British Columbia Bill 2 (Government) — 2nd Parliament, 40th Session — Previous Version 1

2-40 Gov Bill 2-1

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2014 Legislative Session: 2nd Session, 40th Parliament

FIRST READING

The following electronic version is for informational purposes only.

The printed version remains the official version.

HONOURABLE SUZANNE ANTON

MINISTER OF JUSTICE

BILL 2 – 2014

ELECTORAL BOUNDARIES COMMISSION

AMENDMENT ACT, 2014

HER MAJESTY, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of British Columbia, enacts as follows:

SECTION 1: [Electoral Boundaries Commission Act,

section 3] requires the Electoral Boundaries Commission to propose 85 electoral districts for British Columbia.

Section 3 (2) of the Electoral Boundaries Commission Act, R.S.B.C. 1996, c. 107, is repealed and the following substituted:

(2) The commission must make proposals to the Legislative Assembly for 85 electoral districts.

SECTION 2: [Electoral Boundaries Commission Act,

section 9] establishes the principles by which the Electoral Boundaries Commission is to be guided when proposing boundaries of electoral districts, including with respect to 3 newly defined regions.

Section 9 is amended

(

a) by adding the following subsection:

(0.1) In this section:

"Cariboo-Thompson Region" means a region consisting of the following electoral districts specified in the Electoral Districts Act :

(

a) Cariboo North;

(

b) Cariboo-Chilcotin;

(

c) Fraser-Nicola;

(

d) Kamloops-North Thompson;

(

e) Kamloops-South Thompson;

"Columbia-Kootenay Region" means a region consisting of the following electoral districts specified in the Electoral Districts Act :

(

a) Columbia River-Revelstoke;

(

b) Kootenay East;

(

c) Kootenay West;

(

d) Nelson-Creston;

"North Region" means a region consisting of the following electoral districts specified in the Electoral Districts Act :

(

a) Nechako Lakes;

(

b) North Coast;

(

c) Peace River North;

(

d) Peace River South;

(

e) Prince George-Mackenzie;

(

f) Prince George-Valemount;

(

g) Skeena;

(

h) Stikine. ,

(

b) in subsection (1) by striking out " In determining " and substituting " Subject to subsection (1.1), in determining ", and

(

c) by adding the following subsections:

(1.1) With respect to the Cariboo-Thompson Region, the Columbia-Kootenay Region and the North Region, the commission must be governed by the following additional principles:

(

a) for the purpose of effective representation in the Legislative Assembly, each of these regions must not have the number of their electoral districts reduced from the number of electoral districts that currently exist for the region;

(

b) for the purposes of complying with paragraph (

a) of this subsection, the commission may exceed the 25% deviation principle established by subsection (1) (b).

(3) For certainty, for the purpose of making proposals under

section 3 (2), the commission may propose

(

a) changing the names of electoral districts in the Cariboo-Thompson Region, the Columbia-Kootenay Region and the North Region, and

(

b) adjusting or changing boundaries of electoral districts in the Cariboo-Thompson Region, the Columbia-Kootenay Region and the North Region, including, subject to the purpose set out in subsection (1.1) (a), boundaries of electoral districts that are regional boundaries.

SECTION 3: [Electoral Boundaries Commission Act,

section 10] is consequential to the amendment to

section 3 of the Act made by this Bill.

Section 10 (1) is amended by striking out " the number, which must not be less than 79 nor more than 85, and ".

SECTION 4: [Electoral Boundaries Commission Act,

section 15] updates the name of a committee.

Section 15 (2) is amended by striking out " Select Standing Committee of the Legislative Assembly on Labour, Justice and Intergovernmental Relations " and substituting " Select Standing Committee of the Legislative Assembly on Parliamentary Reform, Ethical Conduct, Standing Orders and Private Bills ".

Commencement

5 This Act comes into force on the date of Royal Assent.

Explanatory Notes