Votes -- No. 124 -- Tuesday, February 11, 2003 -- Ten o'clock a.m.

2003 Legislative Session: 3rd Session, 37th Parliament

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

[ Progress of Bills . . . ]

No. 124

VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS

OF THE

Legislative Assembly of British Columbia

Tuesday, February 11, 2003

Ten o'clock a.m.

Prayers by Mr. Krueger.

The Hon. C. Richmond (Speaker) tabled the following documents:

Auditor General 2002/2003: Report 5 -- Managing Contaminated Sites on Provincial Lands;

Auditor General 2002/2003: Report 6 -- Review of Estimates Related to Vancouver's Bid to Stage the 2010 Olympic Winter Games and Paralympic Winter Games;

Auditor General 2002/2003: Report 7 -- Building Better Reports: Our Review of the 2001/2002 Reports of Government; and

Auditor General 2002/2003: Report 8 -- Follow-up of Performance Reports.

The Hon. G. Collins (Minister of Finance) tabled the Statement of Crown Proceeding Payments for the Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2002.

The House proceeded to "Orders of the Day."

By leave, the Hon. G. Collins moved --

That the Standing Orders of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia be amended as follows for the duration of the Fourth Session of the Thirty-seventh Parliament, commencing February 11, 2003:

1. That Standing Order 2 be deleted and the following substituted therefor:

Sittings

Daily sittings.

2. (1) The time for the ordinary meeting of the House shall, unless otherwise ordered, be as follows:

Monday: Two distinct sittings:: 10 a.m. to 12 noon; 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.; 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. effective March 3, 2003
Tuesday: Two distinct sittings:: 10 a.m. to 12 noon; 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Wednesday: 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.: 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. effective March 3, 2003
Thursday: Two distinct sittings:: 10 a.m. to 12 noon; 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.; (2) (a) During the Fourth Session of the Thirty-seventh Parliament, unless otherwise ordered, the House shall meet:; (i) from February 11, 2003 to May 29, 2003 inclusive

and: (ii) from October 6, 2003 to November 27, 2003 inclusive; (b) The House shall stand adjourned during the weeks of March 17, April 14 and 21, May 19, October 13 and November 10, 2003.

2. That Standing Order 3 be deleted and the following substituted therefor:

Hour of interruption.

3. If at the hour of 6 p.m. (or 9 p.m. after March 3, 2003) on any Monday; 6 p.m. on Tuesday; 6 p.m. (or 9 p.m. after March 3, 2003) on Wednesday; or 6 p.m. on Thursday, the business of the day is not concluded and no other hour has been agreed on for the next sitting, the Speaker shall leave the Chair:

On Monday until 10 a.m. Tuesday
On Tuesday until 2 p.m. Wednesday
On Wednesday until 10 a.m. Thursday
On Thursday until 10 a.m. Monday
subject to the provisions of Standing Order 2 (2) (b).

3. That Standing Order 25 be deleted and the following substituted therefor:

Routine Business

Daily routine.

25. The daily routine business of the House shall be as follows:

Prayers (morning or afternoon sitting)

Introduction of Bills

Statements (Standing Order 25B) (afternoon sittings)

Oral question period (15 minutes, afternoon sittings: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday)

Presenting Petitions

Reading and Receiving Petitions

Presenting Reports by Committees

Motions on Notice

Written Questions on Notice

Proposed Amendments on Notice

Orders of the Day.

The order of business for consideration of the House day by day, after the above routine, shall, unless otherwise ordered, be as follows:

Monday

10 a.m. to 12 noon

(Private Members' Time)

Private Members' Statements (10 a.m.)

Public Bills in the hands of Private Members

Private Members' Motions

Private Bills

Public Bills and Orders and Government Motions on Notice

No division, on Orders of the Day, will be taken in the House or in Committee of the Whole during Private Members' Time, but where a division is requested, it will be deferred until thirty minutes prior to the ordinary time fixed for adjournment of the House on the Monday, unless otherwise ordered.

