First Session, 43rd Parliament
Official Report
of Debates
(Hansard)
Tuesday, February 18, 2025
Afternoon Sitting
Issue No. 2
The Honourable Raj Chouhan, Speaker
ISSN 1499-2175
The HTML transcript is provided for informational purposes only.
The PDF transcript remains the official digital version.
Contents
Tuesday, February 18, 2025
The House met at 1:32 p.m.
[The Speaker in the chair.]
The Speaker: Good afternoon, everyone.
I would like to invite Elder Frank George of the Songhees Nation to begin our proceedings today.
Blessings and Acknowledgements
Frank George: [lək̓ʷəŋən was spoken.]
My honourable friends, I’m xəlkwəʇlétsə. I’m from here, the lək̓ʷəŋən homelands. My great-grandfather was Cheetlhulm, from here — Snowpatches, Cadboro Bay, what is now known as Gyro Park. My great-grandfather and all his family members lived in their longhouse at Cadboro Bay, Snowpatches. Cheetlhulm was a signatory to the Douglas treaty signed in 1851.
Welcome to the sacred homelands of the lək̓ʷəŋən people. Thank you for being at this special gathering. Thank you for inviting me to the opening of the first session of the 43rd parliament of British Columbia.
We would like to acknowledge the Lieutenant Governor, Speaker of the House, the Premier, members of the cabinet, Members of the Legislative Assembly and their invited guests. We want to acknowledge you all for your hard work. We raise our hands to each and every one of you.
Hay’sxw’qa Si’em. Hay’sxw’qa. Thank you for your hard work. Hay’sxw’qa.
The Speaker: Thank you, Elder George. It’s a great privilege to have you here today and opening our proceedings and grounding us in these lands.
[1:35 p.m.]
This is the first sitting of the 43rd parliament. On behalf of the Legislative Assembly, I acknowledge that we are privileged to gather on the traditional territory of the lək̓ʷəŋən-speaking people, the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations.
We honour and respect the enduring stewardship of these lands and the wisdom, culture and traditions which you and others so generously share with us, with our community and with our province. Huy ch q’u.
Now I will invite Elder Mary Ann Thomas of the Esquimalt Nation to offer a blessing.
Mary Ann Thomas: Good morning, everyone. I think it’s still morning. I’m so honoured, here, to be with you all and to welcome each and every one of you to Esquimalt and Songhees territory.
I really lift my hands up to each and every one of you for all your hard work, because you’re not giving empty words. You’re giving meaningful words. You gave up your life to a special home here, where we can do our decision, where we can work together, how we can love and help and forgive one another…. In this room, there’s no time for any judgment, any anger, because all that is poison.
It worked for me for 70 years. What my father taught me, I swallowed it, and I let it grow. If you’re two-faced, then you run into problems, and then we make our shell sick because the anger and judgment is a poison to our system.
I really praise this home, that we all can come together to really know to each other that we need each other. When we pull together, our miracles happen. Your prayers and your dreams will come true.
I talk like this because I used to always tell my sisters and brothers: “Change your way. Don’t be mad. Don’t get mad over little things.” Now, today, I’m living alone. All my sisters and brothers are all passed on.
I really took it hard, and then I reversed it, and I said: “I’m rich with my nieces and nephews. Their parents aren’t here, but I’m going to do my best to give them the words of encouragement.” I tell them: “You can grieve for a little bit, but stand up straight. Your treasure box is full of all the teachings with my mom, my dad and your mother. They didn’t leave you empty.”
One day I told them: “You guys, come here. Let’s sit down together. Who gets you really mad? Who are you really mad at?” “Oh, they’re passed on now.”
[1:40 p.m.]
And I said: “Well, sit down. You write a letter, and we’ll do a special fire. And you give it, and now you let it go. It’s not for you to carry, because you need your brain to think about all the good memories.”
You know, I went to residential school. I came out hating the white people. My father grabbed me right here. “How could you punish everybody? It wasn’t them that did that to you. You react. Change it now. Love everybody.”
Because when you forgive, it doesn’t mean it’s okay. It just means that you’re not going to let that come and make you miserable. My hair was so long. I got hit. Put in a toilet bowl. And I told my father all this. He says: “Those are the poor people that don’t know how…. They’re just there for one thing.”
