Friday December 1, 2023 | VICTORIA, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
The people we elect to represent us in British Columbia will be putting in a lot more formal hours in the new year.
The 2024 Parliamentary Calendar — released today — shows that the Legislative Assembly will sit for 37 days over four months (during February, March, April and May).
The fall session wrapped up yesterday, seeing a suite of significant housing legislation changes put through before session-end, in an effort to deal with the housing shortage crisis.
Budget 2024:
The Throne Speech will be a 38th day in the house for MLAs (Tuesday February 20) to get this rolling.
Budget 2024 will be on Thursday February 22 (as announced earlier this week by Finance Minister Katrine Conroy).
Longer days:
The BC NDP majority government is obviously hoping to get a lot of business done in the new year.
Monday and Tuesday sitting hours for MLAs in the house will be 10 am to noon and 1:30 to 6:30 pm, with Wednesdays from 1:30 to 7 pm, and Thursdays 10 am to noon, 1 to 5:30 pm.
Parliamentary Calendar 2024:
FEBRUARY
- Wed 21 & Thurs 22 (Budget Thurs Feb 22)
- Mon Feb 26 to Thurs 29
MARCH
- Mon 4 to Thurs 7
- Mon 11 to Thurs 14
APRIL
- Tues 2 to Thurs 4
- Mon 8 to Thurs 11
- Mon 22 to Thurs 25
MAY
- Mon April 29 to May 2
- Mon 6 to Thurs 9
- Mon 13 to Thurs 16
Next provincial election:
The next BC provincial election is scheduled for October 19, 2024. Campaigning by the major political parties will likely ramp up by June.
The BC NDP currently lead a majority government, as achieved in the 2020 election. The NDP formed government in 2017 as achieved with a Supply and Confidence Agreement between the NDP and BC Greens.
More MLAs after 2024 election:
Current seating in the BC Legislative Assembly is comprised of 87 MLAS, by party as follows: BC NDP (56), BC United (26), BC Green Party (2), Conservative Party of British Columbia (2), Independent (1).
BC United was formerly known as the BC Liberal Party.
Due to BC’s increased population and other factors, the boundaries of several ridings have been changed for the 2024 provincial election. The number of seats in the BC Legislative Assembly will increase by six to 93.
Three south Vancouver Island MLAs:
Overall, Vancouver Island will have 15 ridings for the 2024 election, up from 14.
On south Vancouver Island there will be three MLAs, up from two. The ridings will be:
- Langford-Highlands (Langford and Highlands)
- Juan de Fuca-Malahat (Sooke, Metchosin, Juan de Fuca & Malahat)
- Colwood-Esquimalt (Esquimalt, Colwood, View Royal, VicWest)
The fast-growing urbanized Langford will be combined with rural Highlands as Langford-Highlands.
The boundaries of the new Juan de Fuca-Malahat will see a shift to Sooke effectively becoming the largest municipality in an electoral area that will also include essentially rural areas East Sooke, Metchosin, Otter Point west to Port Renfrew, and Malahat.
The new Colwood-Esquimalt riding will now include VicWest (closer to the Victoria core), whereas presently (as Esquimalt-Metchosin) it includes Metchosin.
===== RELATED:
BC takes transformative action on housing in fall session (November 30, 2023)
BC Legislature Xmas season decor (November 28, 2023)
Three final west shore riding boundaries for 2024 (April 18, 2023)
Decoupling of Langford and Sooke in proposed new BC electoral boundaries (November 22, 2022)