1973 Legislative Session: 3rd Session, 30th Parliament

HANSARD

The following electronic version is for informational purposes

only.

The printed version remains the official version.

Official Report of

DEBATES OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY

(Hansard)

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 1973

Afternoon Sitting

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CONTENTS

Routine proceedings

Speech from the Throne. Hon. W.S. Owen — 1

Married Persons Equality Act (Bill No. 1) Hon. Mr.

Macdonald.

Introduction and first reading — 3

Motion Adjournment of the House to discuss a matter of public

importance.

Mr. Chabot — 3

Hon. Mr. Barrett — 3

Mr. Speaker's ruling — 4

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 1973

The House met at 3 p.m.

This being the first day of the third session of the 30th

Legislative Assembly of the Province of British Columbia for

the dispatch of business, pursuant to a proclamation of the

Hon. Walter Stewart Owen, Lieutenant-Governor of the Province,

dated July 31, 1973, Hon. Members took their seats.

Prayers.

His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor having entered the House

and being seated upon the throne, was pleased to deliver the

following gracious speech.

HON. W.S. OWEN (Lieutenant-Governor): Mr. Speaker and

Members of the Legislative Assembly, although I officiated at

the closing of the Spring Session of the Legislative Assembly,

this is the first time that I have had occasion as

Lieutenant-Governor to address you on opening day. I express

the earnest hope that the wise counsel of my Ministers, and the

support of the Legislature, will result in continued progress

and development for our Province during my term of office.

I desire to express at this time, on your behalf and on that

of all British Columbia, our gratitude to my predecessor,

Colonel the Hon. John R. Nicholson, for his unselfish and

devoted service to the people of our province.

Last May I was pleased to administer the oaths of office to

the Hon. Graham Richard Lea, Minister of Highways; the Hon.

Gary Vernon Lauk, Minister of Industrial Development, Trade,

and Commerce; the Hon. Jack Radford, Minister of Recreation and

Conservation; the Hon. Lorne Nicolson, Member of the Executive

Council Without Portfolio; and to the Hon. Phyllis Florence

Young, Member of the Executive Council Without Portfolio.

During the past year our province welcomed a number of

distinguished visitors. I note that in April the Right Hon. E.G.

Whitlam, Prime Minister of Australia, was in Vancouver, and was

welcomed to the province by the Hon. the Premier. On June 23

and June 24, Mrs. Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister of India,

visited Vancouver and Victoria and was a guest at our

Government House. In August the Right Hon. Lord Mais, the Lord

Mayor of London, and the Lady Mais, spent several days in the

province as guests of the provincial government and they were

most impressed with our scenery and with the warmth of the

welcome extended to them by all with whom they came into

contact. We were also honoured on August 13 with a visit to

Victoria by the Right Hon. Norman E. Kirk, Prime Minister of

New Zealand, and Mrs. Kirk.

It is my pleasure to welcome, among others, to the assembly

this afternoon two distinguished citizens of British Columbia,

Chief and Mrs. William Matthews of the Haida nation of the

Queen Charlotte Islands.

In August, British Columbia hosted, in New Westminster and

Burnaby, the second Canada Summer Games. Thousands of athletes

from all the provinces and the Territories competed and the

games were an outstanding success. I am pleased to observe that

our own province did remarkably well in the games and were

declared the winners.

The death occurred on July 25, 1973, of the Right Hon. Louis

Stephen St. Laurent. Mr. St. Laurent served as Prime Minister

of Canada from November 15, 1948, until June 21, 1957. We all

remember the distinguished service that he rendered to Canada

and we mourn his passing.

William James Asselstine, who was a former Minister of

Mines, Minister of Trade and Industry, and Minister of Labour,

died on August 21, 1973. Mr. Asselstine was elected from the

Atlin Electoral District and served the province well.

Last June the Hon. William Andrew Cecil Bennett resigned as

Member for the South Okanagan Electoral District in the

legislative assembly. Mr. Bennett served the province for many

years as a Member of the Legislative Assembly and for 20 years

as Premier of the province. At this time I would like to pay a

special tribute to Mr. Bennett for the great contributions he

made to this province, and to wish him well.

At the by-election held last week, William Richards Bennett

was elected to represent the South Okanagan Electoral District.

I extend best wishes to the newly elected Member who will take

his place shortly in the House.