So I always keep this alive, because I’m speaking for the ones that don’t have a voice. Because we struggle with saying “I witnessed lots.” A lot of nieces, nephews, friends who are two-spirit — how they’re mistreated. That is the way they are. We have to accept them for who they are. That’s why you see lives taken, because they don’t accept them. But each child is a gift.
But do you know what? One time I did the burning for Nanaimo. And there were eight people that came up, and they said: “[Hul’q’umi’num’ was spoken.] We’ll tell the people.” Some of the people had abortions. Some of them had miscarriages. So when that baby comes back, they’re the two-spirit. That’s why we have to accept who they are: to love one another, to help one another and forgive one another.
I’ll just leave this with you, because we’re all living around a lot of things. Even if you don’t know the people, say hello. Acknowledge them, to give them the feeling that they’re recognized and they’re wanted. Think before we say something. Because once the word is out, you can’t grab it and take it back. This is how I wish for every one of you to accept each other. Work together. Maybe you can’t stand them, but work through it and work with them.
I don’t pray and say the Hail Mary. I pray to the day. I pray for the day. I pray for the air. I pray for the water. I pray for the trees, because they’re so much alive like us.
I could go on and on, but I just really want to say [Hul’q’umi’num’ was spoken]. To really thank you for today. I’m so honoured to be here in the House of the Speaker. I just really love him and respect him, because he doesn’t send any paper out to the nation. He has his league that comes to see us and approaches the right way, not through fax or paper. We need to talk face to face to each other and nothing gets out of proportion.
I wish you guys all the best today, because you know I never give empty words. That’d be cheating on myself. My father would be so upset. That’s why I honour each and every one of you, because what you put out is what you’re going to get back.
[Hul’q’umi’num’ was spoken.]
The Speaker: Thank you, Elder Thomas. As always, it’s a great honour to have you here. On behalf of all the members and invited guests, thank you. Thank you so much.
[1:45 p.m.]
Again, I know, Members, that you have your family members and other guests sitting in the gallery. We will not be making individual introductions. Otherwise, we’ll be here the whole evening.
On behalf of all of you, I would like to welcome each and every one of our guests here joining us today on this historical day. Thank you so much.
Her Honour the Lieutenant Governor will be arriving in the chamber shortly, momentarily. We are also honoured to have the lək̓ʷəŋən traditional singers and dancers accompanying Her Honour into the chamber. We are grateful for their ceremonial contributions to today’s event.
We will wait for the arrival of Her Honour the Lieutenant Governor, accompanied by the lək̓ʷəŋən traditional singers and dancers.
Her Honour the Lieutenant Governor requested to attend the House, was admitted to the chamber and took her seat on the throne.
[1:50 p.m.]
[lək̓ʷəŋən was sung.]
The 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 King and country, humbly claim all their undoubted rights and privileges, especially that they may have the freedom of speech in their debates, access to Your Honour’s person at all seasonable times, and that their proceedings may receive from Your Honour the most favourable interpretation.
[1:55 p.m.]
Hon. Niki Sharma: 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 the House of Assembly to His 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.
Hon. Wendy Cocchia (Lieutenant Governor): Good afternoon, Mr. Speaker, hon. Members, Elders, Chiefs, veterans, uniformed service members, leaders and distinguished guests.
I would like to start by acknowledging the lək̓ʷəŋən peoples, the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations upon whose territories we are gathered here today.
Thank you to the lək̓ʷəŋən Traditional Dancers, Elder Frank George from the Songhees Nation and Elder Mary Ann Thomas from the Esquimalt Nation for starting us off in a really good way.
I am pleased to deliver my first Speech from the Throne, laying out your government’s plan to defend British Columbians in uncertain times, a plan to make sure people here can thrive, no matter what the world throws at us, and to secure a brighter future for everyone who calls this beautiful place home.
I am honoured to carry on what has become a tradition in this place, remembering some of the remarkable lives we have lost during the past year.
We mourn Iona Campagnolo, British Columbia’s 27th Lieutenant Governor.
We mourn Hereditary Chief Hemas Kla-Lee-Lee-Kla of Kwakiutl First Nation, known as Bill Wilson. He was a fearless advocate for First Nations rights and freedoms.
We also mourn other Indigenous leaders, including Sim’oogit Hay’mass, Chief Chester Moore of Nisg̱a’a Nation; as well as Elder Cody Gus of c̓išaaʔatḥ First Nation; and Elder Josie Paul and her daughter Elder Edie Frederick of Lheidli T’enneh First Nation.
We mourn Niilo Edwards, the first executive director and CEO of the First Nations Major Projects Coalition. Edwards was a visionary leader who believed in the power of partnerships and shared prosperity.
We join all Canadians in mourning Murray Sinclair, a tireless defender of rights and dignity for Indigenous peoples.
From the world of music, we mourn classical guitarist Alexander Dunn, rock drummer Rocket Norton, the musician Nell Smith, clarinetist Phil Nimmons and Eleanor Collins, Canada’s first lady of jazz.
We mourn the artists Joe Average and Anna Banana; as we do the writers Darrel J. McLeod, Roy Miki, Stan Persky and Maria Tippett.
From the world of sports, we mourn curling’s Tim Horrigan; baseball’s Kaye Kaminishi; sprinters Peter Ogilvie and Joyce Yakubowich; and Gerry James, who played hockey and football.
From the worlds of medicine and science, we mourn dermatologist Dr. Alastair Carruthers and sports medicine’s Dr. Jack Taunton. We also mourn psychologist Sue Johnson.
From the media, we mourn Glenn Baglo, Rick Cluff, George Garrett and Alden Escobido Habacon.
We mourn labour’s Jessie Uppal, Bill Brassington and Kim Novak.
We mourn professors Roger Gibbins and Rebecca Warburton, as we do community educators and activists Maggie Ip and Grace Eiko Thomson.
We mourn fire captain Ron Hegedus, as we do mourn those who have served in the Armed Forces during wartime, as did John Hillman, Bill Cameron, Kenneth Lett and Peter Goodwin Chance.
We mourn significant leaders who have made an indelible mark on our country. We mourn former Premier John Horgan, who guided us through a global pandemic; and also former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, who strengthened our trading relationship with the United States.
[2:00 p.m.]
We mourn other former Members of Parliament from British Columbia, John Fraser and Chuck Strahl.
And we mourn other members who served in this Legislature: Dan Coulter, Tony Brummet, Russell Fraser, Gerard Janssen, Dennis MacKay, Shannon O’Neill and Bob Williams.
We mourn and reflect on the loss of so many British Columbians from toxic drugs, and we mourn those who lost their lives on the job.
To all who lost loved ones over the past year, we extend our sympathies and condolences. We acknowledge and share your grief.
We open this first session of British Columbia’s 43rd parliament at the most consequential time for our province since the Second World War. In the face of an unprecedented and unjustified threat to our economy, British Columbians are joining with all Canadians to fight back. We’ve come together to support each other and stand up for our country.
We are saying with one united voice that we will never be the 51st state, not now or ever. Instead, we will take our destiny into our own hands by building on our strengths.
During its first four weeks, the new United States presidential administration has taken our country on a roller-coaster ride, and we must be prepared for this to continue for the next four years.
The historic bond between Canada and the United States has been strained in profound ways. Trust has been broken and will not easily be repaired. No matter what the future has in store, one thing has been made clear: we will not leave our future success to the whims of unpredictable forces from beyond our borders or leave people here to fend for themselves.
We are at a crossroads. The journey ahead will not be easy, but there is nowhere better positioned to weather the storm and come out the other side stronger than right here in British Columbia.
B.C. is an extraordinary place. Our province has everything we need to succeed: a strong economy supported by many different industries; abundant natural resources; clean energy the world needs; and our most important strength of all, the people who call this extraordinary place home. The people of B.C. are hard-working, highly skilled and resilient. This is who we are.
Throughout history, British Columbians have risen to meet the moment. When Britain stood alone in Europe against the Nazis, Churchill made a desperate appeal for more military equipment. British Columbia answered the call.
At the outset of the Second World War, fewer than 1,000 British Columbians worked in the shipyards. By 1943, that workforce was greater than 30,000. The shipyard in North Vancouver produced nearly half of all cargo ships delivering Allied supplies and raw goods to the front lines. On Sea Island in Richmond, workers, many of them women, built the fuselages for the B-29 Superfortress bombers and amphibious aircraft for shore patrols.
By the war’s end, more than 90,000 men and 26,000 women from B.C. had enlisted. This was the highest rate of participation in the country.
In peacetime, British Columbians have worked together to welcome the world to our home, during Expo 86, the 2010 Winter Olympics and the recent Invictus Games, and we’re preparing to do it again for the men’s FIFA World Cup next year.
B.C. is a place where we get big things done. We build dams to harness nature’s awesome strength to power our homes and industries. We build highways on the sides of mountains. We are a province of entrepreneurs and risk-takers. We are leaders in partnership with First Nations, underlying our commitment to meaningful reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. We protect our land, air and water, and we take action to tackle climate change while we grow our economy.
Today we are called on to summon that strength and character one more time, to summon the courage to do things differently, to chart our own course.
[2:05 p.m.]
Your government is working quickly to reorientate itself to a fundamentally changed landscape, including reviewing programs and spending to ensure they address today’s challenges. Difficult times such as these call for action that is both thoughtful and tough.
British Columbia’s strategy has three components: strengthening and growing our economy; diversifying our trading relationships; and responding firmly and forcefully, if required.
First and foremost, we will strengthen our economy to be more agile and durable. In the best traditions of our province, people of different backgrounds and perspectives are coming together in a common purpose. A new coalition of leaders in business, labour unions and First Nations are partnering with government.
Today we are executing a made-in-B.C. plan to speed up permitting and regulatory approvals, to train the next generation of skilled tradespeople, to attract private capital while expanding our electricity production, to support emerging industries, from technology to life sciences, and to increase manufacturing opportunities. This is particularly important for our hard-hit forestry sector. Adding more value to every tree harvested as B.C. Timber Sales is reformed to ensure it is responsive to this challenge.
Working together to grow a stronger, more self-sufficient economy here at home is our top priority. To unlock the incredible potential here in British Columbia, your government is expediting an initial 18 major projects. They include natural gas and clean energy as well as critical mineral and mining projects worth $20 billion in investment. Twelve of them are majority First Nations owned. These projects are estimated to create more than 8,000 jobs and support families, especially in northern and rural communities.
Late last year the green light was given to nine new clean energy projects, which will boost B.C. Hydro’s current electricity supply by 8 percent, enough to power 500,000 homes. This will generate between $5 billion and $6 billion in private capital spending throughout the province, creating 2,000 jobs during construction. Eight of the nine successful clean energy projects will have 51 percent First Nations equity ownership.
To get this essential electricity online faster, new wind power projects will be exempt from the environmental assessment process, prioritizing efficiency and regulating in a way that makes sense, while continuing to ensure that our high standards are met. A stable supply of clean and affordable energy is essential to power economic growth while protecting our land and water for our children.
This session, legislation will be introduced to allow the B.C. Energy Regulator to act as the one window for permits necessary to support the North Coast transmission line, in addition to other important electricity transmission projects, new wind and solar. The B.C. Energy Regulator has shown success at getting projects moving quickly while maintaining strong standards. This will ensure that we build the line sooner and in partnership with First Nations along the route.
Your government will eliminate unnecessary red tape and break down barriers to growth. Good progress has been made in housing, where B.C. is breaking down barriers preventing the construction of middle-class homes. We’re making progress in mining, where major project review timelines have been reduced by more than 35 percent. Now we are accelerating that work while applying those lessons to other sectors such as construction, forestry and agriculture, all of which are foundational to our success as a province. Every minister has been given marching orders to speed up permit approvals to get job-creating projects built in partnership with First Nations, communities and businesses throughout the province.
Beyond natural resources and our strength in new technologies, our province is home to one of the busiest film and television production centres in North America. Budget 2025 will include tax credits to ensure that our province remains a destination of choice for film-makers in Canada and around the globe while employing B.C.’s world-class skilled film crews. This highly anticipated change is already attracting new production deals.
[2:10 p.m.]
As we grow our economy and build here at home, we will diversify to whom we sell our products around the world. That means expanding and strengthening our business relationships with countries in Asia, Europe and beyond. Here again, British Columbia is very well positioned. As the west coast gateway to Asia and major global centres, our ports are some of the busiest in Canada.
