This being the first day of the first session of the 42nd Legislative Assembly of the province of British Columbia for the dispatch of business, pursuant to a proclamation of the Hon. Janet Austin, Lieutenant-Governor of the province, hon. members took their seats, after having taken the prescribed oath and having signed the parliamentary roll.

Clerk of the Legislative Assembly: Hon. Members, Her Honour the Lieutenant-Governor is in the precinct. Please remain seated until her arrival.

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

[10:05 a.m.]

Hon. D. Eby: 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 reasons for calling you together.

Her Honour the Lieutenant-Governor retired from the chamber.

Election of Speaker

Clerk of the Legislative Assembly: Hon. Members, pursuant to section 37 of the provincial Constitution Act, the first order of business prior to the opening of a new parliament is the election of Speaker.

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 Speaker. Therefore, I wish to announce that Raj Chouhan, member for Burnaby-Edmonds, is declared elected Speaker for the 42nd parliament.

Mr. Speaker, congratulations.

Hon. R. Chouhan took his place in the chair.

Mr. Speaker: Hon. Members, I would like to humbly 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 10:09 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

Hon. J. Horgan: Mr. Speaker, it is an honour and a privilege to be the first person to stand in this place and call you such after your unanimous election today. It is a real honour for me. You and I joined this House together 15 years ago, with more hair but not less enthusiasm than we have today.

It is extraordinary to look back on your time here, hon. Speaker, from your arrival in Canada in 1973 and your beginnings as a farmworker, fired for speaking up for the rights of your colleagues and later forming the Canadian Farmworkers Union to represent the most vulnerable in our population at that time.

Part and parcel of who you are as a person led you to that calling — to organize, to stand up for social justice, to resist and to speak about racism wherever it emerged. That is who you are.

We brought back the human rights commission at your urging, election after election after election. We were finally successful, and we were able to bring back what you had been advocating for from the day I first met you back in 2004. So to have you now sit in that chair, coming from the fields and now sitting overseeing the commons for all British Columbians, is truly extraordinary.

I know that the Leader of the Official Opposition will have words to say, as will the Leader of the Third Party. We will be united in our commitment to work with you to ensure that the civility that you want to see in this place and that you want to see in our community is reflected and represented here as we deliberate over the next number of months on the important issues that affect all British Columbians.

Before we get to that difficult work, I think it’s important that we pause and reflect on the historic moment that we have here today. The first Sikh, the first Punjabi-speaking Speaker of any legislature outside of the subcontinent, is you, and that speaks to the work of those who came before you.

I know in the gallery today, we’re joined…. Very few people here, of course, because of physical distancing and health orders, but we are joined by the former Attorney General, Wally Oppal, who was a trail-blazer himself, as well as Moe Sihota, who was a trail-blazer himself.

We have now the largest contingent of South Asian members of this Legislature than ever before, the most candidates ever to step forward to represent their communities. And now to see you in that chair will smash the ceiling and, I believe, lead to more diversity. This place, which we all hold so dear to our hearts and which our community looks to for guidance on where we should go as a community, will see you in that chair. They’ll be moved by that. Others will be motivated by the work of those who came before you and those who will come after you.

I lift my hands to you, my friends, hon. Speaker. May we deliberate with fairness, with equity. All of the values that you bring to your life, you will bring to this place, and we’ll all be better for it.

Haychka.

S. Bond: On behalf of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition, I want to extend our sincere congratulations on your election today. It is an honour to be part of this very historic moment.

[10:20 a.m.]

The Premier has so well laid out your journey, Mr. Speaker, to this place of honour in the Legislature. That journey speaks to possibility and to dreaming big dreams in British Columbia. As the Premier so articulately pointed out, this chamber needs to reflect the faces of all British Columbians. I think that today, Mr. Speaker, we have taken a major step in that direction.

We also want to recognize other trail-blazers that join us in the House today. It is a day for showing a new path in British Columbia, and we’re very, very excited for you, Mr. Speaker.

In reading the job description of the Speaker on the Legislative Assembly website, I was surprised to find these comments about the Speaker’s relationship to the opposition. Let me quote, Mr. Speaker: “The primary role of the opposition is to question government actions and present alternatives to government positions. While this kind of adversarial system is a cornerstone of democracy, debates can, like a hockey game, sometimes get heated. The Speaker serves as a very necessary referee, ensuring fair play by all MLAs.”

Now, the Premier and I, as ardent hockey fans, understand that language very well. Who knew that hockey had even worked its way into the description of the role of our Speaker? Well, Mr. Speaker, as you attempt to referee here in the Legislature, I promise to try to keep my elbows down and, whenever possible, avoid time in the penalty box.

