BC’s Eby considers choosing speaker carefully due to narrow majority

October 31, 2024 TruthUSA

The New Democratic Party (NDP) narrowly defeated the Conservatives in B.C. with 47 seats to 44 seats, leading Premier David Eby to suggest that the role of speaker for the legislature could be filled by an opposition party.

During an Oct. 29 news conference in Victoria, Eby expressed his willingness to collaborate with any MLA who shares NDP values, including considering a speaker from another party.

“I’m sure the Greens would be able to put forward a good speaker. Maybe the Conservatives,” Eby mentioned. “We’re not ruling anything out.”

Selecting a speaker from an opposing party would allow Eby to retain all his MLA votes in the legislature, as speakers do not vote except to break a tie. With the possibility of a minority government pending the outcome of a judicial review in two ridings, each MLA’s vote is crucial in advancing the NDP’s agenda.

Sanjay Jeram, senior lecturer in Simon Fraser University’s political department, emphasized the importance of avoiding scenarios where the speaker must break a tie on every legislation vote.

The selection of a speaker typically occurs on the first sitting day after a general election, or in the event of a previous speaker’s resignation, retirement, or passing. Having a speaker in place is essential for the Legislative Assembly to operate.

Eby acknowledged that one of his government’s initial tasks is appointing a speaker. He stated he does not plan to introduce legislation in the fall but is keen on having a speaker in place for a legislative session.

Speakers are elected through a secret ballot by all MLAs. Jason Morris, senior political instructor at the University of Northern British Columbia, noted that interested individuals often nominate themselves for the role, which does not require the speaker to be from the governing party.

“When facing a narrow majority, reaching out to another party can facilitate confidence votes and aid in passing legislation by garnering more MLA votes,” Morris explained.

Morris also clarified that the speaker only votes in case of a tie and traditionally aligns with the government’s stance, regardless of their party affiliation.

Conservative Leader John Rustad expressed his reluctance to propose an MLA for the speaker position at this time.

During an Oct. 29 news conference, Rustad revealed, “I do know that they have been calling around our members asking and looking for somebody to become speaker for them. It’s not something that certainly I’m considering supporting at this stage.”

Rustad emphasized his party’s openness to collaborating with the NDP on legislation that aligns with conservative principles.

Jeram and Morris both anticipated that being the speaker will be challenging this session due to the divisive election campaign, urging the speaker to maintain order in a potentially raucous and divided legislature.

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