Votes -- Nos. 8 and 9 -- Thursday, March 30, 2000 -- Parliament Buildings,

2000 Legislative Session: 4th Session, 36th Parliament

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

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Nos. 8 and 9

VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS

OF THE

Legislative Assembly of British Columbia

Thursday, March 30, 2000

Ten o'clock a.m.

Prayers by Mr. van Dongen.

The Speaker declared a short recess.

His Honour the Administrator having entered the House, and being seated in the Chair--

E. George MacMinn, Q.C., Clerk of the House, read the title to the following Act:

Bill (No. 4) Supply Act (No. 1), 2000.

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

The said assent was announced by E. George MacMinn, Q.C., Clerk of the House, in the following words:

"In Her Majesty's name, His Honour the Administrator doth thank Her Majesty's loyal subjects, accepts their benevolence, and assents to this Act."

His Honour the Administrator was then pleased to retire.

The House proceeded to "Orders of the Day."

Pursuant to Order, the House resumed the adjourned debate on the motion "That the Speaker do now leave the Chair" for the House to go into Committee of Supply.

The debate continued.

On the motion of Mr. Goodacre, the debate was adjourned to the next sitting of the House.

And then the House adjourned at 11.59 a.m.

Thursday, March 30, 2000

Two o'clock p.m.

Order called for "Oral Questions by Members."

The Hon. C. Evans (Minister of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries) tabled the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Annual Report, 1998/99.

The Hon. D. Lovick presented the First Report of the Special Committee of Selection, which read as follows:

First Report

Douglas Fir Committee Room,

Parliament Buildings,

March 30, 2000


Honourable Speaker:

The Special Committee of Selection appointed on March 15, 2000 to prepare and report lists of members to compose the Select Standing Committees of this House for the present Session, begs leave to report the membership of the Select Standing Committee on Agriculture and Fisheries, the Select Standing Committee on Forests, Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources and the Select Standing Committee on Public Accounts:

Agriculture and Fisheries--Mr. Goodacre (Convener), Mr. Conroy, Ms. Gillespie, Messrs. Robertson, Streifel, Zirnhelt, Messrs. Barisoff, Neufeld, van Dongen and J. D. Wilson.

Forests, Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources--Mr. Goodacre (Convener), Messrs. Conroy, Kasper, Ms. Gillespie, Messrs. Janssen, Orcherton, Ms. Walsh, Messrs. Abbott, Coleman, Jarvis and Neufeld.

Public Accounts--Mr. Thorpe (Convener), Mr. Calendino, Ms. Gillespie, Messrs. Kasper, Orcherton, Streifel, Ms. Walsh, Mr. Zirnhelt, Messrs. Coell, Farrell-Collins, Weisbeck and Mr. Weisgerber.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the Committee.

Hon. D. Lovick, Chair

The Report was read and received.

By leave of the House, the Hon. D. Lovick moved that the Report be adopted.

Motion agreed to.

Mr. Thorpe presented the Ninth Report of the Select Standing Committee on Public Accounts for the Third Session of the Thirty-sixth Parliament.

The Report was taken as read and received.

By leave of the House, Mr. Thorpe moved that the Report be adopted.

Motion agreed to.

Mr. Thorpe presented the Tenth Report of the Select Standing Committee on Public Accounts for the Third Session of the Thirty-sixth Parliament.

The Report was taken as read and received.

By leave of the House, Mr. Thorpe moved that the Report be adopted.

Motion agreed to.

The Hon. J. Pullinger (Minister of Social Development and Economic Security) tabled a Report entitled The Renewal of Trust in Residential Construction, Part II, Volume Two -- Commission of Inquiry into the Quality of Condominium Construction in British Columbia, Dave Barrett, Commissioner.

Mr. Campbell asked leave, pursuant to Standing Order 35, to move adjournment of the House to discuss a definite matter of urgent public importance, namely, the present school strike in British Columbia.

The Hon. D. Lovick made representations.

Mr. Plant made representations.

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

The House proceeded to "Orders of the Day."

Pursuant to Order, the House resumed the adjourned debate on the motion "That the Speaker do now leave the Chair" for the House to go into Committee of Supply.

The debate continued.

The Speaker delivered his reserved decision as follows:

Honourable Members:

Prior to entering upon "Orders of the Day", the Leader of the Official Opposition rose pursuant to Standing Order 35 requesting leave to make a motion for adjournment of the House to discuss a definite matter of urgent public importance, namely, the present school strike in British Columbia.

Firstly, I wish to thank the Honourable Member for providing my office with notice of his intention in accordance with Practice Recommendation No. 8.

The subject matter of the Honourable Leader's application is undeniably a matter of considerable importance and urgency, but successive Speakers of this House and throughout the Commonwealth have ruled that it is the urgency of the debate which must guide the Chair in rendering decisions under Standing Orders relating to applications for leave to adjourn the House on a matter of urgent public importance.

One of the questions the Speaker must address is whether or not there is an existing opportunity to debate the matter in question, and it seems to the Chair that the clear answer is in the affirmative. The House is presently engaged in debating the motion "That the Speaker do now leave the Chair" for the House to go into Committee of Supply -- traditionally a wide-ranging debate permitting the discussion of virtually unlimited matters. Also, the matter in question has been canvassed on many occasions during Question Period and the government has outlined the present course of action being taken in relation to the matter.

What could be the result of a debate proceeding under the Honourable Leader's application? A successful application under Standing Order 35 does not result in a motion being passed, the introduction of a bill, or even a statement of opinion of the House -- it simply brings on a debate. (Parliamentary Practice in British Columbia, 3rd edition at page 59.)

It has been ruled many times in this House that where an ordinary parliamentary opportunity exists to debate the subject matter of a Standing Order 35 application, the application for adjournment does not qualify. I refer Honourable Members to the Journals of this House, 1998-99, at pages 82 and 86 and 1997 Journals, pages 63 and 64.

I must, therefore, rule that the Honourable Member's application for leave under Standing Order 35 does not pass the rigorous restrictions applicable to such applications.

Bill Hartley, Speaker

The debate continued.

On the motion of Mr. Jarvis, the debate was adjourned to the next sitting of the House.

On the motion of the Hon. D. Lovick, it was Ordered that the House stand adjourned until 2 o'clock p.m. on Monday next, or at the earlier call of the Chair.

And then the House adjourned at 5.45 p.m.

BILL HARTLEY, Speaker

NOTICE OF MOTIONS

Tuesday, April 4


6 Mr. de Jong to move in amendment, seconded by Mr. Hansen--: Be it resolved that the motion "That the Speaker do now leave the Chair" for the House to go into Committee of Supply, be amended by adding the following: "But the house regrets that the budget has not been balanced for nine consecutive years; the resulting debt has the fastest growing debt service costs of any province in Canada; the transfer of half billion dollar BC Ferry debt to the public pocket has now added an enormous burden to the hard-working people of this province; and, this government has not been accountable to the public and does not understand that a long term strategy is required in order to put B.C. back on the economic track it was on nine years ago."

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