We are less exposed to the U.S. market than other provinces, but we know more needs to be done. Your government will upgrade transportation infrastructure, improve supply chains and make sure businesses have ample industrial land. This is crucial to stay competitive on the world stage and reach new markets efficiently. New trade missions will help B.C. businesses build strong economic partnerships around the world.
We will also break down trade barriers within Canada. British Columbia has led the way on this front for years, most recently by securing a deal with our wineries to sell directly to customers in Alberta. Discussions are also underway with Alberta for greater cooperation and alignment on a range of issues.
Underpinning this work is an imperative to stay strong and united, as a country, through uncertainty with the United States. The bottom line is this: it should not be easier to buy and sell with Washington state than with our Canadian friends and neighbours. This must change, and change it will.
While we grow and strengthen our economy, the threat to our sovereignty remains. We stand strong and united. As a country, Canada must be prepared to fight back, if necessary, to prevent a trade war.
British Columbia is thoughtfully and directly making the case against tariffs to our many friends in the United States. A tariff war would be devastating to families on both sides of the border. Tariffs on top of softwood lumber duties would increase the price of homes for Americans. Attacks on our food exports would mean expensive groceries at the checkout for working families in the United States.
Your government is using all channels available to convince American decision-makers we are better as a team. We are better when we work together and focus on areas of shared concern for both countries, including border security and toxic drugs, such as fentanyl. Too many people in both of our countries have lost loved ones to the toxic drug crisis.
Just like the Americans, our hearts are filled with rage at the predators who move precursor chemicals and lethal drugs into our country. Your government is eager to work with other jurisdictions in going after the transnational criminal organizations trafficking in death, building on our efforts to stop gangs, by taking away their fast cars and fancy homes.
B.C. will also continue treating addiction as a health issue, connecting people to treatment and taking new steps to provide secure care for people struggling with brain injuries, mental illness and severe addiction. These issues must be priorities for all governments in North America but should not be used as a pretext for destructive tariffs.
As a country, Canada must be ready to fight back, if necessary. B.C. will respond to any economic attack on our families, firmly and forcefully, as part of a united Team Canada effort. We will never back down from defending workers, farmers, businesses and livelihoods here in British Columbia and across Canada. This is not a fight we started; this is not a fight we want, but we won’t ever roll over or let our guard down.
Through turbulent times that included a pandemic, B.C.’s economy has performed well. We’ve created 250,000 jobs in the past seven years, with the strongest hourly wage growth in the country. Last year we had the biggest GDP growth among large provinces and one of the lowest unemployment rates.
[2:15 p.m.]
Our debt-to-GDP ratio is less than half of Ontario’s or Quebec’s, and we have the highest credit rating of any province, but a strong economy is not just about GDP numbers or quarterly reports. It’s about generating the wealth necessary to make us all better off, to create good jobs with paycheques that keep pace with the cost of living. In short, it’s about delivering in tangible ways on the challenges people worry about at their kitchen table. In this way, economic and social progress go hand in hand.
When we make child care more affordable and available, we help expand the labour market by ensuring more parents can enter or re-enter the workforce. That’s what we’ve done here in B.C. by cutting child care bills in half, saving parents an average of nearly $8,000 every year.
When we deliver more homes people can afford, we help those working in the retail, construction and service sectors live closer to their jobs. During the next ten years, experts expect B.C.’s Homes for People plan to deliver 300,000 new middle-class homes. It’s starting to make a difference right now. Rents are finally going down, more new rentals than ever are being built and construction is going strong.
When we hire teachers and build modern schools, we help students get a good start in life, preparing them for an ever-changing workforce. When we build roads, highways and public transit, we help make workers more productive by getting them to their jobs and back to their loved ones faster. This session, new legislation will be introduced to get those and other critical infrastructure projects built faster to keep our economy moving.
When we expand skills training, we help people get ahead and businesses attract the talent they need to thrive. To that end, your government will work closely with industry, labour and post-secondary institutions to create faster and easier pathways to get in-demand skills in the trades, creating new opportunities for mid-career workers and young people that grow the middle class, support business expansion and strengthen our workforce’s productivity. Ultimately, we know we cannot claim our economy is truly working unless it is working for everyone.
For too long, people have been taken advantage of and left behind by powerful interests. Rampant speculation has put home ownership and rent out of reach for many working families. Gouging on top of global inflation has driven up the cost of daily essentials. Your government will take new actions to safeguard people who work hard and play by the rules. This session, laws will be introduced to protect British Columbians from credit card fraud, unfair practices by cell phone companies and to recover health care costs from wrongdoers.
B.C. will maintain our leading work to make sure the housing market works for ordinary people, not those keeping homes empty or flipping them for a quick profit. Keeping everyday costs low for working families will continue to be a top priority, from locking in savings on car insurance to putting money back in people’s pockets.
Our work to strengthen enforcement and intervention services to build safer, stronger communities will be a key focus. Here in B.C., we’re adding more police officers and establishing teams of prosecutors and probation officers to stop repeat violent criminals from reoffending.
The success of British Columbians is at the centre of your government’s economic plan, one that works for every person and every community throughout the province. A strong and growing economy is necessary to protect and improve the public services families rely on, especially health care. There is no greater expression of who we are as Canadians than our universal public health care system, providing life-saving care for everyone without taking out a credit card.
But like many places, British Columbia is feeling the strain of worker shortages and a rising demand for care. Communities are growing, people are getting older and sicker, and many doctors and nurses are retiring. Your government is responding by adding more nurses and family doctors, opening more community clinics and building more hospitals than ever.
[2:20 p.m.]
In the past two years, British Columbia has connected hundreds of thousands of people to a primary care provider. More are being connected every day, and yet we know there is so much more we need to do.
Your government will work with regulatory colleges to ensure trained health care workers from other countries have their credentials recognized faster. That includes attracting the best and brightest medical professionals from the United States, who are already drawn to the benefits of our public health care system.
The challenges also require changing the way we do things. B.C. has taken action that allows doctors to spend more time with their patients. Since the scope of practice for pharmacists was expanded, people are getting prescriptions for minor ailments and free contraception quicker and more easily. We’ve tripled the number of nurse practitioners in the province. Many are now taking patients in their own primary care clinics.
While the recent threats from the U.S. administration have felt like a betrayal, they have awoken something powerful in Canadians. You can see it everywhere you go. People are considering their choices carefully. When planning the next vacation, they’re choosing to travel locally. At the grocery store, they’re looking for “Made in Canada” or a Buy B.C. logo. We are all saying, with one unified voice, our country is not for sale.
Canadians and Americans have always been good friends. In many cases, we’re family. We share the longest undefended border in the world and a partnership that has benefited both countries for more than 150 years.
Ours is a bond forged in battle. We stormed the beaches at Normandy together on D-Day, fighting to liberate Europe from fascism. For generations, our soldiers have died, cried and celebrated victory beside each other. Together we have looked to the stars and seen U.S. space shuttle missions supported by Canadarm, a powerful symbol of our long-standing collaboration on science and technology.
We worked together to build a highway from Dawson Creek to Alaska, with local First Nations playing an essential role as guides through difficult and remote territory.
There is much we admire about our southern neighbour, but we will never become the 51st state. We make our own decisions and control our own future.
Because we have followed our own path, we live longer and have a more robust social net. Our democratic institutions are stronger, and our day-to-day lives are safer. Canada is a place that is special — not because we are perfect, but because we are always striving to make progress.
We are a proud and independent country, proud of how we take care of each other and our neighbours, just as our B.C. wildfire firefighters were there for the people of Los Angeles in their time of need.
Through this time of uncertainty, your government will be there to support you and your family. As proud British Columbians and Canadians, we are called on to meet this moment the same way we always do: by working together and looking out for each other.
Together we will build a stronger, more secure future here in the best province in the greatest country in the world, the true north, strong and free.
On just a very quick personal note, I would like to thank you. It’s been my sincere pleasure to deliver my first throne speech in this chamber. I think I join about 61 percent of you as being a newbie.
I really thank you all for your service. I especially thank your families for their support of you being here for your service.
I wish you all the very best, sincerely, to embark together in this first session of the 43rd parliament here in beautiful British Columbia.
I’m very proud of you all, because you’ve joined me in doing this without the seventh-inning stretch.
Thank you. Merci. HÍSW̱ḴE.
Her Honour the Lieutenant Governor retired from the chamber.
[2:25 p.m.]
[The Speaker in the chair.]
The Speaker: Hon. Members, in order to prevent mistakes, I have obtained a copy of Her Honour the Lieutenant Governor’s speech.
