Officers of the Legislature

December 7, 2005

Officers of the Legislature

The work done by BC's Legislative Committees is often ignored, but thanks to Hansard on the Internet, anyone can review the record of each committee. The "Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services" has been busy receiving submissions recently from Officers of the Legislature.

On November 30th the Legislative Committee heard from Auditor General Wayne Strelioff, who asked for $8.97 million, which is about a $1.3 million increase over the current voted appropriation. He described what would happen if he didn't get his requested budget: less auditing work for the financial statements related to the quarterly reports, no work on the accuracy of information in performance reports, no update on the Olympics, no examination of the integrity of the forest revenue system and a delay in work on climate change and how it relates to the pine beetle infestation.

On November 30th the Committee also heard from the Chief Electoral Officer and his staff. Linda Johnson, described by the CEO as "regarded by everyone who works at Elections B.C. as the walking, living corporate memory" said:

"The mandate of the Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform was limited to how votes translate into seats. Obviously, there are a whole host of other matters that must be addressed to fully describe this electoral model - campaign finance rules, the nomination process, how ballots will be printed and how voting opportunities will be available. Elections B.C. will be conducting research during the coming year to support the development of a legislative model for BC-STV. The $250,000 we have identified for this item will cover the costs of research, consultation with STV experts and administrators from around the world, analyzing best practices, identifying areas of public policy issues, and preparing materials to design conceptual and procedural frameworks to support the development of request for legislation."

Before voters cast their ballot in yet another referendum on "BC-STV" they should have answers to the questions posed by Johnson, for example, what will be the changes to campaign finance rules, the nomination process, how ballots will be printed and how voting opportunities will be available? The Chief Electoral Officer went on to explain that the time is so short between the scheduled referendum on November 15, 2008, and the next general election on May 12, 2009, that it may be necessary to spend tens of millions of dollars to prepare for both options.

On December 1st the Police Complaints Commissioner may have surprised the Committee when he said that he wasn't requesting an increase because he expected a surplus this year. That won't please those who are unhappy with complaints against the police. The Commissioner, Dirk Ryneveld attributed increased costs to 50 complaints from the Pivot Legal Society. Some advocates would probably say that organizations like Pivot should continue to apply pressure for civilian oversight of the police.

David Loukidelis, recently reappointed as Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Commissioner, asked for an increase of only $266,000 for 2006-07. The budget for his office was $2.280 million in 2000-01, and $2.211 in 2005-06. It is no wonder that those who try to unveil the wrap of secrecy that surrounds government find that access to information is flaunted. Six months have passed since I requested specific documents named in a report from the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, and I have yet to receive them. Freedom of Information has become a joke under the Campbell government and nothing in the Commissioner's submission to the Legislative Committee offers any assurance that there will be any improvements. When describing increased responsibilities for his office, Loukidelis said:

"Beginning with fiscal 2002-2003, we had a series of 10 percent, 10 percent and 15 percent cuts, totalling a 35-percent cut in the budget available to do our work under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. Even the present funding level for the fiscal year we are now in, which includes $512,000 that the committee recommended for our significant new duties under the private sector privacy legislation, leaves our budget roughly 5.7 percent lower than it was back in 2001-2002 when again, we had only freedom of information and protection of privacy responsibilities in the public sector."

Officers of the Legislature are independent from government so as to protect the public from government. Under the Campbell government their ability to act has been severely restrained, but what would you expect from a government that fired the Mental Health Advocate, the Children and Youth Advocate and the Children's Commission while cutting the budgets of the Auditor, the Ombudsman and the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Commissioner?