1992 Legislative Session: 1st Session, 35th Parliament
The following electronic version is for informational purposes only.
The printed version remains the official version.
Nos. 117 and 118
OF THE
Thursday, November 5, 1992
Ten o'clock a.m.
Prayers by Mr. Symons.
Mr. Gingell asked leave, pursuant to Standing Order 35, to move adjournment of the House to discuss a definite matter of urgent public importance, namely, the extent of the provincial deficit for 1992-93.
The Speaker stated that she would take the matter under advisement.
The House proceeded to "Orders of the Day."
The House resumed the adjourned debate on the amendment to the motion for second reading of Bill (No. 84) intituled Labour Relations Code.
The debate on the amendment continued.
On the motion of Mr. Neufeld, the debate on the amendment was adjourned to the next sitting of the House.
And then the House adjourned at 11.56 a.m.
Thursday, November 5, 1992
Two o'clock p.m.
Order called for "Oral Questions by Members."
The Speaker delivered her reserved opinion, as follows:
Honourable Members:
At the opening of this morning's session, the Honourable Member for Delta South rose under the provisions of Standing Order 35 seeking leave to make a motion for adjournment of the House for the purpose of discussing a definite matter of urgent public importance, namely, the extent of the provincial deficit for 1992-93 as announced by the Minister of Finance.
In his statement, the Honourable Member refers to widespread unemployment and the seriousness of the Province's financial situation.
In this Province, as in others which share a similar standing order, Speakers have time and time again stated that on Standing Order 35 applications the Chair must focus on the urgency of debate, as opposed to the urgency of the matter, and in this regard I refer Honourable Members to the British Columbia Journals, 1961, p. 97; 1990, p. 136 and to Parliamentary Practice in British Columbia, p. 146.
Another criteria applied to Standing Order 35 applications requires that the matter complained of must be of recent occurrence and raised without delay. In this regard, I quote from Sir Erskine May's Parliamentary Practice, 16th edition, p. 370: "The fact that new information has been received regarding a matter that has been continuing for some time, does not in itself make the matter one of urgency." It seems to the Chair that the provincial deficit has been a continuing matter for some time as opposed to a matter that has suddenly arisen which would require the setting aside of normal House business.
Finally, the authorities clearly state that the matter involved must be raised at the earliest opportunity or it will fail in urgency. The Chair notes that the specific matter was raised during Question Period in this House yesterday, and accordingly, the matter could have been raised at an earlier opportunity. I refer Honourable Members to a similar case reported in the Journals of this House of July 26, 1990, p. 136.
The Chair has no difficulty acknowledging the matter raised by the Honourable Member is one of great consequence, but it fails, for the above reasons, to qualify under the provisions of Standing Order 35.
Joan Sawicki, Speaker
The House resumed the adjourned debate on the amendment to the motion for second reading of Bill (No. 84) intituled Labour Relations Code.
The debate on the amendment continued.
On the motion of Mr. K. Jones, the debate on the amendment was adjourned to the next sitting of the House.
And then the House adjourned at 5.54 p.m.
JOAN SAWICKI, Speaker
NOTICE OF MOTIONS
Monday Next
Mr. Weisgerber to ask leave to introduce a Bill intituled Initiative Act.
[ Return to: Legislative Assembly Home Page ]
Copyright © 2002: Queen's Printer, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada