The position of Speaker of the House continues to be a hot potato with both the BC Liberals and the current opposition needing every MLA sitting in the House.
The latest rumour is that the deal between the Green Party and the NDP was contingent on having a Liberal speaker.
But leader Andrew Weaver says that’s not right.
“We did discuss this but it was not actually predicated on there being a speaker.”
Premier Christy Clark says tradition dictates the party in power offers the speaker, intimating that if she fails to win the confidence of the house, a Liberal Speaker would resign.
This poses a challenge for the NDP-Green alliance with only 44 seats between them, while the Liberals have 43.
“If they do that she’s playing politics, and frankly, I think the electorate will punish the BC Liberals for that because that is just trying to play games,” said Weaver.
“Tradition is the Speaker is appointed at the beginning of parliamentary sitting for the entire term of that parliament. And it is entirely not tradition to have a speaker resign.”
The Legislature returns to sit next Thursday, June 22. A confidence vote is expected within a week of that date.
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