2010 Legislative Session: Second 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)

Monday, February 14, 2011

Morning Sitting

Volume 20, Number 1

[ Page 6269 ]

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2011

The House met at 10:04 a.m.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

Prayers.

Tabling Documents

Mr. Speaker: Hon. Members, I have the honour to present the following documents: the Representative for Children and Youth, No Shortcuts to Safety: Doing Better for Children Living with Extended Family; update report, Sexual Abuse Intervention Program; update report, System of Services for Children and Youth with Special Needs; annual report 2009-2010; joint report of representative and provincial health officer, Growing Up in B.C.; Service Plan 2011-12 to 2013-14; Final Progress Report on the Implementation of the Recommendations of the B.C. Children and Youth Review; Special Report: Reporting of Critical Injuries and Deaths to the Representative for Children and Youth; Fragile Lives, Fragmented Systems: Strengthening Supports for Vulnerable Infants.

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The Auditor General's 2010-2011 reports: report 2, Observations on Financial Reporting: Summary Financial Statements 2009/10; report 3, Conservation of Ecological Integrity in B.C. Parks and Protected Areas; report 4, Aspects of Financial Management; report 5, Audit of the Agricultural Land Commission; report 6, Follow-up Report: Updates on the Implementation of Recommendations from Recent Reports; report 7, Upkeep of the Provincial Roads Network by the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure; report 8, An Audit of the Management of Groundwater Resources in British Columbia; report 9, Summary Report: Results of Completed Projects; report 10, Guide for Developing Relevant Key Performance Indicators for Public Sector Reporting; Auditor General, 2009/10 Annual Report and 2010/11-2012/13 Service Plan.

Elections B.C., Annual Report 2009-2010; Report of the Chief Electoral Officer on the Initiative Petition: "An initiative to end the harmonized sales tax (HST)"; Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner, Annual Report 2009; Merit Commissioner, 2009/2010 Annual Report; Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner, 2009-2010 Annual Report; Ombudsperson's Annual Report 2009/2010.

Motions Without Notice

RATIFICATION OF membership
of select standing
and special committees

Hon. R. Coleman: By leave, I move:

[That the written agreement between the then Government House Leader, Michael de Jong, MLA and the then Opposition House Leader, Michael Farnworth, MLA be ratified, setting forth that the following Members comprise the membership of the following parliamentary committees of the Legislative Assembly for the 2nd session of the 39th Parliament, effective November 15, 2010:

Select Standing Committee on Children and Youth

Joan McIntyre (Chair), Maurine Karagianis (Deputy Chair), Marc Dalton, Mable Elmore, Douglas Horne, Leonard Krog, Don McRae, John Rustad, Nicholas Simons, Jane Thornthwaite

Select Standing Committee on Health

Dr. Terry Lake (Convener), Donna Barnett, Jagrup Brar, Ron Cantelon, Raj Chouhan, Adrian Dix, Sue Hammell, Dave S. Hayer, Norm Letnick, Don McRae

Special Committee to Appoint a Chief Electoral Officer

John van Dongen (Chair), Sue Hammell (Deputy Chair), Dr. Terry Lake, John Les, Bruce Ralston]

Leave granted.

Motion approved.

Reports from Committees

J. Les: I have the honour to present a report of the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services for the second session of the 39th parliament, respecting the Budget 2011 consultations, and I move that the report be taken as read and received.

Motion approved.

J. Les: I have the honour to present the report of the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services for the second session of the 39th parliament respecting the annual review of the budgets of the independent legislative offices, and I move that that report be taken as read and received.

Motion approved.

J. McIntyre: I have the honour to present the report of the Select Standing Committee on Children and Youth for the second session of the 39th parliament.

I move the report be taken as read and received.

Motion approved.

J. McIntyre: I ask leave of the House to permit the moving of a motion to adopt the report.
[ Page 6270 ]

Leave granted.

J. McIntyre: I move that the report be adopted. In doing so, I would like to make some brief comments.

This annual report summarizes the activities of this committee since September 2009. Over that period of time the committee worked diligently to review issues relating to the child welfare system as well as a number of reports of the Office of the Representative for Children and Youth.

This report also includes a special section examining the issue of child poverty. The committee held a unique meeting in May 2010, where we brought together key witnesses to discuss how families are affected by persistent low incomes, the effectiveness of existing child poverty measures, reduction strategies and how to best measure success.

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The committee encourages all members of the House to read this report and give serious consideration to the suggestions put forward on this important issue.

As Chair, I'd like to close my comments acknowledging and thanking all members of the committee for their dedication and hard work. In particular, I would like to express my personal appreciation for the collaboration and support of the Deputy Chair, the member for Esquimalt–Royal Roads.

In the spirit of the Hughes report, I believe our committee successfully removed partisan politics from our deliberations. Both sides of the House worked collaboratively for the betterment of the most vulnerable in our society. I'm proud of our work together, and it's been a privilege to serve.

M. Karagianis: I would like to add my comments, as well, to those of the Chair of this committee. I'd like to offer special thanks to the Chair for her exceptional work and to all of the committee members who worked very hard to put together this report.

Especially, I would like to note the initiative that the committee took in putting together the poverty hearings, as the previous speaker has noted. I think the fact that the committee took proactive initiative was a new activity for the community. I think it was extraordinarily successful, and I certainly hope it leads to the committee extending more initiative and looking at ways that it can be more effective in the future to protect both the children and the youth of this province, to be a conduit for the children's representative but also to do really good non-partisan work, as we have done in this past session.

I would like to thank everyone very much for their terrific work on this.

Motion approved.

Point of Privilege
(Reservation of Right)

B. Ralston: This being my earliest opportunity, I rise to reserve my right to raise a question of privilege.

Mr. Speaker: Okay.

Hon. Members, the Lieutenant-Governor is in the precincts, so if you'd remain in your seats, he should be in momentarily.

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

Prorogation Address

Hon. S. Point (Lieutenant-Governor): I swear this seat is getting smaller every time I come in.

Mr. Speaker and members of this Legislative Assembly, in closing the second session of the 39th parliament of British Columbia, I wish to commend you on the accomplishments of the past year. This session has seen the passage of measures of wide-ranging and significant importance to the people of our province.

[1015]

On behalf of all British Columbians, I wish to express my appreciation for the care and attention you've given to your deliberations. I now relieve you of your duties. But don't go too far.

His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor retired from the chamber.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

Hon. B. Penner: Mr. Speaker and Members of the Legislative Assembly, I'm advised that it is the will and pleasure of His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor that the Legislature be prorogued until two o'clock today and that this Legislative Assembly is hereby prorogued accordingly.

Mr. Speaker: This House stands prorogued until two o'clock this afternoon.

The House prorogued at 10:17 a.m.

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