Victoria (with files from CBC/Global) – The dust has settled from the October 19 Provincial Election.
It was expected that there would be a short fall sitting to selected a Speaker of the House. It would have been a one day sitting before Christmas.
Being that there is a slim margin of majority for the incumbent NDP and Premier David Eby, they have backed away from a suggested fall sitting.
The expectation is that NDP MLA Raj Chouhan will continue to serve as Speaker.
It is expected and the BC Legislature will return in February with a Speech from the Throne. That would be followed by the Spring Budget.
The NDP finished with 47 seats, the Conservatives with 44 and the Green Party with 2 seats. As to keep a majority, the NDP reached out to the Greens and some Conservatives, asking if they were interested in the role of Speaker. No one accepted the offer.
There are 93 seats in the newly aligned Legislature. 46 seats counts as majority. If an MLA becomes speaker, that is one less MLA vote for the governing party.
The NDP have announced their new Cabinet and the Conservatives announced their Shadow Cabinet.
