Clerk of the House: Hon. Members, Her Honour the Lieutenant-Governor is in the precincts. Please remain seated while we await her arrival.

[10:05 a.m.]

Her Honour the Lieutenant-Governor requested to attend the House, was admitted to the chamber and took her seat on the throne.

Hon. D. Eby: Members, 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.

[10:10 a.m.]

Election of Speaker

Clerk of the House: Members of the Legislative Assembly, due to the resignation of Steve Thomson, tall in stature but short in tenure, as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and pursuant to Standing Order 11, it is my duty to inform you that only one candidate has declared his intention to stand for the election of Speaker. Therefore, I wish to announce that Darryl Plecas, the member for the electoral district of Abbotsford South, is declared elected Speaker for the duration of this parliament.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Table, I would like to congratulate you on your new office. We will look forward to supporting you with your new responsibilities. [Applause.]

Mr. Speaker: Hon. Members, I would like to humbly thank the members of this assembly for this great honour that you have bestowed upon me this day by selecting me as 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 your patience while I declare a short recess in order to assume the appropriate attire.

The House recessed from 10:12 a.m. to 10:21 a.m.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

Hon. J. Horgan: Hon. Speaker, I rise to offer my congratulations to you as the Speaker of the people’s House. The people, in their wisdom, sent an equal number of members from two political parties, and a third party, to support the work of the great province that we happen to be living in. I am so delighted that you’ve taken up the challenge of keeping us honest, keeping us fair, keeping us on course.

Of course, for the people of B.C., this is not about partisanship. This is about a new government and a new opportunity. I fully expect those on the other side of the House to keep us accountable, and I fully expect members on this side of the House to be respectful to the questions asked and, most importantly, respectful to you and the office that you hold.

I can’t tell you how happy I am to look forward to working with you over the next number of years to make B.C. better.

With that, Hon. Speaker, the best of luck to you. You have our full support. I look forward to working with you in our House for all of the interests that British Columbians want us to achieve in the days and years ahead.

R. Coleman: The role of Speaker is fundamental to our parliamentary democracy. As Speaker, you are in charge of ensuring that the traditions of this House are respected. As Speaker, you are responsible for ensuring that the majority and the minority are equally heard in the chamber. And as Speaker, your job is to protect the integrity of the institution and to always to act honourably.

There will be times when the Legislature becomes raucous, and the Speaker must have the fortitude to make decisions guided in this chamber by things that happened over the last 100 years. Mr. Speaker, we hope you live up to those standards.

Mr. Speaker: Hon. Members, the Lieutenant-Governor is in the precinct. Please remain seated while we await her arrival.

Her Honour the Lieutenant-Governor requested to attend the House, was admitted to the chamber and took her seat on the throne.

[10:25 a.m.]

Hon. J. Guichon (Lieutenant-Governor): Pray be seated.

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 the country, humbly claim all of their undoubted rights and privileges, especially that they may have the freedom of speech in 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. D. Eby: Hon. Speaker, I am commanded by Her Honour the Lieutenant-Governor to declare to you that she freely confides in the duty and attachment of this 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, she 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 Her Honour the Lieutenant-Governor upon all seasonable occasions and that their proceedings, as well as your words and actions, will constantly receive from her the most favourable construction.

Prorogation Address

Hon. J. Guichon (Lieutenant-Governor): Hon. Speaker and Members of the Legislative Assembly, in now closing this first session of the 41st parliament of British Columbia, on behalf of all British Columbians, I wish to express my appreciation for the care and the attention you have given to your deliberations and for the service you have provided to our great and beautiful province. I now relieve you of your duties.

“Splendor sine occasu.”

Her Honour the Lieutenant-Governor retired from the chamber.

[10:30 a.m.]

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

Hon. D. Eby: Hon. Speaker and Members of the Legislative Assembly, it is Her Honour the Lieutenant-Governor’s will and pleasure that the Legislative Assembly be prorogued until two o’clock today, and this Legislative Assembly is hereby prorogued accordingly.

Mr. Speaker: This House is prorogued until 2 p.m. today.

The House prorogued at 10:32 a.m.