New BC Legislative session opens today Sept 8

[flamingfingers]

The Speaker has been chosen - Daryl Plecas, Liberal MLA from Abbotsford South:

MLA Darryl Plecas defects from B.C. Liberals to become Speaker

Rob Shaw ROB SHAW
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Published on: September 8, 2017 | Last Updated: September 8, 2017 10:29 AM PDT

Abbotsford South MLA Darryl Plecas is B.C.'s new Speaker. NICK PROCAYLO / PNG
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VICTORIA – B.C. Liberal MLA Darryl Plecas turned on his own party Friday to become the legislature’s new Speaker, an act the Liberal’s interim leader has said is a betrayal of his party and caucus.

Plecas was the only candidate to put forward his name in the house Friday morning, which would mean his move was orchestrated and planned with the New Democrat government, who did not put up one of their own MLAs for the job.

Plecas, who represents Abbotsford South, arrived to the chamber early, where he sat by himself before any MLAs from either side took their seats and during a Liberal caucus meeting.

Interim leader Rich Coleman has said Thursday he was confident no Liberals would stand for the job and that to do so would give the NDP breathing room on close votes and be a betrayal of the party. He specifically said he’d received assurances from Plecas that he wouldn’t take the position.

“On several occasions, Mr. Plecas has made clear to me and the BC Liberal Caucus that he would not seek the Office of Speaker,” Coleman said in a statement. “We took him at his word and believed that he would stand by his commitment. We are disappointed in his decision.”

Plecas was subsequently ejected from the Liberal caucus by Coleman, according to an initial statement by the leader’s office. But the party later clarified he had not been removed. His immediate status remains unclear.

Plecas was also responsible for the early exit of former premier Christy Clark, after he sharply criticized her during a caucus meeting in Penticton last month and threatened to leave the party to sit as an independent if she remained as leader.

http://vancouversun.com/news/politics/m ... me-speaker

[Veovis]

*removed*

[Queen K]

And now we wait.

[maryjane48]

things look brighter . bc has taken a turn for the better. who be next to jump from team corruption ?

[Rider59]

things look brighter . bc has taken a turn for the better. who be next to jump from team corruption ?

I wonder what kind of kick back Ol' Horkup gave to this Benedict Arnold?

[maryjane48]

https://www.castanet.net/news/BC/206136 ... one-speech


i dont know rider but please explain to us how paying 6 million for basi lawyer helped the bc tax payer .

[rustled]

things look brighter . bc has taken a turn for the better. who be next to jump from team corruption ?

I wonder what kind of kick back Ol' Horkup gave to this Benedict Arnold?

Will he be remembered for this:

He is the recipient of various accolades, including the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia Award for Public Safety, an award of excellence from the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, a teaching excellence award from the University of the Fraser Valley, the Queen’s Jubilee Medal and the Order of Abbotsford.

I doubt it. History hasn't been kind to Benedict Arnold.

He repeatedly turned down offers from the NDP to take on the role of Speaker in the wake of the spring election, saying in one media interview it would be "disrespectful" and "dishonourable" to accept the position. "I would be hurting the Liberal party, in other words hurting the wishes of my constituents, and there's no way that's going to happen," he said in June.

https://www.castanet.net/edition/news-s ... htm#206136

What price for this man's honour? As late as yesterday morning, he was still assuring the Liberal party he'd turn down the offer.

The Speaker position is traditionally one of extreme integrity, yet we now have a speaker whose actions are, by his own standards, both disrespectful and dishonourable. And the leader of one of the non-coalition coalition parties is waxing eloquent about how much integrity Plecas has, when it's pretty obvious to anyone looking "integrity" was not shown by this man's actions.

Well, with that kind of "honour" and "integrity" now ensconced in the Speaker's chair, it's going to be an interesting session. Backroom deals, political maneuvering, power plays. All in all, it seems to be those concerned about the corruption of past parties of any colour ain't seen nothin' yet.

[alfred2]

things look brighter . bc has taken a turn for the better. who be next to jump from team corruption ?

How can he be called honorable speaker ? He shows that he is the same as weaver and horgan , NO INTEGRITY

[maryjane48]

B.C.’s new NDP government will put more money into the education system, fix lease loopholes that hurt renters, restore annual disability bus passes, and embark on an ambitious plan to build new schools, hospitals road and homes, according to its throne speech.

Premier John Horgan’s government outlined its agenda Friday, in a speech that recapped many of the party’s recent announcements while also offering its first glimpse at new reforms by the administration.

Among the new items was a promise to restore bus passes for the disabled, which the Liberals had in 2016 changed to a $52 monthly fee for the disabled, sparking outrage from advocates and community groups.

“Starting Jan. 1, 2018, government will provide people with disabilities access to the transportation supports they need, including an annual bus pass for those who want one,” read the speech, delivered by Lt.-Gov. Judith Guichon but written by the government. “It’s the right thing to do.”

http://www.theprovince.com/news/politic ... story.html


good to see the bus passes coming back for disabled the bclibs cruely took away. nothing like robbing the poor. shame on clark for that move.

[Cactusflower]

Looks like you're on your own in your defense of the indefensible now, rustled. Well, cxcept for that little angry 'Benedict Arnold' comment prior to yours. Andrew Weaver was right when he said the BC Liberals acted extremely childish today. He was talking about the ones in the Legislature, though. I suppose it is passed on to the BC Liberal peons.......Benedict Arnold? Get real! That's the height of self-aggrandizement.

I wonder how long it will take the rest of the BC Liberal fan club to recover enough to weigh in on the opening of the Legislature.

