First Session, 41st Parliament

(2017) OFFICIAL REPORT

OF DEBATES

(HANSARD)

Friday, September 8, 2017

Morning Sitting

Issue No. 10

ISSN 1499-2175

The HTML transcript is provided for informational purposes only.

The PDF transcript remains the official digital version.

CONTENTS

Election of Speaker

Prorogation Address

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2017

The House met at 10:02 a.m.

Clerk of the House: Hon. Members, Her Honour the Lieutenant-Governor is in the precincts.

Please remain seated while we await her arrival.

[10:05 a.m.]

Her Honour the Lieutenant-Governor requested to attend the House, was

admitted to the chamber and took her seat on the throne.

Hon. D. Eby: Members, I am commanded by Her Honour the Lieutenant-Governor to announce

that she does not see fit to declare the cause of her summoning you at this time

and will not do so until you have chosen a Speaker to preside over your

honourable body. Her Honour the Lieutenant-Governor hopes to be enabled to

declare, during the afternoon, her reason for calling you together.

Her Honour the Lieutenant-Governor retired from the chamber.

[10:10 a.m.]

Election of Speaker

Clerk of the House: Members of the Legislative Assembly, due to the resignation of Steve

Thomson, tall in stature but short in tenure, as Speaker of the Legislative

Assembly and pursuant to Standing Order 11, it is my duty to inform you that

only one candidate has declared his intention to stand for the election of

Speaker. Therefore, I wish to announce that Darryl Plecas, the member for

the electoral district of Abbotsford South, is declared elected Speaker for

the duration of this parliament.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Table, I would like to congratulate you

on your new office. We will look forward to supporting you with your new

responsibilities. [Applause.]

Mr. Speaker: Hon. Members, I would like to humbly thank the members of this

assembly for this great honour that you have bestowed upon me this day by

selecting me as your Speaker. In keeping with the tradition of this high

office, I will endeavour at all times to carry out my duties with fairness

and integrity.

I now ask your patience while I declare a short recess in order to

assume the appropriate attire.

The House recessed from 10:12 a.m. to 10:21 a.m.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

Hon. J. Horgan: Hon. Speaker, I rise to offer my congratulations to you as the

Speaker of the people’s House. The people, in their wisdom, sent an

equal number of members from two political parties, and a third party,

to support the work of the great province that we happen to be living

in. I am so delighted that you’ve taken up the challenge of keeping us

honest, keeping us fair, keeping us on course.

Of course, for the people of B.C., this is not about partisanship.

This is about a new government and a new opportunity. I fully expect

those on the other side of the House to keep us accountable, and I fully

expect members on this side of the House to be respectful to the

questions asked and, most importantly, respectful to you and the office

that you hold.

I can’t tell you how happy I am to look forward to working with

you over the next number of years to make B.C. better.

With that, Hon. Speaker, the best of luck to you. You have our

full support. I look forward to working with you in our House for all of

the interests that British Columbians want us to achieve in the days and

years ahead.

R. Coleman: The role of Speaker is fundamental to our parliamentary democracy.

As Speaker, you are in charge of ensuring that the traditions of this

House are respected. As Speaker, you are responsible for ensuring that

the majority and the minority are equally heard in the chamber. And as

Speaker, your job is to protect the integrity of the institution and to

always to act honourably.

There will be times when the Legislature becomes raucous, and the

Speaker must have the fortitude to make decisions guided in this chamber

by things that happened over the last 100 years. Mr. Speaker, we hope

you live up to those standards.

Mr. Speaker: Hon. Members, the Lieutenant-Governor is in the precinct. Please

remain seated while we await her arrival.

Her Honour the Lieutenant-Governor requested to attend the House, was

admitted to the chamber and took her seat on the throne.

[10:25 a.m.]

Hon. J. Guichon (Lieutenant-Governor): Pray be seated.

Mr. Speaker: May it please Your Honour, the House of Assembly has elected me as

their Speaker, though I am but little able to fulfil the important duties

thus assigned to me. If in the performance of those duties I should at any

time fall into error, I pray that the fault be imputed to me and not to the

assembly whose servant I am and who, through me, the better to enable them

to discharge their duty to the Queen and the country, humbly claim all of

their undoubted rights and privileges, especially that they may have the

freedom of speech in their debates and access to Your Honour’s person at all

seasonable times, and that their proceedings may receive from Your Honour

the most favourable

interpretation.

Hon. D. Eby: Hon. Speaker, I am commanded by Her Honour the Lieutenant-Governor

to declare to you that she freely confides in the duty and attachment of

this House of Assembly to Her Majesty’s person and government, and not

doubting that their respective proceedings will be conducted with

wisdom, temper and prudence, she grants, and upon all occasions will

recognize and allow, their constitutional privileges.

I am commanded also to assure you that the assembly shall have

ready access to Her Honour the Lieutenant-Governor upon all seasonable

occasions and that their proceedings, as well as your words and actions,

will constantly receive from her the most favourable

construction.

Prorogation Address

Hon. J. Guichon (Lieutenant-Governor): Hon. Speaker and Members of the Legislative Assembly, in now

closing this first session of the 41st parliament of British Columbia,

on behalf of all British Columbians, I wish to express my appreciation

for the care and the attention you have given to your deliberations and

for the service you have provided to our great and beautiful province. I

now relieve you of your duties.

“Splendor sine occasu.”

Her Honour the Lieutenant-Governor retired from the chamber.

[10:30 a.m.]

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

Hon. D. Eby: Hon. 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 two o’clock today, and this Legislative

Assembly is hereby prorogued accordingly.

Mr. Speaker: This House is prorogued until 2 p.m. today.

The House prorogued at 10:32 a.m.

The Official Report of Debates ( Hansard ) and webcasts of

proceedings

are available on the Internet. Chamber debates are broadcast on

television.

Copyright © 2017: British Columbia

Hansard Services, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada