1992 Legislative Session: 1st Session, 35th Parliament

The following electronic version is for informational purposes only.
The printed version remains the official version.

Nos. 13 and 14

VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS

OF THE

Legislative Assembly of British Columbia

Tuesday, March 31, 1992

Ten o'clock a.m.

Prayers by Ms. Stephens.

Mr. Weisgerber rose on an alleged matter of privilege relating to statements made in the House by the Premier, with respect of which notice was given to the Chair yesterday.

The Hon. G. Clark made representations.

Mr. Farrell-Collins made representations.

The Speaker stated she would take the matter under advisement.

The House proceeded to "Orders of the Day."

Bill (No. 16) intituled Supply Act (No. 1), 1992 was again committed.

The Committee rose, reported progress, and asked leave to sit again.

Committee to sit again at the next sitting.

And then the House adjourned at 12 o'clock noon.

Tuesday, March 31, 1992

Two o'clock p.m.

The Hon. M. F. Harcourt (Premier) made a ministerial statement relating to aboriginal language day in Canada.

Mr. Wilson made a statement.

Mr. Weisgerber made a statement.

By leave, the Hon. D. Miller (Minister of Forests) tabled a document relating to the countervailing duty dispute between Canada and the United States.

Order called for "Oral Questions by Members."

The Speaker delivered her reserved decision as follows:

Honourable Members:

On Thursday last, the House Leader of the Official Opposition rose on a matter of privilege relating to an alleged failure of the Minister of Finance to fulfil a commitment made to the House, which the Honourable Member argues constitutes a breach of privilege and a contempt of the House.

The Member has complied with the technical requirements on the raising of a matter of privilege and in addition has complied with Practice Recommendation #7, by giving to the Chair notice of his intention to raise the matter of privilege prior to the commencement of the sitting.

The Chair has examined with considerable care, the Member's statement and the material referred to therein. As the Chair understands it, the Member alleges that the Minister of Finance undertook to table in the Assembly certain reports, background working papers and resumes of the persons involved in what is known as the Peat Marwick Report of the Province's finances. The Member places considerable emphasis on the Official Opposition's request for the papers in question to be tabled prior to the delivery of the Minister of Finance's Budget Speech.

The requests in question were made by the Official Opposition on March 18 and 19, 1992. Four sitting days lapsed between the last request and the day upon which the matter of privilege was raised. The Chair also observes that on the day following the raising of the matter of privilege, the Honourable Minister of Finance tabled with the House the Peat Marwick Report, the curricula vitae of the accountants who worked on the Report and a table showing a ranking and analysis of Canada's leading public accounting firms.

I have examined the Hansard references referred to in the statement filed by House Leader of the Official Opposition. On March 18, 1992, the Member for Surrey-White Rock requested the tabling of the resumes of all of those involved in the preparation of the Peat Marwick Report prior to the delivery of the Budget on March 26, 1992. The same Member then asked, in a supplementary question, that the entire financial report of Peat Marwick be tabled, together with the method of accounting used, the terms of reference from the original commissioning of the report, and any expression of interest from other accounting firms. To these requests, the Minister of Finance indicated his willingness to table all of Peat Marwick's reports which he described as being in "the public domain."

I now turn to the questions and answers referred to in the Hansard report of March 19, 1992, at page 38. Again, the Member for Surrey-White Rock requested the tabling of the resumes of the accountants who worked on the Peat Marwick Report and made a specific request in relation to one of the accountants. The Minister responded that he would attempt to obtain from Peat Marwick the list of the requested resumes. Finally, the Honourable Member referred in a general way to the Hansard report for Wednesday, March 25, 1992, when a further reference was made of the Minister of Finance to table all documents related to the Peat Marwick Report, in addition to the resumes of the project's accountants. On this day, the Honourable Minister said that he made a commitment to table in the House the reports from Peat Marwick and further undertook to table the curricula vitae of all the accountants who worked on the project as soon as they were received. As I have earlier noted, both the resumes and the reports were in fact tabled by the Minister on Friday, March 27, 1992, the day after the matter of privilege was raised by the Honourable House Leader of the Opposition.

