Closure

On Wednesday, May 14th, Government House Leader Gary Collins announced government's intentions for the conclusion of the spring sitting of the Legislature. That means he said what Bills would become law without debate by using closure to force their passage by the scheduled date for adjournment. After listing ten Bills that government demanded be passed into law, he then had the gall to say "I look forward to working with the opposition to determine an orderly conclusion of those ten pieces of legislation by the end of May 29, Thursday." Three of the ten Bills were introduced immediately before Collins' announcement; another three were introduced just two days earlier. Government recessed the Legislature for the week of May 19th so Collins' announcement meant that ten Bills plus the budget for the Ministry of Health Services would receive only 6 days of debate before being forced into law.

The Bills on government's list radically restructure forestry, break up BC Hydro, change ICBC pricing, change the relationship between unions and government in social services, eliminate teaching as a self-governing profession, make it easier to privatize the Coquihalla Highway and allow criminals to vote. One might think that an open and honest government would allow sufficient debate on such major changes before using its overwhelming majority to ram the Bills into law. Detailed clause by clause debate of hundreds of pages of legislation will be impossible under the government's imposed schedule. That detailed, third reading debate is often useful years later when those interpreting the legislation go back to more fully understand the government's original intent. For many of the substantial changes included on the government's list, much of the legislative record will be blank.