Clerk of the Legislative Assembly: Hon. Members, pursuant to Section 147 of the Election Act, I received two reports from the Chief Electoral Officer certifying the results of the general election held October 19, 2024.
The first letter, dated November 5, 2024, certified 90 members, and the second letter, dated November 12, 2024, certified the results of the three remaining electoral districts that were subject to judicial recounts.
Accordingly, the members of the 43rd parliament of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia are as follows.
[2:30 p.m. - 2:35 p.m.]
[See Appendix.]
Hon. Niki Sharma: I move that the certificates of the Chief Electoral Officer of the results of the election of members be entered upon the Journals of the House.
Motion approved.
Introduction and
First Reading of Bills
Bill 1 — An Act to Ensure the
Supremacy of Parliament
Hon. Niki Sharma presented a bill intituled An Act to Ensure the Supremacy of Parliament.
Hon. Niki Sharma: I move that Bill 1, intituled An Act to Ensure the Supremacy of Parliament, be introduced and read a first time now.
The introduction of this bill prior to consideration of the throne speech expresses the established right of Parliament, through its elected members, to deliberate independently of the Sovereign. As such, it is an important part of our parliamentary democratic process.
It is my honour as Attorney General and Deputy Premier to introduce this bill of historic and symbolic importance at the opening of each new session.
The Speaker: The question is the introduction and first reading of Bill 1, intituled An Act to Ensure the Supremacy of Parliament.
Motion approved.
Hon. Niki Sharma: I move that the bill be placed on the orders of the day for the second reading at the next sitting of the House after today.
Motion approved.
Hon. Mike Farnworth: I move, seconded by the member for Chilliwack–Cultus Lake electoral district:
[That Mable Elmore, Member for Vancouver-Kensington Electoral District, be appointed Deputy Speaker for this Session of the Legislative Assembly.]
Motion approved.
Appointment of
Assistant Deputy Speaker
Á’a:líya Warbus: I move, seconded by the member for Port Coquitlam electoral district:
[That Lorne Doerkson, Member for Cariboo-Chilcotin Electoral District, be appointed Assistant Deputy Speaker for this Session of the Legislative Assembly.]
Motion approved.
Appointment of Deputy Chair,
Committee of the Whole
Hon. Mike Farnworth: I move, seconded by the member for Chilliwack–Cultus Lake electoral district:
[That George Anderson, Member for Nanaimo-Lantzville Electoral District, be appointed Deputy Chair of the Committee of the Whole for this Session of the Legislative Assembly.]
Motion approved.
Printing of Votes and Proceedings
[That the Votes and Proceedings of this House be printed, being first perused by the Speaker, and that he do appoint the printing thereof, and that no person but such as he shall appoint do presume to print the same.]
Motion approved.
[2:40 p.m.]
Appointment of
Select Standing Committees
[That the Select Standing Committees of this House for the present Session, be appointed for the following purposes:
1. Aboriginal Affairs;
2. Agriculture, Fish and Food;
3. Children and Youth;
4. Crown Corporations;
5. Education;
6. Finance and Government Services;
7. Health;
8. Parliamentary Reform, Ethical Conduct and Standing Orders;
9. Public Accounts;
and further that the Select Standing Committee on Legislative Initiatives and the Select Standing Committee on Private Bills and Private Members’ Bills be appointed for the present Parliament,
which said Committees shall severally be empowered to examine and inquire into all such matters and things as shall be referred to them by this House, and to report from time to time their observations and opinions thereon, with power to send for persons, papers and records, and that a Special Committee be appointed to prepare and report with all convenient speed lists of members to compose the above Select Standing Committees of this House under Standing Order 68 (1), the Committee to be composed of the Hon. Mike Farnworth (Convener), Hon. Ravi Parmar, Janet Routledge, Stephanie Higginson, Á’a:líya Warbus, Jody Toor, Bruce Banman and Rob Botterell.]
Motion approved.
The Speaker: Members, before we adjourn the House, I would like to invite all members and their guests downstairs, one floor down, for a reception. Please ask your guests to join us.
Hon. Mike Farnworth moved adjournment of the House.
Motion approved.
The Speaker: This House stands adjourned until 1:30 tomorrow afternoon.
The House adjourned at 2:41 p.m.