2009 Legislative Session: First Session, 39th 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)

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Afternoon Sitting

Volume 1, Number 2

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 25, 2009

The House met at 2:03 p.m.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

Mr. Speaker: Hon. Members, Pastor Ed Skutshek from Grace Lutheran Church of West Kelowna will lead us in prayer.

E. Skutshek: Let us pray. Almighty and everlasting God, we give you thanks for all the blessings you shower upon us. We praise and bless you for this beautiful land, our heritage and for all the residents of British Columbia.

Lord God, it is our constant prayer that in your mercy you would give us good government and defend us from natural disasters. In response to our prayers for good government, you have given us the members elected to this Legislature. We lift them up to you today as they begin this new session. Grant health and favour to all who hold office in this province.

Especially we pray for her Majesty Queen Elizabeth; our Lieutenant-Governor, Steven; our Premier, Gordon; the Speaker of this House, Bill; the leader of our loyal opposition, Carole; the officers of this Legislature; all the members who sit in this Legislature; those who serve on each member's staff; and all who labour in the ministries they represent. You have entrusted them with authority of government. You have given each of them gifts and skills. Endow them with wisdom, vision, compassion, kindness, courage and inspiration so that they may work together for the good of all the people of British Columbia and that justice and peace and prosperity flow from their work.

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In response to the Kelly Creek, the West Kelowna, Terrace Mountain and other fires around our province, you have given us men and women who risk their lives in order to defend life and property in the face of raging flames. You have inspired teachers and inventors so that these brave souls are trained and equipped and empowered. You have endowed them with the courage that permits them to battle the flames and save life and property.

You search for the lost, you comfort the afflicted, serve the needs of the displaced and defend our homes and lives when we are threatened by natural disasters through a living web of civil servants, volunteers, the RCMP and local police forces.

We lift up to you those who defend us and give us peace. Keep them safe. Guide them. Endow them with wisdom, strength, compassion, loving hearts and valour.

We remember today Robert Woodhead, the helicopter pilot who gave his life fighting forest fires in this province. We commend him to your loving arms and those who grieve his loss to your tender care.

Lord God, you are our hope. You have endowed your creation with healing and renewal and regeneration. You have promised that out of the ashes of forest fires will come new life, a future and new possibilities. Give those whose lives have been hurt by this summer's forest fires and other disasters this hope: that there will be new life, a future and new possibilities.

Empower this Legislature to lead us into that future full of new possibilities. We ask your blessings on the 2010 Winter Olympics. Protect and keep safe all who journey here. Let all athletes compete with integrity and to the best of their ability. Make us gracious hosts.

In times of prosperity make our hearts thankful. In troubled times do not let our trust in you fail, and at all times give us the grace to be generous to the less fortunate. Make all of us who come from different backgrounds, nations and who speak many languages a united people, in Jesus's name. Amen.

Mr. Speaker: Hon. Members, if you would remain in your seats. The Lieutenant-Governor is in the precinct and will be arriving soon.

His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor entered the chamber and took his seat on the throne.

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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 country, humbly claim all their undoubted rights and privileges, especially that they have their freedom of speech in their debates, access to Your Honour's person at all seasonal times, and that their proceedings may receive from Your Honour the most favourable interpretation.

Hon. M. de Jong: Mr. 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.
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Speech from the Throne

Hon. S. Point (Lieutenant-Governor): As we begin this 39th parliament, we pause to honour those who have passed since this assembly last convened and to recognize those working to safeguard people and communities around our province.

Members recognize the contributions of those who have helped build our province, who have passed on: Provincial Court Chief Judge Hugh Stansfield, former Supreme Court of Canada Justice William Rogers McIntyre, architect Arthur Erickson, university chancellor Dr. William Gibson, former MLA Evan Wolfe; former MP Joy Langan, Mayor Aman Virk, former mayor Harold Moffat, Coun. Brian Given, RCMP inspector Jim Wakely, and community builders Wendy Ladner-Beaudry and Bennie Yung.

The arts community has bid farewell to the talented David Ross and Lorena Gale.

We join first nations communities in mourning the passing of Chief Viola Wyse, Chief John L. George, elder and former chief Russell Williams, elder Joe Mitchell and Coun. Frank Rivers Jr.

