By ROB BOTTERELL
Green MLA, Saanich North and the Island
Over the past month, the NDP government’s playbook has become very clear — and it ain’t pretty.
On the one hand, legislation to repeal the carbon tax was passed in one day. On the other hand, the Legislature’s inability to move quickly is used to justify three pieces of legislation that give unheard-of powers to the NDP Cabinet:
• Bill 7 – Economic Stabilization (Tariff Response) Act;
• Bill 14 – Renewable Energy Projects (Streamlined Permitting) Act;
• Bill 15 – Infrastructure Projects Act.
The NDP’s script for this unprecedented legislation is that it is anchored with a purpose supported by British Columbians, e.g., reducing interprovincial trade barriers, advancing renewable wind projects, building schools and hospitals. Then, in the name of addressing a crisis (Donald Trump), the legislation gives unparalleled powers to cabinet — without openness, transparency or legislative oversight — not to mention Indigenous consultation, assessment and mitigation of impacts on the poor and accelerating climate change. The NDP cabinet also gives itself the ability to use these powers and play favourites in areas that cabinet, in its sole discretion, deems important. Just one example: new LNG projects.
Whether or not you agree with the government, in a democracy these types of decisions and measures are normally made by the legislature, not cabinet, where they are the subject of debate and oversight. That’s especially important when the opposition Conservatives and Greens between them received 51.5 per cent of the popular vote in the recent election.
With that in mind, the Green caucus spent over two months, from the introduction of Bill 7 to the completion of the committee review, pressing and securing changes to the bill, including the removal of the most egregious power grab in Part 4 and securing amendments to require that all cabinet decisions are publicly disclosed and reviewed by an all-party committee of the legislature. Other amendments the Green caucus secured were the requirement for interim and final oversight reports on the administration of the act and, most importantly, the inclusion of a shortened sunset clause, repealing the legislation by no later than May 28. With these changes, the Green caucus will be supporting final passage of Bill 7 before the end of May.
Having been taken through the wringer on Bill 7 you would think that the NDP government would learn from this experience and apply it to Bills 14 and 15. But you would be wrong. Instead, the government waited until late in the session to introduce Bill 14 and 15 without the safeguards now in Bill 7. To add insult to democracy injury, the NDP took advantage of a moment late one evening when two opposition members were absent to invoke time allocation, a.k.a “closure,” which means that the final vote on Bills 7, 14 and 15 will occur by May 27, whether or not any necessary amendments are included and whether or not there has been fulsome debate of the bills.
When you read this article, you may know the outcome of these politically expedient manoeuvres. But please be aware that the Green caucus offered to sit until midnight, sit Fridays, sit through other breaks and extend the session into June to allow for proper consideration of this extraordinary legislation removing power from the legislature and concentrating it in cabinet.
When I reflect on these events, Naomi Klein’s book called Shock Doctrine comes to mind.
Democracy must be paid more than lip service in B.C.