[ Progress of Bills . . . ]

Two o'clock p.m.

Prayers by the Hon. J. Cashore.

By leave, Mr. Campbell made a statement regarding Canada and the Battle of Vimy Ridge.

The Hon. J. Cashore made a statement.

The Hon. U. Dosanjh (Attorney General and Minister Responsible for Multiculturalism, Human Rights and Immigration) presented to the Speaker a Message from His Honour the Administrator, which read as follows:

Allan McEachern
Administrator

The Administrator transmits herewith a Bill (No. 10) intituled Food Donor Encouragement Act and recommends the same to the Legislative Assembly.

Government House,
April 8, 1997.

Bill introduced and read a first time.

Bill Ordered to be placed on the Orders of the Day for second reading at the next sitting after today.

By leave, Ms. Chong moved that the Notice of Bill intituled Donation of Food Act standing in her name on the Order Paper be withdrawn.

Motion agreed to.

Order called for "Oral Questions by Members."

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

Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Annual Report, 1995-1996; and

Provincial Agricultural Land Commission Annual Report for the year ending March 31, 1996.

The Hon. D. Zirnhelt (Minister of Forests) tabled the Forest Appeals Commission Annual Report, 1996.

The Speaker made the following statement:

Honourable Members:

Pursuant to Standing Orders 119 and 120, I wish to provide Honourable Members with guidelines relating to the use of a language other than English when addressing the Assembly.

Standing Order 120 charges the Speaker with supervising the recording and transcribing of debates in the House, but Honourable Members will appreciate that we do not have simultaneous translation facilities.

The House therefore requires some rules to guide those Members who wish, quite properly, to acknowledge their own ethnic backgrounds and to celebrate the multicultural reality of our province.

The following guidelines are offered to assist any Member addressing the House in a language other than English:

1. No presentation shall be made in a language other than English unless the script, and the English translation thereof, shall have been supplied to the Speaker at least one hour prior to the time it is intended to make the presentation.

2. The Member proposing to make the presentation in a language other than English, shall be responsible for the accuracy of the translation and the parliamentary propriety of the content of the remarks.

3. The translation will be included in the official Hansard report of the speech in place of the words as spoken, and accompanied by a notation to the effect that the English translation was supplied by the Member.

4. The Member shall furnish a sufficient number of copies of the remarks, and the English translation, so that each Member can be supplied with the copies immediately following its delivery in the House.

5. Members will be expected to be brief in their presentation in the language other than English.

I believe that the above guidelines will permit us to acknowledge the diversity of cultures in the Province, while at the same time allowing the Speaker and Hansard staff to carry out their obligations under the Standing Orders.

Copies of the guidelines will be provided to Members for their information.

Dale Lovick, Speaker

The House proceeded to "Orders of the Day."

On the motion for second reading of Bill (No. 6) intituled Job Protection Amendment Act, 1997, a debate arose.

The debate continued.

Bill (No. 6) read a second time and by leave, was committed.

Sections 3 and 4 of Bill (No. 6) passed, on division.

Bill (No. 6) was reported complete without amendment.

Mr. Farrell-Collins rose on a point of order, namely, that Bill (No. 6) was out of order on the grounds that sections of the Bill purported to amend the Revised Statutes of British Columbia, 1996, which would not come into effect until April 21, 1997. The Government House Leader indicated that she would provide Mr. Farrell-Collins with a legal opinion and would not seek Royal Assent until such time as the opinion was provided.

The Speaker stated that he would take the matter under advisement.

By leave, Bill (No. 6) intituled Job Protection Amendment Act, 1997, was read a third time and passed.

And then the House adjourned at 6.14 p.m.

DALE LOVICK, Speaker

NOTICE OF BILLS

Thursday, April 10

Ms. Stephens to introduce a Bill intituled Domestic Violence Prevention Act.

Mr. Randall to introduce a Bill intituled Tobacco Sales Act Amendment Act, 1997.

NOTICE OF MOTIONS

Friday, April 11

52   Mr. G. F. Wilson to move--

That this Assembly request the Government of Canada to immediately withdraw from any further negotiations on the proposed Multilateral Agreement on Investment until the Government of Canada has (a) convened a public meeting of first ministers to discuss any such agreement and (b) has completed a process of public consultation with industry, labour, small business and any other Canadians who are concerned about the impact of such an agreement on the future of our country.

53   The Hon. J. MacPhail to move--

Be it resolved that this House hereby authorizes the Committee of Supply for this Session to sit in two sections designated Section A and Section B; Section A to sit in such Committee Room as may be appointed from time to time, and Section B to sit in the Chamber of the Assembly, subject to the following rules:

1. The Standing Orders applicable to the Committee of the Whole House shall be applicable in both Sections of the Committee of Supply save and except that in Section A, a Minister may defer to a Deputy Minister to permit such Deputy to reply to a question put to the Minister.

2. Subject to paragraph 3, within one sitting day of the passage of this Motion, the House Leader of the Official Opposition may advise the Government House Leader, in writing, of three ministerial Estimates which the Official Opposition requires to be considered in Section B of the Committee of Supply, and upon receipt of such notice in writing, the Government House Leader shall confirm in writing that the said three ministerial Estimates shall be considered in Section B of the Committee of Supply.

3. All Estimates shall stand referred to Section A, save and except those Estimates which shall be referred to Section B under the provisions of paragraph 2 of this Order and such other Estimates as shall be referred to Section B on motion by the Government House Leader, which motion shall be governed by the provisions of Standing Order 60a. Practice Recommendation #6 relating to Consultation shall be applicable to this rule.

4. Section A shall consist of 18 Members, being 10 Members of the New Democratic Party, 7 Members of the Liberal Party, and 1 other Member. In addition, the Deputy Chair of the Committee of the Whole, or his or her nominee, shall preside over the debates in Section A. Substitution of Members will be permitted to Section A with the consent of that Member's Whip, where applicable, otherwise with the consent of the Member involved. For the second session of the Thirty-sixth Parliament, the Members of Section A shall be as follows: the Minister whose Estimates are under consideration and Messrs. Calendino, Giesbrecht, Lali, Robertson, Orcherton and Stevenson, Mmes. Gillespie, Kwan and Sawicki and Messrs. Anderson, Dalton, Hansen, Masi, Symons and Thorpe, Ms. McKinnon and Mr. Weisgerber.

5. At fifteen minutes prior to the ordinary time fixed for adjournment of the House, the Chair of Section A will report to the House. In the event such report includes the last vote in a particular ministerial Estimate, after such report has been made to the House, the Government shall have a maximum of eight minutes, and the Official Opposition a maximum of five minutes, and all other Members (cumulatively) a maximum of three minutes to summarize the Committee debate on a particular ministerial Estimate completed, such summaries to be in the following order:

 (1) Other Members;

 (2) Official Opposition; and

 (3) Government.

6. Section B shall be composed of all Members of the House.

7. Divisions in Section A will be signalled by the ringing of the division bells four times.

8. Divisions in Section B will be signalled by the ringing of the division bells three times at which time proceedings in Section A will be suspended until completion of the division in Section B.

9. Section B is hereby authorized to consider Bills referred to Committee after second reading thereof and the Standing Orders applicable to Bills in Committee of the Whole shall be applicable to such Bills during consideration thereof in Section B, and for all purposes Section B shall be deemed to be a Committee of the Whole. Such referrals to Section B shall be made upon motion without notice by the Minister responsible for the Bill, and such motion shall be decided without amendment or debate. Practice Recommendation #6 relating to Consultation shall be applicable to all such referrals.

10. Bills or Estimates previously referred to a designated Committee may at any stage be subsequently referred to another designated Committee on motion of the Government House Leader or Minister responsible for the Bill as hereinbefore provided by Rules No. 3 and 9.

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