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The printed version remains the official version.
Ten o’clock a.m.
Prayers and Reflections by Jennifer Blatherwick.
The House proceeded to “Orders of the Day.”
Order called for “Private Members’ Statements.”
On the motion that Bill (No. M 217) intituled Dashboard Cameras in Commercial Vehicles Act be concurred in as amended at report stage, a debate arose.
Pursuant to Standing Order 25, division on the motion that Bill (No. M 217) be concurred in as amended at report stage was deferred until 30 minutes prior to the ordinary time fixed for adjournment.
On the motion that Bill (No. M 231) intituled Veterans and First Responders Month Act be concurred in at report stage, a debate arose.
Bill (No. M 231) concurred in at report stage, read a third time and passed.
M 205 The House resumed the debate on the amendment to Motion M 205 that the Legislative Assembly Management Committee institute a mandatory course in economics, public finance and numeracy for all newly-elected Members.
A debate arose.
Pursuant to Standing Order 25, division on the amendment to Motion M 205 was deferred until 30 minutes prior to the ordinary time fixed for adjournment.
M 207 Steve Morissette moved —
That this House calls on the B.C. Government to allow small, independent movie theatres to serve liquor during mixed-age showings.
A debate arose.
Jody Toor moved the following amendment —
That Motion M 207 be amended by deleting the text shown as struck out:
That this House calls on the B.C. Government to allow small, independent movie theatres to serve liquor during mixed-age showings.
A debate arose on the amendment.
On the motion of Steve Kooner, the debate on the amendment was adjourned to the next sitting of the House.
And then the House adjourned at 11.56 a.m.
One-thirty o’clock p.m.
Order called for “Members’ Statements.”
Order called for “Oral Questions by Members.”
Scott McInnis presented a petition regarding Martha Creek Boat Launch.
The House proceeded to “Orders of the Day.”
Order called for Committee of Supply.
Pursuant to Sessional Order, order called for Section A and Section C of Committee of Supply.
The House resumed the adjourned debate on the motion for second reading of Bill (No. 9) intituled Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Amendment Act, 2026.
The debate continued.
On the motion of Reann Gasper, the debate was adjourned to later today.
(In Committee — Section C)
32. Resolved, That a sum not exceeding $35,968,875,000 be granted to His Majesty to defray the expenses of Ministry of Health, Ministry Operations, to 31st March, 2027.
Section C of Committee of Supply reported the Resolution and completion of the estimates of the Ministry of Health.
Report to be considered at the next sitting.
Committee to sit again at the next sitting.
The House resumed the adjourned debate on the motion for second reading of Bill (No. 9) intituled Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Amendment Act, 2026.
On the motion of Brent Chapman, the debate was adjourned to the next sitting of the House.
Pursuant to Standing Order 25, in consideration of the motion that Bill (No. M 217) intituled Dashboard Cameras in Commercial Vehicles Act be concurred in as amended at report stage, the House divided.
Motion agreed to nemine contradicente on the following division:
| Yeas — 90 | |||
| Lore Blatherwick Dhir Routledge Chant Toporowski B. Anderson Neill Osborne Brar Krieger Davidson Parmar Sunner Beare Greene Wickens Kang Begg Arora Higginson Sandhu Lajeunesse |
Choi Rotchford Elmore Popham Dix Sharma Farnworth Eby Bailey Kahlon Chandra Herbert Whiteside Boyle Ma Yung Malcolmson Gibson Glumac Shah G. Anderson Chow Morissette Loewen |
Kindy Milobar Warbus Halford Rattée Wat Kooner Banman Hartwell L. Neufeld Van Popta Dew Clare K. Neufeld Wilson McInnis Paton Day Bhangu Toor Hepner Giddens |
Dhaliwal McCall Maahs Block Stamer Gasper Mok Davis Williams Chapman Bird Doerkson Luck Tepper Valeriote Botterell Chan Boultbee Sturko Brodie Armstrong Kealy |
Bill (No. M 217) concurred in as amended at report stage.
Bill (No. M 217) as reported to be considered at the next sitting after today.
M 205 Pursuant to Standing Order 25, in consideration of the amendment to Motion M 205, the House divided:
The amendment was agreed to on the following division:
| Yeas — 46 | |||
| Lore Blatherwick Dhir Routledge Chant Toporowski B. Anderson Neill Osborne Brar Krieger Davidson |
Parmar Sunner Beare Greene Wickens Kang Begg Arora Higginson Sandhu Lajeunesse Choi |
Rotchford Elmore Phillip Popham Dix Sharma Farnworth Eby Bailey Kahlon Chandra Herbert |
Whiteside Boyle Ma Yung Malcolmson Gibson Glumac Shah G. Anderson Chow Morissette |
| Nays — 45 | |||
| Loewen Kindy Milobar Warbus Halford Rattée Wat Kooner Banman Hartwell L. Neufeld Van Popta |
Dew Clare K. Neufeld Wilson McInnis Paton Day Bhangu Toor Hepner Giddens |
Dhaliwal McCall Maahs Block Stamer Gasper Mok Davis Williams Chapman Bird |
Doerkson Luck Tepper Valeriote Botterell Chan Boultbee Sturko Brodie Armstrong Kealy |
(In Committee — Section A)
Section A of Committee of Supply reported progress of the estimates of the Ministry of Labour.
