British Columbia.

• Author: Simpson, Nicki
• Position: Legislative Reports

The Third Session of the 41st Parliament resumed on October 1, 2018. The fall sitting continued the spring's active legislative agenda, with 22 government bills receiving Royal Assent. In order to accommodate the volume of debate on legislation, sittings were extended from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on the last six Mondays of the sitting and a second chamber was used to consider bills at committee stage. The House adjourned on November 27, 2018 and is scheduled to return on February 12, 2019.

Legislation

The fall sitting focused on a robust legislative agenda with several substantive bills representing key government initiatives or implementing financial measures:

The Budget Measures Implementation (Employer Health Tax) Act, 2018 and the Budget Measures Implementation (Speculation and Vacancy Tax) Act, 2018 implement new taxes that were announced as part of the February 2018 provincial budget.

The Poverty Reduction Strategy Act provides a framework to reduce and prevent poverty in the province and sets targets and timelines for poverty reduction initiatives.

The Agricultural Land Commission Amendment Act, 2018 strengthens protection for the province's Agricultural Land Reserve by addressing real estate speculation and prohibiting the dumping of construction debris.

The Environmental Assessment Act enhances the environmental assessment of projects with the creation of an early engagement process, increased opportunities for public participation, and prescriptive measures to meet the government's commitment to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

The Recall and Initiative Amendment Act, 2018 received Royal Assent shortly before the first date on which citizens could be eligible to apply for a recall petition following the most recent provincial general election. The Act prohibits corporate, organizational and union donations to finance recall campaigns. British Columbia is the only jurisdiction in Canada in which a registered voter can petition to recall a Member for the electoral district in which they are registered to vote.

The Human Rights Code Amendment Act, 2018 re-establishes a British Columbia Human Rights Commission. The Commission was first established in 1973, replaced by the British Columbia Human Rights Council in 1984, re-established in 1997 and later replaced by a British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal in 2002. Prior to the adoption of this legislation, British Columbia had been the only...