Monday (afternoon), Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday

(Government Days)

Throne Speech Debate

Budget Debate including Committee of Supply

Public Bills and Orders and Government Motions on Notice

Private Bills

Public Bills in the hands of Private Members

Adjourned debate on other motions

4. That Standing Order 25A be repealed and the following substituted therefor:

Private Members' Statements

Private Members' Statements.

25A. (1) Every Monday at 10 a.m. four Private Members may make a statement, notice of which has been tabled no later than 6 p.m. the preceding Wednesday.: (2) The order in which such statements are to be called shall be determined by lot by the Speaker, before appearing on the Orders of the Day.; (3) The time allocated on Monday for statements and discussion thereon shall not exceed one hour, and the time for each statement shall be limited to 15 minutes as follows:


Proponent: maximum of 7 minutes

Any other Members: maximum of 5 minutes

Proponent in reply: maximum of 3 minutes: (4) Private Members' statements shall not be subject to amendment, adjournment or vote.; (5) Statements and discussions under this Standing Order:; (a) shall be confined to one matter;; (b) shall not revive discussion on a matter which has been discussed in the same Session;; (c) shall not anticipate a matter which has been previously appointed for consideration by the House, in respect to which a Notice of Motion has been previously given and not withdrawn;; (d) shall not raise a question of privilege.

5. That new Standing Order 25B be adopted:

Statements

Statements.

25B. Three Private Members shall be permitted a two minute statement each day immediately prior to Oral Question Period subject to the following guidelines:: (1) A Member desiring to make a statement shall so advise his or her Whip 24 hours prior to the relevant day the statement is to be made.; (2) Party Whips shall confer to settle the names of the three Members who will be recognised for "Statements" for the following sitting day and shall advise the Speaker by noon of the day in question as to who has been selected, together with the topic of the statement.; (3) Statements under this Standing Order shall be subject to the ordinary parliamentary rules of decorum and debate.

6. That Standing Order 27 (2) and (3) be amended by deleting the word "Friday" wherever stated and substituting "Monday morning" so that it reads as follows:

Government orders.

27 (2) Whenever Government business has precedence, Government orders may be called in such sequence as the Government thinks fit, and the Government may place Government orders at the head of the list on every sitting except Monday morning.

7. Oral Question period Friday.

47B. This Standing Order is repealed.

8. That new Standing Order 81.1 be adopted.

81.1 (1) When a Minister of the Crown, from his or her place in the House, states that there is agreement among the representatives of all parties to allot a specified number of days or hours to the proceedings at one or more stages of any public bill, the Minister may propose a motion, without notice, setting forth the terms of such agreed allocation; and the motion shall be decided forthwith, without debate or amendment.

(2) A Minister of the Crown who from his or her place in the House, has stated that an agreement could not be reached under the provisions of section (1) of this Standing Order in respect of proceedings at one or more stages of a public bill, may propose without notice a motion for the purpose of allotting a specified number of days or hours for the consideration and disposal of proceedings at one or more stages of a public bill. The motion shall be decided forthwith, without debate or amendment. Any proceedings interrupted pursuant to this section of this Standing Order shall be deemed adjourned.

Motion agreed to.

The Speaker declared a short recess.

The Honourable Iona V. Campagnolo, Lieutenant Governor of the Province, having entered the House, took her seat on the Throne, and was pleased to deliver the following gracious Speech:

Mr. Speaker and Members of the Legislative Assembly:

In closing this Third Session of the Thirty-seventh Parliament of British Columbia, I wish to commend you on the accomplishments of the past year. This session has seen the passage of measures of wide-ranging and significant importance to the people of our Province. On behalf of all British Columbians, I wish to express my appreciation for the care and attention that you have given to your deliberations. I now relieve of your duties.

Her Honour the Lieutenant Governor was then pleased to retire.

The Hon. G. Plant (Attorney General) then said:

Mr. Speaker and Members of the Legislative Assembly:

It is Her Honour the Lieutenant Governor's will and pleasure that the Legislative Assembly be prorogued until 2 o'clock p.m. today and this Legislative Assembly is hereby prorogued accordingly.