We salute the 38 members of the B.C. public service who have passed away since we last met. They dedicated themselves to serving the people in communities of British Columbia. It is the high calibre and dedicated efforts of our professional public servants that have realized the service gains made over the last eight years.

We honour the memory of pilot Robert Woodhead, lost while fighting wildfires. Nowhere has the dedication of our public servants been more visible than in the superb efforts of our Forest Service, firefighters, emergency personnel, police and volunteers in the face of this summer's fire season. Every British Columbian has marvelled at their stamina and professionalism. It is a reflection of our remarkable public service. For that, all British Columbians are grateful.

Today, more than ever, we must all dedicate ourselves to our children and grandchildren.

As British Columbia endures its worst recession in 27 years, many are worried about their economic future. Families worry about their prospects. Government shares their concerns. It will dedicate its efforts to improving B.C. families' prospects and economic circumstances. It will not happen overnight, and it will not be easy, but government will work tirelessly so that B.C. comes out of this economic maelstrom stronger.

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The pace, depth and scope of the economic crisis surpassed expectations. We've been hit by seismic economic shifts that were unpredictable and brutally deceiving in their speed and force. They rocked our province, hurt our industries and have left thousands of workers worried or unemployed.

Government revenues have been decimated. Billions of dollars have been lost to falling commodity prices, smaller incomes, shrinking exports and lower sales. As recently as the past couple of months, government's books were shifting by hundreds of millions of dollars on a weekly basis.

Record forest fires have put homes and people at risk, have cost us hundreds of millions of dollars and have added to our financial burden. Most economists are now predicting that British Columbia's economic growth rate will be either first or second in Canada next year. As in the early part of this decade, it is a smart focus on our economy that will lead us back to the successful position that only a year ago we took for granted.

In May of this year we heard clearly from British Columbians that they wanted a stable government that would live within its means, improve and protect vital services and lower costs on the economy so that we could invest in jobs and infrastructure. To meet these commitments to British Columbians and to propel our province forward, difficult decisions need to be made. The federal government is providing flexibility and $1.6 billion in transition assistance to facilitate the most significant economic development initiative that British Columbia can undertake in preparing for the economic turnaround.

The government committed to work to make B.C. more competitive, reduce barriers to the economy and protect core public services. A harmonized sales tax fits all three of those broad economic objectives. It has been advocated by small businesses and large industries alike. Ontario's decision to move to the harmonized sales tax made it imperative that our government act quickly.

B.C. would be put at a significant disadvantage if it did not act to match Ontario's timetable. The harmonized sales tax places us on a stronger job creation and investment footing.

Further, the additional $1.6 billion in transition funding will help protect vital health and education services. As difficult and rapid as this decision was, it was crucial to our economic future. It is a significant change, and government recognizes that some will be asked to make significant adjustments. Government will help to mitigate negative impacts.

While some say government should have waited, the danger in that course of action was twofold. First, we would have lost significant investment opportunities and the jobs that go with them. Second, we would have faced substantial service reductions, layoffs and curtailments in the short term and faced heavier debt costs in the long term that could otherwise be alleviated with federal transition assistance.

The 12 percent harmonized GST and PST will be the lowest in Canada. It allows for new flexibility that maintains our position as the second-lowest tax regime in the country. It encourages investment and productivity gains. The benefits will flow through higher productivity, higher wages and lower costs, increased competitiveness, reduced bureaucracy
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and red tape, more jobs and a stronger economy in every part of the province.

The HST will save B.C. taxpayers $30 million in administration costs annually and will save B.C. businesses over $150 million in compliance costs every year. It will lower business costs on productivity by almost $2 billion annually. Like six other provinces, B.C. will no longer charge sales tax on business inputs.

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It clearly benefits thousands of workers in construction, manufacturing, transportation, forestry, mining, agriculture, retail, new media, film and energy. Savings on inputs currently taxed by the PST will improve our companies' ability to reinvest in British Columbia, expand their businesses, decrease bureaucracy and regulatory costs, increase productivity, raise wages and create more jobs.

Further, experience has shown that as new input credits reduce the production costs of goods, they lead to lower retail prices for consumers. More will be said about this important initiative in the coming budget.

People are worried, and we must do what we can to restore their confidence, revive investment and increase jobs. The task ahead is difficult, but we have faced difficult circumstances before and came out stronger. We can again.

We can create new jobs as a global leader in clean energy and energy conservation, in green building technologies and affordable housing in our cities and towns, in wood innovation and design, in water conservation and management.

Shrinking revenues will by necessity curtail our discretionary spending. The fiscal cupboard is bare and currently hangs on a wall of deficit spending. Intrinsic to our budget crunch is the chance to discover new ways of doing things and to find new savings by doing things differently in all ministries and Crown agencies.

The answer to today's fiscal challenges is not to slough them off to future taxpayers. It is not to take the easy path of least resistance that pretends nothing has changed. This government chooses to take the higher path that resists overspending. Now is not the time to give up on the future. We cannot pretend that we can borrow with impunity to satisfy our wants without hurting future generations' ability to provide for their basic needs.

While we will protect critical health and education services, we will not throw up our hands, throw in the towel and borrow our way into oblivion. We must minimize spending on non-essential services and target discretionary spending where it is needed most — to help patients, students, children and families and to create a new economic framework, new revenue and new jobs while protecting public services that are indispensable. That principle shaped the February budget, and it will continue to guide our way forward.

Yet even with announcing spending constraints and new austerity measures, there's no way to fully offset the devastating impact of failing revenues without massive tax hikes or severe cuts in crucial services. Neither of those options is acceptable to this government or to taxpayers. That is why this year's deficit will be far higher than originally forecast and why amendments will be required to balance the budget following four years of deficits instead of two.

Government will continue to target strategic investments to generate economic growth and job creation. Significant reductions in controllable costs, including government funding for discretionary grants and contributions, will be necessary. All ministries and government agencies will work to find new ways of doing things so that we can deliver quality services at lower costs.

Central to that endeavour is the need to constrain wage-related spending pressures. Rising public sector wage and benefit costs only put more pressure on government to find savings through layoffs and other workforce reductions. This is something that our government is working very hard to minimize. As long as we are mired in deficits, there is simply no money available for public sector wage increases.

This government will not contemplate wage rollbacks, as some have suggested, but neither will it finance new wage hikes through higher debt, through reductions to core services or through vastly increasing public sector layoffs.

Our focus instead will be on protecting jobs to preserve the delivery of services while our workforce strives to rejuvenate its ranks for the future in the face of its aging profile. Taxpayers have a right to expect that the dollars they are investing for services are optimally managed by all entities reliant on provincial funding and that cost containment is central to their efforts in the months and years ahead. All government-funded entities will focus their efforts on speeding the return to balanced budgets.

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A review is now underway with respect to B.C. Ferries and TransLink. Public funding devoted to public transit and ferry services should not be used to subsidize unreasonably high compensation levels or administrative costs. Adherence to generally accepted accounting principles should not prevent government from maximizing its public investments in independent regulated authorities. Pending the outcome of the comptroller general's review, legislation may be needed to protect and advance those public interests. Health authorities, boards of education and Crown corporations will all be subject to similar reviews in the year ahead.

Where service delivery mechanisms can be improved at a lower administrative cost, they should be. Where Crown agencies or functions delivered by them can be more cost effectively administered directly by line ministries, they will be. Crown entities will systematically be reviewed to maximize public effectiveness and to lower administrative
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and overhead costs to benefit ratepayers and taxpayers alike. Changes will be made that put us on a stronger footing.

Next year the Legislature will adjourn to host the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. To accommodate the on-time event, government will introduce a one-time amendment to the Budget Transparency and Accountability Act to allow for the provincial budget to be introduced on March 2, 2010.

This fall's legislative agenda will be busy. The Labour Mobility Act; Insurance Amendment Act; Strata Property Amendment Act; Wills, Estates and Succession Act; and Police Amendment Act will all be reintroduced. The Lobbyists Registration Act will also be strengthened with new investigative and enforcement provisions.

Government will introduce legislation to restrict cell phone use while driving a vehicle, to create a safer driving and pedestrian environment for all.

New legislation will deny income assistance to anyone in British Columbia who has an outstanding warrant from another province.

Government will legislate a new residents bill of rights to set out clear commitments to care and to the rights of residents living at residential care facilities.

We will act this session to legislate labour mobility for all Canadians wanting to work in British Columbia and to advance open trade with Alberta under the Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement.

A new wood-first policy will be legislated this session to require all public buildings to use wood first as their default building material, inside and out. We will act to strengthen payment protection for forestry contractors under the Woodworker Lien Act.

Government is committed to the goal of reconciliation with first nations. Despite many historic shifts in understanding and intent over recent years, we still have many miles to walk before we reach the mutual vision we know exists.

Reconciliation demands that we listen to first nations, and clearly, more work must be done before the recognition and reconciliation act is introduced to this House. While we develop further understanding, we will continue to press for improvements in other ways.

Aboriginal parents tell us that they are worried sick about the housing and education available to their children. This is a national shame. We will bring forward provincial resources and policy to the pursuit of new solutions with our first nations and federal partners.

Reconciliation must be guided by respect. British Columbia will negotiate agreements on lands and resources based on the recognition of pre-existing aboriginal rights that coexist with those of the Crown. We will pursue new treaties as well as agreements on shared decision-making and benefit-sharing.

We will work with economic partners and communities and with all British Columbians to explore new solutions that put housing into communities, take students through grade 12 into post-secondary training, and solutions that have first nations making decisions about matters that affect their families.

While the path of reconciliation may be long and full of turns, we will follow it with resolve. We do so for the sake of all of our children and those that will follow them.

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As we work together to strengthen our social fabric, so we must work to restore our environment. This administration's commitment to climate action is equally unflagging and crucial to our economy.

The record forest fire season reminds us once again that in spite of our denials, climate change is real and costly. It costs taxpayers millions each year to mitigate and contain its impacts.

The plan we are pursuing is well underway and will not be derailed. We will work both with our federal government and with leaders in other jurisdictions to develop meaningful solutions that will actually meet our children's needs and help us exceed our goals.

Government will act to ensure that our fresh water remains a rich resource that meets economic, social and environmental needs for generations to come. British Columbians will be consulted on new statutory protections to further safeguard our environment from cosmetic chemical pesticides.

The environment is the foundation of our quality of life, and new approaches and new practices will be required by all of us if we are to restore it for the generations that follow. A species-at-risk task force will be established to report out to the government with the recommendations by June 2010. Following the example of our climate initiative, it will be asked to suggest a new defining vision with an overarching, measurable outcome that British Columbians can work together to achieve within the next decade.

Whether it is the urban landscape within which we live or the vast lands which support livelihoods and wildlife, a common, achievable purpose can connect us all. This government will implement an aggressive strategy to turn the challenge of climate change to our citizens' economic advantage.

Green energy will be the cornerstone of British Columbia's climate action plan. Electricity, self-sufficiency and clean, renewable power generation will be integral to our effort to fight global warming.

The B.C. Utilities Commission will receive specific direction. Phasing out Burrard Thermal is a critical component of B.C.'s greenhouse gas reduction strategy. Further, this government will capitalize on the world desire and need for clean energy, for the benefit of all British Columbians.

Whether it is the development of Site C; run-of-the-river hydro projects, wind, tidal, solar, geothermic, or bioenergy and biomass, British Columbia will take every
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necessary step to become a clean-energy powerhouse as indicated in the B.C. energy plan. Government will use the means at its disposal to maximize our province's potential for the good of our workers, our communities, our province and the planet.

While these forms of power require great investment, in the long run, they will produce exponentially higher economic returns to our province, environmental benefits to our planet and jobs throughout British Columbia. High-quality, reliable, clean power is an enormous economic advantage that will benefit every British Columbian in every part of this province for generations to come.

Ready access to clean, affordable power has been a huge strategic incentive to industrial development in British Columbia. We will build on past successes with new strategies aimed at developing new, clean, renewable power as a competitive advantage to stimulate new investment, industry and employment.

Growing knowledge industries like database management and telecommunications will increasingly look for new places to invest and create jobs that have clean, reliable, low-carbon, low-cost power. New energy producers will be looking for long-term investments leveraged through long-term power contracts that give them a competitive edge in our province. B.C.'s multiple sources of clean, renewable energy are far preferable to our reliance on other, dirtier forms of power.

