British Columbia.

AuthorPlant, Byron
PositionLegislative Reports - Legislative bills; legislative committees; appointment of John Doyle as Auditor General

The Legislative Assembly convened on February 12, 2013 for the Fourth Session of the 39th Parliament which was prorogued that morning and followed in the afternoon by the opening of the Fifth Session. Following the Throne Speech the Budget was presented on February 19, 2013 pursuant to the Budget Transparency and Accountability Act, which requires the main estimates to be presented every third Tuesday in February.

A short sitting is expected as a provincial general election is scheduled to take place on May 14, 2013. British Columbia has had fixed election dates since 2001, when the Constitution Act was amended to require elections to be held every four years on the second Tuesday in May.

PST Legislation

In an unusual move, the provincial government publicly released a draft proposed consolidation of the Provincial Sales Tax Act on January 9, 2013 to help businesses and consumers prepare for the reimplementation of the PST on April 1, 2013. The draft legislation includes a consolidation of the Act passed in May 2012, along with draft proposed amendments. The release of the draft legislation fulfilled a 2012 commitment by the government to release the final PST legislation in advance of the move back to PST. The draft legislation was shared with Members of the Legislative Assembly prior to its release and before the House reconvened.

On February 13, 2013, Bill 2--Provincial Sales Tax Transitional Provisions and Amendments Act, 2013 was introduced. Comprising 308 sections, Bill 2 completes the legislation required for the reimplementation of the PST and provides transitional provisions and consequential and related amendments to other statutes.

Committee Activity

On October 31, 2012, the Select Standing Committee on Health released a report covering the first stage of its inquiry into the projected impact of demographic trends on the provincial health care system to 2036. The report includes the results of a public consultation, research on population aging, and a consultant's findings.

On November 14, 2012, the Select...

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