The past few months since I prorogued the House on April 18

last have been eventful, but no single action of my government

will have more importance than its participation in the Western

Opportunities Conference in Calgary last July. This meeting of

the First Ministers of Canada and the Western Provinces was

significant, not only for the precedent that was set, but for

the clear and unmistakable start to a new role in the

Confederation for the West. Canada, the West, and our province

in particular, should feel proud of the role my Ministers

played in that Conference and we are confident that this new

stance, this new togetherness, augurs well for our nation.

Supporting this new thrust I am pleased to praise formally a

number of British Columbians who have made significant

donations of land to the Crown. These actions from these

pioneer families speak highly of their love for the province,

and as we see this return of the land to the people, my

government is hopeful that this will become a practice and that

other British Columbians will emulate this selfless

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action and increase our natural heritage through our growing

parks system. I am therefore pleased to express our gratitude

to John and Caroline Bergenham, Mrs. R.W. Starratt, Truman

Dagnus Locheed, Clifford A. and Dorothy A. Gorby, Henry Gordon

Ruckle, Mrs. Margaret Jane Pearse, and an anonymous donor who

gave several acres of land near Hope.

Recently, my government has seen fit to raise the Mincome

level of the province, to make provision for a programme of

free prescription drugs for the elderly, and to extend the

benefits of an income guarantee to many of our citizens between

60 and 65. We trust that these unprecedented moves will be

recognized by our sister provinces and Canada and that our

social security and health programmes will be fully

supported.

In Ottawa last May, my Premier, addressing his first

Federal-Provincial Conference, forecast my government's concern

and interest by directing all Canadians' attention to these

social security and health problems. Whatever may have been the

inadequacies of the past, my government desires to bring a new

direction for British Columbia inside the Canadian

Confederation and looks forward to open lines of communication

with the federal government and provincial governments to

ensure the cooperation and understanding which is necessary to

meet the challenges of the day. In many cases these can best be

met without undue regard to hard and fast jurisdictional lines

so as to develop and execute national and provincial goals and

policies designed to build a better Canada and provide a more

meaningful life for all Canadians. Two of these national

programmes which require a joint commitment by both levels of

government and a high degree of federal-provincial cooperation

are the social security system in Canada and health care.

Since the close of the second session many of the standing

committees of the House have been very active and the results

of their labours will be before you shortly, I am confident

that their work and advice, based on a real dialogue with our

citizens, will provide an excellent base for legislative

action.

In this session you will be asked to direct your attention

firstly to the urgent problems of agriculture and labour. My

government has undertaken considerable study and evaluation of

this province's agriculture industry. The very real problems of

world food shortages and rising food costs, coupled with high

investment costs and low farm income, are most apparent, and

positive measures must be taken to strengthen and expand this

vital food industry. The significance of the British Columbia

agriculture and food industry to the ever-changing economy of

this province cannot be overlooked, and action must be prompt

to ease the problems involved.

Therefore, you will be asked to consider legislation designed to rationalize

credit systems of primary agriculture, and to encourage secondary and tertiary

agriculture industries.

The government intends to join with producers to minimize

the effect of price fluctuation at the market place, and to

provide means of achieving some stabilization of farm

income.

New measures will be introduced which will provide for debt

protection for the family farm under certain distress

circumstances, due to natural calamities such as adverse

weather. More control over the possible introduction and spread

of infectious and contagious animal diseases will be

considered.

These measures and others are to be presented for your

consideration for the specific intent of providing incentive

and encouragement to the agriculture industry of this

province.

You will be asked to consider a new labour code for British

Columbia which will establish an improved framework of

collective bargaining and dispute settlement. Industrial

relations is essentially a term descriptive of human relations

in the work environment. Healthy cooperative human

relationships cannot be built on punitive concepts, distrust,

or an unyielding bureaucracy, and remain compatible with a free

society.

The legislation, combining many statutes, will offer a

variety of positive aids to collective bargaining which will be

conciliatory in nature. Similarly, more effective machinery

will be established to ensure that settlement of disputes will

occur in a just and expeditious manner, free from disruption to

the economy. Completely new concepts are to be put .forward in

an effort to improve the industrial relations climate in the

province.

The legislation will also recognize the sanctity of

individual religious beliefs. A spirit of cooperation will be

required by all those dedicated to free collective bargaining

to match this new thrust and the legislation will contain a

real and positive challenge to all sectors of our community to

see these objectives attained.

As my predecessor said on the occasion of the opening of the

second session of the 30th parliament in January, we are

mindful of the high level of expectations that our citizens

have from governments across the nation. To meet these

expectations various announcements of government plans have

been made since that time. Accordingly, in two important

fields, namely consumer affairs and housing, you will be asked

to consider departmental Acts and powers during these next few

weeks.

