Drama, defections, and drugs: B.C.'s spring legislative session wraps up
As the spring legislative wrapped up in Victoria, opposition MLAs got one last chance to take the premier to task, a former NDP cabinet minister joined BC United, and after weeks of debate, David Eby promised action around growing discontent due to open drug use.
Question period got so heated, Speaker Raj Chouhan stood in his seat (a rarity) to appeal for order.
"Members, members, members. Take a deep breath. It's not the end of the world," he said during one particularly heated exchange.
Opposition MLA Shirley Bond grilled the premier on open drug use in public places such as parks.
"He could do it today — not wait, not talk, not dodge, not weave," Bond said of the premier.
Left on their own to deal with the issue, many municipalities are implementing a ban. The opposition worries that could lead to a patchwork of rules and instead it wants the province to bring in B.C.-wide rules. The opposition claims things got worse after possession of hard drugs was decriminalized in January of this year.
Premier David Eby got up amidst heckling and said: "Nobody wants this activity affecting our kids, and we will do something."
Eby also promised co-operation with local governments.
While the opposition returned to a familiar theme of public safety, a familiar face also returned to the legislature.
Harry Lali – a former NDP cabinet minister – is joining BC United because he feels the current administration is ignoring rural issues like forestry.
"It's always good to be back at the legislature. This was home for 18 years," Lali told reporters.
Lali, who still lives in Merritt, says he doesn't plan to run again, but will advise Kevin Falcon's team.
A statement from BC NDP provincial director Heather Stoutenburg said, in part: "Harry Lali has not been a BC NDP member since 2020, when his membership was terminated after he actively undermined the Indigenous BC NDP candidate in his riding."
Lali, who is known for being outspoken, dismissed the suggestion his defection amounts to sour grapes.
"That's a stupid statement that they put out. What matters to me is rural British Columbia," Lali added.
The NDP is touting several successes from this session, but Falcon, who leads the opposition party, said he is seeing little progress.
"Who on Earth thinks that crime and our streets have gotten any safer after 100 days of action of David Eby? It's gotten worse," Falcon said.
The debate will resume this fall when politicians return to the capital.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had with him in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
CFL suspends Argos QB Chad Kelly at least nine games following investigation
The CFL suspended Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for at least nine regular-season games Tuesday following its investigation into a lawsuit filed by a former strength-and-conditioning coach against both the player and club.