No. 93 VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS OF THE Legislative Assembly of British Columbia First Session of the Forty-third Parliament

Wednesday, October 29, 2025

One-thirty o’clock p.m.

Prayers and Reflections by Pete Davis.

On the motion of Dallas Brodie that a bill intituled Property Rights Protection Act be introduced and read a first time, the House divided.

Motion negatived on the following division:

Nays — 48
Lore
G. Anderson
Blatherwick
Routledge
Chant
Toporowski
B. Anderson
Neill
Osborne
Brar
Krieger
Davidson
Parmar
Sunner
Beare
Chandra Herbert
Wickens
Kang
Sandhu
Begg
Higginson
Phillip
Lajeunesse
Choi
Rotchford
Elmore
Morissette
Popham
Dix
Sharma
Farnworth
Eby
Bailey
Kahlon
Greene
Whiteside
Boyle
Ma
Yung
Malcolmson
Gibson
Glumac
Arora
Shah
Chow
Dhir
Valeriote
Botterell
Yeas — 40
Wilson
Kindy
Milobar
Warbus
Rustad
Banman
Wat
Kooner
Halford
Hartwell
L. Neufeld
Van Popta
Dew
Clare
K. Neufeld
Bhangu
Paton
Gasper
Chan
Toor
Hepner
Rattée
Davis
McInnis
Bird
McCall
Stamer
Day
Tepper
Mok
Maahs
Williams
Loewen
Dhaliwal
Doerkson
Luck
Block
Brodie
Armstrong
Kealy

Order called for “Members’ Statements.”

Order called for “Oral Questions by Members.”

John Rustad asked leave, pursuant to Standing Order 35, to move adjournment of the House to discuss a definite matter of urgent public importance, namely, the B.C. Supreme Court ruling declaring Aboriginal title by Cowichan Tribes on land in Richmond also owned as fee‑simple properties.

The Hon. Mike Farnworth made representations.

The Speaker stated that he would take the matter under advisement.

The House proceeded to “Orders of the Day.”

Pursuant to Sessional Order, order called for Section A of Committee of the Whole.

The House resumed the adjourned debate on the motion for second reading of Bill (No. 31) intituled Energy Statutes Amendment Act, 2025.

The House divided.

Motion agreed to on the following division:

Yeas — 48
Lore
G. Anderson
Blatherwick
Routledge
Chant
Toporowski
B. Anderson
Neill
Osborne
Brar
Krieger
Davidson
Parmar
Sunner
Beare
Chandra Herbert
Wickens
Kang
Sandhu
Begg
Higginson
Phillip
Lajeunesse
Choi
Rotchford
Elmore
Morissette
Popham
Dix
Sharma
Farnworth
Eby
Bailey
Kahlon
Greene
Whiteside
Boyle
Ma
Yung
Malcolmson
Gibson
Glumac
Arora
Shah
Chow
Dhir
Valeriote
Botterell
Nays — 42
Wilson
Kindy
Milobar
Warbus
Rustad
Banman
Wat
Kooner
Halford
Hartwell
L. Neufeld
Van Popta
Dew
Clare
K. Neufeld
Bhangu
Paton
Gasper
Chan
Toor
Hepner
Giddens
Rattée
Davis
McInnis
Bird
McCall
Stamer
Day
Tepper
Mok
Chapman
Maahs
Williams
Loewen
Dhaliwal
Doerkson
Luck
Block
Brodie
Armstrong
Kealy

Bill (No. 31) read a second time and Ordered to be placed on the Orders of the Day for committal at the next sitting after today.

On the motion for second reading of Bill (No. 28) intituled Business Practices and Consumer Protection Amendment Act (No. 2), 2025, a debate arose.

On the motion of Steve Kooner, the debate was adjourned to later today.

The Speaker delivered his reserved decision as follows:

Honourable Members:

The Chair has reviewed the application made under Standing Order 35 by the Leader of the Official Opposition for the adjournment of the House to discuss a definite matter of urgent public importance, being fee‑simple property rights in light of an August 2025 decision rendered in the Supreme Court of British Columbia. The Chair appreciates the brief submission from the Leader of the Official Opposition and from the Government House Leader.

Members will know that the requirements of Standing Order 35 are rigid. The process for raising a matter under Standing Order 35 is prescribed in detail within the Standing Order provisions and in Parliamentary Practice in British Columbia, 5th edition.

It is the duty of the Chair to determine whether the criteria and high threshold under Standing Order 35 have been met. As noted in Parliamentary Practice in British Columbia, 5th edition, at page 121, reflecting a decision of Speaker Reid, the Chair must be guided by two factors. The first is to review the matter raised to determine whether other opportunities to debate the matter are available to the House. The second is to assess whether new, sudden, or unexpected events require the House to suspend all other business for a genuine emergency debate on the matter.

The subject of the application under Standing Order 35 by the Leader of the Official Opposition has been raised several times during the fall sitting period, including in Oral Question Period earlier today. Based on the submission from the Leader of the Official Opposition, the Chair concludes that neither of the noted criteria for an application under Standing Order 35 have been met.

It is therefore the ruling of the Chair that the application fails.

HON. RAJ CHOUHAN, Speaker

The House resumed the adjourned debate on the motion for second reading of Bill (No. 28) intituled Business Practices and Consumer Protection Amendment Act (No. 2), 2025.

Bill (No. 28) read a second time and Ordered to be placed on the Orders of the Day for committal at the next sitting after today.

On the motion for second reading of Bill (No. 30) intituled Employment Standards (Serious Illness or Injury Leave) Amendment Act, 2025, a debate arose.

The debate continued.

On the motion of the Hon. Kelly Greene, the debate was adjourned to the next sitting of the House.

(In Committee — Section A)

Bill (No. 20) intituled Construction Prompt Payment Act was again committed.

Clauses 7 through 38 of Bill (No. 20) passed.

On clause 39 of Bill (No. 20).


Section A of Committee of the Whole reported progress on Bill (No. 20) intituled Construction Prompt Payment Act and asked leave to sit again.

Bill to be considered at the next sitting.

Committee to sit again at the next sitting.

And then the House adjourned at 6.50 p.m.

HON. RAJ CHOUHAN, Speaker

NOTICE OF BILLS

Thursday, October 30

Tara Armstrong to introduce a Bill intituled New Residents Cost Recovery Act.

Peter Milobar to introduce a Bill intituled Municipal Affairs Statutes Amendment Act, 2025.

Anna Kindy to introduce a Bill intituled Health Authorities Amendment Act, 2025.