In addition, there will be an extensive legislative programme from

the Department of Mines, and further amendments to both the Public

Schools Act and the Municipal Act. Pension legislation will again be

offered for amendment to provide. Improved ' ed benefits for widows of

superannuants. The public

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service labour relations bill introduced in the last session

will be brought forward again for your consideration.

These bills, together with others that will be forthcoming,

reflect the growing complexities and burdens of government in

these challenging times. Your advice will be required more

frequently, as predicted last January. Your work, together with

the important work of the standing committees of the House,

must produce the solutions to ease the pressures and problems

that our citizens have and, as well, must ensure that the

voices of all our citizens are heard loud and clear through

their legislators.

The keen awareness and desire of all our people to protect

our province when and wherever environmental damage may occur

is a continuing and pressing force on all our endeavours. The

public's growing understanding of the importance of ecological

matters demands that the fullest investigation and dialogue

take place well before any proposed event. Accordingly, the

government has made plans to commence a full dialogue on energy

sources. At the end of this year a seminar will start this

dialogue and my government has ensured that in this first event

all points of view on nuclear power are represented.

The government has invited Professor Hannes Alfven, Royal

Institute of Technology, Department of Plasma Physics,

Stockholm, Sweden; J.L. Gray, president, Atomic Energy of

Canada Ltd., Ottawa; and Dr. John Gofman, cardiodynamics, Vida

Medical Systems, Dublin, California, to attend this seminar on

nuclear power — its advantages, dangers, costs, and alternate

sources of energy. All citizens will have access to these

meetings. It is my government's hope that this process will be

the beginning of a new method of ensuring and facilitating

citizen participation.

Mr. Speaker and Hon. Members, I leave you now. I pray that

divine guidance will attend your labours.

MR. SPEAKER: Hon. Members, in order to prevent mistakes, I

have obtained a copy of His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor's

speech.

MARRIED PERSONS EQUALITY ACT

Hon. A.B. Macdonald moves introduction and first reading of

Bill No. 1 intituled the Married Persons Equality Act.

Motion approved.

Bill No. 1 read a first time and ordered to be placed on

orders of the day for second reading at the next sitting of the

House after today.

MR. J.R. CHABOT (Columbia River): Mr. Speaker, it has long been a British parliamentary practice

to allow the introduction of Bill No. I prior to dealing with

the people's business.

I would now like to introduce a matter of major public

importance. I therefore move, Mr. Speaker, seconded by the

Member for Cariboo (Mr. Fraser), adjournment of the House to

discuss a matter of urgent public importance. I have

accompanying this motion a very brief statement dealing with a

subject matter which I would like to read to you, Mr. Speaker,

and make a copy available to you as well. It's the threatened

B.C. Railway strike, scheduled for 8 p.m. today.

It will have drastic economic effects on central and

northeastern British Columbia as well as for farmers in the

lower mainland, dependent upon feed grains moving on this

railway. In view of the foregoing, it is imperative that

immediate action be taken to avert this shutdown.

MR. SPEAKER: Well, I would like to consider the matter.

HON. D. BARRETT (Premier): Mr. Speaker, with all due respect

to my friend who is trying to help the people of British

Columbia, I find it difficult to deal with a problem that is

not yet here. As a matter of fact, deliberations are going on

at this very moment, and negotiations between the railway and

the unions are still going on.

It is presumptuous, perhaps — I hope not hopeful on the

Member's part — to believe that there is a strike. I don't see

how we can deal with an event that has not yet taken place and,

hopefully, will not take place.

MR. CHABOT: Just on that point, Mr. Speaker: the Premier is

the president of the B.C. Railway; is he suggesting that the

wage increase being demanded by the UTU will be met? Is that

what he's suggesting? Because the UTU…

MR. SPEAKER: Order, order, please.

MR. CHABOT: …has said at 1 p.m. this afternoon….

MR. SPEAKER: Order. Would the Hon. Member be seated for a

minute? We're not to indulge in debate…

MR. CHABOT: No, no.

MR. SPEAKER: I would like to point out to Hon. Members that

I've looked at the question raised by the Hon. Member for

Columbia River (Mr. Chabot). It appears, first of all, that

he's anticipating something that he says may happen or may

not

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happen. We do not know that at this particular moment. The

urgency of it will probably be clearer sometime within the next

few days.