The Member has not been able to identify, nor have I been able to find in the Hansard report any undertaking given by the Minister of Finance to table the documents specified, prior to the delivery of his Budget Speech.

The Budget Speech commenced, in terms of Opposition participation, simultaneously with the tabling of the documents presented in accordance with the undertaking of the Minister. Accordingly, the Chair cannot find the Member's ability to perform Legislative duties has been interfered with so as to give rise to a prima facie case of privilege.

I again thank the Honourable Member for his courtesy in complying with Practice Recommendation #7.

Joan Sawicki, Speaker

The Hon. G. Clark (Minister of Finance and Corporate Relations) tabled the following:

Report of Guarantees and Indemnities for the fiscal year ending March 31, 1991 in accordance with section 56 of the Financial Administration Act.

Statement of Crown Proceeding Payments, 1990/91, pursuant to the provisions of the Crown Proceeding Act.

Statement of Unclaimed Money Deposits pursuant to the Unclaimed Money Act for the year ended March 31, 1991.

The Hon. B. Barlee (Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food) tabled the following:

The Annual Report of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, 1990-91.

British Columbia Marketing Board Annual Report for the year ended 31st of March, 1991.

Annual Report of the Provincial Agricultural Land Commission for the year ended 31st of March, 1990.

Annual Report of the Provincial Agricultural Land Commission for the year ended 31st March, 1991.

The House proceeded to "Orders of the Day."

Bill (No. 16) intituled Supply Act (No. 1), 1992 was again committed.

The House continued to sit after six o'clock p.m.

The Committee rose, reported progress, and asked leave to sit again.

Committee to sit again later today.

Resolved, on the motion of the Hon. G. Clark, that the House at its rising, do stand adjourned for five minutes.

On the motion of the Hon. G. Clark the House adjourned at 6.08 p.m.

Six-thirteen o'clock p.m.

Bill (No. 16) intituled Supply Act (No. 1), 1992 was again committed.

The Committee continued to sit after midnight.

On the motion that the Committee rise and report progress, the Committee divided.

Motion defeated on the following division:

Bill (No. 16) intituled Supply Act (No. 1), 1992 reported complete without amendment, on division, read a third time and passed, on division.

The Hon. G. Clark advised that the House will sit Wednesday, pursuant to Standing Order 2 (2).

The Speaker declared a short recess.

His Honour the Lieutenant Governor having entered the House, and being seated in the Chair -- Ian D. Izard, Law Clerk and Clerk Assistant, read the title to the following Bill:

Bill (No. 16) Supply Act (No. 1), 1992.

His Honour the Lieutenant Governor was pleased in Her Majesty's name to give assent to the said Bill.

The said assent was announced by Ian M. Horne, Q.C., Clerk of the Legislative Assembly

"In Her Majesty's name, His Honour the Lieutenant Governor doth thank Her Majesty's loyal subjects, accepts their benevolence, and doth assent to this Bill."

His Honour the Lieutenant Governor was then pleased to retire.

And then the House adjourned at 8.49 a.m.

JOAN SAWICKI, Speaker

NOTICE OF MOTIONS

Thursday Next

52  Mr. Chisholm to move--

Be it resolved that this Legislature calls upon the Government of British Columbia to stop buying Oregon Forage Seed and support our farmers, and their "Buy B.C. Program."

 

53  Mr. Chisholm to move--

Be it resolved that this Legislature calls upon the Government of British Columbia to assist the oil grain farmers of British Columbia similar to the programs of other provinces.

NOTICE OF QUESTIONS

Thursday Next

25  Mr. Cowie to ask the Hon. the Minister of Municipal Affairs, Recreation and Housing the following questions:

1. Is the Minister aware of the impending rental housing crisis within the City of Vancouver, due to their ongoing rezoning process in regard to secondary suites?

