VICTORIA, B.C.: Gavin Dew, MLA for Kelowna–Mission and Deputy Chair of the Select Standing Committee on Private Bills and Private Members’ Bills, issued the following statement after the NDP government moved to halt consideration of Bill M216, Professional Reliance Act, introduced by NDP MLA George Anderson (Nanaimo–Lantzville):

“After wasting everyone’s time for months and burning through political capital, the NDP are now trying to frame this as some kind of concession to frustrated mayors and councillors. The reality is that municipal leaders are done with this government.

“We have been working for months to stop this bill because it was massively unpopular and completely unsalvageable. Eighty-eight per cent of the nearly 500 stakeholder submissions the committee received were opposed, including every single municipality that provided feedback.

“When I brought forward a motion to hear from more speakers, the NDP majority voted it down. When I brought forward a motion to end the bill, the NDP majority voted that down as well.

“Now they’re inventing a new process to try and give Bill 216 death with dignity, but there’s no changing the fact that this was a bad bill, badly handled, which made a bad relationship with municipalities worse.”

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