B.C. Grits turf new speaker
• A backbench Liberal is being accused of betraying his party by taking on the role of Speaker in British Columbia’s legislature under a minority New Democrat government.
Darryl Plecas, a two-term Liberal from the Fraser Valley community of Abbotsford, defied his party Friday as he broke with parliamentary tradition and accepted the Speaker’s post.
“I will endeavour with all my power to carry out my duties with fairness and integrity,” Plecas said in a brief statement in the legislature.
But outside of the legislature, interim Liberal Leader Rich Coleman said Plecas betrayed the Liberals after assuring him on Thursday that he was not interested in the Speaker’s job and was looking forward to his role as an Opposition critic.
“Basically, when you tell your colleagues you are not going to do something, they take you at your word,” Coleman said. “You break your word. You go do it and become the Speaker. You have de facto already (gone) and joined the NDP.”
Coleman said he and the Liberals will respect the position and role of the Speaker in the legislature, but the same respect does not apply personally to Plecas.
“The caucus has agreed and everybody had committed, including Mr. Plecas, to not run for Speaker,” he said. “So, to go and change your mind and not inform me when you change your mind until after the fact, I still think that’s a betrayal.”
Coleman said he was discussing the issue with Plecas on Thursday night and they had agreed to meet Friday at 9 a.m. for further talks, but Plecas did not show up.
Plecas sat alone in the legislative chamber Friday morning while the Liberal caucus held a morning briefing. He has yet to comment outside of the legislature on his decision.
No party was able to win a legislative majority following the May 9 provincial election, which gave the Liberals 43 seats, the New Democrats 41 seats, and the Greens three seats.
The acclamation ends months of speculation on how Premier John Horgan would manage a government with such a razor-thin minority supported by the Greens had he followed protocol and offered up a New Democrat member as Speaker.
“I can’t tell you how happy I am to work with you over the next number of years to make B.C. better,” Horgan told Plecas, addressing the whole legislature.