Legislative Shut-Down

"The reason we do this motion is because it signals that the business of government and the business of this House has been completed. After this motion passes, there would be another motion, and that is that the House do now adjourn. But this motion is debatable, and it's debatable for a reason: because the government believes that the business of the House is finished. But the opposition may have a different view."
Mike Farnworth, Opposition House Leader, Hansard, November 27, 2006

The primary function of the Legislature is to hold the government accountable; if the government had its way, the Legislature would never sit and all business would be done in secret by cabinet. Listening to some of the news media after the BC Legislature sat through the night, you might erroneously think that the Opposition delayed passage of the appointment of the Representative for Children and Youth because they disagreed with it, but the appointment was unanimously approved at 4:30 PM on Monday, November 27th. After the BC Legislature unanimously passed a motion to appoint Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond as the Representative for Children and Youth for the province of British Columbia for a term of five years, the Government House Leader, Mike de Jong, moved a motion to prepare for adjournment of the legislative session; the motion allows the speaker to recall the legislature, supposedly when necessary, but in reality when told to do so by the government.

Since the government's motion was debatable, under the normal rules with every member of the Opposition speaking, the House would have adjourned for the evening at 9:00 PM, come back at 10:00 AM and another question period would have been necessary before the Legislative session could be adjourned. The heavy handed Campbell government avoided that by forcing the Legislature to sit all night until the Opposition exhausted its opportunities and the adjournment motion for the session passed at 8:29 AM on Tuesday - just hours short of the question period the government so dreads.

Despite its campaign promise to reform the BC Legislature by following a legislative calendar, the Campbell government made it clear that it had no intent to hold a Fall legislative session. Pressure from both the Opposition and from Ted Hughes to get on with the appointment of the Representative for Children and Youth persuaded the government to call a Legislative session to make the appointment, which was agreed upon by an all-party committee. The government wanted to dispense with the requirements for the appointment in a matter of minutes, but the Opposition was able to use the rules of the House to force at least three sitting days, hence three question periods. During that time the Opposition demonstrated why the government prefers not to have the Legislature in session. Solicitor General John Les was roasted for his handling of a Freedom of Information Request and for his bullying tactics in dealing with those who think that home inspectors should be regulated and consumer protection strengthened. Education Minister Shirley Bond took some heat over her government's failure to adequately fund school districts to deal with class size and composition requirements that she made law. The Minister of Health was called on to explain violations of the Medicare Protection Act.

The 16 hours of debate between the 4:30 PM appointment of Turpel-Lafond and the 8:29 AM adjournment of the Legislature contained much worth following; however, to know what was said in the wee hours of the morning, one would have to read Hansard.