[Rider59]

Looks like you're on your own in your defense of the indefensible now, rustled. Well, cxcept for that little angry 'Benedict Arnold' comment prior to yours. Andrew Weaver was right when he said the BC Liberals acted extremely childish today. He was talking about the ones in the Legislature, though. I suppose it is passed on to the BC Liberal peons.......Benedict Arnold? Get real! That's the height of self-aggrandizement. Why are you so angry???

I wonder how long it will take the rest of the BC Liberal fan club to recover enough to weigh in on the opening of the Legislature.

Who would you compare him to?

Benedict Arnold (January 14, 1741 [O.S. January 3, 1740][1][2] – June 14, 1801) was a general during the American Revolutionary War who originally fought for the American Continental Army but defected to the British Army.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benedict_Arnold

Am I supposed to be happy that *removed* somehow found the weakest Liberal to exploit?

[flamingfingers]

My statement on MLA Darryl Plecas becoming Speaker

September 8, 2017 By Andrew Weaver No comments yet Issues, Justice, Media Release, Uncategorized
Today the legislature resumed sitting and our first order of business was to elect a speaker. I am absolutely thrilled that Dr. Darryl Plecas, the MLA from Abbotsford South was duly elected.

I got to know Darryl over the last few years and must say I cannot imagine a better person for the position. He is a principled man of exceptional ethics and high moral standards.

Shortly after an article appeared in Abbotsford News on August 4th, wherein Darryl Plecas confirmed he had threatened to resign if Christy Clark stayed on as premier, I phoned him up and and asked if he would be willing to have his name stand as speaker. We had a long conversation and I certainly got the sense that he was interested. I was delighted to see him follow through on that interest today.

But humour ended there. The BC Liberals displayed a remarkable lack of grace and acted in a manner most unbecoming of MLAs. BC Liberal MLAs were instructed not to clap as the Speaker moved to the chair. This form of passive aggressive bullying has no business in the chamber and frankly, I think the Liberal caucus should be ashamed of themselves.

To make matters even worse, and in what can only be described as a classless act, the Interim Leader of the BC Liberals, Rich Coleman broke tradition and instead of offering his congratulations, gave the Speaker a lecture:

R. Coleman: The role of Speaker is fundamental to our parliamentary democracy. As Speaker you are in charge of ensuring that the traditions of this House are respected. As Speaker you’re responsible for ensuring that the majority and the minority are equally heard in the chamber. As Speaker your job is to protect the integrity of the institution and always to act honourably.

There will be times when the Legislature becomes raucous, and the Speaker must have the fortitude to make decisions guided in this chamber by things that happened over the last hundred years. Mr. Speaker, we hope you live up to those standards.

Compare that to the congratulatory remarks delivered by Premier Horgan:

Hon. J. Horgan: Hon. Speaker, I rise to offer my congratulations to you as the Speaker of the people’s House. The people in their wisdom sent and an equal number of members from two political parties and a third party to support the work of the great province that we happen to be living in. I am so delighted that you’ve taken up the challenge of keeping us honest, keeping us fair and keeping us on course.

Of course, for the people of B.C., this is not about partisanship. This is about a new government and a new opportunity. I fully expect those on the other side of the House to keep us accountable, and I fully expect members on this side of the House to be respectful to the questions asked and, most importantly, respectful to you and the office that you hold.

I can’t tell you how happy I am to look forward to working with you over the next number of years to make B.C. better.

With that, Hon. Speaker, the best of luck to you. You have our full support. I look forward to working with you in our House for all of the interests that British Columbians want us to achieve in the days and years ahead.

VICTORIA, B.C. – Andrew Weaver, leader of the B.C. Green Party, issued the following statement in response to Darryl Plecas becoming Speaker.

“I am delighted to congratulate Darryl, who has been declared Speaker of the Legislative Assembly,” Weaver said.

“Darryl is known by his colleagues in the Legislature as a person of exceptional ethics and high moral standards. He will undoubtedly serve with dignity and honour as Speaker of this House.

“Darryl’s willingness to stand for Speaker is an encouraging sign that the MLAs of all parties will be able to work together in a productive, collaborative session. We have an historic opportunity to work across party lines to advance good public policy that serves the interests of British Columbians. I look forward to finally getting on with the business of the Legislature to do just that.”

http://www.andrewweavermla.ca/2017/09/0 ... s-speaker/

Rich Coleman - 0
Horgan - 10
Weaver - 10

[Urban Cowboy]

What I read between the lines here is the NDP lovers have for eons been all about transparency, integrity, etc. when it comes to politicians, and of course let's not forget as the resident hot air generators keep reminding us, the BC Liberals are all crooked.

Now enter a tenuous GreenDP coalition into the mix, and suddenly a Liberal with an obvious lack of integrity is perfectly acceptable to take on the position of speaker of the house which is supposed to be the highest integrity position. ?????????????

I guess it's fair to say we have another example of NDP hypocrisy at it's finest.

Corruption and lack of integrity are to be shunned, unless of course it's in the best interests of the NDP then all bets are off.

Have barely begun and the stench is already overwhelming!

[maryjane48]

Now enter a tenuous GreenDP coalition into the mix, and suddenly a Liberal with an obvious lack of integrity is perfectly acceptable to take on the position of speaker of the house which is supposed to be the highest integrity position. ?????????????

I guess it's fair to say we have another example of NDP hypocrisy at it's finest.

do you not see the irony of castanets team bclib defending flip wilson who did ut twice? lol


time to face some facts starting with your horse wont be crossing finish line anytime soon

[flamingfingers]

Plecas did not 'cross the floor'.
Plecas is still a Liberal MLA.
Plecas can still adequately represent his constituents.
Plecas can rule again the NDP/Green alliance or against the Liberal opposition.

Rich Coleman and the caucus can of course be vicious and malicious and try to turf him from the party which really is a decision of his riding association, but he can still be a constituency rep with Independent status.

Why' are the Lib supporters getting their panties in a twist?