Members of British Columbia's legislature voted unanimously in favour of a motion seeking the replacement of longtime MLA Linda Reid from her role as Assistant Deputy Speaker.
Liberal house leader Mary Polak brought forward a vote after Tuesday's throne speech asking that Coquitlam-Burke Mountain MLA Joan Isaacs take over the role for the remainder of the session.
The development comes just weeks after a report by Speaker Darryl Plecas accusing senior legislature staff of gross misspending became public.
While the document does not accuse Reid of any wrongdoing, she did serve as Speaker at a time when some of the alleged misconduct would have occurred.
Just days after the report became public, Green Leader Andrew Weaver issued a call for Reid to step down as Assistant Deputy Speaker.
According to Weaver, a whistleblower had come forward about the alleged "culture of entitlement" he had witnessed, adding that the former legislative assistant was allegedly dismissed for questioning Reid's expense claims.
"Our focus at this time must be on restoring public trust in our democratic institutions," Weaver wrote. "I cannot see how that is possible when one of the individuals named by this whistleblower is still holding a position of power and oversight in the legislature."
Reid, who has served as an MLA for nearly 30 years, issued a statement of her own a short time later, but did not address Weaver's comments directly, saying only that she was "encouraged to see the Legislative Assembly Management Committee unanimously approve a comprehensive financial audit of the issues raised in the report from the Speaker" and that she had confidence in the independent review.
"As the auditor conducts their investigation, I will make myself fully available," Reid added. "I will work with the auditor and any other investigators to ensure the protection of taxpayer dollars. I feel it's important to respect the process of the current investigations in order to ensure the public is provided with a full account of the entire situation."
Reid did not answer any questions regarding Tuesday's events when CTV News caught up with her in the hallways of the legislature, and it remains unclear whether she left the role voluntarily or was forced out.
On the same day, NDP MLA Garry Begg also criticized Reid, who was Speaker between 2013 and 2017, for her alleged inaction after the issue of questionable retirement allowances were brought to her attention in a 2014 report by then-human resources director Jo-Anne Kerr.
None of the allegations of inappropriate spending have been tested in court and no charges have been laid.
The Liberals did not provide a reason for the reassignment during Tuesday's session, but the party has accused Plecas – who left the Liberals to become an independent and take the role of Speaker – of political score-settling.
"When the Speaker has made unfounded allegations about Linda Reid's parking, it's impossible for the two of them to work in collegial manner from now on," Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson told reporters Tuesday.
Wilkinson said that's why Reid is now out as Assistant Deputy Speaker.
Political leaders react
Premier John Horgan shied away from discussing any of the details regarding the motion.
"I'll have to leave any questions about Ms. Reid's appropriateness to those who would have nominated her," he told reporters in Victoria.
Weaver, on the other hand, spoke more candidly about the issue, reiterating his remarks from January in a new statement Tuesday.
"Last month, I called on MLA Reid to step aside as Assistant Deputy Speaker as all parties work to restore public trust," he wrote.
"I felt strongly that it was inappropriate for MLA Reid to continue to serve as Assistant Deputy Speaker until the allegations of the Speaker's report could be fully addressed, given the higher threshold of trust required by the role."
CTV News has reached out to Reid's office for comment on Tuesday's developments, but has not yet received a response.
With files from CTV Vancouver's Bhinder Sajan and The Canadian Press
