legislature had been closed to the public since March 25, a day after a late-night protest that included singing and shouting from the galleries.

In response, the Speaker now says visitors are no longer allowed to sit in the front row of the east and west galleries, adding that an existing ban on clothes displaying words will be strictly enforced.

Barkhouse announced the new restrictions, which also prohibit the use of cellphones and tablets, in a speech Thursday on the floor of the legislature. 

Alex Marland, a political scientist at Acadia University, told ºÃÉ«tvon Thursday the Speaker's new rules are reasonable and in line with what's in place in other parts of the country.

This report by ºÃÉ«tvwas first published April 2, 2026.