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We will open up that power potential with new vigour, new prescribed clean power calls and new investments in transmission. New approaches to power generation, transmission and taxation policies will create new high-paying jobs for British Columbia's families.

A new green energy advisory task force will shortly be appointed to complement the work of the BCUC's long-term transmission requirement review. That task force will be asked to recommend a blueprint for maximizing British Columbia's clean power potential, including a principled, economically viable and environmentally sustainable expert development policy. It will review the policies, incentives and impediments currently affecting B.C.'s green power potential, and it will identify best practices employed in other leading jurisdictions.

We will promote biomass power solutions and convert landfill waste into clean energy that reduces harmful methane gas emissions. We will act to outlaw the international export of British Columbia's garbage and landfill waste. The government has mandated methane capture from landfills to ensure that we deal responsibly with our own waste and convert it to clean energy where practicable.

We can be leaders in the commercialization of cellulosic ethanol and other biofuels, as we are in hydrogen and fuel cell technology. Low carbon gas development is the key to maximizing British Columbia's energy potential, where it can occur with minimal environmental impact.

A new, comprehensive Asia-Pacific gateway authority will be pursued with the federal government. Through it, government will redouble its efforts to open up the critical northern corridor with its massive potential as a trade and transportation corridor. That will generate billions of dollars in economic activity and thousands of jobs for Canada's and B.C.'s workers. British Columbia's unique global advantage as Canada's Pacific gateway and our exceptional Olympic opportunity are economic launching pads for our future.

An Open Skies summit at the new Vancouver Convention Centre will be held in September. It will focus on the opportunities of Open Skies agreements that are crucial for economic growth, international trade and increased tourism in communities across British Columbia.

British Columbia desperately needs the federal government's help to liberate that opportunity. The government of Canada has shown a great willingness to support our province's economic development imperatives over the past several years. Together we are opening our transportation gateways with new investments in our roads, bridges, ports, railways, airports, border crossings and ferries.

A new transmission line along Highway 37 will replace dirty diesel power in first nations communities, open new opportunities in mining and clean power production, and create job opportunities throughout the Skeena region.

A new northern energy corridor will open up our ability to export liquefied natural gas from the northeast through the Port of Kitimat to the massive Asian marketplace. A new wood innovation and design centre will be established in Prince George.

We are investing in critical new infrastructure and creating thousands of new construction jobs. We are building new housing and new facilities that will provide lasting benefits to seniors, patients, students and communities. A major initiative will be commenced to encourage affordable market housing in British Columbia that will put the dream of a single-family home within the economic reach of our children.

Working with British Columbia's municipalities, we'll examine all government-imposed costs and legislative frameworks — from property assessment to subdivision regulation and other development tools — with a view to reducing both capital and operating costs for housing in B.C. Our children aspire to owning homes in livable and sustainable communities. Together we can meet their aspirations.

Nothing is more important, as we look to our future, than the education of our children. Government has focused its attention on expanding university, college and apprenticeship opportunities in the last eight years. Thousands of new spaces have been created for graduating students.

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We must now focus on increasing graduation rates and on improving student performance from the earliest years. Government will place early learning and early childhood development at the forefront of efforts to improve our education services.

Neighbourhood learning centres will become the focus of intensive activities with city councils, library boards, recreation commissions, parents and professionals. Government will work to establish educational and preschool opportunities in the midst of the neighbourhoods where our families live. Together, we can work to centre neighbourhoods and communities on the needs of our families, the children's education and the environment. Full-time 5-year-old kindergarten will begin to be delivered in schools throughout British Columbia in September of 2010.

It is easy in difficult times to forget the strength, character and generosity of those who live here. As we confront the challenges of today, we are preparing to welcome the world to British Columbia, Canada, in 2010. British Columbians can take pride in the builders who have completed world-class venues and in the athletes and artists who are preparing today for their time on the biggest stage the world has to offer.

We will introduce our guests and the billions of viewers who will have their eyes on us to a model province in a model country. They will see a province that is striving to be a global leader in clean energy, green building, environmental stewardship and sustainable growth.