The following Reports were received by the Office of the Clerk during adjournment:

BC Hydro Second Quarter Report for three months ended Sept. 30, 2002.

BC Hydro Finance Business Transformation Project Major Capital Project Plan, November 2002.

BC Hydro Northstar Project (Customer Information System Replacement) Major Capital Project Plan, November 2002.

Forest Practices Board -- Audit of Forest Planning and Practices on Nisga'a Lands -- January 2003.

Nisga'a Final Agreement 2001/2002 Annual Report.

Quarterly Report (Second Quarter April to September 2002).

And then the House prorogued at 10.11 a.m.

CLAUDE RICHMOND, Speaker

PUBLIC WRITTEN QUESTIONS


Date answered: November 27, 2002

21 Al Klassen, President, Richmond Teachers' Association, to ask the Hon. the Minister of Education, regarding the Minister's responsibility for Public Education, the following question:--: Given the reduced number of ESL teachers, teacher-librarians, learning assistance teachers, resource teachers, speech and language clinicians, special education teachers and counsellors, how are teachers expected to provide adequate assistance to students requiring these services?; The Hon. C. Clark replied as follows:; Despite declining enrollment, government has kept its New Era promise to protect funding for education. In fact, the education budget has been protected through 2004/2005.; Special education students are funded at the same levels as in past years but a new funding formula introduced in March 2002 has changed how the funds are allocated to school boards. Under this formula, school boards are better able to plan to meet the needs of local students because they already know what their funding levels will be for the next three years.; We have given school boards more autonomy and flexibility to develop and deliver education services that respond to the needs of the local community. Decisions regarding the provision of special education programs are a local school board responsibility that should be reached in consultation with parents.; School boards are required to meet educational standards through accountability contracts that focus on improving the achievements of all students.

Date answered: November 27, 2002

22 Al Klassen, President, Richmond Teachers' Association, to ask the Hon. the Minister of Education, regarding the Minister's responsibility for Public Education, the following question:--: Given the reduction in teaching staff, reduction in financial resources and the increased workload, how are teachers expected to properly implement the proposed graduation requirements?

The Hon. C. Clark replied as follows:

The ministry's graduate transition and satisfaction surveys found most high school graduates don't feel the education system is meeting their needs.

Starting last fall, consultation sessions with the education community and the public were held across B.C. to discuss changes to the graduation requirements. Following those discussions, recommendations were prepared. The ministry is currently in the process of gathering feedback on the recommendations and holding further consultation sessions.

Teachers will play a key role in implementing the changes once they are finalized. We expect that school districts and teachers will focus future professional development days on preparing for the Graduation Program.

We must make B.C.'s Graduation Program more relevant and interesting for B.C. students so they are better able to succeed following high school and join our province's diverse society.


Date answered: November 27, 2002

23 Al Klassen, President, Richmond Teachers' Association, to ask the Hon. the Minister of Education, regarding the Minister's responsibility for Public Education, the following question:--

Given the legislated contract that was imposed on teachers, how do you plan to develop cooperative partnerships to improve the public education system?

The Hon. C. Clark replied as follows:

Parents, students, educators and other stakeholders all play a role in our education system. The provincial government has an on-going dialogue with these groups and takes their input on the education system very seriously.

For example, on-going discussions between ministry staff and teachers about changes to the graduation requirements has resulted in a large amount of feedback from educators. This feedback, along with input from other stakeholders, will be considered when the final changes to the graduation program are developed.

Government has also amended the School Act after recognizing parents' desire to play a greater role in school planning and decision-making.

We have also created School Planning Councils that will be comprised of parents, students, the school principal and a teacher. CPCs will consult with the school community in developing, monitoring, and reviewing school plans for improving student achievement.

Another new initiative requiring cooperative partnerships is the development of Accountability Contracts. These public, district-wide plans outline key priorities and measurable goals that demonstrate how the school district is working to improve student achievement.

Our goal for B.C.'s education system is to improve student achievement by providing a quality education for all students. Together, we can help students succeed in whatever path they choose and produce well-rounded citizens for tomorrow.

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