British Columbia.

• Author: Schofield, Josie
• Position: Legislative Reports - Fourth session of British Columbia legislature

The opening of the Fourth Session on February 11, 2003 took place amid tight security and a noisy protest on the front lawn of the Parliament Buildings. New government initiatives announced in the Speech from the Throne include a provincial dialogue on crime, a congress for seniors and youth, a B.C. resort task force, and a revamped income-tested drug program. The government's plans for upgrading the transportation infrastructure in rural and northern communities and revitalizing the coastal and interior forest industry were also outlined, as well as its new strategy for opening up B.C.'s "heartlands" to economic growth. The Speech also contained a section on reconciliation with First Nations, in which the government expressed regret for "the mistakes that were made by governments of every political stripe over the course of our province's history."

On February 18th Gary Collins, Minister of Finance and Government House Leader, presented the 2003 Budget, predicting a deficit of $2.3 billion. While a balanced budget by fiscal 2004/05 remains the top priority, Mr. Collins announced that the government would maintain funding for health care, provide an additional $143 million for education, and invest $650 million in transportation infrastructure over the next three years, partly through a 3.5 percent per litre fuel tax increase. Other budget highlights included increases in the tobacco tax and higher residential school property taxes. The tax hikes and planned program cuts prompted the opposition critics to dismiss the government's fiscal plan as simply "voodoo economics and blacktop politics" that offered no relief for taxpayers in low- and middle-income brackets.

The legislative agenda has been heavy during the Spring Sitting. By the end of the reporting period, 38 public bills have been passed or are still under consideration. They will result in policy and administrative changes to a range of government activities--including access to investment capital, streamlining of court procedures and police records management, governance of the Royal British Columbia Museum and heritage sites, and the delivery of BC Hydro support services. During much of the debate on public bills, only the voice of the Leader of the Opposition, Joy MacPhail, has been heard, as her colleague Jenny Kwan has been on maternity leave since the second week of March.

A new Auditor General Act (Bill 9) was introduced early in the session, following an extensive consultation process. It replaces legislation first passed in 1979. The statute confirms practices that have evolved over the past two decades, defines the scope...