When those three billion viewers turn on their televisions, they will marvel at our province's unbelievable beauty. They will see firsthand what we live every day. From Vancouver to Vanderhoof, from Victoria to Valemont, from Cranbrook to Kamloops, Kelowna to Prince George and all places in between, the world will know the majesty of the Peace, the grandeur of the Kootenays, the rugged beauty of the northwest, the intimacy of our islands, the vast sweep of the Cariboo-Chilcotin and the richness of the Thompson-Okanagan.

Today British Columbians must look beyond the Olympics and all of the opportunities it will bring. That showcase will be the largest ever single promotion of our future and what our province offers. International visitors will come to our province and get to know our workers, our companies, and our communities. Most importantly, they will get to know the people who live here. We will show a population that is cosmopolitan and open to the world, an economic climate that welcomes investment and a work force that is productive, innovative and creative.

This is our time to hold up the picture of how things can be and show a people ready to accept and meet our tests with openness and honesty, who know that accepting the difficult challenge is the road to a better future for us all.

Our visitors will find a province whose healthy lifestyle has led to one of the world's longest life expectancies and best qualities of life for those who live here. They will find a province creating its future and building on its strengths with a long-term vision that focuses on its children and grandchildren. They will discover British Columbia, Canada, one of the great places in the world to live and raise a family. In B.C. we live amongst the mountains. May we all commit to keep our province strong and reach new summits together.

Now, just before I finish, I wanted to say something to all of you in the House. Every year, students come from all over the province to work with government, with the MLAs. It's a wonderful program. I'm very fortunate to be able to have dinner with them, to sit with them for a few minutes and chat with them. I think they're among the best young people that our province has to offer. They come to Victoria with a vision about what government is about, what politicians are about. They get that vision from I don't know where — perhaps media, perhaps school. I don't know.

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But I asked them this question: what is it about your experience working in Victoria that surprised you the most? They all sat and they started to think about that, and one of the young men said: "You know what surprised me the most is that everybody I met in Victoria, right from the politicians to the bureaucrats, are very honest people. They really believe in what they're doing. They're hard-working, and they're genuinely concerned about the future of our province." He said: "It's an image that I came to understand while working with them in Victoria."

Needless to say, I was very surprised at that. [Laughter.]

I'm only kidding. I want you to keep that in mind while you deliberate your difficult job and to know that the rest of us appreciate very much that which you're giving up — your home life, your family life — so that you can serve us here so well in Victoria.

His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor retired from the chamber.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

Mr. Speaker: Hon. Members, in order to prevent mistakes, I've obtained a copy of His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor's speech.

General Election Results

Law Clerk:

E. George MacMinn, QC
Clerk of the Legislative Assembly
Room 221
Parliament Buildings
Victoria, B.C.
V8V 1X4

Dear Mr. MacMinn:

A provincial general election and a referendum on electoral
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reform were held on May 12, 2009.

The district electoral officer for the electoral district of Delta South was required to apply to the Supreme Court for a judicial recount of the ballots in that district in accordance with section 139(5)(b) of the Election Act. This resulted in a delay in returning the writ of election for that electoral district.

Madam Justice Wedge conducted the judicial recount from June 1 to June 2, 2009. Following the conclusion of the judicial recount, a two-day appeal period was required by section 144 of the act. The appeal period ended on Thursday, June 4, with no application made for an appeal.

Following the appeal period, Justice Wedge issued a certificate of the results of the judicial recount to the district electoral officer. The district electoral officer for Delta South has now returned the writ and signed certificate of election to the office of the Chief Electoral Officer.

In accordance with section 147(2) of the Election Act, I hereby certify the election of independent candidate Vicki Huntington as the member to represent the electoral district of Delta South in the Legislative Assembly.

Sincerely,

Linda Johnson,
Deputy Chief Electoral Officer
British Columbia

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A letter from Harry Neufeld, Chief Electoral Officer, to E. George MacMinn, QC, Clerk of the Legislative Assembly.

E. George MacMinn, QC
Clerk of the Legislative Assembly
Room 221
Parliament Buildings
Victoria, B.C.
V8V 1X4

Dear Mr. MacMinn:

Please consider this letter a certified report, per section 147 of the Election Act RSBC 1996 chapter 106, regarding the results of the 39th provincial general election.