I point out further that under our rules today is a day

which deals with pro forma matters and we do not enter upon the

ordinary daily routine of business today. Standing order 35

deals with that point, as you'll note in subsection 1; after

daily ordinary routine business this motion is usually

made.

Secondly, his Honour has just delivered the throne speech,

which will be given immediate consideration under the rules of

parliament. This means that each Member is entitled, upon

entering that debate, to deal with any urgent matter that

affects the province within the next few days. Consequently, I

cannot see that this falls within the rule of urgency of debate

because that urgency of debate is available to the Members

almost immediately following today's pro forma proceedings.

MR. CHABOT: At 1 p.m. this afternoon the union spokesman

stated that unless there is a substantial increase in

the…

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Order, order.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please. The Hon. Member is seeking to

negotiate an agreement on the floor of this House. I would

suggest that I've made a ruling to the Hon. Members that this

matter can be debated in the next few days and therefore it

does not comply with the urgency of debate under which the

Member seeks to bring it. And I so rule.

MR. CHABOT: I would like very much to avert a strike of the

B.C. Railway; there have been statements made this morning…

Interjections by some Hon. Members.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, order, please. Would the Hon. Member be

seated?

MR. D.E. SMITH (North Peace River): Speaking to your

decision, I would suggest, Sir, that the matter is urgent and

it meets the test of rule 35, in that we are complying with the

first opportunity to raise this matter before the House.

MR. SPEAKER: Would the Hon. Member please be seated?

MRS. P.J. JORDAN (North Okanagan): A point of order, Mr.

Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: Excuse me a minute; you are ~making a point of

order on what? There's nothing before the House. Which one?

MRS. JORDAN: On your statement regarding the matter that was

brought up, you mentioned that you…

MR. SPEAKER: I'm sorry, I've already ruled on the question.

Would the Hon. Member be seated?

HON. MR. BARRETT: Mr. Speaker, I move that the speech of His

Honour the Lieutenant-Governor, be taken into consideration at

the next sitting of the House, and that this order have

precedence over all other business, except introduction of

bills, until disposed of.

Motion approved.

HON. E. HALL (Provincial Secretary): Mr. Speaker, I move

that the Votes and Proceedings of this House be printed, being

first perused by Mr. Speaker, and that he do appoint the

printing thereof, and that no person but such as he shall

appoint should presume to print the same.

Motion approved.

HON. MR. BARRETT: Mr. Speaker, I move that the select

standing committees of this House, as provided in standing

order 68(l), be appointed for the present session, which said

committees shall severally be empowered to examine and inquire

into all such matters and things that shall be referred to them

by this House and to report from time to time their

observations and opinions thereon, with power to send for

persons, papers and records; and that a special committee be

appointed to prepare and report with all convenient speed lists

of Members to compose the select standing committees of this

House under standing order 68(l), said committee to be composed

of the Hon. A.B. Macdonald, the Hon. R.M. Strachan, Messrs. Dent,

Richter and D.A. Anderson, provided that the members of the

standing committee on Agriculture, on Forestry and Fisheries,

on Municipal Affairs and on Social Welfare and Education be

named after the said committees appointed at the last session

shall have severally made their respective reports to the

House.

Motion approved.

MRS. D. WEBSTER (Vancouver South): Mr. Speaker, I move that

Mr. Hartley Douglas Dent, Member for Skeena Electoral

District, be appointed Deputy Speaker for this session of the

Legislative Assembly.

Motion approved.

HON. MR. BARRETT: I ask leave of the House to

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table reports, Mr. Speaker.

Leave granted.

HON. MR. BARRETT: I hereby table the report on the abridged

Public Accounts of British Columbia for the fiscal year ended

March 31, 1973; the Report on Engineering Methods and Contract

Administration, British Columbia Railway, August, 1973; a

review of the financial reporting and control practices of the

British Columbia Railway, August, 1973; the report on the

status and management controls and organization of British

Columbia Railway, June, 1973.

Mr. Speaker, I move that Report No. 9 of the Select Standing

Committee on Standing Orders and Private Bills adopted by this

House on February 27, 1973, relating to oral questions be

adopted by this House for the present session.

Motion approved.

HON. MR. BARRETT: Mr. Speaker, I move that on each Monday,

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of this session there shall be

two distinct sittings on each day — one from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

and one from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m., and on each Friday there shall

be one sitting from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m., unless otherwise

ordered.

Motion approved.

Hon. Mr. Barrett moves adjournment of the House.

Motion approved.

The House adjourned at 3:41 p.m.

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