Calgary Herald

B.C. politician­s return for ‘unique’ sitting of legislatur­e

Democracy will prevail despite virus: members

- DIRK MEISSNER

VICTORIA • In a building where face-to-face debates between political opponents are normal activities, the British Columbia legislatur­e will be a much different place when it returns Monday for a summer sitting.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the required physical distancing to slow the spread of the virus will see the normally crowded 87-member chamber reduced to 24 politician­s. Meetings and scrums will be held virtually through Zoom from locations around the building or across B.C.

It will be historic, unique and exciting, say members of the legislatur­e, who agree democracy will prevail during the pandemic.

“There’s several books to be written about this,” said Adam Olsen, interim Green party leader.

“This parliament continues to amaze me in that just when you thought it wasn’t going to get any weirder, then a global pandemic happens. I am often finding myself marvelling at how unique a time it is to be elected to the legislatur­e to this particular parliament.”

Since the 2017 election, he said B.C. has been rolling through a historic political period with a minority NDP government relying on support from the Greens, and the COVID-19 pandemic adds one more chapter.

NDP house leader Mike Farnworth said discussion­s with the opposition parties, the Speaker and provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry have resulted in a plan for the legislatur­e that is safe and functional.

“People will be impressed by what’s in place,” he said. “It’s going to allow every member to participat­e either in the chamber or by Zoom, by virtual. There will be question period. There will be debates on legislatio­n.”

The legislatur­e is scheduled to sit until Aug. 12, said Farnworth.

Politician­s who are not in the chamber will participat­e virtually in debates. Committee meetings and interviews will be done from their offices in the legislatur­e or their ridings, he said.

Farnworth said the pandemic plan will serve as a model in case of a natural disaster or other catastroph­ic event in the future.

The government plans to introduce legislatio­n and pass the budget it tabled in February before the pandemic took hold.

Finance Minister Carole

James recently said the B.C. economy has plunged into recession, with 300,000 people losing their jobs.

Opposition Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson said his party has supported Henry’s public health measures, but now the focus is on the economic recovery.

“We’ve been writing letters to the premier for the last month with dozens of suggestion­s about how we can get B.C. rolling again, including things like a three-month suspension of the provincial sales tax so that people can get the confidence to go out and involve themselves in the economy again,” he said.

Wilkinson said the NDP can expect vigorous debate during budget estimates because the government’s “assumption­s have been shot to pieces by the pandemic.”

Andrew Weaver, the former Green party leader who now sits as an Independen­t, said the return to the legislatur­e sets the stage for the pandemic recovery.

“If we go back in history, some of the greatest advances in human civilizati­on occurred after some of the greatest tragedies,” he said.

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