1998/99 Legislative Session: 3rd Session, 36th Parliament
HANSARD
The following electronic version is for informational purposes only.
The printed version remains the official version.
(Hansard)
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15, 2000
Morning
Volume 17, Number 3
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The House met at 11:05 a.m.
Members, pursuant to the standing orders of this assembly, it's my duty to call upon you to elect one of your members to preside over your deliberations as Speaker. The following members have declared their intention to stand as candidates for election to the office of Speaker, and their names have been posted in the corridors and appear on the members' desks: Mr. Bill Hartley, MLA for Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows; and Mr. Jack Weisgerber, MLA for Peace River South.
Today we are meeting for the election of Speaker in unique circumstances. I have received a written agreement from all members of the House to vary the voting procedures to permit absentee ballots on the opening vote for members who are unable to attend the morning sitting. The agreement provides further that this process will not constitute a precedent and that all members have agreed to ratify the process by a vote in the House if necessary.
In preparation for the voting, members will have the names of the candidates on their desks. If the members on the right side of the House would proceed, as we did in past times, to come up behind the desk here, they will receive their ballots here. The members on the left side of the House will do likewise and receive their ballots on the left side of the House.
The Sergeant-at-Arms staff will provide a small booth at either side, and the ballot box will be in front of the mace. If you would, please be careful to print the name of your selection for Speaker on the ballot as provided. If there are any further questions that occur during the balloting, we will remain here to assist.
If the members are ready to proceed with the voting, the ballots are ready.
Hon. members cast their ballots.
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Clerk of the House: If there are any members who have not voted and wish to do so, will they please vote now.I have four absentee ballots, which I will open and place in the box now.
If the members will bear with us, we will now retire and count the ballots and come back with the decision as soon as possible.
The House recessed from 11:18 a.m. to 11:31 a.m.
Clerk of the House: Members of the Legislative Assembly, it is my duty to advise you that you have elected Mr. Bill Hartley, MLA, member for Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows, as your Speaker.
Hon. W. Hartley took his place in the chair.
The Speaker: Hon. members, most humbly I would like to thank the members of this assembly for the great honour that you have bestowed upon me this day by selecting me to be 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 for your patience while I declare a short recess in order to assume the appropriate attire.
The House recessed from 11:32 a.m. to 11:47 a.m.
[The Speaker in the chair.]
The Speaker: Deputy Premier.
Hon. J. MacPhail: Hon. Speaker, on behalf of the government caucus and, I expect, all of the members of the Legislature and in the absence of the Premier, who is attending the funeral for the untimely death of Chief Joe Mathias, let me be the first to congratulate you on assuming the hon. chair of this great Legislature. I hope you are heralding a new era of cooperation, not confrontation -- an era that I hope in your good shadow will stand very tall in the annals of history.
G. Farrell-Collins: Mr. Speaker, I also want to extend the congratulations of this side of the House to you on your election as Speaker, on behalf of my colleagues and the Leader of the Opposition, who is also at Chief Mathias's memorial service. I think you assume those robes of Speaker at a very difficult time -- a very challenging time -- for this chamber. I wish you the best in your new role as the independent and neutral Chair of this chamber and as a servant of all the members of this Legislature. Congratulations.
J. Weisgerber: First of all, Mr. Speaker, let me offer you my sincere congratulations on your election. I want to assure you of my cooperation in what will no doubt be an interesting, challenging and perhaps difficult time ahead. I was reflecting that the first time we elected a Speaker in this House, we elected none other than Emery Barnes, who served this House in a fashion that I think will provide a role model and an inspiration. I indeed wish you the very, very best over the next year or so.
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The Speaker: Thank you, members, for those remarks.Members, I'd like to announce that the Lieutenant-Governor is in the precincts.
His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor entered the chamber and took his place in the chair.
The 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 country, humbly claim all their undoubted rights and privileges, especially that they may have freedom of speech in
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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. A. Petter: Hon. Speaker, I am commanded by His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor to declare to you that he freely confides in the duty and attachment of the 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, he 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 His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor upon all seasonable occasions, and that their proceedings, as well as your words and actions, will constantly receive from him the most favourable construction.
His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor retired from the chamber.
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[The Speaker in the chair.]
December 22, 1999
The Honourable Gretchen Mann Brewin
Speaker
Parliament Buildings
Hon. Speaker:
Re: By-election --
Electoral District of Delta South
December 7, 1999
On July 12, 1999, this office received the Speaker's warrant advising of the vacancy in the membership of the Legislative Assembly resulting from the death of Fred Gingell, MLA for Delta South.A writ of election was issued by me on November 9, 1999, requiring that a by-election be held to fill the vacancy. Accordingly, December 7, 1999, was designated as general voting day.
The by-election was held in accordance with the provisions of the Election Act, and the completed writ of election has been returned to me.
I hereby certify the election of Val Roddick as the member to represent the electoral district of Delta South in the Legislative Assembly.
Yours very truly,
Robert A. Patterson
Chief Electoral Officer
Hon. A. Petter: Hon. Speaker, I move that the certificate of the chief electoral officer of the result of the election of the member be entered into the Journals of the House.
Motion approved.