Report to be considered at the next sitting.
Committee to sit again at the next sitting.
And then the House adjourned at 6.25 p.m.
HON. RAJ CHOUHAN, Speaker
Wednesday, May 6
16 The Hon. Mike Farnworth to move —
That, pursuant to Standing Order 86, the order for third reading of Bill (No. M 217) intituled Dashboard Cameras in Commercial Vehicles Act be discharged and that the bill be recommitted to the Select Standing Committee on Private Bills and Private Members’ Bills;
That the Select Standing Committee on Private Bills and Private Members’ Bills reconsider clause 1 of Bill (No. M 217) intituled Dashboard Cameras in Commercial Vehicles Act for the purpose of considering amendments to that clause; and,
That the Select Standing Committee on Private Bills and Private Members’ Bills report Bill (No. M 217) intituled Dashboard Cameras in Commercial Vehicles Act to the House within 20 sitting days.
Wednesday, May 6
5 Brennan Day to ask the Hon. Minister of Health the following questions: —
1. What is the number of long-term care beds the Ministry projects will be required in British Columbia by 2030?
2. What is the number of long-term care beds currently planned to be built by 2030?
3. What is the projected shortfall in long-term care beds in British Columbia by 2030?
4. What is the number of long-term care beds currently short in British Columbia?
5. What is the number of long-term care beds permanently closed in each of the past three fiscal years?
6. Of those beds, what is the number that have been replaced?
7. Can the Minister provide any analysis, briefing notes or reports regarding the risk of service reductions or closures among long-term care operators resulting from funding changes, labour restructuring or Health Employers Association of BC (HEABC) transition?
8. What is the number of seniors currently waiting in hospital more than six months for long-term care placement?
9. What is the number of seniors who died in the past fiscal year while waiting for long-term care placement?
10. What is the number of seniors waiting for long-term care placement five years ago and the number waiting today?
11. What is the number of publicly-funded assisted living units in British Columbia today and five years ago?
12. What is the number and percentage of rural physician positions currently vacant in British Columbia, broken down by health authority?
13. What is the total number of hours rural emergency departments were closed in the previous fiscal year and year-to-date, broken down by community and health authority?
14. What is the current average ambulance response time in British Columbia, with a breakdown between rural and urban areas?
15. What is the number of BC Emergency Health Services (BCEHS) ambulance shifts that went unfilled in the previous fiscal year, broken down by region?
16. What is the average time required to transport rural patients to hospitals capable of providing necessary care, and the number of transfers exceeding two hours?
17. What is the number of nursing vacancies in British Columbia, broken down by health authority and classification, including registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, psychiatric nurses and nurse practitioners?
18. What is the number of those vacancies that are full-time equivalent positions versus casual or part-time positions?
19. What is the number of individuals currently registered on the Health Connect Registry, broken down by health authority?
20. What is the number of individuals attached to a primary care provider through the Health Connect Registry in each of the past three years?
21. What is the number of individuals who became unattached to a primary care provider in each of the past three years?
22. What is the net change in the number of attached patients in each of the past three fiscal years?
23. What are the average, median and maximum wait times for attachment through the Health Connect Registry, broken down by health authority?
24. Can the Minister provide any analysis, reports or briefing materials regarding attachment rates and primary care access in British Columbia?
25. What is the number of family physicians practising in British Columbia in each of the past five years, broken down by health authority?
26. What is the number of family physicians who ceased practising in British Columbia in each of the past five years?
27. Can the Minister provide any records regarding recruitment and retention of family physicians, including attrition rates and projected workforce gaps?
28. What is the number of U.S.-trained healthcare workers who have applied to practise in British Columbia in the past two years?
29. What is the number of U.S.-trained healthcare workers who have accepted job offers in British Columbia in the past two years?
30. What number of those individuals are currently practising in British Columbia?
31. What is the average time required for internationally trained healthcare workers to move from application to active practice?
32. Can the Minister provide any records, reports or performance metrics tracking recruitment conversion rates from application to active practice?
33. Can the Minister provide any records regarding healthcare worker attrition in British Columbia, including retirements, resignations and out-of-province migration?
34. What are the current median and 90th percentile wait times for patients admitted through emergency departments in British Columbia, broken down by health authority and hospital?
35. What is the amount of the health care budget allocated to executive compensation and the number of executives earning more than $300,000 annually, broken down by organization?
36. What is the total amount spent on health administration in British Columbia and any reconciliation between Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI)-reported administrative costs and health authority financial statements?
37. What is the number of specialist vacancies in British Columbia, broken down by specialty?
38. Can the Minister provide any records regarding the tracking of specialist wait times, including average, median and maximum wait times by specialty and health authority?
39. What is the current status of the Expensive Drugs for Rare Diseases review and the expected timeline for completion?
40. Can the Minister provide any records regarding the release or non-release of the 2021 Expensive Drugs for Rare Diseases report, including briefing notes, correspondence and recommendations?
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