His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor dissolved the 38th parliament of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia via a proclamation issued on April 14, 2009. A general election was required to fill vacancies caused by the dissolution.

Writs of election were issued in the afternoon of April 14, 2009, calling for a general election on May 12, 2009. The writs were returnable on or before today, June 3, 2009.

The general election was held pursuant to the provisions of the Election Act. In conjunction with that election, a referendum on electoral reform was also conducted.

Recounts of candidate ballots were conducted by district electoral officers under section 136 of the Election Act in two electoral districts — namely, Cariboo-Chilcotin and Delta South.

In addition, the district electoral officer for the electoral district of Delta South was required to apply for a judicial recount of the ballots in that district in accordance with section 139(5)(b) of the Election Act.

Madam Justice Wedge declared independent candidate Vicki Huntington elected following the judicial recount on Tuesday, June 2, 2009. If no appeal is made under section 144 of the Election Act, the judge will sign the certificate of judicial recount at the close of day on Thursday, June 4, 2009.

I hereby certify that the following 84 members have been elected to represent their respective electoral districts as set out below.

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If you have any questions regarding the above, please do not hesitate to call me.

Yours truly,
Harry Neufeld
Chief Electoral Officer
British Columbia

Hon. M. de Jong: I move that the certificates of the Chief Electoral Officer and Deputy Chief Electoral Officer of the results of the election of members be entered upon the Journals of this House.

Motion approved.

Introduction and
First Reading of Bills

Bill 1 — AN ACT TO ENSURE
THE SUPREMACY OF PARLIAMENT

Hon. M. de Jong presented a bill intituled An Act to Ensure the Supremacy of Parliament.

Hon. M. de Jong: I move that Bill 1, intituled An Act to Ensure the Supremacy of Parliament, be introduced and read a first time now.

Motion approved.

Hon. M. de Jong: The introduction of this bill prior to consideration of the throne speech expresses the established right of parliament, through its elected members, to deliberate independently of the Sovereign. As such, it is an important part of our parliamentary democratic process. It's a right that was first asserted by the parliament at Westminster in the year 1603, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

Mr. Speaker, I move that the bill be placed on the orders of the day for second reading at the next sitting of the House after today.

Bill 1, An Act to Ensure the Supremacy of Parliament, introduced, 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.

APPOINTMENT OF DEPUTY SPEAKER

Hon. M. de Jong: I move, seconded by the member for Port Coquitlam electoral district, that Linda Reid, member for Richmond East electoral district, be appointed Deputy Speaker for this session of the Legislative Assembly.

Motion approved.

APPOINTMENT OF
ASSISTant DEPUTY SPEAKER

M. Farnworth: I move, seconded by the member for the Abbotsford West electoral district, that Claire Trevena, member for North Island electoral district, be appointed Assistant Deputy Speaker for this session of the Legislative Assembly.

Motion approved.

APPOINTMENT OF DEPUTY CHAIR,
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

Hon. M. de Jong: I move, seconded by the member for Port Coquitlam electoral district, that Harry Bloy, member for Burnaby-Lougheed electoral district, be appointed Deputy Chair of the Committee of the Whole for this session of the Legislative Assembly.

Motion approved.

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Printing of votes and proceedings

Hon. M. de Jong: 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 do presume to print the same.

Motion approved.

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appointment of
select standing COMMITTEES

Hon. G. Campbell: I move that the select standing committees of this House for the present session be appointed for the following purposes:

1. Aboriginal Affairs;

2. Education;

3. Finance and Government Services;

4. Health;

5. Public Accounts;

6. Parliamentary Reform, Ethical Conduct, Standing Orders and Private Bills;

7. Crown Corporations;

8. Children and Youth;

which said committees shall severally be empowered to examine and inquire into all such matters and things as 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 above select standing committees of this House under Standing Order 68(1), the committee to be composed of the Hon. Mike de Jong, convener; Ron Cantelon; Joan McIntyre; Jane Thornthwaite; John van Dongen; Katrine Conroy; Mike Farnworth; and John Horgan.

Motion approved.

Hon. M. de Jong moved adjournment of the House.

Motion approved.

Mr. Speaker: This House stands adjourned until two o'clock tomorrow afternoon.

The House adjourned at 3:02 p.m.

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