Contents

Election of Speaker

Hon. David Eby

John Rustad

Jeremy Valeriote

The Speaker (Hon. Raj Chouhan)

The House met at 10:30 a.m.

This being the first day of the first session of the 43rd Legislative Assembly of the province of British Columbia for the dispatch of business, pursuant to a proclamation of the Hon. Wendy Cocchia, 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 take your seats while we wait for her arrival.

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

[10:35 a.m.]

Hon. Niki Sharma: 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 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 election of Speaker. Therefore, I wish to announce that Raj Chouhan, member for Burnaby–New Westminster, is declared elected as Speaker for the 43rd parliament.

Mr. Speaker, congratulations.

Hon. Raj Chouhan took his place in the chair.

The Speaker: Hon. Members, I would like to humbly thank the members of this assembly for the great honour that you have bestowed upon me to continue as Speaker of this beautiful, wonderful assembly and this province. In keeping with the tradition of this high office, I will endeavour at all times to carry out my duties with fairness and integrity.

Now I ask for your patience. I declare the House in recess for about five to ten minutes while I go put my appropriate attire on.

The House recessed from 10:39 a.m. to 10:44 a.m.

[The Speaker in the chair.]

The Speaker: Members, calling the House back to order.

Recognizing the hon. Premier.

[10:45 a.m.]

Hon. David Eby: Thank you, hon. Speaker.

Those of us in the House who saw you get dragged up to the front might be forgiven for being a little bit suspicious. It’s always seemed to us that you enjoyed the job of Speaker, and rightly so. I think your work was respected on both sides of the House in previous sessions for your even-handedness in maintaining the tenor of debate when our spirits get particularly high.

I know that at our house when the kids get out of line and I react to that, Cailey says: “Well, is that how the Speaker would have handled it?” So you set a very positive example for all of us.

Your history is well known, I think, to the members of the House. If not, for those members who are new, Mr. Speaker, you join us from your work starting out in the farm fields, working with farmworkers; working at chemical plants; plywood mills; and supporting vulnerable workers, making sure that their rights are recognized; fighting against racism. These have been signature pieces of your work before you came to the Legislative Assembly and your esteemed career here.

You step into the footsteps of many trail-blazers. I think about people like Emery Barnes, who in 1994 was the first Black person in Canada to serve as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly. Nancy Hodges, 1950 — she was the first woman in the Commonwealth to serve as Speaker — sat in the chair where you sit.

And you, as the first Sikh Punjabi Speaker, South Asian, to serve anywhere in the Commonwealth outside of India…. It was a great moment of honour when you were sworn in, and it continues to be a source of pride for us.

Thank you for taking on this responsibility. It is a challenging one. Your work is cut out for you. We pledge, certainly, to support you in this role and to do our best to behave well.

Thank you, hon. Speaker.

The Speaker: Thank you, Mr. Premier.

Leader of the Official Opposition.

John Rustad: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I want to, first of all, just take a moment to congratulate everybody on the newly elected and returning elected in the Legislature. It is great to see everybody back here. It’s also great to see this moment of unity on all sides of the House.

As I know, Mr. Speaker, you will relish in this moment of peace and tranquility in this chamber, as it’s well known to be from time to time.

I just want to say congratulations to you, Mr. Speaker, in terms of it. I’ve always enjoyed the work with you over the years, when we were both first elected together since 2005 and have served together in this chamber in many different capacities over that period of time.

If I’m not mistaken, I actually think this is the first time in my time in this chamber where we’ve actually had a returning Speaker. I think that speaks volumes to your even-handedness and ability to be able to manage this Legislature. Although, as I say, most times it doesn’t need a whole lot of additional guidance from the Speaker.

I joke, of course.

With those words, once again, I thank you for your even-handedness and fairness that you have shown all sides of this House throughout the time that you have served as Speaker. I look forward to working with you and, of course, with the whole team in the Legislature as we go forward.

As I’m sure as everybody finds their feet, as new MLAs and as returning MLAs in this chamber, it will not be without challenges. I know. But we will do our best to fulfil our job as the official opposition and to make sure that this House is treated with the respect it’s due.

Once again, congratulations.

The Speaker: Thank you so much.

Leader of the Third Party.

Jeremy Valeriote: On behalf of the Third Party caucus, my colleague the member for Saanich North and the Islands and myself, a heartfelt congratulations on your re-election as Speaker.

Our working relationship is new, but I do want to say that our predecessors are grateful for your work on the Legislative Assembly’s first reconciliation action plan. We look forward to walking that path with you.

We’re facing challenging times, and it’s incumbent on all of us in this chamber to work together to benefit all British Columbians, not just the few. We’re counting on you to hold us all to account. As the Green caucus, we commit to working with you and your office in the spirit of collaboration, civility, integrity and fairness.

Congratulations, hon. Speaker.

[10:50 a.m.]

The Speaker: Hon. Members and invited guests, it’s a profound honour for me to get re-elected in the role of Speaker. Our province, everybody knows, is the best place on earth to live and work.

I extend my sincere thanks to the Premier for your trust and your support, and I’m very grateful for that.

At the same time, I’m very thankful and grateful to the comments made by the official opposition leader and the Leader of the Third Party for your kind words.

Thank you so much.

It’s a great honour to continue in this incredible journey that I’m on, since the day I arrived in Canada. I came here in 1973. I had different goals, different ambitions, but when I saw that some people in our society were not given the opportunity to perform and work the way everybody else would do it, I joined that moment to make sure those people were taken care of and that they had the same rights as anybody else.

I started organizing farmworkers in British Columbia. They did not have any rights. They were not even deemed workers under the labour code, employment standards. No safety laws applied to them. A similar situation was in Ontario and other provinces. So we took it upon ourselves, and we formed the Canadian Farmworkers Union — the first time in the history of Canada.

That continued, the work that I was starting in the 1970s, until the day I got elected as Speaker. When I was elected Speaker in 2020, I took upon myself to make sure that, in this House, all members, regardless of their background, are treated fairly and provided every opportunity to do their job, to represent their constituents.

When we are elected as MLAs, many times people only see us for 30 seconds or so on TV, but our work is almost 24-7. Many people don’t know the kinds of struggles and challenges each and every one of you, all of us, go through. Less time for family but always thinking about our constituents to make sure their lives are better and their issues are dealt with.

Before I continue further, I would like to recognize my wife, Inder — Inder Chouhan is there — and my daughters Amrita and Anu and her husband Bradley. They are all here. Amrita’s husband, Jamie Sanford, could not come here today. He had to be home. We have two granddaughters, Chloe and Neve. They had to go to school.

I want to say thank you to my family.

Without your support, I could not have done it. So thank you.

My journey has always been about bringing people together, bridging divides to create a more just and inclusive society. From my beginnings as a farmworker, as I said, advocating for workers rights, my purpose has been to unite people in the pursuit of fairness and dignity. I carry that same mission with me in this chamber, working to have fairness and dignity guide our work.

[10:55 a.m.]

To best serve the people of our province, the debates in the House can be vigorous, but they must be rooted in a mutual respect and a shared commitment to all British Columbians. We show our unity not by agreeing on every item but in affording each other the opportunity for healthy and fulsome debate.

As your Speaker, I will strive to ensure that this chamber remains a place of fairness and civility. I am to protect every member’s right to be heard and foster an environment where diverse perspectives are respected.

This chamber and those who are honoured to sit at these desks represent the vastly different views and values of the residents of our province. Democracy thrives not only through consensus and compromise but also through open, respectful dialogue.

In closing, I encourage all of us in this chamber to approach our work with passion and with dedication to the people who have entrusted us to be their voice. Together, through the challenges and opportunities ahead, we will serve British Columbians with integrity and pride.

Serving this House as Speaker continues to be an incredible honour. My life’s journey has taken me many places around the world, and I am so very grateful for the opportunity to preside over this Legislative Assembly.

As we close proceedings this morning, it would be tremendously meaningful to me if the House could join me in singing our national anthem.

[“O Canada” was sung.]

The Speaker: Thank you.

Please be seated.

Hon. Mike Farnworth: I move that the House do now adjourn until 1:30 this afternoon, when Her Honour the Lieutenant Governor will give the Speech from the Throne.

Hon. Mike Farnworth moved adjournment of the House.

Motion approved.

The Speaker: This House stands adjourned until 1.30 p.m.

The House adjourned at 10:58 a.m.