G. Farrell-Collins: Hon. Speaker, I have the honour to present to you Valerie Roddick, who has the honour to be the new member for the electoral district of Delta South. She has taken the oath, signed the parliamentary roll and now claims her right to take her seat.
The Speaker: Let the member take her seat.
The hon. member for Delta South took her seat.
Motion approved.
T. Stevenson: Hon. Speaker, I ask leave of the House to suspend the rules to permit the moving of a motion to adopt the report.
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Leave granted.T. Stevenson: Hon. Speaker, I move that the report be adopted.
The committee was authorized to examine, inquire into and make recommendations on the matter of the Members' Conflict of Interest Act. Our review began in October of 1997 and continued through 1999. The committee has made 15 recommendations to the House which retain and enhance the effectiveness of this legislation. The report also includes recommendations to make the Members' Conflict of Interest Act consistent with the statutes governing other officers of the Legislature.
I appreciate this opportunity to move the adoption of the committee's report, and I would like to thank the Deputy Chair and all members of the committee for their input and dedication, as well as the office of the Clerk of Committees for their assistance with this report.
Motion approved.
R. Thorpe: I have the honour to present the report of the Special Committee to Appoint an Auditor General. I move that the report be taken as read and received.
Motion approved.
R. Thorpe: I ask leave of the House to suspend the rules to permit the moving of a motion to adopt the report.
Leave granted.
R. Thorpe: I move that the report be adopted.
Motion approved.
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Leave granted.R. Thorpe: By leave, I now move that this House recommend to His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor to appoint Mr. Wayne Strelioff as a statutory officer of the Legislature to exercise the powers and duties assigned to the auditor general for the province of British Columbia pursuant to the Auditor General Act.
Hon. Speaker, I would like to introduce to this House
The Speaker: Member, we'll pass the motion and then let you
R. Thorpe: Good.
Interjection.
The Speaker: No? I'm sorry. Proceed, member.
R. Thorpe: We're both new at doing this, hon. Speaker.
I would like to introduce to this House Mr. Wayne Strelioff. Wayne brings 20 years of experience in public sector accounting and auditing to the position of auditor general of British Columbia. He has served as the provincial auditor of Saskatchewan since 1990 and prior to that worked for seven years with the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants as assistant director of public accounting and auditing. In addition, Wayne served with the auditor general's office in British Columbia from 1979 to '81 and with Treasury Board from '81 to '83. All committee members are very confident that Wayne will be able to build on the tradition of excellence established by his predecessor, Mr. George Morfitt. Would the House please make Wayne Strelioff welcome.
Over the past 12 years, George Morfitt has consistently provided British Columbia with factual and objective opinions and advice on how government can be more accountable to the citizens of British Columbia. The essence of Mr. Morfitt's contributions can be seen in his many achievements during his years of work for this assembly. In particular, I would like to single out his leadership in the area of improved accountability reporting throughout government and his ongoing efforts to ensure that performance measures become part of the everyday workings of government.
On behalf of the Select Standing Committee on Public Accounts, I would like to express my sincere thanks to George Morfitt for his years of service to this assembly and to all British Columbians. I'm sure that all members of this House will join me in wishing George and his wife Peggy every continued success in the future. Thank you very much.
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The Speaker: Thank you, member. Now, I believe, we have the member for Comox Valley.E. Gillespie: As Deputy Chair of the Public Accounts Committee, I'm pleased to add my voice in support of the committee's recommendation to appoint Wayne Strelioff as British Columbia's next auditor general. The committee is confident that Mr. Strelioff's strong leadership and management skills and his experience in the field of public sector auditing will enable him to serve our province well in this new position.
Also at this time, I would like to recognize George Morfitt and commend him on his many accomplishments during his years of service to this assembly. Over the past 12 years he has successfully served this House by consistently providing his objective support and advice. I would particularly like to recognize his work to enhance Crown corporation governance and his successful leadership of many accountability initiatives adopted in recent years.
So on behalf of the government caucus and all British Columbians, I would like to thank George Morfitt for his years of dedicated service and wish him all the best in his future endeavours.
The Speaker: Thank you, members. Now the question is adoption of the motion.
Motion approved.
The Speaker: Members, before I table some reports, I want to introduce a former Speaker of this House, Gordon Dowding, who is sitting on the floor. All members will know that many of the reforms of this Legislature were brought forward by Mr. Dowding. He was also the MLA for Burnaby-Edmonds for many years and Speaker of this House from 1972 to 1975. Would you please welcome him.
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and also to reflect on the marvellous achievements of that man, the hereditary chief of the Squamish first nation.The Speaker: Thank you, members.
Members, His Honour is about to re-enter the chamber. If members could just keep their seats until he enters.
His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor re-entered the chamber and took his place in the chair.
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Pax vobiscum and à bientôt.
His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor retired from the chamber.
[The Speaker in the chair.]
Hon. A. Petter: Hon. Speaker and Members of the Legislative Assembly, it is His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor's will and pleasure that the Legislative Assembly be prorogued until 2 p.m. today, and this provincial Legislative Assembly is hereby prorogued accordingly.
The House prorogued at 12:16 p.m.
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