2. Has the Minister been in consultation with the Mayor and City Council of Vancouver in regard to the secondary suite issue?

3. How many secondary suites will be phased out in the City of Vancouver, in the areas of Point Grey, Dunbar and Kerrisdale?

4. How many people will be displaced through the elimination of secondary suites within the areas not rezoned RS-1S, within the City of Vancouver?

 

26  Mr. Cowie to ask the Hon. the Minister of Advanced Education, Training and Technology the following questions:

1. How many student housing units are currently in use at the Point Grey campus of the University of British Columbia?

2. How many students were on the waiting list for UBC's student residences at the commencement of the last five school years?

3. How many new units of student housing have been built on the Campus of the University of British Columbia during the past ten years?

 

27  Mr. Cowie to ask the Hon. the Minister of Finance, and Minister Responsible for Crown Corporations the following questions:

1. Is BC Transit undertaking any studies in ways to improve the transit system to the University of British Columbia?

2. Is the Government prepared to begin researching the viability of utilizing 16th Avenue as another route into the University?

3. As rents become increasingly out of reach for students near to the campus, these students are forced to commute greater distances each day -- is BC Transit undertaking any new studies to improve student transit?

 

28  Mr. Cowie to ask the Hon. the Minister of Municipal Affairs, Recreation and Housing the following questions:

1. What areas have experienced the worst fluctuations in property taxation in the past ten years? (Provide a list.)

2. Which Municipalities have utilized methods available to them to minimize fluctuations in tax assessments? What action has each taken in the past five years?

3. How much has the B.C. Assessment Authority spent in each of the past ten years in completing the roll of assessment for the Province?

4. What does the Ministry figure is the difference between the calculation of an annual versus a biannual roll?

 

29  Mr. Cowie to ask the Hon. the Minister of Municipal Affairs, Recreation and Housing the following questions:

1. How many rental housing residents have written the Ministry regarding rent increases since the former government removed the provision for rent review?

2. How many units of low-cost rental housing have been demolished during the past five years within the Lower Mainland and Capital Regions?

 

30  Mr. Cowie to ask the Hon. the Minister of Government Services the following questions:

1. Which groups have used the Breakopen game as a method of raising funds? (Include in this list a figure for each group as to how much revenue was realized through the program.)

2. What other government-assisted programs are used by amateur sport and recreation groups to raise significant funds?

3. How much money will each affected group receive as compensation for the cancellation of the program?

 

31  Mr. Cowie to ask the Hon. the Minister of Municipal Affairs, Recreation and Housing the following questions:

1. What provisions are there within your Ministry pertaining to the release of provincial grants to municipalities?

2. Are there any requirements for municipalities and districts to have any type of official community plan in place, before the release of provincial grants?

3. Will the Minister commit to the implementation of a grant system which would see only those areas with official community plans in place, be the recipients of provincial grants for the upgrading of local structures?

MEETINGS OF COMMITTEES

SPECIAL COMMITTEE TO APPOINT AN OMBUDSMAN

The Committee will meet at 3 o'clock p.m. on Tuesday, April 7, in the Office of the Ombudsman, 8 Bastion Square, Victoria.
Business: Briefings.

J. Pullinger, Co-chair
D. Symons, Co-chair

SELECT STANDING COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC ACCOUNTS

The Committee will meet at 8.15 o'clock a.m. on Wednesday, April 8, in the Birch Room (Room 339).
Business: Orientation seminar.

The Committee will meet at 8.15 o'clock a.m. on Wednesday, April 15, in the Douglas Fir Room (Room 226).
Business: Matters referred to the Committee.

The Committee will meet at 8.15 o'clock a.m. on Wednesday, April 22, in the Douglas Fir Room (Room 226).
Business: Matters referred to the Committee.

The Committee will meet at 8.15 o'clock a.m. on Wednesday, April 29, in the Douglas Fir Room (Room 226).
Business: Matters referred to the Committee.

F. Gingell, Co-chair
J. MacPhail, Co-chair

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