2013 Legislative Session: First Session, 40th 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)
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Morning Sitting
Volume 1, Number 1
ISSN 0709-1281 (Print)
ISSN 1499-2175 (Online)
CONTENTS | |
Page | |
Election of Speaker | 1 |
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 2013
The House met at 10:01 a.m.
This being the first day of the first session of the 40th Legislative Assembly of the province of British Columbia for the dispatch of business, pursuant to a proclamation of the Hon. Judith Guichon, Lieutenant-Governor of the province, hon. members took their seats, after having taken the prescribed oath and having signed the parliamentary roll.
Her Honour the Lieutenant-Governor requested to attend the House, was admitted to the chamber and took her seat on the throne.
Hon. S. Anton: Members of the Legislative Assembly, 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.
Election of Speaker
Clerk of the House: Good morning, members. As you know, the first order of business prior to the opening of a new parliament is the election of a Speaker. Before we turn to this, I'd like to make a few remarks.
The speakership has been central to the effective functioning of parliament since the 13th century. Originally, the Speaker served as a spokesperson and staunch defender of the U.K. House of Commons. Today the Speaker is the impartial presiding officer of a legislative chamber retaining much of the tradition that has characterized it for more than 1,000 years.
During sittings of the House the Speaker interprets and enforces the rules, represents the assembly to the outside world and is responsible for its internal management. The Speaker is assisted in this capacity by other presiding officers and senior members of the House.
The duties of the Speaker are outlined in the Constitution Act and the Legislative Assembly Management Committee Act and are referenced in other legislation.
Now I would like to provide some historical context on the speakership in this place. British Columbia has had 36 Speakers since the first, James Trimble, of Victoria City, was elected in 1872. B.C. was the first Commonwealth parliament to elect a woman Speaker: Nancy Hodges, of Victoria City, in 1950. And in 1994 B.C. elected the first black person to serve as Speaker: Emery Barnes, from Vancouver-Burrard.
The longest-serving Speaker was Norman William Whittaker, of Saanich, who held office from 1937 to 1947. Our most recent Speaker, Bill Barisoff, of Penticton, is also among the province's longest-serving, having held the position for two consecutive parliaments. It is also his birthday today. And ironically, he was sworn in as an MLA on this day in 1996.
With that, I will now turn to the business at hand. Members of the Legislative Assembly, pursuant to Standing Order 11, it is my duty to inform you that only one candidate has declared their intention to stand for the election of the Speaker. Therefore, I wish to announce that Linda Reid, member for Richmond East, is declared elected Speaker for the duration of this parliament and until a new Speaker is elected. [Applause.]
Hon. L. Reid took her place in the chair.
Madame Speaker: Hon. Members, I would like to humbly thank the members of this assembly for the great honour 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 10:11 a.m. to 10:17 a.m.
[Madame Speaker in the chair.]
Madame Speaker: Deputy Premier.
Hon. R. Coleman: Thank you, Madame Speaker, and welcome. I should remind you that you will receive two standing ovations as a member of this House as the Speaker — one when you get here today and, as the previous Speaker will tell you, when you leave.
Madame Speaker, 22 years in the Legislative Assembly, elected in 1991, the Premier and our side of the House and all members of the House would like to welcome you to this position. You have spent many years as our Deputy Speaker and served us well, and I'm sure that your constituents and all of the people in B.C. will be proud, for the next number of years, to have you as our Speaker. You've served us very well.
You've been a friend of mine for 17 years as we've served in this House together. I think the only thing I would warn you of is we do know a couple of your secrets. But we will never use them, except to say you may be the only Speaker in the history of parliamentary democracy in the entire Commonwealth that has had a pot-bellied
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pig as a pet.
Madame Speaker, we look forward to working with you, as all members of the House do. We congratulate you on your election, and we'll be proud to serve as members of this House. And I'm sure, on both sides of the House, we'll keep our debate, particularly during question period, down to a very calm, not expressionist-type, roar.
Madame Speaker: I thank the Deputy Premier and recognize the Leader of the Opposition.
A. Dix: Thank you very much — and an early commitment from the Deputy Premier, which we like to see. We'll see how that goes.
On behalf of all the members of the opposition, I want to congratulate you on your election as Speaker. I think it reflects the respect that all of us in this House have for you that it was unanimous and that when we heard that you were the likely candidate for Speaker, members on the opposition side strongly supported it.
I think you bring a unique perspective to the job of Speaker. You've been an opposition member, an opposition critic, a government member not in cabinet, a government member in cabinet and Deputy Speaker, and I think that gives you a unique perspective to reflect all of the views of members of the House — independent members, members of the opposition and members of the government. I know you'll do a terrific job.
Of course, the second part of the job…. There's the job the Deputy Premier refers to, which is keeping us in order in the House, allowing full expression, which is an important thing in this Legislature. It's also doing the job that we all have to do together to ensure that this Legislative Assembly is respected for its transparency and for its accountability. We hope that that will be one of the achievements of your time as Speaker and our time together in this Legislature.
On a personal note, you were a terrific Deputy Speaker. I know you're going to be an outstanding Speaker. Congratulations on behalf of the opposition.
Hon. M. de Jong: Madame Speaker, congratulations.
I move that the House do now adjourn until two o'clock, when Her Honour the Lieutenant-Governor will present the Speech from the Throne.
Madame Speaker: This House stands adjourned until 2 p.m., later today.
The House adjourned at 10:20 a.m.
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