Mr. Speaker, we do know that here in this place there will be intense, emotional and passionate debate. We will count on you to find the appropriate balance that will allow each MLA, regardless of their party, to be treated fairly and to be heard. I have every confidence, Mr. Speaker, that you will carry out your responsibilities with respect and a lot of patience.

Congratulations on this very special day for you personally, Mr. Speaker, and also for the province of British Columbia. Congratulations.

S. Furstenau: Thank you, Hon. Speaker. On behalf of the Third Party caucus — my colleague, the Member for Saanich North and the Islands, and myself — a huge congratulations to you on becoming elected Speaker.

The words of the Premier and the Leader of the Official Opposition captured a lot, but I can say that I share the pride of all of the members here today to see you as the Speaker of this House. I know that you will indeed bring your sense of fairness and justice and your commitment to this institution to your work in this role.

I think it’s important to recognize that you are indeed a first, as the Premier points out: the first Punjabi-speaking Sikh Speaker that we’ve had in British Columbia. You also follow on the heels of another first: British Columbia’s first independent Speaker. There have been many, many reforms and changes in this Legislature under his watch, and I hope and expect to see the same commitment to the renewal of this Legislature and the insurance that this institution serves the people of British Columbia the very best it possibly can.

I very much look forward to working with you.

Huge congratulations.

Mr. Speaker: Well, Members…. Thank you, Premier; thank you, Leader of the Opposition; thank you, Leader of the Third Party, for your kind remarks. It’s a great privilege and honour to be elected as the Speaker of this B.C. Legislature. I’m humbled to have your support and trust.

To get here has been a long journey. I never, ever thought that one day I would be in this position when I immigrated to Canada in 1973. I want to salute our pioneers who paved the way for a better future for all of us. The first South Asians arrived in Canada in 1895. They, and many others who followed them, faced all forms of discrimination. Bigotry and racism were the norms of the day.

[10:25 a.m.]

You all know the Komagata Maru historic incident. There was a time when people of colour were not even allowed to enter this building, let alone this chamber. But our forefathers never gave up. They continued their struggle for justice and equality. Over the decades, we have won many battles, but the journey for fairness and equality is far from over.

In the ’70s, when we organized farmworkers, I was not alone. We were a collective of like-minded people. Thanks to my friends the late Prof. Hari Sharma, the late Prof. Chin Banerjee, my dear friend Harinder Mahil, Charan Gill, Sarwan Boal and Judy Cavanagh, and hundreds of other fellow trade unionists and members of the faith community who stood with me and us throughout that struggle.

Discrimination and racism against First Nations, Blacks, people of colour, LGBTQ+ and women continues. I’m happy to note that conscious and concrete steps to combat discrimination and racism are taken by the government and supported by all political parties.

Due to COVID-19, many friends and family members were unable to be here today to witness this historic event. But I’m happy to introduce my wife, Inder — she’s up there — and our younger daughter, Anu. They are with us today in the gallery. Our other daughter, Amrita, son-in-law Jamie Sanford and our two beautiful granddaughters, Chloe and Neve, as well as my sister, Kulu Mahil, my grandniece Diya and my niece Ritu, all wanted to be here, but they could not come. I’m sure they’re watching today.

My two dear friends, Wally Oppal and the first Indo-Canadian MLA, Moe Sihota, are here. Thank you so much for being here with me today.

Now, in closing, congratulations, Members, for getting elected and re-elected.

To new members, you may find it overwhelming when you get here, as we did when we were first elected in 2005. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. If you have any questions, my door will always be open for you. Between my office and the Clerk’s office, we will be happy to assist. Even the members of the press gallery can also be very helpful.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: In 2005, when I was first elected, I didn’t even know where the nearest washroom to this chamber was. You know who helped me? Keith Baldrey.

Thank you, Keith, for your assistance.

Again, I just want to ask all members to never forget your roots. Don’t forget where you come from. The people who sent us here are the ones who should take all the credit for the work we do.

In closing, during these challenging times, let’s continue to work together and follow Dr. Bonnie Henry’s instructions to defeat this pandemic.

Thank you. Salut. Merci. Zindabad.

Hon. M. Farnworth: Thank you, hon. Speaker.

I move that notwithstanding Standing Order 2(1), the House do now adjourn until two o’clock today, when Her Honour the Lieutenant-Governor will present the Speech from the Throne.

Hon. M. Farnworth moved adjournment of the House.

Motion approved.

Mr. Speaker: This House stands adjourned until 2 p.m. this afternoon.

The House adjourned at 10:29 a.m.