| Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia | |
|---|---|
| Style | The Honourable Mr/Madam/Honourable Speaker (In the House) |
| Appointer | Elected by the members of the Legislative Assembly |
| Term length | Elected at the start of each Parliament |
| Inaugural holder | James Trimble |
| Salary | $150,000 (2017) |
The Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia is the presiding officer of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia.
The Speaker is elected by the Members of the Legislative Assembly ("MLAs") by means of a secret ballot at the commencement of a new parliament, or on the death or retirement of the previous Speaker. Cabinet Ministers are the only MLAs not entitled to stand for election as Speaker. The business of the Legislative Assembly cannot continue without a Speaker. Under British Columbia's parliamentary tradition, the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia will not open Parliament until a Speaker is elected.
Prior practice had been for the Premier to select the Speaker and have that selection ratified by a vote of the legislative assembly. The Legislative Assembly also appoints a Deputy Speaker, who presides in the absence of the Speaker. During the 38th Parliament, which was elected in the BC general election held on May 17, 2005, the position of Assistant Deputy Speaker was created. This office is usually held by an MLA who represents the official opposition party.
Traditionally, the Speaker has been a member of the governing party, though Speaker Darryl Plecas was an exception from 2017-2020; however, while holding the office of Speaker that MLA must act neutrally and treat all other MLAs impartially, and to preserve this impartiality the Speaker follows Speaker Denison's rule in breaking ties. The Speaker presides over the debates and procedures of the Legislative Assembly. The Speaker enforces the Rules of Procedure, commonly referred to as the Standing Orders. Any disputes or procedural rulings are made according to the Standing Orders or, in absence of a rule governing a specific situation, to parliamentary precedence and convention. The Speaker does not vote, except in the case of a tie.
Until the early 1990s, the traditional form of address and reference to the Speaker was "Mr. Speaker". Today, the office holder is now referred to as simply the "Speaker", but during debates the MLAs may continue to address the office holder as "Mr. Speaker" or "Madam Speaker". In accordance with parliamentary tradition, all speeches are addressed to the Speaker, and not the other MLAs.
The Speaker is responsible for the legislative precincts, including the Parliament Buildings. The Speaker also sponsors the British Columbia Legislative Internship Program. The Speaker represents the voters of their constituency as a member of the Legislative Assembly.
The channel televised proceedings is Hansard TV.
President of the Senate is a title often given to the presiding officer of a senate. It corresponds to the speaker in some other assemblies.
The speaker of the House of Representatives is the presiding officer of the Australian House of Representatives, the lower chamber within the Parliament of Australia. The counterpart in the upper house is the president of the Senate. The office of the speakership was established in 1901 by section 35 of the Constitution of Australia. The primary responsibilities of the office is to oversee house debates, determine which members may speak, maintain order and the parliamentary and ministerial codes of conduct during sessions and uphold all rules and standing orders. The current speaker of the House of Representatives is Milton Dick, who was elected on 26 July 2022.
The president of the Senate is the presiding officer of the Australian Senate, the upper house of the Parliament of Australia. The counterpart in the lower house is the speaker of the House of Representatives. The office of the presidency of the senate was established in 1901 by section 17 of the Constitution of Australia. The primary responsibilities of the office is to oversee senate debates, determine which senators may speak, maintain order and the parliamentary code of conduct during sessions and uphold all rules and orders of the senate. The current president is Sue Lines, who was elected on 26 July 2022.
The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England.
The speaker of the House of Commons is the presiding officer of the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. A member of Parliament (MP), they are elected at the beginning of each new parliament by fellow MPs. The speaker's role in presiding over Canada's House of Commons is similar to that of speakers elsewhere in other countries that use the Westminster system.
In New Zealand, the speaker of the House of Representatives, commonly known as the speaker of the House, is the presiding officer and highest authority of the New Zealand House of Representatives. The individual who holds the position is elected by members of the House from among their number in the first session after each general election. They hold one of the highest-ranking offices in New Zealand. The current Speaker is Gerry Brownlee, who was elected on 5 December 2023.
Official party status refers to the Westminster practice which is officially used in the Parliament of Canada and the provincial legislatures of recognizing parliamentary caucuses of political parties. In official documents, this is sometimes referred to as being a recognized party.
The Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario is the presiding officer of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.
The speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland is elected by the members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly to preside over sittings of the Assembly and to maintain orderly proceedings. The Speaker must be a member of the Legislative Assembly. The position is currently held by Curtis Pitt, a former Treasurer of Queensland who was elected to the post on 13 February 2018.
The Speaker of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly is the presiding officer of the Legislative Assembly, New South Wales's lower chamber of Parliament. The current Speaker is Greg Piper, who was elected on 9 May 2023.
John van Dongen is a Canadian politician who formerly served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) of British Columbia, representing the riding of Abbotsford from 1995 to 2001, Abbotsford-Clayburn from 2001 to 2009, and Abbotsford South from 2009 to 2013. Part of the British Columbia Liberal Party caucus from 1995 to 2012, he served in several cabinet posts under Premier Gordon Campbell. He briefly sat in the legislature as a member of the BC Conservatives in 2012, before leaving that party later that year to serve out the remainder of his term as an independent politician.
The Speaker of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly is the presiding officer in the Legislative Assembly. The office has existed since the creation of the Legislative Assembly in 1890 under the Constitution Act 1889. The 31st and current Speaker is Labor MLA Michelle Roberts, who has held the role since the 2021 state election.
Abbotsford South is a provincial electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, established by the Electoral Districts Act, 2008. It came into effect in the B.C. General Election 2009.
The Sabah State Legislative Assembly is a part of the legislature of Sabah, Malaysia, the other being the governor of Sabah. The assembly meets at the Sabah State Legislative Assembly Building at Likas in the state capital of Kota Kinabalu.
The President of the New South Wales Legislative Council is the presiding officer of the upper house of the Parliament of New South Wales, the Legislative Council. The presiding officer of the lower house is the speaker of the Legislative Assembly. The role of President has generally been a partisan office, filled by the governing party of the time. As of May 2023, the president is Ben Franklin.
The Sarawak State Legislative Assembly is the legislative chamber of the unicameral legislature of the Malaysian state of Sarawak; the Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sarawak forms the other part of the legislature. The Assembly is modelled after the traditions of the Westminster parliamentary system, which originates from the practices of the British Parliament. The executive branch of government is drawn from the elected members of the Assembly. The State Legislative Assembly sits at the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly Building located in Petra Jaya in Kuching, the state capital.
Darryl Plecas is a Canadian politician, who was a Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia for Abbotsford South from 2013 to 2020, and served as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 2017 to 2020. He was first elected to the Legislative Assembly in the 2013 provincial election as a member of the British Columbia Liberal Party; after 2017 he sat as an independent after the BC Liberal Party revoked his membership for accepting his election as Speaker. In 2023, Plecas became a member of the BC NDP, but did not disclose any future political plans.
The 41st Parliament of British Columbia was in session from June 22, 2017, to September 21, 2020. It consisted of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, as elected by the general election of May 9, 2017, and subsequent by-elections, and the Queen in right of British Columbia, represented by the lieutenant governor of British Columbia. It was the first parliament following the increase in size of the legislature from 85 to 87 seats. Immediately following the election, Christy Clark, the incumbent premier, asked the lieutenant governor to remain governing until the final votes were counted and it would be known if there would be a majority or minority government. Lieutenant Governor Judith Guichon agreed and Clark appointed a cabinet of 21 ministers and 13 parliamentary secretaries, which were sworn in on June 12, 2017.
The Bureaus of the Cortes Generales are the governing bodies of each House of the Cortes Generales, the legislative branch of Spain. The Bureaus are made up of the President or Speaker of the House, the Vice Presidents or Deputy Speakers and the Secretaries. Each Bureau is autonomously regulated by the standing orders of its house and its composition its not the same.
| Provinces | |
|---|---|
| Territories | |
| Lieutenant governor |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Premier | ||
| Leader of the Opposition | ||
| Speaker of the Legislative Assembly | ||
| Legislative Assembly | ||
| Cabinet | ||
| Political parties | Contested in British Columbia 2020 election: Not contested in British Columbia 2020 election: | |
| Elections | ||
| Other Canadian politics | ||
