B.C. Speaker denounces use of fake titles
Speaker Darryl Plecas upbraided his former Liberal colleagues Tuesday for using fake titles to identify NDP ministers in the B.C. legislature.
Plecas, who was tossed from the Liberal Party in September for agreeing to serve as Speaker, denounced the name-calling and ordered it to stop.
“I conclude that the unofficial and at times mocking or derogatory titles, when directing a question to a minister of the Crown, is indeed disrespectful to the minister and reflects poorly on this institution,” he said.
He also asserted his authority to intervene in proceedings to maintain decorum despite claims by members of his former party that he was out of line to do so Monday.
“It is always in order for the Speaker or chair to intervene when required,” he said.
“The chair’s intervention during [Monday’s] question period was called into question. Challenges to the authority of the Speaker are unacceptable and will not be tolerated in the future.”
The dispute began a few weeks ago when the Opposition began referring to NDP ministers by mock titles. Transportation Minister Claire Trevena became the “minister of taxis,” Minister of Jobs, Trade and Technology Bruce Ralston the “minister of job loss” and Agriculture Minister Lana Popham “minister of intimidation.”
Plecas tried to halt the practice at the time, but Opposition House Leader Mike de Jong appeared to win the day by insisting that nothing in the house rules prevented such antics.
The debate was fuelled in part by the Liberals’ simmering animosity for Plecas, whose decision to take the Speaker’s job effectively assured the NDPGreen alliance of a voting majority in the legislature.
The hostilities resumed Monday when Jas Johal, the Liberal MLA for Richmond Queens borough, referred to Trevena as the “minister of consultation paralysis.”
This time, Plecas instructed Johal to rephrase his question and address Trevena by her proper title.
The Liberals objected, but Plecas refused to hear their arguments until later.
Once question period was over, de Jong used a point of order to complain about Plecas’s handling of the issue.
“The chair’s intervention, as occurred just a few moments ago, to require the withdrawal of language that is not unparliamentary troubles me greatly,” de Jong said. “It suggests that there is a standard at play that none of us are aware of, that is not in any way predictable or to be anticipated and, with the greatest respect, represents, in my view, an inappropriate intervention by the chair.”
Plecas has now rejected that argument, temporarily putting an end to the debate, although not the tensions between him and his former party.